Back to Work

The Caldar Chronicles

Book Four

Floyde Leong

Books in the Caldar Chronicles Series

Upsetting the Balance

The Wheels of Justice
Taming the Demon
Back to Work
 This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents
are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to any person, place, or situation, either current or in the past
is purely coincidental. No part of this work is intended to be an
endorsement of any particular religion, race, or creed, nor is it intended to
espouse any particular set of behaviors for or against any particular
person, group, or society. Given the wide expanse of what passes for
“normal” human behavior in our world, it is anticipated that some may feel
uncomfortable with the contents of this story. Get over it.

Revision history:

06-20-15 – First Edition

09-01-19 – Second Edition
09-15-20 – Formatting tweaks
10-15-21 – Formatting tweaks
04-15-22 – Formatting tweaks
09-01-22 – S and G tweaks
01-18-23 – S and G tweaks
03-06-23 – Real G tweaks
03-08-23 – Reformatted for Obooko Release

Back to Work
The Caldar Chronicles Book Four
Second Edition
Copyright © 2013 Floyde Leong
All rights reserved.
Published by Shoestring Productions
Menlo Park, CA

ISBN-13: 978-1-79390-470-6
Independently published
For Phillip, who took the time to guide me towards the truth path and helped
strengthen my skills with his experience and knowledge
 (A void – a place of unfulfilled promises that beckons the reader to
contemplate a minimalist plane of reality – or simply look at the next page
and continue reading…)
 Back to Work

Part One – A Rocky Start to the New Year…

Christmas 1999 had not been a cheerful time for Lord Rondal Caldar,
First Sword of the Emperor of the Commonwealth of Planets.
He’d lost one who would have become his wife and borne his children;
saving her life, only to find her memories forever erased of him and their
love. He’d returned her to his brother’s house at the apparent intellectual
age of five, and turned her over to her Aunt Liling Song to be cared for until
her mother arrived from Cletus to take her home.
As for Rondal, he’d spent a restless night at the Royal Homestead on
Kantor; haunted not only by the presence of ‘Oli’, formerly his intended
bond-mate, Lady Xiaoli Song, but also that of his ex-companion and former
lover, Mistress Maya Tal, who had spurned him and his affections nearly a
year and a half ago when all the secrets he’d been keeping from her had
finally come to light after nearly sixteen years from their first meeting.
Christmas morning found him once again on the move; going back to work
on the problem the Emperor had assigned to him, but still burdened with the
geas the Elder had cursed him with – which he hadn’t quite managed to
suppress altogether, according to what the Elder had last told him.

The Fringe, Claxon Ship Works, Updates

After leaving orbit, Rondal made a long jump and arrived several
minutes after his abrupt departure from Kantor; the single transition
bringing him within the system Claxon Ship Works called home.
He’d come in openly and arranged a progress check on his ship, which,
according to Clax, was well ahead of schedule and nearing flight status.
Clax had come through even more quickly than expected, although he’d
had little idea of how he’d accomplished it until seeing the familiar lines of
the ship.
It looked very similar to the original stolen Drecks cruiser, with the
exception of enhancements Deltec, Tannis, and Ardan had stipulated that
were visible as deviations from the original Drecks design. Clax had
explained the three in question had actually visited him a while ago “just
to check and make sure things were progressing on schedule.”
When they’d gotten a good look at the new resource material, they’d
immediately pounced upon Clax to let them prowl through the cruiser and
update their original design drawings to take advantage of all the existing
resources now available. Since all three of them were, as Clax had told
Rondal, “family,” there was no question their input wouldn’t have been
approved by him. Therefore, he’d gone ahead and given them free rein to
update their original design drawings to incorporate many new features
they knew “Tank” would find helpful.

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The supplies from the Avenger, the sixty-thousand ton cruiser he’d
spirited away from the Drecks earlier in the year, had outfitted his new
ship nicely – all the way from the extra large doors, to the bedding, the
spare Drecks clothing, the odd Drecks-sized ship suit, and the various
loose weapons that had also been recovered. Of course, that would have
been expected since the Avenger was the underlying physical platform for
the rest of the ship – a fact that Clax promised would reduce the total cost
significantly, and likely the overhead.
Despite all that, the three had also added some structural stiffening to
the core of the ship – knowing full well that Tank was prone to prosecute
an attack even without live weapons.
Clax was known for his honesty, and Tank was known for his attention
to detail. Between the two of them, they began the inspection paying an
honest amount of detailed attention to the results of the construction
efforts.
As with any effort of this size, there were bound to be errors, and Rondal
made copious notes on his data pad as they continued up one level and
down another, throughout all the compartments, and then enabled ship
suit collars to visit some of the vacuum spaces as well. At certain spots, he
stood still and extended through places; occasionally typing on his data
pad while telling Clax what he was concerned about.
On the whole, he was very pleased, but some of the corrections he’d
mentioned had Clax stumped, as they were behind panels and walls that
either needed to be opened, or needed to be cut into to deal with.
At the end of this extensive tour, Rondal asked to meet with the workers
who were assigned to this particular project – all the workers – and Clax
had reluctantly rounded them up for him on the hanger deck of the ship.
~~~
Rondal walked behind the line of nervous workers and looked within
each one of them – finally pushing two of them forward and letting the rest
of them leave at Clax’ order.
“These two – there was another one working with them,” Rondal said
from behind the last two workers.
“H-He’s gone. Last month,” one of the hapless men volunteered.
“You thought he did shoddy work,” Rondal stated flatly.
“We checked it afterwards, Sir!” the other one said.
“And we reported it just like we’re supposed to!” said the first.

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Rondal turned to Clax and motioned for him to send the workers away.
When they’d left the hanger deck, he turned back to Rondal with an
explanation on his lips.
“Tank … honestly, I had them go back over everything that guy touched
and it looked all right … except for maybe two places I made them do it
over. I let him go because of it. My word, Sir!”
“It’s all right, Clax, I believe you. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be standing
there. Let’s go outside and check some of those spindles,” he suggested
calmly.
So saying, they reached an airlock and triggered their collars before
cycling through to vacuum. Then Rondal launched himself towards one of
the exterior spindles forming part of the cage the ship was suspended
within while inside its fake asteroid covering.
On the inside point of each spindle was a magnetic hard pad that,
combined all together, would cup the ship in place. The spindle array itself
comprised the supporting interior framework for the asteroid shell Clax
had hollowed out and built the spindle assembly within.
With the ship in the center and braced evenly within the rock, the ship
and the outer shell would move as a single unit as long as the ship’s shield
was tightened over the surrounding rock structure. Ardan had already run
additional shield tests while they were there just to make sure.
The open spaces in the surrounding area held spare mass tanks and a
vacuum-capable workshop, but left the rear open and clear with a huge
but simple double-door and hinge arrangement. This would open and close
the hollow asteroid shell to let the main ship out.
The ship’s hanger deck had parking spaces inside for up to four Galaxy-
class tanks or similar-sized shuttles; they being able to enter by a smaller
door concealed in the asteroid’s large rear door. The only downside of the
whole arrangement was having to completely undock the main ship in
order to fire the primary weapon – which still needed to be tested.
Rondal floated still for several minutes to get the feel of the construction
before moving over the complicated space-truss structure from strut to
strut. About halfway up the length of the ship, he paused and concentrated
on a strut a few feet over. Then he anchored himself with his hands before
kicking out viciously with one leg. The offending strut collapsed and floated
away in pieces.
He continued like that and found twenty-seven more struts with faulty
crystalline structures; him destroying each of them in turn, with Clax
becoming increasingly more anxious after each failure was silently pointed
out by demonstration. Only twenty-eight out of hundreds were found and
might have been accounted for by the vagaries of manufacture, but the

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position of each one taken as a whole indicated some thought had been
put into their placement.
Rondal finally led them back to the interior of the ship, where they could
talk quietly in atmosphere. As they proceeded through the corridors on
their way to the bridge, he noted the remaining workers had made
themselves scarce. Upon arrival, he looked both over and through the
controls and everything else to see if anything was amiss before reaching
out and starting to flip switches.
From the non-reaction of Clax, either he or a trusted lieutenant had
tested this part personally. The ship powered up silently, with red lights
quickly running through yellow before turning green. He followed the lines
and watched as the systems came up; finding all to be functioning
somewhat nominally. Then he brought up the navigation system and
started keying in coordinates; something that finally did get a panicked
reaction from Clax, but Rondal merely watched the interaction and
response of the systems before shutting things down.
Once satisfied, he closed out the console and they headed back to the
dining area, where adjustable height tables and seating were provided in
the clever arrangement he’d requested. He went through the kitchen;
testing the coolers, freezers, stoves, and ovens; becoming surprised to find
food in several of the coolers until Clax pointed out that many of the crew
worked double-shifts and ate in the dining area.
Upon testing the emergency food dispenser, he found it fully stocked
and provided a variety of consistencies, from the creamy paste he was used
to, all the way to a firm structure resembling cooked ground meat. Clax
pointed out that it came right from the last batch of “spare parts” he’d
delivered, but was converted to use Commonwealth standard feedstock
instead of what the Drecks used.
Rondal took a few sample bites and nodded his approval.
“Nice … chewy. Like a product I’ve eaten before. You stick it between
slices of bread. The bread keeps your fingers from getting greasy. Add a
little sauce, maybe some vegetables, and it might make a meal sufficient
to forget that it’s basically ships poop!” He snorted slightly and not quite
grimly.
“The workers commented on it as well. We’re thinking of incorporating
it with other designs – with your approval, of course!”
“Good idea. Gods’ know, when you’re down to emergency eats, anything
that’ll make it better is a blessing,” he allowed, then looked around some
more.
“What’s this blank section over here?”

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“That’s where we pulled out a hydroponics plant – a small one. Don’t

imagine it fed a whole lot of crew. Most likely, just the officers.” Clax hedged
a bit, before continuing. “Your man Deltec wanted to leave it in, but Ardan
reminded him that this weren’t no pleasure cruise you be planning. Gods’
truth, fresh food is a treat anytime you can manage it, but you’d need
dedicated crew to keep it goin’ and … that’s not why you had us run
everything from one control station.”
Rondal nodded before taking a seat at the commons to contemplate his
list. While he perused his data pad, Clax stood by stoically and hoped Tank
wasn’t too pissed about the defect list. He eventually sat down cross-wise
from his visitor and flipped through the pages of his paper ledger to review
the corrections and jot down some estimated repair times – at no charge
to Tank, of course.
Eventually Rondal blanked his pad and looked up at Clax; continuing
as if the last ten minutes of silence had never taken place.
“Naturally, the other items; the navigation, the shielding, the entire
aspect of the primary weapon itself, parts of the engines and such would
be useful to both sides – but in this case, I believe my employer would
prefer that we have a monopoly on them for the time being, as well as the
blades recovered that were manufactured to Imperial standards. Those I
wish to retain. The rest of the hand weapons – the beamers and pellet
throwers – you can turn those around for resale … although I’d suggest
you sanitize them before doing so.”
Clax forced his smile back, having already anticipated Tank’s
generosity, but still let him know his orders had been followed.
“Thought as much, but we held them in the cargo hold – packed up and
inventoried like you requested. We got ten transport pods down there with
itemized lists of all their contents, and I’ll stand by the lists personally,” he
offered; knowing it was his life if the lists were wrong.
“We’ll have a look at them in a bit, but first I have another little project
for you – if I still have a little credit left over?”
“Well, you might have a little bit left over,” Clax allowed generously;
knowing full well how much overage Tank’s deposit had saved him thus
far.
Rondal held back his own smile; knowing Claxon Ship Works was going
to be issuing additional bonuses at the end of this year.
“You know my ship … that modified Galaxy-class? He’s getting rather
tired and I was thinking of passing him down to one of the family. I’m
getting a fairly recent Galaxy-class as a replacement, but it won’t be as
heavily modified as the ‘Ceti. In fact, I want it kept mostly stock – except
for the engines and mass storage requirements.”

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Clax nodded. Galaxy-class modifications were nothing new, and his

family had done a bunch of them over the decades – many of them for
Tank.
“I want its primary and secondary weapons refurbished, and the new
Ardan shield system installed like on the ‘Ceti. Conversion to water instead
of oxidizer fuel, not as big a weapons locker, and a third the number of
bunks. One main cabin, one shower, two toilets – one forward and one aft
– and a small … not too small kitchen. A fighting man travels on his
stomach, after all. A duplicate of my navigation system as on the ‘Ceti, and
decent jump capability – probably not as far as the ‘Ceti but still able to
bounce out thirty minutes and back without running out of mass with a
full load.”
“Single-man operation, Tank? Not as extensive as what you had me do
in this thing, but single-station? Or navigation and pilot what can be slaved
back and forth?”
“Right you are. Two positions – slaved either way,” he agreed.
Clax nodded, then asked, “You don’t want that garish paint job on the
side, do you?”
“Space-black – but there is something I want incorporated that I can
control,” he said, then keyed his pad and produced a sketch in black and
white. “Optical distortion, of course, but this design from front to rear –
this is the front of the ship – would do nicely. And glowing – in white or
pale green when enabled,” he added, and handed over a data tab. “Here’s
a video. Keep it – standard library data tab, obscure system, and obscure
animal. It wouldn’t be prudent should it leak out, though.”
“I’ll see that it don’t, Tank,” he promised him, then thought of
something. “Want anything special on this ship? Colors, markings,
numbers? Something like this, perhaps?” he asked while waving the tab.
“Well, with this amount of surface area, an optical distortion system is
almost worthless in most places, but … sure. If there’s change left over to
do that design on this thing – incorporated with space-black – then go
ahead and do it,” Rondal said, then watched as Clax made more notes in
his paper and ink ledger, the skillful use of his stylus triggering a recent
memory.
“I was most impressed when your men picked up this pile of spare parts
and camouflaged it so quickly,” he mentioned quietly, while Clax continued
to scribble.
“Just tricks of the trade, Tank,” Clax murmured while continuing his
notes. “You’d be surprised how easily it fools the naked eye – not that it’s
a problem out in a vacuum.”

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Clax eventually finished, then leaned back and looked at Tank’s eyes
while considering a suggestion.
“Tank … I’m a shipwright. I just makes ‘em, I don’t fight ‘em. We got
this whopping big rock all around your ship and we’ve laced it with a layer
of shielding that’ll break up any scans on your ship from without. Oh, he
can see out all right, but coming back in, somebody have a hard time seeing
him. Thought about that, I did.
“You want a black ship and a black tank, and I can understand that,
too. Makes it easy to wander in and out of certain places what don’t want
strangers nosing around. Now this – creature of yours… I ‘spect you got
reason to advertise in certain situations, so the ship has to be absolutely
black until you show your colors?”
Rondal wondered where he was headed with this, but nodded his head
slightly and said, “Well, yes. I don’t want a camouflage pattern since I can’t
ground this thing anyway. It doesn’t need numbers on the hull since it isn’t
noted anywhere except here in your notebook, but … sometimes a simple
reminder that I’ve been there would be useful.”
Clax tapped the tab against the palm of his other hand while thinking
of his available resources. Then he spared a small smile.
“I’ll take a look at this video and see what my artist can come up with.
She’s very good … my sister’s kid. I’ll have her work somethin’ out. See
what she comes up with makes any sense to you.”
“Clax … a simple line drawing that can be enabled or disabled would be
good enough.”
“That’s true – that’s very true … but she’ll be doing that anyway, and
I’ll tell her to have fun with it. Besides – she’s family, and I got you to thank
for that.”
Rondal’s face froze, and his lips thinned before he spoke.
“What do you mean, Clax?” he asked quietly, while Clax looked around
before turning back to him and speaking softly.
“Tank … my family’s been serving you and yours for lots of years, now.
I’m fifth generation Claxon and I remember the stories my father and his
father, and his father’s father before him told about you. You’re the reason
we’re still alive out here on the Fringe, man, and the reason my sister’s
alive and has a husband and a daughter!
“They was all worried about you, Tank! You know, when the Elder’s
searchers came sniffing around for the Madman? Thought they’d seen the
last of old Tank, they did, but you finally came back after my great-grand-
dad passed on. Went away again, but every once in a while a story’d leak

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out that somebody’d whapped the Drecks a smart one, and we figured it
was you. Heard about that dust-up at the Diplo station ‘bout twenty years
back and we figured, ‘Well, old Tank’s stirring up the pot again!’ ” he said,
then chuckled once before turning somber and looking around once more.
“The Drecks are acting up again and the rumors be flying. They
misplaced a big, bloody cruiser and they think it vaporized somewhere way
down of here. Likewise, they think their secrets are safe, and me and none
of my men are gonna mention it – ever. That man I let go never saw the
shipment of ‘spare parts’. He only worked on the strut structure without
seeing the ship itself. I’m sorry now I didn’t hold him for you, Tank. We
just thought he was incompetent, but we’ll still be going over all them
struts with a scanner and a big hammer just to be sure,” he said, then sat
back, hoping he hadn’t let out too many secrets to his family’s favorite
customer.
Rondal looked at him … and then looked at him a little deeper;
wondering what was pushing him to unburden himself so rashly.
“What happened to the family that plays both sides of the fence?”
Clax looked down at the table, but tilted just his eyes up to look at him.
There was a lot of anger hiding behind them.
“That family lost faith in the old Emperor when they tossed Krux over
to the other side in the treaty,” he said bitterly, before looking down at the
tabletop again. “Especially when the Madman went to all that trouble
bringin’ ‘em back to the table. We almost turned our backs on the
Commonwealth, we did … ‘cept Donnel says talk to Old Aloysius before we
cut our jump points,” he muttered, then smacked his palm on the table
top.
Rondal stiffened slightly at the mention of one of his former crewman’s
name, but Clax didn’t notice.
“Why … ahh … why did Donnel say to talk to this … Aloysius?” he
asked.
Clax looked up and smiled.
“’Cause we knows Aloysius, Tank. Aloysius is family. Sixth … seventh
cousin from way back … half-breed from some little dust ball somewhere,
and survived the Zarox mess. He run with the merc’s after getting back
from the void. Donnel says he got’s his fingers in the mix and would tell us
true. Aloysius told us to trust the one called Tank. Said he was like family.”
Clax finally sat back and relaxed, waiting for whatever would happen.
He didn’t know what would happen, but the Tank sitting in front of him

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today wasn’t nearly as scary as he was a year ago. Now he seemed

subdued … even somewhat melancholy, if the truth be known.
“You’ve seen Aloysius lately, Clax?” Rondal murmured.
“While ago. Said he was on ‘vacation’ – whatever that is. Told me … you
come by and I build you somethin’, it better be solid ‘cause he don’t want
it fallin’ ‘part ‘round his ears ‘case you called up some contractors. You got
a lot of people out here watching your back, Tank. We all know what you
did for us in the past and we’re all wishing–”
“GODS NO! DON’T SAY IT! NO WISHES! NOT AROUND ME, OR ON MY
BEHALF! Nothing good EVER comes of it! And if I EVER find out WHY,
SOMETHING is gonna DIE!” Rondal shouted vehemently.

Somewhere Else… (Slightly out of Phase with Reality…)

Twelve individual Fates and two Fate supervisors felt a sudden chill run
down their virtual spines. The Fate on Duty simply passed out until someone
found her at the change of the watch.

Claxon Ship Works, The Commons on an Ex-Drecks Cruiser

“Oooo – kay … no wishes,” Clax muttered slowly. “Our … hopes?” He
paused cautiously, and after several seconds, Rondal finally nodded.
“Our hopes, then. Whatever you be doing, be successful, Tank. And you
can believe we’re gonna do everything we can to make it happen.”
Rondal sat there and stared at him for a while longer before nodding
again.
“Well, there is one other little thing you can do for me,” he said, then
broached the subject of a jettison chute from the charge locker to the
exterior of the asteroid body, because … you never know.

In the ‘Ceti
Rondal triggered the jump and made the first transition back to
Commonwealth space so he could pick up one round of live ammunition
for his new gun. As he maneuvered the ‘Ceti to one of the many storage
areas, each with only one charge in it, he contemplated what Clax had told
him about Four…
Four had been on the platform with him, and even as far back as the
tanks, when they were both common warriors riding in the back. Four was,
or had been, maybe twenty or thirty years older than Rondal, Relative, and
taken him under his wing when he’d first shown up in the tank corp.
Four’s real name was Petrus Aloysius Zickgraf. He’d gotten the
nickname ‘Four’ because of the four syllables in his middle name – which

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he hated. Four had served with him off and on, from foot warrior, all the
way up to the platform. Since his battle station was up on the bridge, Four
had been one of the few senior warriors to survive the encounter at Zarox.
It still bothered him a bit, though. Not that Clax and Four were on
friendly turns because – Gods knew – the supplier and the consumer had
to be on good terms, but that Four knew he would be coming back to Clax
at some point.
With Donnel, Lon, Granger, and Four being known friends and
accomplices at one time or another, it wouldn’t be impossible that
knowledge of Rondal’s new mission could have slipped out between some
of his tightly knit and concerned former crewmen. Neither did he feel the
need to really worry about any of these four former crewmen, or the fact
that they still seemed to be keeping watch over him for some reason…
He decided to drop the issue for the time being while he finished picking
up a single live charge for a test firing, along with some dummy loads to
test the rest of the gun with first. Decision made, he triggered his collar
and exited the ‘Ceti so he could trudge over to the small cutout where his
big brother’s gift had been hidden.

January 1, 2000, Earth, The Annex

Wilber lifted his eyes and gazed longingly at his Healer.
Shu looked beautiful in the dim light of the room while slowly drying off
from their shower. He’d already done so and was lying naked on the bed
and watching her; avidly waiting for her to join him, when Ronnie’s silently
shouted warning interrupted their plans.
‘Wilber! Man with a gun by the van!’ he heard in his head.
“SHU! MASTER BEDROOM! GET EVERYONE DOWN IN THE VAULT!” he
shouted, even as Shu had already dropped her towel and grabbed a robe
before leaving the room at a run.
He rolled out of bed, grabbed his pants and a shirt, then headed across
the house to the master bedroom to grab Danny. He’d be the only one on site
with a weapon but didn’t know how much real training he’d had. Danny
was already wearing his duty belt and weapon, and helping the girls into
the vault.
“Man outside with a gun! Kill the lights and let’s do a little recon,” Wilber
said just as Danny shut the vault trap and closed the closet door.
They turned off the lights and slipped out the back through the master
bathroom and laundry. From there, Danny paused while Wilber ran back to
grab a pair of shoes and returned; getting them on sockless and tied before

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sneaking out the back door and working their way around the near side of
the house to get a view of the Learning Center.
‘Wilber, there are bombs all over the Center!’ he felt in his head.
“Fuck,” he muttered quietly, and reached over and grabbed Danny’s arm
where he was standing beside him; dragging him back behind the kitchen
while giving him the update on the way to the far side of the house where
they’d be further away from the Center.
Their new vantage point let them see Ronnie’s back and one of the
caterers facing him. Fortunately, the parking area lights faced the man
holding the gun on Ronnie. He knew what Ronnie was capable of and held
Danny back so he wouldn’t interfere with the encounter.
“Ronnie’s got this. Let the boss work,” he muttered, and Danny settled
down to watch – with weapon drawn – while they both strained to listen.
“I am, on my mother’s side. These are my tribal lands. Tell me who you
are and maybe I can help you,” they heard Ronnie say.
“You still can’t figure it out? They cleaned us out! They froze all our
assets! I’ve got nothing but some cash and IDs left! And a few little presents
for you!” the gunman shouted, then pulled out a remote detonator and
pressed the button.
Both he and Danny cringed and hunched down, but when nothing
happened, they sneaked a peek at Ronnie and the gunman – both still
standing there in a face-off.
“Maybe if you didn’t go rogue and run off the reservation like that, you
wouldn’t be in so much trouble,” they heard Ronnie say. “It was Johnston,
wasn’t it? He was pulling everyone’s strings – having you guys do all the
bad stuff in the name of duty. Bet he told you that was the mandate right
from the White House, didn’t he.”
“Ha! We knew what we were doing! We always did! Those pansy asses
above us just didn’t have the balls to do anything about it when we started
taking care of business!”
They heard the gunman laugh, and watched as he almost turned his
head at the sound of pounding coming from the Center. He focused on Ronnie
again when he was asked, “So … just as a professional curiosity, is that a
dead-man switch in your hand, or do you gotta press the button?”
There was a short pause before Ronnie continued.
“Well, Tennyson, it appears your game is up. Hand over your gun and
we’ll make sure you get some counseling while you’re in jail.”

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The gunman, now identified as Tennyson, smiled and tossed Ronnie the
detonator. Something seemed to confuse him for a moment, but he kept
smiling.
“So you knew who I was after all! Well, I’d love to stay and see the rest
of the show, but I must run. Before I do, I just wanna watch you die!”
It looked like he was going to shoot Ronnie, but then something changed
his mind. His gun dropped to the ground and then he began giggling.
“Oh, fuck… It’s on a timer!” Wilber muttered, and he was just starting to
stand when the Healing Center disintegrated in front of his eyes.
Wilber suddenly awoke with a start.
~~~
The first day of the New Year was a Saturday, and it dawned cold and
crisp. After having a bitter cup of morning coffee, Wilber stood outside in
the driveway and looked at the mess from the disaster of two weeks ago…
The bombs had taken out the Healing Center right down to the floors
and below, leaving nothing but pits where they’d been placed. No exterior
walls remained standing, and the only interior partitions that remained
even partly upright surrounded what were left of the shower and toilet
modules. On top of that, the house had taken a hit to the master bedroom
– again – but this time it had included the closet, and the bathroom.
He shivered at the memory of crawling forward to help Ronnie deal with
Tennyson, only to see the collapsed master bedroom. Then he’d diverted to
run in and start digging out his Healer – giving scant thought as to how
much help Danny would be to Ronnie at the moment.
The barn appeared to have survived unscathed, but on the following
morning they’d discovered cracked supporting beams and uprights along
the wall facing the Center.
Miraculously, the transport pod full of items for delivery to Kantor had
remained intact – aside from being tilted up against the side of the barn
and dented on the side of the blast. Apparently, they were designed for
severe handling and that had been about as severe as it could get for a
shipping container. The pre-transit inspection had shown only a few items
were damaged and they’d quickly been replaced.
Like the tornado that drives a piece of straw into a solid tree trunk, yet
lands a baby unhurt hundreds of yards distant, the blast that left
Tennyson’s van only slightly dented, had launched the stove from the
lunch room – through a wall – and into and through the cabin of Ronnie’s
jeep. Wilber’s government sedan lost the front window from what looked
like the kitchen sink.

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Fortunately, Mary’s and Kayla’s habit of parking behind the house had
saved their cars from any damage, but he would suggest an alternate
egress for the exciter/converter vault be installed if the bedroom was going
to keep getting squashed. It had taken him several precious minutes to
pull off enough debris to let the girls and Ralph out of the vault that night.
Later on, Stephanie and Ralph had stayed on the hide-a-bed in the
small front office after Wilber sent Mary, Danny, and Kayla back to her
apartment in town. He and Shu had stayed in the guest room with Xiaoli
– or Oli, as she was now called according to Ronnie.
Of them all, Xiaoli appeared to be the only casualty that night, despite
Ronnie’s best efforts to save her.
He’d watched when Ronnie had spread his love over her, then
brightened like a beacon in the night while bringing what looked like a
perfect Healing to her. When he’d finished with her, she’d looked pristine
and fresh; sleeping like a fairy princess who only needed her prince’s kiss
to wake her from the nightmare of that disaster. Instead, she’d woken up
as a terrified little girl who’d found herself surrounded by strangers. He’d
had trouble comprehending what had happened to Xiaoli, even after Shu
and the girls explained it to him repeatedly.
It was in the early light of the following day when he’d finally understood
what they’d meant when he found tiny bits of scattered brain matter stuck
in driveway gravel. With official visitors sure to arrive, he’d spent some time
either picking up or raking under pieces of Xiaoli’s brain and blood –
followed by hosing down the loose gravel and dust.
As Shu had told him later, Ronnie had been devastated. When he’d
come back out of the house that night, Wilber had immediately known
Ronnie had left the party and let the Demon take over for a while.
He’d thought there was reason to worry when he’d first seen Ronnie’s
face, but when he’d started referring to Tennyson as an object rather than
a person, it was evident that Tennyson’s remaining life was now measured
in minutes, and he’d hoped Ronnie wouldn’t remove it in some unforgivable
way.
He’d actually been relieved when the van Danny had stuffed Tennyson
into had driven away, only to be stopped by the arriving deputies. He’d
hoped they’d simply arrest him, and that would be the end of it, but the
ensuing gun battle proved Tennyson’s undoing … the van exploding and
reducing him to tiny pieces. Afterwards, Ronnie – or the Demon – had
ordered the baby Healers out to help the deputies as needed, before
promptly turning on his heel and heading to the barn, not to be disturbed
– period.

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 Floyde Leong

He’d thought that was the end of it until some of the deputies had come
to take his statement. While that was going on, they’d started talking about
the heated gun battle the suspect had forced on them. He’d remained quiet
about how Tennyson had gotten away from him and Danny, or how he’d
managed to escape in the stolen van. Tennyson would have simply been
arrested until he’d started firing on the road block. Both Wilber and Danny
had known full well that Tennyson was unarmed, and both thought there
were no more guns in the van, although they couldn’t be absolutely certain
of it.
What he was sure of, though, was that he’d heard no offensive fire from
the van towards the deputies. It had been a long ways off, but the only
gunshot sounds and flashes were from the deputies. He’d almost swear to
it. If that really was the case, it meant Ronnie had executed Tennyson after
all – or at least, the Demon had.
He’d been barely successful in keeping Sheriff Taylor away for the
evening; reporting everything was under control and that her deputies were
on the scene and doing the report. What had clinched it for her was when
he’d told her that “Ronnie just isn’t himself right now” and he’d promised
her she was more than welcome to follow up personally the next morning.
By early Sunday morning the Annex was crawling with deputies, and
Sheriff Taylor was riding herd on them for the duration of their limited
investigation. Wilber had allowed it under the watchful eyes of Silver Wolf,
who was acting as the tribe’s Constable; and Deloris had been informed
that souvenirs of any kind would be frowned upon. They’d both agreed that
it was unlikely, but Wilber had pointed out that certain items might be
found that came under that nasty NDA she’d signed earlier in the year.
Then he’d provided her with a description and item count of what should
be reported to him for “accounting purposes.”
Doctor Wells, the chief of staff at the local community hospital, had
heard about the attack at noon and made his appearance in the afternoon.
He was immediately concerned with everyone’s well-being.
Having signed the appropriate NDA several weeks earlier, he was made
aware that everyone had survived the attack, but Lady Song would be
returning to her family in a few days for “emotional rehabilitation” as Shu
had described it. Not knowing the exact level of authorization Ronnie and
Xiaoli had worked out with the good doctor, Shu had declined to allow him
to visit with Oli, if only to keep her from getting overly excited, and had
instead referred him to Ronnie – if Ronnie ever decided to make an
appearance that day.
By nightfall on Monday, Shu had insisted that her bond-mate be the
sacrificial lamb sent to go get Ronnie. She’d just about run out of her

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toddler-Cletus, and Ronnie was the only one who could actually speak to
Oli, or if needed, offer her a tenuous connection with Lili back on Kantor.
Just before supper, Ronnie had finally been pried out of his ship and
noted the blue plastic tarp covering a good third of the residence this time.
Then he’d asked where everyone was before going in to talk to Oli for a little
while. A scant thirty minutes later, he came out with a distraught look on
his face and headed back to his ship. Ronnie had stopped and spoken with
him, but the discussion became somewhat heated at one point until Wilber
reluctantly agreed to his demands.
Ronnie wasn’t seen again until the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday
morning when he had to move the ship out of the barn and drop it into the
gully so workers could come in and reinforce the walls and replace the
cracked beams.
On Thursday, a clean up crew arrived and started piling up the remains
of the Healing Center for disposal; watched over carefully by Wilber, Shu,
and Mary. Once in neat piles and verified “alien-free,” he’d let them load it
up and haul it all away. The only things left were anything still bolted or
concreted in place.
Late Friday afternoon the additional passenger for the Kantor passage
had arrived and been transferred to Wilber by Agent Sparks – the new guy
in Washington. He was allowed water, use of the toilet, then given an adult
diaper. Once he was webbed in, the door had been locked, and he’d been
left there.
Wilber remembered the leave-taking with a great deal of sadness.
Ronnie had acted cheerful – as much as the situation allowed.
Stephanie and Ralph were on their way to a new position working with
Doctor Riker as sociological investigators. Oli was going home to her Aunt
Lili on Kantor until her mother could come and get her. The worst-case
scenario would be that Oli would simply join the Royal family while she
went through her childhood once again.
As for the extra passenger, Ronnie had pointed out a few days earlier
that the NDA form – torn up or not – was still valid, and the signee had a
few things to answer for to the Emperor before being returned upon
completion of questioning.

Inside the Remains of the House

Shu looked out the window of the residence and felt the despair
radiating from her Wilber. She slipped her coat on over her robes and went
outside to be with him, slipping an arm around his waist when she reached
him.

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 Floyde Leong

“My husband-to-be … leave this now. It is the first day of the new year
of your country. Next week or the week after will be soon enough to deal
with it.”
“Sweetheart, Ronnie will expect me to take care of this right–”
“Ronnie is not here,” she pointed out reasonably. “Even if he were, he
would still not notice for a while. No classes need to be held until several
weeks after today. The clinic at the Reservation Center is still intact, and
Mary and I can take care of those needs. With Danny’s job going so well,
Kayla will cut back her hours at the hospital to work with us at the
reservation on Monday mornings. You need only order more of those penis
sheaths to replace the ones distributed by the bombs,” she said, referring
to the widely flung half-pallet of condoms that had ended up scattered
downwind of the Center that evening.
Wilber thought back to the nightmares he’d been having since Ronnie
had left. The one that had woken him up this morning had been fairly tame
for a change, but he looked around again while shaking his head in
disgust. He’d had one task to perform for the Commonwealth and gotten
lazy and fucked up – and almost gotten his charge killed in the process.
“Shu … I – I feel so lost right now. I should have seen this coming! I
knew we didn’t get all of Johnston’s men, and I should have been more
careful! I don’t know how I could have–”
“My bond-mate, this was not your fault, nor was it your job,” she told
him gently. “Your countrymen failed in their duty, and this is the result.
You are so much like Lord Caldar, but you do not see it, my love. You both
strive to be the best and take care of things that need taking care of, but
sometimes neither of you can prevail against a situation you cannot
control.”
She stepped around in front of him and leaned back against his chest;
pulling both his arms snugly around her waist.
“Wilber, my love, this can all be repaired,” she said, and stretched one
arm out to survey the damage. “But it does not have to be done today. For
once we are quite alone and I would have you spend some time alone with
me, my love.” Then she slid his hands up to cup her full breasts. “I have a
present for you, my Wilber, and I was waiting to give it to you – but you left
our bed!” she said accusingly, then turned in his arms to kiss him
longingly.
They both leaned into the kiss before Wilber broke away and slipped his
hands inside her coat to fondle her breasts again, but now noticed their
extra firmness.

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“Shu … are … are you pregnant?” he asked, prompting a few quiet

giggles from her in return.
“No, my Wilber, but not through any fault of yours. My milk has finally
come in stronger. I’ve worked very hard to give this gift to you, my love, and
it is a useful thing a Healer can do. Would you… Wilber, would you want
to make children with me … so soon?” she asked softly, and he stared
down into her eyes before hugging her to him.
“I would be honored for you to have my children, my love. You are young
and beautiful, and you will make beautiful babies! Let’s go get started right
now!” he teased her, which triggered a delighted laugh from her.
“My love, I’m only ninety-seven years, Cletus, and have many years to
reach before I cannot have any children. Perhaps we could wait a few more
years until the Cluster is established before we start raising a family?” she
suggested, while reaching up and gently working his hands over her
breasts and causing her letdown to begin.
He noticed the wetness at the front of her robes, and she followed his
eyes down.
“Oh, my love, we must go inside so you may help me with my fullness!
You will do this for me? Please?” she asked coyly, and he drew her with
him into the house and locked the door behind them.
She knew what she was doing was manipulative, but also knew her
Wilber needed to be distracted and comforted, and Healer’s Milk would do
the job nicely. Once tucked naked together under the blankets, she soon
had him relaxed and nursing contentedly from her breasts.
He’d had a surprising response just minutes after he’d begun drinking
her sweet nectar, and the added benefit of his extra-firm erection wasn’t
lost on her when she’d pushed him over onto his back and mounted him
for her own pleasure. His nursing efforts were soon forgotten while she
took pleasure from him at her own relaxed pace.

January 5, Sol System, Asteroid Belt, Opposite Side of the Sun

Unbeknownst to Wilber, Rondal was back in town – or rather, in the
same system, anyway…
Two days ago, the ship had been made ready for space trials, and upon
his return, both he and Clax had taken it out for a few short jumps – after
Rondal had updated the navigation system from the one in the ‘Ceti, which
was now securely docked in the hanger bay next to Clax’s runabout.
No problems had been discovered while Rondal maneuvered the space-
black ship out of the faux asteroid hanger and positioned him off station
while running through engine run-up and navigation checks. With shields

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up and the resulting display showing continuity all around, he’d spent a
few minutes distorting the shield and pushing it in and out for several
kilometers while scanning for micro-dust or other debris that had failed to
be pushed away from the hull. Satisfied with the results, he’d collapsed
the shield back to the hull surface and then tightened it, before making
the first jump; popping out two diameters away from Krux – to no little
torment of Clax’s stomach.
They’d stayed out there for an hour while drifting around and between
detection stations just to prove the shield system was doing its thing. By
the end of the hour, nothing had been heard on the alert networks
indicating they’d been spotted. Just to double-check things, Rondal had
jumped another ten minutes right and come up on the Bornat system,
which was just four minutes on the inside of the Commonwealth from the
Fringe.
Closer to the Fringe than Earth, the Bornat had a planetary detection
system that was even more meticulous than that which surrounded
Kantor. Despite that, they were still able to sneak around without
challenge – all the while maintaining caution that they didn’t unnecessarily
occlude a star cluster by accident and be discovered by simple optical
means. Rondal was satisfied after an hour spent there, then jumped them
back to Claxon Ship Works to let Clax off – after he had him help move
several small containers from the ‘Ceti to the gun room.
It was when Clax figured out just what he was carrying that he’d finally
lost his composure. He hadn’t known that, while they’d been jumping
around between Hegemony and Commonwealth space, they’d been sitting
on anti-matter loads for the big gun that ran the length of the new ship and
had yet to be test fired. Clax couldn’t get off the ship fast enough after that.

Hiding Behind the Sun

Rondal positioned his new ship on the far side of the Sun while making
sure he was approximately opposite the orbit of the Earth. Once in place,
he made ready to test the weapon against a moderately sized piece of rock
in the orbit of the reduced fifth planet of his home world’s system.
That had been the popular consensus, but it was later estimated that
the rock and debris had never actually condensed into a planetary body,
or if it had, it was only at the beginning of Sol’s existence, and then gotten
itself destroyed a few million years afterwards. The total combined mass
certainly didn’t add up to much more than a mere fraction of the Earth’s
moon.
In preparation for the big test, he’d run through the loading and firing
sequence several times, before finally putting the live anti-matter round in
the middle of the auto-loader.

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He’d not intended to use the auto-loader at all, but it came with the gun
and he’d told Clax there were absolutely no variations to the system. He
could still manually load the weapon, but since his brother had gone to all
that trouble on his behalf, he thought it was at least worth a test. Besides,
if it failed, he could still tap his brother’s household account, and there
were quite a few “spare parts” he could buy back from Clax if necessary. It
would have to be a much smaller ship, though.
The monitoring and recording systems were extensive, and he linked an
outgoing channel to the ‘Ceti to record the results remotely. While he was
confident that everything would work just fine, it was one of those
situations that screamed for a reasonable amount of caution – which is
why he’d picked up only one live charge. With recorders and radiation
monitors running on both the new ship and the ‘Ceti, he contemplated his
options – to tell the Elder or not.
On the one hand, keeping a secret like this made a certain amount of
sense. If he up and told the Elder that he’d been the one who stole the
Drecks’ BFG, there might be a bit of concern that he’d been less than
trustworthy. Of course, once she’d found out later on, she’d probably be
doubly pissed at him and might conclude he was too dangerous to leave
alive – in spite of the state of his mission.
His brother’s words echoed in his mind for some reason, and he saw the
wisdom in them now. Time to call the expert.
‘Lili, do you have a moment?’ he asked quietly.
‘Oh Rondal! We’ve been so concerned! We’ve been monitoring the
heavens … looking for a bright flash … but you’re still alive!’ she sent back
immediately.
‘Well … yes. Still, I suppose. How – how is … everyone?’ he asked
tentatively
‘Everyone is well. The babies are all healthy, and Oli’s mother has taken
her home to Cletus to live with her and her two daughters. She is most
profoundly grateful to you for saving her daughter’s life, and … and she’s
offered her next youngest daughter to you as one of your Royal wives. That’s
if you should choose to return home and serve as the First Lord. Both of
them, actually. They may both bear children for you, Rondal, if that is
something you’re intent upon?’
‘I … please convey to Lady Song my gratitude for her generosity, but I
would reserve that decision for a time that is yet to come. I’m not … I cannot
yet think along those lines, Lili. I guess I’m too much like my Earth family in
that regard’

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 Floyde Leong

‘When you are ready. There is still time, and many things may happen
over time. You have called and I am here. How may I help you, Rondal?’ she
asked, knowing that he seldom contacted her just to chat.
He explained to her his dilemma about the BFG and the Elder, and she
gave it a considerable amount of consideration – for all of five seconds.
‘Rondal, it is the Emperor whom you serve; and since it is a side-project
of the Emperor’s that she is apparently already somewhat aware of, then I
will tell her to expect you to contact her as a courtesy and let her know of
your need to exercise delicate control of the ship and weapons’ systems
through your special abilities. I recall she has allowed you such liberties in
the past when it has been related to your Dox intrusions’
‘Thank you, my Lady. Am I still to be cold and ruthless with her?’ he
asked wryly.
‘She already knows you have moderated the curse placed upon you. She
speaks highly of you, Rondal. It would not surprise me if she might actually
expend some effort to learn how to remove your curse – should you survive
the next several years’ she chided him gently, before going on. ‘Oh! Both
Laisee and Amy thank you most wonderfully for their … *electric pianos* I
think they were called. They both can be heard playing live music upon
occasion, and the babies seem to enjoy it as well. They promise you their
contentment upon your next return. They were most adamant about it. And
Rondal, both Sai and the Elder have taken sour note of your Healer recruiting
efforts out at the Fringe’
‘Whatever do you mean, Lili?’ he asked in true confusion.
‘The women you took life from at the Fringe? Sai has rounded them up
and begun Healer training with them at the Farman cluster. The last girl you
brought in, Madhu, her name was, she was also found to be of Healer stock.
We cannot explain how this is happening, Rondal. The only thing the girls
had in common was you, and yet their basic acceptability for Healer training
is exceptional. Sai first noticed it when she was investigating your activities
for the Elder. The Elder was the one who ordered them rounded up and
trained properly’
‘Lili, I swear I have no idea of what is going on. Unless it is something
related to your Gift, then I cannot account for anything like you’ve mentioned.
I was not aware there were degrees of acceptability to Healer training. After
all, Sai taught two Drecks to become Healers’ he protested, and Lili was
silent for a moment, but quickly recovered with another question.
‘Rondal … you had Gifted Diane, Amy, and Shay before we arrived on
the platform last year. This is true?’
‘Yes, Lili. I believe that to be true’

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‘Laisee you Gifted on the platform, and I noticed she was markedly more
receptive afterwards … although I attributed it to her happiness at finally
sharing your bed again’ she sent, and then thought of her latest visitors.
‘You Gifted Dorcas, and I find that she is receptive as well, more so than I
had expected after talking to Sai about it. Did you have an opportunity to
Gift Stephanie as well?’
‘No. Stephanie and Ralph played with others of the family. Xiaoli and I,
we … we usually played … by … ourselves’ he stumbled out.
‘Interesting. Rondal, the next time you are home, I believe I will conduct
an experiment for the Elder’s enlightenment. In the meantime, I order you to
continue to seek and achieve contentment on a regular basis – but do so only
from those already Healers or Seniors. You may Gift them if you like, but do
not play with the common girls any longer until we can make a determination
about this peculiar situation. It may be an artifact of your taking of life,
something about the Gift, or something about your status as Senior. It may
also be something completely unexpected – such as Andrew’s rapid growth
into manhood caused by Diane, Amy, and Shay. That was Maya’s failure to
take into account regarding new Healers’
‘I hear and obey, my Healer. I will contact the Elder shortly, then?’
‘I will let you know when. Play nice with her, Rondal. For now, she holds
your future within her fingers. Our love to you, Rondal’ she said in closing.
‘And my love to you and the family, Lili’ he answered, then waited while
thinking back over the conversation.
Come to think of it, he didn’t really recall Gifting Laisee while they were
on the platform. In fact, he’d been ordered not to. He might have, but his
dance card had been fairly busy while Maya was indisposed. He’d started
to count the number of times he’d been with Laisee, when Lili sent one
more message.
‘Speak to her now, Rondal’ Lili sent before dropping away, and he
reached out to Lady Ai with a more circumspect demeanor.
‘My Elder, I would make a request of you…’ he began politely.

Arizona, The Annex, Yet Another Rebuild…

Wilber stood in the middle of the driveway and watched as the finishing
touches were applied to the residence. The only delays had been due to the
holiday season, since the replacement components were unavailable due
to holiday closures on the supply side. He could have gotten workers out
here anyway, but decided that taking people away from their families for
more than simply stapling tarps over the missing walls and roofing would
be a waste of time. Besides, it was a rather mundane repetition of what
had happened earlier last year.

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 Floyde Leong

He smiled as the jobsite foreman stepped out the door and stopped to
make sure it closed and opened again smoothly. They’d had to slightly reset
the hinges due to the structural torsion on the adjoining walls caused by
the blast. Seeming to be satisfied with it, he closed the door and walked
over to join him.
“How does it look, Frank?”
“Mister Milton, we’re just about all done in there,” he said, and looked
back at the residence, then over at where the Center used to be, before
turning back to Wilber.
“You know, there’s a technique that uses sprayed concrete over rebar
that might be a bit sturdier than what you got out here. Place out in
California was put up freeform – concrete over rebar – and formed over
inflated balloons the size of the inside of the shell. Just sayin’,” he said,
then added a chuckle to match Wilber’s smile.
“I’ll have to suggest that to the boss the next time this happens,” Wilber
said, then turned to the remains of the Center. “You’ve got a schedule for
the new, new Center yet?”
This triggered a wry shake of Frank’s head as he looked over at the
backhoe and dump truck that were just setting up to start digging out a
new underground room in the middle of the Center. Seemed like the new
Center was getting an upgrade this time around.
“Give it about a month … maybe,” he suggested. “Shouldn’t be much
longer than that. You come up with any more additions, now would be the
time before we get too far along.”
Wilber looked at the impending project and gave that some serious
thought. As he considered it further, he crossed his arms over his chest
and let out a sigh.
“Go ahead and continue with the underground vault, but let me contact
the principals about any further additions,” he muttered, before reaching
up and scratching the bottom of his nose, then letting out a slight snort at
its completion. “I’m sure he’ll think of something else.”

Sol System, Asteroid Belt, Opposite Side of the Sun

“Well … that was unexpected,” Rondal muttered to himself in disgust…
Under his new working relationship with the Elder, all he’d need do is
mention ‘ship handling’ and she would effectively ignore his trespasses for
the length of time they were taking place. She’d told him she might follow
along, just as she’d done when he’d neglected to set up his blocks after
that incident back on Dox last year, but for the most part, he had carte
blanche to fly and fight his ship once giving her a heads up.

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She’d even allowed leniency in emergencies should they arise. He also

knew she’d be watching this weapons test with interest, since Lili had
informed her it was one of the reasons he needed to use this level of remote
control. He didn’t want to be within five-thousand kilometers of the new
ship when the trigger was pulled, and the new ship itself was ten-thousand
kilometers from the targeted asteroid.
He’d left in the ‘Ceti, and retreated from the new ship to pause five-
thousand kilometers back. He’d thought about it a little more, then added
another five-thousand kilometers of space between him and the new ship.
After checking the recorders once again, he’d alerted the Elder with a ‘ship
handling’ warning, then pulled the trigger remotely.
A half-second later, the cameras blanked, and the recorders flat-lined …
and stayed that way while a deep sinking feeling washed over him at these
less than desirable results of this first – and apparently final – test shot…
Rondal sagged in his seat with a disgusted sigh passing between his
lips.
“Damn, that ships poop dispenser was a nice one, too,” he muttered
dismally, just before one of the cameras finally came back on and showed
a distant glow from where the new ship used to be – or apparently still
was, according to the data flow that started streaming in once again.
He let his Elder block rise as a matter of habit, but in a gradual manner,
as if it was a natural reaction to the shot, and not deliberate in nature. He
needed some mystery to his operations, after all. Then he started reviewing
the results of the test firing.
Scans from the ‘Ceti showed the new ship had assumed a slow
movement away from the direction of the shot? A beam weapon with a …
a recoil? Well, it wasn’t as if it was mounted to a platform with an enormous
amount of mass to steady it.
With sensors out for radiation and particle detection, he started back
slowly, but all he found were normal background levels of both – except
where the one-hundred-kilometer lump of rock with the forty-five kilometer
diameter hole in it currently drifted. There he found radiation and particle
artifacts galore, and all proceeding outward from the blast. Likewise, he
noticed the beam dispersion hit not only the asteroid in question, but
continued on for several thousand kilometers, while creating a widening
cone of debris showing gradually declining effects from the shot until – at
fifty-thousand kilometers out – there were no discernable particles or
radiation elements to be found.
He checked another data feed showing the gunroom camera, which
found the gun intact and radiation levels nominal. The trace back on the
remote radiation recorder didn’t show any spikes, but he’d have to look at

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the on-board recorders just to make sure … and check the film detectors
as well. Sometimes you had to fall back on the old standards just to make
sure, because you never know.
Once docked, he kept his ship suit active while walking around and
checking atmosphere and radiation readings all over the ship. He finally
checked the recorders on the bridge and played them back, turning up the
audio to normal levels, only to find that the gunroom audio never even
clipped. The sound of the shot was loud, but deceptively quiet considering
the amount of destruction it produced. Anyone inside the gunroom would
probably appreciate hearing protection, but a good armored suit would
take care of it.
He cycled through the two remaining dummy loads from the bridge, the
system first going through the motions of ejecting the non-existent
previous load, before loading, firing, and unloading the dummy loads. It
seemed just fine, but he’d still like Donnel and the boys to go over it with
him before he put the ship into service. The ship was, after all, mostly their
revised design, and the weapon should be well documented for the
Commonwealth weapons groups. He’d have to talk to Rad about upping
their security clearances.
He wandered around and picked up the radiation films, then processed
them carefully. The three inside the gunroom itself had each fogged
considerably – well beyond the fatality level – but the ones right outside
the door and the adjacent compartment walls were fine; indicating the
room shielding was solid during the shot. You just didn’t want to be
standing inside when the shot went off.

The Fringe, The Orca, Parking Orbit at Farman

‘Sai, are you available?’ came the silent call.
Lady Tal rolled over and nearly elbowed Déjà in the ear, but caught
herself just in time.
‘My … my Elder? How may I serve, my Lady?’ she asked with a barely
suppressed yawn.
‘Sai, it would appear that the Emperor has picked up a new toy, and lets
his little brother test it for him’
‘Let me guess. The hell-spawn was involved in that incident last year?’
Sai asked, now struggling to sit up in bed while her head cleared.
‘He … or perhaps other agents of the Emperor – although we know of no
others at this time. Lili reported their development of a weapon, and Rondal
was assigned its initial test and use. We suspect the first test was conducted
in secret, and it was test fired on that missing planetoid. We know where

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Rondal was at the time, so we currently believe Lili’s word that a weapon
has been turned over to Rondal for test and evaluation – and possible use
against the Hegemony if needed’
Sai closed her eyes and let out a tiny groan in disgust.
‘Do you want me to attempt to track him down again, my Elder? Granted,
he’s left no trail of Healer-acceptable port girls of late, but if he’s testing a
weapon of that nature, then surely–’
‘We have observed the first test. The first test that Rondal has made …
that we are aware of, anyway. It is much like the weapon reported during
the incident – the one that supposedly was lost with the ship when it
exploded from it’s unstable charges, if the reports from your captured
crewmen are to be believed’
‘That is what they believed, my Elder’ Sai assured her; wondering now
if that was only what they were led to believe.
‘Then perhaps what Lili suggests is true … the Emperor took our reports
from her and presented them to one of his weapons groups for evaluation
and development. It would not be the first time the Commonwealth has
delved into anti-matter weapons’
Sai wondered why the Elder had allowed even that much
experimentation in the technology, but if the Drecks were so engaged, then
having the Commonwealth knowledgeable about it was only prudent – if
only to develop possible counter-measures. Then she thought about
another possibility.
‘My Elder, not to think falsely about Lady Lili’s intentions, but … does
she still honor her commitment to you? She seems to dote upon Lord Caldar’
she asked, then felt Lady Ai’s reserved sigh echo back from the ether.
‘Lili serves three masters, Sai. The office of the Elder, the Emperor, and
the Commonwealth … although there may be some question as to which
master holds sway at any given moment. As for Lord Caldar, she reports he
has finally conducted a perfect Healing of a most dire injury to her niece, the
Lady Xiaoli Song’
‘That incompetent challenger to my position?’ she asked incredulously.
‘The very one. Rondal and Xiaoli were to come to Kantor and ask for a
bonding from the Emperor–’
‘NO! He was promised to Maya! She may STILL–’
‘Sai! That opportunity has already passed. Even if Maya changes her
mind, she can no longer bear him an heir. As I was saying, they were to
come to Kantor, but apparently Rondal had irritated yet another faction in
the government he is so trusting of. They tried to kill him, and all of his

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remaining Earth family. They destroyed the Healer Cluster that Lili had
established on Rondal’s premises’
‘H-how many Healers died?’
‘None – save for Lili’s niece … and Rondal Healed her properly and
brought her back – except that … much of her mind was lost. It … it had
been physically removed during the attack, and she believes she is now a
child of but four or five, Standard’
Sai stared blindly at the bulkhead in front of her; the mere thought of
such a thing was abhorrent to her.
‘But – but WHY? Why would he even BOTHER, my Elder? If she were
TRULY gone, then why–’
‘Were you not there on the platform, Sai? Do you not remember his drive
and conviction to save Meela in spite of her best efforts to destroy herself?
What about Maya? Would you rather that he’d given up on her? You saw
the recording! He was lost and desperate, and then called upon the Gods
themselves to Heal your daughter, and … and the Gods granted him a
miracle!’ she shot back angrily. ‘Xiaoli was to become his bond-mate and
bear him children, and while her heart still beat, he did his very best to bring
her back! Now … now he has lost two loves in his life. One has turned her
back on him, and the other forgets him entirely’ she sent, letting her sadness
echo across the void.
They remained silent for a few moments more – an eternity in silent
communication – before Ai went on.
‘Forgive me, Sai. I find close association with Doctor Riker and Amy Lane
to be exposing me to sentimental feelings I was previously able to ignore. As
I watch Larl and Amy together, I … I begin to understand the closeness one
may hold to a bond-mate. That is the way Rondal felt about Maya … and
about Xiaoli, if Lili tells me true. Do you know, she told me she’d sent Xiaoli
to Rondal as his bodyguard, and the child actually BELIEVED her?’
She’d laughed silently in the sending of it, and heard the echoed snort
back, before Sai asked ‘So Xiaoli was sent to become his bond-mate?’
‘Not at first. Just to get him to work with a Healer once again. To accept
proper contentment. He’s just a man, Sai, and he needs proper guidance.
We’ve burdened him terribly, and yet he keeps meeting our challenge’
‘He’s defeated his curse?’ For some reason, that thought seemed to
brighten her pre-morning to some degree, and she perked up a bit.
‘No… No, but he keeps it in check. I feel that’s why he went back to Earth.
I believe there was something about an older member of his Earth tribe who

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helped him to define his curse – his demon, as he calls it – and find a way
to control it’
Sai could not think of any Earthlings capable of such a thing – unless
it was that elderly Native from Rondal’s Earth tribe? He did seem to have
a somewhat strange feeling about him, but no! Rondal had been rude and
uninviting, and was obviously still under his curse! Besides, he’d
deliberately gone out of his way to humiliate and hurt her!
‘But when we were there … he and I … he was so…’
‘Rude. Yes. And arrogant. I suspect he was merely playing with you when
he broke your wrist. Playing the part YOU expected to see. He tried it with
me, but was caught up in events. I watched silently to see his true nature.
By the Gods, Sai, if I knew for sure that his need for his demon was over, I
would search the Visions for a cure! As it is, the Visions remain unsure –
other than your paths will cross once again, and you’ll share in his
adventure – happily, if the smile on your face is to be interpreted correctly’
‘NEVER! I will NEVER serve with that man! NEVER AGAIN!’
Sai’s anger lashed out, but she fought it down because she was
addressing the Elder. It didn’t seem to matter, because Ai went on as if
she’d simply expressed her feelings as a child’s pouting response.
‘Not right away, Sai, but sometime … sometime in the future’ she shared
softly, before drifting off a bit languidly. ‘There are so many paths
available… Rondal will soon disappear from our view, but I want you to
continue monitoring the Healer Cluster on Farman. Lili promises an
interesting experiment involving Rondal and several of her female servants
the next time he visits the Royal Homestead. Perhaps it will help explain the
intriguing voids I see at times…’ she shared before trailing off again.
‘My other duties, my Elder? What of them?’ Sai asked, but was surprised
at the delay before Ai responded to her.
‘Oh yes. Continue the watch. Check with the Imperial Bordellos for
interesting findings, and keep in contact with the new group of Healers. And
please stop referring to their apparent proto-sponsor as “hell-spawn” – at
least in public’ she chided her gently. ‘Rondal will … leave us for a while…’
Ai repeated vaguely ‘…but reports will continue to come back from him and
fill the voids in our general knowledge of the Hegemony. We will keep you
informed of progress, Sai, but please do not be tempted to enter Hegemony
space without Rondal’
‘My Elder, I would NEVER deliberately enter Hegemony space! Even
WITH Rondal!’
‘You will, Sai, and you will do so willingly – or willingly enough, and in
the company of Lord Caldar, as well. A compromise will be accommodated

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 Floyde Leong

for the benefit of the Commonwealth. I see you and your sons enjoying
personal growth during the adventure. I see a positive outcome – of some
sort. It is still unclear, however. Thank you, as always, for your service, Lady
Tal. I have every confidence’ she ended somewhat abruptly.
Sai lay back on her bed and considered the Elder’s conversation. It
wasn’t strictly a set of dire instructions … unless you considered that at
some undefined point in the future, she was expected to ship out with
Rondal for yet another one of his damned adventures.
Keep watch over Rondal’s baby-Healers on Farman? Well, she was going
to do that anyway. It was pretty damn suspicious that just about every
woman he’d fucked at the Fringe had also turned out to be a good prospect
for Healer training. Maybe that was why he was drawn to them? Or was it
Lili’s Gift? And Lili was going to experiment on her own servants with him?
How obscene! As for him pretending to be rude to her on Earth? How likely
was that – really? And he’d broken her wrist! Still, Lili had spent the night
with him, and she was not the kind of Lady to suffer rudeness from anyone
– the Emperor included. Was it really all just an act?
Moreover, he was testing an anti-matter weapon for his brother! Ha!
Now that was something she was sure he’d had a hand in … and it would
require extra hands to recover it from the Drecks. The Madman often
worked with crews of mercenaries. She even crewed with him herself at
one point. She’d spent some time playing back the communications logs
recorded during the event, and the Drecks security pilot sounded
suspiciously like someone she’d been searching for, for a long time now; at
least as far back as sixty years before the Fringe.
The testing software had said it was close, but not a match. Still, the
peaks on the display told her experienced eye a different story. Aside from
being a known accomplice of the Madman, that was the voice she’d been
hunting for nearly two-hundred and forty years now.
Its owner had a lot to answer for – before she took his head!
She looked at her ships timer and considered the hour. Too late to go
back to sleep, and still too early to get up. She glanced over at Déjà, and
smiled before snuggling close to her and gently kissing her lips, getting a
tiny response in return. As soon as Déjà’s tongue made its appearance,
she quickly sucked it into her mouth and nursed on it; letting the enzymes
work through her system to relax her back into a peaceful doze.
Several seconds later, Déjà awoke up and found Mommy sucking on her
tongue. She released another wash of enzymes into her mouth, before
withdrawing so she could scoot down and open Mommy’s robes to suckle
from her breasts.

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She’d been working on Mommy for months and months, and was just
now beginning to see the results in the tiny bit of milk Mommy was
producing for her. Now that she was awake, she reached down and started
playing with herself as well – spending the next hour nursing from both of
Mommy’s breasts and rubbing her own genitals in pleasure. What she
really wanted was for Mommy to be awake so she would climax for her and
share it with her, but she’d have to settle for nursing from her this time.
Maybe when she woke up, they could suck each other until Mommy
climaxed again!

The Fringe, Claxon Ship Works, Dropping Off

A few days later found Rondal back at Claxon Ship Works to drop off
his ship for final outfitting. He met up with Clax on the hanger deck and
silently pointed over to a second Galaxy-class tucked away in the corner,
before they both headed to the commons. Once there, he offered him a cup
of ambrosia, while pouring himself a cup of orange juice.
“Well, it works as advertised, Clax. You done right proud by me.”
“Always pleased to have a happy customer, Tank. I see you brought me
that Galaxy-class for an overhaul,” he noted.
“That would be it. It’s completely open with a minimal amount of that
nasty fuel aboard. Burn it off or vent it – just don’t drip it on my nice clean
deck ‘cause I don’t want any holes in it!”
“By the Gods, no! That lot’s got the oxidizer mixed in with it!”
Clax smiled as he sipped at the proffered ambrosia. It was just as good
as he remembered from decades ago, when he’d stolen a sip from his Papa’s
cup during a similar meeting with Tank. The thought of his father, and
then his family, brought to mind the other item he’d promised the
Madman.
“Say … come with me a minute and I’ll show you somethin’,” he
suggested.
They headed up to the bridge where Clax opened a monitor screen
before in slotting a data tab. A view of a space-black Galaxy-class tank
filled half the screen with a star field behind it – what little they could see
of it. The star field was occluded, but Clax made an adjustment and it
showed clearly through the tank.
“That’s the first thing the girl did. Multiple cameras figure out the star
field and then relay it to points on the opposite side of the tank. A lot like
your ‘Ceti, but without all the calculations your paint job requires. Not
perfect, mind you, but just an idea … mostly like the ‘Ceti already has. This

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is what she did with your sketch,” he said, and crisp outlines of a sea
creature glowed from the side of the ship.
“Now this … this is what she made of that video you gave me,” he went
on, and the outline became animated and flowing, almost as if there was
an eighty-foot long creature undulating on the side of the tank and
wrapping itself around it.
“Oh my…”
“Told ya’ she’s good, didn’t I? Look what she come up with for this ship,”
he said, and the image zoomed out to show the Galaxy-class alongside the
bigger ship.
Once the artwork started to cycle, it looked like a whole pod of creatures
– with the tank being just another creature of the pod.
“Clax … forget the cost. I want it. How … how much control would I have
over the imaging?” Rondal asked in anticipation.
“Processor limited … as much or as little as you want, I suppose. Use
this as an example, or anything else you want. You ever retire, you can use
it to advertise product with!” he said with a laugh, but calmed down at the
look on Rondal’s face.
“Bottom line, Clax … how much extra for this mod?” Rondal asked
seriously.
“Bottom line, Tank … your oath that you’ll continue as long as you can
to defeat the Drecks,” he said, just as seriously.
Rondal leaned back against a con chair and looked at him; trying to
gauge the man in front of him and what he should or even could tell him.
Clax took that as a sign of reluctance.
“Not asking for any promises now, Tank. Don’t think me so foolish to
believe that you can do it all by yourself. Just … just keep working on the
problem. It might take a year or two more than the Fringe treaty, but…”
Rondal snorted at the thought of it; wondering if either of them would
even live long enough to see that day. He paused for a moment longer while
considering how much trust was truly between them…
“Clax… What if… What if the Drecks were no longer a problem? What if
they became … consumers, let’s say?” he asked, and Clax gave him a
confused look.
“What mean you, Tank?”
Rondal turned and paced away, before turning back to face him again.

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“What if the complete collapse of the Hegemony wasn’t possible? What

if a few clusters were added to the Commonwealth instead? Twenty is a
nice, round number … although I’m afraid it would probably upset a few
people along the way.”
“HA! You THINK? You do that, the Bitch Witch herself would be after
you!” Clax caught himself at his rude comment and quickly looked around,
but laughed anyway and continued laughing while Tank slowly turned his
shaking head away.
“Undoubtedly,” he finally muttered, which just made Clax laugh that
much louder, and he continued to laugh, but then stopped for a moment
before letting out a very relaxed breath of air and slumping back against a
support beam while taking notice of Tank’s face.
“You know, the Madman wasn’t really mad, Tank – he just did things a
little differently. For all his bluster, the old Emperor screwed us over in the
last war, and it took the Madman to settle things out here at the Fringe.
Tank, what the Emperor couldn’t do with all his men … well, people would
say one man couldn’t do it at all. The Gods look out over you, Tank, and
that’s enough for me. Resolution then. A suitable resolution to the Drecks
problem, what brings us towards peaceful coexistence, then,” he said, and
offered his hand.
Rondal looked at the proffered hand, then took it.
“Done!” he agreed.

Outer Earth Orbit, A Day Later, Rondal Calls Home

‘Lili, may I intrude?’ he sent softly.
‘Rondal, your brother was concerned and is here with me’
‘Rad, you must complement your engineers! The missing fifth world of my
home system now has a hole in it, fifty kilometers wide, and nearly forty-
thousand kilometers deep!’
‘No damage to the ship?’ Radatel quickly asked.
‘None. The radiation levels remained nominal – save for the breach room
itself. Anyone inside there dies from radiation, but the room shielding blocks
all the outside. I would have some specialists look at the hardware and test
it for stress and damage after the one test shot. Otherwise, from what I can
see, it should be safe for a few more shots’
‘What about radiation spikes with additional anti-matter loads?’ his
brother asked.
‘Oh … ahh … I never considered that. I mixed two dummies before and
two after the live charge’

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‘Save those four dummy loads and bring them in for testing when you
can. I’ll have the engineers compare them to unexposed rounds and run
some simulations as well. It wouldn’t do to fire one shot successfully, but
then destroy the ship because a little flash over set off the rest of the charges’
As that chilling scenario ran down Rondal’s spine, Lili had another
question for him.
‘Rondal, have you returned to Earth as yet?’ she asked.
‘I’m in outer orbit now. Do you need me to come back?’
‘No. Just I remind you that the Ambassador will be expecting a courtesy
visit from you with that package from your brother. You may use the
Embassy rooftop as long as you remember to suspend your ship. I believe
five-thousand kilograms was the limit. You will also have a passenger to
take with you. Lady Ling Mei Niu of Clan Wen is your new instructor at the
Healer Cluster. She is a Combat-Healer, as well, but much more mature
than … than Xiaoli or Maya was. She will be reporting to ME for the duration
of your stay upon Earth, Rondal’ she said pointedly.
‘I hear and obey, my Healer’
‘Rondal, please be polite to Ambassador Horatius. He has had to deal
with a great many unpleasant things since your arrival’
‘Why, Lili, I shall be my most charming self with the Ambassador’
‘No! Be proper with him! You are the First Lord, and my First Sword!’
Radatel stated firmly.
‘Then I shall endeavor to be both polite and firm with him, my Lord, as
befits the younger brother of the Emperor’
‘We have every confidence, Rondal’ Lili sent with a silent titter, then left
the conversation.
‘My love to you and the family, Lili’ he sent, before focusing on his
brother. ‘Rad, I will make arrangements to get those dummy charges
delivered to you while I’m here’
‘How soon do you expect to begin, Rondal?’
‘Within six months, my Lord. My shipwright has the new tank, and
they’re already working on it. Thank you for that. I’ll drop off the ‘Ceti when
I’m done with him, and then be on my way. If you could get Granger Deltec,
Lon Tannis, and Donnel Ardan from my old platform to get in touch with that
special contact I have – Four is his name – I’d like them to go and check out
the new ship, and the weapons system. Four knows where it is. Ahh, if they
could acquire your permission, of course’

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‘Ah, Four. One of your contract workers, if I’m not mistaken. And Lili’s …
acquaintance’ Radatel considered silently.
‘Yes, ex-Imperial warrior. Served the Madman well at the Fringe, and
even before’ Rondal shared cryptically, but was now wondering if his big
brother also knew more than he was letting on.
‘Well, I will leave that in Lili’s capable hands, then. As for the others, the
Emperor has little control over what contractors the First Sword chooses to
trust. Safe journey, Rondal. My love to you and our extended family’ the
Emperor sent, then dropped the conversation.
“Safe journeys to you, big brother,” he whispered, before beginning to
contact the Embassy for landing clearance.
‘Wait! Lili’s acquaintance?’ he thought in sudden confusion.

January 6, 2000, Washington, D.C., Making a Delivery

It was a quarter to eleven at night when he brought the ‘Ceti to the
rooftop of the Embassy in the middle of Washington – within sight of the
White House, no less. He couldn’t begin to imagine the number of air space
violations he’d just committed, but apparently Embassy Security either
had an in with the Regional Flight Center, or they’d just watched carefully,
then said, “Drop!”
In either case, he was safely down behind the roof-top equipment panels
that blocked the view of the ugly cooling and ventilation systems. Once
settled in, he noted the Embassy would have to move soon if the
surrounding buildings grew any taller – tall enough to look down on the
Embassy roof.
He set his ship for a maximum load of under five tons spread between
the four landing struts, then switched to low power status before locking
the console. Even so late at night, he was surprised to step outside and be
greeted by not only Wilber and Dwayne, but also the Ambassador himself
– all of them stepping along a hastily shoveled rooftop path through the
snow.
“*Rondal Caldar sai Caldarous se Earth ne Kantor,*” he said smartly,
while holding up his right hand, fingers spread, to the portly gentleman
who stopped and stood rigidly in front of him.
“*Domitius Festus Horatius se Kantor,*” the Ambassador said, before
bowing slightly. “*Kantite Ambassador to Earth, First Lord. Welcome …
home?*” he asked tentatively, while touching his left hand to Rondal’s
right.
“*Thank you, Ambassador,*” Rondal said, then dropped his hand, before
grasping the Ambassador’s right hand in an American handshake. “*It’s

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good to be home. Although, I’d wager you’ll be glad this summer when I
leave to go back to work. Come to think of it, this hasn’t been much of a
vacation for ANY of us!*” He laughed lightly, getting a polite but forced smile
from the Ambassador to go along with the grins from Wilber and Dwayne.
“Ah! Wilber! I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said while reaching out
to shake his hand, before reaching out to Dwayne as well. “Dwayne, I trust
Wilber has been getting you well acquainted with things here in
Washington?”
“Very much so, Sir. Welcome home,” he said with a genuine smile.
“Thank you. Perhaps this summer you’ll join us for a barbeque out at
the Annex – provided it hasn’t been destroyed again! Dwayne, I wonder if
you and Wilber could go inside and retrieve my cargo? It’s webbed into one
of the bunks. Not that heavy now, but just a little bulky for one man.”
“Certainly, Sir,” he said, then turned and stepped to the ship, but waited
for Wilber to lead him inside and show him the way.
“*Your *cargo*, First Lord? Lady Lili mentioned there would be a package
for me?*” the Ambassador asked timidly.
“*Oh yes. I believe that is what she said. She also said I’d have a
passenger, Lady Ling Wen, who will be replacing … replacing Lady Xiaoli at
the Cluster in Arizona,*” he said with a slight falter.
“*Yes. Lady Lili sent us Lady Wen just last week. We thought she was to
replace Mistress Shu … LADY Shu,*” he quickly corrected himself at
Rondal’s glance. “*But we were delighted to find that Lady Lili still strongly
supports the Healer Cluster for your local clan … *TRIBE.”
Rondal shared a thin smile for the Ambassador’s persistent social flubs,
as innocent as they obviously were. He thought for a moment to wonder
whom Horatius had pissed off to be sent here to Earth, but continued
politely.
“*Yes, we have great hopes for this new Cluster. I also understand there
is a new Cluster out in the Fringe – on Farman, if you can believe it,*” Rondal
mentioned casually, just as Wilber and Dwayne carried out the package
for the Ambassador.
“*I was so terribly sorry to hear of the accident, Lord Caldar. I understand
Lady Xiaoli has been sent off-planet to her people for rehabilitation. It was
fortunate that her Healers-in-Training were able to save her life, if not totally
deal with her injuries,*” the Ambassador said in consolation.
Rondal spared a glance at Wilber, but he just shrugged.

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“*Yes. It was most fortunate. Lady Song still lived, and her trainees
acquitted themselves well on her behalf to make her well enough to travel. I
left her with Lady Lili on Kantor, and I understand she is now with the rest
of her family. Ahh, Ambassador … your package.*”
Wilber and Dwayne brought the package forward into the light; the
taped-together NDA in a transparent packing wrapper prominently
displayed on the outside of the package.
The Ambassador suddenly looked ill.
“*My Lord … FIRST Lord, this … this is…*”
“*Yes, Ambassador. This is General Johnston. The Emperor asked
several questions of him, but I fear he found the answers LESS than
satisfactory. His rudeness did not help, either. I understand you are to
deliver this back to those who misplaced him originally. Perhaps they will
keep better track of him THIS time,*” Rondal said coldly.
“*I – I understand, m-my Lord,*” he said shakily, then bowed deeply from
the waist, while almost quaking in fear.
“*Come, Ambassador! You look cold! My thanks for greeting me so late,
but you should go back inside where it is warm.*” he suggested, then turned
to Wilber and smiled grimly.
“Wilber, if you and Dwayne would be so kind as to take this package
down for the Ambassador, I’m sure he would appreciate it. Mind that no
one opens it. It probably smells,” he said, then turned back to face
Horatius. “*I’ll be waiting here for my passenger if you’ll kindly let her know,
Ambassador,*” he went on.
“*Of course! Of course, my Lord – First Lord! I’ll call for her at once!*” he
said, then bowed once again. “*By your leave, First Lord,*” he said, then
quickly quit the roof, followed by Wilber and Dwayne.
“Well, no sense standing out here in the snow,” he muttered, and
climbed back into his ship, but left the airlock open with the steps
extended.
Twenty minutes later, there was some noise from outside, and Wilber
called into the ship, “Hey Ronnie! I got your passenger here!”
‘Well, bring her in’ he sent loudly.
“Go on in, my Lady,” he could hear from where he was standing inside
by the sink.
He turned and watched as his new Healer climbed aboard, followed by
Wilber carrying her bag. Wilber went back outside twice to get more bags
and dropped them to the deck before reaching up and closing the door.

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Then he leaned back against it with his arms folded and a smile on his
face.
Now that Lady Wen had taken off her outer coat and looked around at
the opulent fittings of his ship, Rondal finally offered her his formal
introduction.
“*Rondal Caldar sai Caldarous se Earth ne Kantor,*” he said, while
stepping forward and holding up his right hand to the Senior standing
before him.
“*Ling Mei Niu Wen se Cletus,*” she said politely, while touching his
fingertips and nodding her head at him, then watched as he tilted his head
in concentration.
“*Ling…*” he said, then paused for just another second of thought.
“*Bright or clever. I would say intelligent. Mei … for the ruby gemstone. Niu,
for the lovely girl who has grown into this lovely woman I see before me; and
Wen, a warm companion or soul … if I recall correctly.*”
She looked at him for a moment longer, before beginning to laugh, then
continued to do so. When he gave a hapless look at Wilber, she laughed
even harder before finally regaining control of herself and looking at him
with amusement in her eyes.
“Well, Lili certainly said you were a charmer, my Lord Caldar, but I had
no idea of how well you played the game!” she said in extremely good
English. “I am your Healer, my Lord. Your Senior, if you will, and I am to
report to Lili on a regular basis regarding your proper contentment – and I
will make the determination of that! When I’m not seeing to your health, I
will be teaching your Cluster of Healers-in-Training, and, I’m given to
understand, by Mister Milton here, that you also provide clinic services to
your old tribe one morning of the week?”
“I – yes, my Lady. Every Monday morning, the Healers hold clinic at the
tribal center for several hours. In addition, they provide urgent care for
injuries, and provide midwife services. They also teach proper sexual
behavior to the sexually active tribal youths by permission of the Tribal
Elders under limitations of tribal law.”
“And no non-tribal members may be served by us unless in extremis;
and even then, we take great pains not to reveal ourselves to the general
population,” she added.
“Yes … exactly!” he said, smiling himself, now.
“Well then, that should be enough to start with, my Lord, and I’ll just
have to pick up the rest from my students and you. Speaking of you, my

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Lord, how soon may I evaluate your status? Do we have time now, or will
there be time later this evening – or this morning as I believe it is now?”
“I – I’m afraid I don’t understand, my Lady–”
“Your contentment status, my Lord! How soon may we share
contentment so that I may determine how much work you’ll require from
me on a daily basis? Mind you, Lili has promised you’ll share her Gift with
me at least once weekly; otherwise I’d never have taken this assignment!”
“My Lady Wen, you need but ask, and I’ll gladly share–”
“Come, my Lord! The hour is late. Will we have time now, or will it need
to be later?” she persisted.
“Ahh … Wilber, what is the status of the Annex? Accommodations?”
“The house is back together – again – but the safe vault is still being
dug in the middle of the Center. The kids have effectively moved back to
town at Mary’s place, but there’s room for the rest of us on site. Otherwise,
there’s a PODS next to the barn with a growing pile of supplies in it for the
Center – another pallet of condoms, for one thing – and replacements for
all the books. Oh, and we found your second sword a hundred yards out
from where the back door used to be. It’s still in good shape.”
Rondal nodded, then turned back to his new Healer.
“Ah, Ling… Why don’t you take a seat behind the front row while Wilber
and I store your luggage, and … and we’ll head back to the Annex as soon
as we’re ready,” he said, then joined Wilber in grabbing the bags and taking
them back to the bunk room to web them in.
Once they were safely out of earshot, Rondal just had to ask, “Whoa!
Where did Lili dig her up?”
“She’s something, isn’t she? I just met her last week, and she’s already
worn me out a couple of times. Says she needs to give Shu some extra
training to nail a few more receptors in me, or something like that. Her
English is textbook, and she knows French and Italian, too.” Wilber piled
another bag onto a bunk and webbed it in place as he continued.
“Apparently, she’s studied Earth kinda like your friend Riker did –
except more serious like. And she’s real serious about being a Healer, and
also about proper contentment. Ronnie, in a case like this I’d suggest just
going along for the ride and I guarantee you’ll enjoy it – whether you want
to or not.”
“Well, that’s certainly what my Lady Song ordered,” he said grimly,
before they returned to the front cabin.

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 Floyde Leong

Twenty minutes later, they were well above air traffic patterns and
traveling cloaked – both optically and radiation-wise – at over forty-
thousand meters above the ground and headed towards Arizona. Their
approach half an hour later was uneventful as he dropped them down
above the Annex. He was about to set his block against the Elder before
reconsidering.
‘Ship handling’ he sent out, then opened the barn doors from a hundred
feet up, before dropping down and pausing at the entrance to the barn. He
enabled the rear inspection lights and saw through the rear camera that
all was clear, before carefully backing into the barn. After extending the
landing struts, he settled them on the ground and began shutting the
systems down to standby; only popping the fuel port and enabling the
internal fill valve, before locking the console.
“My Lady Wen, we are here. I’ll be back in a moment to help you move
your bags to the house after I start refueling my ship,” he said, then got up
to pull the fill adapter from under the sink before heading out the door to
hook up the hose to the ship.
Wilber came out about a minute later and told him he was going to
check and see how Shu and Mary were doing. He’d called before leaving
Washington to let them know when he was coming home, and seen Mary’s
car next to the trailer; parked next to Rondal’s latest jeep.
Clumping back into the ship, Rondal was surprised when the door
closed behind him, and he turned to see Lady Wen standing by the side of
the airlock – having just shut it.
“Rondal, the breeze from outside is quite chilling, and Lili tells me your
ship is very accommodating for travelers. I would stay inside here the
remainder of the morning and wait to brave the great outdoors in the light
of a new dawn. Where will we be sleeping?”
“I – here, let me show you the accommodations,” he said, and walked
her back to the rear of the ship, past the bunk room, the facilities, the
small cabin, the double cabin, and finally to the master’s cabin. She looked
it over quickly and nodded her head.
“This will do nicely, Rondal,” she said, before dropping her robes in a
pile, which left her standing naked before him.
She looked down at her breasts and held one up as if weighing it. Then
she pinched the nipple slightly, which produced a drop of milk.
“Ah! Just as I thought. We will shower, and then come back here where
you will drain me of my milk before I leak over everything. Then, if you are
not too fatigued, I will request the Gift of the First Wife from you. I’m told
it is quite delightful.”

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“I … I hear … and obey, my Healer,” he said bemusedly, then removed

his clothes, before joining her on the way to the shower.
As an afterthought, he reached out to Shu to let her know they had the
house to themselves for the night.

The Annex, Mid-Morning, In the ‘Ceti

They’d gotten very little sleep before getting up on this seventh morning
of the New Year, but Lady Wen had already left the barn and breached the
security of the house. Even now, she was interviewing Mary and Shu,
performing a semi-formal evaluation of their existing skill set by having
them injure themselves, then watching carefully while they Healed their
injuries. Wilber had grabbed a few munchies, then baled through the
laundry room and out the back door as soon as their collective backs were
turned, before heading to the barn to check on the status of his friend…
“Gave you a real workout, did she?” He chuckled while looking at a
bleary-eyed Rondal sitting at the dinette in the ship and sipping the orange
juice he’d just brought over from the house.
“By the Gods, she’s like some sort of sadistic teacher. If you do
something wrong, she makes you do it over and over again until she’s
satisfied with the results. I could almost swear she’s related to Lili
somehow,” he groused.
“Ah yes. That sounds like my first night with her back in Washington.
Dwayne had to put up with her for four nights in a row. He begged me to
take her on for another night after that. If she were ever stranded on Earth,
she could make a fortune as a professional escort – if she didn’t kill her
hapless clients first.”
“You certainly can’t fault her professionalism. I mean, she truly acts as
if she really cares about you,” Rondal muttered. “For all I know, she might
actually care a great deal about her work
“Ronnie, she’s a Healer. That’s what she does. Look, you’ve just lost
someone with whom you shared a deep emotional attachment, and it’s
hard for you – especially hard because you’re part Earthling and part
Kantite,” Wilber reminded him consolingly, and Rondal turned a frown
towards him, before sparing a smirk at his expression of innocence.
“Have you been talking to Lili again?”
“Hear me out, Ronnie. Here we’re raised to believe that we have one
person we’re supposed to become attached to – and have sex with – for the
rest of our lives … mostly. If you ask me, the younger generation is not
taking that into account, which is probably a good thing over all. You were
raised to treat sex as a natural physical necessity that was shared between
lovers, family, friends, acquaintances, and port girls. You’ve even shared a

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bed with Sai, and neither of you can stand the other!” he said, then
chuckled at the sour expression on Rondal’s face.
“So, what are you saying then?” he finally asked him.
“I’m saying that Lili wants you healthy and happy, and one of Lady
Wen’s functions here is to make sure you stay healthy, if not exactly happy,
for the time being,” Wilber reminded him. “Accept the pleasure of her
company; accept the contentment she offers you in full measure, and take
a break for the time you have remaining, before you have to go back to
work. Lili mentioned sometime before the end of the year?” he asked, and
Rondal let out a sigh of not-quite acceptance at Wilber’s suggestion, before
bringing him up to speed on his schedule.
“I figure it’s about another four to six months at most before my ship is
fully ready. I’ve asked Radatel to get hold of some specialists to check it
out for me. Ahh, before I forget… The astronomers might find a hole in the
asteroid belt when the Earth swings around in a few more months – a small
hole … fifty kilometers wide by maybe forty-thousand kilometers deep. You
might want to be prepared to feed in a story about a loose asteroid collision
about this time of year that took it out.”
“I’ll have Dwayne work it up – just in case. Nice little bit of practice for
him until the next time we have to cover up an interstellar hit squad after
your ass.”
“Gods, not again, please!” Rondal said with feeling, then tossed back
his orange juice before rinsing and putting his cup in the washer.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty decided to ignore that last remark.
She’d been the one who’d fainted when Lord Caldar had voiced his
threat, and she wasn’t at all sure that he couldn’t make good on it.

The Annex
Rondal and Wilber left the ‘Ceti and went out to check on the physical
status of the Annex. Rondal looked around dubiously, before asking, “So …
what’s been going on around here?”
“Got the house fixed up earlier this week. They just finished with the
details yesterday. Had them take their time, since everyone else moved out.
Well, Shu and I stayed here for the most part, just to keep an eye on things.
Stayed a night or two in town, too.”
“What’s with that hole in the ground?” he asked, pointing to the shallow
excavation just outside the damaged shower and toilet structure of the
Learning Center.

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“Access to the new vault. Since the blast put a hole there already, we’re
gonna have a crane come in next week to pull out the facilities modules.
They started yesterday but got called away on an emergency job in town –
some water main gave out. Anyway, they’ll be back on Monday, and we’ll
let the crane pull up the damaged modules, before they come back to dig
out the new security vault and safe room. Then they’ll plant the new
facilities module right back on top of it – after we put down a suitable layer
of steel and reinforced concrete.”
“Going to need a second exit in case the walls fall down again,” Rondal
muttered, and Wilber flipped through the pages on his clipboard;
necessary now that Ronnie was back in residence again.
“The plot plans show a clear path to the gully that runs close to the
vault under the house. I was thinking of linking the two of them up and
having an exit slide to a concealed door at the gully,” he said.
“That’s kind of overkill, isn’t it?”
“Compared to what we had to deal with last year?”
Rondal paused for less than a couple of seconds, as it wasn’t like it
really needed any thought.
“Right, build it and you probably won’t need it. Sounds like a plan. Palm
readers with independent power supplies on each door, in addition to
security key access – them side-by-side, double-cut keys, or something
similar.”
“Ha! And you’re worried about overkill?”
“Well … you never know,” they both finished together.
“Maybe a route from inside the barn as well,” Rondal muttered, but
detected a somber feeling coming from Wilber as he looked at the remains
of the Learning Center. Instead of asking him, he decided to let him bring
it up on his own schedule.

The Annex, Late Afternoon, Healer Training

“Lady Shu … again, please,” Ling said.
Shu held Wilber’s head firmly to her breast while crooning a Cletus
lullaby. After a few mouthfuls of her milk, he promptly dropped off again,
and Ling turned to Mary with a satisfied smile on her face.
“You see, Mary, Shu has the advantage of her milk to help her control
the level of attentiveness or pain her clients will experience. You will not
have the same advantage as a Healer born of Cletus stock; but you still
have the talents of the life-givers to fall back upon. Bringing your client to

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your breast, even without milk or Healer’s milk, can still relieve some of
their anxiety and suffering, if only by distracting them.”
“We saw Shu do that when Nathan broke Danny’s fingers,” Mary said.
“Her milk wasn’t in yet, but she still helped Danny relax while she Healed
his broken fingers.”
“Exactly!” Ling went on. “With most males, it is a given. Once they
return to the breast, they seem to forget everything else. With women, not
so much, depending on their proclivities. I understand most Earth women
do not respond to another woman as we might expect.”
“No… Well, I do, but you’re right. Most women don’t consider another
woman as a suitable partner for contentment play,” Mary admitted, and
Ling tilted her head a moment in contemplation of this confusing – for her
– Earthling observation.
“Curious. I shall have to study this in more detail. It may limit some of
our effectiveness. Tell me, Mary. How soon do you expect your milk to come
in?”
“My – my milk? I – I’m not pregnant yet, and Danny, and Kayla, and I
weren’t–”
“Mary, you don’t need to be pregnant to produce milk. You just produce
it. Cannot Earth women lactate without first having a child? Shu, was I
not understanding the Earth female physiology?” Ling asked, and Shu
looked up from Wilber’s sleeping face to answer her.
“Earth women can lactate, my Lady. I did this partly for my Wilber, and
partly for being a Healer. The tribe has many babies I would ease their
suffering when I see them. Mary and I have never really discussed her need
to lactate. Nor have I talked to Kayla about it.”
“Well, this must be corrected! When Kayla comes tonight, we will review
your bodies, and all three of you will begin to work together to bring Mary
and Kayla into full production! You may not produce Healer’s milk, but
whatever you produce will be of benefit to your clients.”
“What do you mean when you say ‘review our bodies,’ my Lady?” Mary
asked. “I know adoptive mothers can produce milk for their babies without
having one of their own; either through stimulation, or the use of drugs,
but–” Ling interrupted her with a raised hand and shocked expression on
her face.
“No drugs for a Healer! Never! I will look within you and see what blocks
your milk production, and then remove it! It is probably something simple
– like that cloth strap arrangement across your breasts. I fear I would find
it confining.”

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“Lady Xiaoli found it comfortable, Ling,” Rondal said after glancing up

from the book he was reading. “It holds your breasts in place when you’re
fighting, and helps keep your balance. It’s also supposed to relieve some
shoulder or back stress if a woman’s breasts are overly large – or so I’m
told.”
“Humph! All I can see is that it emphasizes the size and shape of the
breast, as if that had anything to do with being a productive Healer. And I
daresay you’ll not find me fighting – not any longer! That was another thing
Lili promised me – her Gift from you on a regular basis, and no more killing
in the name of the Commonwealth! It is unseemly behavior for a Healer to
kill!”
“But it sometimes becomes necessary, my Lady,” Rondal said quietly.
“And that is why we have men! You fulfill your purpose, as do we!”
“And that is the only reason to have us around?” he asked dryly.
“Once I determine the secret of the Gift – yes!” she said, then angrily
stood up and headed back to the guest room.
“Well, once again Lili curses me with a troublesome Healer,” he
muttered, then followed it with a sigh, before getting up to track her down.
“Ronnie – what are you going to do?” Mary asked anxiously.
“Tell her the secret of the Gift, of course. Then maybe she’ll leave me
alone.”
~~~
Ling took advantage of her anger to lock herself in the bathroom so she
could contact Lili in relative privacy, while also voiding her bladder.
‘Lili, a moment of your time, my Lady?’ Ling asked politely.
‘Giving up already, Ling?’ Lili asked sweetly.
‘No, but I have just thrown down the first–’
“Ling, a word with you, if you please,” Rondal asked while standing
outside the bathroom door.
“Go away, Lord Caldar. I am indisposed at the moment. I will speak to
you later this evening,” she said loudly through the door.
“Very well. We’ll speak at tonight’s torture session,” he teased her,
before going back to the living room.
‘Torture session? Whatever are you doing to him, Ling?’

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‘Contentment lessons, Lili. He is a very good student of yours. I found it

extremely difficult to find fault with any of his techniques. He Gifted me
twice, and it was all I could do to find anything to criticize him for’
‘That is true, I’m afraid. Aside from his mother, most of the Wives were
highly skilled at our craft when we started with him as a young child. I was
his first, and he continues to thrill me on those few occasions when we may
share contentment’ she sighed fondly.
‘Well, I have put the challenge to him this night! I declared men useless;
suitable for nothing but fighting, and he teased me subtly about their other
uses. I told him that once I learn the secret of the Gift, then men – and HE –
will no longer be necessary, other than as protectors’
‘Ling! You didn’t! You have no idea how Rondal will react!’
‘How else could he react, other than to prove himself upon me over and
over again with the Gift? You said you wanted him occupied and well
contented during the remainder of his stay on Earth, did you not? If I present
him with a challenge, then he should work diligently to change my mind’
‘You don’t know Rondal like I do. He may surprise you. I’ve ordered him
to accept contentment from you, and he will – or he should – but he also
needs an emotional component to his contentment’
‘I do care about my clients, Lili. You know that. That’s why I asked you
to take me out of the field. It – it began to hurt too much to take a life I’d just
shared contentment with’
‘You knew the reasons for each life taken. There should have been no
question in your mind that they deserved it, nor any reason for sharing
contentment with them’
‘I am a Healer, Lili, and as a Healer, I granted each of them a last bit of
contentment, before – before ending their lives. If there were a way to simply
fuck them to death, that would have been preferable to what I had to do’
‘Then this should be a simple task for you, Ling. Keep Lord Caldar
contented. Keep him young and healthy, and see that Wilber minimizes
interference from the local government – not the town government, but that
of the country you are in’
‘Do you anticipate further problems from them, Lili?’
‘The Ambassador tells me they are quite receptive to proper behavior
since receiving the remains of General Johnston. We do not anticipate
problems in the near future. As for Rondal, … I do not expect you to fall “in
love” with him, Ling, but he is receptive to genuine friendship and
companionship. However, he may react unexpectedly and you’ll have to deal

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with it carefully – or simply contact me and we’ll work together to resolve

any issues’
‘I will try my best. You know that. Umm, Lili … the question of Rondal’s
disposal… You will not ask that of me, will you?’
There was the slightest pause while Lili considered her question, but
she knew Ling would most likely know of Rondal’s unique situation by
now, and she’d explained much of it already.
‘Rondal serves at the Emperor’s request, but he lives by the Elder’s
pleasure. So far, he has not irritated the Elder sufficiently to cause the
question to come up. If it does, Lady Sai Tal has first option of Lord Caldar’s
life. I promise you that if it comes to it – I will take Rondal’s life myself before
anyone else may claim it, and I will probably do so after sharing contentment
with him one last time. After all, I was his first, and it would only be fitting
that I be his last’
‘I thank you, my Lady. I – I do care so very much for my clients. I was
afraid that … well, with months in association with Lord Calder, I might
begin to like him too much to kill him’
‘Not everyone is suited for this side of the Elder’s office, Ling, and I thank
you for your honesty and faithful service. If the opportunity comes up, there
is an interesting experiment you may wish to try with Lord Caldar and his
baby Healers – and perhaps some women among his tribe. I will speak of it
with you later’
‘Thank you for your understanding, my Lady’ Ling sent.
‘I have every confidence’ Lili sent before ending the conversation.

Kantor, The Royal Homestead, In the Gardens

Lili nodded her head slowly, but switched to a slow shaking of it. Ling
had always served her faithfully, but this had been an unexpected
response to her assignment as Rondal’s latest keeper. Well, perhaps she
would let them work it out between themselves for a while. At worst, Rondal
would either maintain quarters separate from her, or perhaps simply leave
the Earth and pursue his mission using his small ship for a while longer.
Besides, the last message from Wilber had opined another suggestion for
improvement to the security of the “new” new Center, but he’d begged off
until Rondal had a chance to respond to it himself.
She stifled a sigh and opened her eyes to engage the beauty of the
gardens from the comfort of the contoured bench she was sitting on.
Turning her head slowly, she basked in the midday sunlight that streamed
directly into the canyon and brought the gardens to their full, colorfully
rich splendor. She glanced up and considered the hour, then felt the Ladies
gathering in the family room to chat and share the midday meal. She was

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about to stand and join them, when she felt the tiny pat of a paw batting
at the bottom of her robe, which barely touched her ankle in the process.
Due to her motionless position on the pathway bench, one of the kits
had apparently snuck underneath her and decided the bottom of her robe
wafting in the slight breeze was a tempting target. She bent over very
slowly, but that was enough to cause the culprit to scatter into the bushes
– leaving a flurry of cracking leaves in its wake. She looked around, but
did not see either of its parents lurking about anywhere … just the
guardsmen up on the rim of the canyon in front of her. Undoubtedly, there
were two more behind her … no, she felt three of them now, all of them
standing on the edge of the rim behind her and looking down into the
canyon.
She closed her eyes and sought them out… Ah! The nephew of Aquila …
Philo was his name. His father had served at the Homestead for many
years, and now his son has come to learn the trade. She nodded while
smiling, before opening her eyes and preparing to return inside, when she
felt the tingle of a new thought reach out to her…

Earth, The Annex, The Residence

‘Lili, do you have a moment?’ Rondal reached out to her.
‘Yes, Rondal. I have some time. How is Lady Wen working out? She’s
been with you for but a day, and already you’re displeased with my choice
for you?’ she teased him.
‘Displeased is hardly the word for her. Lady Wen is quite charming, in
fact. I was just wondering what chaotic experience in her life has ruined her
appreciation of men so thoroughly that she finds us of so little value, other
than our sword arm?’
‘Really? Why, she was quite enthusiastic in her report this morning. She
prided you on your skills; although I did have to advise her it was the Lady
Wives who taught you nearly every skill you have. She indicated you have
very few flaws in your techniques, and thinks it will take very little effort to
“*whip you into shape*” as she suggested. That’s an Earth expression, is it
not?’ she asked sweetly.
‘Earth… Drecks… A few other ill-favored societies. Why does she hold
men in such contempt? Was she one of your “specialists” who did nothing
but wet work for you?’
‘Wet … work? Oh! Assassinations! Ahh … not ALL the time, Rondal. In
fact, she specifically requested that she be reassigned OUT of that particular
venue. I understand she had suffered a crisis; much like your Maya. She
determined that she could no longer best serve the Commonwealth as we

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had assigned her, and asked that she be put in a position suitable for a
Healer – actually doing Healing work instead of … well, what she was doing’
‘Maya is no longer mine, Lili, and … and thank you for sending me a real
Healer – even if she has issues. I will try to work with her, but it may be
difficult. I will do nothing to interfere with her teaching unless she begins to
berate men unreasonably, as she started to do this evening’
‘This evening? I shall have a talk with her immediately!’
‘No, please … she is currently indisposed – still voiding her body at the
moment, I believe, and I would choose not to set her against me any further
today by telling you she is a problem’
‘Very well then, but the moment you believe she is falling further outside
of your acceptable guidelines, please contact me and we three shall speak
together and see if we can resolve the issues you present. Do you anticipate
sharing contentment with her this evening?’
‘I believe she expects so, and I will share the Gift with her again if she
requests’ Lili could almost feel his snort of derision at his apparently
greedy keeper.
‘Mind that you do not spoil her, Rondal. The Gift I have given you is very
special, and you ALONE have the ability to produce such feelings in women
like that’
‘But … you TAUGHT me the Gift, Lili, and you can also induce those
reactions. What aren’t you telling me?’
‘Rondal, if EVERY man had access to the Gift, don’t you think it would
provide a certain advantage to them over ALL the women they meet? You
alone have that ability, and I trust you not to take advantage of every woman
you meet. Likewise, I trust you not to give that skill away so that ANYONE
can take advantage of any woman they choose’
‘And yet there are so many women who have asked me to teach their
husbands and bond-mates that particular skill’ he murmured through the
ether.
‘And that would be an UNFAIR advantage they would have over the
women in their lives!’ she retorted.
‘Yes … unless it was only triggered at the whim or desire of the women.
Would THAT be acceptable, Lili? Essentially teaching women to Gift
themselves with whomever they choose to be with – or alone, as the case
may be?’
‘Well … that is how I first developed it, when Radatel was spending so
much time away from home; but it is so much better when there is someone
firm inside you to clench upon and hold on to tightly’

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She paused to consider the possibilities.

‘Perhaps you may see if that is something you and Ling may develop? It
could certainly be of benefit to some of the single women in your tribe who
do not seek out the company of other women’ That it would keep him
suitably engaged for a while longer was another consideration she kept to
herself.
‘An excellent idea, Lili. I will broach it with Ling once her attitude is
calmer. Thank you for your wise counsel, my Healer’
‘Alas, would that I was there with you, Rondal, but Ling will just have to
do, so treat each other well. There are only a few more months to go. I’ve put
word out to your men to meet with your man, Four. A curious name, that. I
venture there is an interesting story behind it?’ she probed delicately.
‘I understand that to be the case, Lili. Perhaps one day he may find
himself basking in the pleasure of your company, and you may ask it of him’
he sent back neutrally.
‘Then I must wait in anticipation until that day. Take care, Rondal. Our
love to you and our extended Earth family’ she sent in closing.
‘My love to you and the family, Lili’ he ended, but immediately pondered
just what his brother had actually meant when he’d said Four was an
“acquaintance” of Lili’s.
Radatel had specifically mentioned “acquaintance” – presumably
meaning someone met in passing and not a frequent occurrence. Had they
met before in the past, or perhaps more than casually back on the
Microcosmus during his trial last year? With nothing else to go on, he
dropped it from his thoughts for the time being.

The Residence Guest Bathroom

‘Do it, Ling, and then explain to him some little of your frustrations
afterwards’ Lili suggested.
‘But, my Lady … here? On the toilet?’
‘Just do it, Ling! He will feel you from without, and it will confuse his
mind. Do this, and you might gain the upper hand, if only for the evening.
He may surprise you. Do you need help?’
‘No, my Lady. I think I can handle myself after all these years’ she
pressed wryly, before beginning.
‘I have every confidence’ Lili sent, then added a wash of sensation along
with it that caused Ling to gasp in surprise.

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Her following climax wasn’t long in coming, so to speak, and the second
one was well on the way shortly afterwards.
~~~
Rondal was sitting in the living room after his short conversation with
his brother’s wife and had begun reading again.
Wilber was now suckling at Mary’s breast, and Danny was falling under
Shu’s spell, when Rondal felt an erotic rush flow over him. He looked
sharply at the kids, then towards the bathroom. The rush happened again,
and he smiled grimly to himself.
‘Guess she really doesn’t need a man after all,’ he thought, then went
back to his book.

Mid-Evening, The ‘Ceti

“Lord Caldar, I wish to apologize for my actions and words this
afternoon,” Ling said while standing by the dinette seat he’d gestured to,
which was across from where he was standing.
“No need, Lady Wen. Lady Lili advises me that your service to the Elder
placed you in many positions no longer comfortable to you as a Healer. I,
myself, also find that particularly extreme actions without warrant of
personal danger to be distasteful. Many times, I’d been reprimanded by my
superiors for actions not in keeping with established protocols. That is only
one of many reasons I ended up working the Gleanings from the Blight,”
he explained, before sitting down across from her, and, after a surprised
pause, she followed suit.
“You? You worked the Blight? But – but that is wonderful work, my
Lord! Where was your camp? Were you successful? How well did your
refugees recover from their transition?”
He blinked at her flurry of questions, before beginning a truncated
history of his Earth-based camp.
“My last camp was right here on the planet of my birth. We had twenty
years, Earth-Standard, of good results. Mostly good results. The two
Healers I had working with me were both exceptional – the first for only
five years, and the second … she … she was reassigned after the camp
shut down last year.”
“Shut down? Did the bureaucracy do that, or–”
“It was an intrusion from our hosts. One group of military stepping
outside the boundaries of their authorization caused the camp to be
evacuated. That mess outside is from another quasi-military group who
also stepped outside their charter, but they were outside the control of
their leaders to begin with.”

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“But – but how could that have happened, my Lord?”

“Lack of proper oversight,” he muttered. “We got them to confront us
here, took what information we could from their leader, and turned it over
to our hosts. He was subsequently arrested by our hosts,” he said calmly.
“But all that damage? He did all that?”
“No, that was a disgruntled employee of his. Our hosts declined our offer
of help, and that one individual took it upon himself to enact vengeance
upon me here,” he said, unwillingly thinking back to that night. “No one
died. At least, no one of ours. The leader had signed our non-disclosure
agreement, so we took him back to Kantor for the Emperor’s pleasure. We
brought him back in a much smaller package,” he said quietly, while
staring at the wall away from Ling.
“The Emperor … that package was … he executed him?”
“The Emperor set him free,” he said, remembering that as well. “It was
dusk at the Royal Homestead, and he was turned loose to wander the
grounds wherever he wanted. Apparently, the Emperor had forgotten the
grounds were guarded at night by descendents of the valaets I’d gifted him
several years ago. For the edification of his handlers, we brought back what
was left of him. I understand it made a suitable impression upon those
who were supposed to monitor his actions. We do not anticipate further
problems in that regard,” he said coldly, while fighting down his own
feelings of anger, before slowly turning back to her.
“N-No, I would imagine not,” she said quietly.
“But … that is not why you’re here tonight,” he said, forcing his face to
relax while focusing on the beauty of her eyes. “Lili tells me if I am nice to
you, you’ll keep me healthy until my ship is ready for my next mission. My
Emperor requests a solution to the Drecks problem. Do you wish to
practice contentment now, or would you like a drink first? I have a
somewhat adequate vintage of ambrosia available.”
The multiple topics in his last passage had her scrambling to catch up
with his meanings, but she decided to go with his last question first.
“That … that sounds wonderful, my Lord,” she said quietly, then
watched him get up and search through the cabinets while wondering
where this was going tonight.
Lord Caldar had worked the Gleanings! Yet he was now planning an
intrusion into Hegemony space to develop a resolution to the Drecks
problem? Lili had left out a few things from her briefing.
“Here you go, Ling,” he said, switching to casual mode while setting a
glass and bottle on the table. “Are you comfortable with that – me calling

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you ‘Ling’? It seems we are going to be sharing contentment on a regular

basis and working together closely.”
“I – certainly, my Lord Caldar. However you wish to address me is–”
“And you may call me Rondal – or Ronnie. Most everyone here calls me
Ronnie,” he said, pausing while pouring her a measure of ambrosia. “My
Earth name is Ron Cal – makes it easier to fit in. Hardly anyone can
pronounce my tribal name – TS'IŁSǪǪSÉ BIYIGÉ – so Ron or Ronnie is quite
acceptable for everyday use. Certainly among the Earthlings.”
“I – thank you … Ronnie,” she said slowly, and saw his smiling nod.
She picked up her drink and sipped at it gratefully, while Rondal sipped
his orange juice. “You won’t be joining me?”
“Truthfully, I used to live on the stuff. Spent twenty-years, Standard,
watching over the body of my dead Senior on a dead platform in space. I
alternated between reading Healer’s texts and drinking myself into a
stupor. After twenty years, I realized that I no longer wanted to die, so I
came back and looked for a job that didn’t require killing everyone in sight.
Eventually, I ended up working the Gleanings. Very satisfying.”
“Lili said you … you had a Healer’s talents. She said you’ve become very
good over the years,” she said quietly.
“Ha! For a man, you mean. It’s true, though. My last Healing was right
out there on the gravel of the driveway. My last Senior was gravely injured,
and I did my very best Healing yet. It was perfect. Her body was fully
restored, and we were to be on our way to Kantor for our bonding in just a
few more days. The only problem was that her memory of me remained
mixed with the gravel where her brains had splattered.” He sipped his
orange juice, then looked away awkwardly, before he quietly went on.
“She woke up with the mind of a girl of maybe four or five years, Relative,
and terrified of me. Now I’m her ‘Uncle Ronnie’ whom she loves dearly, but
she is just a bit too young and naïve to become a bond-mate for the First
Lord of the Commonwealth,” he muttered bitterly, then sipped his orange
juice once more, before setting those memories aside and focusing on the
present.
He shook his head and let out a tiny sigh, barely audible, before turning
back to her.
“Ling … Lili sent you to me – probably as much for your sake as for
mine. I am the type to care about those around me. Lili chides me often
about ‘children and small animals’ and it’s true. I care about those who fall
within my view that I can help somehow. As for contentment – I will make
no demands of you. I just follow Lili’s orders, and I’ll follow your schedule

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as you require. It makes no matter to me, and I do not expect you to act
friendly or concerned about me personally.”
“Ronnie, please! I didn’t mean to–”
“I understand your position, Ling, and I will expect nothing from you in
return. Lili did allow me to suggest a project we may work on together, and
it may help relieve you of the burden of dealing with me for your access to
the Gift.”
“I – very well, Ronnie. I’ll try not to be demanding … overmuch. I’ll still
need to insure that your contentment is met in accordance with Lili’s
orders, and … and we can work on your … project,” she said nervously,
then sipped her drink again.
“Good,” he said, then drained his glass, while Ling finished her drink as
well.
“My Lord … Ronnie, shall we shower then, before we begin?” she
suggested quietly.
“Yes. That is an excellent idea. Tomorrow is the start of a two-day
weekend where no work is expected from us. You may use the time as you
see fit. Perhaps you may wish to put the Ladies through their paces with
their men to evaluate their contentment skills?”
“I – yes, that sounds like a good idea,” she said, and watched him take
their glasses to rinse them in the sink.
He followed her back to his cabin where they shed their clothes before
going forward to take their showers.

Late Evening…
“Thank you, Ling. That was very pleasant,” Rondal said quietly, while
still lying motionless on his back.
“You’re … you’re welcome, Ronnie,” she said, before lifting herself off his
hips and lying down beside him again … somewhat at a loss for his lack of
enthusiasm.
“Do you wish the Gift now, or would you care to work on that project I
mentioned?” he asked politely, then waited for her response, but had to
wait a bit longer than expected.
“Please tell me of this project you have in mind,” she finally said, while
still wondering what she had not done that kept him from becoming very
excited.
“Years ago, Lili taught me the Gift. She originally developed it for herself,
but found it was better when shared with someone else. What it entails is

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locating the correct erogenous areas within a woman’s pelvic region and
stimulating them into a feedback loop. It builds up until a climax is
triggered. With practice, you can push climaxes into a continuous loop –
as you discovered last night.”
“Yes … yes, I remember that from last night … vaguely.”
“With years of practice, I can now induce a series of climaxes in a
woman completely without her participation – which, as you might
imagine, gives me a considerable advantage over most men in that regard.
Lili only allowed me the Gift because she trusted me not to abuse it – and
I’ve only abused it once that I can really recall.”
“Oh? How did that come about, Ronnie?” she asked, now wondering if
he was going to reveal a sordid episode of his life.
“Sai Tal and I were fighting during an Elder’s investigation into treason
from … from someone who remains nameless. She had me down, and
instead of really hurting her, I managed to grasp both of her hands at the
same time, and … pushed her over the edge … in public … twice. Sai is …
a screamer.”
“Oh … my,” Ling murmured.
“Yes… It had the desired effect, and she undid her leg lock from around
my waist, before the Elder finally broke up the fight.”
Ling stared at his profile, trying to grasp the concept of him fighting
Lady Tal in front of the Elder … during an investigation, no less!
“Ronnie… Ahh, the investigation … it was not unduly hampered, was
it?” she asked tentatively.
He rolled his head in her direction, but felt nothing more than curiosity
apparent in her question.
“We continued on the following day, and the prisoner was found guilty
by her own admission. She was later executed by my hand … as ordered
by the Elder,” he said quietly, before turning to stare at the ceiling again.
She watched his face, but saw no emotion on it. Now that she thought
of it, she couldn’t feel anything from him.
“I’m very sorry for you, Ronnie,” she whispered.
“Oh… I made sure everyone was sorry about it, Ling,” he said grimly,
but didn’t elaborate.
They lay like that for several minutes, until he rolled to his side, facing
her, and propped his head up with his hand.

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“Would you care to investigate the workings of the Gift, Ling?” he asked
calmly.
She held her breath, before reaching out silently, but felt nothing
coming from him other than a true desire to explain the Gift to her … but
then compared that feeling to what she’d felt only minutes ago – when she’d
felt nothing from him. She was building a list of questions for Lili, but that
was for later. Now he was willing to be instructive, so she decided to follow
along.
“Yes, Ronnie. I would like that,” she finally said.
“Okay. To begin with, I’ll start you out slowly. You must look within and
watch and feel what I’m doing. I will stop, and you begin again by yourself.
I’ll help push you in the right direction. Once you can cause self-excitement
without physical stimulation, it’s just a matter of ramping it up until you
cascade over into an orgasm. Once you can do that, I’ll show you how to
get it to loop.”
“But … if it loops, then how will I stop it?”
“Good question! I usually break the loop externally, but if left alone, it
will continue until the muscles get just too tired to work, or you simply fall
asleep. In fact, Lili often uses it to set people to sleep when they are
particularly excited or nervous. It puts them in a very good mood
beforehand, and they usually sleep soundly after working off so much
energy.”
Ling’s twinge signaled a silent snort.
“I can imagine… But there should be some way to control it so a woman
isn’t stuck for hours on end – not that it wouldn’t be fascinating to feel
what that is like, but still, it would be debilitating after a while. I’ve read of
cases here on Earth where an extremely few number of women actually
suffer from repetitive orgasms to the point where it becomes debilitating.”
Rondal popped his head back and looked at her intently.
“Really? I hadn’t heard of that. Anyway, I was thinking of something like
a post-hypnotic suggestion. A counter if you will, or maybe a compulsion
to check the clock every few minutes until it reached a certain time before
the mind automatically broke the loop. Certainly for Earthlings or other
non-Healer folk, that would be the preferred function.”
“That sounds like something very doable. Do you think you’d have any
volunteers willing to try something like that?” she asked, now wondering
how hard it would be to find volunteers to test this on.
“Ha! Every woman I’ve shared the Gift with has asked me to come back
and teach their husbands, boyfriends, or bond-mates how to do that. There

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are three of them in the house just a few meters away who would be most
willing subjects for experimentation.”
“They’ve had the Gift? Each of them?” she asked in surprise.
“Yes. I’ve Gifted Kayla personally, and Mary and Shu were having
intercourse with their mates when I Gifted them. The men enjoyed the
effects as well. I certainly do.”
“With their mates… With partners, don’t you think it would be awkward
if the men have no function while their women are … self-exciting, as it
were?”
“The men are usually engaged during the women’s activities,” he
assured her. “Plus, I’ve always enjoyed watching the pleasure my partner
is experiencing, even without being fully engaged within her.”
“Yes, but when you finished inside of me last night, you released me
and I was able to relax and share the quiet time with you afterwards. If the
women simply continue, then their men may feel … left out. Superfluous
to the process.”
Rondal hadn’t thought of that – not being one to ignore a good
experience.
“They may still hug and kiss their women. Perhaps use a toy to play
with them while they continue to enjoy the process. I certainly wouldn’t
want my partner to have their pleasure cut short if they were still enjoying
themselves.”
Ling giggled a tiny bit over what she’d experienced the night before.
“Yes, I must say that you kept me going much longer than I would have
expected last night. It was wonderful, but I was very tired afterwards. Do
you normally take that long to achieve a climax, Ronnie?”
“Well, I could have come much faster, but I was enjoying myself – at
your expense, I fear. I’m sorry, Ling. I’ll avoid abusing my contentment with
you from now on.”
“No, Ronnie! It – it was fine. I really enjoyed your presence within me,
and your obvious pleasure helps my pleasure to unfold as well,” she said,
then remembered he mentioned something else.
“You suggested a … a toy? What kind of toy, Ronnie?” she asked, and
he thought for a moment, before getting up and going to the Lane’s old
cabin; coming back a minute or two later.
“These kinds of toys,” he said, then laid two dildos and a smaller bottom
plug on the blanket beside her.

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 Floyde Leong

She picked them up and fingered them curiously, flexing and feeling the
softness of their texture.
“My Granddaughter-in-law left these behind when we were on the
platform last year. This one is about her husband’s size, and this is her
son-in-law’s size.”
“This … huge thing is … is the size of her son-in-law’s?”
“Yes. He and his wife now serve the office of the Elder in a variety of
functions. My Great-Granddaughter is a nursing Healer, and her bond-
mate is a sociologist on the Elder’s staff. When they aren’t providing
contentment to the Elder and her immediate staff, Larl is doing research
for me and the Elder, and Amy is coordinating the new pool of
administrators under the senior staff. It was Lili’s idea.”
Ling was still staring at the dildos, but then her attention was drawn to
the smaller plug.
“That – that is put inside my … my bottom?” she asked weakly.
“Senior Ling, do you not have such experiences in your life? I
understood you were a Combat-Healer?”
“I – I was trained as such, but I never served aboard a ship with … with
such things,” she said meekly.
“Well … this time on Earth for you will be an education, then, won’t it,”
he said, and watched as her eyes opened wide. “We have several videos you
would probably be interested in watching, but right now let’s concentrate
on teaching you the Gift,” he suggested, then reached out to hold her
hands.
He began by inducing tingly feelings deep down inside her groin, but
held them at a low level to allow her to observe and report.
“Look within and tell me what you see and feel. When you’re ready, I’ll
pull away, and you may continue by yourself,” he said, and they began her
first lesson.

March 11, Mid-Evening, The “New” Learning Center

It had taken several weeks of persistent experimentation and effort, but
Rondal and Ling had finally come up with a technique they felt was
appropriate.
The final solution involved several options for presentation of the Gift,
whether the woman was alone or with her partner, either male or female…
Tonight Mary and Danny were center stage in the subdued lighting of
one of the larger training rooms to enact a demonstration of one of the

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techniques they’d been learning. They’d been taught a sequence of

subconscious trigger words and actions that would achieve an effect most
similar to the Gift.
In this particular instance, Mary and Danny were using the male and
female triggering mechanisms that let Mary set the pace, while keeping
Danny rigid and active until she decided she was near her limit. When she
reached that limit, she would say the second trigger word for Danny, which
then allowed him an additional amount of time during which he knew he
was going to achieve an orgasm almost right down to the very second.
It was a dual-use trigger word, for once he was within five minutes of
his orgasm, she would suddenly ramp up and experience a massive
amount of clenching and pleasure that would continue right up until he
began to climax; at which point she would repeatedly peak and clench
tightly for a short while until they both began to relax at the end of their
sexual performance…
Kayla, Shu, Wilber, Ronnie, and Ling watched intently when Mary
finally said the second trigger word. Danny’s posture shifted, and he began
to thrust in earnest; matching the build-up Mary was now experiencing.
At the end of several more minutes, Mary began convulsing below him, and
he redoubled his efforts for the few minutes until his own climax arrived.
Once his climax took over, both lovers clutched together; their bodies
joined tightly at their groins as they tried to crawl into each other. They
held that position for several more seconds until Mary started breathing
again, then began crying softly, while Danny slowly relaxed and lay atop
her while holding himself up with his elbows. Mary reached up to him; still
crying, but now planting kisses all over his face and neck.
Their observers sat in silence, waiting for them to come back to reality.
Finally, Mary sniffled a bit and looked into the shadows at Kayla.
“Oh Kayla … sweetie … you gotta learn this!” she said in a wavering
voice, then started laughing and crying at the same time, which brought
Kayla out of her seat and rushing over to join them.
“Was it good, honey?” she asked her, being somewhat tearful herself.
“Oh … it was so much better than when Ronnie did it to me!” Mary said.
Rondal turned to Wilber and thumped his fist over his heart, before
giving it a slight twist; the symbolism catching Wilber by surprise and
forcing a suppressed grunt from him. Ling glanced at them in confusion
before getting up and going over to speak to the recovering lovers.
“How do you feel, Danny?” she asked gently. “Do you feel satisfied, or
did you feel you were controlled too much?”

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“Oh man! Ling, it … it was great! I didn’t have to worry about coming
too fast or anything! I knew when Mary was ready, I was gonna get my
turn, and I didn’t feel pressured or nervous at all – not after the first, what
was it? Ten minutes? Wow! Then the next ten minutes came and went –
and I didn’t! Then when Mary said the go word, I was still relaxed, but I
knew I could work up just as hard as I wanted to and she’d be there with
me to the end. It was … it was just great!”
Ling turned back to Rondal with a smirk on her face, and asked, “Well,
Ronnie? What do you think now?”
“I think … couples therapy is gonna take a turn for the better. I hope
Lili realizes what a boon she’s given to humanity,” he considered.
Wilber was shaking his head slowly, while considering the downside
more thoughtfully.
“It may not be that much of a boon, Ronnie. If a couple still have
problems, then this isn’t going to solve them. If anything, it may produce
a love/hate relationship if their personal problems are extensive enough.”
Ling considered that for a moment, before agreeing with him.
“You are quite correct, Wilber. Between loving couples, such as all of
you, this works well. Single men or single women may have no use for it,
nor would those whose economic situation causes them stress that
overcomes their desire to couple.”
“Well, we can’t fix everything at once,” Rondal muttered. “One problem
at a time. How are their contentment receptors?”
Ling reached out to Mary and Danny while feeling through them
thoroughly.
“They seem to be set back to zero for both of them. If I understand it
correctly, that is a true artifact of the Gift.”
“That’s what it does to every woman I’ve ever shared it with. Now,
remember kids, just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you have to do
it, right? There’s still room for just snuggling and fooling around,” he said,
getting a chorus of giggles from Mary, Kayla, and Shu.
“What shall we do about the tribal children, Ronnie?” Shu reminded
him. “They are not pair-bonded, and may have multiple partners.”
“I’m inclined to teach just the girls, and if the guys can’t keep up, that’s
just too bad. Either that, or we just teach it to married couples, or those
living together,” he suggested.
“That last would probably be wise, Ronnie,” Ling agreed. “The logistics
of managing moving pairs, or worse, giving each boy and girl the same

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trigger would be awkward at best. Your suggestion would tend to enforce

a pair-bonding that provides the highest degree of stability for a family
unit, although the first would provide exquisite pleasure for the girls.”
“Well, we must consult our Tribal experts then – once we teach Snow
Woman and Butterfly this new pleasure,” he said.
“Butterfly will enjoy it, I think,” Kayla said. “Lean Bear hasn’t been
paying that much attention to her since the baby was born, and I think
she’s feeling a little bit neglected. He’s being all doting father to little Nata,
but not that much of a husband.”
“Then we’ll have to arrange some baby-sitting for Nata so they can get
reacquainted and come over for some new lessons,” Ronnie said. “I wonder
if Gray Feather knows of a baby-sitter available in the tribe.”
“Snow Woman would probably do it,” Kayla said. “She loves kids, and
Nata’s about … four months old now, so she shouldn’t be that much of a
problem. Or we could watch Nata here.”
“Oh no! I draw the line at babies at the center. It’s bad enough my own
country keeps taking shots at me, along with the occasional alien hit squad
coming down on me. I’m not having babies here at the center,” he insisted.
“Well, certainly we can wait until you go back to work, Rondal,” Ling
suggested quietly. “After that, Shu, Mary, and Kayla may have all the
children they desire. They already produce enough milk to feed at least two
children each, right now. In fact, Kayla dear, you look a little full. Perhaps
Danny will help you with your excess?”
“Come on, Kayla! I’ve worked up a real appetite, sweetheart,” he said,
while looking up at her.
Kayla dropped her shirt and bra before lying down between Danny and
Mary. Both of them started to nurse, but Danny shortly nodded off and
was soon followed by Mary.
“Wow, that must have really tired them out,” Kayla murmured, glancing
at Danny on one side of her and Mary on the other, while Ling looked at
her quizzically.
“Kayla, would it be all right with you if Wilber and Shu helped you to
relieve your fullness?”
“Sure. The more the merrier,” she said. Ling helped slide Mary and
Danny away from her so Wilber and Shu could come over and sit on either
side of her. In just a few minutes, Wilber was having trouble staying
upright, and Shu was looking a little unstable herself. Shu quickly
snapped out of it and continued nursing, while Wilber sagged. Ling stepped
back and stood next to Rondal, where he’d remained seated.

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“Ronnie … you Gifted Kayla how many times?” she asked softly.
He looked at her warily before saying, “Maybe a couple of times over the
last year. Why?”
“Did you also expend yourself into her body without the … condom
sheath wrapped around your penis?”
“Yes. I made my sperm non-viable so she wouldn’t get pregnant. Why?
What are you suggesting?”
“Do you remember the experiment Lili conducted with you during your
visit to Kantor last month?” she asked pointedly.
“Experiment?” He had to pause for a moment, before putting it together.
“She asked me to reward several of her servant girls with the Gift. It didn’t
take that long … except for the few who didn’t have a partner. I had to
participate directly with them, so I got a little more involved. It got busy
towards the end so I didn’t get to finish with all of them, but I made sure
they all had a good time. Why? What are you implying?” he asked warily.
Ling looked over at the bodies on the platform; seeing Shu sitting up
and shaking herself before leaving Wilber behind to come and sit with
them. Before she got there, Ling got up, held out her hands to both Rondal
and Shu, and led them out of the room. They ended up by themselves in
the break room, where Shu made tea for Ling and herself, then poured a
cup of juice for Rondal. Once seated at the table, Ling continued with their
discussion.
“My dear Lord Caldar, it would appear that you have the singular ability
to produce viable Healers merely by the granting of the Gift, coupled with
the essence of your body injected into theirs. That would explain the Healer
Cluster on Farman being filled almost exclusively by the port girls you’ve
Gifted over the last year and a half.”
“N-No … that doesn’t make any sense. I’ve been with lots of women in
the last two hundred years, and never – nothing like this has ever come
up!”
“Ronnie … when did you become Senior?” Shu asked.
“Uhh … it must have been on … on the platform when … when Ai cursed
me with my father’s geas,” he stammered.
“No, Rondal. It was much earlier than that,” Ling said. “Lili said she had
watched you become Senior during a video from nearly seventeen years
ago. It happened when you Healed Maya Tal from her injury. You Healed
her with a Senior’s talent. You’ve undoubtedly Gifted her on more than one
occasion since then, and most likely you’d poured your essence into her
body on at least one occasion over the time you two were together.”

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“What are you saying, Ling? Maya was already a Healer. A good Healer!
And she was already working at Senior levels a few years before we … we
had to leave here.”
“Yes, Rondal. Maya was working at Senior levels, but she never received
Senior training. Lili told me she was to be your First Wife after the Zarox
mission. When that mission failed, she was shunted aside after the old
Elder searched for you but failed to find you. Maya never continued her
training, never became a Senior, and you and she never married and had
the children that were envisioned for you.”
“That’s all in the past! What’s that got to do with today?” he asked
angrily.
“Diane, Amy, Shay, and Laisee … you Gifted each of these women?”
“Yes! No! They were crew … except for Laisee. Laisee joined us to escape
her mother! And I never … I don’t recall ever sharing the Gift with Laisee!”
“Rondal… Ronnie, please hear me out. This has bothered Lili for a while
now, but we finally begin to understand. You became Senior, and Maya
claimed your exclusive use for over fifteen years. You shared yourself and
the Gift with each of those four other women, and each of them are
becoming exceptional Healers. Lili says Lady Diane is almost a Senior now,
but for her lack of practical experience. Laisee, who Lili says had mediocre
capabilities before, suddenly became exceptional once she began spending
her nights with you on the platform. And all those port girls you shared
the Gift with out on the Fringe … each of them have come to Farman to
become Healers.”
Rondal stared at her in shock, but couldn’t possibly imagine how that
nonsense had been misconstrued so badly.
“You mean the Elder had them rounded up to make Healers out of them!
Lili has already gone over this with me, but it still doesn’t make sense!
Besides, I only Gifted Maya once – just before we reached the platform!”
“Rondal, even I feel different since having been with you. Things I had
difficulty with before are becoming much easier now. What you were
explaining to me about the Gift was difficult at first, but now I see it clearly
and understand it so much better than–”
“Ling, if I repeat something enough times, even you are bound to learn
something!” he said in exasperation.
“Rondal … you are the first male Senior since the beginning of the
Commonwealth proper. No one really knows the limits or capabilities of a
male Senior. You are the direct descendant of Aquintus Tiberius Rakel
Caldarous. There can be no other explanation.”

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“I … well, that’s – just – great! Now Ai has yet another reason to take my
head!” he said loudly before getting up and storming out of the room.
“Lady Wen … truly, Aquintus Tiberius was a Senior?” Shu asked softly.
“That is not common knowledge, Shu, but yes – it is known among many
of the Elder’s Senior staff … and now you,” she said pointedly.
“I understand, my Lady,” Shu said quietly, before bowing her head.

Late-Evening, The ‘Ceti

‘Lili, might I bother you for a moment?’ Rondal asked softly.
‘Good afternoon, Rondal. Are things still going well with the lessons?’
‘The Healers are doing well under Lady Wen’s tutelage. Danny and Mary
have successfully integrated the Gift between themselves, as Lady Wen and
I have explained it to you. Mary reports it is better than when I Gifted her
myself’
‘Alas, poor Rondal. You’ve been replaced by the bond-mate of your
student’ she teased him.
‘Lili – what was the true purpose of my “Gifting” your servants last
month?’
‘To see how they responded, of course. You should be delighted to know
that those you personally Gifted with your talent and your essences are now
on their way to a Healer Cluster for training. Why do you bother to ask if you
already know the answer, Rondal? Did you truly think I could not Gift them
myself?’
‘I – I do not understand the games you play. I sometimes feel at a loss.
What is Lady Wen’s true purpose here?’
‘Ling is to provide you with proper contentment. Hopefully, she has also
been providing a comfortable distraction from your mission until such time
as you are ready to embark upon it in earnest. If you can help ease Ling’s
anger and frustration over her last assignment, then that is a bonus in your
favor. She just now tells me she believes Kayla is producing Healer’s milk –
yet she is Earth born’
‘It – it may very well be that Kayla is exceptional in her own right. Gray
Feather has some sense of the Visions, yet he is not related to me at all’
‘Not that you know. Nor do we. The seeding missions have gone on for a
long time, Rondal. A very long time. And do you forget that you were,
yourself, seeded?’
‘Of course not, Lili!’ he sent in frustration.

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‘Rondal, there are perhaps more partial Galactics among the Earthlings
than they ever suspected. Your mother was a Medicine Woman, albeit a
lowly one. Perhaps in her past there was a seeding she is several
generations removed from? But this is all conjecture. What is known is that,
of the group of women we had you Gift, the ones who experienced the most
radical changes were the ones subjected to your body’s chemistry –
specifically your semen. We wonder what would have been the result if you
and Maya had successfully mated and produced children’
‘Maya is beyond her child-bearing age, and my one son is dead!’ he
pressed with heated finality.
‘And your Grandson is alive, and his daughter is becoming a powerful
Healer with the Elder’s staff. Diane, Shay, and Laisee are becoming
powerful Healers, as well. Diane is nearly the equal of Maya, save for
experience’
‘Lili, this makes no sense. There is nothing that proves–’
‘The results prove enough, Rondal. Children by you would undoubtedly
be exceptional, as well – perhaps exceptional enough to frighten our new
Elder, although Elder Kita had planned for that eventuality all along. I
sometimes wish I had been cursed with the Visions, so that–’
‘NO, LILI! DO NOT WISH!’

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty, the Fainting Fate as she was now nicknamed,
checked her options and considered her situation with extreme care. It was
not really a Lord Caldar wish – per se – but it was something he was
vehemently opposed to, which put it squarely under her thumb – per se.
She checked the tables and the probability of results before crossing her
fingers and triggering a cause-event sequence … and hoped it didn’t come
back to bite her in the behind.
That would be all she needed … to become known as the Fainting Fate
with Half a Fanny.

Earth, The Annex, The ‘Ceti

‘Rondal, do not be foolish! I merely said that I wished–’
‘NO! SHE DOES NOT WISH FOR ANYTHING! Lili – you never EVER utter
that word in connection with me. NEVER! No good EVER comes of it!’
‘Very well, Rondal, if you feel THAT strongly about it. Although I do think
you’re being silly’ she pouted.

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‘By the GODS, Lili, if I added up every slight utterance of that word and
the catastrophe which resulted each time… AUGGH! It’s a wonder the
Commonwealth still EXISTS! Truly, should I find the CAUSE for such
happenstance – I WILL REMOVE IT FROM ITS PLANE OF EXISTENCE! I
swear by the GODS!’

Somewhere Else…
Twelve Fates and two supervisors felt a deep chill run down their
collective virtual spines. One of the supervisors rushed to check on the Fate
on Duty and found her lying flat on her back as before. Then he checked her
duty logs and shook his head in dismay.
Hopefully, by the time Lord Caldar figured out how to reach their plane
of existence, they would have all moved on to another venue – somewhere a
lot safer, one would hope.

Earth, The Annex, The ‘Ceti

‘Rondal – such forcefulness! Does Lady Wen not provide proper
contentment to you? I shall have to speak to her about it’
‘Lili, please! Lady Wen is very proficient at her job, and I accept it as such.
Now that she knows of the Gift personally, she no longer need burden me
with its provision to her. She checks my status regularly and commands my
contentment as needed. Things are satisfactory all around!’
‘Yet you do not sound happy, Rondal. Contentment used to make you
happy’
‘With someone I cared about, it was worth the effort. I do not care about
Lady Wen, and she does not care about me … other than I am merely a task
she must check off every few days. I’m not here to be happy’
‘What of your ship then? Have your men reported to you?’
‘They are inspecting it carefully and fine-tuning it to perfection. Their
reports are promising’
‘Rondal, both your brother and I are wary of you raiding the Hegemony
by yourself. We would have you take someone with you. Someone you trust’
‘I’ve no need of a Healer on this mission, Lili’
‘We were thinking more along the lines of a warrior. A skilled and senior
warrior; one whom you have worked with before. One who can pilot a tank
and swing a blade. We were thinking of the warrior you call Four. I
understand you have a good working relationship with him, and we would
be comforted if you were not alone on this mission’

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‘Four is quite capable, but I doubt he would enjoy the loneliness of the
trip. Likewise, he would become privy to intelligence that is not readily
common knowledge’
‘And who will pilot your ship when your OTHER foot is blown off? Or
perhaps your leg … or arm? You cannot expect David to leave his wife and
children behind for the time you’ll be gone. Just a simple warrior, Rondal.
Just one man to work by your side is all we ask. We will even accept him
within the family as long as you view him as trustworthy’
‘Four is trustworthy, and a far cry from simple … one could say more so
than most. Tell you what. I’ll ask him and see if he’ll take an open-ended
contract. That’s all I can do. I doubt he’d be foolish enough to sign on. I’d
probably have better luck getting Sai to join my crew rather than Four’
‘As long as you inquire, Rondal. We can ask for no more than that. Do
you have any more concerns?’
‘Yes. I am concerned about the security of my baby-Healers and the
Healer Cluster. I’m tempted to have a garrison of Imperial troops installed,
but I fear they would chafe under the lack of recreation available. Likewise,
Wilber has suggested Homeland Security offer a contingent of guards, but
that would further expose us to the Earthlings’
‘Are you having second thoughts about the Healer Cluster? Do you think
it is happening too soon?’
‘Lili… In less than the length of a single year, we’ve made remarkable
changes to the behavior and health of the youth of my tribe. We’ve also
suffered an attack by a rogue element of the hosts’ military, a Drecks
incursion, a civil authoritarian action against us, and another rogue
intelligence organization the host was not aware of … and my intended
bond-mate reduced to a child in a matter of seconds. Sometimes I feel I
should change the status of Earth from Protectorate to Governed Territory,
but the projected lost of life on Earth weighs too heavily upon my heart …
sometimes’
‘Then, when you have resolved the issue with the Drecks, perhaps you
may work on bringing the Earth into the Commonwealth properly, and with
little loss of life?’
‘That would be a remarkable achievement. I’m almost tempted to ask Larl
to research it for me – but not right now. Another three months at most, Lili,
and I’ll be on my way. My love to you all’ he sent in a sudden goodbye.
‘And our love to you, Rondal’ she responded before dropping out.
Rondal sat alone in the ‘Ceti and let out a despondent sigh. He looked
around and was thinking it was about time to clean house. The last
communication from his old crew was that the new Galaxy-class was

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nearly ready – they were just cramming in a few more features and some
extra mass storage to take advantage of the modified gun they’d stuck into
it…
They’d ripped out the beam weapon and gone with a projectile thrower
– basically it was a gun that pumped out a ten-centimeter shell just as fast
as the breach could reload. It wasn’t fancy, and it wasn’t all that fast; but
it was a work horse, and had the reputation of never jamming. Their
argument against the beam weapon was that it dispersed too quickly, and
you had to be too close to make it worth using. Besides, at close distances,
he had a habit of simply driving his ship through the other ship with his
shields up and tight. It left an impressive hole that most emergency
systems had a hell of a time trying to fix.
Depending on the results he wanted, with the gun he could lay off a
ways and simply lob shots of varying types – from one kiloton, up to three
or four kilotons, each. There was no dispersal, but the downside was the
transit time of the shot; actually making it possible to avoid it, if detected
in time. Of course, against ground targets, a two-kilometer per second
round was tough to avoid. Then he wondered if he could procure an anti-
matter round in that format, but put it off for the time being.
Without the beam weapon, the exciter/converter for the pump wasn’t
needed, and neither was the pump, so all that space was given over to more
reaction mass and ammunition storage for the gun. The last he’d heard,
they were machining a new cover for the muzzle that would slip out of the
way for firing, but still securely shield the gun and ship when the shields
came up for ramming, or other activities needing the shield – such as
blocking detection by the enemy.
They were also checking the work on the Drecks shuttle he’d
commandeered last year and adding a few tricks to it, such as improving
its range and shielding where possible – and fixing the toilet.
But now Lili and Radatel wanted him to take along a helper? As if he
wasn’t capable of getting into enough trouble all by himself? His sigh could
have been heard for miles if the door to the ‘Ceti hadn’t been locked tight.

Several Weeks Later…

Since that last conversation with Rondal back in March, Lili had
consulted with her husband, and by the end of April had succeeded in
establishing a small contingent of Imperial Marines on Earth.
It was, in effect, an occupying garrison, and was made known in
Washington that, depending on the whim of the Emperor or his
representatives, any further interference with the Healer Cluster – or the
residents thereof – would result in very unpleasant measures being taken;

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anywhere between a pile of meaty bones, to a pile of dust comprised of as

many bodies as necessary to get the point across.
The prospect of technological innovation moving to an offshore recipient
was also addressed, but it had been hard to determine which upset them
more…
Rondal had been livid when contacted by Lili at the beginning of April.
He’d known she knew exactly what April Fool’s Day was and thought it a
big joke at first, despite his immediate flair of anger – right up until the full
dark of the new moon on April fourth that hid the landings of transport
shuttles around the Annex and the immediate surroundings as they were
dropping off both supplies and personnel.
Technicians and crew disembarked left and right; going into several
huts and reinstalling portable power cells to provide power in the interim,
before new shelters were delivered the following week. Among the crew
were also rated, senior warriors – easily determined by the way they looked
and moved; at least three squads worth, plus their support technicians.
The commander of the ground troops, Aineias Anastasius, had been
meticulously polite and correct with Rondal and his staff at all times, and
with any visitors to the Annex as well. He’d had a smattering of English,
and promised that one of the first priorities of his troops was to learn
enough English to get by with on a day-to-day basis. As a force, they were
essentially self-sustaining – even if they had to bring in their own food –
but Aineias had heard of the quality of Earth beef and was looking forward
to adding it to his diet.
At a loss after the first week, Rondal had gathered his staff, along with
Lean Bear and Gray Feather, to discuss this disturbing development. It
was Gray Feather who’d suggested they simply run it as a trial of Ronnie’s
original suggestion that people would come for the cure and then work off
their debt by providing services to the center. Unable to come up with
anything better, Rondal had reluctantly agreed, then brought in Aineias to
discuss the suggestion. He’d been surprised at how readily it’d been
accepted.
The week of April tenth had trucks coming in bringing several small,
somewhat mismatched living units – similar in size to slightly pregnant
motor homes – which were then arranged in a regular pattern where some
of the older huts, bulldozed over the weekend, had previously stood.
Individual water and waste lines went in at an accelerated rate to plans
mysteriously provided – or so Wilber had claimed.
Once the technicians added various extra features to the Earth
standard mobile homes, the warriors and technicians had moved in;
bringing their luggage and unpacking in a somewhat holiday atmosphere,

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which was heightened that evening with the arrival of their families – wives,
bond-mates, and older children.
Ling had suggested they continue Lili’s experiment and have Ronnie
engage with several of the new women and see how many he could make
Healers out of before he left, but he’d immediately shot that down. He
would not be spreading around his seed unnecessarily – except for a few
weeks ago when Mary had specifically asked him to just to see if she could
produce Healer’s milk as well … which she eventually did, much to
everyone’s delight, except Rondal’s.

May 4, Late Afternoon, Supper in the Dining Room

Word had finally come about the completion of Rondal’s ship just a week
earlier, and his local family and close friends had gathered in the Learning
Center’s dining room to bid him a safe journey on his next assignment,
whatever it may be.
“My friends and family – I want to thank you all for coming to see me
off,” he said, while somewhat shyly raising his glass of orange juice and
sipping it lightly.
Seated around him were his Intermediate-Healers and their teacher,
Lady Ling, along with their husband’s and bond-mates. Also in attendance
were Deloris and her husband and children, along with Lyle and Mark and
their families. A surprise visitor was Doctor Wells, who was escorting Betty
Daniels and her daughter Denise. Lean Bear, his wife Butterfly and their
daughter were also there, along with newlyweds Gray Feather and Snow
Woman.
“I’m gratified to see that Snow Woman has finally allowed Gray Feather
to warm her heart, and bed, on a more permanent basis,” he continued,
triggering a small round of chuckles from those familiar with the couple
and their story.
“I am especially grateful to see that the Center will be in such good
hands while I’m pursuing the next phase of my work for the … for my
brother. I do not wish – nobody should wish – that things go smoothly, but
let us simply hope that with diligent work and careful application of the
skills as taught by my father’s people, this Learning and Healing Center
will become a model for other Clusters to form – for the rest of our tribes,
and eventually the white man’s world, as well.”
There were murmurs of assent while the plates were being cleared by
the new serving staff – wives and bond-mates, for the most part of the
contingent of Imperial Marines Lili had sent down to secure the Center,
once and for all, from any threats from their hosts, and any reasonable
threat from without. The small new outpost on the far side of the moon

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covered external threats, while the ground force occupying the recently
refurbished or replaced huts on the ground provided physical security for
the Healer Cluster and its resident staff.
“I also want to thank our volunteers from my father’s country, and their
leader, Aineias Anastasius,” Rondal said, which prompted that individual
to stand and bow his head to him, much to Rondal’s chagrin.
“As you know, this is a Healing and Learning Center, but we need to
provide a certain amount of ‘clinical trial’ data before we can say the model
works. Aineias and his men, and their families, will be helping us work out
the details for our further plans for the Centers. They and their families
are taking a small vacation with us here and letting us work through our
‘process’ to make sure it is viable – although I see that all of the men and
their families are in excellent health already,” he said, with a gesture to the
staff and their leader.
“My Lord … ahh, Ronnie … I will be setting my men to certain tasks and
exercises over the next several weeks which will, no doubt, provide
excellent opportunities for injuries to occur. We will be delighted to see the
skills of your Healer staff as they practice upon us!” Aineias said while
grinning with a professional understanding, one warrior to another.
“*Just as long as no power swords are involved in front of the natives,*”
Rondal said quietly with a subdued smile.
“*Dummy loads for all of us, my Lord, even for those among us with whom
power packs are optional,*” he said while still smiling.
“*Indeed.*” “I’m sure my liaison, Wilber Milton, will be interested in
observing your exercises, Aineias. If you have need of any resources, please
let him know and he will do his best to arrange for them.”
“Thank you, my … Ronnie,” he said, then sat back down.
The party turned to dessert, and he watched fondly as his staff, family,
and friends all treated each other with love and respect.
Daisy and Denise, each seven years old, now, were thick as thieves
seated together, and Doctor Wells was holding Betty’s hand and beaming
proudly as if he were the luckiest man in the world. Rondal could see Betty
was troubled by something, and toyed with looking within, but resisted.
He was leaving tonight, and needed no further entanglements. He would
have Wells take her to Ling for a look-see, if necessary.
Eventually, the party wound down, and his guests started leaving.
Aineias headed back to his trailer, while his staff stayed behind to perform
the clean-up. Wilber, Shu, Kayla, and Danny walked out with the Sheriff’s
Department, while Mary still sat in a corner nursing Butterfly’s baby with
her excess milk. It appeared that she produced quite a lot considering the

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moderate size of her breasts, but Ling had assured him that breast size
was no positive indicator of production, and sure enough, Mary was a
regular tanker truck compared to Kayla.
Rondal noticed that Ling was across the room and in discussions with
Howard Wells and Betty, but Betty kept glancing his way as they talked.
From her body language, Rondal wasn’t surprised when Ling contacted
him directly.
‘Rondal, Betty wishes to speak with you in private’
‘She isn’t armed, is she?’
‘No – is there a reason she should be?’
‘Not particularly. I would prefer to speak with her in the company of
Howard Wells, though’
‘I will ask… Yes, that is acceptable’
‘Please take her to the first training room, and I will meet with you there’
he sent before ending.
A few minutes later, Rondal walked up to the training room door,
reluctantly knocked, then opened it. Inside, Betty and Howard were sitting
on one of the low treatment platforms, and Ling was seated on one of the
chairs across from them. Another chair was nearby, but Ling got up when
he entered, and left them alone.
“Hello, Betty. I was told you wanted to talk to me about something,” he
said, leaving out both how and who had relayed it to him, while sitting
down across from them.
“Yes … yes, Mister Cal, I … Howard tells me it was you who saved me
from Gladys Crenshaw. You kept her from stealing my baby … my Denise,”
she said, her voice containing a tiny waver in it.
“Well, Ms. Crenshaw and I had a few other problems between us, and I
was actually tracking her down to speak with her when I found her going
into your room,” he lied from habit. “I didn’t think you were in any
condition to see her – especially since she turned out to be such a nut job
– so I turned her in. We really have to give Doctor Wells here credit for
responding so quickly that day. He ordered the tests and everything else
that got you straightened out. How are you feeling now, Betty?”
He could feel the confusion in her mind shifting around a bit, but it
seemed to be towards a favorable position with Wells.
“I – I’m much better now, thanks, and … and I believe I owe it all to you.
It’s funny, but … that first time I met you, you were so focused on getting
Lisa admitted that you actually charged it on your credit card! I – I’ve never

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seen someone do that for a complete stranger before, but you … you put
up with all my rudeness, and … and then you … it was like you looked
right through me, and … and saw there was something horribly wrong with
me!” She stared at him a moment more, before turning and hugging
Howard as she began to cry.
“Betty… Lisa and I had already met over lima beans in the grocery
store,” he related gently. “She was hurt while coming out to invite me to
dinner, so that’s why I paid for her emergency room visit. As for what was
going on with you … I didn’t know. I’m not a doctor. I just thought you
were having a bad day and taking your frustration out on me. It wasn’t a
problem for me,” he said, deliberately keeping his voice soft against her
distress as she turned slightly and looked in his direction.
“That’s just it! It was a problem – for me! I – I did terrible things to my
baby, and – and the deputies took her away, and they arrested me! I could
have lost her – I did lose her! And … and you got her back for me! I asked
around, and everyone pointed to you! You saved me, and you saved my
baby, and I don’t know how to thank you!”
Howard looked at him and shrugged, leaving him no clue as to how to
proceed.
“Betty, I don’t know what you can do at this point, except maybe
continue to get better? How are you doing? Are you taking pills, or in
therapy, or what?”
“I’m … they’ve got me on pills. My mind – it’s so much better now, but I
miss my little girl! They only let her be with me tonight because Howard is
escorting me,” she said while still sniffling. “Lisa is being really nice about
it and everything, but I know she checks Denise every time I’ve been to see
her and I can’t blame her!”
“But you haven’t hurt her anymore. I know that, Betty. I know you’re a
good mother, and I know you understand what happened to make you
change. I know it still hurts, even if it wasn’t your fault, because of a mix-
up of a few chemicals in your brain,” he said, then stared at her shoulder
for a second while contacting Ling silently.
‘Ling, there is a situation where the brain has a chemical imbalance that
causes wild mood swings, and can cause the victim to be physically
dangerous outside of their normal behavior. Have you had any experience
with treatment of such?’
‘The brain is a difficult thing, Ronnie – as you well know. I have had a
little practice in that area, but I would defer to Lili for a final determination.
Is the woman suffering from such?’
‘Yes, she is’

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‘Then suggest that she come to me with Howard Wells and I will look
within. If necessary, I will consult with Lili to see if the problem can be
resolved. She is taking drugs currently?’
‘Yes. They moderate her behavior, and make it controllable, but she fears
for her child’
‘Doctor Wells is covered by the NDA. Is she as well?’
‘Not to my knowledge, but I would not suggest it at this time. If you
coached her visit as a therapy session, then that should be acceptable’
‘Does she desire bonding with Howard Wells? He appears to desire
bonding with her’
‘I … don’t really know. Perhaps you may ask her during her therapy
visit?’
‘Of what shall she be in therapy for?’
‘She’s had many bad relationships with men. Perhaps show her that men
are not necessary for pleasure?’
‘That is easily accomplished. And if she is desirous of bonding with
Howard Wells, it can be broached and discussed between the three of us’
‘I see you have things well in hand, Ling. I have every confidence’
‘Thank you, Lord Caldar’
Rondal continued smoothly without missing a beat.
“Betty, perhaps you’d care to schedule a visit with our Senior Healer,
Miss Ling Wen,” he suggested while looking at Howard pointedly and
nodding his head slowly. “Our Center is based on the more holistic aspects
of treatment, but Ling is very easy to talk to. Perhaps she may help you in
several areas. Bring Howard with you to keep you company. You can speak
with Ling privately, or you might find it comforting to have Howard with
you during your talks.”
“But, I can’t afford … my insurance finally ran out and–”
“Let’s just call it part of our start-up overhead, shall we? We need to
establish our ‘clinical trial’ baseline, and you’d be providing us with a
valuable service if you volunteered your time with Ling. I’m sure Howard
would gladly take the time to bring you out here. If things work out, then
maybe you’ll be able to become employed again,” he suggested, before
standing up and stretching.

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“That’s quite possible, Ronnie,” Wells said. “Maybe not back at the
hospital, but there’s the convalescent home, and one of the clinics is
setting up a visiting nurse practice for the elderly.”
“What do you say, Betty?” Rondal asked.
“You … you’ll do that for me?”
“Hey, I’m a sucker for lost children and small animals. Denise needs a
healthy mother, and you’re well on your way. You get fixed up, become
stable and employed, and I don’t see any reason why your life couldn’t get
back on track. Maybe Ling can help you discover how to land the right guy
if you’re, you know, interested in getting married again, but that’s out in
the future. You still have to work on the now.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” she said, then stood and gave him a
tight hug that threatened to squeeze the life out of him.
“Oof! Hey, don’t forget Howard. He’s the one that got your brain working
straight again!” he reminded her, and she turned to Howard and hugged
him just as hard.
“Thank you, Ronnie,” Howard said quietly. “I’ll get with Ling and arrange
an appointment.
‘Not to worry, Howard. If Ling can’t handle it, we have other consultants
available. If nothing else, it will ease her mind, and the drugs appear to be
moderating her behavior’
Howard blinked at that – still not used to the concept of hearing words
in his head that were never spoken aloud.
“Well, you kids should be on your way. Drive carefully now. We’ve
improved the road since Lisa drove off the edge, but it’s still a little bumpy,”
he reminded them, then escorted them out of the Center.

Mid-Evening, Getting Ready to Leave

After the last visitors left, Ling and Rondal continued through the
Center while checking for stragglers and things out of place. They were just
coming out when Aineias greeted them.
“First Lord … my Lady. I’ve come for my final instructions.”
Rondal had to think back to when he was in ground troops, before
remembering the protocol.
“Garrison Leader! Your duty is to protect the lives of the staff and
visitors to the Healer Cluster. Your area of operation is all adjacent lands
surrounding the Healer Cluster to a distance of twelve kilometers. Your
boundary limit is the edge of the main highway.

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“Using due diligence, avoid exposing your off-planet origins unless

absolutely necessary, and then hold for evaluation any person or persons
subsequently exposed and not previously vetted and already covered by
the Non-Disclosure Agreement. That will be determined by Wilber Milton,
Dwayne Sparks, Lady Ling Wen, or any of the other staff.
“Lady Wen is in charge of Healer Cluster operations, and Wilber Milton
is the primary resident liaison between the Healer Cluster and the
Washington, D.C. Embassy offices. Dwayne Sparks is the primary non-
resident liaison between the Embassy offices and the host government.
“Should you have any questions that cannot be resolved locally, or if an
issue remains unclear, then contact the Emperor’s First Wife, Lady Liling
Shan Ting Song se Cletus, for clarification. In my absence, Lady Wen
remains the sole arbiter of conflicts regarding the Healer Cluster and its
operation and support, subject to oversight by Lady Liling Song.”
“Yes, my Lord! I hear and obey! By your leave, my Lord!” he said, then
bowed properly before turning smartly and walking back to his garrison –
which looked a little bit like a down-on-its-luck trailer park whose only
missing accessory was a broken down flashing neon sign.
“A little stuffy. And did you notice how old some of them looked? Lili
must have presented this as a vacation for them,” Rondal muttered.
“Some of them look very familiar to me, Ronnie. I’ve seen their kind
before. They are very senior and very skilled. They are professional warriors
doing what they do best. It would appear Lili considers another loss
unacceptable.”
“Yes, it would appear so,” he muttered, then sighed while looking out
over the new garrison, and then at the specially modified hut that had been
torn down and rebuilt somewhat larger to accommodate the small cannons
and air intercept weapons under cover of a removable roof. He took another
breath, then let a silent snort spasm his chest, while giving a few shakes
of his head in resignation, before kicking himself into gear.
“Well, Ling, the Center is yours. Have fun!” he said lightly, then turned
and started towards the barn.
“Lord Caldar! Ronnie! I would … I would share contentment with you
once again, my Lord!” she called out to his departing backside.
“Whatever for, Ling? You’ve learned the Gift, and you’ve many more men
to test it with now. The moon is dark, and night has fallen. I must be about
my brother’s business,” he said, then turned away once again.
“My Lord! Ronnie! You … you’ve just eaten and you’ll be making a long
jump, will you not? You should wait an hour or more–”

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“That’s for swimming, Ling,” he said as he continued walking, only to

have her run up and grab his arm.
“My Lord, at least take my milk to settle your stomach for the jump. I
could pump some for you, if you like – take extra along with you?” she
offered.
He’d been reluctant to do so, but her insistence was becoming irritating,
so he quickly probed her – discovering what she was really after. He
considered for a moment if he really wanted to masturbate within her – as
she considered it – and almost decided not to. She would probably be
expecting the Gift, though, and that would be fun for him regardless.
Besides, he could easily thwart her plans for his semen.
“Very well, Ling. Bring your milk to me in the ‘Ceti. I’ll be waiting.”
She quickly ran off to her quarters in the Center, while he continued to
the barn and set about configuring his ship for transit. The dinette and
seats were broken down and reconfigured for normal transport by the time
she made it back with her pump and container. She looked with dismay at
the missing dinette, but he simply pointed to the rear cabin. She headed
back there to set up the pump on the small table pulled from the wall, and
was still pumping when he finally closed up the ship and made his way
back to her.
“I feel like I have nearly half a quart for you, Ronnie, but I’m saving some
so you can have it fresh from my breasts,” she said sweetly, and he looked
lightly through her thoughts and read how clever she thought she was
being.
“I shall look forward to it, Ling. I’ll go shower and void myself. You
should do so as well – thoroughly. I have something special planned for you
tonight,” he said, then began to undress.
He tossed his dirty clothes in a pile and pulled out a robe, clean ships
underwear, and his shipboard jumpsuit. Grabbing his robe, towel, and
toothbrush, he headed for the facilities. On the way, he stopped in the
Lane’s old cabin and got a couple of things.
When she finally joined him, he was already out of the shower and
pointedly indicated she should sit on the toilet. She didn’t miss the two
toys he’d brought with him that were sitting in hot water in one of the
sinks. She voided quickly – and thoroughly – and took a quick shower
herself. By the time she was done, he’d already brushed his teeth and
taken the toys with him back to his cabin. After her shower, she dried and
brushed her teeth before joining him.
“Come lie with me, Ling, so I may take your milk from you,” he said,
and she joined him on the bed.

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He slid down a bit and began nursing from her, while she ran her fingers
through his hair. She didn’t try to affect him, since she’d already
discovered that, while her milk would relieve his pain, it had no effect on
his mind, and he remained focused on draining her breasts one after the
other until she was empty.
“You were delicious, Ling, but I’m still hungry,” he murmured, then slid
down further to dip his tongue between her lower lips, getting a quick gasp
from her in return.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Ling. I’m neglecting your own thirst,” he said, then
switched his body around and pulled her legs over his head; leaving her
empty breasts pressing down around his stomach, with her face lying atop
his limp shaft. He began to suckle her clitoris, which caused her to moan.
After a while, she took his rapidly expanding erection into her mouth and
began to nurse on it in response to his efforts between her legs. She
continued very competently and he shortly pulled away to complement her
on her technique.
“Mmm, Ling … that feels very good. You’re very skilled,” he said, then
latched onto her clitoris again and began gently licking it while tightly
pulling her hips to his face.
Once she was settled where he wanted her, he wrapped his arms around
her bottom and began inducing tiny tingles within her groin; letting them
slowly raise her excitement level and causing her to moan around the
stiffness between her lips. He kept up the stimulation, then finally reached
under the blanket and brought out the large dildo. He started teasing her
vagina with it in tiny circles and thrusts, slowly working it into her juicy
orifice until he was able to move it about easily and causing her moans to
become louder.
He tilted it at just the right angle and began shallow thrusts against her
inner forward wall. When her reaction peaked, he pushed her over the edge
into her first climax of the evening.
“Oh! … Aughh!” was her muffled response, and he continued a light
stimulation to keep her warm while continuing the short thrusting, before
adding a finger to play with her anus as well.
When she lurched at that tiny intrusion, he ramped her up again, and
she climaxed tightly around the dildo and the tip of his small finger that
he’d worked within her bottom. Her moans were louder now and her
sucking was losing focus – but he hadn’t – and he wet the small anal plug
and started playing around her bottom with it. Each time she shied away
from it, he raised her stimulation level, and at her next climax, he thrust
it inside her and held it firmly in place until her sphincter closed over the
narrow portion of the plug.

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For an evil moment, he considered how much sweeter this would be if

it were inflatable, but he simply held it in place and continued her
stimulation with both the Gift and the dildo; bringing her up and over
several more times, before pulling himself out from beneath her and having
her lay with her head down and butt in the air.
“You’ve seemed to have lost focus on my penis, Ling. I’m somewhat
disappointed because I really enjoy oral sex. However, your bottom is very
attractive, and I think there’s a place in there for me, so let’s just see,” he
said, then pulled the dildo out and inserted his shaft in its place, and began
thrusting.
“Ah! That’s much better, Ling!” He began to ramp her up again, and
brought her over in single climaxes spaced about a minute apart – being
neither very exciting nor very dull, but still pleasant for her.
He varied the depth of his strokes, the frequency, and the angle; all the
while continuing to push her over climatic peaks and enjoying the
clenching around his penis, but that was not his final plan.
“How are you doing? Are you getting tired yet?” he asked politely, all the
while maintaining the stimulation but not pushing her over the edge with
it.
“I’m … I feel good, Ronnie! Keep … keep fucking me!” she said, so he
kept on thrusting, but didn’t push her through an orgasm.
After a few minutes of that, she began to mewl in frustrated excitement
that lacked completion, then started pushing back at him harder while
trying to bring herself to a climax.
“Ling, you learned how to do this yourself. Go ahead and stimulate
yourself, and use me to clench on as you please,” he said, then watched
when she brought herself up higher until finally bringing her own climax
tightly around him.
“Very good, Ling. You did that very well. I promised you something
special tonight, and I think you’re about ready for it,” he said, then raised
her stimulation to just below triggering a climax within her and held it
there until she began to mewl again.
“The anus is another erogenous zone, Ling, and when I pull this plug
out of you, it should push you over the edge. Just tell me when you’re
ready, Ling.”
“Now! Do it now, Ronnie!” she demanded, and he pulled on the cord of
the butt plug, while pushing her over the edge once again.

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As her spasms over took her, he was relieved to see that she’d truly
voided herself earlier, as he wasn’t looking forward to cleaning up a mess.
He gave her several minutes to recover before talking to her again.
“How was that, Ling? Did that feel good?” he asked softly.
“Yes! Oh Gods, yes, that felt very good!”
“Well, let’s see if this feels better then,” he said, then withdrew from her
vagina and pushed the dildo back into it, while teasing her anus with the
butt plug again.
He brought her stimulation up higher as he worked the dildo into her
and finally reached under and grabbed her hand to have her work the dildo
herself. She lowered her bottom a bit, and he teased her anus with the butt
plug while her excitement ramped up higher.
“This time I think you’ll probably climax easily when I push back into
your anus. Is that what you want me to do, Ling?”
“Yes! Please, Ronnie! Fuck my butt and make me come again!”
“Very well, Ling. You start adding your own stimulation, and I’ll push
inside you just when you tell me to,” he said, and waited for her to take
over.
In a matter of moments, she finally cried out.
“NOW! Fuck my ass NOW!” she cried, and he pushed the length of his
penis into her rectum, then pushed her over the edge into a loop that left
her gasping and climaxing tightly around him using the strong, tighter
muscles of her sphincter instead of her vagina.
The loop kept her going, and the sensation on his shaft was
unexpectedly good. He didn’t know how much longer he would last, but
intended to try and hold out as long as he could, as Ling continued to milk
him with her ass and fuck herself silly with the large dildo. She eventually
lost focus and fell to her side, but reached back and held him to her to
keep him in place while her body tightened repeatedly on both the dildo
and his shaft.
Once she’d let go of it, the dildo tried to work itself out, but he’d pushed
it firmly back in place and began thrusting with it – feeling it stall every
time her body clenched tightly on it, in sequence with her sphincter
squeezing so deliciously around his shaft. With them now both on their
sides, he pulled out a bit and discovered a wonderfully varying set of
sensations as the squeezing worked its way up and down his shaft from
below the glans, all the way to the base at his groin. He found a particularly
good spot and held himself in place, before letting her loose all the way,
which finally milked him to completion.

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Once he’d emptied himself within her, he pushed all the way inside and
stayed there while her bottom continued to milk him at the base of his
shaft, while her vagina still clenched around the dildo. He let her go on like
that for several minutes until finally relenting and removing the
stimulation so she could finally stop having uncontrollable climaxes.
On her own, she triggered the stimulation again, and reached between
her legs to continue to work the dildo within her. He began to pull out, but
she stopped him with a word.
“No! No … please! Stay … stay right there! Fill me again if you can, or
just … just let me feel you inside me, Ronnie. Please … this is … this is
something new, and … it feels just … please stay inside my bottom, please!”
she begged him, so he relaxed and leaned into her to let her continue to
milk him.
Much to his surprise, he became stiff again in a few minutes, and she
quickly triggered her own loop and let it run – milking the dildo, while
milking his penis at the same time. He became worried after another few
minutes, but the sensations were still very good and he found himself being
led up to his own orgasm again. When he finally climaxed and emptied
himself into her for the second time, she sagged out of the loop; her body
still moving jerkily, but no longer striving to orgasm incessantly. After
several minutes, she finally calmed down and let out a great sigh, before
turning to look at him lazily.
“You can pull your penis out of my ass now, Ronnie,” she said with a
lazy smile, and he heard her gasp, and felt her involuntary clench, as a
tiny climax overtook her once again while he was sliding himself from her
rectum.
“How are you feeling, Ling?” he asked softly, but saw her eyes dart away
from his gaze.
“How did you know?” she asked him quietly.
“How did I know what?”
“How did you know I would react that way?”
He just shrugged and admitted it.
“I didn’t. It was just something new you’d never done before,” he told
her, then began to gather himself to go wash again.
“Ronnie wait! Please! Please stay with me for a while,” she asked, while
holding her arms out to him.
“Ling … I knew what you had planned for this evening, and made sure
it didn’t happen. You don’t care for me and I don’t care for you. Your
requirement to provide contentment to me is over. I enjoyed myself tonight,

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and you… Apparently you did so, as well,” he said, then picked up the toys
and a towel, and walked out to shower.
By the time he returned, she’d wiped herself with a towel and dressed,
so he pulled out a fresh towel and wrapped the well-cleaned toys in it.
“Here, Ling,” he said, and handed the bundle to her, before turning to
strip the bed.
He bundled the bedding with his dirty clothes, then stuffed them into
the washer to begin the cycle so David would find clean sheets when he
took possession of Odontoceti in a few days. He found his ships clothing
and got dressed, before picking up the rest of the towels and robes, and
dropping them on the floor beside the door.
“Ling,” he said; indicating the open cabin door, and she quietly walked
out and went forward, before he shut the door behind them and followed
her out to the forward cabin.
He opened the airlock door and waited for her to leave, but she turned
to look at him once again.
“Take care of the Healer Cluster, Ling. This is Lili’s project now. If I live
long enough, perhaps I’ll come back in a few years to see how much you’ve
improved it. Just … just make sure they don’t turn it into yet another
religion. That’s been a heavy burden on this planet for far too long.”
“Ronnie, these last few months, I–”
“You’ve done well here, Ling, and I will report such to Lili. Your
contentment skills are textbook, and properly conducted. You’ve certainly
earned the Gift of the First Wife, and Lili will expect you to use it wisely to
help your clients with their relationships. Rely on Wilber when you must –
he’s been my liaison for almost thirty years, now. Goodbye, Ling,” he said,
then rested his hand on the airlock control button.
She looked up at him once more, before turning and stepping through
the airlock; it cycling shut the moment her feet landed on the ground. She
looked down at the bundle in her hands, turned, and threw it at the ship,
before running out of the barn to return to her quarters.
Rondal went forward and started up his systems; running traffic scans
and checking locally for the odd car on the highway. He remembered
something and looked back at the counter. Ling had left her pump behind.
He cleaned it and opened the airlock; intending to take it back to her, but
found the towel and the toys he’d given her on the ground. Letting out a
sigh, he rewrapped the toys, then carried them and the pump over to the
workbench and set them atop it.

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‘Ling, your pump is in the barn on the work bench. I have cleaned it. Do
not forget it in the morning’ he sent, but got no reply.
He reentered the ship and sent out ‘ship handling’ before opening the
barn doors wide and watching from his forward camera that they stayed
open.
He raised ship and retracted the struts, before silently drifting out of
the barn. Once clear of obstructions, he set his shield to block, and enabled
the optical system – disappearing from view. He looked over his Cluster
once more with longing in his heart, before checking air traffic again and
sending the ship vertical. Dancing through the obstacle course of near
Earth orbit, he hit his transition point and paused for a moment.
‘Ling, I enjoyed your contentment greatly’
‘You do me honor, First Lord’ she sent back faintly.
‘Goodbye, Ling’ he sent, but was already in transition before her
response was received.

May 10, Kantor, Parking Orbit, Odontoceti and the Kraken’s Child
The tight beam between the two ships relayed Rondal’s final comments.
“Four … are you sure Ardan showed you all the features of that shield?
If they catch you, they’re gonna fry you.”
“Not a problem, lad. I was flying tanks, YEARS before you were born.”
“Uhh … okay then. You drop first to the exact coordinates I gave you,
and I’ll drop down behind you. If the house shields flash, I’ll own up to it,
and turn off my opticals so they can see the ‘Ceti in all his glory. And be
sure to stay inside the tank! The valaets aren’t fed until morning!”
“No worries, lad! Me and the big guys get along just fine! Headed down,”
Four transmitted, then dropped through the Kantite airspace over the
Royal Homestead.
Rondal watched nervously while waiting for the house shields to flair,
but nothing happened. Then he extended himself and found Four – safely
behind his shield and opticals, while quietly sitting there in the middle of
the stream and literally twiddling his thumbs.
“By the Gods, do people still do that?” he asked himself, but began his
own decent through the house shields and dropped down to park behind
the Kraken’s Child.
Shutting down everything except the opticals, he ran through the ship
one more time and did a quick scan of everything. Finding nothing amiss,
he darkened the interior of the ‘Ceti, opened the airlock, and stepped into

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the shallows of the stream. Then he turned and palmed the lock; closing
the ship and making it disappear completely from view.
He looked forward and was gratified to see the Kraken’s Child, or rather,
not see the Kraken’s Child, other than the water streaming around his
landing struts that ended at the level of the water’s surface. Rather than
opening the huge combat hatch in the rear, he waded around to the side
door where Four was waiting for him with a bucket of raw meat chunks.
“The night watch probably be wantin’ a snack, lad,” he said quietly,
before pushing the bucket into his arms and shutting the door.
Rondal looked at the bucket, then back at the closed door, before
shrugging and walking around to the other side of the ship and waiting. It
was less than a minute later when he first sensed, then saw the heads
peeking out from under the bushes.
‘Silent Hunter … Targa Slayer … Greetings, Warriors!’ he sent to them.
‘Talking Man’ Silent Hunter sent, while pushing out from under the
brush and being followed by her mate.
‘Food!’ Targa Slayer sent, and Puss chuffed in disgust.
‘Warriors eat when they can’ Rondal reminded her, then started tossing
chunks of meat to the valaets; alternating evenly between Puss and Boots
until the bucket was empty.
‘Your kits?’
‘They serve your smell – inside the caves’ Puss shared.
‘Good. Watchers?’
‘We watch the night’ Boots declared.
‘Good. Duty?’
‘We guard’ Puss responded.
‘Good. I leave a ship for my kit … hidden in the water’ Rondal sent.
‘This one?’ Puss asked, looking directly ahead.
‘Or that one?’ Boots asked, looking at the ripples around the ‘Ceti’s
struts.
‘That one – my old ship’ he shared.
‘Family inside’ Puss sent, while still looking directly ahead.
That puzzled Rondal for several moments, but the lull in the
conversation was long enough for the valaets to lose interest in it, so they

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wandered back to their patrol. Pausing before leaning down to rinse out
the bucket, he headed to the far side of the Kraken’s Child and palmed the
door open to enter. Once back in orbit, Rondal turned to Four and looked
at him closely, before shrugging it off.
“Nice bit of tradecraft, that,” he commented quietly.
“That’s that devil Ardan’s work!” Four quietly exclaimed. “Gods’ grace,
he’s on our side and makin’ our job that much easier! Think someone will
lose their head when they find your ship in the middle of the stream?”
“Uhhh, might. I’d better call the Homestead,” he said, then started
setting up a com channel back to the Royal Homestead.
“Should just tell the good Lady Lili and let her deal with it, Ronnie.”
“Yeah … okay, I’ll send this message to–”
“Lad – use your head,” Four said while tapping his own forehead – the
presumptive point of emanation for thought projection.
It wasn’t really, but was Healer shorthand for it, and Rondal gave him
a serious look that Four took as a challenge.
“Ronnie … you really think I don’t know who I ship out with here? We
was together all the way back in the tanks, lad, and then on the platforms!
We worked together at the Fringe, both before and during that business
with the Diplo station and your rescued Healer. You saved that girl’s life
when she was rightly dead! I’m not stupid, lad!”
Rondal’s face bounced from blank confusion, through several variations
of stupid expressions, before finally resolving into a disheartening
realization that here was yet another loose end he wasn’t aware of. He had
a hard time finding his voice, before finally letting out a quietly resigned
question.
“Just … just what do you think you know about me, Four?”
“Just what Liling told me when she asked me to look out for you. Girl’s
got a sweet spot in her heart for you, she does. She knows Sai can’t take
you … not unless you fuck up. That job would then fall to her, and it would
break her heart to have to kill you by the Elder’s order.”
“Yes… Well, I suppose that’s true if Sai failed to take me. If Lili were to
try, I – I don’t know what I’d do,” he said quietly.
“Aye, lad! That’s the trouble with women! I’d wager Lady Ai didn’t think
it through before setting the Bitch Witch after you!” Four shook his head
and laughed. “They be terrified of the curse, lad! They think the Demon –
the Kraken’s Child, they named it – is some horrible monster they can’t
control! They have no idea it’s just a man doing a man’s job!” he said, then

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laughed again. “Call the girl and tell her to spare the guards. Better yet,
have her tell them in the morning that she heard something last night and
have them see if they can find it!”
He laughed again, and Rondal smiled, then made the connection.
‘Lili, if you have a moment … I’ve left a gift for David in the gardens. If no
one can find it, ask Puss or Boots’
‘Oh Rondal! You clever boy to sneak in here so quietly! However did you
get out, or are you hiding somewhere on the grounds still?’
‘Four came down in the other tank. I left the ‘Ceti behind, and Four took
us back up. We’re on our way to pick up my ship, and the rest of the anti-
matter charges’
‘We’ve made up a total of ten charges, Rondal, and when you need more,
contact me. These are the coordinates for the rest of the charges’ she sent,
and he quickly keyed them into the console, before she continued. ‘My Lord
Emperor said there were no discernible changes to the dummy loads upon
firing, but he suggests that perhaps not all of the rounds be kept immediately
within the … breach room?’
‘I understand. We will separate the loads. Four suggests that you tell the
guards in the morning that you heard something last night, and have them
look for the ship’
‘Oh! What a delightful joke upon the guards! Petrus is such a trickster!
You children have fun, and play safely within the Hegemony. I shall expect
copious notes, Rondal’
‘Would you also be welcome to some colony residents of a larger
stature … should I find any to relocate, that is?’
‘That sounds fascinating! Doctor Riker’s sociologists are simply PINING
at having only Dorcas as the one example of a Drecks in … in CAPTIVITY, so
to speak. Especially considering that she is a mother now and mated with a
human-standard Earthling … AND is a Commonwealth Healer. They just
don’t consider her to be “typical,” I’m afraid’
‘Then I’ll see what I can pick up for you. Ahh … Lili … is there anything
you would care to tell me about Four?’ he asked somewhat timidly.
‘Yes, Rondal, and this is VERY important! Never tease him about his
name, or tell it to anyone else! He is VERY sensitive about it!’
‘I … see. My love to you and the family, Lili’
‘My love to you and Petrus’ she ended.

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Rondal turned to Four and cast a bemused glance his way, before
saying, “Lili sends us her love, Four.”
“Ahh, sweet girl that. Takes after her mother, I think. Well, you have
coordinates here, look like safe places to store dangerous things. Shall we
go shopping?”
“You have the pilot’s seat. The ship is yours,” he said, so Four did a
quick traffic check, while Rondal transferred the coordinates into the
navigation system. After a slight delay for processing, he slaved the
navigation system to the pilot’s seat. Four gave a three-second transition
warning, before sending them off – five minutes up and right – to the first
storage area. This promised to be a mind-numbing and nauseating five
hours of manual labor from first pick-up to final storage on the new ship.

September 5, Womak Parking Orbit, Inside the Rock

They’d been at it for nearly four months now, and Four was prepping
the shuttle for yet another run. Personally, he thought Ronnie was just a
bit shy of insane, but the passengers they were gathering seemed grateful
enough to have food, shelter, and the threat of death removed from their
worries, so he went along with the program.
‘Support Rondal and keep him safe,’ he was thinking, while puttering
around the shuttle and making it ready. Those were Liling’s orders,
anyway, but the Gods knew that was hard to do when Ronnie kept
grounding himself and left him up in the Kraken to tend to his growing
flock.
‘We really need more staff,’ he mused once again…
They’d been raiding farms on Womak over the last several months;
picking up the odd human here and there, and the occasional Drecks,
while getting enough of them to make it worthwhile hauling them back to
Commonwealth space and dropping them off, before returning and doing
it all over again. This time it promised to be a little more urgent, though.
It was Harvest Time.

On Womak, A Small Farm

The new sycophant, a man named Dumas, walked the ground of
Womak dressed in mufti, just as the human-Womak working natives
dressed. This later afternoon he carried feed buckets to the fenced-in pens
for the food stock – other human-Womak natives, and a few young male
and female Drecks – all of whom had been chosen for the upcoming feast
of some obscure Drecks holiday. Since they were food stock, clothing was
not wasted on them, and all were naked, day and night.

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Unlike the fortunate few from other locations who’d been chosen for
their mental incapacities, or deliberately lobotomized to remove their
senses, each of these mostly women and children knew why they’d been
separated, penned like animals, and now waited stoically for their end.
To ensure compliance, a small contingent of Drecks overlords – minor
warriors in this case – stood guard over the lot, and Dumas took pains to
instantly obey all the commands they issued lest he be tossed into the
pens, as well, just like one of his helpers had been. Fortunately for the
Drecks, they hadn’t asked him to kill anyone yet.
Dumping the food scraps in the trough, Dumas turned and went back
for another load, while the occupants, even knowing their end was coming
soon, sidled up to the trough and ate anyway. Hunger was one pain they
could relieve temporarily, and as long as they were alive, it was one less
pain they would suffer from. Listening to several of their surface thoughts,
he picked up a new urgency that some had overheard from the guards.
‘Four, their schedule has moved up! You’ve got to bring the shuttle down
tonight!’ Rondal sent urgently.
‘How many now, Ronnie?’
‘Thirty human-standard, fourteen Drecks’
‘Plenty of room, then! Be a lot more room if you leave the Drecks behind’
‘Not an option!’
‘Aye! Liling said as much. Will the Kraken’s Child be making an
appearance?’
‘Not unless someone pisses me off’
‘Understood. Underway in one hour’
‘One hour – confirmed’ Rondal ended, as he continued to the kitchen
while contemplating his crewmate…
Of all the things he thought he’d known about Four, his unexpected
ability to send like a Healer was yet another surprise for him.
In all the years he’d known him, he’d never suspected that he could do
that. When he’d tried to probe him, he’d found a block that was nearly as
hard as his own; letting only the most ephemeral of leakage through. In
hindsight, it probably explained a lot, but for their purposes now, it made
it so much easier to coordinate their actions…
He got to the scraps pile and picked out the best of the leftovers to throw
into his buckets, before trudging back to the pens. In the growing dusk, he
could see several of the prisoners pairing off in corners to find some simple

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pleasure in mating; all the while knowing their lives would soon end on the
serving platters at a Drecks feast. Meanwhile, the Drecks guards looked on
with disinterest.
He didn’t know if he could face such as calmly, and in fact, one young
woman recently selected had screamed and cried until her companions
tossed her to a couple of men who silenced her by stimulating her body
until she gave in and accepted the simple mindless pleasure they offered
her. He’d been impressed they didn’t simply rape her in the common sense,
but somewhat gently forced her acceptance of the situation and turned it
into a sort of perverted pleasure for her. She was another one for whom
some serious counseling was in order once he got them back to the
Commonwealth.
When he brought the buckets back to the pen, he heard crying from one
of the prisoners, and laughter from the guards. There was a small
struggling figure held between them.

In the Kraken’s Child…

Four was just getting ready to lock down the ship when Rondal called
again.
‘Four – I’m getting pissed!’
‘Ten minutes, lad!’
‘More than long enough!’ the Demon thought, and Rondal agreed.

On the Ground…
“Please don’t take my baby!” the woman cried in Drecks as the guard
lifted the girl and slung her over his shoulder. Standing, it didn’t look like
she would come up to his knee – and he was short for a Drecks.
“Silence woman! This one graces our table tonight!”
He laughed and walked away with the girl and one other guard, as the
girl whimpered atop his shoulder while continuing to struggle ten feet
above the ground.
The Demon did a quick head count and determined that eight Drecks
were still unaccounted for, while the two left guarding the pens and the
two on the way to the kitchen were all that he had to deal with for the
moment. With the kitchen around the corner and out of sight, those two
were the most likely targets right now, so he quickly dumped his buckets
and followed them towards the kitchen.
Once out of sight, he set the buckets down and let the short tools slip
down his forearms and into his hands, where he gripped them strongly
and carefully. To fit like they did, they had no guards, and as such, were

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extremely dangerous, even when used properly. He followed behind the

guards and called out to them.
“Sirs! Sirs! That one is much too skinny to make a good meal! How about
you take me instead?” he offered in Drecks, while walking up behind them
with his hands by his sides. They both stopped, which is what he’d wanted.
“Ha! You’re right, human! Her flesh is sweet, but she’s too skinny! We’ll
take both of you!”
One of the guards laughed and reached down to grab him, but with a
loud screech, one of the short power blades activated and the guard lost
his right arm up to the elbow. He would have bellowed loudly, except that
by bending over, the Demon’s return stroke reached up high enough to cut
his throat. The other guard was struck silent and motionless, which
allowed plenty of time for the second blade to come to life halfway on its
way to carving out his gut; his arms being held nicely out of the way while
still holding the struggling child on his shoulder. The Demon dropped his
blades and caught the child, while the second Drecks sagged sideways to
the ground.
“Well, I think they’ve lost their appetites. Why don’t you hide over there,
while I see if I can go clean up that mess in the kitchen?”
He hugged her tightly; letting a little of his host through to spread
warmth and love through her as best he could without lighting up the
entire area, before pushing her in the direction he’d indicated.
As she trotted to the side, looking back at him strangely between
glancing towards the kitchen and pens, the Demon set the stage for a little
dinner rivalry by placing weapons in both guards’ hands, and dragging
their bodies about just a little. As a final touch, he placed the severed arm
in the left hand of the second guard, and made sure a bloody knife was in
his right hand, then added a little more blood to the left hand of his first
victim. It may not have been necessary, but … you never know.
Grabbing his tools, he continued to the kitchen to visit the cooks, who
were both Drecks, since humans-standards just didn’t cook other human-
standards. They were funny that way.
‘Five minutes, Ronnie!’
‘Fix on my location – ONE … NOW!’ he sent, just as he entered the door
to the kitchen.
He could hear and see the cooks, and heard a ruckus from the dining
room. It appeared that everyone else had gathered for supper.
‘Got it!’ Four sent.

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The Demon backed out the door and ran towards the pens; diverting to
swing by, grab the little girl, and hoist her over his shoulder, before
continuing.
“Sirs! Sirs! It’s so terrible! The guards fought over the girl, Sirs! They –
they killed each other!” he shouted, while pointing back toward the kitchen
as he reached the pen.
‘Fix on my location – TWO … NOW!’
‘Got location two!’
One of the guards took off for the kitchen, but the other one eyed him
warily.
“Why’d you bring the girl back? You should have taken her to the
kitchen, human!” he said loudly.
“I’m – I’m sorry, Sir! I – I just can’t do that to my own kind!” he said,
then bowed his head, while letting false sobs utter from his lips.
The girl’s mother came to the fence and begged for her child back, so he
reluctantly came forward and lifted her over the top. The girl looked at him
in shock for his treachery, but he winked at her, while sobbing a little
louder.
‘Four – incendiary round at location ONE. Try not to burn me where I
stand’
‘On the way!’
The Demon fearfully looked up at the sky and began to mutter loudly.
“It’s coming! It’s coming! We must hide before it takes our souls!”
He continued to stand there, looking up fearfully, and others close to
the fence looked up as well. Ten seconds later, the incendiary round hit
the kitchen, and lit up the sky with a glorious burst of orange flames that
consumed the kitchen, the cooks, the dining Drecks guards, and hopefully,
that one guard who went to check on things … but no. That worthy came
running back around the corner with his clothes on fire, and fell halfway
to the pens before laying there twitching.
“IT’S THE KRAKEN’S CHILD! THE KRAKEN’S CHILD! IT’S COME TO
TAKE OUR SOULS!” the Demon screamed, then fell to the ground,
groveling in the dirt.
The rest of the penned humans felt the sudden urge to do so as well,
which left the remaining guard puzzled and looking around, until a
flickering bit of light hovering over the kitchen caught his attention. He
watched intently as the flickering became – first the outline, then the
luminescent body of a creature – a creature with long tentacles and one

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enormous eye. From what he could see, two of the tentacles were reaching
down, pulling wiggling bodies out of the flames, then curling them up into
the body of its huge head. When the tentacle stretched out again, the body
was gone.
Hearing the guard’s incoherent gasp, the Demon turned over and looked
at the spectacle.
“THE KRAKEN’S CHILD! THE KRAKEN’S CHILD! IT COMES TO STEAL
OUR SOULS! ALL IS LOST! ALL IS LOST!” he cried loudly, then turned face
down to the ground once again, but not before seeing the guard leave his
post and begin running in the opposite direction of the kitchen.
He lay there on his side with his head propped up on one hand, and
waited for about a minute until he finally sat up and dusted himself off.
“*By the Gods, what a gullible breed,*” he muttered, then stood up and
stretched.
He slipped one blade out and powered it up; cutting a wide hole in the
fence as those closest to him watched him fearfully, while others were
keeping an eye on the apparition that was still consuming hapless Drecks
bodies out of the flames of the kitchen and dining room.
‘Last one took off for the hills, Demon. Time to pick up our load and head
back to the colony’ Rondal sent.
‘Ah! You’re giving me center stage tonight? Your understudy is grateful,
Ronnie!’
The starving baby kraken slowly faded away as it left the area of the
kitchen, before Four righted the ship and drifted it over to the pens, where
he set it down at location two. He dropped the combat hatch, before
walking the seventy-feet to the rear and viewing the prisoners while
wearing a plain black ship suit with a blue face shield activated.
His mechanical voice sounded loud over the hush from the pens.
“The Drecks have declared you nothing but food! That is unacceptable!
The Demon will take you all, and you will feed his colony with life. Enter
the Kraken’s Child, humans, and be saved!”
‘Very poetic’ Rondal sent.
‘I rehearsed it several times’ the faux Demon sent back.
Four looked down at Rondal, and pointed to him.
“You! Bucket boy! Lead my people inside – all of them!” he said loudly,
then turned away and went forward again.

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The prisoners looked at the ship, then at each other, but made no move
to leave. Rondal turned to glare at them before becoming vocal about it.
“Well, come on! You heard the Demon. Everybody … into the ship!
Unless you wanna stay here and wait for that guard to get his head out of
his ass and come back for you?” he chided them loudly.
The little girl came forward. Her mother reached out for her, but she
slipped out of her grasp and stopped close to Rondal while looking up at
him.
“Ready for a new life … Dessa?” he asked quietly while smiling down at
her after pulling her name from her mother’s fearful mind. She reached
out and hugged his legs tightly.
“Come along, Marska,” he called softly to her mother. “The Demon waits
for no one tonight, and we’ve a long way to travel.”
Marska finally came forward and took her daughter’s hand before
proceeding up the ramp and into the ship.
“Go all the way forward. It will be a very tight fit for a while, but you’ll
be safe. Just follow the Demon’s orders – and don’t touch anything!” Rondal
admonished them.
Marska’s bravery seemed to relax everyone else, and they started
flowing through the gap in the fence and headed up the ramp. It would be
snug, but finally the last human-standard was aboard. All that remained
were the fourteen Drecks prisoners.
“You! Drecks! Into the ship with the rest of the food. You’ve got a colony
to fill!” he said.
“We’re … we’re Drecks, Sir… Just … just nameless ones,” one of the
young women said.
“Then obey the Demon, and perhaps he’ll grant you a name! Now get
into the ship!” he ordered, and one-by-one they meekly walked past him,
each looking down at the little human who appeared to fear no one and
nothing. As the last of them ducked down to enter the rear, he called out
to Four.
‘How much room you got left?’
‘Just the forward compartment. You’ve not got anyone else down there,
do you?’
‘Just the hired hands’
‘The sycophants you mean? You’re not bringing THEM along, are you?’

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‘You’d be surprised what you’ll do to stay alive. I get a chance, I’ll tell you
about the Earth wars sometime. How much room?’
‘You and me, so far. Fill the rest of the forward compartment, and put one
in the toilet’ Four offered.
‘Should be just enough. Raise the combat hatch while I gather them up.
We’ll need to keep them separated’
‘Oh, for sure!’ His silent snort came back, while the rear hatch whined
shut.
Rondal quickly ran over to the secured bunkroom that, fortunately, was
far from the kitchen and pens. It had to be because the occupants were
like him – special sycophants who had the run of the farm, just as long as
they toed the line and did whatever they were told, which included
rounding up live food for the Drecks feast from the post-harvest workers.
He saw some curious faces looking out the bars of the high windows, that
suddenly dropped from sight when they caught sight of him running up.
Extending through the door, he saw it was clear – as required by the Drecks
overlords – so he activated a blade and cut a foot-wide circle that
encompassed the lock and dead bolts. He killed the blade, and the door
swung open freely.
“Okay, you lot! Time to go! This farm’s been abandoned! The Drecks will
kill anyone left behind!” he said in Drecks, then started grabbing shirts
and pulling them towards the door.
“Wait! We can’t go! The guards haven’t called for us. We’ll be–”
“The guards are all dead, and you will be too when someone comes
lookin’ for ‘em! Let’s move, people!” he shouted, then shoved more of them
towards the door.
He heard a loud moan from a cot in the corner, and pushed in that
direction – finally coming upon an unwelcome sight. He’d seen her just a
few days ago, but had been paying attention to other things at the time.
She was rotund, and he’d thought maybe twins or triplets, but never
bothered to look.
‘Now? She goes into labor now? Jeeze, she’s huge!’ he thought.
“Who is she? Who’s the baby’s father?” he demanded.
“That’s Leese. She … she was taken by a Drecks,” one of the women
murmured, before her voice dropped to a whisper. “We told her it’s
probably twins … or maybe more, but … but we think it’s just one,” she
added, before going back over to sit by the woman in labor.

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In the Kraken’s Child…

‘Four – fix on me and move the ship. Drop down outside the building and
open the forward airlock. Got a woman in labor – Drecks baby inside!’
‘She’s gonna die, Ronnie. Be kinder to kill her now’
‘I thought Lili told you about me!’
‘Aye, lad. Children and small animals – right’ Four sent, before
muttering silently, then sent out a ship-wide address.
“Ships movement in two seconds!” he announced, then raised the ship,
before sliding it sideways to the new location and dropping it.

On the Ground…
‘We’re down, Ronnie. What do you want me to do?’
‘Open the airlock, and have the Demon get these people into the ship!
Cram them in somewhere, but get them inside. I’ll do what I can with the
last one’
“All the rest of you – get into the ship outside. Follow the orders you’re
given, or you’ll be left behind as food … MOVE IT!” he shouted both verbally
and silently.
There was a surge for the door from all, except the woman who had
answered him. She looked up at his frown, but shook her head sadly.
“Leese is my sister, and I’m staying until … until you do whatever you
have to do…” she tapered off quietly.
He saw the relief in her mind that she would probably not have to
smother her sister in order to save her from a painful death. He would kill
her sister instead of her … when it came time.
“What’s your name, girl?”
“Maze,” she said flatly while reaching out to stroke her sister’s hair.
“Maze … that means … that’s a food plant from my mother’s world. It
has many seeds that are good to eat,” he muttered absently, while pushing
inside and estimating how long he had with Leese, but quickly realized
there was no way to get her dilated enough to deliver this baby – not in the
time they had left.
“Maze – I want you to go outside and speak to the blue-headed one. He
will give you something, and you will bring it to me. Do you understand?
Tell him Tank has sent you – got it?”
“Outside, blue-headed one, Tank, bring it back,” she said and nodded.

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“Good – go!” he ordered.

‘Four, sending a girl called Maze out to you. I want a field surgery pack,
and a bottle of ambrosia. Give them to her, then make the ship ready for
combat – we may be stuck for a while’
‘On it, lad!’ He felt Four ramp up to overdrive while pushing between
crowded bodies to pull the requested supplies from their storage locations.
While waiting for Maze, Rondal tried to clear the area around Leese to
give him some working space, before squatting down beside her.
“Well, Leese … how’s your pregnancy been going so far? Drecks’ got big
dicks, don’t they?” he asked conversationally, and she half-smiled, but
groaned when another contraction grabbed her uterus.
He caught sight of Maze coming back with the supplies, and pointed to
the water jug in the corner.
“Cup!” he ordered, and she rushed over and came back with a battered
metal cup. He poured a full measure into the cup, then waited while Leese’s
contraction ran out, before holding it to her lips and making her drink it.
“All of it, Leese. It’s good stuff, and pretty soon you’ll not hurt nearly as
much,” he calmly promised her.
Maze sat down with a sigh, and held back her tears as the new
sycophant gave her sister the poison that would ease her pain, even as it
ended her life. She reached out and tenderly ran her fingers through her
sister’s hair. After Leese drank a second cup of poison, she leaned over and
kissed her on the forehead – carefully avoiding whatever poison was left on
her lips.
He poured a third cup and offered it to Leese, who sat up a bit over the
bulge in her belly and greedily drank it down. Maze’s tears began to fall
freely, and she was having trouble holding back her sobs. She knew this
was a kinder way for her sister’s life to end, and only wished she were brave
enough to join her in death.
He watched and pushed through Leese, while waiting for her to relax;
finally being rewarded when her contractions slowly died out from the
suppressive effects of the ambrosia. He pinched her in a few places, and
she giggled in response.
“How you feeling, Leese?” he asked politely, and she giggled her answer.
“That stuff is great! Can I have some more? Maze, you gotta try some of
this!” she said, and he poured her another cup and had her drink it.
She settled back and smiled lazily, before seeming to sink into the pillow
on the narrow cot she was on. He pinched her hard all over, but got no

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response at all. Her eyes finally closed, and a peaceful smile graced her
lips.
“Well, we’ll just give that a few more minutes to work, and–”
He stopped speaking when Maze finally broke into sobs and dripped
tears over the lifeless body of her sister. She held her tenderly and kissed
her face, and eyes, and cheeks – but still avoided her lips – while he looked
on in bemusement. He poured another cup – for her this time.
“Here, Maze… I got a little left if you want some, too?” he offered, but
her head turned to him in horror, before she lurched back from the hand
holding the cup of deadly brew.
“Granted, it isn’t a great vintage, but it is quite tasty. Another hundred
years in the cellar, and it should reach its prime,” he said, then took a sip
and let it roll over his tongue, his eyes closing in pleasure.
“That … that isn’t … isn’t that poison?” she squeaked.
Leese took that moment to burp quietly, then giggled a little bit more in
her sleep. He pulled up her shift and pinched the fat around her hips, her
vaginal lips, and then teased her clitoris to no avail. Leese was out.
“Why would I want to poison your sister? She’s about to have a baby.
That would be counter-productive. Umm, Maze, this is gonna get messy,
so I’d like you to go back to the ship, and I’ll bring your sister to you after
it’s all over,” he said calmly, then handed her the cup.
“No! I … I’ll say with Leese,” she said defiantly, and looked him in the
eye, before tossing back the drink; but the surprising goodness of it didn’t
keep her from coughing and choking a bit.
“Ahhh, that’s sippin’ liquor – not chuggin’ liquor,” he said in a moment
of déjà vu, then poured her another half measure.
“If you’re going to stay, then I want you to scoot up towards her head
and keep out of my way. You pay attention to Leese’s face. If she starts to
wake up, you tell me, and try to keep her distracted while I work on her.
This shouldn’t hurt her too much and I’ll try to be quick, okay?”
“All right … Dumas?” she both said and asked.
“Right. Or you can call me Tank,” he said, before opening the field
surgery pack and bringing out some very sharp tools.
Maze quickly averted her eyes, while he closed his and made a long-
distance call.
‘Lili, do you have a moment or two? I have questions on Drecks births
from human-standard females’

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‘I suppose a HUMANE death is out of the question?’ she shot back wryly.
‘You suppose correctly, my Lady. How best may I proceed? And time is
of the essence’
‘So Petrus tells me. Very well, look within and share, and I will teach. She
is sedated?’
‘Ambrosia, by four measures’
‘MORE than enough. Do EXACTLY as I tell you’ she ordered, then took
over.
Twelve minutes later, the deed was done, and a squalling baby girl lay
in Maze’s arms, while Rondal sealed the incisions that had let the huge
baby out. Leese was still asleep, but giggled occasionally, and he left visible
scars on her abdomen to let follow-up Healers know exactly what had
happened – as if they couldn’t already guess. They would finish up later
on.
“*Sorry kiddo, no Lotus for you,*” he said cryptically, while tying off the
umbilical cord a few inches from her navel and cutting it. Then he wrapped
the rest of the placenta in sheets.
He took the baby from Maze and brought it to Leese’s nipple to see if it
would nurse. It made a valiant effort to latch on, but didn’t quite get it
right. He leaned over and suckled her nipple, and Maze, now feeling a bit
tipsy herself, watched, then leaned in to suckle her sister’s other nipple.
When he got some colostrum a minute later, he pulled away and put the
baby back over the now prominent nipple, where it easily latched on and
began to nurse.
“Okay, Maze, save that for the baby. She needs the first milk, not you,”
he teased her, and pulled her off Leese’s breast. He reached over and
pinched the nipple shut, before pushing through to temporarily block any
further let down from that breast.
‘Ronnie, someone’s finally noticed there’s a problem here, and ships are
coming in!’
‘You have the ship! Fight the ship as necessary. Recover to the Kraken,
and take our prisoners to safety!’
‘We have time, lad. Get your women and kit aboard! I give you five
minutes!’
‘Damn fool! Send out two men!’
‘Done!’

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“Maze! Grab the stuff, and I’ll grab the baby! Two men are coming for
Leese!” he said, while quickly repacking the surgery pack.
“Get to the ship right now!” he ordered after her lack of action.
“But Leese! She can’t move right now!”
“She wants to live; she’ll move!”
‘LEESE WAKE UP’ he shouted silently.
‘LEESE!’
“I’m coming … I’m…” she giggled, then spoke again, “I’m coming so
much! Such a big dick!” She giggled some more, before her eyes opened
blearily.
Maze muttered something low in Drecks that translated roughly to “size
queen” then grabbed the bag, bottle, and bundle of placenta, while he
grabbed the baby. The door swung open, and two men came in and rushed
over to them.
“Get the girl up and take her to the ship! We got company coming, and
they’re probably not very happy!”
Both men rushed forward, gave a hateful look towards the baby, but
grabbed hold of Leese and got her staggering upright, and on the way to
the door. Rondal guided Maze to the door and saw that everyone had gotten
into the ship, before he paused and extended around once again. He was
feeling nothing human anywhere else, and finally boarded last.
‘Take us up, Four!’ he sent, and immediately felt the floor shift.
He settled heavily to the deck, along with everyone else. The baby
remained in his arms and cried at the activity, so he comforted it as best
he could without lighting up the entire compartment. When the gravity
lightened a bit, he was able to look around and see Maze and Leese tucked
into a corner, with two men who had wrapped their arms around them. He
pushed through both and discovered they would be husbands or bond-
mates in any other situation. The one with Leese was greatly relieved she
was alive and apparently no longer with child, but the cry from Rondal’s
arms reminded him of it, and he looked over warily. Rondal poked inside
and saw some ambivalence in him, but things were going to get busy, and
he needed to go forward and help out.
‘Can you hold us steady for a minute?’ he asked Four.
‘Just about … I need you up here!’
‘On my way’ he sent, then struggled to his feet, before staggering over
to Maze and Leese.

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“Feed the child! She is neither Drecks nor Womak! She is now a child
of the Demon, and her life is your responsibility – and if you fail – you can
both walk home!” he intoned ominously, then handed the baby girl to
Leese, who awkwardly struggled to pull up her shirt and bring the baby to
her breast.
Her man reached around to help hold her in place, before looking up at
Rondal fearfully. He looked at them both sternly, then at Maze and her
man, before turning and climbing over bodies to head forward to the
navigator’s seat. He felt something as he passed near one man, but didn’t
have time to look into it at the moment, other than a quick physical scan
finding nothing of note. Sitting down, he decided caution was prudent and
continued silently.
‘What have we … oh’ he commented silently at the number of ships
converging on the burning farm.
‘They can’t see us … unless you want them to?’ Four asked.
‘No, but it looks like we’ve outstayed our welcome on WOMAK for the time
being’ He sighed silently at the closing of this stage of the operation.
‘If we’re not coming back for a while, how about leaving a message for
the Drecks?’ Four suggested.
‘How far is the capital?’ Rondal asked.
‘Ten minutes – with care’
‘Very well. We’ll target the power plants, and use … number five loads
from sub-orbit. No show’
‘Ahh, lad! You take all the fun out of it!’ Four pouted, but he set the ship
for an approach to the preselected target area, while Rondal ran the fire
control system up for launching the seven projectiles he’d selected – each
one with a minimum yield of approximately four and a half thousand tons
of high explosives.
Rondal made a ship-wide announcement in Drecks as soon as they got
within range.
“The ship will be offloading some ammunition shortly,” he said calmly.
“There is nothing to be afraid of,” he added, as seven thumps sounded
throughout the ship. “Now that we’ve offloaded that batch of ammunition,
we’ll be leaving. Rest easy,” he said, then closed the intercom.
He sat back and tightened his belts, before Four shoved the ship
vertical, and they heard several suppressed screams and groans from their
passengers for the few minutes it took to reach the Kraken’s parking orbit.
Matching its course and speed, they quickly entered, and Four brought the

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ship to a soft docking. Rondal stood up and glanced down at the man who’d
caught his attention, before silently pointing him out to Four.
‘This one stays here for the time being’ he sent, and Four nodded his
head, while Rondal went back and gathered up, first Leese and the baby,
and then Maze and their two men. He noted that Maze still held the bundle
of placenta he’d told her to recover, but didn’t remember if their customs
used it for anything.
“All of you will follow me, and I’ll assign temporary quarters to you. If
none of you have shipped out before, then this will seem quite luxurious.
If any of you have shipped out before, then I apologize for the cramped
quarters, but the Demon is a cheap bastard and tight with a credit. Come
along,” he said, then led them from the ship to separate quarters from the
ones that would be occupied by those in the rear compartments of the
Kraken’s Child.
He walked them across the hanger deck and down one of several
receiving corridors with empty rooms on either side of it. Once he felt all of
them were inside the corridor, he sent out ‘ship handling’ and closed the
corridor door behind them; locking them and him inside the corridor.
“Each of these rooms will hold four of you comfortably. There are
instructions written in Drecks. If you cannot read that, there is a green
button you may press by the door and an automated system will try to
answer your questions. The red button is an alarm, and it will fill the room
with a fire suppressant that is not life-sustaining.
“For the duration of your stay, the doors will lock behind you, and you
will be fed on a rotating schedule at the dining facility – to and from which
you will be escorted at all times by those we believe can be trusted. The
last person we trusted who betrayed us walked home from here,” he lied
with a straight face, but it immediately got their attention.
“About four to a room – starting with Maze, Leese, and their two men …
and the baby,” he said, then pointed them to a room. Once they were
inside, he palmed the wall, and the door slid closed behind them.
Not waiting for the others to decide, he quickly counted out groups of
four and started pushing them into the small cabins; only coming across
a few couples who had quickly joined up and made sure they were together,
before being locked away for the duration. He sighed, before quickly
making his way back to the ship to help with the disembarkation of the
majority of the prisoners – hoping they didn’t run out of robes for the
duration.

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Three Hours Later…

Four sat at the main console of the Kraken, while both relieved and
grateful they were finally on their way back to the Commonwealth for the
time being.
The last month and a half had been nerve-racking, with Ronnie doing
incredibly stupid things in order to gather “sociological samples for Doctor
Riker’s edification” as he’d termed it. Kidnapping, plain and simple, it was.
This last near death scenario was just another routine outing for Ronnie.
As they took mini-jumps about the Hegemony while safely hiding inside
their asteroid shell, he thought how unlikely it was that they’d pulled it off.
He’d told Lili, in not so many words, that Ronnie was insane to do this with
just the two of them; let alone try to do it just by himself. She’d agreed with
him, and said it was exactly why she’d sent him along to keep an eye on
him.

September 8, Commonwealth Space, The Demon’s Transfer Station

A few days later found them crossing over into Fringe space. They
parked the asteroid in an obscure location, before pulling the Kraken out
for the final transit sequence – non-stomach churning this time. Instead of
the standard commercial transitions of one-tenth second durations for the
outbound leg, Rondal had upped his ships transit duration by close to
another tenth of a second so that everyone was aware of a general malaise
over the entirety of the last three days. Neither Rondal nor Four had
mentioned the increased jump rate they were using that cut the standard
cruise from the normal fifty-six days down to a little over seventy-eight
hours. They were used to it, but their passengers certainly weren’t.
The final approach to “customs” was rather sedate, and the Kraken
sidled up its rear to a small planetoid with a receiving hanger big enough
to accommodate it. Air retention was by the simple expedient of pushing
through a softened shield with the rear of the ship, before having it tighten
up around the Kraken, while pulling it against huge stops to keep it from
crushing the loading dock, or breaking the air seal accidently.
Once docked and the pressures matched, the hanger deck of the Kraken
was fully opened, and loading ramps were extended from the dock to allow
passengers and supplies to transfer across. Two squads of Imperial
Marines – now so named in honor of Rondal’s Great-Grandson’s comment
a while back – came across in space-black jumpsuits to help organize the
new colonists. They wore no side arms or swords, and the only emblem
displayed was the symbolic line drawing of a Kraken emblazoned over the
right upper chest of their jumpsuits.
The new human-standard colonists were led out in groups, the longest
held first, until finally Leese and the baby, her mate, and her sister and

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her mate were the last to leave the ship. Four and Rondal watched them
go, then got out of the way when the cargo handlers started pulling out
empty food containers and replacing them with fresh loads.
“Look, you have to admit, it’s a lot easier to have Larl and his bunch
picking their minds than us doing it. I wouldn’t know where to begin,
anyway,” Rondal said.
“That’s true, lad. That’s so true. Let’s hope the bright ones can help you
figure a way out of this mess. ‘Course, you give us twenty ships like this
one, and we can probably take care of the problem overnight.”
“No. That’s not a real solution. If just one lives and remembers, then it
will just crop up again in the future. Besides, I want to know how the
Drecks came into being,” Rondal muttered in frustration.
“Well, maybe our little ‘friend’ can share his secrets?” Four suggested,
just as three guards came forward with their last human-standard Womak
prisoner – the one Rondal had focused on during the last recovery. He was
human-Krux, actually, once he’d taken the time to dig in a little deeper,
and Rondal turned to speak to him one last time.
“Young man, I am truly sorry Krux fell on the wrong side of the Fringe,
but I had nothing to do with that. I wish you’d have been more forthcoming,
but that’s out of my hands now, as well.” He sighed before playing his last
gambit. “I’m afraid I see a vacuum accident in your future.”
The remark barely registered. Lili would be so disappointed that the
rumor she’d started had failed to permeate as far as she’d wanted it to.
Well, either she or the Elder would take a good look into the man’s mind
and see what there was to see. He waved the guards on with the prisoner,
then noticed two tall figures heading their way across the loading ramps.
“Dorcas! Nathan!” he called out, and came forward to greet them.
“Where’s Rose?”
“Diane and Shay are watching over her while she naps. She should be
up soon,” Dorcas said, before bending over to accept the kiss he gave her.
Nathan accepted his handshake, and then his hug.
Rondal noticed he seemed just a bit taller than his old six-foot plus
frame, and Nathan caught him at it, then remembered something.
“*Ovaltine and Gro-Pup,*” he deadpanned, then watched as Rondal’s
face froze, before breaking into a smile, and finally getting a snort out of
him. “I know what *Ovaltine* is, but I’ve never heard of *Gro-Pup* before,”
he admitted. “Wilber said you’d appreciate the humor.”
“Way before your time, I’m afraid,” Rondal said with a laugh, then raised
his hand about a foot above his own head.

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“So this is…”

“Yes. Something Lili is having the girls do to me … just for my Dorcas.”
“You should have seen what they did to Andy,” he whispered loudly,
and they both chuckled as he stepped back and turned to Four.
“This is my ‘keeper’ this trip. Four is a regular contractor of mine, and
Lili insisted I don’t go it alone. Thinks I can’t handle the ship by myself, or
some such.”
“Aye, Lady Song is right cautious about the lad, and I’m along to keep
him company. Have you come for the last bunch of colonists?”
“Yes, we have. Dorcas and I are assigned to greet all the Drecks who
join us out here just to let them know things will be different for them –
hopefully in a positive way,” he assured them, then put his arm around
Dorcas and hugged her.
“Well, that last batch had a Drecks baby born of a human-standard
woman. Healthy, the both of them, thanks to Tank here,” Four said, while
clapping Rondal on the shoulder. “Leese, I think her name was. Her man
seems quiet about it, but not many of the others are too happy.”
“We’ll have to visit with them and set them straight,” Nathan said, and
Dorcas leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
A disturbance could be heard behind them, and they turned to see a
combined group of male and female Drecks being led from the ship. Three
of them were nursing mothers, and their men stood beside them, while the
women held their babies; all of whom were brought to the edge of the
hanger deck and held there.
“They’re all yours,” Rondal said, before stepping away with Four to listen
to her presentation.
Dorcas stepped forward with Nathan, but he stopped just half a step
behind her. Dorcas looked over the group, while seeing the fear and worry
on the faces of each of them.
“I am Dorcas of Womak,” she said in fluent Drecks.
She did not bow her head or salute with her fist to her left shoulder.
“I was a nameless crèche girl who displeased my masters and was sent
as food with warriors who hunted the Demon from the Commonwealth. I
was given to drink the death paste that kills in just days, and I was used
by the warriors – still an unnamed girl – and they knowing that I was going
to die … even if they did not kill and eat me…”

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From where they were standing, Four, Rondal, and the entire
complement of Drecks colonists could see David and Diane leading toddler
Cathy, and Shay leading toddler Walter; making their slow way across the
loading ramp behind Dorcas and Nathan, while Andy carried a sleeping
Rose in his arms. Four concentrated for a moment on the view of Diane
with Cathy, and sighed quietly.
“They hunted the Demon … but the Demon took all of them instead,
plus their shuttles and their ship,” Dorcas continued, while looking out
over each face.
“I alone was left alive, and the Demon found me and took pity on me …
and let me live… The Demon gave me over to a Commonwealth warrior who
named me and took care of me. He and his companions saved me from the
death paste, and brought me into their family – as one of them. As a
member of their family, I met my bond-mate, Nathan,” she said, then put
her arm around his shoulders.
“I left Womak as a walking dead girl, and I stand before you as a healthy
young mother and bond-mate,” she said clearly, just as Walter broke away
and latched onto her leg from behind.
She looked down in smiling surprise, then picked him up and tickled
his tummy; getting giggles from him in return. She turned to hand Walter
over to Shay, then took Rose from Andy … cradling her in her arms and
smiling down at her sleeping face.
“These are only part of my new family,” she said with a tilt of her head
towards the new arrivals. “And this is my daughter, Rose – the child of my
Nathan. You all know how you were forced to live, and how fragile life was
for each of you. We are offering you a chance on a new colony world of the
Demon’s Realm where you will learn how to work, and live, and play
together in peace with others like my family – and now yours,” she said
clearly while looking at each of them in turn.
She raised her eyes to the ship and pointed behind them.
“Or … you may ask the Demon to return you to Womak and turn you
over to become work slaves for the farms … or food for the feasts,” she
added quietly, then let that sink in for several moments, while looking at
the faces in front of her, particularly those of the women who had babies
in their arms.
“Those who would join us to live in peace, please come with us,” she
said, then turned her back on them to greet each of her family with kisses
they all shared among themselves, before heading back across the loading
ramps.

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The first to move was one of the young mothers, who hurried out of line,
her mate coming along reluctantly. The second and third mother quickly
took flight, which precipitated the rest of them to follow.
“Ahh, lad. The power of the Drecks Witch is – bewitching,” Four
muttered.
“And I wonder how long they’ll follow her when they find out she’s a
Healer,” Rondal said.
“Lad, from what Liling tells me, you could have turned all them women
into Healers,” Four said, then brightened at the thought of it. “What say
you, Ronnie? We go down and kidnap all the senior Drecks females and
wives and you turn ‘em into Healers! Wouldn’t that put a crimp in things!
HA!”
‘Not that farfetched an idea if Lili’s experiment runs true,’ Rondal
thought, but immediately shelved it for the time being when a planetoid
officer strode up and saluted, before presenting a data tab to him.
“Sir, the latest information from the Fringe listening posts, Sir! By your
leave, Sir!” he said, then turned about smartly and headed back the way
he came.
“Was I ever that eager?” Rondal muttered, while the young officer strode
away.
“Worse, lad. Much worse. Shall we see what new mischief the Drecks
are getting into?”
“Yes. Let’s. I’m getting tired of picking up strays,” he said, then stretched
a bit, before following Four back to the room they used for planning their
raids.

In the Receiving Facility Offices

“Lady Dorcas, the reports from the Healers are ready,” the
administrative aid told her.
She was a rather stocky, yet cute, Balese woman assigned as liaison
between the Demon’s Realm and Lady Lily herself – a third cousin of Lili’s
own Kita, if rumors held true. Dorcas looked up from her desk and smiled
at the diminutive woman with great affection. She may be small, but she
knew a great deal about pleasure … which she was quite pleased to share
between Dorcas, Nathan, and herself. She was also a great baby sitter on
rare occasions.
“Thank you, Sanyu. Is there anything special to report this time?” she
asked with a genuine feeling of warmth.

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“Nothing they haven’t seen or dealt with before, my Lady,” she replied,
but gave her a somewhat melancholy smile.
“I’m so very sorry Lord Caldar left so quickly, Sanyu,” Dorcas said with
great sympathy.
“Lady Lili keeps him very busy. Perhaps he will find the time on his next
visit, my Lady,” she said hopefully, while thinking of the stories her third
cousin, the personal assistant to the First Wife of the Emperor, had told
her in strictest confidence.
“One remains hopeful, Sanyu. Please file the reports for later dispatch
to the First Wife.”
“Yes, my Lady,” she said, and bowed her way out of the office.
Dorcas stared as Sanyu turned and walked out of view. She was very
cute and very energetic. Perhaps she would care to spend another night
with them before they left to return to the colony?
~~~
Sanyu took the reports back to communications and processed them
for transmission, before filing the tab’s contents. She looked at the
accompanying envelope and considered the enclosed objects.
There’d been only three of them this time, but one of them was
radioactive, so it’d immediately been bottled and scheduled for disposal in
the nearest star. The other two were dumped into the container with the
other … thirty? … forty? Eventually, someone would have to sit down and
figure out exactly what they were, but they were short-handed, and
deciphering ID tags from within Hegemony subjects was very low on the
priority list.

September 9, Kantor, Outer Orbit, Odontoceti

David reported their arrival at the outer marker, and Andy held them
there while waiting for further instructions.
The girls had gone along on this trip, mostly to visit with Dorcas and
Nathan, and to see little Rose again. The benefit of having two nursing
Healers along wasn’t wasted, as they’d tanked up their babies, their
husbands, and then each other for the eighteen-minute hop back, with
none of them suffering the same torment as during the first long transition
they’d shared just a few years ago.
“I still can’t believe he just ignored us, Mom,” Andy groused from the
pilot’s seat of the ‘Ceti. “He was, like, already gone when we came back out
to visit with him.”

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“Well, you remember how he was at Christmas time. It’s been hard for
him since … since first Maya left him, and then poor Oli turned into …
well, the way she is.”
“Yes, and don’t forget, my Andy, that he is still cursed,” Shay reminded
him. “If it were not for the talisman he wears around his neck, then he
might not have greeted Dorcas or Nathan at all.”
“Well, I think he looked tired,” Diane said. “He and Four brought in
nearly three hundred new colonists this time – just the two of them! And
neither of them have probably had contentment since they started.”
“Oh! They must be very frustrated, Diane!” Shay exclaimed, which
caused David to laugh from the navigator’s seat.
“I’m sure they’ve taken their frustration in hand and dealt with it by
now,” he said with a chuckle. “At least once or twice.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Diane said, while reaching over the seatback in front
of her to ruffle his hair. “But it’s not nearly as satisfying when you’ve no
one to share it with.”
“Maybe Lili should send a couple of Healer’s out with them,” Andy
suggested. “Ronnie’s good, but he’s just a guy, and he still needs good
advice once in a while.”
Diane and Shay shared a smile from the second row. It would appear
that Shay still had Andy under the appropriate amount of supervision.
“CS Odontoceti, you are cleared for the inner marker and transit to the
Capitol. The Emperor sends his regards and requests … transport services?”
“Thank you, control. Odontoceti complies. Arrival in one segment,”
David transmitted, then turned to Andy, and muttered, “Sounds like a new
guy. All right, son. Take us down, but don’t scare anyone this time,” he
admonished him, while Andy was already running navigation corrections
from the pilot seat and setting up for his first transition.
“Hey, Ronnie does it all the time. Jumping,” he said, and the ship left
their outer orbit slot and transitioned in and sideways a bit.
“Remember the fuss they made when he dropped off the ship that night?
They was gonna wake up the cats, when someone suggested they throw
rocks around first. Jumping,” he said, and the ship left the inner marker
location and transitioned to the holding area over the Capitol.
“Well, at least he didn’t park it on my garden,” Diane muttered, while
looking at the big screen forward and seeing the afternoon glow from the
Capitol displayed.

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“Jumping,” Andy said, and they were suddenly stationary a thousand

meters above the Imperial transit port.
He checked his position and grinned to himself, before enabling the
bottom camera and centering up on his favorite parking space. He
descended in a stately manner, while David set out the landing struts
twenty feet from the surface. From less than a foot up, Andy killed the
drive, and the ‘Ceti dropped like a ninety-ton rock; bouncing on the struts,
before they took up the weight of the ship and evened it out. Both Walter
and Cathy giggled from their seat beside Shay.
“Sorry port control. Forgot to recalibrate the struts from our departure
origin,” David quickly transmitted, but turned a frown on Andy. The kids
still giggled beside Shay while they were struggling to get down off the
seats.
“Your party is ready, Odontoceti. Recommend you recalibrate now –
BEFORE departure,” port control responded somewhat testily. “Departure
at the Emperor’s convenience, Odontoceti. Have a safe – SMOOTH – trip.”
“Thank you, port control,” David said, but frowned at Andy again, who
was busy looking over his seatback at his little brother and sister.
“You know what’s weird, Dad?”
“Besides you wearing out the shock absorbers?”
“No! The kids. They get excited when we get home, but they don’t try to
get down like this,” he said.
He was still watching when Walter finally managed to get his feet on the
floor and wiggle past Shay’s legs to head back to the airlock, and Cathy
wasn’t far behind. They both sat down in the middle of where the dinette
would be if it were set up, and then waited – staring at the airlock
attentively. As soon as the door chimed, they began to giggle.
“All rise,” David said formally, and opened the airlock from the console,
before standing in the narrow aisle with Andy. Shay and Diane stood at
their seats and turned to face the airlock, while the Captain of the
Emperor’s personal guard entered the ship first.
“All ready to go, Captain Lane?”
“Ready whenever the Emperor is, Captain Tomar,” David replied.
As Tomar turned and pointed to one of his guardsmen to check the rear
compartments, David considered once again the wisdom of having Tomar
rejoin the household guard; not just as a guard, but also as the Emperor’s
guard Captain … but it wasn’t his call. The rear compartments checked,
Tomar went out and brought his party in.

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The Emperor and his First Wife entered, and were immediately attacked
by two toddlers waiting patiently for their arrival. With squeals of delight,
they tried to climb their legs, and the Emperor reached down, lifted up a
giggling Cathy, and tickled her tummy, while a smiling Lady Lily scooped
up a laughing Walter, who immediately dived into her robes and started
searching for a nipple to nurse from.
The ruler of the Commonwealth and his wife walked forward and
gestured for Diane and Shay to scoot over so they could take the outside
seats on the aisle next to them; Radatel with Diane and Lili with Shay.
“Welcome, my Lord … my Lady,” David said. “Please fasten your
seatbelts. Destination, my Lord?”
“We will be heading home,” Radatel said, then glanced over and caught
a contented look from Lili when he heard Walter sigh as he nursed from
her. “I trust the next landing will be somewhat – softer?” he asked, while
Cathy curled up on his lap and gave no indication of leaving anytime soon.
He surrounded her with his arms, and she snuggled in quietly.
“A calibration error from our last departure, my Lord,” David said, as
Andy blushed lightly. “Already corrected.”
“Very good. How many in the new batch of colonists?”
“Two-hundred and ninety-four, my Lord,” Diane said, remembering the
body count they’d tallied up.
“Ninety-five, Diane,” Shay said. “The woman, Leese, had the Drecks
child Ronnie delivered,” she reminded her.
“Ah, yes,” Lili said dryly, then smiled when Walter reached up to touch
her cheek. “He always wakes me from a sound sleep,” she pouted, while
looking down and making faces at Walter.
“As I recall, my dear, you weren’t actually sleeping at the moment,”
Radatel said with a knowing smile at her.
“Well, sometimes I’m busy, too, but he did well – for a man. Saved the
girl’s life, but now she is burdened with a Drecks half-breed.”
“Just as Dorcas is burdened with an *Earthling* half-breed,” he
reminded her quietly, then glanced back and saw that Tomar and his three
guards were settled in and ready. “Captain Lane, we may proceed.”
“Very well, my Lord,” David said, and keyed the com. “Port control –
Odontoceti outbound now for the Royal Homestead,” he transmitted.
“Andy … take us home.”

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“Cleared all the way through, Odontoceti,” the reply came, and David
raised the landing struts, while Andy lifted ship before heading to their first
transition point for the opposite side of the planet.

September 22, Kale, Parking Orbit Perpendicular to the Axial Plane

“I don’t like it, lad! I don’t like it at all!” Four really sounded adamant
about this for some reason.
“It has the virtue of never having been tried.”
“You’ve done that bit on Dox and Womak now. No telling how you’ll pull
it off on Kale down there. Kale is Class-Three, at least!”
“So was Dox,” Rondal pointed out.
“And that’s where you lost your foot, man! Think about it! Dox is nothing
compared to Kale. Kale is the devil’s shipyard, man! They’ll have it locked
up tighter than even Zarox!”
“All right… How about we do a little insertion on Zarox first, just to try
it out?”
“Zarox is mostly Drecks, Ronnie! You can’t read those rock-headed
beasts like the human-standards!”
“Then that leaves Kale, and rumor has it they’ve got a new ship with the
same gun on it as this one. I go down, nose around a little, and pick a few
minds. We find out where it is, and blow it up,” he repeated yet again.
“Ronnie, what do you think the odds are they’ll build it in the same ship
yard?”
“Pretty good, actually. It was the loads that were bad, not the ship itself.”
“So, what if we just wait for it to launch, then follow it a while until it
has an ‘accident’ somewhere – somewhere far away from here?”
Rondal sat back and looked at him over the conference room table,
before finally asking, “What’s really on your mind?”
Aside from the look on Four’s face, Rondal couldn’t feel anything other
than genuine concern about the operation they’d been less than agreeable
about over the last two days.
“Look, Ronnie … we’ve been dancing around the Hegemony for nearly
five months now, and the closest they’ve come to you was that last job on
Womak. I admire your spunk, lad, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.
There’s just too damn much information about the Drecks ‘secret weapon’
loose to suit my fancy! They already had one major failure, and they’ll
wanna keep this one top secret until they either prove the technology, or
lose another ship in the process!”

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He looked away, while trying to think of a better argument against this

incursion, before turning back to him.
“I’m not saying I won’t go with you, lad, but I am saying that maybe we
step back and poke at a smaller stinger nest first. If their ship is truly ready
to launch, then they’ll send it out after us if we start making more of a
nuisance of ourselves. If it’s a trap – like I think it is – then we have
everything to lose by exposing the fact that we have the gun off their first
ship – especially if we point it at the wrong target, and hit an empty ship!”
Rondal sat there with a grim look on his face, before calling up the
Hegemony cluster chart on the conference room display.
“Okay … there’s Fex and Hove. Both of them are away from Kale, and
both of them are Class-Four/Five, according to the charts. Way down
below them is Taxa. That’s a straight Class-Five … mostly primitive Drecks
and human-standards – if any of them are still alive. There’s a little place
called Eke way out at the edge of their realm, also Class-Five, and some
tiny place called Kee that’s … that’s not classified at all. Apparently, there’s
no outpost there, or they can’t live on it.”
“Surprised they even bothered to name it,” Four muttered. “It’s on the
other side of that little void. Maybe they ran across it while exploring?”
“Could have … although why bother naming something if you don’t
know anything about it? Damn, this would be so much easier if I could
read Drecks minds!” Rondal muttered angrily.
“How about Sai’s boys? Anything at all from them?”
“Only a little bit of stress … like when I played doubles with them and
Sai against level fifteen on the platform that one time. There’s something
there, but I just can’t narrow it down. Sai’s even taught them a little bit of
Healer skills.”
“NO! She couldn’t have! They’re Drecks, man!”
“Hey, I primed Dorcas, and she’s a Healer now. Of course, Sai doesn’t
have the same excuse as me. They’ve been with her for lots of years, and
she’s kept them young for a long time, too. Too long, if you ask me.”
“Well, she wouldn’t want them to grow up too much, would she?” Four
muttered, but then snickered.
“Probably not. They already eat enough for three or four men apiece.
And as for the other, well, women … stretch.”
“Well, they gotta get babies out and all,” Four allowed.
“Hey, some women play with big toys for fun. Some Earth women,
anyway. Riker’s got videos. Apparently, for some women, men just don’t

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measure up!” Rondal said, then laughed before going on. “Like Lady Wen,
my last Healer on Earth. Lili sent her to me with orders to take her
contentment on demand, on her schedule. The woman was a machine, and
the only reason she took the job was because Lili promised her the Gift of
the First Wife if she did.”
“So what did you do, lad?”
“I did what I had to. I taught her the Gift, and took contentment on her
schedule. Once I taught her the Gift, she didn’t bother me all that much
afterwards. Honestly, I’ve had more fun with a port girl out having a good
time, than I ever did with Lady Wen. The woman may have had a heart,
but she got no soul, if you know what I mean.”
“Aye lad, I believe I understand,” Four said quietly, before looking at the
chart again, then glancing at the ships timer. Rondal looked up as well,
and they both nodded in silent agreement to reconsider their options on
the following day.

September 30, Taxa Orbit, A Scanning Sweep in the Kraken’s Child

In the end, they’d skipped over Fex and Hove, and instead jumped – in
several small segments – the nearly thirty minutes “down” to Taxa; the
Class-Five Hegemony cluster whose primary system and planet seemed to
hold the remnants of human-standard Taxa natives.
Taxa had suffered a heavy influx of Drecks from sometime in their
relatively recent past. From the devastation of the habitable areas, it
initially looked like the Drecks had simply moved in and decimated
whatever populations stood in their way. After another day of passive
scanning from orbit, they revised that initial assessment to include the
Drecks having taken the native population for slaves and fodder. This was
similar to what they’d found on Womak.
Although Drecks was the official language of Taxa, the true natives
spoke a frustratingly tantalizing dialect of … something. Rondal couldn’t
quite figure it out as a language, but at least the primary thought-forms
could be interpreted logically, if not completely. This prevented an accurate
historical assessment of Taxa, as the Drecks held sway in the areas holding
the least potential of accurate historical records, while in the smaller
villages, the natives didn’t think in Drecks to any discernable level, because
exposure to their invaders was not as frequent. Subsequently, this kept
them from learning anything really useful from orbit.
On the face of it, it looked like another simple “body-snatching” mission,
but this time the response from the Drecks should be limited. They only
had one military port and two auxiliary ports on the same side of the planet
that just happened to sit halfway around the world from their prospective
target – the Taxa natives having no ports of their own.

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~~~
“I’ve gotta go down for this one. There’s no other way to find out what’s
happened down there,” Rondal insisted.
“Let’s give it another two or three days from up here, at least. Or go
down and grab one or two of their ‘Headmen’ and pick their brains up here
for a day or so.”
“If necessary, I go down there,” Rondal said.
“If necessary, we’ll both go down there,” Four said.
Two days later, even Four was ready to give in. The end result was the
same – they had to go down and pick up a few “volunteers” and get them
talking – or Rondal had to become a “puppet master” and make them do
certain things remotely – thus potentially crossing a line and incurring the
Elder’s wrath to a fatal degree.
In other words, they had to go down – but first they had to plan.
“Five areas, Ronnie. No more than about fifty people from each area.
And in one of them, we grab the Drecks kids from the crèche farm – but
we do them last,” Four insisted.
The reason for that was the Drecks crèche farm was the only one they’d
detected radio emanations coming from, and presumably, it would
probably be used to call for help. Rondal could kill those circuits easily
enough, but wanted to avoid doing things like that to any great extent.
Dropping four kilotons of explosives was one thing, but leaving a trail of
inexplicably burned out radio equipment was quite another.
They spent an additional two days in orbit listening to traffic from the
military port, and Rondal spent time filtering the minds of the Taxa natives
when they spoke to their Drecks masters. He was picking up details of
Drecks courier arrivals and special transports from the rest of the
Hegemony. One of them was scheduled to arrive in fifteen days, local – a
transport with two escorts. Interesting that, but since it was just the two
of them, they’d have to settle for kidnapping this time around.
Besides, they had all that food on hand, and somebody had to eat it.

October 5, On Taxa, On Foot

They’d dropped the Kraken’s Child far away from the main Drecks
installation on the far side of Taxa, and nestled it in a copse of trees that
was relatively close to a small village. Rondal had listened in on many of
these small population centers, and chosen this one based on the sparsity
of inhabitants, coupled with the two or three conversations he’d picked up
in Drecks between what appeared to be the village elders, or Headmen of

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some sort. From their supplies of odd clothing, Four had put together
outfits that should let them fit in as wandering visitors, if not actual
residents, of any local villages.
After doing a walk around of the ship and seeing that – optically – it was
securely hidden, they’d set off for the village center where Rondal would
make his inquiries. An hour’s walk later, they were standing in the center
of the village during the middle of the afternoon. People not quite bustled
about doing their shopping, or hauling loads of goods and other items on
animal-drawn carts and wagons. From what they’d studied back on the
Kraken, this was a far cry from where this civilization had been two-
hundred years ago, Standard. Rondal had a sinking feeling that it was his
fault – his failure at Zarox haunting him all the way out here in the
hindquarters of Hegemony space.
After a few inquiries, Rondal located the domicile of the local Headman,
made his approach, and introduced himself, before asking for an audience,
which had reluctantly been granted. Once invited in, he began his pitch.
“Headman, I would speak to you of the past,” Rondal said in stilted
Drecks.
The old man mumbled something unintelligible, other than thought-
forms indicating a hatred for the Drecks language.
“Please forgive me, Headman. I was not taught the old tongue properly,
and do not understand.”
“You speak the devil’s tongue well enough! What is it you want to
know?”
“I seek the truth, Headman. I seek the old truth from before the devils
came. In the bigger towns we lost that – they took the truth away from us,”
he said, clumsily.
“Ha! You think to write it down again? They’ll just destroy it again!”
“No, Headman. I seek to learn it and remember it – and then tell others
who will remember it as well,” he said, but got a hard look from the old
man.
“Maybe… And maybe you come to destroy our old truths, eh? Maybe
you’ve come from one of the bigger towns to steal the truth and destroy it
again, eh?” he accused him.
“No, Headman! I would not ask you where the truth is hidden,” he said,
then immediately read, not the words, but the mind-pictures of where the
books were hidden in the room.
“I only seek to learn the past of Taxa, so that–”

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“HA! You think to trick me? Taxa is the devil’s name for Godan. You’re
not Godan! You’re not Taxa! You’re the devil’s man!” he shouted, then
pulled a large blade from within his clothes and took a close swipe at
Rondal.
Purely from reflex, his tool dropped from his right arm and fitted itself
into his hand, before flashing up and screaming out a quick challenge –
neatly bisecting the old man’s knife on its backswing before the Demon
jumped back to avoid any messes. He shut off the blade; the dull red of its
shaft failing to show any glint of reflection as he slowly dropped his arm to
his side while facing the old man. A thin line of blood dribbled from
Rondal’s neckline, unnoticed by him, and unremarked by the Headman.
“Forgive me, Headman. You surprised me. I do not want to take away
your truth,” he said contritely, while pointing to the wall where a panel hid
the forbidden texts. “I only want to learn from it – and I cannot speak or
read … Godan.”
They stood there silent for several seconds, before the talisman from
Rondal’s neck – the cord cut from the Headman’s close strike – finally
worked its way down through his open shirt and fell to the floor, where it
bounced over towards the Headman and rested at his feet. With his eyes
on Rondal, the Headman squatted down with his shortened blade still out
and picked it up. Half looking at him and half looking at the talisman, he
turned it over curiously to see a crest on one side, but the image of a devil
on the other.
“You even wear the mark of the devils!” he spat, and clutched it tightly
in his hand.
“It bears the image of one whom I seek. He killed the children of one I
knew! An accounting must be taken!”
“You? You hunt the devils? You are not of Godan! No man of Godan
hunts the devils and lives!”
“The devils destroyed twenty-seven of my father’s worlds! Who has
better reason to hunt them!” Rondal burst out angrily, and the blade in his
tight grip flickered with a dim violet light while burbling quietly in the
silence.
The Headman stood very still while glancing at the stranger’s angry
weapon. Then he watched as it quieted down and finally dimmed out
completely when Rondal became calmer. He looked up at Rondal’s face,
before finally noting the blood still dribbling down his neck.
“There’s no point in it, stranger. The devils are everywhere,” he
muttered bitterly.

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“I know. The devils hide among you, and all the other humans of the
Hegemony. Otherwise it would be easy to destroy all the worlds they live
on, and we could live in peace once again!” Rondal said stiffly.
The Headman stood there and considered his words, before slowly
lowering his blade – what remained of it.
“You bleed, stranger,” he said quietly.
Rondal flexed his right hand, slipping his blade up into its sheath,
before raising his left hand to his neck and wiping the wound. He could
sense how deep it had gone.
“You’re very fast, Headman. I must be getting slow in my old age.”
Pressing his hand against his neck, he concentrated and tried to keep
it from glowing, while sealing the worst of the cut to stop the bleeding and
close the edges of it. He couldn’t get the blood out of his clothes, so he left
it on his neck as well. The Headman had earned that much respect for his
skills. Then Rondal looked around and found a chair, before stepping over
and dropping into it heavily.
“Sorry about your blade, Headman. I can fix it, or replace it,” he offered.
“Not supposed to have one… Not anymore. The devils have machines
that look for them. Have to hide them inside other metals,” he said, then
squatted down and picked up the other half of his blade while looking at
the severed end of it. “Your blade is very sharp, stranger.”
“As is yours, Headman.” Rondal said, then followed it with a chuckle.
The Headman tossed his talisman back to him and asked, “What will
you do when you find that devil?”
“Either take his life – or take his other arm and eye. Or maybe curse
him as I was cursed, and let him live to see the downfall of his race,” he
said with disgust, while tying the cut cord and looping it back over his
neck.
“You plan to do that all by yourself?”
“Once I learn enough about the Drecks, I’ll tell my brother, and he will
engineer their downfall. Or worse, I’ll tell his wife, a *Commonwealth
Witch*, and let her deal with them!” he said vehemently.
The reaction he got was enough to tell him that the Drecks
disinformation plan was working all the way out here on Taxa … or Godan,
as the natives called it. The Headman had flinched on the Commonwealth
words.
“Tell me, Headman, what other lies do the devils tell about us?” he asked
curiously, while relaxing in his seat.

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~~~
Three hours later, the sun was going down, and the Headman, whose
name was Taros, had invited him to share the evening meal with him. He
seemed somewhat resigned in a way, but his thoughts were in Taxan, or
Godan, as it turned out, and Rondal couldn’t pick up much from them.
‘Four … where are you hiding’ he sent out.
‘Found me company, lad! A comely young lass who extended her
hospitality to me! She’s got a twin sister! Got a widowed mother as well,
and I know of your fondness for older women!’ The chuckle echoed in his
mind.
‘We’ve been here for what? Five hours now, and already–’
‘There’s trouble coming, Ronnie. A transport has come to pick up a load
of fodder, and this village has to send its share in a few days. They celebrate
the last of their lives in the days they have left’ he sent darkly.
‘Unacceptable!’
‘What can we do? We can take the whole village, but they’ll still fill that
transport’
‘Not if it doesn’t exist!’
‘They’ll just send another transport, lad’
‘Not if there’s no place to land safely – not for a while, anyway’
‘We’re gonna wear out our welcome here on Taxa, aren’t we’ Four asked
rhetorically.
‘Godan … the natives call it Godan. Treat the girls and their mother well.
I’ll talk it over with the Headman and see if he’d like to relocate his village
somewhere else’ Something occurred to Rondal, and he asked Four,
curious to know the answer.
‘Do you understand these people?’
‘Sure! Not that hard to learn, Ronnie. Trick my big sister taught me years
ago when I was just a young lad. Helps with the ladies, you know?’ Rondal
felt the chuckle through the ether and pondered that, before shelving it
and starting to plan.
‘I’ll be here with the Headman if anything comes up’ he sent, then turned
to the Headman.
“Tell me, Taros. How soon do the devils come for their tribute? I would
plan a suitable welcome for them.”

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The shift from somber to warmth was noticeable, and Taros tore a piece
off the loaf of bread he was holding and handed it to Rondal.
“End of the week. Four days they’ll come. We have that long to pick our
offering and destroy their minds,” he said, but saw the stricken look on
Rondal’s face. “It’s a kindness, stranger. They don’t know from then that
they go to their deaths.”
“Is … is there a way to get word to the other villages to stop them? Before
they hurt their own people?”
“We’ve no communications here. Not like the old days. The devils come,
and we give the chosen the drink that kills their minds when they leave
the pens. By the time they’re on the transport, their minds are gone. They
live in dreams, or just mindlessness. We hope, anyway.”
‘They hope?’
“Are any here already given the drink?” he quickly asked.
“Just two. When one was chosen, his girl joined with him and they
shared their last night together. The next day they were distraught, so we
felt it a kindness to give them both the drink then. We feed them, and clean
them, but … they have no thoughts of their own now.”
“Take me to them!”
Without protest, Taros took him where the tributes were kept. They
found the couple lying together under a blanket in the barn; their blank
stares catching the reflection of the lantern as their eyes followed it slowly,
but they didn’t otherwise move.
“We keep them together like this, just as they were when … well, before,”
Taros said, while Rondal squatted down and reached out to them.
They didn’t move or flinch, and their eyes didn’t seem to notice him. He
pulled out his hand flash and shined it into their eyes, only to see the irises
close very slowly. He thought what he feared was true, and extended into
the man first, and then the woman.
“Who is … Gees?” he asked.
“That is the girl’s name.”
“Then Frans is his name?”
“Yes. How did you–”
“They’re minds aren’t gone! They’re still in there! You’ve only blocked
their motor functions!” he said furiously, and Taros backed away
cautiously. “By the Gods, man! They go to their deaths knowing what’s
coming! How long has this been going on?” he asked in frustration.

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“Since … since before I was a child,” Taros stammered, and Rondal’s

shoulders slumped, before he reached up and wiped tears from his eyes,
then wiped his hands on his bloody shirt.
“The drink. Bring some to me. I would see what it does.”
“You can’t take it! It will–”
“Bring me the drink, man! I would take its measure!” he demanded, and
Taros went to a cupboard and pulled out a jug.
Rondal took it from him and poured a bit on the floor, before dipping
his finger into it and drawing it into himself, bit-by-bit; watching as the
molecules searched out certain motor receptors before he blocked them.
None of the molecules made any effort to attach to anything in his brain.
He could think of a hundred ways to kill active reasoning, but this definitely
wasn’t one of them.
He reached out to the man and woman, then grasped one of their legs
in each hand, before closing his eyes and concentrating. A soft glow began
at his hands, and slowly ran up their legs and surrounded their thighs and
waists. It flowed up their torsos until it surrounded them completely, as it
now surrounded him as well. The glow brightened and began to suffuse
the barn with a pure white light that brought out every detail of the holding
pens these people kept their chosen victims in while awaiting the Drecks
transports. He continued flooding through them to negate the effect until
he felt it was done.
When the glow started to dim, Taros, frozen in place when this Godling
brought white fire to the couple, could already see signs of life in Frans
and Gees, as their faces lost their slackened look, and their bodies started
to move a bit. They finally caught sight of each other in the dimming light
and reached out to clutch at each other desperately, if clumsily.
‘Four, finish up as soon as practical. We have plans to make. This village
is now mine!’
‘Spoil sport! Where will I find you?’
‘At the offering barn where they keep their victims. Ask the sisters. I’m
sure they’ll know’ he sent, then stood and turned to find Taros prostrate
before him.
“Taros! Get up, man! I don’t have time for this nonsense! Get Gees and
Frans cleaned up and into some clothes. We have plans to make, and I
can’t do that from here!”
He paced in thought while Taros helped the young couple up and
started cleaning off their naked bodies in the corner by a large tub. Four
finally arrived with two young ladies in tow, who squealed when they saw

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the naked couple being washed and helping themselves with the process.
They called out, and Gees turned and called back to them; triggering
another set of squeals as they rushed over. Apparently, they knew each
other.
“Four – Taros! Taros – Four!” Rondal said in introduction, but focused
on Four while continuing in Standard.
“*This village is now mine, and ALL my people will be leaving! We’ll need
a cart that can haul people – twenty to start with. Gees, Frans, and those
who aren’t afraid of the old ways. We’ll need their help!*”
“*Four, can you really speak their language?*” he added quickly.
“*Easily, lad! Not much different than most!*” he boasted, then rattled
off a stream that caused Taros’ head to spin back at him in astonishment.
“*What’d you say to him?*”
“*Told him they were now citizens of the Demon’s Realm and he was to
get his ass in gear and do what you tell him! Not in so many words,*” he
said with a chuckle.
“*Works for me!*”
Rondal turned back to the small group who were standing silently and
staring at them.
“You heard the man! We serve the Demon, and he’s claimed all of you
under his protection! Move it!” he shouted in Drecks, and the girls quickly
got Gees and Frans dressed, while Taros ran out of the barn.
After dressing, Frans and the three girls came up to him and went to
their knees, but Rondal frowned. Four rattled off something else, after
which they reluctantly got to their feet again.
“*Tell them we’ll need young men and women – like them. Ones who
aren’t afraid and can work with tools. The curious and the brave. They’ll
make up the core of this lot of colonists and be our helpers on the ship,*” he
said quietly. “*Starting to think Lili was right,*” he muttered, while turning
away in thought.
There was a scuffle at the door, and Taros came back with several men
who stopped and looked at Gees and Frans talking to each other and the
tall strangers. They began muttering among themselves, but stopped when
Four took over and began a long string of instructions that sent two of
them out, and then two more. Taros stood there helplessly, until Four
made another suggestion, and he left again.
‘We’ll need to get the shuttle down here. The Drecks transport will be by
in four days to pick up their offering, and I want this village empty by then.

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We’ll have to park the rock in geosynchronous orbit above us and bounce up
and down until we get them all’ Rondal sent.
‘Gonna be a tight squeeze, what Girt and Gel tells me. Nearly five
hundred, Ronnie’
‘They can double up. They don’t all have to sleep at the same time’ he
shared, while already planning their passenger accommodations in his
mind.
‘What about the Drecks?’ Four asked.
‘We can lie back and pick off their transports with number one loads from
sub-orbit’
‘What if they’re already carrying … offerings, Ronnie?’
‘I … I’ll think of something’
Taros came back within thirty minutes with a small group of men and
women. Not five minutes later, another group joined them, led by the other
men Four had sent out, who were also bringing two wagons hitched to
animal teams for transport. Four had them load up, including Girt and
Gel’s mother, before they all headed to the copse where they’d left the
Kraken’s Child.

Three-quarters of an hour later…

“Okay, just where did you leave it?” Four muttered quietly, while
standing in the dark by the side of the road.
“Well, it was around here somewhere! I didn’t think we’d have to look
for it in the dark!”
They’d been trudging around in the dark for nearly ten minutes after
they’d reached the part of the road they’d thought they’d come out of earlier
that day – in full daylight. It didn’t look quite as familiar in the dark, and
their companions weren’t thinking much of the situation either.
“Okay, enough of this nonsense!” Rondal muttered angrily, then sent
out a silent advisory.
‘Ship handling!’
He reached out widely and triggered the ships marker lighting system
that caused the forest to glow about a hundred feet off to their right, then
shut it down just as quickly.
“Told you it was out here somewhere!” he said smugly, then led them
towards the ship, with his hand flash picking out the way.

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When they got close enough, he stopped them and sent out another
advisory; quickly dropping the combat hatch, followed by a red glow
brightening up the surrounding trees.
“Let’s go!” he said, and Four repeated the command in Godan for those
unfamiliar with Drecks.

October 9, Over Taxa, Exodus

The Demon tracked the Drecks transport as it headed to the next village.
He was maintaining a position that allowed him to track it – just as he’d
done with the other sixty he’d already disabled within a twelve-hundred
kilometer radius of their collection point.
He set his Elder block, before reaching out to make a few alterations in
the transport control console that caused it to lose power and settle slowly
to the ground. Once down, the fire he started in the console was to get it
cleared of passengers. After the Drecks had scattered, and their human
cargo was safely away, he shorted across the converter, and the transport
destroyed itself spectacularly. His scans already showed rescue pods were
coming to help those whose radios he’d failed to knock out first, so he got
back to a suitable sub-orbital location before bringing up his fire control
system.
Searching through each potential target, he confirmed no human-
standard life on any of them, before beginning careful targeting of number
one loads yielding a mere thousand pound equivalent of high explosives.
He set the ship to auto-fire, then sat back for the ride.
Two minutes later, forty-eight rounds had gone out, before the Demon
turned his attention to the main transport ship and escort currently
docked at the military port. Lofting the Kraken’s Child into high orbit and
approaching sedately, he had his scanners watching the escort that
remained in orbit, while selecting a series of number four loads for the
grounded transport, escort, and the rest of the main military base. The
auxiliary ports that stood further away were getting a couple of number
five loads apiece. He was sorry for any loss of human life – Rondal was,
anyway – but the Demon had determined Taxa was not going to contribute
their offering this year, and making it plain to its masters.
The Demon checked the fire control system, then set it off; waiting
several minutes while the ships, the base, and the auxiliary ports were
obliterated, before turning his attention to the remaining escort still in
orbit. He got within close visual range, before reaching out and disabling
their fire control systems and drives. He toyed with the idea of setting off
their self-destruct, but they needed enough time to convey a message for
him in the amount of time they had left, before their orbit destabilized and
they burned up in the planet’s atmosphere.

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He disabled his optical distortion system and brought up the exterior

imaging system. Once again, the baby Kraken graced the outside of his
hull, where it reached out with its tentacles and pulled images of helpless
wiggling Drecks bodies up under the head-foot creature with the huge
lidless eyes, the unencumbered tentacles returning as they reached out
once again for more Drecks effigies.
He held the ship in place near the escort, before moving it about slowly.
Several minutes later, he began to feel sensations of stress and then terror
emanating from it after someone finally noticed him drifting about. Radio
transmissions began shortly afterwards, and his detectors finally picked
up the stellar-spanning transmissions as well. Word was on its way back
to somewhere, but he didn’t really care where, as long as word got out. He
slowly drew away in the opposite direction from the Kraken and faded into
the background of space, before killing the show and engaging the optical
distortion system once again.
Then he shifted back and headed towards the rock already a couple of
jumps away and moving slowly towards Commonwealth space. Four was
piloting it along the “bottom” route, which would pass below Kee before
hitting the Fringe. Seeing that things were progressing nominally, and the
threat level was currently zero, the Demon relaxed and decided to take a
well-deserved rest – handing their shared host back over to Rondal for the
time being…
The collaboration they’d worked out between them, at least in Rondal’s
imagination, had begun sometime after the Demon had taken over and
exploded a weapon’s magazine back on Dox, subsequently allowing him to
escape capture or death at the hands of the Drecks. Rondal’s memory of
the event had been rather vague, and only resurfaced later during a review
of that event by the Elder. He’d ignored it for the most part, but a few
months after the van incident triggered by the loss of Xiaoli, he’d
reconsidered their combined situation and tentatively brokered a truce
with his subconscious passenger to allow collaboration on certain events.
Of course, he’d also wondered if he was just talking to himself.
The current deal was this: Rondal would let the Demon come out to play
as a form of work therapy so he could get over his general fear of Drecks.
In return, the Demon would back away while Rondal was doing the
everyday tasks of managing the mission – and in particular, anything
involving Healing, or other aspects related to that portion of his being. That
naturally included any dealings with the Elder, Lili, or any other authority
figure … or any women, in general.
It was still a work in progress…

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Rondal and Four relied on Taros and the other senior villagers he’d
recommended to help manage the recovered villagers while making their
way back to Commonwealth space. They seemed to take things in stride,
particularly those who’d been waiting for their dose of “mind-wiping”
drugs, and accepted the current situation once they learned how to use
the shipboard facilities. A select few of them were taught how to prepare
cooked foods from the Kraken’s well-stocked pantry, and a kitchen staff
was hastily established.
Rondal had gone over each person individually, and assured himself of
their general health, while Four did the bulk of the administrative tasks
related to documenting who everyone was, and what their general skill set
could be used for. He had the help of Gees, Frans, and the twins, as well
as the lovely widowed mother, who seemed interested in trying to catch
Rondal’s eye.
Just as in previous recoveries, they’d explained in simple and open
terms the reality of the “Demon” and the “Kraken’s Child” being merely
tools of the Commonwealth – in this case, simply names used to torment
the hated “devils” who’d plagued Godan for so long.
The fact that no actual Drecks were aboard probably helped most of all.
As much as Rondal had wanted to rescue all the selected humans, they
already had a full ship. He didn’t like to think of all the years the Godan
had sent off their “mindless ones” – only to have them wake up to the terror
of their reality ten days later and screaming out the last few moments of
their lives, instead of hopefully going insane in their helplessness as their
end approached. At least this latest group was now safe, and he hoped Larl
would find their recorded history useful, as presented by their recovered
Headman’s books.

November 3, Kantor, Afternoon, Imperial Court

“My Lord, there appears to be a complaint lodged via the Drecks
Diplomatic Outpost,” the Majordomo announced. He was holding a data
pad out hopefully, while standing at the base of the dais.
The courier remained back behind the receiving line on one knee, and
maintained a respectful silence while the message he’d carried was
delivered to the Emperor.
“Lili, my dear, would you please read this for me? My eyes are a bit tired
this afternoon,” the Emperor said with a yawn, and the Majordomo took
the two steps up and handed the data pad to the First Wife with a bow,
while now fighting off a yawn himself.
‘What has my little brother done this time?’ Radatel asked silently.

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“My Lord Husband, the Drecks are claiming their annual gathering of
their harvest feast was disrupted on some minor planet of theirs.”
‘Rondal’s latest bit of mischief. After stealing that village out from under
their noses, he destroyed three ports, and all but one ship’ she replied
silently.
“Well, my dear, that … that’s simply terrible!” he said with true emotion
– at least as much as he could muster – then tilted his head in thought.
“Perhaps we may offer a gift of food for them? Where’s my Minister of
Agriculture? Ah, there you are. Have we enough surplus fruit and
vegetables to fill perhaps a standard cargo transport or two?”
“Ah – ah … a moment, my Lord,” that worthy said, and quickly checked
a data pad of his own. “We, ah – ah, we have much in the way of surplus,
ah – my – my Lord!”
“Oh no, my Lord Husband! They lost their harvest of … of humans!” she
exclaimed with distress.
“Humans? They still eat humans? I thought they got over that nonsense!
We certainly did! Minister! Do we have enough … oh … targa we may send
to them in their ‘dire’ need perhaps? Certainly tastes better than mere
humans. Not as gamey,” he muttered loudly.
“Ah – ah … targa … ah … yes, my Lord! Yes! The ranches are – ah – ah
– full this year due to your excellent management! We can easily fill a ship
or two – ah … fresh or frozen!” the Minister said in triumph, while the
Majordomo shuddered quietly at the concept the Emperor had ever let
human flesh pass his lips. Of course, he was the child of Rakel Timorous,
so…
The courier smiled as he knelt, but kept his own counsel, while Lili took
silent note of it as she continued with her reading.
“Oh my Lord! They … they accuse us of interfering with their harvest!”
she cried.
“What! They have the temerity to blame us, when they can’t keep control
of their own subject races on … on … what was the name of that planet,
Lili?” he asked in confusion; sending his mood shifting unpredictably to
suit the situation.
“It does not say, my Lord Husband!” she said, nearly in tears.
“There, there, Lili. If the Drecks subject races choose not to participate
in their ‘harvest,’ then it is no concern of ours.”
“But – but, my Lord Husband, they claim a … a demon was set loose by
us and pesters the Hegemony to no end!” she wailed.

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“What? A demon? A real demon? General! Do we have anything like a …

a demon as part of our weapons?” he called out loudly,
“My Lord, forgive me, but … I wouldn’t know how to answer that
question. I don’t believe we have any weapon of that nature, my Lord –
whatever nature that might be,” his General officer said diffidently.
“Ha! Just as I thought! Demons! Might as well tell us the Gods are
interfering with their harvest! If the Drecks have let a valaet loose amongst
their targa, then let them hunt it down and kill it themselves – as long as
they don’t chase it across the Fringe and make it our problem as well!” The
Emperor snorted, then laughed loudly, getting nervous laughter from his
ministers and his Majordomo.
“Courier! Tell your masters we will offer a gift of … a transport ship of
targa – fresh or frozen – cargo to be exchanged in standard transport pods,
along with a shipload of mixed fruits and vegetables. And tell your masters
a change in diet might be in order to keep the peace among their subject
races. Better to put them to work on the farms, rather than eat them at
the end of the harvest, eh?” he chided him, then laughed again.
Lili finished jotting notes on the pad and handed it to Radatel for his
confirmation. The Emperor authorized it, and handed it back to the
Majordomo, who handed it back to the courier, who stood and bowed
deeply.
“Thank you, Emperor. By your leave, Emperor,” he said, then bowed
deeply again, before backing away behind the first waiting line, where he
turned and straightened up before briskly walking away towards the
doors … with Lili reading him every step of the way.
‘How interesting,’ she thought, and savored the information she would
share with her husband at the end of the day.

Kantor, Evening, Royal Homestead

‘You were sent along to watch OVER him, Petrus! Not let him engage in
an act of WAR!’ she sent angrily.
‘With all due respect, Liling, the boy was horrified when he learned how
they were harvesting the natives. Especially when he discovered the
ineffectiveness of their “mind-killing” drug’ he replied, then explained the
situation in detail, much more so than Rondal had.
She was somewhat mollified, but not completely.
‘What is Rondal’s next task? What does he plan NEXT to spoil my Lord
Husband’s digestion?’ she asked petulantly.
‘Well, he was thinking about a Zarox incursion, but I talked him out of it.
That was the next offer after I talked him out of a Kale incursion. He made

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mention of trapping a bunch of wild valaets and turning them loose on Zarox,
but said he’d had problems with groups of over twenty animals. Something
about territorial rights’
‘Ah! He IS the devil’s child!’ she sent in slight frustration, but he could
hear the humor in her tone. He really hated to spoil it, though.
‘Something else, Liling, my darling. He’s … different’ he sent quietly.
‘How so, Petrus?’ she asked just as quietly.
‘When he is Ronnie, he is bright and thoughtful. When he is called to
combat, he turns into … much like he was in the past. Not bad, mind you,
but still … very focused … yet different’
‘Then he still holds his inner demon in control? He has never let loose in
madness and killed indiscriminately?’
‘Well, the ports on Taxa are gone, and any natives in the area are now
gone as well. By the numbers, he’s saved a cupful out of a case of ambrosia’
‘By breaking the case, he’s prevented the theft of a warehouse of
ambrosia – for a while, at least. Some unfortunate breakage is unavoidable’
she considered.
‘Yes, but it eats at him, Liling. It tears at his soul, and I can offer no
comfort to him. I hope Doctor Riker can add to his knowledge from those we
brought him this time. The Headman of the village, Taros, brought his books
with him that tell the history of Godan from a time before the Drecks. Godan
– the Drecks renamed it Taxa to suit themselves’
‘Every bit of information you and Rondal bring to us is valuable, Petrus.
Even knowing your attack was just over three weeks ago tells us how
quickly they can respond at the official level. Gods grant they do not simply
respond in kind’
‘Rest assured, the lad would respond in kind, Liling, if only to darken the
sky with their ashes. How fares the Elder? Does she still hold the boy’s head
in her hands?’
‘Just as tightly as before. She sees Sai joining your party at some point
in the future. That tells us the Commonwealth has a least THAT long to live’
Lili sent reassuringly.
‘Sai? HERE? On the same ship with ME?’ he asked with a tremulous
squeak (which is hard to do in silent conversation).
‘Petrus … Petrus … there is forgiveness in the future – apparently, even
for YOU’ she sent charmingly, and he could almost imagine her batting her
eyelashes at him. ‘Although she made no mention of seeing YOUR face
anywhere at that time – just Sai’s and Rondal’s–’

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‘I KNEW IT! I’m a DEAD man! Oh, I saw this COMING, Liling! I KNEW it
would be the end of me when you first set me to watch over the boy! I NEVER
should have gotten involved with the Royals – and YOU either! One way or
the other … killed by the Madman’s tricks, or beheaded by the Bitch Witch’
He sighed locally, but it echoed all the way out to her.
‘But Petrus, you know your family still loves you and holds you dear in
their hearts’ she sent warmly.
‘Ha! Part of my family would gladly see me burn, and another part knows
NOTHING of my existence!’ he sent bitterly.
‘Both of those situations were of your OWN making, and you can easily
resolve them when you want to’ she assured him.
‘Perhaps… Perhaps later, my darling Liling, when Rondal has resolved
the Drecks issue and brought peace to the Commonwealth – or we die try–
OW!’
‘RIGHT thinking will be rewarded, Petrus’ she sent sweetly, before
turning stern, ‘WRONG thinking will be punished!’
‘I hear and obey, my Healer’
‘See that you do! Let us know if Rondal does anything out of the ordinary’
she sent, but paused before adding ‘Even MORE so than usual’
‘As if I could tell’ his silently muttered response flowed back, followed by
another ‘OW!’

November 4, The Fringe, Inbound to the Hegemony

“How’s your headache, Four?”
“Not much better this morning, Tank” he grumbled.
“I trust you’ve earned my Lady’s ire on your own?”
“No, it was mostly directed at ME because of YOUR excesses,” he pointed
out somewhat acidly…
They were having a late breakfast while seated at the Kraken’s commons
area. The ship was operating on autopilot with sensors set to trip and
alarm at the slightest provocation. They would rotate watch shifts once
they crossed the demarcation line into Hegemony space – something they
were both used to doing given their history together…
Rondal reached over and grabbed Four’s hands, locked his thumbs and
middle-fingers over the webs between Four’s thumbs and forefingers,
squeezed tightly, then made several tight, painful circles into his flesh for
several seconds until Four finally wrenched his hands away with a yelp
and glared at him.

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“How’s your headache now?” Rondal asked quietly.

“I … it’s better. Never had a Healer do that before. What was that?
Something new?”
“That was something learned on my home planet thousands of years
ago – back when one of my races still believed in ‘winds’ that blew sickness
into and out of the body. It’s a nerve pinch that somehow correlates to a
nerve bundle leading to the head. I never really looked into it – I just know
that sometimes it works.”
“Thousands of years ago? From a Class-Five planet?”
“Class-Four, now. It’s gotten much more dangerous since last year,” he
said somewhat proudly, and Four sat in contemplation of that for a little
while, which led to more thoughts and finally a little introspection.
“Lad … do you ever wonder just what our destiny really is?”
“I leave that up to the Elder. Elder Kita left things in a mess and Radatel
sends me out to right it – somehow.”
“Ha! Women! Typical! She didn’t happen to mention how you’d perform
that particular bit of magic, did she?”
“No, but Elder Ai did seem inspired that last night when I shared the
Gift of the First Wife with her.”
“HA! So that’s her game! She felt your power over her, and became
frightened of it, so she sends you out to die under the guise of ending the
Drecks problem,” he muttered, and Rondal looked at him like he’d lost his
mind.
“There’re lots easier ways to engineer my demise. Strap a bomb to a
small child and put it in danger. No doubt once I’d learned of it, I’d do
everything I could to rescue it – and then … boom!” he said in disgust.
“Well, she did set the Bitch Witch after you.”
“Oh, please! Sai and I shared her daughter’s bed, for the Gods’ sake! I
can feel her anywhere from within … forty minutes!”
“Really? Well then, Mister Demon, where’s the Bitch Witch right now?”
Rondal closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration.
“Lady Sai is … twenty … four minutes up from us, and about … about
a minute behind. Feels like … like Farman. Probably at the Healer Cluster
there, or close by,” he said firmly.
“HA! You’re just guessing!”

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“Ask Lili.”
‘Liling, a moment of your time, please?’ Four sent.
‘Petrus, you must be quick. My Lord Husband and I are seeing to Maya’s
contentment at the moment’
‘Lady Sai – would you happen to know her location at the moment?’
‘Farman. I believe she was to arrive there sometime within ten segments’
‘Thank you, my darling Liling. My love to the family’
‘And our love to you, Petrus’ she replied, then dropped out.
“Liling says Sai’s on her way to Farman. Real close by, in fact,” he said,
while looking at his friend in a new light, but Rondal just nodded, and
shared his smile.
“Good! That means she didn’t deviate from her schedule Lili told me
about last night,” he said with a snicker, but quickly grabbed Four’s tray,
before he could reach out and smack him with it.

November 8, Hegemony Space, A Survey Run

“Just how old is that data for this void?” Four asked him.
“Picked it up last year from a navigator over by Krux. Might be good;
might not. Wanna slip inside for a few seconds and see what happens?”
“Ahh … I think I’ll pass, Ronnie. You’re welcome to take the shuttle,
though. It’s unarmed – if that’s truly the reason the other void didn’t spell
the Emperor’s doom.”
“I think maybe we’ll just toss a ship full of Drecks into it and see if they
pop out the other end. It’s just a few minutes thick, and only sixteen
minutes long,” Rondal suggested...
After slipping back into the Hegemony on the “down” route, they’d
skirted the edge of the lower Hegemony void that seemed to curl around
that unclassified system called Kee. At least it seemed to be a system, as
it had none of the notations indicating a cluster with multiple stars and
planets.
Rondal wanted to drift on by and see what was there. Maybe the Drecks
had a hidden outpost they were keeping secret from even their own
Captains – although that should have meant it wouldn’t be included on
any charts at all. They hoped to sneak by in the rock and take a peek while
on their way to Taxa to pick up that Drecks crèche they’d left behind a few
weeks ago.

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November 10, Kee Outer Orbit, Still Looking Things Over

“Two outposts,” Four said. “Just two. And they don’t have anything on
the ground they can launch.”
“Not that we can detect, anyway,” Rondal reminded him.
“Lad, we been sittin’ here for two days, and from here it looks like a
prison planet. Send people here they don’t like, but are too damn lazy to
kill.”
“Four, come on! We’re talkin’ Drecks here! If they don’t like someone,
they kill ‘em and eat ‘em… Or, you know, the other way around. Besides,
it seems lush enough. Maybe it’s an ‘officers only’ resort for the very well
connected.”
They were sitting in the large room they’d designated as a meeting,
planning, and conference room, while going over the mysterious status of
the outposts found on the planet’s surface. Rondal sat back and frowned,
while looking at the large monitor on the wall. It had an image of each
outpost displayed side-by-side…
They’d scanned Kee widely, but found only two small outposts without
adjacent port facilities of any kind. Whatever transports dropped in with
supplies had to come down inside the tall, smooth masonry walls that
surrounded each outpost, as there were no exterior gates. The outposts
themselves looked nearly identical, with each containing several small
buildings – small for Drecks – and very little in the way of anything remotely
resembling a military encampment … or a resort, for that matter, which
seemed to irk Four while he continued to look between the nearly identical
images of them both.
“Don’t see any party towns down there, lad, and even Drecks like to
mingle with the ladies once in a while. You still feel nothing down there?
No humans?” he asked, which triggered a snort from Rondal.
“No human-standards, anyway. Just the annoying semi-void of Drecks
emotions, and they don’t seem all that excited to be there. Otherwise, I got
nothing. I don’t even feel any large animals, anywhere,” he said, and they
both looked at the display again.
There was a clear space all around the walls that was wider than the
height of the nearest trees. Even if one fell closer to the wall, it wouldn’t
allow access to the inside of the compound.
“So what justifies the walls, then? From here, they look a good ten-
meters tall, and there’s a clear zone all around them from the trees.”
“Nothing that big down there besides the Drecks … I think,” Rondal
muttered. “We could always go down and look.”

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They each thought that through separately, before Four voiced his
opinion.
“How about … how about we not actually land, lad? It wouldn’t do to
drop down in the middle of a valaet huntin’ territory.”
“The walls are only ten-meters tall. In Kee gravity, an adult valaet could
jump at least that high … unless they’re electrified on top? But they look
like smooth masonry to me. Side-scanning doesn’t even show
reinforcement…” Rondal paused and remembered something else.
“Besides, I don’t feel any valaets … although this place would be perfect for
them, with all the vegetation and trees. Parts of this place are like a
jungle … almost like back on my home world. Maybe the walls are just to
keep out the vegetation? Maybe it’s poisonous or something?”
“A good herbicide would take care of that, lad,” Four said, and Rondal
snorted again.
“Look, we can drop someplace away from both encampments and look
around a little. The atmosphere is good, I haven’t felt anything nasty down
there, and we’ve seen nothing big and very little small stuff. Just a few
flying things is all, and a couple of ground crawlers.”
They contemplated the issue with another several seconds of silence,
until Four finally offered what he thought was a reasonable idea.
“Well … look, you wanted to bag some adult Drecks for Riker, right? We
seen ‘em walkin’ around inside the walls at times. We got gas rounds we
can lob down there, and then land and pick up whoever is lying about after
they go off.”
“And we’d be picked off by the first guard that looks out a window and
sees us,” Rondal countered.
“Lad, they got no windows,” Four said, and they both paused to think
about that.
“The buildings look extra sturdy, too,” Rondal finally murmured after
looking back at the display.
“And we’ve not actually seen a guard – not an armed one, anyways,”
Four went on.
“I wonder what they’re really protecting themselves from with that
wall?” Rondal pondered thoughtfully.

Almost Planet-side
After much back and forth discussion, the plan they’d come up with
was safer in itself, if a little destructive. They would wait for dawn, and
then simply bump into a wall, before standing off to see what would

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happen. They had their choice of outposts, but the infrared readings from
one of them indicated nearly sixty individuals, while the readings from the
other one only showed about twenty, so they went with the smaller one.
When the moment came, they were floating invisible and a hundred
meters above the outpost. They had scanned infrared signatures in three
of the buildings, plus one wandering about the enclosure. It appeared there
were sleeping quarters in the building located furthest from the walls. A
hot spot indicated a kitchen area, but there were no official guards posted.
Apparently, the security of the outpost was considered very good.
A scan of the surrounding forest-jungle indicated no large animals to
be found, although there were a few smaller hot spots in some of the trees,
and a few small fliers going from tree-to-tree or simply passing by.
“Let’s do it,” Rondal said, so Four dropped them down and crept up to
the dawn-side wall, before bumping it gently. Then he backed up and
bumped it again.
He backed up once more and bumped it harder; causing cracks to
appear, and some blocks to fall on both sides of the wall. When he backed
away this time, they saw a Drecks-sized hole in the wall, with a view of the
outpost buildings showing through it. Then he raised the ship to observe
from a hundred meters up, but they didn’t have long to wait.
Three Drecks, disturbed by the unexpected morning noise, came out to
investigate. Once they saw the hole, they immediately went into a panic.
One ran back to the sleeping quarters, while the other two ran up to the
wall and began putting the blocks back in just as quickly as they could.
Unfortunately, the sudden crowd of humanoids on the outside of the
wall were pulling blocks out from their side, quicker than the Drecks on
the inside could put them back in place.
“Whoa! Where did they all come from?” Four muttered.
“I – I don’t know,” Rondal said, while quickly pulling up another screen
and checking the spectrum. “They’re all hot! We should have seen them! I
don’t understa–” He stopped and pointed at the screen showing humanoids
crawling out of the dirt in front of the wall.
“Underground?” Four asked in astonishment. “They burrowed into the
ground and surrounded the place?”
They watched as trap doors were springing up all around the outside of
the structure that were letting more humanoids pour out of the ground
like angry ants on the rampage.
They continued to watch in fascination when the Drecks finally gave up
and ran back to their buildings; hoping against hope the doors and walls

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would hold out. They followed the plight of one hapless Drecks while he
was chased around the enclosure, until surrounded and caught by several
of the humanoids – males, they appeared – who began ripping him apart
and consuming him alive.
“Well. Somewhat poetic justice, that,” Four said quietly.
“Indeed,” Rondal murmured, while they continued to watch the male
humanoids surround each building and attempt to break in and attack the
Drecks within, presumably for the same reason.
They watched as the kitchen was breached first, and its single occupant
attacked and consumed. Once that was done, that small group went out
and started working on the other buildings as well.
The method of attack was simple – brute force. They didn’t take
advantage of the knives in the kitchen or other obvious things that could
be used as weapons or tools, but simply piled onto each other and pushed,
pulled, or otherwise tried to force their way into the buildings to get at the
inhabitants.
On a few occasions, Rondal noticed that when one of the attackers fell
or became injured, he was attacked and eaten as well. He zoomed out to
search the rest of the area and found a second wave approaching from the
forest – on the surface this time. These appeared to be females.
“Looks like the hunters find a good food supply, and their women come
to take the leftovers home – if they leave them anything,” Four commented
dryly, but something about their movements disturbed Rondal for some
reason while he continued to watch closely.
He followed the females as they approached the rear line of males. Then
he saw one bloody male tapped on the shoulder by a female, and he turned
and lunged for her – only to be stopped when she appeared to bite his face.
With his face still attached to hers, his arms dropped limply, and he was
pulled off to the side. Then she pushed him down and played with his erect
penis for just a few moments before hopping aboard and riding him for all
she was worth. Barely a minute later, he quivered for a moment, then she
hopped off and started tearing into his flesh with her teeth and began
devouring him with the same gusto he’d devoured whoever’s blood he’d
had splashed on his face.
Rondal watched the scene repeated by several of the females – most of
them successfully. The ones that weren’t, just weren’t quick enough, and
they’d either tapped the wrong male, or didn’t attack fast enough to capture
him.
“I know what they are,” Rondal said tonelessly. “Sai’s got one on her
ship. The little cannibal … Déjà.”

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“Sai? She’s got a … a pet cannibal?”

“Didn’t you see her on the platform? Déjà calls her Mommy, and Sai
loves her like a daughter – or a well-fed cannibal, apparently,” Rondal said
bemusedly. “I’ve even extended family status to them – all of them; her, her
boys … and her cannibal,” he added.
“By the Gods, man! We’ve got to go tell her! … Right away!”
“Oh, she knows she’s a cannibal. Although, I don’t know if she’s ever
really seen her in action – not like this, anyway. We got the recorders on,
right?” he asked lightly.
“Yes, lad. Yes, we do. I dare say your Doctor Riker will have a field day
with this lot of data!”
“Yes …. I wouldn’t even wonder.”
Rondal sat back and watched with interest, while the cannibals tried
very hard to break into the sleeping quarters of the remaining Drecks, until
Four finally caught him at it.
“Ronnie… Lad, I don’t like what you’re thinkin’!”
“And just what do you think I’m thinking?”
“I think you’re thinkin’ of taking a bunch of this lot and dropping them
down on Zarox to cause some mischief. Lili told me specifically to keep an
eye on you!”
“Very well, then … watch me!” he challenged him, but smiled
thoughtfully. “Actually, I was thinking of dropping them on Kale …
somewhere close to one of their ports.”
They continued to watch, while the cannibals continued to batter at the
Drecks sleeping quarters until Rondal glanced at the timer and made a
decision.
“You think they’re softened up enough, yet?”
“What? The cannibals? I got a feeling they’ve been waiting a long time to
gobble up this lot.”
“No, our passengers – the Drecks. Think they’ll come along quietly if we
offer them relief?”
“Well, we can ask, but I’m not gonna be the one wading through that
lot!” he said, but Rondal called up the fire control system.
He started lobbing a few gas rounds near some females already getting
away with full stomachs, and apparently, fresh semen, just to see what
would happen. The rounds dropped sub-sonically and burst as they hit

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the ground; dropping the females where they stood. The few males who ran
out of the bushes to attack them also dropped as soon as they reached
them.
“Well, if we keep our ship suits on, we can harvest our terrorists and
make them ready for transport – although releasing them might be a
problem. Even keeping them in the same company might be a bit difficult.”
“You’re right about that, lad. Seems like the males and females don’t
get along so well. It’s a wonder Sai’s little girl hasn’t eaten her boys before
now.”
“Oh, she has. Does so on a regular basis, I’m told. Sai’s even made a
Healer out of her,” he said, letting the memory force a smirk on his lips.
“Aye! That she would, the stupid witch! Never thinks things through!”
Four said vehemently, but caught Rondal’s eye. “And she’s after me for
such a tiny thing all these years!” he added, but didn’t elaborate. “Well,
what we gonna do, lad?”
“I think we’ll calm things down a bit, then chat up our civilized friends
down there and see what’s what. I suppose I’ll have to apologize for the
wall,” he muttered.
“We could offer to leave them here?” Four suggested, but Rondal just
shook his head. “Well, I’m just glad we had that lock installed between the
forward cabin and the cargo area,” he went on, while Rondal launched a
barrage of gas shells in and about the outpost.
“These are good for about three hours on human-standards,” Rondal
muttered. “About two on Drecks, unless it’s concentrated. If those
buildings have filtered air, we’ll have about fifteen probably very angry
Drecks waiting to have us for dinner.”
“Time for the Demon to make an appearance, lad?”
“I don’t know. Let’s get up high and keep an eye on things.”
They brought the ship further up and watched as the cannibals
succumbed by one’s and two’s, and sometimes in groups, from the effects
of the gas. Rondal targeted a few more corners just to make sure, then
waited with infrared scanners on and watched for activity from both the
Drecks and the cannibals.
They saw infrared movement within the living quarters and thought it
was a good bet there was filtered air coming into the buildings. It was
probably a reasonable assumption that the Drecks handled the cannibals
as they’d just done. The longer they slept, the dimmer they seemed to
become. In fact, after about an hour, most of them barely registered on the
infrared scanners at all.

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“That explains that, lad. They don’t move – you can’t find the little
buggers!”
“Oh, it’s much worse than that. No one can read Drecks, but they can
still be felt. Valaets can sneak up on you quietly, but you can still sense
them after a while – if they aren’t already tearing out your throat. These
things – these … these Kee – you can’t sense them at all. Nothing there. Not
even the mumbling void of a Drecks. I had Sai’s little cannibal walk up
behind me in the shower one morning and didn’t notice her until she spoke
to me. Scary stuff!”
“Maybe we should put bells around their– Look!” Four said, and pointed
to the screen.
One of the doors was slowly opening inward, with a hand thrust out
and quickly pulled back in, before shutting again. It was repeated twice
more, before the door opened, and one Drecks was pushed out – a female
– and the door quickly closed again.
“Ah, the mighty Drecks warriors finally show their true bravery,” Four
muttered sourly.
They watched as the woman – a girl, they now saw – looked around at
the sleeping Kee, and gingerly reached out with a toe and just touched one
of them; nudging it a bit, before kicking it lightly. Rondal was watching
her, but also keeping an eye on the surrounding area for hot spots – one
of which was warming up on the edge of the wall within line of sight to the
girl. He cycled a round and sent it off; having it land within feet of the
warming Kee who’d just started to move, before it hit and put him back
down. The girl looked up all around, and Rondal turned off the optical
system. In just moments she saw the Kraken’s Child, and stood there
frantically waving at it while trying to get their attention.
They looked at each other and shrugged, then Four slowly dropped the
ship down with the rear end towards her and the combat hatch opening
while at a hover. They were watching the rear bay camera while she waited
until they were close enough, before jumping aboard and scrambling away
from the open hatch. Rondal closed the hatch, and once shut tight, she
sagged to the deck and sighed … but then began crying.
“Why do they always cry? Every damn time, they cry!” Rondal muttered
irritably.
“Think of the bright side, lad. Maybe she’ll share contentment with you!”
“Yes, and I can make yet another Healer,” he grumbled, before turning
on the interior communication system, which also echoed outside loudly –
part of the new package for the Kraken’s Child.

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“Girl! What is your name?” he asked in High Drecks.

“I have no name. I – I am nameless,” she said aloud.
“*Well, you’re not getting a name from me*,” he muttered to himself,
before continuing with, “How many guards are with you at this outpost!”
“None! No guards, Sir! Just – just us. They banished us here. My – my
master was displeasing … and now he’s dead.”
“Who is here with you, girl?”
“The rest of his family. The retainers. The servants. Me … the – the food
girl…” she trailed off slowly.
“Who ordered you here?”
“The Master Pack, Sir, but … surely you know!”
“Do any of you still hold loyalty to the Master Pack, girl?”
“I – I cannot say for the others, Sir! I am only a food girl,” she said quietly.
“Food girl! We cannot stay here. Do you wish to leave with us?”
“I am food girl to the family, Sir. I – I am the last,” she said sadly.
“Then maybe they should start eating each other!” he nearly shouted,
then cut off his microphone.
“That got a reaction,” Four murmured, as both doors opened and
nervous eyes looked out to see the ship.
There was tentative motion, but since the hatch was closed, no effort
was made to leave the buildings. Finally, one Drecks came out – an older
female, who stepped daintily over the bodies and approached the ship on
the airlock side.
Rondal was impressed … so much so, that he brought up the imaging
system and presented the kraken’s eye in front of the female. She stared
at it curiously as it appeared to look back at her, before flowing along the
ship and began moving it’s tentacles about; going through the motions of
devouring life-sized Drecks warriors. She stepped back, carefully still, and
observed for a full minute, before bowing deeply from the waist and turning
towards the building. He shut off the image, then grounded the ship, which
caught her attention and drew her around in time to see the airlock cycle
open.
She waited for someone to come out, but when no one did, she
approached, and entered the ship; finally standing not fully tall inside the
Galaxy-class, as she was at least a full eleven feet tall – very tall for an
adult female of the Drecks. She bowed as best she could, and Rondal came

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forward and bowed as well, before squatting down and sitting on the deck,
as did she.
“It appears I have inadvertently broken your wall and must now offer
you transportation to a more secure location,” he said in High Drecks;
noting that her eyebrows rose at his address. “There is another outpost on
this planet where we can take you. I will be extra careful not to damage
their wall,” he went on.
She looked at him, then at the inside of the ship. She glanced over at
Four, standing up by the console; noticing his hand resting on a sidearm.
Then she looked back at him and began to laugh. It started quietly at first,
then became louder and heartier, until tears began rolling down her face,
and her laughter turned to sobs. She covered her face in shame and curled
over her lap to hide herself from him while she continued to cry.
Four stayed where he was, but Rondal got up and got her a large cup of
water, then brought it over to her; standing just barely taller than she was
where she was still sitting on the deck.
“Mistress,” he said quietly in High Drecks, and offered her the water,
which she took from him gratefully, and gulped down all at once.
He could hear the sounds of her stomach growling, and took a closer
look at her – finally noticing her lack of body fat, and the lack of proper
hydration. He got up and got her more water, then fired up the crew
sustenance system, which delivered a large bowl of ships poop of a firmer
texture than usual that he offered it to her. She drank the water and looked
longingly at the bowl, but turned away. He reached in and grabbed a finger-
full to taste it, then shrugged and offered it back to her.
“For my people,” she said weakly, but her stomach growled again.
“For you, Mistress. We can feed your people in a while,” he insisted, so
she reluctantly took it, but only ate part of it.
“Give the rest to the food girl,” she said, while he watched her digestive
system doing summersaults at the unexpected bounty.
“There are no food girls on this ship! I serve the Demon, and he has
declared the girl to be his!” he said brusquely.
She looked between the two of them, but turned back to Rondal.
“*Tell me, Sir. Is it true that, in the Commonwealth, you do not eat your
babies?*” she asked in passable Standard.
“*It is also true that human and Drecks can live together peacefully – in
some places,*” he said, then smiled thinly.

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She looked at him, but remained unreadable, so he’d have to hear her
out and make a judgment call. In the meantime, the water and food seemed
to make her talkative.
“The other outpost is also a prison; like this one. They sent my mate
here for cowardice against the Commonwealth. Weeks ago, they stopped
bringing us food and fresh water. Many have died. They were eaten. The
girl was the last, and my mate was saving her as long as he could. The
other men cared not to give of themselves until the next food shipment. It
has been many weeks.”
‘Taxa, lad?’ Four sent.
‘No good deed goes unpunished’
“We have other business in the Hegemony and would be reluctant to
carry passengers during it,” Rondal said, and watched her eyes drop to her
lap. “However … I cannot, in good conscience, simply leave you here; nor
does it seem reasonable you would be welcome at the other outpost. There
appear to be sixty prisoners there already.”
He turned away and refilled her cup with more water; taking the time
to come up with a suitable offer for her and her people. He turned and
handed it back to her before making her a proposition.
“I can arrange transport for you to somewhere within the Hegemony,
but none of my passengers have yet chosen to return once given a choice.
Tell me, Mistress, is there a safe place for you and the rest of your group
within the Hegemony?”
“Not within our lifetimes, Sir,” she said politely, now that her stomach
was finally settling down for the time being after another drink of water.
“On behalf of the Demon, I would offer you sanctuary in the Demon’s
Realm until the end of your lives – or for however long the Demon lives. In
return, you will be required to grant us your parole … accept our …
Hospitality? You and your staff, your retainers, and family will not interfere
with our operations during your recovery and subsequent installation on
a new colony world. This new colony includes human-Dox, human-
Womak, human-Taxa … and human-Drecks. You are all expected to be on
your best behavior while you learn to live and work together.”
“It … does not seem like an unreasonable request, Sir,” she said, and
bowed her head.
“It comes with full medical, too,” he added lightly, and she smiled, but
then frowned, and, catching his slow nod, began to nod herself.
He noted her understanding, and, interestingly enough, very little
reluctance on her part.

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“Your women may be requested to learn new skills, such that they may
help their fellow colonists. It is the Demon’s way.”
“It may be difficult for … the men,” she said quietly.
“It usually is, Mistress. But they are only men,” he said, which got a
quiet snort from her – apparently her mate having allowed a great deal of
freedom with her. “Will there be any problem among those here with my
conditions?”
“There – there might be. I will try to be persuasive.”
“If there is disagreement, then I will leave any who wish to stay – behind.
They can fight amongst themselves to see who gets to eat whom in the end.
Likewise, any who act out on my ship will be asked to walk home,” he said
firmly.
She quickly looked at the airlock, then back to him.
“I will give you leave to talk to your people and gain a consensus within
a short span. In the meantime, have some of your people come to the ship
and bring a bowl or something else to carry food in,” he offered, and she
smiled gratefully.
“I would also ask you to impress upon your people the inability of them
to fly any of my ships or transports – they are keyed to me and my first
officer specifically,” he lied. “Any attempt at subterfuge will be punished –
fatally.” No lie that time.
“I hear and obey, Sir, although I do not think we’ll all fit inside here.”
“We’ll give you some food, and if no one interferes, we’ll bring down a
shuttle and take you to temporary quarters on the ship. We also want to
pick up some … native specimens from here.”
“The Kee? Please do not! They are beasts!” she said, now trembling.
“They appear no different to us than Drecks, Mistress. They also eat
each other. And I can think of a good use for them,” he said with a grim
smile.
He had Four check the external cameras, before getting up to cycle the
airlock, then looked out and saw the Kee were still slumbering.
“You appear to have a few more minutes, at least. Send your servants
quickly for the food, and decide what you will do as a group. It would be
most unpleasant if your supply ship returned while we were engaged in
your relocation.”
“Yes, Sir… Sir, by what name may I call you?”

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“You may call me … Tank,” he said, and saw a light dawn in her eyes.
“Thank you, Tank. I’ll send someone out immediately,” she said, then
hurried over the bodies to get to the door, where she knocked on it
frantically until it opened.
“Once again, your reputation precedes you, lad,” Four muttered while
stepping up to stand guard at the door. Then he thought of something else.
“Hospitality? Do you think they’ll honor it? After all, we’re not Drecks.”
“I guess we’ll find out the limits of Drecks honor. Besides, maybe they’ll
have another girl in there for you,” he joked, as the door slowly opened
again.
A young man cautiously poked his head out, but was finally pushed by
an older woman who followed him; both of them carrying large bowls in
both hands. They scurried to the airlock, where Four took the bowls and
handed them back to Rondal. Once filled, they hurried back to the door
and knocked again – swapping the full bowls with empty ones.
“Nice discipline, that. Neither one of them sampled the food when they
took it back,” Four said.
“Well, it is ships poop,” Rondal reminded him.
The discussion didn’t appear to last long, only seeming to be delayed
until everyone got a chance to eat something. Finally, the woman returned
and was accompanied by an adult male, old and grizzled, who followed her
into the ship and kneeled down after crouching low to avoid the short
ceiling.
“This is my Head of Staff … he who served my mate,” she said.
“Tank,” her man said, looking at both of them, until Rondal raised his
hand a slight amount. “Sir, I give you the word of the household of Pack
Calos that we accept your Hospitality in full measure until the ends of our
lives, as explained by Mistress Kamea Calos. Command us, Tank, and we
will do your bidding,” he said formally, then bowed at the waist.
“Head of Staff of Pack Calos … I accept your word of Hospitality in full
measure and hope that it meets with your continued approval,” Rondal
said formally, then made his first request. “Do you have personal
communication devices among you, or a communication device in the
outpost that will contact any other location or ship?”
“No, Sir. We here sent here to be forgotten – and finally they did so,” he
said bitterly.
“Head of Staff … what is your name, Sir,” Rondal asked.
“Gar, Sir!”

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“Very well, Gar. I would ask for you and your staff’s help in recovering
some biological samples from Kee. I would relocate them to somewhere
else. Let’s call it a … a sociological experiment,” Rondal suggested.
“From Kee? The Kee? I can think of several places I’d like to deliver a
load of Kee to,” he said grimly.
“I’m sure we’re thinking of many of the same places,” Rondal said, while
lamenting the fact that he couldn’t read Drecks minds. “Gar, which would
you consider the … the most useful – the males or the females?”
“The males are just mindless eaters, Sir. You saw that today. The
females … they’re more dangerous! They capture their kills, but fuck them
first, and then eat them!”
“The kiss of the female Kee, then. It renders their victim helpless, and
lets them breed safely. When they have what they want, they eat the male,”
Rondal summarized with a grim smile.
“Just so, Sir!”
‘Diabolical’ Four sent.
‘Like many of the insects on my home world’
“Gags, then – in addition to tying their hands and feet,” Rondal said.
“Knock them out as well, Sir! At least for the handling!” Gar said, now
smiling at the evil grin he caught from Rondal.
“A wise decision,” Rondal agreed, but paused. “Gar, you have no
problems with me performing this experiment on Hegemony citizens?”
“For my Master’s years of faithful service and advice, the Master Pack
sent us here, Sir! I would like to gift them in return!” he said vehemently.
“Then I’m sure we’ll find something suitably entertaining to remind
them of it, Gar,” Rondal promised him.

Stocking the Shuttle

The decision made, Gar ran back and ordered everyone into the same
building after gathering what few belongings they’d be allowed to bring with
them. Then he set them to making gags and bindings, while those of
smaller stature were relocated to the rear of the Kraken’s Child with the
nameless girl, who Four had finally fed once he’d gotten her to stop crying
about being taken by a Commonwealth raider.
Mistress Kamea Calos came aboard with Gar as agreed, and Rondal
sealed the ship and got them into orbit; transitioning a tiny jump to reach
the Kraken hiding within its rock. This was not noticeable to anyone inside

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the ship since they’d run strictly on instruments and no camera view was
used during approach or docking.
Once down and docked, Rondal and Four quickly got them into Drecks-
sized accommodations with proper sleeping and toilet facilities. All were
left there, secured, except for Gar and Mistress Calos. Rondal once again
thought Lili had been right, and they truly needed more staff to take care
of housekeeping and proper hosting for guests – and ship handing.
Rondal transitioned the Kraken and its portable hanger with a micro-
jump into a high stable orbit over Kee, before all four of them returned to
the compound; this time with Four taking the shuttle with Gar and
Mistress Calos aboard, while Rondal stood high guard in the Kraken’s
Child.
Once the shuttle was down, Four quickly took Mistress Calos and all
but a few of the staff back into orbit, while Rondal took care of air support
over the outpost; watching for hot spots among the Kee, both inside and
outside the walls. The remaining staff continued to bind and gag female
Kee and lay them in single-layer rows to the side while they still slept. To
his credit, Gar worked like a demon in getting the Kee laid out quickly –
slicing the throats of the males as a matter of course. Once finished, they
had fifty females ready to ship, and Four was just dropping down when
they started to stir.
‘They be a wigglin’, Four. Want me to gas them again?’
‘Wait ‘til I get ship suits on my crew’ he sent, and downed the shuttle.
Rondal could see him outside; passing out Drecks-sized ship suits, to
the amazement of the ground crew. Once everyone was ready and air tight,
Four called up again.
‘There’s a breeze headed … that way’ he pointed, after having tossed a
handful of dust into the air.
Rondal sent out his warning ‘Incoming!’ before launching two shells.
The shells landed and popped satisfyingly to his eyes, and as the vapor
drifted over the Kee, the wiggling immediately stopped.
He noted that everyone stood still until the vapor drifted away
completely, before they went from body to body; checking each one and
doing something to each to see if they were still awake or not. At the end
of that task, Gar had his men stack them two deep in the cargo area of the
shuttle, then sealed it up and brought his crew forward into the Drecks-
sized seats, before Four headed them back into orbit where Rondal joined
them.

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November 15, Hegemony Space, Transition to Kale

“Mistress Kamea Calos … Head of Staff Gar. I want to thank you and
your family and staff for all your patience thus far. I’m afraid I must ask
for your indulgence once again, for this day we need to travel a great
distance in very little time,” Rondal explained apologetically…
They’d just spent the last three days moving “left” from Kee to reach a
straight shot to Kale. They’d come out from under the left-most arm of the
void, but now that they had, it was time to move – and this move was best
done on an empty stomach...
“You remember how unpleasant the small jumps were in getting from
Kee to here over the last three days. Today we’re going to move three times
as far in less than a day. Less than an hour, actually, and we won’t be
feeding anyone until much later today … probably not until late this
evening, if at all. That is why we asked you all to eat heartily last evening’s
meal, and why we had the Kee fed so late yesterday evening.”
For the last three days, the Kee, no better than cattle at this point, had
been cautiously fed by Drecks wearing ship suits with collars activated –
not only to prevent being taken over by the Kee kiss, but to avoid being
made ill by the smell of their unwashed bodies. They were being held in an
adjacent compartment next to the landing bay, and once again, he could
see the handiwork of Deltec, Tannis, and Ardan in the fact that hose
fittings and drains were part of the design for the space. It could easily hold
a hundred or more fouled Kee – or twenty or so Drecks.
The Kee had fed ravenously on ships poop by the simple expedient of
taking off their gags and pushing their faces into a bowl full of food. Once
they’d licked it clean, the gags went back on and the next Kee was fed. This
morning, as on every morning, they’d been hosed down with warmish water
and left to lay there while tied head to foot, so they couldn’t wiggle away
too far. Even naked as they were, the deck wasn’t that hard, as it was of
composite material, and not cold metal, yet another consideration by the
design team…
“Mistress… Sir, I would have you explain the situation to your family
and staff, and advise them to visit the facilities to void themselves as
completely as possible before returning to web themselves to their bedding.
I usually recommend another blanket held close at hand to capture
anything unpleasant in the way of unexpected voiding from either end,” he
said delicately.
“Tank, I would imagine the Commonwealth would have a way to deal
with such unpleasantness as you’ve been describing,” she stated evenly.
“In truth, we do have the means to deal with nausea during long
transitions – on a properly staffed ship. The fresh milk of a Commonwealth

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Healer is usually sufficient to settle any stomach upset. Unfortunately, the

Demon is too cheap … or rather, he relies upon our combat training and
allows us to suffer in silence. My apologies in advance for your upcoming
discomfort.”
“Do you think … do you suppose there might be an opportunity in the
future to sample such a rare and … expensive elixir?” she asked quietly.
‘My, my, my…’
“There is always hope, Mistress Calos,” he suggested, then bowed his
way out of the guest quarters before locking them in once again.

Just an hour later…

“Ship transition – long jump, twenty-four minutes in thirty-seconds
from … now!” Rondal sent out ship wide, before checking the navigation
system once again.
Four was watching the cameras in the Kee compartment, and the
corridor cameras in the guests’ quarters. All the doors were shut, and out
of courtesy, they’d not peeked into the inhabited compartments with the
individual cabin cameras.
Thirty minutes later, the corridor camera showed Drecks staff
staggering from room to room to check on their charges. Some of them
were hauling out soiled blankets, linens, and towels, and heading towards
the laundry storage where they exchanged dirty linen for clean. The water
usage ratcheted up a bit, as many showers, sinks, and toilets suddenly
became useful.
The Kee, having already been washed not three hours previously, added
only a little bit of organics to the ships poop processor and would need very
little care before getting them ready for delivery.
A white-faced Four unlocked the corridor to let Mistress Calos and Gar
out with their special staff to deal with the Kee, while Rondal, still very
queasy, began monitoring the area for unexpected traffic, while looking for
a good place to stash the ship. Once that was done, they’d sit tight while
they picked out the juiciest location to leave their surprise package.
Still quite a ways from Kale, Rondal found a spot they’d never used
before and nestled the hidden ship in among some rocks. He set up the
automatic sensors and alarms on the Kraken, keyed them to the receivers
on the shuttle and the Kraken’s Child, then locked the console, and locked
the bridge, while Four observed the last clean up of the Kee, and escorted
their Drecks passengers back to their quarters.

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Completing those steps, they both met with Mistress Calos and Gar in
the planning room so they could go over options to create a suitable
amount of havoc on Kale.

November 15, Kantor, The Elder’s Meeting

“He’s sent no word to you, Lili?” the Elder asked during the afternoon
briefing with her staff.
“My Lady, he tells me he is planning a bit of mischief for the Drecks on
some place called Kale,” Lili reported.
“And what of this ‘Pack’ he says he has ‘rescued’ from that solitary
planet … Kee or some such?” she pressed.
“Both Rondal and Four tell me the Pack and it’s current leader, a
Mistress Calos, seem very sincere and have accepted Hospitality in
accordance with Drecks custom,” she explained, once again.
“Doctor Riker, is that not a suitable condition?” she asked, turning the
question over to Larl, who then immediately stood.
“My Elder … My Ladies. The Drecks concept of honor is such that
among personal enemies who are under the shelter of cultural ‘Hospitality’
rules, you will find them coming to each others succor in matters of life
and death – if only to maintain their family honor. For the very structured
society the Drecks live within, they could not conceive of doing otherwise.”
“That may be true, Doctor Riker, but this is a situation involving Drecks
and humans, and the Drecks in question were dishonored and being
punished by their own society. Who is to say they will maintain societal
conventions in a circumstance of this nature?”
“Ahhh … that would be a valuable lesson to learn, my Elder, and it
would enlighten us greatly should the Pack survive as such to join others
of their kind during their … relocation,” he said, before glancing at Lili and
seeing her reluctant nod.
Apparently, that little secret was already out, but he wasn’t sure how
much to spill about it. But then again, the Elder didn’t miss much in these
meetings, and voiced her next question to the First Wife.
“Tell me, Lili, the other Drecks that Rondal has recovered and brought
in for study … have there been any adjustment issues of note?” the Elder
asked.
“My Elder, in truth, the Drecks we have received had been given the
choice of either going with Rondal, or staying behind and becoming a meal
to other Drecks. Much like our Dorcas, they were on the younger side, and
many of them were unnamed, and had not reached sufficient maturity to

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be considered ‘people’ by adult standards. As such, they were free to be

beaten, abused, raped, and eaten as the adults determined.”
“If I may, my Elder,” Larl interrupted, “The majority of adjustments
come about when they learn of the falsehoods taught to them about the
Commonwealth. The fact that we don’t normally eat our children appears
to be the biggest bit of confusion, with Commonwealth Healers being the
second. Once they accept those two facts, they appear to have the usual
adjustment issues as the human-standards Rondal is recovering from the
Hegemony.
“In fact, the most fascinating thing my observers have reported is that
the Drecks colonists and the rest of the colonists tend to band together
over issues such as that. Things which bring discord to the Drecks also
bring discord to the human-standards.”
“But that is bad, is it not?” the Elder asked him. “Rondal’s concept of
establishing a mixed-colony was to bring them into the Commonwealth –
not cause further discord.”
Yes, apparently the Elder understood much more than he’d expected.
“My Lady, you misunderstand. This is wonderful! When they band
together, they find common cause. Aside from us having to expend more
effort for their reeducation on certain concepts, the fact that they are
banding together means they are forming family bonds – cross-race family
bonds! This is very exciting!”
“If you will, my Lady,” Lili interrupted. “The Balese are to us – to me –
as the Drecks are to us. By that, I mean many of the Commonwealth see
the Balese only as little men or women whose purpose is to serve others …
yet we know that internally their society is just as culturally rich as any in
the Commonwealth. Working together – within the Commonwealth – has
allowed them the freedom to grow further as a society, and benefit all of us
with their talents. With the Drecks, they may be of larger stature, yet they
also have a rich culture that has remained hidden from us until just
recently.”
“Just so, my Elder, my Ladies,” Larl jumped in. “We are seeing the
beginnings of a new social dynamic with this new colony world, and the
lessons we learn from it will go a long way towards helping us as we
gradually restock other colony worlds.”
“If I may remind you, my main concern now is the issue of a Drecks Pack
that Rondal is intent on bringing to the colony world!” Ai stressed, and Lili
thought she knew were this was going.
“You are concerned this Pack will unbalance the colony structure
should it try to assert it’s authority among the colonists?”

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“That is but one concern of mine,” Ai said. “The other is this uncertainty
with your … your helper you’ve sent with Rondal. I understand his reports
indicate a certain amount of fatigue Rondal might be succumbing to that
may affect his decisions?” Ai suggested while avoiding mention of
uncomfortable relationships in this particular venue.
This was yet another issue Lili knew Ai would always have problems
with, but she’d already owned up to it, so she ignored Ai’s subtle put down
for now as she elaborated on Four’s latest reports.
“He reports many of Rondal’s actions to be, in his opinion, injudicious
or ‘insane’ in nature. Of course, knowing Rondal as both he and I do, that
usually seems to be the case. His innate willingness to take advantage of
a situation precludes many nicely laid plans … or so my observer has made
note of. I believe that’s how he ended up with an entire village from Taxa
on his ship.”
“Indeed, and our Lord Emperor received a nasty note about it from the
Diplomatic Outpost!” Ai snapped, forcing Lili to try to maintain her
composure while rebutting Ai’s inference.
“And his reply was genteel, and to the point. He offered a shipment of
targa, and one of vegetables and fruit to support their harvest festival –
and a suggestion that if their subject races declined to participate in their
human harvest, then it was a Drecks issue – not his!”
Ai rolled her eyes before leaning back, then covered her face with both
hands before shaking her head slowly.
“I believe the evening meal is near preparation. Thank you all for
attending,” she said behind her hands in dismissal, and everyone gathered
their notes to leave.
“Lili … a word with you, if you please,” she said quietly, while the others
left the meeting room; Ai waiting until they were alone, and the door was
closed.
“Your husband plays the fool, Lili,” she said accusingly.
“My husband plays the role I assign him … my Lady,” she said, while
barely holding her temper in check. “His voice, his inane comments, his
apparent lack of knowledge, his lack of attention to things around him are
all carefully contrived to make him seem the fool. What’s more, the courier
who delivered the note was most attentive to his actions, and not a word,
nor glance, nor flip of hand was missed!” she stated stiffly while continuing
the struggle to maintain her composure before going on.
“This courier was sent to take the measure of the Emperor, and did not
find him wanting, my Lady! He reports to his masters that the Emperor is

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no fool, but a rather ruthless bastard! Much like his father – just better
behaved, and quite willing to deal with any incursions into Commonwealth
territory!”
Ai stared at Lili, not quite in surprise, as she’d felt the conflict Lili was
battling within herself. Lili believed everything she was saying, and had
been Kita’s finest Sword to date. Ai decided this was not the time or place.
“You read this from him?” she asked quietly.
“Oh yes, my Lady. As he knelt before us, I read him and his
conclusions,” Lili murmured stiffly. Ai took a shallow breath, then slowly
nodded her head slightly.
“That is an interesting development; yet it tells our enemies that if the
Emperor is no fool, then certainly he is behind these incursions into
Hegemony territory. He must, therefore, know who and what is being done
within the Hegemony … and he permits it – if not actually orchestrating it
himself.”
“My Lady Elder, perhaps with Rakel Tiberius pulling his strings, that
would be the case. With Rondal Caldarous, it is not necessary,” Lili firmly
asserted.
“No… No, I imagine it is not necessary, Lili, yet they make no move
against us over their … missing ‘harvest’, or any of their other missing
citizens.” Ai paused thoughtfully, then looked directly at her before asking,
“Lili… You and Rondal both still believe there is another player involved in
all this? Something beyond the Drecks?”
Lili took a breath, then turned and stepped away from Ai, before turning
back to face her.
“Ai, the more we learn about them, the more I am convinced they,
themselves, were never capable of becoming the enemies we’ve faced for
the last five hundred years. Their incursions along the Fringe destroyed
many of our colony worlds, leaving just those few behind who became the
current ‘Fringers’ as we now call them.
“Once we destroyed their main planetary weapons, their incursions
stopped as well. It has been over five hundred years, Ai, and they’ve yet to
produce another weapon of that level, while we are able to easily fend them
off with cruisers and the few battle platforms we have left in service. From
our spies, we’ve learned that, of the two planetary siege engines last found
around Zarox, only one of them remains functional – and that, barely.
Their ship that was destroyed was the first new design they’d produced in
two hundred years!”
“Destroyed, Lili? Or merely reduced to … spare parts?” the Elder
pondered dryly.

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“It is … out of their hands, my Lady,” she replied delicately.

“Yes … and your husband’s sudden interest in anti-matter research had
nothing to do with that, I’m sure. I’m surprised Rondal has found no place
within the Hegemony to play with his new toy,” she muttered.
“Rondal does not go to prosecute a war, my Lady. He goes to learn how
best to deal with the Drecks.”
“And what are his current conclusions? Or has he conveyed such?”
Truthfully, Lili just did not know. But she could relay issues Rondal had
brought up on more than one occasion.
“My Lady … it would have been, or rather, it should have been easy to
deal with the Drecks. Even after the Zarox disaster, we could have gone
back in and prosecuted it further, but for some reason, it was not pursued.
They’ve now spread themselves throughout their territory – much to the
dismay of all their subject species. According to my knowledge, we could
have gone into Hegemony space and eliminated their presence using our
remaining planetary strikers – I believe we still have two actives in the
fleet.”
Ai knew that, but also knew something she’d only learned months after
Elder Kita’s passing; something that explained the Commonwealth’s
reluctance to pursue the enemy in the past – but she wasn’t about to bring
it up now.
Instead, she focused on Rondal himself, and his apparent reluctance to
take lives, which she conveyed somewhat stoically.
“But … in doing so, we would also destroy all the remaining humans
within Hegemony territory, and Rondal would never allow that,” Ai said
quietly, and Lili drew in a quick breath.
“Oh yes. I learned a great many things about our Rondal on the night
he shared your Gift with me. That was the reason I chose him to deal with
our little problem – the reason I had you burden him with his father’s geas.
If the Gods would allow, I would now remove that from him, Lili. I never
should have done that to him. He never truly needed it.”
“It was given to you in the Visions, was it not?” Lili reminded her
unnecessarily.
“Yes, Lili. It was given to me, but for what purpose? I cannot even
imagine now. Rondal … Rondal is our most dangerous asset, yet the most
lenient. He pulled that village from Taxa to preserve human lives.”
“If you recall, he also destroyed three ports,” Lili muttered.

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“Yes… Yes, he did, but for the same purpose.” Ai contemplated the
issue, while remembering her insight at the moment of her last climax
during their one night together. “Lost children and small animals,” she
murmured quietly, then shook her head before turning back to Lili. “Please
convey to Rondal our concern that the Pack will try to assert itself once it
reaches the colony. Ask him to evaluate the possibility of it – if only to
preclude the necessity of eliminating the Pack upon arrival.”
“Yes, my Lady Elder. I hear and obey,” Lili said quietly.

November 15, Kale Space, Planning a Reminder

Rondal, Four, Mistress Calos, and Gar had gone over the Kale surveys
and were now reviewing options for profitable use of the Kee invasion force
with their Drecks passenger’s input.
“Tank, if we had twice as many Kee available, this would be so much
more amusing,” Mistress Calos said grimly. “Yet I cannot help but wish we
could destroy that insufferable monstrosity my mate was punished for!”

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty, not the Fainting Fate, but next on the duty roster,
looked on with interest. He’d always wondered what a Drecks would truly
wish for.

A Planning Session on the Kraken…

“Mistress Calos, please! No wishes here! They have a habit of… Forgive
me, Mistress,” Rondal said, having caught her looking at him strangely.
“I’m just a superstitious old spacer, and sent on a fool’s mission. Please tell
me, if you care to … what your mate was being punished for?” he asked,
while hopefully diverting her wish.
“The ship! The new ship! He argued against it! Told the Pack Master of
Zarox that it was a foolish thing to build, and would only bring ruin to the
Hegemony! They called him a coward, and sent us to Kee!”
“A new ship? Oh … the one they lost sometime ago?” he asked
offhandedly, sparing a glance at Gar, who was looking away from the
discussion for the moment.
“Yes! He warned them it would unbalance the peace and cause
unbridled chaos within the–” she suddenly stopped and looked at him with
a bit more perception than before … the silence between them lingering for
a few seconds longer, until Rondal felt he should probably say something
about it.
“Yes… I imagine a weapon as dangerous as was rumored to exist could
be considered a destabilizing factor. I understand it encountered a

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Commonwealth ship somewhere down along the Fringe, and they

destroyed each other. Fortunate for that, I suppose,” he said evenly.
She’d heard his words, but was now thinking of the oversize quarters
her Pack was living in, and the special accommodations at the commons
to support dining for Drecks-sized passengers. There were even Drecks-
sized ship suits available…
“Yes … fortunate,” she slowly agreed. “Also fortunate that the crew was
recovered … some of them … and the others taken by Fringers … or so it
was suspected. And then later … their families were taken from … from
Dox.” The seconds ticked away, until Rondal finally cleared his throat
before responding.
“How fascinating,” he said, before changing the subject. “You said your
mate was declared a coward?” After a short pause, she finally responded.
“Yes … for challenging the Pack Master of Zarox. But he was no coward!
He was first at the wall! The boy who came back told me. He tried to rebuild
the wall, but … but failed,” she said quietly, and Rondal diverted his eyes
for a few seconds, then took another breath before facing her again.
“Your mate was no coward to have faced the Pack Master of Zarox,
Mistress Calos. Nor was he a coward when he faced the horde of Kee. If I
had known then about the Kee … that never would have happened. My
word,” he said quietly, and got an appraising glance from Gar this time.
She looked down at him from her seat; Drecks-sized seats for her and
Gar here on this “human” ship, while considering what his word was
worth.
“I believe you,” she finally murmured, before turning back to look at the
display. “The Admiralty staff is located here, here and there,” she said,
pointing to various locations on Kale while mentioning them.
Rondal considered the images on the display, but thought of what his
earlier premise had conjectured.
“Where might the engineers … the designers reside, Mistress?”
“The Kaleen live here, and over there. They are the weapons and ship
designers,” she told him frankly, but looked into his eyes to see if she
understood his meaning. “You would target humans, Tank?”
“I would target those who continue to make my job more difficult and
prolonged, Mistress Calos. I have until the end of my life to resolve certain
issues between the Hegemony and the Commonwealth, before others of a
less temperate nature take over and deal with them as they see fit.”
That shocked her somewhat, and made an impression on Gar as well.

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“There are others who would counsel active conflict?” Gar asked.
“There are others who remember – most vividly – the loss of twenty-
seven occupied worlds – worlds peopled by survivors from the Blight who
were rescued and given new lives, and new worlds to live on … worlds that
were completely non-combatant!” he said coldly, while daring his guests to
say otherwise.
There was a significant pause, until Mistress Calos broke the silence.
“Not everyone among the Drecks understood that to be the case, Tank,
nor did everyone agree to the war,” she said quietly, then waited to hear
his response.
“Such is the nature of fools in power,” Rondal muttered, then let that
sit for a moment, before looking back at the display and continuing with
the planning session.
“Now, the engineers – there’s a nice bit of cover there,” he said, while
pointing to a small, semi-landscaped area. “Trees, brush, and a small open
field. Four, sometime after midnight, you can pop in, drop off half the Kee,
and cut them loose. Two hours later, they all go hunting, and they’ll be
hungry. Now, over here there is no cover. The Admiralty seems to have little
aesthetic sense.”
He looked at the map again, but frowned before panning around at some
of the other optical views of the area. He selected a wider area, and then a
wider one, still, and found a nice, forest-like area, and then highlighted it.
“There – what’s that?”
“That … that is a nature reserve, Tank,” Gar said. “No one goes there.
Off limits to most.”
Rondal sat back and thought about it for a while. It was extensive, but
bordered by habitable areas. He crossed his arms and nodded once.
“How many of those females had fed? Back on the ground, I mean,
before you started gathering them up?”
“Most of them, if the blood on their faces was any indication,” Gar said.
“And they only eat after they mate?”
“Usually, Tank,” Mistress Calos offered. “That’s what we were told,
anyway.”
“And … are they dedicated carnivores, or do they eat vegetables, too?”
“Mostly meat, but from what I’ve read, they can eat anything. They just
prefer meat,” Gar said, and Rondal thought some more.

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“That certainly explains why there are no large animals on Kee,” he

finally murmured, then asked, “I don’t suppose you know the average
gestation cycle of a pregnant Kee, do you?”
“*By the Gods, lad! Liling was right! You ARE an evil bastard!*” Four
muttered, watching Rondal run a few fingers over his lips in thought.
“I believe it averages one-hundred, thirty-five days, Kee,” Gar said
quietly, and Rondal did the math.
“One-hundred, forty days, Standard, or one-hundred, twenty … seven
days, Kale. And we’ve been in transit…” he paused while a smile crept over
his face. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” he murmured, then went
straight to plan B.
“Okay, new plan! We drop ten of them near the engineer’s quarters, but
the rest of them go to the nature reserve,” he decided, and all three of them
nodded slowly, while the “*evil bastard*” looked for a good spot to leave
them in the reserve.

November 16, Midnight at the Nature Reserve

The shuttle dropped silent and black over the middle of the reserve,
seeking out the quiet little grove where Rondal wanted to drop the first
group off that night…
He’d relented and served a not-too-late supper, after all, and fed the Kee
as well. Then later that evening, Four had walked into the containment
area with ship suit and collar on before setting off a gas canister that
quickly knocked out all the Kee. Once they’d given it a good ten minutes
to settle in, they’d vented the space through filters, before the rest of the
Drecks crew went through and, one-by-one, poked and prodded the Kee to
make sure they were still out. After that, it’d been a simple matter of cutting
them loose from each other and packing forty of them into the shuttle,
while the remaining ten Kee were stacked in the back of the Kraken’s Child.
In just over an hour, both the shuttle and the Kraken’s Child had left for
their deliveries.
As a matter of course, the Kraken’s Child flew high cover for the shuttle,
which had been running dark and beaconless over the reserve that
evening. It had stayed on high cover while the Kee were off-loaded and cut
loose, with the general estimation having all the Kee awake again in about
two hours...
Once Four was finished, Rondal watched from above while the shuttle
was secured and its shields brought back up – gratified to see its detection
signature go from a beached whale to the size of a sparrow. The real trick
was to make sure there were no opticals on it, because it didn’t have nearly
the nimble responses of the Galaxy-class Rondal was flying – an

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unfortunate by-product of the extra armor and shielding his crew of

engineering wizards had Clax apply to the underpowered hulk that had
once carried a crew of assassins to kill him back on Earth.
It also didn’t have the same reach as the Kraken’s Child. Once back in
orbit, they’d link up again, and Rondal would micro-jump them back to
the vicinity of the Kraken. After they docked, they’d do another short jump
– to Womak this time – and finally pick up the Drecks crèche he was after.
In the meantime, Four would sit tight while Rondal delivered the last ten
Kee to the park near the engineering quarters.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty had thought long and hard about the wish Mistress
Calos had made to destroy the Drecks super cruiser. It was too late to
destroy the first one, of course, but the latest version was currently
available, and, in his mind, it was still a valid wish – it having been said in
the presence of Lord Caldar, after all – and the ship in question wasn’t really
that far away from them in space.
In fact, Avenger II was on its initial shakedown cruise, and the first thing
they needed to shake down was a test of the new weapon loads. All they
needed were a few useless rocks to test them on.
It wouldn’t really be the Fate’s fault if Lord Caldar had left his ship
unsupervised at that particular moment. It was really too bad he couldn’t
tell the Drecks woman she’d have a chance to destroy the cruiser herself …
if she could only fly the ship … or if she could fire the weapon … or if she
even knew it was there…

Aboard the Kraken’s Child…

‘I’ll be right back!’ Rondal sent, then took off subsonically for the
approaching nightline at the engineering area. He traveled in the evening
darkness and crept along for the hour necessary to let the target area
become dark enough, before finally settling into the middle of a small copse
of trees and dropping the combat hatch with no lights showing this time.
He and two of the younger and shorter staff members worked their way
back and started off-loading the Kee, and cutting their bonds loose. That’s
how he was occupied when the Kraken signaled an alert that a ship-sized
mass radiating fire control signals was approaching within fifty-thousand
kilometers of its current position.

In the Nature Reserve…

Org was sitting behind Four when he heard him swear in three different
languages, then watched him start punching buttons on the console in
front of him. He saw him reach for a com switch, but pause. Instead of

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using the coms, he watched him enable a tactical display on the front
console and saw a view that didn’t look anything like the area they were
currently in.
“Problem, Four?”
“Someone’s running up to the ship out in the rocks,” he muttered,
before reaching out silently. ‘Ronnie, trouble on the Kraken!’
“How far off?” Org asked.
“About … forty-five thousand kilometers,” he said while still waiting to
hear from Ronnie.

Late-Evening at the Engineering Gardens

While the Kee were still blissfully sleeping in a sleepy-gas-induced
stupor, Rondal was tightly focused on his present mission and scanning
all around for nearby errant visitors.
“Well, another hour or so, and this place should be hopping,” he
murmured, while cutting the bonds off the last Kee, but looked up to see
a couple wandering through the trees in the darkness towards them.
‘Gods save us from lovers in the night!’ he thought furiously, as they
continued to walk towards them.
‘Ronnie! We have MOVEMENT out by the KRAKEN!’ Four sent intensely.
‘What! What is it?’
‘Big! Big destroyer, small cruiser. Fire control is up and radiating!’
‘Terrific! Are you safe?’
‘Until the sun comes up, but you’d better get over here fast!’
‘Got visitors on foot gonna stumble over us in … CRAP!’
One of the Kee had just moaned, then started moving around a little,
the sound causing the couple to look their way in the darkness. They began
to walk closer, so Rondal sent the Drecks into the ship, while he drifted
into the darker shadows alongside of it.
‘SHIP HANDLING!’ he screamed silently, then reached out as far as he
could, and just barely touched the systems he’d set up on the Kraken to
trigger an automatic response for just such an occasion.
The first thing it did was jettison the anti-matter loads – it wouldn’t do
to have that stuff bounced around without him there to drive the ship
directly. They were pushed out slowly, after which – with the slightest bit
of acceleration – the ship began to drift its rock perpendicular to the other

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ship’s line of approach in a sedate manner; just one more asteroid

bouncing around among many in random directions.

The Kraken, In a Previously Safe Spot

Mistress Calos and Gar met to discuss a Hospitality issue that had just
been brought to his attention. It seems that his brother, Subul, had
received word from his own son, Pengu, which suggested that a violation
of their Pack’s granting of Hospitality with the humans was being
considered. In effect, once the humans had taken Pengu’s brother, Org,
and three others out to deliver the Kee, both Mioke and Nambo had begun
promoting the idea that now would be the perfect opportunity to take over
the ship and make their escape.
Then Gar had spoken with Pengu in private to confirm his story, before
chiding him for not coming directly to him – his own father – and had
instead confided in his uncle. Pengu had explained that Subul was older
than him, and he’d not wanted to make a foolish accusation that might
embarrass the Head of Staff. Gar had thought about it, but finally nodded
his acceptance of his son’s reasoning, then reached out and lightly slapped
the side of his head almost affectionately.

Late-Evening at the Engineering Gardens

Bringing his attention back to the present, Rondal noticed the man of
the couple had been looking around the ground with a hand flash, and just
now caught sight of a naked leg. He soon found out it was attached to the
naked torso of a small female humanoid that, in a feral sort of way, looked
surprisingly attractive with the gag still in her mouth. The girl squatted
down and reached out to remove the gag…
“Nope! Don’t wanna do that,” he said quietly from the shadows, before
quickly pushing through their minds.
‘Damn!’ he thought to himself, while the man stiffened, and the girl
shrieked a tiny bit.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to step over here, please,” Rondal said
with authority. “You’ve stumbled into a security drill, and you’ll have to
stay with us until it’s over.”
He pointed with his own hand flash to the combat hatch of the Kraken’s
Child, and waved the two innocent clerks up into it.
‘Ship handling’ he sent, and a dim red light came on that outlined one
of the Drecks standing in the back of the tank. Conveniently, this one was
quick thinking enough to growl out his own order.
“Get in here, you worthless humans! I just knew one of you would fuck
up our drill tonight!”

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The Kraken, Slowly Moving Away from a Previously Safe Spot

After confirming “rumors” of a potential Hospitality violation, Mistress
Calos and Gar had Nambo and Mioke brought into an unused
compartment, where they conducted a short dialogue about the propriety
of violating Drecks honor by discussing even the possibility of such.
Counter arguments were quick in coming, which displayed the naivety of
the relatively young men standing rigidly before them.
At least they’d had enough sense to show that simple level of respect to
their Pack elders, although Mistress Calos personally felt it was directed at
Gar, and not shared with her. She proceeded to give a balanced
explanation of both how and why Hospitality had been created in the past,
and concluded that it would not now, nor ever would be, broken by Pack
Calos. There was a moment of hesitation, before Mioke took a breath to
speak, but Gar cleared his throat loudly, which then drew attention to the
glare in his eyes, and the lower canines prominently displayed with his
angry grimace.
“You would break Hospitality with those who have returned us from
DEATH?” he said angrily. “And you would leave behind Org, Krox, Abal,
and Koine on just the SLIGHTEST chance that you can PILOT this ship?
And just where would you have us GO? The Master Pack sentenced us to
Kee – AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT US!”
He was breathing hard by now, but could see the appropriate level of
terror in their eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kamea was
also shaken by his outburst, but he kept his smile hidden.
“Mistress Kamea Calos, these two would shame our Pack! With your
permission, I will take them out and remove that shame – PERMANENTLY!”
he said, while glaring at both of them and getting the appropriate reaction
to that threat.
The silence hung in the air for several seconds, before Mistress Kamea
slowly shook her head while letting out a sad sigh.
“I suppose … that would be the proper thing to do,” she said reluctantly,
“but we are only twenty out of everyone we’ve lost. Gar… Do you think…?
They are still young. Do you think there is a chance for them?”
He stared at her with the appropriate level of shock. It was always so
hard to gauge how much was needed at times like this, but the expressions
on their faces seemed to indicate that he’d hit it squarely. He turned back
to them and stared at them with a frown on his face.
“They are young. Perhaps… If given the chance to grow older, they might
learn to honor the Pack again,” he considered dismissively. “Of course, they
might also breed disloyalty – should you allow them to breed,” he muttered,

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while pointedly staring down at their crotches, which wasn’t lost on either
of them.
Mistress Kamea looked at the both of them, before finally letting out
another sigh.
“Perhaps when Tank returns there will be found additional tasks for
them to do,” she muttered. “For one, I chafe at our pleasant cage – even if
the food is plentiful and free.”
“Ha! If they return!” Gar said loudly, then waved vaguely in the boy’s
direction, before seeing them quickly scamper out of the compartment.
He saw his brother, Subul, peeking around the opening, giving him a
smile, before following the boys to keep an eye on them for a while.
“My mate was wise in making you Head of Staff, Gar,” she murmured
once they were alone.
“Lord Calos was wiser than any of those fools on Zarox, Mistress,” he
assured her, while reluctantly not calling her by her given name.

Late-Evening at the Engineering Gardens

Both Kale natives dutifully, if reluctantly, followed Rondal’s orders and
walked up the ramp into the back of the ship. They were quickly followed
by Rondal, who shut the hatch behind him.
“Please take them to the middle compartment and hold them there while
our subjects recover and begin their deployment,” he said obtusely, before
continuing forward to bring up his alert screens and find out what was
going on with the Kraken.
The readings showed it had already jettisoned the anti-matter loads,
and was moving very slowly away from the other ship’s line of approach.
He let out a deep sigh, then reached out to the Drecks cruiser and found
he was just able to reach several of the human flight crew – Kale, they felt
like this time. He closed his eyes and concentrated a bit more, before
locating the weapon and four loads way down deep in the bowels of the
ship. If it was true to the original configuration, it couldn’t be fired from
anywhere except the bridge, so he refocused his efforts there and searched
for the firing officer.
He finally found him by the excess of emotions he was putting out about
boredom, boredom, worrying about the ship blowing up like the last one,
boredom, wishing they’d hurry up and pick out a damn rock, boredom …
and … ah … finally a firing solution. Unfortunately, it seemed to involve a
rather smallish asteroid heading perpendicular from their approach.
‘SHIP HANDLING!’ Rondal screamed out silently, before bringing up the
Kraken’s navigation system in his mind and programming it for a short

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series of micro-jumps that would send it about three seconds away from
where it currently was.

The Kraken, Still Slowly Moving Away from a Previously Safe Spot
Gar enjoyed her given name – Kamea. It meant ‘The One’ in one of the
older Drecks lexicons. Old Calos had certainly lucked out when she’d
chosen him at her naming so many decades ago. His own mate, Ainalani,
had given him two fine sons, before dying in childbirth with what would
have been a daughter. He and Lord Calos had been friends for many years,
and he’d selected him to be his Head of Staff to help distract him from his
loss. Now he found that his friend’s mate was distracting him – and Calos
was no longer her mate, and she needed a mate to control the Pack.
He was about to mention that, when the sound of alarms startled them.
Unfortunately, there was very little anyone could do about it because the
humans had left them all locked inside their transit corridor. The alarms
continued for several seconds, before there was a sudden silence.
“*Standby for immediate transition*” blared out a recorded voice, but
only Mistress Calos understood what it meant.
“The ship is going to move! We must…” her voice froze when she felt a
tiny tinge of discomfort as her balance was temporarily lost when the ship
transitioned.

Late-Evening at the Engineering Gardens

Rondal was watching when the Kraken disappeared from his screen,
Four’s screen, and the screens on the Avenger II.
‘Four, you still there?’
‘Yeah! Everything all right? We lost our feed. The Kraken… It – it didn’t
get blown up, did it?’
‘Don’t know yet. I just micro-jumped it. I know where it SHOULD be, but
we gotta hurry on out of here and find out for sure’

Kale Space, The Avenger II, In a Debris Field

“Fire Control! Did you just get a glitch?” the Captain asked.
He’d noticed something like a blip on his screen, and the rock that had
been moving slowly, just seemed to vanish. It probably just slipped behind
something, though. He’d seen stuff like that before.
“Possibly, Sir! The system seems normal now, Sir!”

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“Very well. Continue the approach, and we’ll test fire at five-thousand
kilometers,” the Captain ordered, while still thinking bitterly about being
sent out here to run tests without his Drecks handlers along.
Ever since the previous ship had blown up, the Drecks had been a little
skittish about shipping out with the new weapon aboard. At least the
Captain was confident that his ship was safe. They only carried four
charges, and each one had to be manually loaded from a secure storage
container – none of which were contained within the breach room of the
weapon.

The Kraken’s Child, Still Hanging Out at the Gardens

Rondal opened his eyes and carefully looked at his local tactical screen.
The infrared display showed other people wandering in the park, but none
were coming close – unlike the unfortunate young couple in the back.
Those two had already seen them, and if they reported it to anyone, they
were in danger just for having seen them – not to mention the Kee, who
were going to be up in a few more minutes and really hungry. He made a
decision, then announced it ship-wide, “Web in. Moving ship!”
He allowed thirty seconds for Koine, who was watching the couple in
the bunkroom, to stuff them into racks and get them webbed in place. He
watched on the bunkroom monitor as Koine took care of their unwilling
passengers, before grimly sitting on the floor and bracing himself between
the racks. Abal, who was sitting up forward with him, awkwardly strapped
himself into a too-small seat in the last row while muttering Drecks curses
for all things spaceborne.
Rondal grinned maliciously, then raised the ship sharply. He left
subsonic for the upper atmosphere, where he quickly sped up before finally
dropping flat over the nature reserve. He came down to a thousand meters
above the shuttle and called out to Four.
‘Four! Come up to nine-hundred meters and pause. I’ll grab you, and then
we’ll move’ he sent, then waited for Four to respond.
‘Four, are you there?’ he sent again, before reaching down and feeling
around for him without results.
“*Ahh, crap!*” he muttered aloud, then dropped the ship like a rock –
stopping just high enough to keep from impacting the ground.
He sent out an infrared scan for heat sources, and found several of them
moving quickly away from the shuttle. Seeing nothing close by, he
extended the landing struts and settled the ship, before grabbing his sword
and cycling out the airlock. He approached the shuttle with his ship suit
collar shield in place. This allowed him to monitor the relayed infrared data
from the Kraken’s Child’s scanners that showed a line of hot bodies had

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stopped just inside the tree line, but seemed to be paying attention to what
he was doing. He kept up his all-around surveillance, but they seemed
content to stay right where they were for the time being.
He reached the shuttle, but found the shields were up tight. Extending
himself within, he was able to drop the shields, before popping the front
airlock. Once he cycled through, he was immediately attacked by a single
Kee female who clung to him like a leach. True to form, she was attempting
to stuff her tongue down his throat, and if his collar shield hadn’t already
been activated, he’d be a dead man. He finally fell backwards out of the
lock and rolled on the ground while fighting her off. Like the wild animal
that she was, she was feisty and determined, but once he got a foot curled
up into her ribs, he was able to kick her back and managed to bounce her
off the side of the shuttle. After falling on the ground, she lay there dazed
for a second, before suddenly realizing she was outside, and just moments
later, she took off for the tree line at a run.
He watched the scanner display for a few seconds, before picking up his
dropped sword and heading back to the shuttle, where he found his
missing crew mostly alive in the rear compartment. He dropped his collar
shield before he began checking out his crew. Four was down and out, but
the two Drecks were awake and still shaking from the experience. He
noticed Krox had parts of his face and most of his hand chewed off, while
Org was missing chunks out of his leg. Four was down with bites all over,
and still bleeding in a few places where the Drecks first aid kit had run out
of supplies.
“H-he saved us!” Org said, while pressing his hands over an especially
leaky section of his leg. “It was in the back … in the dark. It must have
jumped in before we closed the door, or … or maybe it woke up and hid
earlier. It-it got me! When Krox came to help, it … it attacked him – his
face. It was terrible!”
“What happened to Four?” Rondal asked while reaching out and subtly
stemming the flow of blood from Org’s leg.
“He … he came to help us. H-he attacked it with his bare hands, and
pulled it off of Krox, but … but he left his collar off, and it – it kissed him!
Then it started to eat him, and that’s when we rushed it and pushed it to
the other side of the door and locked it forward. W-We didn’t know how to
call you!”
“It’s okay. You’re gonna be all right now. Any more Kee aboard?”
“Nnn … not … tha we … ‘now of,” Krox said awkwardly, the missing
parts of his face making it hard for him to speak.
“Can you help me with Four? We need to get you guys to the other
ship.”

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“Yes, Tank! Anything – anything to get us out of here quicker!” Org said.
Rondal made a quick, unobtrusive patch job of all their injuries, while
they got Four up and started maneuvering him through the shuttle. He
had them pause at the air lock so he could bring his collar shield up again
to let him take a quick look at the line of heat spots now moving further
away from them through the trees.
Once he determined they were relatively safe, Rondal opened the airlock
and went across to the combat hatch of the Kraken’s Child, where he
quickly opened it, then waved them over. Once it was closed again, he
could feel a great sense of relief flowing from Org and Krox when they
sagged to the deck in relief. Abal and Koine immediately came back and
started checking out Four, then they started working on their two injured
companions. Meanwhile, Rondal went forward and reached out to the
shuttle.
‘Ship handling’ he sent silently, then turned off the life support system
inside the shuttle, and made sure the airlock was still open.
He brought up the shuttle shield to the point where it had not quite as
tiny a radar cross-section again, before raising the Kraken’s Child and
hovering over it closely. He extended his shield and tightened it, until the
shuttle finally lurched up to the bottom of his ship with a clang; then he
raised the both of them and headed straight up. When they got past the
very tenuous amount of upper atmosphere, he micro-jumped them to a
more distant jump point, then transitioned to where the Kraken should be
waiting for them – if it had survived the shot from the Drecks cruiser.

Aboard the Avenger II

“Very nice! Very impressive!” the Captain said to the Firing Officer.
“Make ready the second shot!”
“Yes, Sir!”

Aboard the Kraken’s Child

Once reaching the calculated jump point, Rondal reached out and felt
around for the Kraken. It took him several minutes, but he managed to
find it pretty close to where he’d guessed it would be, then focused on it
intently.
“Thirty-thousand kilometers … that way,” he murmured, then pointed
the Kraken’s Child slightly to port, before moving the ship and shuttle
towards their destination by using micro-jumps.
They slowly made their way and approached the rear of the asteroid. He
considered the size of the combined ships and the size of the smaller doors

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before sending out ‘ship handling’ and engaging the main rear door and
getting them inside the rock.
He opened the hanger deck of the Kraken, and dropped the shuttle down
lightly, then shifted over and docked the Kraken’s Child. Once he’d shut
the hanger deck and outer doors, he sat back with a sigh. They were back
and secure – mostly – so he got out and went for more help.

Aboard Avenger II
“Very nice! Still very impressive! We’ll approach closely so you can take
your readings. Have your gunners warm up the smaller guns for some
target practice!” the Captain ordered.
“Yes, Sir!”

Aboard the Kraken

Rondal had the shuttle secured after having had a full walk-through
conducted by armed and shielded Drecks to confirm there were no more
Kee aboard. They’d remained cautious, even after the shuttle’s transit
through hard vacuum. Four, Org, and Krox had been moved into a large
space – a holding cell actually – where Rondal was going to administer
some first aid of a very special nature in a little while … once he got back
his anti-matter loads.
The young couple, finally released from the center compartment of the
tank, found themselves being talked to by Mistress Calos, who was, in no
uncertain terms, explaining to them that they were now attached to her
household, and would be residing with them from now on, or until she or
the Commonwealth Demon decided otherwise. Upon hearing that, the man
quailed visibly, while the girl fainted dead away. With a disgusted sigh,
Mistress Calos had them both stuffed into a spare room in the corridor
assigned to Pack Calos.
Before Rondal set out to recover his charges, the issue of Hospitality –
and the unfortunate confusion over it – was discussed honestly. After
assurances that Four was unconditionally included, Rondal had then
extended Mistress Calos and Gar an extreme amount of trust, which
included allowing them free access to the commons and the kitchen. For
his trust and generosity, he’d been promised a meal fit for a Pack Lord
upon his return.
‘Provided I don’t blow myself up with those damn charges,’ he thought
to himself, before setting out to recover something that “just had to be left
behind” he’d told them – deliberately not mentioning it was anti-matter
charges for the BFG he’d stolen from that Drecks cruiser’s predecessor
earlier last year.

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Aboard the Avenger II

The readings were very strange. Lots of radiation as expected, but there
was a concentrated anomaly off to one side in the area of a small mass of
rocks. The Fire Control officer was jotting it down, when the Captain
ordered another small arms pass.
“The boys need more practice! Have them concentrate on that small
mass over there,” he ordered, and pointed to a small clump of debris that
was drifting randomly about fifty kilometers before them.
The Fire Control officer ordered the small arms fire redirected to the new
target, before going back to his notes – just then noticing the target
coincided with the concentrated radiation anomaly.
“Umm, Sir, I think maybe we should avoid that area for the mo–”

Aboard the Kraken’s Child

Rondal was fifty-thousand kilometers out and waiting for the cruiser to
get done farting around, when all of his screens suddenly flared, and then
blanked.
“Well … damn,” he said to himself.

In a No Longer Safe Spot…

The cluster of ten anti-matter charges had been sitting there – minding
their own business – while waiting patiently for Rondal to come pick them
up. It was the sheerest luck that the Captain had ordered the Fire Control
officer to have his gunners focus on that particular cluster of rocks behind
which the ten anti-matter charges had been waiting so patiently.
In all fairness to the gunners, it wasn’t really their fault, and in fact,
they hadn’t actually hit charge number three. It was a rather large and
rapidly moving chip coming from one of the pieces of rock they were firing
upon that punctured the shipping container and cracked the shell of the
magnetic containment bottle; which let the tiny bit of anti-matter touch
real matter for just the briefest of moments, which was just long enough
to annihilate the shell, the casing, the shipping container, and every other
piece of matter within five-thousand kilometers – including the other nine
charges … or at least their shipping containers, containment bottles, and
such.
The resultant ball of fire emulated the birth of a small sun, and grew to
an estimated diameter of nearly twenty-thousand kilometers over the span
of several minutes – which was quite long enough to leave Avenger II
nothing more than a vaporous memory to all who had served aboard him
at the end of this life, and well into the next; including their two remaining
anti-matter charges. The Admiralty would remember, however, and they

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would spend many man-hours trying to link it to the strange Kee

infestation at the Kale engineering gardens that would last for weeks and
take the lives of several prominent, yet unfortunate, victims.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty smiled smugly, while checking off that particular event
on his list. It wasn’t quite sheer luck that had brought about the destruction
of Avenger II.
It was the tiny bit of dust he’d maneuvered into position that slightly
occluded the sights of the Kaleen gunner; which had caused him to shift
slightly, thus putting one round into a slightly different position, which
caused the resultant shards of debris to explode outward at just the precise
angle necessary to cause one of them to puncture the shipping container of
the number three charge, which then set off the chain of explosive events
that had eliminated Avenger II so spectacularly.
He might get a commendation for this … maybe even a promotion!

November 18, Hegemony Space, Drifting Back to the Fringe

The raid on the crèche at Womak had been a rather anticlimactic
event…
Once Krox, Org, and Four had been stabilized, and in the case of Org
and Krox, privately scandalized by the Commonwealth male Witch named
Tank, they’d finalized their approach to Womak.
Instead of raiding the crèche back on Taxa like he’d originally planned,
Rondal had taken Gar and two Drecks helpers in the shuttle to conduct
the raid on the Womak crèche. They’d landed quite boldly, and Gar had
simply ordered the loading of the children, the young men, the young
women, and the nursing mothers and their babies into the shuttle, “by
order of the Pack Master of Zarox” and off they went.
It had taken about an hour – tops. He had to admit the Drecks could be
very efficient when properly motivated…
On this long trip back in the Kraken, Rondal was taking the very scenic
route. He first went diagonally up and right towards the upper void within
Hegemony territory, before drifting to the left around it and cruising up
and over the top of it, where there were no recorded clusters or planetary
entries at all – just the void boundary outline. Since he had no more “hot-
toys” – having left them all behind as a glowing memory not too far from
Kale – he considered it would be safer to wander around the far side of the
void and continue towards the Commonwealth that way, while planning to
cross into the Fringe by Claxon.

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During the transit, he’d performed a minor miracle in the eyes of

Mistress Calos by repairing the majority of Krox’s face, with his distress
being managed by a sufficient application of ambrosia to numb the pain.
The results hadn’t been pretty, and some of his tattoos had mysteriously
disappeared, but at least he could eat properly once again. Kamea, at least,
was duly impressed, and he’d promised Krox would be fully reconstructed
once they all went through medical screening at the reception station –
courtesy of the female Commonwealth Witches on staff there. She’d
stiffened at that, but a triple-measure of ambrosia had calmed her nerves,
before they settled in to talk about Commonwealth Healers for a bit, while
Krox napped beside them.
There was one other issue he’d needed to discuss with her – the
nameless girl who was no longer food. He’d told her of that one time when
he’d foolishly named a food girl, and what the result had been. Her quiet
giggle had brought out a smile that reflected the beauty of her youth, but
he’d kept that remark to himself. They’d discussed Drecks cultural
conventions regarding “nameless ones” and she’d agreed to inquire about
her situation.
Mistress Calos later made discreet inquiries among her staff, and spoke
to him about the results. Then he bade Mistress Calos to gather her new
pack on the hanger deck in it’s entirety for a special event.

On the Hanger Deck

As the last stragglers fitted themselves into the hanger deck, Rondal
looked out over the gathering and hoped it ended peacefully.
He could see confusion in some faces, with some unreadable
expressions in others, but at Mistress Calos’ nod, he began in common
Drecks.
“At my Master’s bidding, I claimed a member of Pack Calos as tribute to
a new colony within the Demon’s Realm. The person claimed by my Master
was a nameless girl – a food girl – and he declared her a food girl no longer.
Where is this girl? Bring her to me!” he ordered loudly.
The young woman was pushed forward by her pack, and Mistress Calos
herself walked her over to Rondal. He looked her over sternly, and said,
“By my Master’s order, I name you … Mandan,” and she quivered in
excitement.
She’d never had a name! She’d never expected a name! She’d never
expected to live long enough to earn a name!
He held out his arms to her, and she came forward slowly. Then she
bent down a bit to let him hug her while trying to keep from crying, before
he pushed her back and held her by her arms.

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“Mandan, you are a named girl now. As such, many things now change
in your life. Is there one here you would serve?”
He let go of her, and she immediately looked behind her; searching for
a particular face, then found and approached Krox, before kneeling down
before him.
“Krox, someone named Mandan kneels at your feet. Will you have her
keep your quarters, or must she seek the comfort of someone else?” he
asked formally, as dictated by Mistress Calos.
Krox looked down at her in astonishment, and seemed to have a hard
time finding his words.
“I – I think … I think my life would be much fuller if I shared my quarters
with Mandan. I welcome her company,” he said quietly.
It would appear their shared ordeal on Kee had seemed to mediate his
response. Either that, or Mistress Calos had just changed cultural
convention – at least among her Pack. He saw a few disgruntled faces
among her men, but couldn’t tell if they were disappointed they weren’t
picked, or simply pissed at the change in menu. He noted the absolutely
shocked expressions on two of the younger men in attendance. It wasn’t
exactly proper Drecks protocol – which was Krox either accepting her to
keep his quarters, or being eaten by him for dinner – but the latter was
definitely off the table from this point on … for all of them. No exceptions.
He noted the smiling acceptance of Mistress Calos to the new Pack
mating ritual they’d just witnessed. For a Drecks female, she was very
progressive. He would leave the rest of it – the naming of the few remaining
nameless ones – in her capable hands.

November 22, En route, Orientation for Mistress Calos

He and Four were just finishing an informal meeting over their current
ship status, but there were issues they might need to discuss of a more
personal nature at some point; issues Four was not currently privy to that
had come up during his recovery, because Rondal had inadvertently read
them from his very confused mind.
Mistress Calos had chanced that moment to track him down in his
planning room, so as Four took the opportunity to head to the bridge,
Rondal welcomed her in, and they settled across from each other at the
table…
They were still drifting along in micro-jumps just like a standard liner,
because they’d never actually captured and brought in a complete social
unit like this before – an entire Drecks Pack – unfortunately without its
named Pack Leader. He’d thought the extra time would be worth the delay

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while studying them, as there were some radical perceptions that needed
to be overcome, and he was still working them out delicately with the Pack
Mistress. He considered this surprise visit by her might be one more
opportunity to add to his knowledge…
‘Ship handling’ he sent, then activated a subsystem, before clamping
shut his Elder block. It was rude, but he felt it might be necessary for some
reason.
“Mistress Calos, how is your Pack adapting to captivity?” he joked
lightly, but her frown indicated things weren’t going as smoothly as he’d
hoped.
“Tank, my Pack finds your rules somewhat confining. They bristle at
some of the restrictions to their normal behavior.”
“Well, I’m sorry that certain meats were removed from their diet on a
permanent basis, but on my world, it is often said, ‘you are what you eat.’
I would think they would fear becoming more like us.”
Her shoulders tightened, and her face looked like she was trying not to
display anger towards him.
“Oh… That is the problem, isn’t it?” he said in sudden understanding,
while hopefully reading her body language correctly. “Please forgive my
rude comment, Mistress Calos. I meant no disrespect. We have never had
the company of an entire Pack before. We usually just come across those
few individuals who find their circumstances have become quite fragile –
such as that young couple from Kale you’ve adopted.”
“So you’ve never taken Drecks before? Aside from your one girl?” she
asked stiffly.
“Quite the contrary, Mistress. There are several Drecks who’ve decided
they would prefer our company rather than remain in the feed pens waiting
for the next festival. We do not eat our young,” he said coolly, before her
eyes shifted away from his.
“Despite what the Master Pack tells us,” she said bitterly, and he held
his grin at bay for this semi-acceptance of a new truth.
“And the Drecks are not mindless savages – despite what a biased
observation may report. How may I help you, Mistress Calos?”
She took a breath while staring across the table at him.
“There are those within my Pack who are fearful over their position.
They advise caution, and … and perhaps escape – although I don’t imagine
there is any place they could survive without Pack sponsorship.”

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“Ah! Yet another insight into the society of the Drecks! Thank you,
Mistress,” he said warmly, but saw a dawning understanding begin behind
her eyes.
“You! You study us! You take us just to study us! And when you’re done
with us, you’ll discard us, like … like some useless bit of gristle!”
Rondal sat back and sighed, while folding his hands in his lap. She was
an adult Drecks of some power, but it was power she might find slipping
away because she was a female in their society and generally of lesser
worth. Her mate was dead, and he suspected it was only due to her Head
of Staff, that she retained any power at all.
“Mistress Calos, you are very perceptive … but your conclusions are
flawed,” he said quietly, before rolling up his sleeves and pulling out his
pocketknife. He opened a pointed blade during another sigh.
She watched warily as he scraped underneath his fingernails – a
personal grooming affront that caused her to bristle, he noted. Unlike most
Drecks behaviors he’d observed, she was not indifferent to this social slight
towards her. She appeared somewhat cultured, even. He wondered just
how high in the hierarchy Pack Calos had fallen, then briefly wondered if
she ate her humans raw or cooked?
“It is known and accepted among those in the Commonwealth that
humanity comes in many forms … and colors … and shapes,” he said
quietly, otherwise ignoring her while tending to his nails.
“In the Commonwealth, we accept that concept. My father was Kantite.
My brother is Kantite, but many of his wives are from Cletus. My brother’s
First Wife has staff from Balese … those little blue people. One of the worlds
in the Bornat cluster has those inquisitive people whom most would say
are too skinny, in addition to being gray. They caused quite a stir on my
home world a while back. My mother was from Earth … and it’s not even
in a cluster. As with us, your clusters are all variants from each other,
although you might not notice it right away … but I do,” he said, while
pausing to look up into her eyes.
“The Dox, Kale, Womak, and Taxa humans … those that resemble me …
are each a unique race, but they’re still human. I haven’t yet figured out
what the Kee are, though,” he admitted with a tiny snort, before returning
to his nail grooming, but heard her shift in her seat.
“And what about us? Where do Drecks fit into your … your view of
humanity?” she asked hotly, and he stopped his grooming and looked up
at her again with a resigned expression on his face, a soft sigh following it,
before he spoke.

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“The Drecks … are merely another race of humans. Big humans … but
humans nonetheless. If we can breed together, then we are all human.
Surely that has occurred on one or two occasions within your memory?”
“Abominations!” she said in revulsion. “The women are killed in
childbirth, and the babies are destroyed!”
“And … was that a natural reaction, or something that is merely
custom?” he asked quietly, and she paused before answering.
“The women … the babies killed them during birth. The babies were not
pure Drecks, and were killed as well,” she said quietly.
“And tell me, Mistress Calos, if it were up to you, and truly you alone, …
would those babies have died?” he asked her very quietly, which elicited
another pause from her.
“No. Not … not if I could have prevented it,” she murmured, and he
withheld his smile, but nodded his head slowly.
“I delivered one such on Womak about two months ago. The Womak
mother, the half-breed baby, and her very human Womak mate are on the
colony world now. Their companions weren’t too pleased about the
situation, but the couple care for the child by the Demon’s orders – under
penalty of death. It was expedient at the time, and they are under
observation.”
Rondal focused on his knife, then closed his pointy blade and opened
up his sharp blade, before setting the knife on the table in front of him.
Then he looked directly into her eyes.
“Mistress Calos … I have fought the Drecks for most of my adult life. For
much of that time, I believed what was I was told, and I followed orders. I
have since learned to question dogma,” he muttered bitterly, before picking
up his knife again. “You are human-Drecks … I am a half-breed – human-
Kantite, human-Earth,” he said forcefully, then drew the blade several
inches down his arm … letting the blood well up from the cut and drip, to
slowly pool on the table top.
He dropped the knife in front of her, and asked, “I wonder, Mistress …
do you bleed the same as me?”
She stared at him, then down at his arm. Then she looked at the growing
pool of blood beneath it. She took the knife in a shaky hand and drew it
down her own arm – leaving a trail of blood that dripped on her side of the
table, before reaching out and dropping the knife on the table in front of
him. From what little he’d learned from Larl’s studies, she’d followed the
forms well, and gave honor to her people.

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He reached out, folded the knife shut, and put it away. Then he did a
curious thing to her eyes when he dipped his finger into his blood and drew
a round circle on the table between them. From her blood, he dipped his
finger and put two dots of blood near the inner edge of the circle on his
side. Then he added another dot in the middle of the circle. From his blood
this time, he took another finger full, then drew a half circle inside the
boundary of the circle on her side.
The resultant smiley-face looked up happily at her from the tabletop.
“You must understand, Mistress Calos, that what I do here is not for the
Commonwealth, or the Crown … or for the *Elder*. Do you know of her?”
he asked quietly, and she nodded slightly. “What I do here is for my family,
Mistress, and my family is very large, and very important to me.”
Their blood continued to drip onto the table while he continued.
“In my family are my brother and his wives, my grandchildren and their
children. Also in my family is a young Drecks food girl that I named and
shared pleasure with,” he said, and noted the new shock in her eyes when
he finally admitted sharing contentment with the food girl he’d told her
about. “Alas, her heart was captivated by a golden-haired youth of my
home world, and their love produced a daughter – whom they are both very
proud of – as am I.”
He saw this also registered some concern with her.
“Also in my family is a Commonwealth Witch who fostered two young
Drecks boys and raised them as her sons … and then her lovers,” he
continued, now pushing even more buttons in Mistress Calos’ mind. “As
you can imagine, I’m afraid that is not a well-known situation.”
“Yes – yes, I can well imagine the problems that might entail,” she
admitted, while appearing somewhat flustered.
“Of course, she also fostered a young female Kee … although the
circumstances behind that, totally escape me,” he said with a shrug,
followed by a shudder.
“It is said that … that the Kee can be tamed – somewhat,” she offered
quietly. “The females, anyway.”
“But you must keep them well fed,” they both said together, then shared
a short laugh, before he continued.
“On my home world I have other family – my native Pack. That world
knows nothing of the Commonwealth, save for very few of them, and they
barter with us for technology, while we protect them from problem races.”
“Like the Drecks?” she suggested softly.

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“Yes … like the Drecks,” he agreed slowly, while nodding his head.
He looked away from her, before asking, “Tell me, Mistress, before the
Zarox … incident, I believe it was called? Before the incident, where did all
the Drecks live?”
“On Zarox, of course, where any good citizen would want to–”
“And now? Where do they live now?” he quickly interrupted her.
“On Zarox,” she repeated, “And Kale, and many of the clusters all over
the Hegemo–” she paused in sudden understanding.
“Yes… You see my difficulty,” he said flatly, letting his statement sink
in, while their blood continued to pool, then finally mingled at opposite
sides of the ring in the center of the table.
She glanced down at the blood, then looked up just a bit to see him
staring at her.
“We appear to have come to a decision point,” she said quietly, referring
to the joining of the pools.
“Yes … we have,” he said very softly, and hoped what he did next didn’t
turn sour on them both.
“As Mistress of Pack Calos, you have accepted my Hospitality. You and
your Pack have acted in accordance with the rules of Hospitality – even
given the stress of extremely unusual circumstances you have found
yourselves in. On the whole, you have been excellent guests.
“Mistress Calos, you surmise correctly that I come on the Demon’s
behalf to gain knowledge on how best to resolve the differences between
the Hegemony and the Commonwealth. You assume – incorrectly – that
your lives are forfeit once the Demon has attained that knowledge.
“The Demon holds you, personally, in high esteem, and the Demon has
authorized me to drop you and your Pack at Krux – the last outpost of the
Hegemony – before entering Fringe space. That would be your immediate
Pack only – not the crèche, not the couple from Kale, or the ex-food girl,
Mandan, and her new mate. They will continue with us to join the Demon’s
Realm, where they will become colonists with the rest of our guests.
“An offer to join the Demon’s Realm is also extended to all individuals
within your Pack, and I must apologize for that,” he said. “The Demon will
not turn away willing guests … even at the insistence of their Pack leader,”
he added, and she stared at him for several seconds, until her body
spasmed in a suppressed snort.
“So it would appear that my Pack may depart in peace … or in pieces?”
she asked wryly.

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“So it would appear. And I cannot guarantee their safety once in custody
on Krux.”
“No. Escaped prisoners from Kee might very well find themselves back
on Kee – or on someone’s dinner platter,” she said flatly.
“Well, whatever is customary under Drecks law–”
“I will take it under advisement, Tank,” she interrupted him. “I will let
you know,” she added with finality, and bowed just her head.
“Just one thing more, Mistress Calos. I am newly informed there is some
concern your Pack will attempt to extend itself and its influence over others
on the colony world. It is a natural thing to grow a family, and add others
to it by marriage or association – but know that the colony world is a society
of its own, and does not follow Drecks society rules or structure – nor would
such an attempt be allowed. The solution to a problem of that nature would
be swift and permanent.”
“How are we to live if not as Drecks?”
“You seem to be doing well, so far, Mistress. I would not have expected
your men to follow you once your mate was lost, and yet you still lead and
control.”
“That is due more to the influence of Gar than anything else, Tank.”
“Then perhaps it would be best for you and Gar to make a united front
to guide your Pack into peaceful integration within the colony. Far better
that, then trying to follow rigid rules that may no longer apply. Gar looks
upon you favorably, I believe.”
“That is no concern of yours, Tank!” she said hotly, but a blush rose up
her neck.
“Understood, Mistress Calos,” he said contritely, then bowed as well,
before sitting upright and looking at the corner of the room.
“*Recording-end! Archive, Kraken-Calos-Krux!*” he said, and was
rewarded with a cheerful chime.
“*Archive complete!*” a system voice said, and he heard a gasp from her,
before turning back to face her.
“Whatever you decide to do about Krux, I have a record of our
conversation for study by my Master. I would not want my word questioned
by him and be found faulty. You may review it if you like. If necessary, you
may play it for the edification of Gar and others of your staff, but I’m afraid
that I can’t very well let a copy of it leave the ship.”
She stood in anger and turned to leave, but found the door was locked.

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“Mistress Calos, if I may suggest… You have the floor … or the table if
you will,” he said, indicating the pool of their mingled blood with his hand.
“I’m sure there are questions you have that are best considered in private.
I concede the necessity of providing you proper answers to them.”
She turned and looked down at him angrily, before looking at the blood
still dripping from his arm. Then she glanced down and saw her own blood
still dripping to the floor. With an exasperated sigh, she plopped down
sullenly, but stared at him when he reached out for her bloody arm, before
reluctantly extending it towards him.
“I believe we have followed enough of proper form for the time being,
Mistress. Besides, blood is so hard to remove from the carpet,” he
muttered, before grasping her arm. “This is not magic,” he murmured, “This
just is,” he whispered, then called the Healing down through him and
sealed the cut on her arm to the point where it was a tiny, ridged line, then
as an afterthought, sealed his own cut as well.
The Healers on the Receiving Station would fix it perfectly during their
routine medical intake screening – along with anything else they found
remiss. Combat-Healers were funny like that.
The extended meeting he and Mistress Calos shared took another few
hours to complete and pretty much provided a platform for Rondal’s
bleeding heart to vent all his frustrations onto an unsuspecting Drecks
female Pack leader. He’d naturally lied about not making a second
recording, of course.
The material he’d elicited from Mistress Calos was quite juicy in his
opinion; and like most females of his acquaintance, she wasn’t shy about
sharing her feelings – especially when he’d pulled out the ambrosia and
liberally plied her with it. The end result was a couple of hours of unbridled
observations of both Hegemony and Commonwealth concepts of honor,
duty, trust, loyalty, and responsibility. It also delved into the situation of
the crèche culture, and how and why it had developed, then drifted into
what a woman’s place was in Drecks society, and how she would fix it if
she got the chance.
For his part, he’d let loose the teasing assertion that women really ran
the Commonwealth from behind the scenes, and related it to how life was
on Earth before the men took charge, but then pointed out they all needed
to get laid at some point, and thought he’d caught interested looks from
her from time to time afterwards.
At one point, he was almost tempted to try an experiment with her, but
just couldn’t see himself trying to have sex with a woman who was so much
taller than him. He did estimate it would probably put her nipples at a
delightful height for play during intercourse, but snapped himself back to
reality before he said or did anything stupid.

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After three hours, the end result was him escorting her back to her
quarters and turning her over to Gar – whom he noted looked at her with
proprietary interest. He’d considered again talking to them both about it,
but didn’t want to interfere with this bit of Drecks culture; deciding to leave
it up to the experts.

November 25, The Receiving Station, A Delivery Well Met

Krux was approximately fourteen minutes “below” them, and about
twelve minutes to their “left.” They hadn’t needed to divert to it after all.
At the end of the second day after their meeting, Mistress Calos had
reported to Tank they would all be continuing to their final destination,
then thanked him for his un-collaborated honesty. He’d thanked her as
well for sharing her views, and in a fit of honesty, had told her there was a
ship accident shortly after they’d left the Kale area that appeared to match
the radiation profile of the previous accident somewhere down of them near
the Fringe. He’d denied any involvement with it personally, but pointed out
that wishes were very dangerous things when said in front of him, then
repeated his threat to severely punish whoever or whatever had carried
them out.
After arrival, the transfer was completed with more aplomb than
expected, as Larl’s sociologists seemed more than up to the task. Dorcas
and Nathan’s appearance, with a wobbly toddler version of Rose in
accompaniment, was slightly different as well. This Dorcas was stronger
and surer of both herself and her place in the world, and he’d noticed
Mistress Calos nodding frequently as Dorcas had spoken her welcoming
speech. He’d also noted that Dorcas didn’t offer any alternative other than
them joining the colony.

November 26, Still Docked at the Receiving Station, A Day of Rest

‘Petrus, has he complied yet?’ Lili asked silently.
Startled out of his doze, Four opened his eyes, and looked around the
aft lounge, but didn’t see Rondal anywhere. From a glance at the ships
timer, he thought he was probably still sacked out in his cabin.
‘Liling, sweetheart, I don’t sleep with the man, so I don’t really know.
Besides, the Healers have been by twice now – putting me back together
after the boy’s sloppy patch job. I thought you trained him better’
‘Merely an illusion for your guests. Rondal did not do much more than
seal the wounds on those two Drecks you saved’
‘Well, the Healers had a field day with those two – with Org, anyway,
since Krox was already taken by Mandan’

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‘What do you …oh NO! Tell me they are not abusing their positions as
Healers!’
‘Liling, my love, they are abusing those poor Drecks and laughing about
it!’
‘I shall order their punishment! I shall–’
‘Liling, my sweet, you will do nothing of the kind. The Healers and their
clients are having a wonderful time. The care and love they show them will
do more to help them enter our society than simply giving them a hot meal
and a comfortable bed’
‘Men – you always think with your penis!’
‘It doesn’t require much thought. The day after I woke up, Ronnie
mentioned the Drecks had another accident over by Kale this time – SWEARS
it wasn’t his fault. Any reports about it yet?’
He wasn’t sure just what she was aware of and hoped she would tell
him freely, since Ronnie had just brushed him off when he’d asked for
details about it.
‘That is the word coming back from our observers. They sent a ship out
for a routine shakedown cruise, but it vaporized itself, and a twenty-
thousand kilometer sphere of asteroids, somewhere close to Kale’
‘That explains the missing anti-matter loads,’ he thought he’d muttered
to himself.
‘So Rondal DID attack a Drecks ship?’
‘No, my darling. We left the ship in an asteroid field with non-combatants
on board. When the ship reported itself being scanned, and fire control
signals being received, Ronnie initiated an emergency movement of the ship
by remote control. Per protocol, he jettisoned the anti-matter charges before
it moved. From what he described, they must have accidently shot them
during target practice. Ronnie was fifty-thousand kilometers out, but they
were only five or so. They probably never even noticed’
‘How did the Kraken escape if it was being observed?’
‘Ronnie programmed in a multi-second jump and crossed his fingers.
Caught up with the ship after he rescued us from being eaten alive by that
one damn Kee’
‘One? One of them took down THREE of you?’
‘And he tells me Sai is sleeping with one. Liling, is this true? Does Sai
really NOT know what she’s got? We have videos of … of really BAD THINGS
concerning the Kee!’

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‘She knows Déjà is a cannibal, but she did not know what she was
called. I look forward to seeing the video’
‘No, my darling, you do not. They are animals!’
‘I thought little Déjà was quite charming – with but a single focus,
however’
‘Yes! Well, please share the video with Sai when you can. Perhaps it will
change her mind’
‘Why Petrus! It would almost seem like you actually CARE – or perhaps,
are you … jealous? Shall I also inform Sai where the video came from – or
rather, WHO it came from?’
‘Do that, Lili, and I’ll have you over my knee so fast– OW!’
‘Ah – Ah – Ah, Petrus! RIGHT thinking will be rewarded. WRONG thinking
will be punished!’
‘By the GODS, woman! You’re insufferable! If I didn’t love you so much, I
would never have let you talk me into this!’
‘I know, Petrus, and I love you for your trust in me. Please inquire about
Rondal. Perhaps I should send two Healers to your ship while you are
resting, and the second could trap Rondal and service his needs. It has been
much too long for the both of you, my loves’
‘Thank you, Liling. I’ll see if I can locate Ronnie and arrange a surprise
for him with one of your Healers’
‘I have every confidence, my love’ she sent before ending.

The Receiving Station, Later That Day

“Dorcas! You look wonderful,” Rondal said in greeting to his ex-ward.
He stood up and gave her a hug, before turning to shake Nathan’s hand.
Then he hugged Nathan as well, before looking up at him curiously.
“Nathan, you’ve grown about a foot, haven’t you?”
“Yes… Now she’s cheating a bit with me and having me catch up with
her.”
“And who is this little one,” he said, while squatting down and looking
at the eleven-month-old toddler standing between them.
He knew exactly who she was, and surprised she was already walking.
It would appear the longer gestation cycle of the Drecks seemed to give
their offspring a few advantages. Of course, at just under a year old, it was
anyone’s guess how much. Her eyes locked on his, and she struggled out

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of her parents hands to reach out her arms to him. He held out his arms
while she lurched across the few feet between them, then clung to him
tightly, finally forcing him to stand up with her in his arms when she
wouldn’t let go.
Dorcas looked down at the two of them and smiled warmly.
“You remember, Ronnie … this is Rose. She really seems to have taken
a liking to you.”
“Well, she’s just as charming as her mother,” he said while they walked
further into the ship and reached a lounge area, where there was plenty of
comfortable seating of all sizes.
He sat down with Rose, and she snuggled with him.
“And she has her father’s hair,” he added while running his fingers
through it and hearing a contented sigh coming from her, not quite a purr,
before giving Dorcas a look.
“That’s something she learned from the kits – Puss and Boots’ little
ones,” she said.
“The kits? You let her play with the kits?” he asked, already knowing
Puss and Boots’ offspring were dwelling inside “the caves” as they called
them, and watching over the rest of the family – but he didn’t know they
were allowed around the babies.
Nathan saw the concern in his eyes, and tried to allay it.
“They all seem to get along, Ronnie. I hear Maya just about had a heart
attack the first time she saw the kits sleeping with them, but they all seem
to be part of the pride – although, I’d be hard pressed to figure out who the
alpha male and female are,” he admitted with a shake of his head.
“Well, nurture over nature,” Rondal muttered, then looked down at the
little girl looking up at him adoringly.
Just for fun, he extended through her and did what little comparison
he could between her Drecks and Earthling natures; seeing dimly where
things had remained the same – such as her height, which was easily as
tall as a human-standard child twice her age, and her hair – which was as
fine and golden-hued as her father’s.
‘She is a beautiful little girl,’ he thought, and saw her smile in return.
He turned contemplative for a moment, before taking a tiny peek into
her thoughts.
‘Oh my…’

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Rose reached up and touched his face gently. He smiled, and looked up
at Nathan and Dorcas watching the two of them sitting together.
“She is a very special little girl,” he said, and ran his fingers through her
hair once more while she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes
– uttering a tiny purr of contentment all the while.
Dorcas looked down and beamed at his comment.
“She does that with the others – Walter, Cathy, Josie, and Jaiying …
and the kits, of course. She hates to leave them when we have to come out
here, but seems happy enough when she sees others like … like me,” she
said, somewhat awkwardly.
He couldn’t read her concern, but he could guess.
“It may be that the sight of adult Drecks doesn’t disturb her as such.
Or maybe it’s finding out that Mommy is not a real ‘grown-up’ yet, herself.
But she’s just a baby still, and her world will be filled with all sorts of
wonders as she grows up,” he suggested.
He sighed and wondered how hard it would be to put rocking loungers
aboard in a few select spaces. He’d certainly picked up a few mothers with
babies lately. Nathan broke his thoughts with a question.
“What are your plans now, Ronnie? Are you going back out, or will you
be taking a vacation? It is almost Christmas, and I’m sure the rest of the
family would like to see you.”
He sat there contemplatively, while rubbing Rose’s back lightly and
enjoying the purr coming from her and resonating across his chest.
Christmas time on Kantor?
The last Christmas was no celebration – not for him, anyway. He’d lost
Xiaoli – or Oli now, as Lili had nicknamed her. He wondered how she was
doing now that her mother and younger sisters were raising her – again.
He also had his extended family back on Earth to consider, and
wondered what Ling had done in his absence. He hoped she didn’t let
things devolve into yet another bogus religion when her back was turned,
or while lost in mindless pleasure in an uninterrupted loop of the Gift, he
considered grimly … the soulless bitch!
His eyes glazed over for a few seconds while he received a call.
‘Rondal, there is some concern you should cease operations for a while
until a response has been gauged about the missing ship off Kale’ Lili sent.
‘Hey, if they don’t know how to play with hot-toys, it’s not my fault!’ he
retorted quickly.

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‘Petrus tells me you left them there – inadvertently, of course – but still,
the reaction from the Drecks has yet to be considered. We would really like
you to stand down for a short while, Rondal. Perhaps spend some time at
the receiving station and take some too-long-delayed contentment from our
Healers out there? Or perhaps return home and visit your grandchildren, at
least?’
‘Now why should I not think this was all planned, Lili? Nathan is here
suggesting the very same thing – that I return to Kantor and visit with him
and the rest of the family for a while, so that–’
‘Nathan and Dorcas must continue with their duties to the
Commonwealth – or to the “Demon’s Realm” as you have impressed upon
your prisoners’ she chided him. ‘But the request is still extended, Rondal.
Do not have it become a command’ she warned him.
‘I hear … and reluctantly obey, my Healer’ he sent sullenly, while easily
deflecting the piercing probe she’d sent his way, just as she’d done to Four,
but with better results.
‘RIGHT thinking will be rewarded…’ she began, but suddenly realized
she’d never touched him.
‘And wrong thinking often plagues me. Please keep your nasty probes to
yourself, Lili. I will visit Earth to see what the soulless one has accomplished
in my absence, and perhaps do a little shopping. Then I will see if a visit to
Kantor is on the schedule – MY schedule. And… I will refrain from interfering
with the Drecks for the time being – unless something really juicy happens
to catch my attention. You haven’t, by any chance, found out what happened
to Lord Gagsa, have you?’ he asked, while fingering his talisman through
his shirt.
‘Not as yet. We do ask when the opportunity arises, but he seems to have
fallen into grave displeasure with the Master Pack on Zarox. Rondal, take
care of yourself and see to your contentment – that IS an order! And take
care of Petrus! He has served me well over the years, and I would not like
to see that service broken by an unfortunate accident – such as being eaten
alive by a Kee!’
‘So he told you, did he? His OWN damn fault – walking in with his collar
shield down’ he commented disgustedly.
‘Do not try to fool us, Rondal. You care as much for him, as do we. He
suggests you need more crew, other than you and him. We can supply you
with many–’
‘Who have firm ties with the Commonwealth, and would become a
liability if traced back as such. I would rather have a crew of Drecks – if I
was sure I could trust them – but I can’t read their minds, and it would
distract me too much otherwise’

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‘I can think of two Drecks who would serve you, Rondal. They are, after
all, members of your family’ she teased him.
‘Yes, but having the Elder’s executioner aboard, along with her pet
cannibal, would be too much to bear. Besides, I doubt Petrus would remain,
if Sai joined the crew. I suspect she’s pissed at him for some reason that has
nothing to do with our activities out at the Fringe. When you get the video of
the Kee operation, you really should send a copy of it to Sai. Just edit out
any parts showing Petrus … or having his voice in it … or offering ANY
suggestion that he was there. He’s absolutely TERRIFIED of getting caught
by her. If she knew he was with me, she would redouble her efforts to find
me’
‘Perhaps’ she sent teasingly, but then became firm. ‘Your orders,
Rondal?’
‘Stand down, accept contentment in full measure’
‘And…’
‘And take a small vacation – on my schedule. Maybe visit with the family
as time allows’
‘Well enough, Rondal. I have every confidence’ she sent, before dropping
the conversation.
“Lili sends her regards,” he said a moment later, that conversation
having taken about eight seconds in total. “And I’m to refrain from poking
sharp sticks into stinger nests for the time being, and take contentment in
full measure,” he muttered, and Dorcas’ eyes lit up.
“Oh Ronnie! How wonderful! I am here, and we have some time before
we must leave. When Rose takes a nap, we may all play!” she suggested
cheerfully, but Rose reached up and held on to his neck, before settling in
for a longer stay that got him to chuckle quietly for a few moments.
“Tell you what. Guest quarters are just down the corridor to the left and
the door is … ‘ship handling’ … open. No doubt you have little opportunity
for play during the day while Rose is awake, and she and I can sit here
while you reacquaint yourselves.”
“But … but what shall you do, Ronnie?” Dorcas asked, even as Nathan
slid his arm around her waist.
“Well, Rose and I are gonna watch a movie … a musical, I think,” he
said, and pointed to the wall display. “What would you suggest, Nathan?”
“Umm, ‘*Hello, Dolly*’ … if you have it.”
“Which one?” Rondal asked.

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“You said musical – the one with Barbra Streisand. I think Gene Kelly
directed it … although the older movie had its own charming moments with
Paul Ford and Shirley Booth playing against each other. I think that one
was called ‘*The Matchmaker*’ but it wasn’t a musical.”
“Streisand it is, then,” he said, then issued oral commands to the
entertainment system that quickly brought up the title and began playback
at a sedate listening level. The room lights dimmed slightly, while Rondal
settled back with Rose still stuck to him; letting Nathan and Dorcas quietly
leave the room and head out to play.
Just over two hours later, Four walked in and found the pair of them
sprawled in the comfortable seat and sleeping soundly. He was
accompanied by two Healers, who seemed fascinated at seeing the First
Lord so relaxed and content while holding the sleeping child in his arms.
They were soon joined by Dorcas and Nathan who both quietly greeted
the Healers by name, and the five of them watched while Rondal and Rose
slept through the closing credits of the movie, before a quiet chime began
to get louder and louder, and finally woke Rondal, who opened his eyes,
then looked around before finally noticing five grinning faces watching
them from across the room.
“Be careful, girls. It’s said the Demon eats little Healers like you for
dinner!” Four warned them, while reaching an arm around each Healer’s
shoulder.
“Oh yes! And he does it very well, too!” Dorcas said, and little Rose
finally stirred and looked around, before catching sight of her mother.
She looked up at Rondal again, then patted his face, before sliding to
the floor, and tottering sleepily over to her mother while holding up her
arms. Dorcas squatted down and lifted her up to let the hungry little girl
peel apart her robes and latch on to a nipple to nurse from. Then she pulled
back and fixed her father with an angry glare, before taking the other nipple
to her lips and nursing contentedly from it.
“They both favor the same side,” Dorcas murmured, but Rondal
immediately pushed through her and checked for malignant cells, or
anything else that might be affecting the quality of Dorcas’ milk.
The Senior among the two Healers noticed it right away, and intruded
on his thoughts.
‘Lord Caldar, we have already checked your young Healer, and found
nothing amiss. It merely appears that both her child and her bond-mate
prefer the same side’ she offered, so he withdrew from Dorcas.

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“Lord Caldar, Lady Lili orders your contentment and suggested that
perhaps the Gift of the First Wife would be offered should you be pleased
with our services,” the Senior continued audibly.
“My Ladies, the Gift is yours, whether I am pleased or not. Has Four’s
wound’s been sufficiently repaired?”
“We have just finished this session, my Lord. Now we turn our duties to
you.”
“Well, it appears I’ve been called away,” he said to Dorcas and Nathan.
Then he went over to hug both of them, and stroked Rose’s hair once again.
“Please stay and enjoy the quietness of the lounge.”
Four broke into a big smile.
“I’ll be happy to spend some time with your children! The Healers have
just about used me up, and I could stand the break! Go on about your
business now, lad, and leave everything to me!”
As he left the lounge with the two Healers, he could already hear Four
regaling Dorcas and Nathan about how he, Four, had saved Rondal’s life,
and four Drecks renegades, from a vicious attack by twelve hungry Kee.

November 27, The Receiving Station, The Next Morning

Rondal awoke alone, but felt extremely well contented. He checked the
ships timer, saw it was still early morning, but got up anyway and visited
the toilet and shower, before putting his room to right and getting dressed
to face the day. The knock at his door was a surprise, but it was just Four,
who stood there with a data tab for him to review.
“The latest reports from the Elder’s spies, lad,” he said quietly, but
winced a tiny bit when he walked in and sat down.
“Still a little stiff?” Rondal quickly pushed through him, but saw the
repairs and re-growth on Four’s body appeared to be complete.
“Ha! Doubt I’ll be stiff again for a month, if I’m even that lucky! By the
Gods, those two were insatiable! What did you do to them, lad?”
“Why, after we shared contentment last night, I told them we had to
leave in the morning, and I couldn’t possibly grant them the Gift of the
First Wife as long as my crew was still un-whole and discontented,” he said
innocently.
“You’re a devil, lad! That’s what you are! Those two tracked me down,
and while one of them was force-feeding me her milk, the other was making
me glow like a nova. I don’t remember how long it went on, but they
eventually started to abuse my poor manhood with their hands and

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mouths. I think they near drained me completely, and then they started in
again! That’s the last I remember ‘til the messenger showed up with this,”
he said, holding up the data tab.
“You must be getting old, ‘cause by the time they came back to me, they
were still ready to go. Then they kept pushing each other away while
fighting over me, so I finally Gifted one of them to sleep, so I could play
with the other for a while. Perhaps you could ask Lili to teach you that the
next time you see her,” he prodded gently.
“Ha! Not likely, lad! The darling girl knows me all too well! You – she
trusts. She knows she couldn’t trust me with a tool like that in my box!”
he exclaimed, and laughed again.
“She … she cares about you a great deal, Four. I believe one could say
that she loves you,” he said quietly.
“And you love her too, Ronnie. You never forget your first, man, and she
was your first – so she says.”
“That’s true enough,” he admitted while wondering at the strange
direction this conversation was going. “I do love her … and she was my
first. Do you love her as well?”
“Of course, lad! Why do you think I put up with her all these years? She
can be a right bitch at times, but I’d rather have her at my back than most
men! I leave you out of it, lad, ‘cause you’re not most men!” he said and
chuckled.
“So … you’ve known her a while, then,” Rondal continued, trying to find
reconciliation with what he’d read in his thoughts, to a “real” reality.
“Aye, lad. I have dim memories of looking at a skinny, flat-chested little
girl, and thinking she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in the
world. We proceeded as nature intended … until nature intruded, and her
mother caught us. That’s when I was cast out of paradise, it was.” He
sighed, but looked down at the data tab in his hand.
“Here, lad. Let’s see what them pretty little blue ladies have filtered out
for us,” he suggested, and handed over the data tab.

In the Planning Room…

“Well, the Drecks are claiming to have recorded an unusual astrological
anomaly near Kale that happened about twelve days ago. We know what
that cover is about,” Rondal muttered.
“How about the Kee?” Four asked.
“Three deaths were attributed to one insane woman found living in a
park near the port we visited. According to reports – or rumors, in this case

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– she’s currently under psychological care. Might be the Kee, or might be

someone who saw the wrong thing.”
“Wrong place at the wrong time … like your Kaleen couple,” Four
suggested.
“Probably,” Rondal agreed. “No word yet about the other nine Kee, or
anything about the nature reserve, but they have a while to go on that. We
dropped them off in the middle of it, and I’d imagine that – being pregnant
– they’d take a great deal of care to protect themselves from discovery.”
“While they’re eating their way out from the center of the reserve. How
long do you think before they all pop?”
Rondal quickly flipped the numbers in his head.
“It’s been about eighteen days since the inadvertent feast, so about
another hundred and twenty days or so, Standard. Too bad we don’t know
how long before sexual maturity. We already know the gestation cycle, and
could come up with the approximate number of Kee required to deal with
the main body of Drecks on Zarox. Of course, that would leave us with a
Kee infestation on Zarox, and we’d still have excessive loss of life in the
other clusters.”
“Ronnie … they took out twenty-seven colony worlds, lad! Twenty-seven!
Almost all that we’d built up along the Fringe are gone! What’s another
eight when we could eliminate them entirely?”
“We tried that, remember? I seem to recall you were there,” he said
quietly.
“That was before, man! We know exactly where they are now, and we
could set up planetary strikers lobbing anti-matter loads that would
vaporize a planet out to a couple of diameters! You saw what ten loads did
out by Kale, lad! Twenty-thousand kilometers is bigger than most
habitable planets, and the Drecks plan to eat their humans anyway!”
“Yes, that is their nature … their current nature. But that still doesn’t
explain how they managed to hold us off for so long, Petrus!”
“Ronnie! I–”
“NO! The Drecks are authoritarian and militaristic, and the Pack system
reinforces that behavior – but there is nothing, and I mean absolutely
NOTHING in their history to explain how a Class Five/Six society jumps to
the TOP of a Class-Two society in the span of a thousand years! Not without
HELP!”
“Ronnie, I don’t think you–”

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“No, Petrus! You don’t get it! They’re like … like kids with toys that they
don’t quite know what to do with, but they know if they pull the trigger,
they go bang! That ship that just blew up? They had no Drecks on board!
Just the engineering crew to test it out. And do you know why? The Drecks
were too scared to get on board!
“You did the scans with me, Petrus! On Taxa, on Womak, on Dox, it was
all the same – a bunch of pumped up barbarians playing with toys they
had no idea how to service. That’s the only reason they let so many humans
live, Petrus! They aren’t smart enough to have gotten where they are
without help!”
They stood there facing each other with emotions flying all over the
place, until Rondal finally looked down before turning away.
“I – I’m sorry, Four. It’s just so…”
“I understand, Ronnie. It’s an unfair task the Witch set you to, and she
has no idea of the depth of the problem. I don’t entirely understand it
myself, and I’ve spent more than a few years crewing with you, but … I do
see your point, and I understand your concern. If what you suspect is
true … and you destroy the Hegemony … then we won’t have a clue what
we’re left to face.”
“The voids, Petrus,” Rondal said quietly, while turning back to him.
“They have some, and we have some. Over in one of our voids, I discovered
entities. Beings of nothing but thought. Of course, for all I knew, they could
have been hidden in a rock orbiting Blot, and sitting there drinking their
wine while chatting about me,” he said quietly, before looking up at the
disbelief in Four’s face.
“It’s true, Petrus. The Elder is aware of it – of them – just as she’s aware
of other things that aren’t general knowledge to everyone else in the
Commonwealth … except for her staff … Lili … Sai … me … and now you.”
The ensuing silence lingered for several seconds…
“I trust you’ll keep my knowledge of it out of casual conversation with
the good lady, lad?” Four asked, and Rondal gave out a snort, before
nodding.
They both sat down and relaxed, before looking over the rest of the data
tab’s contents again, until one item caught Four’s eyes.
“Still no location for Gagsa,” he murmured. “Too bad, that. He would
have been a prime catch. To take him prisoner and turn him would have
been a … what are you thinking, lad?” Four knew the Madman was the
devious sort, but the look on his face gave him pause.

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“Something Lili said yesterday. Said Gagsa pissed off the Master Pack
on Zarox and been censured … cashiered-like. She called it ‘grave
displeasure’ I think,” Rondal muttered.
“Still alive?”
“They don’t know. But if he is, wherever he and his Pack ended up is
certainly not in a good place… You don’t think … Kee?”
“That is a place they send Drecks who fall out of favor with the Master
Pack,” Four said, and Rondal got up and started for the door.
“Wait! Where you headed, lad?”
“Gotta visit with Mistress Calos before they ship her out! She might have
heard some rumors from their supply line before they cut it off!” he said,
before hurrying himself back to the receiving dock.

November 28, Hegemony Space, The Kraken, A Flight of Fancy

They’d long jumped three times to bend around the void partially
surrounding Kee. Once the rock was parked in high orbit, Four had
downed another measure of cold Healer’s Milk to settle his stomach – yet
again – and decided this was the last time he was shipping out with Ronnie
without a proper Healer on board. It was bad enough getting shot at and
occasionally chewed up, but spending lonely nights for months on end and
having to endure these accursed long jumps was getting too much for him.
After all, he wasn’t a young man anymore.
Rondal was running scans over the outposts once again, and finding
the one previously occupied by Pack Calos was still deserted, while the
other outpost no longer held sixty hotspots, but was down to about twelve
in one building. After a quick strategy meeting, they did a long-range scan
and set up the alert system before boarding the shuttle for their rescue
mission – hoping Gagsa was among the few of his people who were still
alive to rescue.
Rondal was, anyway. Four had rather gone back on vacation, and told
him so at every stop during the three jumps back into Hegemony territory.
As an apology, Rondal promised to drop him off at a party port along the
Fringe on the way back – Gagsa or not.
~~~
It didn’t look too promising hovering over the outpost in the shuttle.
There were bodies everywhere – both Drecks and Kee. It looked like the
fierceness of Pack Gagsa was well deserved, as those stuck outside during
the attack had fought back valiantly and successfully – aside from the
whole dying part. The hotspots only registered in one building, while no
one else was alive and still wandering around outside.

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They landed in a clear spot, before debating dropping the loading hatch
for a quick entry and get away. Weighing the pros and cons, they finally
decided they could fit into the shuttle’s forward airlock together, which
would leave the shuttle a safe haven if the Kee returned unexpectedly. They
both took power swords, Rondal with his two, while Four wore his sidearm,
as well, before they cycled out and started nosing around the compound.
“By the Gods, Ronnie, what a mess,” Four muttered, his voice coming
across metallically on the collar com from within his face shield.
That had gone up before he’d cycled outside this time, and he wasn’t
about to make the same mistake twice. Besides, there were a lot of dead
bodies outside that probably smelled quite bad by now.
“Looks like they put up a good fight,” Rondal said quietly, while looking
at the bodies scattered around the compound as they wandered towards
the survivors. “Don’t see any weapons, though. Must have picked them up
before they made it back to shelter.”
“How’d you think the Kee made it in here, lad? Don’t see any holes in the
wall, and I don’t think they’re smart enough to make ladders. Didn’t see
any.”
“Maybe they dug their way in?” Rondal suggested, while quickly looking
around for outlines of trap doors.
“Nah! The other compound had a layer of masonry under a thin layer of
dirt. I wondered about that myself, before I tossed that dust into the air last
time we were here. It felt hard. As hard as the wall, anyway.”
While picking their way through the bodies, Rondal was paying
attention to the wounds on them. The Drecks had bite marks on them –
huge chunks of flesh missing in some cases – but some also had slashes,
as if from blades. The Kee were mostly cut down by blades, with only a few
being chewed up a little. One or two of them had actually been reduced to
skeletons, though.
“What do you make of all this?” Rondal asked while pointing them out.
“Big fight. Kee attack Drecks. Drecks fight back. Some win, some lose.”
“No, the SLASHES! Some of the Drecks were killed by SWORD work,”
Rondal pointed out.
“Maybe … maybe it was Grace by their own men?” Four suggested.
Rondal paused to give a little thought to it. It wasn’t unheard of within
the Commonwealth. He’d also granted Grace on the platform, but this just
didn’t feel right somehow. Certainly not with the strike locations on the
bodies. Grace was best done with a painless poison – unless all you had
was a way to cut off the head. All Rondal saw when he looked around were

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hacked bodies that were still somewhat fresh – considering being left
outside for what looked like several weeks.
“These bodies aren’t that old. Just a few weeks, you think?”
Four squatted down and poked at the dead flesh a bit, before something
caught his eye. He reached down and pulled a communicator from the
body.
“What to do you make of this, lad?” he asked, tossing it over to him while
still squatting.
“Short range com unit. Pack Calos said they didn’t have any of them. I
wonder if they lied, or … are these part of a shuttle crew?” Rondal
suggested.
They both stopped to think about that for a moment, then Four
remembered something else.
“And they had WEAPONS,” he reminded Rondal. “Calos had no weapons
– they were prisoners. And I doubt they’d let Gagsa and HIS lot have swords.
He’d be too damn dangerous with them.”
They looked around at everything again, while trying to piece together
the puzzle this new evidence suggested to them.
“Okay … shuttle comes down … they pop out looking to make a
delivery … and nobody home except Kee,” Rondal said slowly, before
continuing with this new scenario. “Surprise, surprise, they all switch to
combat mode and fight off the Kee, but they’re overwhelmed, and … and the
survivors are holed up in that one building?”
“Sounds good, lad … except Calos and her Pack were down to eating
each other. Either that business we conducted on Taxa brought that about,
or it was planned to starve everyone here. Unless they finally got around to
checking on the outposts here to see if there were any survivors? Maybe the
survivors are Gagsa and his Pack – or what’s left of them? Still … it don’t
explain how the Kee got in here.”
“Maybe – maybe the Master Pack decided to execute them?”
Four stared at him for a moment, while trying to make rational sense
out of that suggestion.
“Might be. Might be, lad. Toss in a pile of swords, a batch of Kee, and let
them settle things among themselves. Maybe just to fuck with them? You
know how the Drecks like a good joke.”
They looked around some more, but nothing further came to mind from
either of them.

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“Well, I suppose we could just go and ask them,” Rondal muttered, and
Four nodded his head gamely.
They made their way around the bodies and worked themselves over to
the one occupied building. While glancing around warily, they checked the
door and found marks on the frame from someone’s determined efforts to
get inside. Looking around some more, they saw marks on several doors
in the compound, but this was the one that still held survivors … according
to the last scan they’d taken from five-hundred meters up.
Rondal extended through the door, but felt nothing. With dead Drecks
or sleeping Drecks … or even just alive Drecks, he didn’t expect to find
much of anything, other than the slightest bit of emotion. They must be
either sleeping, or so dulled by their ordeal that they’d just closed
themselves down. He turned to Four and shrugged.
Four walked up, and while standing to the side, knocked on the door
and began shouting loudly in Drecks.
“HELLO! SURVIVORS INSIDE! WE’VE COME WITH A SHUTTLE TO TAKE
YOU OFF KEE!”
They waited, but got no reaction. After another glance around, Four
dropped his collar shield, and repeated his offer very loudly, but heard only
a very faint bit of noise from inside.
“Think they might be reluctant, lad?” he muttered while trying the door
latch, but it was locked tight. Shaking his head grimly, he called out loudly
again, “WE HAVE A SHUTTLE AND WE CAN TAKE YOU OFF KEE AND
DROP YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE! WE HAVE NO LOVE FOR THE MASTER
PACK, AND WE WILL TAKE YOU TO TAXA IF YOU LIKE! IT’S CLOSE BY!”
Rondal tried the door, before setting his Elder block. He reached into
the mechanism, worked out the release sequence, and finally got the knob
to slowly turn.
“Step back a bit. Might still have swords,” he whispered through the
coms, before slowly pushing the door inward into darkness.
The building itself was small for a Drecks structure – no more than fifty
feet on a side, and with no windows on it. It had barred vents in the roof
structure, and just the one exterior door. The heat scans they’d taken
indicated the survivors were in the center of the building, but they had no
idea of the interior layout. It also appeared that the power was out, but the
door’s mechanical closer seemed determined to shut it.
“I don’t like this, Ronnie. I don’t like this at all,” Four whispered.

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“Let’s wait a minute and see if they’ll come out. I don’t want us going in
there,” Rondal said through his collar com, as he was nervously looking
around the compound again while Four propped the door open.
Four produced a hand flash and shone it in through the doorway;
revealing a relatively small space with an interior cross wall, along with a
closed partition door in the middle of it.
“SURVIVORS INSIDE! WE HAVE A SHUTTLE! WE HAVE FOOD AND
WATER! LET US TAKE YOU OFF KEE TO SOMEWHERE SAFE!” Four
shouted again, but this time they heard movement from behind the
partition door. “Well, I suppose if they’re injured … and had their faces
ripped off, they couldn’t speak too well. Or they don’t trust us,” he said.
“After what they’ve been through, I’d have a hard time trusting us, too.
We shoulda brought the tank,” Rondal muttered.
“Right, lad. Pop a gas shell in here, and then pull them out when they’re
asleep.”
“We can always go back and get it.”
“Yeah, but we’re here now, lad,” Four muttered, before slowly inching
towards the wall; Rondal following a sword’s length behind him with
weapon drawn, and his own hand flash shining about.
When the door shut behind them with a solid clunk, they both jumped
and spun in place to cover it. Rondal reached out and tested the knob;
finding it still unlocked. He glanced at Four, then nodded towards the
partition door; both of them turning to face it once again. They were both
keyed for combat with angry Drecks, and made that their mindset until
the situation became clearer. Four reached out and, standing to the side,
knocked on the interior door.
“SURVIVORS! WE HAVE A SHUTTLE. COME ON! LET’S ALL GET OFF
THIS DAMN DIRTBALL!” he called loudly again, then tried the latch, but it
was locked, so he turned to Rondal and shrugged, before enabling his own
collar shield again.
Rondal set his Elder block, then worked through the lock, unlocking it
and getting the latch loose. For just a moment, he wondered why Four had
never questioned his abuse of his Kantite abilities – but it was in that
moment the attack came.
As soon as the door opened a tiny crack, a stream of chittering Kee
poured into the room and started trying to lunch down on both of them.
With power swords up and enabled, Rondal and Four fought a slow retreat
to the front door, but the Kee kept coming out of the back room until they
were surrounded by hungry Kee!

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“GET OUT, RONNIE!” Four shouted, while easily slicing through Kee
bodies, but they just kept streaming out of the back room.
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I’M TRYING TO DO!” Rondal shouted
back as the pile of bodies got higher on his side of their retreat, and blood
started to pool on the floor.
“THE DOOR … GET TO THE DOOR!” Four shouted.
“TEN FEET … FIVE FEET … GET READY!” Rondal shouted, then reached
the edge of the door.
He went for the handle, but it was on Four’s side of the melee, and he
was currently very busy.
“YOU GOT THE LATCH ON YOUR SIDE!” Rondal shouted.
“GET OUT, RONNIE! I GOT THIS!” Four shouted, then jerked the door
open while fending off the attacking Kee.
Rondal backed into the doorway and cleared it, then waited for Four to
grab the latch and yank it shut. The Kee, seeing their lunch escaping,
became frenzied, and redoubled their efforts. Rondal reached out, grabbed
Four’s side arm, and emptied it into the Kee on the latch side of the door,
but they still kept coming.
“GRAB THE LATCH AND GO! WE’LL KILL THE REST OUTSIDE!” Rondal
shouted, and Four made a lunge for the latch, but slipped in blood and
went down. In the irony of the moment, his flailing leg snapped out and
kicked the door shut in Rondal’s face.
“FOUR! PETRUS!”
‘BACK TO THE SHIP, RONNIE! LEVEL THIS PLACE! TELL LILING…’
The torment of his agony washed over Rondal for just a moment, before
the Demon stepped in to deal with the problem. Both swords out and
screaming in a violet rage, the Demon carved his way into the building and
laid waste to anything moving within reach on both sides of him. Unlike
the Drecks, who were quick and big, the Kee were quick and tiny, and there
were lots of them, and they just kept coming. He fought his way to the
center of the room, while searching for the remains of Rondal’s companion,
before finally clearing enough space to uncover part of it under a pile of
newly dead Kee.
He turned his attention to the partition door where the Kee kept
streaming from, before working his way over. Extending within and through
the building – as Rondal should have done – he found the source of the
Kee. There was a hole in the floor from which they were pouring in a
constant stream. He considered his options, then made silent apologies to
Rondal, before standing still while more Kee rushed up to attack him, but

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started dying as soon as they touched him. As the first row touched him
and died, the second climbed over and died as well. The next group surged
over the bodies of the dead, but died before even reaching him. This
continued until the trail of dead bodies led all the way back to the hole and
down into it. The line of death extended back several yards until the hole
was clogged with enough dead bodies that they couldn’t get through
without eating their way through.
The Demon extended around, but found no movement at all, before
turning and kneeling down by Petrus … where Rondal extended himself
while searching for some sign of life in his friend’s body, if only the tiniest
amount. He concentrated a focused effort to flood Petrus with some of his
own life, before finding that it wasn’t working as he’d expected, then
stopped. He swallowed his pride and concentrated again, now glowing like
a miniature sun, while trying to cast aside his ego so Petrus would be
Healed. He slackened his efforts after several minutes, feeling that he’d hit
a wall – the same wall that had killed that Dox crewman last year.
Rondal settled back and felt like crying, but reached out once again and
felt just a tiny spark of Petrus still left within him. He thanked the Gods
for their grace, before focusing on the simple things. His lower legs were
gone – mostly. Who knew Kee had teeth that could crack through bone like
that! He activated a sword and sliced them off just below the knees, before
sealing the wounds, then did his best to patch his face to seal over the
space where his eyes used to be.
“Never should have dropped your damned face shield,” he chided him
pointlessly, while continuing his examination.
Petrus’ arms and hands were pretty chewed up, along with various parts
of his thighs, but his abdomen seemed intact, and he was still alive. He
quickly scabbed over the remaining open wounds, then reached down and
attached the power swords to his kit, before hefting Four up in his arms
and staggering into the sunlight and heading back to the shuttle. ‘Ship
handling’ he called out, and the airlock cycled open so he could get them
inside. Then he got Four secured, before lifting the shuttle into high orbit
and docking at the Kraken.
Once safely aboard, he transferred Four to his compartment and
thoroughly checked him over again, before considering his options. He’d
need some rebuilding, that was for sure. He could do it, but it would take
a long time. He really needed the services of a Senior … or maybe a Healer
Cluster? Of course, the Cluster would probably use him for practice, and
it could take even longer, considering how long it took Maya to get David’s
hand reattached that time.
There was a cluster on Farman – that new one – that would do. In the
meantime, Four was stable, if a little shorter, and with enough ambrosia,

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he could keep his discomfort down to a minimum – or simply go in and

disconnect his pain receptors for the time being, but if he did that, Lili
would…
“Aww, Crap!” he muttered dismally.
Lili! She’ll want to hear about this for sure. He sighed and looked down
at his friend, before resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry I brought you into my fight, Petrus,” he murmured, then decided
he’d better get the both of them washed up and ready for transit … and for
that conversation with Lili.
He went to the facilities, stripped out of his bloody ship suit, and
showered. Drying off quickly, he went to check himself in the mirror for
any injuries, knowing it wasn’t unusual to have some after a fight like that,
but then stood there – foolishly staring at the young man who was staring
back at him.
“Aww, Crap! What the fuck did I do now?” he whined aloud, while
desperately trying to reconstruct his actions down on Kee.
It must have happened during the fight … certainly, after he’d gotten
outside the door and Petrus had been left inside. His memory was hazy
after that, until he remembered bending down and checking him for signs
of life. The Demon must have – HE must have sucked the life out of the
attacking Kee to the point there was enough time to turn and help Petrus
before making their escape.
He scrambled to think of what to tell Lili, because he would have to tell
her that he’d sucked the life out of a humanoid species against the Elder’s
law, and turned back his body’s clock to about age … early-thirties or so,
Relative. But there’d been dozens of them – maybe a hundred or more.
Were they that short-lived a species? Where did the excess life-energy go?
Pushing those thoughts aside, he grabbed a bunch of towels and wetted
some of them, before going back and stripping the remains of Petrus’ ship
suit off him, then washing him with wetted sections of towels. He sealed
what few additional injuries he discovered, before webbing him in place for
transition. Then he headed to the bridge, pausing only long enough to grab
their collars so the recordings could be transferred to the Kraken’s log. Lili
might want to look at them at some point. Perhaps the fact that he’d saved
her lover’s life would influence how soon she’d order his own death.
He got to the bridge, and programmed a random micro-jump sequence
to take them back to the Fringe and towards Farman. It would take the
better part of a month unless Petrus could travel faster, but he’d hold off
until he woke up. However, now that they were on the way, he needed to
update Lili.

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November 28, Kantor, Royal Homestead, Evening

“Are you still ill at ease, Lili?” Radatel asked with concern.
She’d not been feeling well for a few hours now, but couldn’t pin down
the reason for it. It had been frustrating her, and by extension, her
husband.
“I don’t know what it is, my Husband, but I feel something terrible has
happened.”
“Rondal? Perhaps Rondal has come to some mischief of his own?” he
suggested quietly.
“No… Rondal I would feel, but this … this is something–”
‘Lili, I beg forgiveness for this intrusion. We must talk’ she heard from
Rondal.
Radatel heard it as well, and noted the somber tone of the request, but
not so easily as his wife.
‘Rondal! What has … Petrus! What has happened to Petrus?’ she asked
immediately.
‘He’s alive, Lili. We were attacked, but we survived. He’s a little chewed
up, and I need to bring him to Healers for … for reconstruction. We’re on the
way to Farman, the Healer Cluster there’
‘NO! Don’t take him to Farman! Sai is there! If she see’s him, she’ll kill
him! Bring him here, Rondal! Immediately!’
‘Lili – his injuries. I am not that knowledgeable, my Lady, and would have
your counsel. I fear a long jump for his injuries’
‘Is his brain damaged? Has he suffered a head injury of some extent?’
‘Mostly … just his eyes … part of his nose … his cheeks, jaw, chin … one
of his ears’ he recited slowly. ‘His lower legs, I took. The damage was
severe. More than I expected the little buggers could accomplish. Bites over
the rest of his body, but he still lives’
‘Bring him here IMMEDIATELY, Rondal!’ she insisted.
‘Lili, I would have you join with me to inspect him … if you will. I – I would
not like to make an error with him. We both care very much for him. He – he
loves you deeply’
‘As well he should! I was his first!’ she said with great feeling. ‘Go to him,
and we will look within’
‘Yes, my Healer’ he sent, then rushed to his quarters and told Lili when
he arrived.

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‘He is there? I do not feel him! Touch him, Rondal!’ she sent, and Rondal
laid a hand on his chest … feeling it when Lili pushed through him and
thoroughly inspected her old lover.
‘Ah! Petrus, you old fool. You dream of me, still? Perhaps THAT is why
she seeks to take your head?’ he heard her silent comment. ‘Rondal, Petrus
is well enough to jump. You will bring him here to me – IMMEDIATELY! I and
my Wives will work diligently to restore him to full health’
‘I hear and obey, my Healer … ahh, there is another matter’
‘What is it, Rondal? What other ills have transpired that you dread to tell
me?’
He quickly described the events, from the time they’d dropped, until the
time he discovered his new youth. Then he quietly asked when would be
the most opportune time to admit his transgression to the Elder, but Lili
was adamant.
‘Never, Rondal! If she did not already comment on it, then she did not
FEEL it, and if she did not FEEL it, then it did not HAPPEN!’
‘Lili, as always before, I would set a block so she would not feel it; but
this time … by the Gods, Lili, this time I don’t know what happened! When
Petrus was trapped, I … I went away, and the Demon took over’
‘The Demon? Your father’s geas? So it still holds sway?’
‘Not like that. Petrus and I … we talked about it a few times. He made
mention the Elder does not understand war and warriors. When we are
called to do certain things, a different mindset becomes involved, and we do
what must be done – regardless of how it may look to others. When I thought
I’d lost Petrus, I … I could think of nothing other than destroying those who
took him from me, and then recovering his body. That’s all I remember from
the time he was trapped inside, until there was enough time to check on him
and recover him to the shuttle’
‘So it was NOT the Demon of your father, but the Demon of the
COMMONWEALTH – your alter ego, as it were?’
‘I don’t know how else to explain it, Lili. You may ask Petrus when you
fix him, or some other blooded warriors. David… Speak to David about war.
He was in a nasty war on Earth, and may share some insight that you, as
a woman, may not be aware of – even after all of your experiences’
‘I will do as you suggest, but in the meantime return Petrus to me! He
means a great deal to me!’ she said, before dropping away, but from her
tone he could feel her relief, and almost imagine her tears as well.
‘I hear and obey, my Healer’ he sent out silently.

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‘Rondal, a word if you please’ he felt from Radatel.

‘Yes, my Lord Emperor’
‘Lord Caldar, as the Emperor, I am quite proud of your actions on behalf
of the Commonwealth. Rondal, as your brother, I am compelled to tell you
that you are NOTHING like the bastard who was our father!’
‘My Lord, I thank you, and … and I thank you for your kind words, Rad’
‘Understand, Rondal, if the Elder did not keep him under her thumb,
Rakel would have ruled with an iron FIST. He chafed at her restrictions, and
would have abused his power, as well as his authority. You, on the other
hand, quietly and calmly consider the most opportune time to offer your head
to the Elder for actions which kept not only you alive, but also rescued a
valuable and loved asset to the Royal companion. The Elder need not know
of your transgression in the trivial act of killing wild animals to save these
two valuable assets – I certainly do not consider it worthy of note. You might
consider “Gifting” some of those extra years to others who are less fortunate,
yet still of benefit to society at large – or simply hold them in reserve for
situations much like that with your Medicine Man back on Earth’
‘You know about–’
‘We know quite a bit about things, Rondal. You are doing marvelous work,
and the results are coming from Larl as fast as his group can compile them.
If it were not for the Drecks, we could annex that entire set of clusters within
a year, and all live peacefully – until the NEXT problem arises’ he sent wryly.
‘But once this problem is dealt with, we’ll leave that for ANOTHER Emperor
and First Sword. Bring Petrus home to Lili, Rondal. She misses him greatly’
‘You are quite … magnanimous to welcome Lili’s former lover to your
home. As the Emperor, I mean’ Rondal sent delicately.
‘Family is ALWAYS welcome, Rondal. You of ALL people should know
that. Now get home quickly, so Lili can start work on Petrus. She wants her
little brother up and on his feet again, so he can continue to serve the
Commonwealth – by keeping an eye on YOU!’ he sent in closing.
“There. Feeling better now, Lili?” Radatel asked her, while giving his wife
a loving hug, but she struggled for a moment, before pounding him lightly
on the chest.
“You didn’t have to tell him Petrus was my little brother!” she said,
before hugging him tightly in relief.
“Ah! You women are all alike! You keep your little secrets just to torment
us, knowing we are merely men and draw the wrong conclusions at the
slightest bit of misinformation you provide us!” he chided her, but leaned

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down and kissed the top of her head. He held her close, while she calmed
down to the point where she could respond with her concerns about it.
“Yes, my Love, but now Ronnie will be looking back for as long as he’s
known Petrus and start figuring out how I’ve kept watch over him all these
years! He will be angry with me!” she pouted.
“Lili – Lili – he loves you, and he’ll understand that, as the son of the
Emperor, it was to be expected. Besides, who better to be trusted with such
an honor and responsibility than your little brother? He’s served the
Commonwealth well over the years; from the time Rondal left the academy,
and all throughout his service. He even served with the Madman, and
afterwards on all those little junkets he reported to you about. I must say,
the story of them dropping the Kee on Kale was much more interesting than
that time Rondal took a shuttle full of valaets to that Drecks base.”
“Yes, but will Rondal continue to accept his help, now that he knows
he’s been his keeper?”
“Rondal … with a keeper? Lili, my darling, do you even listen to yourself?
Look what happened to the last two Healers you sent to him. One he
suborned, and was about to bond with, and the other he reduced to tears.
Odd about that. Who would have suspected she had a hidden fetish? Lili,
I don’t suppose that you–OW!”
“Right thinking will be rewarded, my love … wrong thinking will be
punished,” she said, before reaching up and kissing him passionately.

November 28, Kantor, The Royal Homestead, Late Night

Rondal felt like shit.
He’d made it in three jumps, but discovered there was only enough
Healer’s Milk for the first one. At least Petrus had stayed out during the
remaining two transitions that had left Rondal an aching wreck. He was
barely able to move by the time he dropped the Kraken’s Child to the Royal
Homestead and asked for permission to dock.
The port manager was somewhat surprised to find she was facing a fully
armed Galaxy-class approaching the landing apron, but took it in stride
knowing who was aboard. The night crew met him, along with members of
the family, and a simple stretcher was used to take Petrus to the quarters
set aside for him, accompanied by Lili, Mei-Mei, and Yin-Yin. Radatel
remained behind, but waited while Rondal was recovering from the last
two transitions with a few measures of Healer’s Milk. When he was finally
able to function again, they took a few minutes to talk.
“Lili had a short talk with David about that war he was in on Earth,”
Radatel said. “He explained a few things to her, such as something he

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described as the *thousand-yard stare* and a few other problems Earth

warriors typically have to deal with, and survive with afterwards.”
Rondal shared a grim look with his big brother.
“Yes. For Earth warriors, it’s not often a lifetime commitment … unlike
with us. They take their young, put them through terrible punishments,
send the survivors back with little or no support, and then wonder why
they go crazy, kill, or commit suicide.”
“How could they possibly do that? Have they no sense? How could they
not know that–”
“No Healers, for one thing. Men leading men into battle, and men
dealing with the aftermath. No nurturing, along with a culture of men being
‘strong’ and keeping it within. David suffered much, but made a good
recovery. His Diane helped him through much of it – probably the reason
he fell in love with and married her.” Radatel nodded at this observation,
and made one of his own.
“Then David was one of the lucky ones. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to
have Lili look through him to see his experiences?” he suggested, but
Rondal only shook his head.
“He might not care to relive them, Rad. Although if it helps her to
understand better, he might allow it. No doubt Larl would be able to
explain many things to her. He’s studied Earth quite a bit.”
“No doubt. Come … we have your quarters ready for you. Lili’s orders.”
“I – I can’t. Not looking like this,” Rondal said while pointing up at his
face. “If word gets out that I’ve taken life again–”
“Then our Rondal has been a ‘bad boy’ and is buying little bits of life
out at the Fringe again. Let Sai become frustrated while trying to find the
girls you’ve purchased it from this time. Come… Come to bed, and we’ll
send you a Healer. Lili mentioned you were feeling ill and could use some
fresher milk.”
Rondal considered it. He was home, but he still had a queasy stomach.
Fresh milk would feel good right about now, and he could certainly use the
rest.
“Thank you, Rad. It … it’s really good to come home again. Maybe a day
or two, and then … then I’ll go see what the soulless one has done to the
Cluster on Earth.”
“Oh … you’ll be surprised, I’m sure,” the Emperor murmured, before
taking his arm and walking him towards the residence. “Been changes …
quite a few changes back on Earth,” he said ambiguously.

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November 29, Royal Homestead, Early Morning, Rondal’s Room

Rondal awoke in the darkened room. The Healer who had come in
silently during the night and fed him her milk, had remained to serve his
contentment. She was still beside him this morning, with an arm and leg
draped over him familiarly. He stiffened, but then relaxed. Rad had
promised to send him a Healer, and that’s just what he’d done … and her
milk was just as sweet and relaxing as he remembered it from so many
years ago.
He lay there, holding back feelings that were welling up inside of him,
yet knowing they would amount to nothing if expressed. She would surely
reject him now, just as she had then. She was a Healer, and he was her
client – her assignment for the night. Nothing more. He was almost tempted
to tease her awake and share contentment with her once again, but
stopped himself from the disappointment of it. Instead, he slid out of bed
and headed to the facilities.
When he returned shortly afterwards, she had already left his bed and
gone on about her business as the Royal nursemaid. He stood there and
chided himself as a fool for still wanting what he’d already lost forever.
~~~
Maya slowly paced through the corridors on her way to her own
quarters…
She’d known from the moment Lili had requested her services that she
was being sent to service her Ronnie … or he who had been her Ronnie at
one time, until she’d foolishly cast him aside.
She’d entered the darkened room and found him from the level of
distress radiating from him. Once nearing his bedside, she’d immediately
dropped her robes and slid into bed beside him, before positioning herself
and bringing a nipple to his lips. She could sense when his relief washed
over him almost from the first mouthful, and he’d nursed thoroughly from
both breasts, before she’d mounted his obvious need and drew from him
his contentment and pleasure in silence … stopping only when he’d relaxed
in satiation and finally drifted off to sleep.
Then she’d lain next to him, just as she’d done for nearly sixteen years,
and contented herself with the sound of his breathing and the thumping
of his heartbeat, while curling herself around him and nestling under his
arm once again; feeling very happy at the illusion they were together once
again. She’d fallen asleep like that; remembering how much she’d loved
this man who’d saved her from death at the hands and teeth of the Drecks.
The same man who’d loved her enough to give her up so she could become
a Senior.

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When she’d awakened, she’d lain there silently, still curled and draped
over him while he slept, and contemplated all the things that had
transpired over the last year. She thought she finally understood why he’d
done all those things in the past, and why he did what he was doing now,
and she loved him even more for it, but he didn’t want her anymore. He’d
made that clear. He’d even replaced her, as he was to have bonded with
Lili’s niece, except … except Oli had come to be; and as delightful as little
Oli had been, she was no fit companion for the First Lord of the
Commonwealth. And neither was a mere Milk Mother to the Royal family.
She’d sighed quietly, but felt him stir; remaining silent and keeping her
eyes shut, hoping that perhaps he’d share contentment with her again this
morning. She’d felt him awaken beside her, then felt his desire, but he’d
stopped himself and gotten up and left her instead. She’d quickly gotten
out of bed in the darkness and dressed in the outer room, before leaving
his quarters...
Maya wandered down the corridor while holding back tears. She
returned to her quarters to wash and dress, making ready to present
herself to her young charges.

In the Emperor’s Suite

“Ai-yah! Lili, this is so frustrating! Why do we not simply order them to
wed and let them work it out between themselves?” Radatel asked in
frustration.
“My darling Husband, if Rondal were not otherwise occupied, that would
be the first order of business. As it is, the confusion they feel would likely
torment them both. He needs a clear head to deal with his assignment. If
he were distracted by his emotional attachment to Maya at a critical
juncture, then all might be lost.”
“My Love, I might become lost at some point if I must continue to feel
her remorse, even as we provide for her contentment,” he muttered
irritably.
“Then perhaps I may simply force the Gift upon her while you enjoy the
ride, my sweet? She will be well contented, as will you, and we will then
take our fill of her milk and play by ourselves while she sleeps,” she
suggested lasciviously.
“And she may also serve Petrus, my Love. I see he has suffered greatly
at Rondal’s hands,” he considered, but Lili merely tittered.
“I’ve watched both encounters, and each of them was mostly of his own
choosing. Perhaps he is getting slower in his old age?” she suggested.

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“Well, perhaps you may remind him of the pleasures he would miss if
he were not around to receive them from you, my Love,” he suggested.
“Why Rad, that is most magnanimous of you!” she teased him, then
kissed him deeply, while reaching down to grasp him firmly as she
continued to kiss and fondle him until she got satisfactory results.
“Ah! Now I see my Lord husband needs some attention,” she murmured,
before diving under the covers.
“Take your time, my Love,” he murmured contentedly. “The court can
very well wait on … our … pleasure … oh … Lili…”

Royal Homestead, Mid-Day, Post Lunch

After hiding in his room all morning, hunger had finally driven him out.
Rondal had stopped by the Royal kitchens to find himself something to eat,
before heading down the main corridor and stopping one of the
housekeepers to ask where his injured crewman had been taken. She’d
escorted him there personally, while shyly glancing up at this latest
incarnation of the First Lord...
She remembered the last time he’d been in residence and presented her
with the Gift that one time. Sadly, she realized all too soon that he’d
apparently forgotten all about her, and that incredibly impassioned
experience they’d shared…
Her memories weren’t completely dashed, as when they’d arrived at the
appropriate door, he’d turned to thank her, looked at her carefully, then
bent down and hugged her – planting a kiss on the top of her head, before
sending her on her way. He’d caught the superficial thrill rippling across
her surface thoughts, before turning towards the door and seeking within.
Petrus, not surprisingly, was sleeping the sleep of the innocent – no
accounting for the amount of mayhem he’d committed over the course of
decades … or apparently, centuries, in his case – and the only other person
in the room was his Mother. He entered smiling, and they shared a warm
greeting before sitting away from the client’s bed to chat quietly for a while.
He brought her up to date on his activities, and she told him of the latest
intrigues among the Royals – mostly about how “Sharla” was acclimating
herself to the Royal household once again. She made no mention of Maya,
other than the children loved her, and had bonded with her as their
caregiver.
Their conversation was broken by the arrival of the rest of the Senior
Wives who were there to begin reconstruction of Petrus. Seeing how they
reacted to his physical changes, he offered his polite greetings, but begged
off from further lessons to head back to his room and relax for a little while
longer. Upon returning to his rooms, he took one look at his bed, and

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decided fresh air was a better prospect for relaxation. He soon found
himself sitting on his patio and quietly contemplating the day.
The view was beautiful and not at all reminiscent of the canyon that
nearly took their lives a few years ago. Unlike the burritos from that outing,
he’d eaten a relatively healthy meal of fruits and vegetables this time –
something seriously lacking while embarked on skullduggery at the behest
of his big brother.
He’d always enjoyed this view of the canyon; its lush greens, bright
pinks and yellows, brilliant reds and blues of flowers and other vegetation
the Royal gardeners had planted and managed with a masters’ touch
lending a peaceful atmosphere to his patio. The effect was a collage of
colors that complimented each other in their placement; even knowing that
the view from each patio was different, but also complimentary to that
particular location.
He wondered if the general population thought the Emperor and his
family deserved to enjoy such richness, but considered that, on the whole,
the Royal Homestead hired many staff, and had returned much of their
wealth back into Kantite society over the centuries in the form of building
contracts, employment, transportation, and other commerce. The Imperial
family itself, allied with the rest of the Royals, was a fairly representative
cross-section of Kantite cultural norms.
Then he thought about the first Emperor – Aquintus Tiberius – and
what he’d had to do to bring his splintered society together into cooperative
rule without further bloodshed and devastation. That was what he was still
thinking about when he fell into a peaceful nap.
~~~
The small group meandered through the bushes while chatting silently
among themselves.
‘He’s over here’
‘Where?’
‘On his PATIO, stupid!
‘She is not stupid!’
‘Well, where did you THINK he would be?’
‘On his patio, of course! But do you know where it is?’
‘It’s where Maya slept last night’
‘I TOLD you she still loves him!’
‘Was there ever any doubt?’

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‘He’s all she ever dreams about’

‘And sometimes she still cries’
‘Yes. Remember when he brought “Big Girl” home last year?’
‘Maya was happy enough with Oli!’
‘Until she found out they were to BOND!’
‘Well, they certainly bonded last night!’
‘They “mated.” They did not bond yet’
‘Do you think he still loves her?’
‘Perhaps you should ask him?’
‘And just how do you suppose we do that?’
They came upon a giant black head poking out from between the bushes
that towered well above them.
‘Silence, poor hunters! You wake Talking Man with noise!’ it
chuffed in disgust.
The silent killer prowled forward, and joined by her mate and two kits,
stalked the sleeping human in the shade of his patio. They crept up
silently, before sitting on their haunches several feet away from him. The
others joined them, not as silently, but quietly still, and formed a semi-
circle between the valets and the sleeping “Talking Man.” The two kits came
forward and rubbed their heads under the hands of the ones in the semi-
circle, while the male chuffed in disgust at his kit’s domesticity.
‘He’s not that big’
‘He’s younger than Maya pictured him, too’
‘Aunt Lili had this picture this morning’
‘So did Uncle Rad’
‘None of the others’
‘Not even Maya – and she was with him last night’
“Talking Man” stirred and opened his eyes.
“Well … hello,” he said pleasantly after looking down at the small group.
‘Silent Hunter … Targa Slayer. Welcome warriors … and your kits. What
do you bring me this morning?’ he asked silently, and got amused chuffs
from both of them.

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The little boy … nearly two years old now, he thought, came forward
and stood before him – tilting his head while looking up at him
appraisingly, as the three remaining children stayed by the valaets.
‘Welcome, Grandfather!’ little Walter sent on a very narrow band, then
reached out his arms to him.
~~~
Maya was in a panic! They’d done it again! No matter how well she
secured the room, the children had gotten out yet again! She’d merely gone
to relieve herself while the children played with the kits, and when she’d
returned, they were missing! The doors were still locked at the corridor and
patio, and she wandered through the compartment nervously until
remembering the kits and the little passageway they had in and out of the
room so they could take care of their own toilet outside the residence. She
checked that avenue and found it was open and easily large enough to
accommodate Walter, at least, if not a full-grown human or valaet.
She sent an alert to the guards, before heading to the gardens in search
of the children.

On Rondal’s Patio…
Rondal was having a delightful conversation with his Grandchildren,
while each of them was silently chatting with him in conceptual thought
forms, as well as words. It was a truly remarkable interaction.
Despite Boots’ disgust at his kit’s earlier domesticated behavior, the
adult valaets had come up for their customary ear scratching, before
wandering off; leaving the children and kits in “Talking Man’s” care.
Considering their job done, they went back to nap in the shade and comfort
of their den.

In the Gardens…
Maya had first rushed to the river’s edge and searched in vain for tiny
wet foot prints like she’d found once before, but nothing caught her eye.
She was considering which way to turn, when the sound of distant laughter
– children’s laughter – was heard from further up the canyon, and she took
off at a run.
Watching hidden from under a cluster of brush, the valaets chuffed
once again, before continuing to their den.

On Rondal’s Patio…
‘Grandfather, do you come to stay for a while?’ Cathy asked while sitting
on the grass next to him; Jaiying and Josie having taken control of his lap
for the moment.

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‘Yes, Grandfather. Please stay. Mama will want to play with you!’ Josie
pressed from her position on his lap; catching him off guard.
‘Yes, Grandfather. Our mothers miss you. They think of you sometimes
during contentment’ Jaiying agreed.
‘They think of Aunt Lili’s GIFT, you mean!’ Josie pressed, before giggling
aloud, which was greeted by a round of little girl giggles, but Walter picked
up his distress from where he sat on the grass next to Cathy, and
addressed it.
‘Grandfather, just because we are not old enough, does not mean we do
not feel them when they play. We are not like other children’
‘We found that out when they brought us among others’ Cathy agreed.
‘Yeah. They were stupid!’ Josie shared in disgust.
‘No, Josie. They were silent. It is different’ Jaiying sent diplomatically.
‘Perhaps that is because of you, Grandfather?’ Walter suggested. ‘Aunt
Lili says you can make Healers out of common girls. Perhaps when you
shared yourself with our mothers, you made us special as well?’
‘Well, that would certainly explain Rose’ Rondal considered.
‘How is Rose?’ Walter quickly asked, and the girls giggled.
‘Watch out, Walter! We know you have a thing about BIG girls!’ Josie
shared, then giggled, causing Rondal to blush just a bit.
“By the Gods, I’m surrounded by tiny adults,” he muttered, and all four
of them let their childish laughter peal out across the canyon walls, before
climbing onto his lap and flattening him to the grass.
In short order, a giggling mass of toddlers had piled upon a hapless
Rondal, who was sprawled upon the grass at the edge of his patio. Not to
be left out, the two valaet kits started tugging on his footwear.
This was the picture Maya rushed into.
She stopped in surprise; her hair cascading loosely everywhere from her
passage through the brush, while standing there looking at the very happy
– and very young man, whom she’d serviced last night.
As soon as they felt her, the children became silent, before slowly sliding
off him and turning to face her guiltily. The kits let go of his shoes and
quickly slipped behind him; only looking out from under his arms when he
propped himself up to a sitting position.
‘She does not know. Our mother’s suggest secrecy’ Walter quickly sent
on that extremely narrow band they’d been using.

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‘Understood’ Rondal sent just as tightly, then turned from Maya’s face
to look down at the children beside him.
“Children … did you sneak away from Maya without letting her know?”
he asked them sternly.
They all seemed to hang their heads a little lower, and even the kits
hunkered down on the ground beside him.
Maya looked at them, and the sad little faces they presented her – even
the kits – and it was enough to soften her heart. Then she smiled and
began laughing quietly.
“You little scamps! You should not make Milk Mother worry so!” she
said in relief, before coming forward to hug them all.
Walter reached out his arms, so she sat down on the grass with him,
where he eagerly climbed into her lap and immediately began opening her
robes to find something to eat.
‘He likes big girls’ Josie teased silently, and it was all Rondal could do
to stifle his own laughter.
He watched as the children surrounded her, Cathy taking her other
breast, and Josie and Jaiying lying close by and reaching out to touch
either Walter or Cathy. He shook his head in amazement, before getting up
and catching the disappointment in Maya’s thoughts.
“I’ll be right back after I cancel the alert you’ve no doubt sent out to the
guards,” he said kindly, and she blushed … having forgotten all about it in
the relief of finding her young brood safe and sound with the … the very
young First Lord.
He shortly came back with drinks, and accompanied by Diane and
Laisee. They were followed by two servants carrying large cushions. He
indicated the grass, and one of the servants dashed back inside and came
out moments later with a large blanket that she spread out, before the two
of them arranged the cushions, then helped Maya move her feasting brood
from the grass to the cushions so she could nurse them more comfortably.
Rondal sat with the Ladies at the patio table, while watching Maya with
the children. He sipped water from his cup, before looking down at the kit
that was batting at the cuff of his pants.
“I trust you had a pleasant evening, Ronnie,” Diane said quietly, as they
sipped their drinks while resting in the shade of the patio.
Laisee picked up the extra glass and took it over to Maya, while Diane
leaned closer to Ronnie.

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“She still loves you, you know, and you love her, still. She often cries at
night over you.”
“Please, Diane!” he whispered testily. “She made her choice clear on the
platform!”
“Then why did she come to you last night? She claimed that privilege
from both me and Laisee,” she lied, as she and Laisee had both suggested
Maya serve in their stead. “She loves you, Ronnie, more than ever. Now
that she’s been here a while, she begins to understand the terrible burden
you’re under, and why you … why all the Royals, do what they must to
keep society functioning. By the Gods, Ronnie, what Amy tells me about
the Elder’s actions is frightening enough, and the Elder is not even near
the tip of the Emperor’s First Sword!” she argued quietly.
He glared at her, before reaching down to snag the persistent nuisance
attacking his pant leg and plopping it into his lap. The nasty little beast
hissed at him in indignation, until he silenced it with a thought. Then it
sneezed once, before curling into his lap – finally allowing the human to
scratch the itch behind its right ear, the contented purring of the
potentially deadly creature helping calm him. He glanced over at his
grandchildren sitting with Maya, before looking up at Diane again, but with
a somber expression in his eyes.
“When she … I felt her last night, Diane, and it felt … it felt like coming
home. But, who’s to say she won’t change her mind again? What if I commit
again, and she decides the burden is too hard to bear once more? What
then for me?” he asked, before furtively glancing over at Maya when the
children shuffled nursing positions.
“I’m sure you could have your pick of port girls willing to become Healers
under your fine tutelage, Ronnie … just like all those port girls going to the
school on Farman. From the looks of you, you’ve already selected the next
starting class – or two,” she chided him lightly, which brought a scowl to
his face, but not for the reason she suspected.
“Not fair?” she continued. “Well, how fair have you been to Maya? You
love her, and she loves you. You weren’t here holding her hands for the
last year, Ronnie. It was Laisee and me, and … and Amy and Shay. Even
Lili and Rad have stepped in to help her out. If it wasn’t for the kids, she’d
be miserable. Don’t shut her out, Ronnie. Not anymore,” she pressed him
urgently.
He looked at her as Laisee wandered back, then he reached down and
took one of Diane’s hands before bringing it to his lips and kissing it.
“Oh no, Sir! I cannot carry your child! My husband would not approve!”
she said in mock horror, which got them both chuckling, while Laisee stood
there in confusion.

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He glanced at the children, considered it for a moment, then switched

to that odd band the children used, before broaching that particular
subject with them.
‘So … when did THIS develop’ he silently asked them, and both Diane
and Laisee looked at him in shock.

Late Afternoon, Checking on Petrus

“Augh!” the veteran warrior cried out in pain.
“Oh, be silent, Petrus, or I shall make your eyes crossed when they grow
back!” Lili snapped at him. She opened her eyes, but relented when she
saw the torment on his face – what was left of it. “Here, then, if you’re in
such pain!” she continued tartly, before pushing her nipple between his
lips and letting him nurse from her.
“I believe that is what he was after all along, Lili.” Mei-Mei giggled as
she continued to work on his left leg, while Yin-Yin worked on his right.
They had Petrus strapped to a medical transport for his treatment
because they didn’t want him rolling around should the pain become too
difficult to manage. Likewise, it allowed easy adjustment for moving his
body up and down for better access to his injuries. He definitely didn’t like
having his arms restrained, but they’d strapped them down, as well, since
he kept reaching up and teasing Lili’s nipples. He was also quite naked.
“If he remains still, then perhaps we may reward him, Lili?” Mei-Mei
suggested saucily, and her co-Wife joined in.
“Yes, Lili. His assets are quite considerable, and you seem less than
willing to share our Lord Husband of late,” Yin-Yin pouted.
“Yin-Yin! … Have I? I thought you still got him in the mornings, and
Mei-Mei in the evenings,” Lili asked in confusion.
“Yes, Lili, that was our arrangement; but now that he is Emperor, you
seem to spend all your time with him. Perhaps we should take advantage
of Rondal while he is here, Yin-Yin?” Mei-Mei asked her co-Wife.
“Not likely, now that he’s had another taste of his Maya!” Yin-Yin
giggled, but Mei-Mei let out an exasperated sigh.
“You really must talk to the two of them, Lili,” Mei-Mei complained.
“Maya is much too sad all the time. Besides, her studies are improving, and
she grows to understand us better now.”
“That may be the case, but Rondal must not become distracted. Not …
not as long as he lets my little brother come to ruin like this! Ai-yah! What

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was he thinking!” she exclaimed, and Petrus let go of her nipple with a
slurp.
“The lad had nothing to do with either of my accidents, Liling. The first
time I forgot to put my face shield up, and the second time, I slipped in
blood! It wasn’t his fault!”
“And just how did you lose your eyes this time, my darling boy?” she
asked, while continuing to push energy through him.
“In the confusion, one of the little buggers must have grabbed my collar
and shut it off. Since there was atmosphere, it let itself be shut off, and …
and that’s the last I remember.” He groaned, and Lili brought over her other
nipple with its milk already dripping, before letting him latch on and
continue to nurse.
“Alas, it must be true, then. You’re getting much too old to be going out
and playing with Rondal any longer,” she said with a sigh, while forcing a
bit of reconstruction along his jaw line to replace a missing chunk of flesh.
It was always so much more time consuming to repair something
piecemeal like they were doing, compared to just putting the pieces back
together again. At least they got his mouth fixed first, but now they couldn’t
shut him up!
‘If one of you Ladies would care to climb aboard, I’ll SHOW you just how
old I am’ he sent silently, then thrust his hips up a few times, but Lili
reached over and slapped his prominent erection smartly.
“OW!” he said loudly around her nipple.
“Right thinking will be rewarded–”
“And wrong thinking will be punished!” Mei-Mei and Yin-Yin chorused
together, then giggled loudly over his moans.
The door opened, and Petrus felt the shift in the air when a body
entered. Since he was currently sightless, he missed seeing that both Diane
and Laisee had accompanied Rondal.
“Well, old man. Can you see anything yet?” Rondal asked.
“It was a toss-up, lad! Either I get my eyes done first and pine over the
loss of my legs, or get my legs done first and miss all the beauties that
surround me!” he said boldly, before laughing.
“And beauties they are, I assure you,” Rondal said, noting that Lili was
practicing topless, and her breasts, and in particular her nipples, looked
of recent usage.
“How do you like Lili’s new nipples?”

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“New nipples? I thought for sure I’d lost my memory! Either that, or my
mouth had shrunk!” he said, and laughed again.
“I understand she modeled them on a pair the Emperor himself had
fancied,” Rondal said, hoping Lili wouldn’t reach out and smack him for
the comment, but she turned and smiled at him, then looked down at
Petrus’ crotch; pointing it out to Rondal and putting a finger to her lips,
before reaching out and patting it lightly.
“Oh, Petrus! There you go again! Must I punish you again?” she asked
airily, while sending a silent message to both Diane and Rondal.
“Please, Liling! It has a mind of its own. I can’t help it when it decides
it wants attention!”
“But Petrus, we’re all busy! Wait! Ronnie … would you care to take
Petrus in hand and deal with his … ‘little’ problem?” she asked, and there
was silence for a moment, while Rondal appeared to consider it.
“Well … normally I’d defer to a proper Healer, but I have studied the
texts. I suppose I could lend a hand,” he pondered loudly as he stepped
closer, before Diane reached out and started firmly stroking Petrus.
“That’s not too rough, is it, Four?” he asked politely.
“Lad – you don’t have to be so accommodating! Leave it be, lad, and I
can take care of it myself later,” Petrus said in a panic.
“No problem, old man,” Rondal said, while trying to restrain himself
when Diane started fondling his scrotum as she continued the firm
stroking that was making Petrus harder.
“Ronnie – lad, please don’t do this to me!” Petrus begged. “We’ve been
friends for years, lad–”
“And you’ve watched over me for your SISTER, for how many of those
years, Petrus? How could you expect me to not help you in your hour of
need?” he asked calmly, while watching as Petrus’ erection began to slump
in Diane’s hand.
“Oh dear! Ronnie, you’ll just have to do better than that!” Lili said, while
the Wives were having a difficult time holding it in as well.
Even Laisee was trying hard not to laugh, while Rondal continued the
charade and moved closer to Petrus’ waist.
“Well, it’s certainly not unknown among the fleet that some men find
the company of other men … satisfying to some degree. I’ve never felt it
myself, but … now … I suppose … after all that time together … we two
alone … just the two of us… Petrus … you have been such a dear friend to
me. How could I not try my … my very best,” he said, that last spoken in

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the vicinity of Petrus’ crotch, just before Diane opened her mouth and
engulfed him.
Petrus became firmer in moments, and Lili was desperately trying to
contain herself.
“Oh, very good, Ronnie! Who knew you had such hidden talents! It’s too
bad you’re not in a position to kiss him as well!” she said loudly, then
Laisee moved closer and took position next to Lili, before reaching down to
carefully cup intact portions of his chin, then pushed her tongue into his
mouth.
Petrus’ began to struggle, but the straps held him tightly. Rondal
considered staying a while to observe the embarrassing results, but seeing
that Petrus was in good hands, he quietly moved over towards the door,
then turned back to say goodbye.
“Well, Ladies, you seem to have things well in hand … and mouth! Enjoy
yourself, old man!” He laughed several times, then turned and left the room
just before Petrus emptied himself into Diane’s busy mouth, while Laisee
kept his own mouth occupied.
“Laisee, perhaps you and Diane might switch now so we can keep our
client settled while we work on him?” Lili suggested, and the Wives all
shared a giggle while Diane shared his seed with him, as Laisee started
working him up to operational status once again.
‘You’re evil, Ronnie! Evil!’ Petrus sent, but all he got back was the echo
of laughter. He took a deep breath through his nose, but finally relaxed
while accepting the extra loving care of the Ladies – then froze.
Laisee and … Diane?

Evening, A Reconciliation
The evening went very nicely. They’d all shared a quiet and enjoyable
dinner, while Rondal shared with them just a few of the interesting things
he’d heard about the Hegemony – out of earshot of the servants, for the
most part.
There was the astronomical anomaly the Drecks had reported, and the
Commonwealth’s supposition that it was a cover for yet another accidental
anti-matter discharge. He reported the curious state of affairs on some
Hegemony planet called Taxa, whose residents had apparently revolted at
the human harvest the Drecks had demanded. He also mentioned the
rumor that had surfaced about a strange occurrence on some planet called
Kale where a rash of mauling victims was being reported near some of the
more urban areas.

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Each was a seemingly innocuous statement by itself, but had meaning

to Lili and Rad, certainly, and perhaps several of the Wives, as well.
Amy and Larl were noted for their absence, and Maya volunteered that
having Josie at the Elder’s compound was uncomfortable for Josie, and
disruptive to their work. Laisee commented that Josie was hard to separate
from the other siblings, anyway, and Diane mentioned they had a habit of
grouping together whenever possible – to the point that when they
disappeared from one place, they would find them all together somewhere
else.
Rondal suggested they have a suite of their own, then let the parents
take turns watching over them. That would give each set of parents a night
or two of privacy, while accommodating the children in their desire to
remain together.
Lili and Radatel claimed that was their original suggestion, but the
parents had been holding off. Perhaps, since the idea now came from the
children’s Grandfather, it might be accepted more readily than coming from
merely the Emperor and his First Wife? A sheepish agreement was quickly
met, and work on a location for the new suite for the children would begin
in the morning.
That settled, the parents, and Aunt and Uncle, spent some time with
the children in their current location – this time in the Lanes compartment
– before each broke away and took their child back to their own quarters
for the evening. Josie usually stayed with Maya while Amy and Larl were
away, but tonight she would stay with Jaiying and Laisee in Andy and
Shay’s quarters.
Maya had a different assignment tonight, as agreed upon between the
Wives and her … and Rondal.

In the Corridors…
‘Lili, I wish to be honest with Maya’ Rondal sent privately, while walking
back to his quarters alone.
‘Certainly, Rondal, since lies and half-truths are how you got to where
you are’
‘If she should ask about … about certain things known only to the Elder,
or you…’
‘Such as?’
‘My involvement in the Hegemony … my kidnapping of the Taxa village …
the Demon’s Realm … my … my youth’

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‘Maya serves us faithfully; this is true, but certain things may shock or
displease her … the current state of your youth would be one of them’
‘I would rather tell her the truth than lie to her, Lili. I’ve done enough of
that already. I don’t want to lie to her any longer’
‘It is a risk, but as she cherishes the truth so highly, then I leave it up to
you. I do not fear her betrayal of our efforts. I fear her denial of her feelings
for you once again’
‘Understood, my Lady’
‘Maya comes to you after watching over Petrus while I bathe. You have
our love, Rondal … even that of Petrus’ she sent with a slight chuckle.
‘And you have mine, Lili’ he sent, then ended.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty almost fell out of his virtual chair! Lord Caldar had
wished for something! Better yet, he’d wished for the truth!
Oh, there were so many possibilities!

Kantor, The Royal Homestead, Rondal’s Quarters…

About an hour later, he heard the quiet knock at his door, and
nervously opened it to find Maya standing outside dressed in a simple robe
for the evening. He welcomed her in quietly, and they took seats opposite
each other in the outer room. The lighting was somewhat dimmed for
comfort, and there was a glass of ambrosia poured for Maya, and another
one of an iced fruit juice for him. They sat in an uncomfortable silence,
until he mustered the courage to speak.
“Maya … you look very … well, this evening. You are … as beautiful as
I remember you,” he said awkwardly.
“And you seem to be … somewhat younger than I remember, Lord
Caldar,” she said quietly.
“Yes … yes, that is true,” he said, then looked down at his hands, before
picking up his glass and sipping his juice lightly while considering her
suddenly formal tone with him. He suppressed a sigh, then set it back
down to try again.
“Maya … I spoke to Lili earlier, and she said … she said I may tell you
anything you care to know. You have the trust of the Emperor and the First
Wife,” he said quietly.
She picked up her ambrosia and sipped it daintily, before setting it back
down.

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“But not the Elder’s?” she asked on a tangent.

“I do not serve the Elder, Maya. I serve the Emperor,” he said firmly.
“Really? I was under the impression that you served yourself,” she said
a bit stiffly.
He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes; wondering what he’d done
wrong this time. Just where this conversation was going, he had not a clue,
but he went on gamely.
“I will tell you anything you care to hear, Maya. The truth about
anything I have knowledge of,” he said, but immediately realized there was
at least one thing he could not tell her about – not yet.
“So… What would you pick and choose to tell me about, Lord Caldar?”
she asked stiffly, already noticing his reluctance, before confronting him.
“How you kidnapped an entire village from Taxa? How you destroyed Taxan
ports with hundreds of innocent civilians on them? Maybe you would like
to explain how you chose to sacrifice human engineers on Kale to the
ravages of wild animals, while bringing Drecks to safety?”
“I … I see there is nothing further you need to know about me,” he
murmured.
“Oh … there is one thing I would like to know,” she said, and he looked
up hopefully, before she went on.
“How many did you steal life from to gain the youth you have today?
How many? Or is it easier to ask – how much did it COST YOU?” she threw
in his face, then saw the stricken look in his eyes, and knew the truth – or
what she thought it was.
“You KILLED! That’s how you gained your youth this time – YOU KILLED
AN INNOCENT! But not too young, perhaps. If you’ve gained only thirty
years or so, then you must have killed an older person. Who was it, Lord
Caldar? Someone who disagreed with you? Someone who became
inconvenient to you? A USELESS OLD WOMAN PERHAPS?”
“Maya, I killed no innocents! Who is filling your head with this
nonsense?” he asked, but watched as she stood to confront him again.
“Your man! Four! Or PETRUS, as Lili calls him! I heard him TALKING! I
listened to his DREAMS! You don’t need to LIE to me, Lord Caldar, because
the TRUTH IS TOO UGLY TO HIDE!” she shouted, then threw the rest of her
drink in his face, before heading towards the door.
“Only you would have the audacity to bring a former lover of the First
Wife into the Royal household! Under the Emperor’s nose! By the Gods,

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Rondal, have you no sense of propriety?” she continued, before breaching

the door and slamming it shut behind her.
“Maya! Petrus is Lili’s little BROTHER!” he shouted to the closed and
soundproof door.
He continued to stare at the closed portal for several seconds, before
finally sagging back in misery. He sat there for a while as he considered
the situation. The household was at peace, and there was no need to have
him and Maya feuding to disrupt it. He finished his juice, then got up to
shower and change into a fresh jumpsuit.
Afterwards, he looked longingly at his bed, but sighed before bringing
up his tightest block, and heading to the hanger bay. His tank was
prepped, and he could sneak out just as easily in the Kraken’s Child as
he’d done in Odontoceti, then send his apologies to Lili and Rad from orbit,
before working his way back to Earth. Then he’d see how well the soulless
one had faired in his absence. Maybe Danny and his family would like his
company during Christmas, for there was certainly no joy for him here.

November 30, The Kraken, Post-Midnight, Outer Departure Orbit

‘Lili, I beg forgiveness for the hour’ he sent.
‘Ahh, Rondal. We felt much anguish and soul-searching earlier. I trust
you and Maya had a spirited conversation?’ she said happily.
‘Rather one-sided, Lili. Maya already knows all she needs to know about
me, and told me so. Rather than spoil your tranquil home, I will be arriving
Earth-side in a few hours. Perhaps I will find welcome there. My love to you
all, Lili. I’ll be in touch’ he sent somewhat somberly, then triggered the first
jump.
Two hours later, and fourteen minutes further away, he was in the outer
orbit of the Moon and wondering if he should even bother returning to the
Annex, or just wait it out on the backside of the Moon – just another rock
sitting on the surface. He’d already missed the new moon, so he decided to
plant his ship for a day or so, and rest up … maybe catch up on some
deferred maintenance. Then he thought maybe he should have hopped
over to Claxon and paid them to do it.
He ate something, but when he went to wash afterwards, he noted again
his apparent age in his early-thirties, Relative, and wondered what to do
about it. He’d considered earlier what he could try to do with Maya – if she
were willing – but that avenue was certainly closed to him now. Maybe
Gray Feather and Snow Woman would like an early Christmas present
from the White Medicine Man? After all, without Gray Feather, he’d
probably be dead already.

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He finished washing, then went up to the bridge one more time to check
his alerts and alarms, before heading back to his compartment. He
considered once again that maybe Lili was right – he needed a real crew …
probably Drecks.

Kantor, Post-Midnight, Maya’s Quarters

Maya tossed and turned; never quite getting to sleep, while her mind
kept going over the conversation she’d had with Rondal that evening. No,
not a conversation – a stern talking to!
How could he be so evil? How could they believe he still loved her with
such evil in his heart? And how could they believe she could love such an
evil man?
‘MAYA!’ Lili shouted into her mind, and she sat upright in bed.
‘Yes … yes, Lady Lili?’
‘YOU WILL MEET ME IN THE ROOM OF OUR GUEST, PETRUS!
IMMEDIATELY!’
‘I hear and obey, my Lady!’ she quickly sent, then drew robe and
slippers on, and rushed out of her quarters to the room Lili had set aside
for her former lover.
“You took too long to get here!” Lili said petulantly from where she was
seated by Petrus’ head.
“I – I am very sorry, my Lady. I was asleep. I–”
“Never mind that, now! I will continue to work on my precious boy’s
eyes, while you work on one of his legs. Will that suit you, Petrus?”
“Liling, my darling … the sooner you get me and Ronnie back into space,
the better! Destiny waits for no man – or Drecks!” he said with a laugh.
“Very well, my precious little brother, and if it begins to hurt, you may
have more of my milk … or perhaps some of Maya’s. Rondal swears it is
the sweetest he’s ever tasted,” she said pointedly.
“Ah! Mistress Maya! So kind of you to help me in my hour or two of
need! Ronnie speaks highly of you, lass!”
“I – I am pleased to meet you, Petrus,” she said quietly, while thinking,
‘Lili’s little BROTHER?’
“Petrus, I am besieged by tiny reports and visuals. I would spend some
time learning what you and Rondal have accomplished over the last seven
months so that I may put it into proper perspective. I will have your
recollections, if you please.”

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“Oh sweetheart, would you rather not hear me sing?” he asked

mournfully.
“Petrus… Right thinking will be re–”
“Ronnie and I dropped off the ‘Ceti about seven months ago … out there
in the gardens…”
~~~
By the end of three hours, Lili had been briefed on Rondal’s actions over
the last several months. Then she’d made Maya sit through suit collar
recordings of various incidents – including the two Kee incidents involving
Rondal and Petrus; the last one in particular, where Petrus had nearly
died, and the Demon stepped forward and killed dozens of senseless
animals during their maddened attack, and used the forbidden path to do
so. Lili had even pointed out where the excess life energy had been shunted
aside in huge discharges that Rondal, in his Demon aspect, hadn’t noticed,
while Lili never even commented on the propriety of his actions.
She did, however, comment on Rondal’s offering to freely submit himself
for beheading because of his transgression, and mentioned how foolish
he’d been in his assumptions. Even Petrus had laughed at that; for they’d
watched the records in the same room with him, so he could give further
insight into what they were seeing. Not himself, of course. He still had a
few more days to go before his eyes were finished and working properly.
The revelation of those truths had been bad enough, but the worst was
when Lili had insisted on escorting Maya back to her quarters. Once inside
and alone with her, she finally let loose…
“You STUPID GIRL! You pine around here saying how much you LOVE
my brother-in-law, and once given a chance at reconciliation, YOU THROW
IT BACK IN HIS FACE! HE is the point of my husband’s SWORD, you stupid
child! All our hopes fall upon Rondal’s shoulders, and yet you go out of your
way to BREAK HIS HEART ONCE AGAIN? You’ve driven him AWAY from
family when he most needs rest and COMFORT! How much longer do you
think he can take your punishment and still stay SANE, girl? He LOVES you,
you silly bitch! Do you think he does NOT? Why ELSE would he care so much
about you, that he would give you up forever just to make sure you become
SENIOR?”
Lili paced angrily about the compartment – the one Rondal had
specifically set aside for his lost love. Remembering it in that context just
seemed to fire her up again.
“LOOK ABOUT YOU, WORTHLESS ONE!” she shouted while spreading
her arms to encompass the lavish furnishings surrounding them. “This is
all HIS doing! He GUARANTEED your safety and comfort, and bound ME to
provide it! For what reason would he waste his time and effort – and MINE?

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BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU – YOU … WORTHLESS … STUPID … BITCH!” she

screamed again, then slapped her face harshly, knocking Maya to her
knees.
“BY THE GODS, CHILD, YOU HAVE BUT TWO TASKS REMAINING HERE!
You will be MILK MOTHER to the First Lord’s Grandchildren until they no
longer have NEED OF YOU! And you will become SENIOR – OR BY THE
GODS, I WILL HAVE YOU BEATEN EVERY DAY YOUR EFFORTS SLACKEN!”
Lili paced nervously while trying to reclaim her calmness, but she was
having a very hard time doing so. She finally returned to stand in front of
Maya, and looked down on her sternly.
“And Maya – poor, poor precious little lost love of the First Lord… If
Rondal comes to doom on his mission, there will be no binding between
us, and the next time I strike you, it will be with a POWER SWORD IN MY
HANDS! DO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING?”
“Yes… Yes, my Lady Song. We have an understanding. I hear and obey,
my Healer … my Lady,” Maya said in a whimper; head bowed to the floor
and tears streaming down her face … her whole body quivering in terror.
“I somehow lack confidence in your promises,” Lili said coldly, before
storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her.
Maya stayed quivering on the floor and remained kneeling in the center
of her room for the few remaining hours until morning. It was then that
Laisee finally came to find her at Lady Lili’s urging.
The children were hungry and needed supervision.

December 9, Earth, The Annex, Late Evening

Rondal dropped down and searched for it, but the barn was definitely
gone, and another building was in its place. This one was lower, much
more squat, and further away from both the Learning Center and the
house.
Rather than it being a surprise, he’d just have to announce himself.
‘Ling, have you a moment?’ he sent out, but didn’t get a response. ‘Ling,
are you there?’ he repeated, but got nothing still.
‘Kayla, it’s Rondal. Is anybody home?’ he called out.
‘Ronnie! Where are you?’ she quickly asked.
‘I … I’m hovering over the center and looking for my barn, but it seems to
be missing’

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‘Ling had it removed. The engineers replaced it with a regular garage for
shuttles and such. The roof opens up, and you drop straight in. There should
be room for you in there. I’ll go out and check!’ she said eagerly.
‘Kayla, where’s Ling?’
‘She and Aineias are probably still busy – IF you know what I mean’
‘She and … AINEIAS? You’re kidding! The soulless one latched on to that
poor boy?’
‘Soulless one? Oh, she’s much different now. Ever since you left!’
‘Well, yeah. I taught her the Gift!’
‘No, a little different still. We’ll tell you all about it when you land! I’ll alert
the duty officer!’ she sent, then dropped away.
‘Duty officer?’ he thought in confusion.
Shortly, the bottom camera showed marker lights coming on at the
corners of the building, and he watched in fascination when the roof
accordioned back from either side to open in the middle. Floor marker
lights showed space next to a standard Commonwealth shuttle, where he
could ground his ship.
‘All set, Ronnie!’ Kayla sent, so he slowly dropped down until reaching
the edge of the roof, before turning off the opticals to let them see what
little they could of the space-black surface of the Kraken’s Child as it slowly
descended into the garage.
He lowered his struts and landed softly, before shutting down his
systems and popping the fill port. He enabled the internal fill valve, before
digging out his fill port adapter and cycling out the airlock, only to be
confronted by an eager young man.
“Sir, Duty Officer Celso! I welcome your return to Earth, First Lord!” the
young man said as he saluted. Rondal formally saluted, before holding up
the fueling adapter in his hands. “Sir, we have standard fueling couplers
here, Sir! I’ll have your ship topped off and ready to go immediately, First
Lord!” Celso said, so Rondal turned and put the adapter into the lock, then
cycled it shut.
“Thank you, Officer Celso. I expect my stay to be no longer than three
or four weeks at most, before returning to duty,” he said quietly.
“Will you require any other service, First Lord? We can offer you limited
depot level service if needed, sir. Mostly just filters, recycling system
flushing, and restocking, I’m afraid.”

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“I’ll see what’s needed. Perhaps later on, in the next week or two, I may
borrow your technicians to go over the ship with me,” he said quietly once
again.
“Very good, First Lord! By your leave, Sir!” Celso said, then saluted
again, before turning smartly and walking away to organize the refueling
effort.
Kayla, waiting for the young officer to finish, finally rushed up and
hugged him tightly!
“Ronnie! Lili said you might be stopping by, but we were beginning to
worry!” she said, then pulled him down for a lingering kiss. “Mmmm,
welcome home, Ronnie,” she said somewhat huskily, before dragging him
out of the garage and back to the residence.

December 10, Morning, A New Regime

Rondal awoke and stretched, then turned his head to the cuddly little
blonde next to him who’d reached out in her sleep and hugged him tightly.
Kayla tiptoed naked back from the toilet and slipped into bed on his other
side, before kissing him deeply with a freshly brushed mouth. She’d even
saved a bit of toothpaste in her mouth for him, and giggled when he jerked
away slightly when she shared it with him.
“Actually, that was for Mary. What’s better is a strong breath mint just
before I wake her up with my special kisses to her little pussy!” she
whispered, then giggled a bit more.
“I can imagine,” Rondal murmured, and she kissed him again, causing
his penis to stir back to life, even after last night, or this morning, rather.
Ten minutes later, he was flat on his back with Kayla riding his erection,
and Mary riding his tongue. Looking up, he could see Kayla’s hands
reaching around Mary, while her fingers teased her nipples … causing her
milk to drip onto his face until he finally had to close his eyes. After a bit
of quiet whispering, he heard them giggle, and Kayla spoke up.
“Okay, Ronnie, we’re gonna start now! Enjoy the ride!” Kayla said
happily, then said her trigger word, and a few minutes later, Mary said her
own.
He lay back and felt their excitement ramp up uncontrollably, but
thought for just the tiniest moment – what if there were a fire? Then he
forgot all about it when the peak of their frenzy hit both of them within
seconds; and he was being tightened upon fiercely by Kayla, while Mary
was trying her hardest to climb into his mouth. He let himself go just as a
matter of politeness, and they all seemed to peak at about the same time

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while holding themselves in a frozen tableau of lust for several seconds,

until both girls took a deep breath before falling into a fit of giggles.
“Well, I’ve certainly been there before!” a manly voice said at the door,
and Rondal looked up to see a smiling Danny just taking off his gun belt
and getting out of his shoes.
“Danny!” Mary squealed, then fumbled out of bed to go help her bond-
mate get out of his clothes, while Kayla cuddled next to Rondal and idly
played with the spilled semen that had dripped out of her and onto his
crotch. Danny saw what she was playing with, and gave him a warning.
“Better hide that from Ling! She was on a tear after you turned her into
a woman and shot it into her ass instead of her pussy where she wanted
it!” he said, and both Mary and Kayla broke into another set of giggles.
“Oh yes, Ronnie! She was livid!” Mary said. “We heard later how she
wanted to ‘harvest your essences’ and start Gifting some of the garrison
wives and daughters just to see if she could make Healers out of them like
you do!”
“That’s … that’s what I read when she was so insistent on sharing
contentment with me one last time before I left – the soulless witch! I let
her talk herself into finding a different place to shoot it!” he said with a
laugh.
“Oh, that’s not all, Ronnie,” Kayla said. “She approached Shu a few days
later and asked about sex videos regarding anal fetishes. Then she started
reviewing them, and … and actually did quite a bit of study on the subject.”
“Yes, and then she started to experiment!” Mary added. “You’d never
believe what she discovered!”
“Let me guess. She found that Aineias Anastasius was quite familiar
with that practice, and probably several of his men as well,” Rondal said.
“How’d you know? No – don’t tell me,” Danny said, while continuing to
undress.
“Professional soldiers, Daniel. Professional Imperial warriors. It’s not
just an adventure – it’s an entire life, and unlike Earth soldiers, the men
don’t hold things in and be all ‘manly, all the time.’ We recognize our
emotional needs as often as required, and seek out emotional support
when needed.”
“It’s just that sometimes there isn’t a Healer around?” Kayla asked.
“Exactly! Most men prefer women – myself included – but when someone
is in desperate need of comfort, you do your best to provide it. Although,
to this day, I’ve only provided emotional support. There was a funny thing
happened just recently, though…” he said, then told them of the incident

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with Lili, Petrus, and Diane, which had them all laughing, but Danny
turned contemplative.
“Would you have done it, though? Under other circumstances?”
“Well, men in prison sometimes find their emotional needs aren’t being
met, and turn to other men – usually violently, and with some need for
controlling others. With Petrus, I would have simply untied his arms, but if
he were in anguish and in need of comfort – and his arms were broken –
then I probably would have offered him that simple comfort … but it doesn’t
mean we’d be picking out matching towels!”
By this time, Danny was naked, and Mary had taken a firm hold of his
handle and was tugging him towards the bathroom to shower and get ready
for bed. Kayla quickly kissed Rondal, before saying, “Gotta go help my
woman get my man ready to play, and then get to sleep!” Then she slithered
out of bed and rushed off to join them.
He watched them go, and felt that this was what he’d been missing.
People caring about people – just that. Mary loved Danny. Kayla loved
Mary, and Danny loved both of them. They all simply loved each other, and
now Ling had found love, too? What was the world coming to? He sighed,
then got up, gathered his clothes, and headed over to the guest bathroom
to clean up and get dressed. Since Wilber and Shu were in town this
weekend, he had the rest of the house to himself, and wouldn’t have to
share the space with more than just the loving triplet in the other room.
Gods, it was good to come home!

Noon, A Family Lunch

They’d gathered for lunch in the rebuilt Learning Center, but he didn’t
recognize very much of this latest incarnation of it.
The building seemed a bit bigger, and Mary and Kayla had given him a
quick tour of the few changes that were added – one of which being the
safe room that was entered through the new locker room, and descended
by ladder into an armored vault under the Center. It contained emergency
supplies; including food, water, blankets, fold-down cots, and
communication equipment – and weapons. He saw the work of Imperial
warriors here, but didn’t comment on it. He also noted two doors leading
out of the vault; one with the label of “Hanger” and the other with the label
“Gully.” Kayla told him the house vault also exited to the “Gully” tunnel
now, and there was a similar safe room underneath the hanger, and the
control facility that housed the air defense weapons. He couldn’t imagine
the expense this had cost Rad over that of a simple Healer Cluster.
Then they’d headed back up the ladder and wandered over to the new
kitchen and dining area. It was a proper kitchen now, with a separate

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dining facility. Both of them were much larger, and the garrison staff was
preparing the noon meal for him and his staff, after having served early
dinner for the duty garrison warriors for that watch. Ling was seated with
Aineias Anastasius, and fairly radiated pleasure and happiness while
chatting with those around her, before finally noticing Rondal standing at
the door.
“Lord Caldar! It’s so good you see you again!” she said with what
appeared to be a genuine smile, and a twinkle in her eyes. “We’ve tried very
hard to follow your instructions, my Lord! I hope what we’ve done meets
with your approval!” She stood up and came over to greet him with both a
hug, and a very loving kiss.
“Thank you so much for setting my soul free!” she whispered, then
hugged him once again, before pulling him to the table, where three
warriors next to Ling shifted over to make room for him and the girls.
Aineias had stood when Ling did, and saluted before shaking his hand.
“Welcome back, First Lord!” he said, then paused for just a moment,
before hugging him as well. Rondal was surprised when Aineias kissed him
on the cheek, then delayed just long enough to whisper, “Thank you for
making a woman out of Lady Wen, my Lord!” before pulling back and
holding the chair for Rondal.
Rondal sat down, bemused by the both of them, but the meal was being
served, and unlike at the going away party, the servers set down platters
of food, before joining them at the table and digging in with the rest of
them. He looked around at this gathering – this family gathering – and was
hard pressed to stem the tears that wanted to well up and spill over onto
his plate. Ling felt his distress, and leaned over to him.
“Are you not well, Ronnie? Lili said you had some difficulty at the Fringe,
and some problem with a confused Healer. That one has been reprimanded
and set back upon the proper course, my–”
“That… What?” he asked, just a little louder than necessary.
“The Healer, my Lord? The one who offended? Lili said she was
punished, and set straight in her goals for the Emperor’s family. Surely,
this was proper?” she asked quietly.
“No… She should not have… She…” He stopped muttering to himself,
then got up and left the room. Kayla and Mary rose to leave with him, but
Ling held them back.
“He needs to speak with Lady Song about a private matter. Lunch is
ready,” she said quietly, and they reluctantly sat down to eat.

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Kantor, Evening, Lili’s Suite

‘Lady Song, a word if you please?’ Rondal sent forcefully.
‘Rondal, you never called. Ling told me you had finally arrived. We were
worried about–’
‘What did you do to Maya?’ he demanded.
‘Maya is well. She applies herself diligently to her studies, and continues
her duties to your Grandchildren. There is–’
‘LILI – WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAYA?’ he demanded again.
‘I told her the truth about you and Petrus, Rondal, just as you wanted.
For some reason, she got it into her stupid little head that you were evil
incarnate, and had murdered for your youth. As she assisted me with
Petrus’ regeneration, I had him review your activities over the last seven
months. We also watched a few interesting visuals’
‘Ling said she was punished!’
‘YES! My anger was such that I SLAPPED the silly bitch in lieu of taking
her LIFE! She will NOT misbehave within this household AGAIN!’ she finally
snapped.
‘I did not leave her in your care to be abused by you and–’
‘Abused by ME? And what about her treatment of YOU, Rondal? She is
free to piece together bits of information and come to false conclusions – and
then tear your heart out, yet again? IN MY OWN HOUSEHOLD? I SWEAR,
Rondal, if you meet misfortune on your mission, then my binding to you is
ENDED – and her life is FORFEIT FOR HER TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST
YOU!’
‘NO, LILI! No! Lili, please … do not hurt Maya anymore’
‘Do you STILL love her, foolish boy?’ she asked unimpassioned.
‘By the Gods, Lili, I still do… Just … just don’t hurt her anymore … please’
‘You try my patience, Rondal. The girl is unworthy of you. Oli’s little
SISTERS would be a better match for you. Oli HERSELF would be a better
match for you. At least Oli still loves her Uncle Ronnie’
‘Lili … set Maya free. Release her from service. Have Larl cash her
savings out, and … and send her somewhere so she can get away from
me … away from any reminder of me. She wanted to be a simple Healer. Let
her be a simple Healer … somewhere else’ he sent sadly.
‘So she can forget about you, Rondal? Or so you can forget about her?’

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‘At this point, what does it matter any longer? She obviously cannot think
clearly about issues concerning me. Maybe … maybe it’s because of what I
did to her all those years ago. Maybe it’s an artifact of her Healing at the
Elder’s hands. Lady Kita was … not right at the end … over many things.
Let her go, Lili. Please, just … just let her go. Grant Maya her freedom and
let her find happiness elsewhere, since she obviously cannot find it with me’
‘Very well, Rondal. I will present the gift of her freedom as you request’
‘And promise not to hurt her anymore – or kill her’
‘And I will not hurt or kill her by intention–’
‘LILI!’
‘I will not hurt Mistress Maya Tal, nor will I kill her … unless such action
is warranted by HER actions – such as the prevention of her taking an
INNOCENT HUMAN LIFE! SATISFACTORY, First Lord?’ she spat across the
distance.
‘Yes, Lili. Satisfactory. Thank you, Lady Song’ he sent very quietly.
‘Very well, Rondal. Seek contentment when you can. I understand you
have somehow changed Lady Wen in a profound manner, and she has
requested a Royal favor from the First Wife. Know that we have granted it,
and Aineias has our approval, as well’
‘Aineias?’ he asked in confusion.
‘They will speak of it to you under calmer circumstances. As always, our
love to you, Rondal, and to all of your family’
‘And my love to you, Lili, and to the family’
‘Even to Maya?’
‘Yes, Lili … always to Maya’ he ended somberly.
Lili sat back on her heels and looked up at her husband.
“That was rather harsh, Lili,” he said, while looking down at the panting
and semi-comatose Maya laying beneath him.
Lili let go of her hands, before getting up to stretch. Somehow, forcing
an excess of pleasure on Maya didn’t seem to have the same satisfaction
as simply beating her, but Rad had reminded her that beatings were a
negative reinforcement. She’d eventually relented, and then simply Gifted
her to within an inch of her life – or so she’d tried.
At least Maya had been very compliant following her earlier
chastisement. The children were well cared for, and she studied diligently
with Mei-Mei in the afternoons. Lili was still too upset with her to try

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teaching her anything, though. Her last act of service this day was to
provide milk to Petrus during part of his reconstruction, and then Rad
suggested she be rewarded for her good behavior by sharing their bed this
evening. Lili had reluctantly agreed, and Maya had been summoned and
told her services were required by the Emperor. She’d immediately
stripped, then gone to his arms and provided excellent service, until Lili
determined she’d waited long enough, then set her body into uncontrollable
spasms that finally knocked her out in exhaustion.
“So … are you really going to release her from service?” he asked, while
continuing to slowly thrust in and out of Maya.
“The Elder assigned her to the Royal Homestead. There are many places
outside the Royal Homestead she could serve. Perhaps … perhaps she
would like to return to Earth and serve under Lady Wen?” she suggested,
but Radatel frowned at her.
“Lili … Rondal specifically asked that you grant her release. Placing her
back on Earth would do nothing but be a constant reminder of what she
had, and threw away!”
“Ha! You agree with me, then? She threw Rondal away, and broke his
heart – yet again!” she said hotly, while watching Rad as he kept on his
slow thrusting into Maya’s limp body. “Would you not rather have a live
woman around you, my Husband, or do you prefer to service the dead?”
“Oh, Lili – you know how much I crave your pleasure. But let’s pursue
it upon your bed, instead of this hard floor.” So saying, he pulled out and
got up, before covering Maya with a sheet.
They got into bed, and Lili bent down to suck him into her mouth;
purring just a bit in the process. She pulled away for a moment to
comment, “Her juices are just as sweet as her milk,” then dipped down on
him once again to lick him clean before mounting him.
“Ah! Lili, you squeeze me so delightfully!”
“Something Amy mentioned one evening. I find it intriguing that we
continue to learn about love, even after all our years together, my darling
Husband,” she murmured, then speeded up.
“Oh Lili, that feels so good. Be careful, my Love, lest you bring me across
too soon,” he warned her, but she smiled down at him, then said a certain
word, and he suddenly felt firmer and fuller, while the anxiousness left his
face.
“Ah, Lili! The lessons of Rondal and Ling,” he said with a sigh, then
relaxed while Lili continued to take her pleasure from him for as long as
she desired.

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They were both sweaty tens of minutes later, when she finally said her
second trigger word, and her body began to quicken, while his own efforts
suddenly felt an order of magnitude better to him. Five minutes later, they
were locked in a rigid embrace, while trying to force their bodies to share
the same space for nearly twenty seconds, until she took a great gasping
breath and curled atop him, she giggling in pleasure while continuing to
rock gently upon his sagging manhood.
“Oh … my … love,” she murmured, between planting kisses all over his
face. “You shall have to declare a special commendation for Rondal and
Ling. This gift must be shared with the Commonwealth, my darling, and
peace will reign over all,” she murmured, then sighed contentedly.
Radatel looked within, as she’d taught him, and saw that her receptors,
as well as his own, were reset to zero.
“A medal, Lili. Two of them. One, a tiny golden penis, and another with
the relief of a vagina!” He giggled, and then they both laughed, which forced
him out of her vagina, causing them both to laugh again. Radatel sighed
in pleasure, before glancing down at the floor.
“When are you going to tell her, Lili?” he asked soberly.
“Oh, you spoil my good mood, my Lover!” she pouted. “Tomorrow. When
you are there to hear my words, and keep me true to them.”
“Do you intend to set her free?”
“I will leave that decision up to her,” she said with another pout. “If she
leaves, fine. If she stays–”
“Rondal says you are not to punish her any longer,” he reminded her.
“If she stays, then her service here tonight was not a punishment, was
it, my love?” she asked sweetly.
“No, and I daresay she’ll get much more sleep than we will. Lili… Would
you care to go again?”
“Oh, my love!” she murmured, then kissed him well, before saying her
first word. Like magic, he swelled to prominence, and was ready to play in
just a few seconds.
“This time, my Wife, will you please take the position below? I need the
exercise!” He laughed, and they both giggled, while she shifted below him
to let him settle comfortably within her for however long she wanted him.
As he began thrusting again, he considered for a moment his little
brother’s amazing achievement with Lady Wen, but still wondered why his
issues with Maya continued to haunt his existence. Those thoughts swiftly

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dissolved when Lili reached up and pulled him down to attach herself to
his lips for the duration.

Earth, The Annex, Noon, Rondal Returns

Kayla and Mary both noticed his melancholy attitude, even as they’d
noticed the fresh blush of youth on his features when they’d first
encountered him on his return to Earth. Neither had made mention of it,
nor had anyone else. This was the First Lord’s business. At least, he’d
finally returned to the table and sat down with them again.
“My apologies, my friends … my family. I needed to report to Lili. She
worries about me so,” he said, but then proceeded to function on autopilot
while his thoughts dithered about in his mind…
He’d been gone for less than five minutes, but the meal had hardly
gotten started, so he’d not missed anything. In the space of ten minutes,
he was enjoying the meal, and listening to the friendly conversations of his
dining companions. The men, the Imperial Marines as he thought of them,
now, chatted easily, even with him at their table; and no doubt many of
them had been in service for at least as long, if not longer, than he had.
It was refreshing in its own way. He truly felt like he’d returned home.
Perhaps, when it was all over and done with, he could resign as First Lord,
and return to service? Provided he still lived, of course. He almost
immediately tossed that idea aside, since he knew he’d never fit into a lower
role again. He was used to working alone and being in charge. Maybe it
was time to get back to basics?
The Kraken was very useful, but it would take several months to
fabricate new anti-matter charges for the BFG. Besides, both he and Four
had come to the same conclusion on several occasions now that it really
needed a crew to man it properly.
Four! He’d left and not said goodbye! Talk about burning bridges! Well,
maybe Petrus was tired of shipping out with him? They were both used to
getting shot at, but that whole business of him nearly being chewed to
death would be enough to strain any friendship.
In addition, there was that other matter as well. Was Petrus really the
friend he’d felt he was, or merely the keeper Lili had sent along to watch
over him? Could he really trust Petrus? Was it just a job Petrus had been
stuck with since he’d graduated from the academy? Moreover, Petrus knew
Lili from when she was just a little girl, but now it turned out he was her
little brother?
For that matter, could he really trust Lili? Would she really let Maya go,
or would she find some excuse to kill her? Maybe he should simply go back
and snatch Maya out of her custody, then drop her somewhere with a

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sufficient credit line to get by comfortably, and set her free himself? That
was the only way to be sure.
He snorted quietly at that, it reminding him of something.
‘Stand off and nuke them from orbit; that’s the only way to be sure,’ was
the line, he thought, but couldn’t remember where he’d heard it...
“My Lord? Would you care for some of these … orange things …
carrots?” Aineias asked him.
That brought him back to reality, and he accepted the platter and took
some carrots for his plate. He looked in vain for Brussels’ sprouts, but
apparently that wasn’t one of the joys they’d discovered as yet. The butter
was real, though, and he started on his second slice of homemade bread
that he lavishly slathered it with. If he ate like this every day, he’d have to
hit the gym…
A gym … there was certainly space on the Kraken to accommodate a
small gym. Maybe even a holo-projector. Maybe that large space where
they’d hauled the Kee…
“Sir, Lady Wen tells me you’ll be staying for a while,” Aineias said. “I
would like to go over several plans that Ling and … Lady Wen and I have
worked out for the Cluster, Sir. At your convenience, of course.”
“Huh? Oh yes… Of course, Aineias. Perhaps later this week,” he said
distractedly, before taking a bite of bread…
Yes. A proper gym, and an exercise regimen once again. He’d gotten
slow in the last several months. Petrus should never have gotten trapped
like that. Back at the Diplo Outpost, it was Petrus who’d yanked him out
of the dining room, wasn’t it? He thought that’s how he’d remembered it.
He still had the visual of it somewhere. Maybe…
“My Lord, Lady Lili has granted permission for something special should
you arrive, and now that you have, perhaps you may spare some time to
speak with Aineias and me?” Lady Wen asked.
“Huh? Oh yes … Certainly, Lady Wen. The plans for the Cluster. This
week, I promise,” he said, but didn’t notice her frown of confusion.
Kayla leaned over, whispered into her ear, and her face relaxed.
‘The First Lord is much distracted, Aineias. Perhaps we may discuss our
projects in a day or more’ Ling pushed to Aineias, and he looked at her in
surprise, before bowing his head in understanding.
The lunch meandered to its conclusion, with Rondal being in and out
for the duration of it. He finally stood and made to bus his own plate, but
one of the staff immediately jumped up and took it from him. He looked

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confused for a moment, while watching her walk away with it, but then
remembered where he was – and who he was.
“Uhhh … the meal was delicious! My thanks to those who prepared and
served it so lovingly,” he said, before leaving the room quietly, with eyes
following him all the way.
Rumors about the First Lord had run rampant as to what he actually
did, instead of becoming the Commonwealth’s most senior administrator,
as his brother had been once before. Those more familiar with his history
had already suggested his placement as the mythical “First Sword” of the
Emperor – that worthy who was always suspected of being behind any
Imperial skullduggery that needed “plausible deniability” from taint of the
Emperor’s court.
The fact that Rondal had at one time been known as the “Madman of
the Fringe” was also pretty much common knowledge among these
seasoned veterans, along with the fact that he no longer traveled in his
well-known and garishly painted former private yacht of Galaxy-class
origins. The space-black, nano-textured tank he’d arrived in, a covering
that effectively rendered it invisible, other than as a black undefined void,
even in bright daylight, was proof enough that Lord Caldar had other
duties assigned to him at the moment.

Late Afternoon, Rondal Relaxes

He’d gone back to the residence and dug his old, flannel-lined denim
jacket out of the guest closet, before changing into his “local” clothes to
take a walk around the Center.
He revisited the new hanger and checked out the facilities there; seeing
they’d installed a proper toilet and sink room, a work room, and tool crib,
and included a storeroom with common supplies and spare parts for
standard shuttles, and a few parts particular to Galaxy-class tanks – most
notably, main filter canisters. Then he visited down in the safe room and
saw a duplicate of the design that was under the Center. He estimated that
between the three safe rooms, they could easily support the entire garrison,
plus their support crew and families, with room left over. Apparently, Lili
was dead serious with her intention to keep the Center secure from all local
threats.
He changed that impression after visiting the air defense installation
and seeing weapons similar to those that protected the Royal Homestead
on Kantor. Some of these weapons could reach out and touch someone in
near orbit. If their hosts got wind of them, there would be hell to pay.
Unless she’d twisted a few arms along the way, he was pretty sure Lili had
violated several of the current treaties already in place. He became positive
of it when he gained access to the weapons lockers. As Imperial warriors,

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they all carried a power sword as a matter of course, along with side arms
for these open spaces, but the toys he’d found in the weapons lockers were
quite a few steps above that.
With the number of hand-held beamers, other particle, projectile, and
one and two-man weapons available, the air defense building appeared
somewhat redundant. He checked some of the loads for the three-
centimeter projectiles and was shocked to see some of the ratings available.
With a quick count, he determined they could level a good-sized city with
the number of rounds they carried for the three-centimeter weapons alone.
“Seems like overkill, doesn’t it, Sir,” Aineias said, while just coming up
to stand next to him.
“It would appear that Lady Song has become somewhat less tolerant of
our hosts of late,” Rondal calmly agreed, having felt his approach for the
last several seconds.
“Well, as Mister Milton often says, ‘you never know’. Your own
uncomfortable relations with our hosts are something we keep very
mindful of, my Lord. I daresay, your delayed arrival over the weekend was
something that set us all on edge. Even though we were expecting you, to
have you suddenly call out to us from a hundred meters overhead was
quite humbling, Sir.”
“My apologies for that, Aineias. I often plague the Royal Homestead by
slipping in unannounced to pick up or drop off a package without their
notice. The last time I did that, I left a Galaxy-class sitting in the middle of
a garden stream with full opticals up. I had Lady Song report hearing a
‘noise in the garden’ the night before,” he said, then turned to look at
Aineias with a smile.
“To find it, I understand they resorted to throwing pebbles around until
they bounced off empty air,” he added with a laugh, which got an honest
chuckle out of Aineias as well.
“Still, Sir, don’t you ever worry about taking fire from ground weapons?
I mean, even in a tank–”
“A Galaxy-class, Aineias. Shields down, I lost a tiny chip of paint from
one of the host’s rocket weapons. Shields up, and I can drive through a
small planetoid – or most ships. Plays hell with their damage control. Still,
if I ever got nailed by a cruiser’s main gun – or that nasty thing you snuck
into that air defense hut… Tell me, Aineias, is the Ambassador aware of
what you’ve got installed out here?”
The Garrison Commander glanced away for a moment, before
sheepishly meeting his eyes once again.

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“Not in so many words, my Lord. Lady Song and my Lord Emperor have
both expressed much displeasure with our hosts’ lack of security and
control – hence this garrison. Lady Wen and I have discussed this at length.
Although she argues against it on general principles, both Lady Song and
the Emperor have ordered an upgrade to ‘hostile environment’ protocols
for the Learning Center, my Lord … and the surrounding spaces.”
“The … the plans you wanted to go over with me? Full shield barriers,
full defensive postures, and … total access control?”
“Modified somewhat, Sir, but yes … basically that would be the case.
Very low profile, Sir, and no doubt your tradecraft could easily bypass the
standard shield. Apparently, it already bypasses those at the Royal
Homestead.”
“Well, I am a sneaky bastard.”
“Part and parcel of the job, Sir. For here, visitors would be watched very
carefully – unobtrusively, of course – and staff would still come and go as
they please. We were looking at total enclosure, but it required
modification to suit the intended purpose of the Healer Cluster. Mister
Milton and Mister Sparks have looked over the plans and agree that it
presents a very – ‘spa-like’ atmosphere? Comfortable to Earthlings? Staff –
my staff – not being uniformed, per se, but still present … much as you
saw us at lunch today.”
Rondal smiled at Aineias apparent facile adoption of an English
language expression in Latin, but certainly appreciated the effort he was
making to fit in.
“Sort of a grand … undercover operation?” he suggested.
“Well, perhaps not as grand as ‘Madame Caftan’s’ out on the Fringe,” he
said, and they both laughed at mention of that hotbed of Imperial
intrigue…
For those in the know, “Madame Caftan’s” was one of the premier
Imperial bordellos – which doubled and tripled as a contact point,
information gathering point, and dissemination point for information and
disinformation. It was also home to many of Lili’s, the Elder’s, and not a
few of the Emperor’s spies…
Still laughing, they walked out and closed the weapons locker, before
heading back to the chill of the afternoon. Rondal looked around at the
remaining huts, and the incongruous cluster of mobile homes the garrison
was housed in, and was suddenly interested in the direction his Healer
Cluster was headed.

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“By the Gods, Aineias, if I survive the next few years, I would dearly like
to come back here and see what you and Lady Wen come up with,” he said
wistfully, before sighing heavily.
“Ling… Lady Wen… My Lord, the First Wife has granted a Royal favor
to Lady Wen, and said that perhaps you might preside over the
proceedings? It – it would mean so very much to Ling … and to me, of
course.”
“Well, if Lili has approved it, I would certainly not wish to raise her ire
anymore,” he said. “Not after today,” he added in a mutter.
“Then you’ll do this for us, Sir?” Aineias asked somewhat anxiously,
causing Rondal to suddenly realize that he had no idea of what they were
asking for.
“Ahh, exactly what favor did Lady Song grant to Lady Wen?” he asked
warily, while thinking back to his departure earlier in the year.
“Why … our bonding, my Lord!”

Kantor, Mid-Morning, The Children’s New Suite

Maya was presiding over her brood like a doting mother hen, and for
once they were all playing quietly while letting her and the Wives in
residence chat amicably…
Since her private, yet still very public, censure – the hand print of the
First Wife having been present for several hours after she’d been called
back to service – Maya had been very scrupulous in both her service, and
her studies. That storm of controversy had rushed through the household
like a wild fire among the staff and the Wives. All of the Senior Wives, which
for all practical purposes, included Diane and Laisee, had been reluctant
voyeurs during Lili’s uncontrolled outburst, and lent Maya silent support
over the last several days.
As it was between her and Lili, no one had talked about it or
commiserated with her over it. They each respected the authority of the
First Wife over what was – to put it politely – yet another misjudgment on
Maya’s part in failing to seek proper counsel before speaking her mind.
They all still loved Maya and showed it in various ways, but not to the
extent Lili and Rad had done the previous evening. That was something
sometimes felt among the Seniors as well, with Maya not quite being able
to control projections of her passion, as yet. She was almost a Senior
herself … but not quite…
Maya watched over her charges, but still kept an ear to the idle
conversations around her. However, she did note they no longer mentioned
Rondal in her company. She knew they were avoiding it, and grateful for
not being reminded, yet again, of how foolish she’d been when she’d peeked

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into the restless mind of Lili’s brother – her little brother – and caught bits
and pieces of the violent and confusing actions he’d been reliving in his
dreams.
In hindsight, she’d recognized the prudent thing would have been to
consult Lili first about her fears and concerns, or spoken to Petrus when
he was awake, but no, she’d let her imagination run with what little half-
truths she’d heard, then confronted Rondal once again, which caused him
to leave the shelter and comfort of his home, for the loneliness of deep
space. She’d thought she’d been humiliated enough during the few hours
spent when Lili had demanded an accounting from Petrus – no doubt
purely for her education – then been determined to go to Rondal, beg his
forgiveness, then ask for reconciliation on his terms alone, but Lili had
escorted her to her quarters, and then laid into her severely; she only
finding out then that Rondal had bolted from the Royal Homestead, and
Lili was on the verge of ordering her death over it.
She’d finally gotten over the night terrors, and spent more time with
Petrus, he being much happier now that he could actually see her and look
hungrily at her “bounteous charms” as he’d called them, before she would
relent and feed him, while Yin-Yin and Mei-Mei continued with the
reconstruction of his lower legs. Diane and Laisee had also practiced on
him, and she’d been allowed to take a turn during his reconstruction, as
well.
Petrus was upset that the “ungrateful lad” had abandoned him there,
helpless in the clutches of the Emperor’s personal witches, and he’d sworn
to her the only saving grace was that Rondal’s beloved had come to ease
his pain during his reconstruction. When not drinking her milk, he regaled
her with stories of all the “mischief” he and Ronnie had perpetrated on the
various Hegemony worlds.
He’d talked about Ronnie’s anguish at what he’d done on Taxa to halt
the human harvest, saying the collateral damage – a term often heard
within these walls, and now presenting a much clearer image to her than
ever before – had allowed the majority of potential victims for the human
harvest to survive for at least one more year – or until the Drecks gathered
up the resources to reconstruct the devastated base on Taxa.
He’d also told her of the many drops and recovery operations Ronnie
had performed alone on Womak, the home of his Drecks “ex-girlfriend” he’d
teased her; how many human harvest victims they’d recovered, and how
the last recovery had gone sour, and they’d had to destroy a farm, pull out
the entire harvest, and then recover the human helpers – and how Ronnie
had delivered a Drecks baby from a human rape victim during the last few
minutes on the ground. He’d asked her if Ronnie was always like that, and
she’d given the standard reply, “lost children and small animals.”

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This talking to Petrus was quite different than hearing his bland
recitation to Lili that night. Not that it hadn’t been as informative, but when
Lili wasn’t asking the questions, Petrus came alive and enjoyed the story-
telling, and it appeared to be something he was very good at. Especially
when he’d told of them meeting up with Nathan and Dorcas on the
receiving station, and having later caught Ronnie curled up with Rose on
the couch – them both having fallen asleep while watching some old Earth
movie.
He’d remarked on how Rose had patted Ronnie’s cheek, before running
over to her mother for milk, and commented on how he’d wished “the boy”
would have a chance to settle down after it was all over, and raise a family
of his own.
That had nearly broken her.
In all the years they’d been together, he’d never mentioned children; she
only learning the truth about Walter after he’d died. She now knew of their
broken destiny, and that, according to Kita’s visions, they were supposed
to bring children into the Commonwealth, but now it was too late. Her own
daughters were gone, and she could no longer give Ronnie children. Xiaoli
would have done so, and the Gods knew, she would have willingly served
as Second or Third Wife just to be with Ronnie once again, but the chances
of even that happening were down to zero.
That was her state of mind when Lili and Radatel entered the children’s
new suite.

Earth, The Annex, Late Afternoon, A Bonding?

“Your … your BONDING? With the SOULLESS one?” Rondal asked in
shock. “Why? Was SATAN unavailable?”
Aineias blinked in incomprehension at the unfamiliar name, but the
expression on Lord Caldar’s face was one of extreme confusion, so he
attempted to alleviate it a bit.
“My Lord, you created a deep change in her on your last night together,
and she and I have been enjoying each other’s company on a more regular
basis over the months. Last month we talked about it, and she requested
permission from Lady Song. It was granted just last week.”
“Aineias … you do realize Lady Wen was an operative of Lady Song’s
until just recently?”
“Oh yes, my Lord. We spoke of much of our history – except for the
classified details, of course. I’ve served the Crown for over four-hundred
years, now, and this is the first assignment where I’ve felt comfortable
enough to want to settle down – and with a woman who has an

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understanding of the dilemma warriors face on a daily basis when in the

field.”
“Well, I would imagine you could both be considered ‘blooded’ at this
point,” Rondal muttered.
“Just so, my Lord, and that fact is not lost on me or Ling … Lady Wen,
Sir. I would consider it an honor to serve as her consort for the remainder
of my days, my Lord,” he said, then waited while Rondal’s expression
shifted several times, before settling into one of resignation.
“Aineias, being involved with a Healer is often fraught with …
difficulties,” he said, while trying not to dissuade him, so much as warn
him, but then again, Ling wasn't Maya. “But in the case of you two, you
each seem to have a good measure of the other, and if you truly desire a
bonding, then I would be happy to preside over it,” he agreed.
“Thank you, my Lord! Thank you! Would … would you consider this
coming weekend sufficient time, my Lord?”
“Aineias, you and Ling make whatever preparations you need here at
the Center. I trust Ling knows the schedules well, and can set things up to
both your satisfaction.” He paused for a moment, remembering the last
party at the Center.
“Just … don’t have the event catered,” he muttered.
“We intend a regular blowout, Sir! The bonding ceremony, followed by a
proper Imperial debauch … accompanied by a light buffet supper. The
younger children will be supervised by some of the older children … those
who do not wish to participate in the festivities.”
Rondal had to pause for a few moments to let that sink in. Although he
was on Earth, this was basically a Kantite bonding party they were talking
about. He nodded, then chuckled.
“I’m sure we can find other activities to keep the children occupied –
those that don’t wish to participate,” he said, and they walked back to the
Learning Center to find Ling.

Kantor, Mid-Morning, The Children’s New Suite

Although she was loosely considered family, Maya still rose and bowed
to the Emperor and the First Wife, leaving no courtesy unfulfilled.
“Good morning, Ladies … Maya,” the Emperor said, as he looked around
at everyone, before taking a seat. Lili walked over to stand beside him.

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Maya and the Wives noted the stillness in their presence, and waited
patently – the Wives did. Maya stood still, but finally lowered her head,
while the children continued to play.
“Diane, how has the suite turned out?” Lili asked politely.
“It is done up very well, Lili. The accommodations for the children are
very secure, and the visiting parent’s room is well appointed. Maya, what
was it you’d requested for the kits?”
“A lock, my Lady. A lock for the passage to the outside that may be set
anytime one of us leaves the room for a moment. The children escaped
when Rondal … when Lord Caldar returned last week, and it was by the
kits’ special entrance and exit from the rooms that they made their way.”
She walked over to the wall and pulled aside a curtain to reveal a small
lever set high up on the wall. Set at arm’s length, she moved it from one
side to the other, which let a sliding cover open and close to the short
transparent tunnel the kits used to enter and leave the room to conduct
their toilet. It was either that, or try to teach them to use the toilet inside.
Walter looked up, noted the height of the lever, then estimated how
many cushions and chairs he’d need to reach it. Glancing around the
immediate space, he thought more items might be available in the visiting
parent’s room.
“Maya, it would appear you have added to the security of the children.
We thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Lili said politely.
“I am here to serve, my Lady,” she said quietly, then bowed her head
again.
Lili waited a moment longer, before taking a step forward and
responding to her.
“No longer, Maya. Lord Caldar has informed me he is releasing his
binding upon me concerning you.”
Maya stood there in shock, and the Wives, those who’d actually listened
remotely that morning, stiffened in their seats. Maya fell to her knees, and
dropped her head to the floor in supplication.
“Oh, get up, you silly child! Lord Caldar has ordered your funds released
and placed under your control. You are to be delivered to a place of your
choosing, where you may do as you please! Your service to the Royal
household is at an end!”
“But … but why, my Lady?” Maya asked tearfully, as she looked up at
Lili from the floor where she knelt.
“Because–”

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“Because…” Radatel calmly interrupted Lili, “…Rondal so loves you,

that the thought of Lili taking your life in a fit of anger impresses upon him
the futility of his position with you. Rather than hold you here until you
feel you can care for him again, he would rather set you free to do what
you want, Maya.”
Lili had been glaring at her husband, and began speaking as soon as
he finished.
“Yes! You are now free to go, and do whatever you choose to do – as long
as it no longer distracts Rondal from his–”
“Lili…” Radatel said firmly. “She is free to choose what she wants to do.
That was Rondal’s request. And your promise to him was no more beatings,
and no more threats of death – or acts upon them,” he quickly added,
before turning to Maya. “Maya, you have a few days to decide what you
want to do. I would also recommend that you search your heart very
carefully, and very thoroughly regarding the First Lord, should you still
harbor the slightest affection for him at all.”
He paused, then added another thought.
“Perhaps in a few days, and after seeking wiser counsel…” he paused
again while pointing several times at Lili behind her back, “…a better
understanding of your feelings towards my little brother will be achieved,
and perhaps lead you to a path of greater satisfaction in your life.”
“I – I … the children, my Lord … my Lady…”
“We can get another wet nurse for the children, Maya,” Lili said stiffly,
but all the children looked up at her. Then they all looked at each other,
before getting up as a group and surrounding Maya.
“Although … there might be some argument from … what was that
phrase? Ah! The *peanut gallery*!” Radatel said, then chuckled when the
children sat down next to Maya and passed dirty looks up at Lili.
They could all hear Lili’s low growl, before she turned, and left the room
in a huff, but Radatel held his chuckle until the door was safely closed
behind her.
“By the Gods! Maya … between you and Rondal, I don’t believe I get a
peaceful bit of sleep any longer,” he muttered, before sighing quietly.
“I – I am terribly sorry, my Lord,” she whispered, and the children
grabbed her hands and began tugging at her.
“Yes, Maya … come over here and sit by me, if you please,” he said, and
she staggered up and wiped her eyes, while stepping over from the other
side of the room to sit herself at the Emperor’s feet. He darted a glance at

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the empty chair next to him, but withheld comment at her choice of
position. Instead, he looked down at her, and smiled kindly.
“Maya … Rondal is doing something very important for me … for the
Commonwealth. He loves you dearly – to the point of giving you up to save
your life – and we all know that you love him as well. You were there when
the Elder ordered him cursed. You now know quite a bit of what Rondal is
doing for me, and how much I rely upon him. I trust him a great deal,
Maya. His incursions into the Drecks territories, his recovery of very
important intelligence – as well as his efforts to save both human and
Drecks lives. Did you know that last bit of nonsense he went through with
Petrus was to try and save Lord Gagsa?”
“Gagsa? The – the one who–”
“Yes, Maya. Lord Gagsa was the unwilling dupe of the conspiracy that
placed your life in danger, and cost the lives of the diplomatic mission …
and your daughters’ lives as well,” he said quietly. “This was the same Lord
Gagsa who took a few shots at you as you were leaving Earth. He was
censured for that – the failure of it, anyway. Rondal deduced he was
probably being held on the same prison planet that Pack Calos was
recovered from, but Rondal and Petrus got back there too late, and the Kee
had killed and eaten everyone … one supposes,” he added, remembering a
short conversation with Rondal.
“But … why would he–”
“Maya … why does Rondal do anything that he does? I’m sure he had a
very good reason – one that would, no doubt, have caused much
consternation to the Master Pack of Zarox. Whether he sought to turn him,
as Petrus suggests, or perhaps for some other reason… But, without an
actual body… Well, no matter,” he said with a bit of exasperation, then
glanced at the attentive Wives and children around him, before sharing
with them a tiny shrug of his shoulders and going on.
“My point is, that Rondal is looking at every possible avenue to prevent
an all out war with the Drecks. This would save both Commonwealth lives,
and the human lives within Drecks territory,” he said, then leaned forward
a bit and dropped his voice to a whisper, saying, “I don’t believe Lili yet
suspects the extents he will go through to achieve that goal.” He cleared
his throat while sitting upright again.
“Now … Rondal has many things working for him. For one, he has Petrus
– although he left him here considerably shorter than he used to be, and
Lili was quite upset about that. Now that he knows Petrus is Lili’s little
brother, it is likely he has realized that he’s been watched over from the
very first moment he left the academy. In the early days, there were several
attempts on Rondal’s life. Petrus put a stop to that … some of them. Rondal

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was very good before he even entered the academy, but there were some
efforts at poisons, I understand,” he said, and Maya gasped.
“Rondal has, through his own resources, acquired a new ship that, once
we finish re-arming it in a few months, will be one of the deadliest ships in
space – again. That unfortunate incident over by Kale was all of Rondal’s
ammunition going off at once. Probably why he doesn’t want a lot of crew
on board,” he muttered, while shaking his head and looking away, before
considering another painful issue.
“Another thing he has is his curse, although I’m told the Elder now
wishes she’d never done that to him. Something about Visions, and if you
were to ask me, I’d say the Visions didn’t prevent me from suffering under
Meela’s curse all those years ago!” he said in exasperation, before returning
to his main train of thought.
“Anyway, if what Petrus describes is accurate, Rondal has mediated the
curse, and it now works for him. Rondal is ‘Ronnie’ for the most part – my
sweet, lovable, little brother. When a situation rears up, the ‘Demon’
sometimes comes out and deals with it. I believe you and Lili watched a
visual?” He paused, and Maya actually gulped and nodded.
“Yes,” he said dryly. “Believe it or not, the ‘Demon’ was what usually
surrounded him when he was growing up, and the Ronnie we all know and
love today was the transient visitor. Rondal was a very serious young boy
– driven, you might say. You, my lovely young Healer, are one of the
reasons Ronnie is as well loved now that he is – and why he cares so much
about … about everything. Believe me, for a Commonwealth Lord to
command the respect and friendship of a Drecks … let alone a Drecks
Pack…” he left that hanging, while shaking his head slightly.
“My Lord. What would you have me do?” she asked quietly, and he
looked at her sternly once again.
“I would not have you toy with my little brother’s affections, for one! He
would lay down his life gladly for anyone of us – including you! Gods know,
he’s tried often enough!”
“But, my Lord, I do love him, but he … he was going to bond with–”
“Yes, he was going to bond with Xiaoli, and why not? You’d cast him
aside already! Gods, child, I have five Wives, and even they do not bring
me as much heartache as you bring down upon Rondal! You – you act like
an Earthling in this respect!” he snapped at her, saying it like a curse.
She quickly bowed her head again while he forced himself to calm down
and settle in his seat. Everyone heard his heartfelt sigh when it left his lips
several seconds after this last outburst, and he took another breath and
let it out slowly while looking down at her in contemplation of her history.

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“Perhaps you’re just too much like your mother? I’m sure your father
would think so. Perhaps you should ask her about your father some day.
It might give you some insight into your own feelings. Or perhaps …
perhaps this is just the result when children choose their own mates,” he
muttered bitterly, and she looked up at him again, but with confusion this
time.
Seeing her confusion, his expression changed to a more cheerful
countenance.
“So … you have a few days to decide what you want to do, and where
you want to go. In either case, there will be an opening for a wet nurse.
Should any – ANY – interested party wish to apply, then she should contact
the First Wife for approval. The job comes with room and board – much like
you currently enjoy – and an allowance; but it will be a contract position,
similar to the one David and Andrew hold with me.”
Then he stood and stretched comfortably.
“I trust you slept well, Maya,” he said offhandedly, then turned his
attention to Yin-Yin. “Yin-Yin, the First Wife tells me I’ve been neglecting
you, and I would make it up to you in some measure – and it is still
morning?”
“Oh! Oh, yes, my Husband!” Yin-Yin said happily.
She giggled eagerly while quickly getting up and joining him, sharing a
loving kiss with him, before being escorted towards the door, where he
paused and turned back to them.
“Ladies, we all know of Lili’s resources, but I would consider it a
personal favor if you required her to rip this conversation from you, rather
than simply giving it to her freely – at least until, say … the end of the
week?” he suggested, while looking pointedly at Maya.
Maya bowed at the waist this time when the Emperor and Yin-Yin left
for her bedchamber.

January 2004, Far Earth Orbit, The ‘?’ Make an Observation

‘This feels different’ ‘?’ mentioned.
‘Many are here now’ ‘?’ offered.
‘Something is familiar’ ‘?’ considered.
‘Some ONE is familiar’ ‘?’ thought and thought … and struggled to
push away.
‘HE is here’ ‘?’ pointed out.
‘Who is here’ ‘?’ asked.

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‘MY Grandson!’ Kita pushed firmly, then searched for him on that
VERY crowded world.
End of Part One

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Part Two – A Step in a New Direction…

Lord Rondal Caldar remained on Earth over the Christmas holiday of the
year 2000 and shared it with family and friends.
A week after presiding over the official bonding between Lady Ling Mei
Niu Wen and Captain Aineias Anastasius, he continued to work with them
in developing further plans for the security of the Learning Center, and set
about making it happen under Wilber Milton’s watchful eyes.
Maya, he’d found, had been released from service by Lili, but she’d
stayed on as a contract employee, as were his Grandson, and his Great-
Grandson. Although maintaining even a tenuous relationship with her was
not practical, he monitored her progress when he could, and felt gratification
at her successes.
Once Petrus began chafing at his enforced recovery, Rondal rescued him,
and once again, they went back into the Hegemony on very secretive
missions. This time, however, the goal was simple monitoring and
exploration in an attempt to try and figure out who the mysterious “third
party” was that had pushed the Drecks into such an unexpectedly high level
of prominence. They still conducted occasional clandestine insertions to net
potentially useful intelligence from Dox, Kale, Taxa, and Womak, and
sometimes recovered human and Drecks subjects, most of whom ended up
joining the Demon’s Realm in one capacity or another, but their main goal
was still solving the mystery of the Drecks’ unaccountably rapid
advancement.
In spite of their successes, in the last three years, they’d had no luck in
finding the missing “third-party” and even Petrus was getting burned out
with the mission profile as it stood.
It was the turn of the year in 2004 and time for a new plan.

January 4, 2004, Kantor, Royal Homestead, Early Morning

Maya sat quietly while the Ladies gossiped. They were planning the
eminent birthday party for Walter, Shay Daishi’s son by David Lane, while
that young worthy lay quietly in Maya’s arms; having just fallen asleep
while nursing a quick snack from her still-swollen breasts.
Almost as if an alarm had gone off, she was suddenly surrounded by
three other thirsty four-year-olds – Walter’s cousins conceived during their
adventure five years ago, or in little Josie’s case, back on Earth. Not
missing a note of conversation, Yin-Yin, Fourth Wife of the Emperor, came
over and took Walter from Maya’s arms to set him down on a cushion,
while Diane’s daughter, Cathy, attached herself to the freed breast. Andy
and Laisee’s little girl, Jaiying, took the remaining one, while Amy’s
daughter, Josie, sat quietly on the edge of the cushion and waited patiently
for her turn. She finally stretched out along Maya’s side and laid her blonde

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curls on Jaiying’s leg, while Cathy reached down and ran her fingers
through her hair.
Maya silently marveled at this. The children were closer than just
cousins in her mind. They all gathered together whenever possible, and
shared mealtimes, bath times, and even the same sleeping quarters. Their
Grandfather, Lord Caldar, had made the suggestion during one of his
visits, and the parents had finally relented. It ended too many sleepless
nights hunting them down in the Royal apartments, only to find them all
curled up together in one place or another, with their bodies placed
haphazardly, yet with at least one leg or hand reaching out and touching
another so they were all connected somehow.
Since Maya had trained well and finally been granted Senior status,
she’d searched through the records, and even consulted the Elder’s staff,
but nothing they’d suggested explained the children’s behavior … other
than they considered themselves family.
Cathy burped quietly, and then giggled before nursing for several more
seconds at Maya’s nearly empty breast. She then leaned up, pressed her
lips to Maya’s, and shared a mouthful of milk with her. Maya was surprised
for just a moment, but accepted it gratefully – her gift freely given back to
her by this loving little girl. Little Jaiying felt her other breast carefully and
also nursed several times without swallowing, before patting Josie’s head
a few times. When Josie sat up and came forward, Jaiying reached out and
held her head, before pressing their lips together to share Maya’s gift.
“Milk Mother, I thank” both Cathy and Jaiying said, before kissing
Maya’s cheeks and moving out of the way for Josie to come up and finish
off her remaining milk.
Maya looked around, but no one else seemed to take notice of this new
behavior from the children, so she simply settled back with Josie laying
beside her and nursing quietly. Cathy and Jaiying rearranged themselves
around her, with one hand touching Josie’s leg or back to remain in
contact.
The Elder’s senior consultant, Doctor Larl Riker, had suggested the
children were associated so closely merely because all of their parents were
so tightly attached to one another. His opinion was that it wasn’t a concern
they had to deal with at this time. “Wait and see” was his suggestion. He’d
never brought up the possibility that it was Ronnie’s seed and Gifting of
the wives that might be the cause, even though it remained a strong
possibility in many of their minds. It probably would have helped if they’d
simply asked the children what was going on, but at less than five years of
age, their verbal skills were not up to the task of such a long and
complicated explanation. Besides, none of them would have the patience

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to try and verbally explain what would take only moments in mindspeak
between the cousins.

The Imperial Court, The Borgalas Petition

On the far side of the planet, the Emperor was preparing to deal with
the last petition of the day. It had taken several years, and the petitioner
had been very patient, but the final investigation had been thorough …
despite the increased demands on the Commonwealth security forces since
his little brother had continued to make repeated, painful, and
embarrassing impacts on the Hegemony and its internal security forces.
He’d said he had a plan, but had neglected to describe it in detail; being
reluctant to cause any digestive troubles for his big brother – no more so
than usual, that is.
~~~
The Majordomo was going to at least try to enjoy the next petition. He
really missed the old days under Emperor Rakel Timorous, though. There
was always something exciting happening in his court, but his son – the
accountant – just didn’t seem to have the same fire. He sighed as he
thought back to those early days when Radatel had first taken over...
From the very first petitioner, he’d realized the grace, the pomp, and,
yes, the very ceremony of a court appearance was doomed to lose luster
and slowly devolve into a simple administrative meeting – one that could
very well be held in any number of closed offices. Indeed, the Majordomo
had been given a staff of ten to review and process petitions, assign
priorities among them, then provide a recommended disposition for
them … only needing the Emperor’s signature to make it official.
Sometimes, it was hardly worthwhile getting out of bed in the morning…
He shook his head sadly at the memory of it all gone away, but then
perked up a bit when he reread the last few items on the list for this
petition: mop, bucket, and valaets – two each – from the Emperor’s own
Homestead?
Could it be that a change was in the wind?

In the Side Chambers…

Klaner, leader of the ruling Borgalas clan, was waiting for his hearing;
his mixed staff of men and women standing by nervously.
He was the defendant in the claim against him by the only surviving
member of the Daishi clan. Apparently, the whelp had finally gotten some
legal help from somewhere, and now expected to receive justice at the
hands of the Emperor. In Klaner’s opinion, it didn’t matter to him. He didn’t
care what the Emperor decided, since he’d brought sufficient staff to

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appease the blood debt over this simple dispute. Then he’d be home by the
end of the week and choosing the next clan of these Healer women to raid.
If the Empire was kind enough to keep seeding them on Wilder, then he
was certainly not going to let healthy women of breeding age go to waste.
The petitioner, Lady Shay Daishi se Wilder ne Kantor, sat nervously in
the opposite chamber with her bond-mate, Lord Andrew Lane se Earth ne
Kantor, and her sister-in-law, Lady Amy Lane se Earth ne Tyler, while
Senior Trenka Song was there representing the interests of the Elder’s
office.

In the Throne Room…

The Emperor and his First Wife were having a tiny argument.
“Lili, do you really think it need go that far?” Radatel asked quietly,
while glancing over at the bucket and mop currently being manned by a
robust representative of housekeeping, who was standing unobtrusively
over in the corner.
“My Lord Emperor, it really will depend on the defendant. His
depredations have gone on long enough; and if Lady Shay does not call for
his head, then we may be forced to do so, anyway. It really all depends on
him,” she assured him softly, before leaning in to kiss him lightly on the
cheek.
He was about to say something else, but she interrupted his thoughts.
“Besides, you didn’t flinch when you punished that Earthling who tried
to kill Rondal, did you?” she asked with a sweet smile.
“No, but the alternative was turning him over to you, and I know how
insatiable you become when you’ve shed blood,” he said in a murmur.
‘Just as you were that night’ he added silently, while smiling at the
memory of them together.
Lili sighed, then kissed him once more.
“Your people expect a strong Emperor, my Husband. It is not enough
that the Commonwealth continues to run smoothly – more so than even
before, I need not remind you – but they, and our enemies, need to see
your strength, as well. These are the burdens that fell upon your shoulders,
my Husband, and I will help you carry your burden.”
“I thank you, Lili,” he said while patting her hand, before continuing
silently. ‘Any news from my First Sword?’
‘Ahh … let us not disturb your digestion so late in the day, my Lord. And
rest assured that, no matter how today ends up, I, and the rest of your loving

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Wives, will do our very best to make you feel better about it’ she promised
him, before kissing him lightly once again.
He sighed while basking in her loveliness for a few more moments,
before looking over at the Majordomo and absently wiggling his fingers.
In less than two minutes, both parties represented by the petition had
been brought in, and the Majordomo insured all at the waiting line made
proper obeisance. Lili noted the defendant, Klaner, seemed rather
unconcerned about the proceedings.
Handed the petition, Radatel read it over carefully – already knowing
the contents, but confirming his position regardless. Then he looked up at
Shay.
“Lady Shay Daishi se Wilder ne Kantor … you have brought serious
charges against Clan Leader Klaner of the Borgalas. Your research appears
extensive, and includes several sworn affidavits of surviving Wilder
residents of the Borgalas’ … hospitality? I wonder that you have the
resources to pursue this matter in so thorough a manner. Would you
please explain?”
Shay’s breath momentarily caught in her throat, but she stepped
forward to the petitioner’s line and spoke her piece.
“My Lord Emperor, it is true I do not personally have the ability to
produce the statements you hold in your hand. I asked assistance from
the Elder’s office to pursue what I felt was a crime against the Imperial
seeding efforts on Wilder, my Lord. I am represented by Senior Trenka Song
se Cletus of the Elder’s office, my Lord,” she said, then bowed when Trenka
stepped forward slightly.
‘Humph! She’s a tough-looking one. Not suitable for breeding, I’d say,’
Klaner thought.
‘Strike one’ Lili and Trenka shared together, with Lili’s impression
washing over Radatel, before he turned his focus on Trenka.
“Lady Trenka Song … it would appear from your involvement that the
Elder’s office has an interest in the outcome of this petition?” he asked her
politely.
Trenka was a Senior working for the Elder. As such, not even the
Emperor was an intimidating presence for her, as she stepped up next to
Shay.
“Yes, my Lord Emperor. It came to our attention when Lady Shay
approached us with her request to help our Healers on Wilder. A
subsequent search of our records indicated that several seedings on Wilder
had yet to produce any positive changes in their society, and in truth, they

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appeared to have been administratively misplaced for many years.

Subsequent visits and investigations of the Healer status on Wilder
prompted the Elder’s office to officially take notice, and assist Lady Shay
with her complaint. It should be noted that Lady Shay is the only survivor
of her clan of Healers; but there are other clans, and even captives, for
whom we seek relief by our petition here today.”
“I see,” Radatel said, while looking at the petition once again, but raising
his eyebrows in distraction.
‘Ha! He’ll do nothing! He’s but a shadow of his father,’ Klaner thought.
‘Strike two’ Lili and Trenka shared together.
Radatel noted his First Wife’s reaction as well, before turning to his
military advisor.
“Where exactly is Wilder?” he asked just loud enough to let the
petitioners hear him, and that officer checked his data pad, then pointed
out the location for the Emperor … about halfway between Kantor and the
Fringe.
“Oh, I see… Is it of any value? Defensively, I mean? If it has no real
value, then I don’t know why we even bother to keep it,” he muttered,
before ending that observation with a shrug and an airy sigh.
Lili was very proud of Radatel. He’d learned very quickly, and by the
end of his first year, could effectively play the fool while remaining
deceptively clever and dangerous to enemies of both the Crown and the
Commonwealth. She’d bide her time for now and see how it played out;
masking her smile, while he appeared to consider the issue very carefully
before turning back to Klaner.
“Clan Leader Klaner of the Borgalas … it appears that there are several
valid complaints against you regarding a seeding program that was
intended to foster societal growth and stability on Wilder … which you
repeatedly go out of your way to disrupt. Would you care to explain your
actions?” he asked airily.
Klaner fairly beamed at him while stepping forward to the respondent’s
line with his presentation already prepared. He simply loved to brag about
his cleverness.
“Yes, my Lord Emperor! Our reproduction cycles produce poorly among
our own women, and the ones who are seeded have better results. So we
take them to breed with, and it keeps our society functional,” he said
smugly.
Everyone stared at him numbly, and even Radatel was astonished at
his lack of empathy. It was beyond belief, but he still had to ask.

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“That’s it? You’ve never let the Healers work with your women to
increase their fertility … to increase the birthrate? You simply take Healers
and attempt to breed with them, instead of your own women? How …
remarkable.”
Radatel felt Lili’s touch, and heard her push Trenka’s name at him.
Unlike a true Senior, Radatel couldn’t read common minds fully, but he
and Lili had been together a long time, and he knew well the value of her
counsel. Having Rondal’s parting gift also helped quite a bit.
“Umm, Lady … Trenka. Could you possibly enlighten us as to the
reproductive problems of Wilder?” he asked vaguely.
“Certainly, my Lord Emperor. The women of Wilder are held in contempt
by the men of Wilder, and they are treated as virtual slaves – save for those
who are currently pregnant. Through exhaustive interviews, we’ve
determined that the women themselves practice a form of birth control in
order to limit the growth of their society in hopes that it eventually dies out
on its own. They no longer want their sons raised to dominate women, and
no longer want their daughters enslaved or killed at the whim of their men.”
“Killed? At the whim of their men?” he asked in astonishment, and Shay
was unable to contain herself.
“Yes, my Lord! I have witnessed this several times, my Lord! He…” she
paused, pointing to Klaner. “He had one of the serving girls KILLED,
because HE argued with another MAN! He felt it was enough to take HER
blood, instead of another MAN’S!” she stated loudly.
The court became silent while Radatel sat back and contemplated the
situation for several seconds. Then he called for his resource advisor and
made a few not-so-quiet inquiries as to resources, cost of transportation,
cost of reduction, suitability for re-colonization, and half a dozen other
figures related to Wilder. Then he called over his military advisor and asked
him a few questions, which at first startled him, but then made him smile.
The resource advisor finally showed him a column of figures, then let go of
the data pad when Radatel took it from him.
He looked down the list and made a quick decision – or rather, the same
one he’d reluctantly made last night.
“Clan Leader Klaner … it appears that you have been the principal
stumbling block in the Commonwealth’s efforts to stabilize your Class-Five
society and bring it up to standards suitable for full membership in the
Commonwealth. You sit upon a planet with good natural resources, and
it’s quite suitable for colonization – except, of course, that you’re already
there. Otherwise, we’d simply move in, make it a colony planet, and seed
it as we like.” A frown graced his lips as he looked down at the data pad
while absently tapping his finger on it.

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“Looking at these figures … we don’t care for the costs of transportation

to relocate all of your men to another suitable place of residence; or for the
cost of relocation for all of your women – separately. We could simply
reduce Wilder … but that would remove the resources, and cause a
navigational hazard in the process,” he concluded, then leaned back and
tapped the arm rest of his throne in contemplation.
“No … what we’re going to do is start sending garrisons to Wilder for
monitoring and training purposes,” he said, while nodding his head
thoughtfully, before leaning forward engagingly. “Undoubtedly, there will
be some recruitment efforts as well; should any of your young men wish to
go out and seek glory among the stars. Likewise, we will be monitoring the
Healer seedings with more Senior staff … just to make sure things settle
down and progress properly.”
The Borgalas leader wasn’t exactly shocked at this, but it was a minor
inconvenience at best, and garrisons also stocked Healers as staff, so it
wasn’t a total loss.
“Klaner, who is your immediate subordinate among you?” the Emperor
asked lightly, and Klaner breathed a sigh of relief, while he pushed his
woman’s third cousin forward.
‘This idiot Emperor is going to take one of the blood sacrifices instead of
me. Then it’s off to home, and business as usual,’ he thought smugly.
‘Strike three’ Lili, Trenka, and Radatel shared silently.
“Your name, boy,” Radatel asked.
“Da – Dalisi, my Lord Emperor,” the boy said, while bowing from the
waist and still clearing his throat.
Lili leaned over and whispered into Radatel’s ear.
“Are you here alone, Dalisi?” he asked gently.
“Yes, my–”
“No, my Lord!” a voice cried out, and they could see a young woman
pushing forward from Klaner’s staff. “I am with him, my Lord Emperor!”
she said, then bowed amid desperately whispered arguments between her
and the boy, while Radatel smiled thinly and settled back on his throne.
“I … see. It would appear that young Dalisi was momentarily confused,”
he said loudly, while looking around and smiling at the court, which
triggered a few chuckles in return.
The boy and girl continued their bow as Radatel turned to Lady Shay.

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“Lady Shay Daishi … as I understand it, in keeping with the customs of

Wilder, you are entitled to a blood sacrifice. Would you care to exercise that
custom?” he asked magnanimously.
Shay looked at the young couple, and then over at the smiling Klaner.
Then she looked at the couple once again, before turning back to the
Emperor with her head bowed.
“No, my Lord Emperor. I waive that privilege,” she said quietly, now
thinking all that effort had gone to waste.
Radatel was turning to Trenka, even before Lili started pressing her
name into his head.
“Lady Trenka Song se Cletus … on behalf of the Elder’s office, do you
wish to accept blood sacrifice at this time?”
“YES, My Lord!” she said in a shout.
He simply nodded, and said, “Very well. Guards!”
Two guards opened a set of double doors at the side of the throne room
that revealed a man-high cage with a single cage door facing the throne.
Another barred path led to a door at the rear of the cage. As other guards
came forward, they bypassed the young couple clutching each other, and
grabbed Klaner, who was suddenly standing all alone. He was lifted off his
feet and carried by his arms, before being thrown into the cage. By the time
he got back to his feet, the door had clanged shut and locked securely
behind him.
Radatel turned to the staff of the Borgalas leader.
“The rest of you – Dalisi truly does speak as second to Clan Leader for
the Borgalas?” the Emperor asked, which produced a sea of nods that
threatened to remove heads at the necks of several of the defendant’s staff.
At their silent, but unanimous agreement, the Emperor rose from his
seat, and the Majordomo called out, “All Rise!”
“This is our decision,” the Emperor said as he raised his hand. “Clan
Leader Klaner has been found lacking, and he is removed from his position,
effective immediately! Clan Leader Dalisi – and his companion – now take
his place, and they will enact and monitor carefully the guidelines that we
will establish, such that stability and positive growth will occur upon
Wilder, and subsequently Wilder will continue to grow and become a full
and productive member of the Commonwealth! So say I, Lord Radatel
Caldarous se Kantor, Rex,” he pronounced, then dropped his hand.
A pair of huge black valaets came in through the back of the cage and
reduced Klaner to variously sized pieces over the span of very few seconds.
He’d barely had time to scream, before the female removed his throat. Not

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bothering to eat any of the pieces, the valaets left the same way they came
and returned to their keeper – leaving the housekeeper standing by with
his bucket and mop … and a large canvas bag.
Radatel nodded his head once, and the Majordomo called for the close
of petitions for the day; holding everyone still, while the Emperor and his
First Wife exited by the rear doors. Once clear, there was a general exodus
of participants and audience, leaving only the housekeeper to clean up the
mess – at time and a half.
The official court recorders were assured of high ratings later this
evening, as this rare telecast of Imperial jurisprudence was to be broadcast
first during the general information update to the rest of Kantor, and the
outlying clusters.
As with news organizations everywhere, they’ve always known that –
blood leads.

Elder’s Shuttle Pool, A Bit Later

“It’s still hard to believe Ronnie left us the ‘Ceti,” Andy said.
He was running his “Monthly-One” inspection of the navigation
updates, while doing systems tests on the Emperor’s contracted, armored,
long-range, on-call shuttle; having left Shay with Lady Trenka, and
returning to finish these few tasks, before they departed for the Homestead
once the Emperor was ready.
“Rondal, Andy,” his father reminded him. “Just Lord Rondal now.
Ronnie has left the building, and it looks like he’s not coming back. How
did Shay’s petition go this morning?” David asked, causing Andy to think
about it, while the diagnostics continued with its self-check.
David was currently running through the power systems, and checking
the console for problem areas – particularly the shield circuits – just like
Donnel had taught him. Rondal had some sweet modifications on the ‘Ceti
that just wouldn’t do to let go stale. In the process of checking one of the
controls, he glanced down at the mains cover, and smiled at the memory
of his earlier discovery…
Andy had been gone most of the afternoon, and David spent much of it
just puttering around the ‘Ceti. While waiting for Andy, he’d been
alternating between napping, snacking, and watching movies on the huge
front display. Cleaning up after a minor spill, he’d seen a tiny corner of
white paper on the floor, and reached under the pilot’s seat to pull out a
receipt from a couple of years ago that made him smile.
It’d triggered a memory of the first time he and Andy had decided to
sneak out and go shopping – on Earth – once Rondal had gone back into

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seclusion again. They’d made discreet inquires from Lady Lili on how to
arrange a quiet shopping spree to Earth – one simply did not do something
like that and even think of keeping it a secret from Lili – but she’d turned
it into an official mission to exchange Healers with the Ambassadorial staff.
Mei-Mei had decided to come along and make sure their “little Wilber”
was staying in good shape and not getting too old, while Yin-Yin said she
just wanted to check out his wife, Shu, and see what the latest editions to
the Healer Cluster had produced.
Instead of the one or two long jumps they’d anticipated, the trip took a
week to get there, and a week to get back – still uncomfortable for their
passengers, but tolerable with the benefit of Lili’s Healer’s milk, shared
among the several adults. Once there, Wilber hooked them up with a wad
of cash, and a warehouse membership card with an open credit line – in
exchange, he’d said jokingly, for the pleasure of Mei-Mei’s company for a
few days with him and Shu. As a bonus, he’d suggested that Lady Wen
teach Mei-Mei and Yin-Yin a few new techniques to please the Emperor.
He’d also updated the Lanes on their family residence, noting they
continued to use it as the local quarters for Homeland Security staff,
instead of Rondal renting it out to Daniel, Mary, and Kayla as he’d
originally proposed; the three of them usually spending their downtime
together at the Annex, anyway.
They’d been told there were times when Daniel and Kayla did stay in
town, but it was usually associated with their work schedules – aside from
making sure the mail was picked up, and the plants got watered. He’d also
noted the rabbit now had babies, but he wasn’t sure how. He didn’t know
anything about the fish, though.
Seeing Sheriff Taylor again had been the icing on the cake for David,
even if they did have to meet secretly at the Annex. She was surprised at
how big Andy had grown, and they’d brought pictures along of all of them;
their wives, their babies, and even the giant Russian female shot-putter
who’d married and had a baby with an absolutely tall Nathan…
Andy finally broke him out of his reverie to answer his father.
“The hearing was delayed until this evening. They made it the last one
of the day. Don’t think I’m gonna let Jaiying watch it on the news tonight,
if she hasn’t seen it already. Not that we could stop her. Sometimes the
morality of this society still shocks me.”
“Well, just remember that executions taking place on Earth are not
broadcast live, so they have very little effect on the murder rate,” David
said. “Of course, there was a time when executions were public; even in
America. At least here they don’t make the prisoner sweat out an appeals
process over years and years,” he said, but paused for a slight shudder –
not so much for the current issue, but from what they’d finally learned had

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happened to Meela back on the platform. Of course, she’d survived – after

a fashion.
“How’s Amy doing on French fries?” Andy asked after a few seconds.
David thought back to the last trip out, when they’d strapped on a
transport pod and brought back nearly a ton of frozen food; meat,
vegetables, French fries, and an assortment of ice creams and sherbets.
“I think Larl is gonna sell everything out from underneath her if she
isn’t careful. He says he’s still doing a limited market study with just the
Elder’s staff and office workers. Ice cream and sherbets are a big hit, along
with the French fries. Not so much the burgers and hotdogs, although
some of the vegetables seem to be winners as well. I think they’re almost
out of ketchup, too,” he said, getting a snort from Andy.
“If he isn’t careful, he’s gonna end up with a legitimate import business
and start making an honest living.” Andy began to laugh, but was cut short
by the entrance of the Captain of the Emperor’s personal guard.
“All ready to go, Captain Lane?” Tomar asked.
“Ready whenever the Emperor is, Captain Tomar,” David replied.
Tomar turned and appointed one of his guardsmen to check the rear
compartments. When he came back and indicated everything was clear,
Tomar went out and brought in his party.
The Emperor and the First Wife entered, and selected seating to the rear
of David, and sat together. Shay and Trenka joined them, and sat opposite
them behind Andy. Tomar secured the doors and sat behind the Emperor
with his second, while his two other guardsmen sat behind Shay and
Trenka.
“Welcome, my Lord … my Ladies. Please fasten your seatbelts.
Destination, my Lord?” David asked.
“My office…” Radatel started to say, but caught a look from Lili, so
changed it to, “… is where I would like to go, but the First Wife reminds me
of the delicacy of my digestion, and has decided we will be heading home.”
“Very good, my Lord,” Andy said, then set up a tiny jump for them,
before passing the coordinates to David at the pilot’s console. Andy had
learned to be cautious, and he’d already set up this move in three
transitions.
David shook his head slightly, before raising the ‘Ceti just far enough to
clear the struts. Then he retracted them, before heading out of the Elder’s
secure hanger and finding a clear space to transition from.

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“Going down to ten percent gravity … now,” he announced, before

transitioning them to a clear parking orbit above Kantor, almost within line
of sight to their destination. David gently pointed the nose in another
direction and transitioned them again, before realigning one more time and
transitioning them to one-thousand meters above the Royal Homestead’s
hanger. From there, they made a leisurely descent to the underground
shuttle bay, and parked in their usual spot. David announced it, then
gradually brought gravity back up to Kantor normal, before beginning
shutdown of the ‘Ceti.
“Very smooth, David. Thank you,” the Emperor said. “Andrew, it’s a
wonder my little brother didn’t take you with him when he left, but he’s
managing enough mischief on his own. Gentlemen, I believe this is ships
holiday weekend, and you are all invited to participate with the family in
the main gathering room at your convenience.”
“Thank you, my Lord,” David said, while fumbling from his seat into a
bow.
“We look forward to it, my Lord,” Andy added, while awkwardly standing
to bow alongside David.
“As Rondal would say, ‘it’s one of the few pleasures remaining that can
truly be shared among humans’ … and the opportunity is best not wasted.”
Turning slightly, he glanced to look behind him.
“Captain Tomar, we would be pleased if you would escort Lady Sharla
this weekend – if you are available, and she is up to it?”
“Yes, my Lord. I would be honored to do so, my Lord,” Tomar said.
Radatel put his hands on the seatback in front of him, took one more
look around, then stood up, with Lili, Shay, and Trenka following suit.
“Well, let’s go see what those little witches have been up to with my
nephew, shall we?” he said, then turned and walked out with Lili on his
arm; led by Tomar, and followed by Tomar’s second, and the two remaining
guardsmen. Shay stayed long enough to give both Andy and David a quick
kiss, before she left with Trenka.
After the party was gone, Andy and David finished shutting down
Odontoceti and walked out to the hanger.
“Inside or out?” Andy asked.
It didn’t take but a moment for David to say, “Outside,” and they
proceeded to a personnel door by the hanger that led to the park-like
expanse covering the bottom of the canyon that served as the ground-level
floor of the Royal Homestead.

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Even after nearly five years, they both still enjoyed the fact that they
lived essentially underground in probably the most beautiful and secure
space they could ever think of, with the best view possible – unless you
were an ocean person, or really liked the mountains.
The canyon was rock-walled in natural-looking colorful layers, just as
if it had been carved by water cutting through it over millions and millions
of years. There was a suitable stream flowing along the canyon bottom with
no dam upstream – they’d both checked for that – and the water only had
a two or three foot depth, at most. The trees were a mix of both native and
imported palms, which, accompanied by the seemingly random flower
gardens and small fields, presented a beautiful mixture of wild nature, and
groomed suburban life. Slate walkways meandered along the canyon walls,
and pushed away to wander through flower gardens, before bending
inwards to approach individual patios for the various Royal apartments.
Some of the patio windows opened into dining areas; some into family
rooms, or other recreational areas, or sometimes into a Royal bedroom …
and etiquette said, you didn’t peek into any of the windows uninvited.
They walked far enough to reach the playground; complete with swings,
a slide, and a climbing area, which were all surfaced with a soft base, and
provided with sunshades as necessary throughout the day. This is where
they headed inside and were gladly received by a small herd of squealing
four-year-olds who wrapped themselves around their legs.
Two daddies were home, and none of them seemed to care which two
daddies they were.

Fringe Space, The Kraken, The Dining Commons

“My Lady Tal, will you and your children be staying with me this ships
holiday weekend, or are you planning to make good your escape?” Rondal
asked flatly, before setting down his cup.
The Lady in question looked at the mid-thirties, Relative, looking
gentleman with short, dark brown hair, and gray eyes who was staring at
her with a bland expression on his face. She really didn’t know what she
was going to do…
On the one hand, his completely neutral disposition around them
disturbed her much more than his previous personality, when she’d first
caught up with him on the Microcosmus. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as bad
as his treatment of her when she’d picked up that Drecks Healer on Earth
with Lady Lili.
Quite frankly, she just didn’t like being around him, and in particular,
didn’t like the way he seemed to be researching her kids. She couldn’t tell
for sure – thanks to Lili, his mind was completely closed now – but

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suspected he was delving into her boy’s minds, and even trying to reason
out her little Déjà.
On the other hand, the Elder had made it her job to monitor and report
Rondal’s actions against the day when it may be found necessary to remove
him from the playing field – the only problem being, she was no longer sure
she was even capable of doing so herself, unless it involved a suicide effort
on her part, and she was far too fond of life to go to that extreme.
His actions so far – observable actions – didn’t count heavily towards
the negative side of things yet. Of course, she’d only caught up with him
once, two months ago, when he’d apparently allowed her to do so.
Before then, he’d disappeared completely, from the moment he’d left the
Microcosmus, until he’d shown up on Earth, where he’d broken her wrist.
Then there was that business of all those port girls she’d rounded up
and sent to Farman on the Elder’s orders. She’d suspected he stayed in
contact with Lili – frequently – and perhaps the Elder as well, but neither
of them were talking about it. It was almost as if they were testing her to
see if she could find him on her own…
“Tell me, Rondal, do you really want company for ships holiday? You
don’t seem to take any pleasure in it. You never participate,” she said,
while thinking back over the last two months they’d stayed aboard the
Kraken with him.
He looked at her, then looked over at her children.
“If you do not wish to stay for ships holiday, then I must ask you to
leave,” he said blandly, before looking back at her. “I have other matters to
attend to, which, if you are here in your capacity as the Elder’s observer,
would be unfortunate for the Commonwealth should you fall into the wrong
hands.”
“And whose hands would those be, my Lord? Yours?”
“Never, my Lady. I remain loyal to the Crown … my brother,” he said
calmly.
“And what of the Elder, my Lord?” she asked stiffly, giving in to her
frustration.
“The Elder sends you here to observe, my Lady,” he said plainly. “And
once my task is complete, you are to eliminate me – or die trying.”
She was startled, but tried very hard to remain calm, even as her boys
and Déjà sat back and dropped their utensils to empty their hands for
action.

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“She did not make her wishes so clear, my Lord,” Sai told him very
softly. “She is, of course, terribly concerned that, should you stray too far
from the path, there would be no coming back, and the Commonwealth
would suffer as a consequence.”
“The Commonwealth suffers now because of my own stupidity, and that
of your daughter. Of course, Kita could have relinquished power when she
was still capable, and affected a suitable transfer to a new Elder, but those
options are gone from us, as well. I still seek understanding of how Maya
and I would have changed the Commonwealth if we had met as Kita had
originally seen, although I spend very little of my time engrossed in that
endeavor – when I’m not tormenting the Drecks.”
She thought that over, and had to agree with much of what he’d said,
but didn’t see how it was possible he could even hope to research how he
and her daughter would have made such a drastic change in the fortunes
of the Commonwealth. As for this other business…
“Would you care to explain these ‘other matters’, my Lord?”
He paused for less than a moment, before giving his answer.
“I would explain them … to my crew. Otherwise, I doubt the reports
from the Elder’s observer would ease my Lady Lili’s digestion over the next
several months. I will need your answer by tomorrow morning, Lady Tal,”
he said, then folded his hands in his lap, before glancing at the loaded food
cart on the other side of the table.
“Would you care for more roast, my Lady?” he asked politely, while
wafting the serving platter over from the far side of the table and setting it
down in front of her plate with an apparently effortless bit of will.
Fighting down an inward rage, she maintained an external calm when
she lifted the serving fork from the platter.
“Thank you, my Lord Rondal. You are very kind,” she said quietly.
“Not at all, my Lady Sai. Home and hearth, food and time,” he reminded
her with a polite, if bland, expression on his face.
After the tenseness of the moment had passed, the kids picked up their
utensils once again, then continued with supper; at the end of which, they
finally got to enjoy the dessert of sherbet he’d saved for this occasion.
He knew what was coming, though.
Sai would be contacting the Elder and letting her know she and her kids
would be signing on with him as crew; if nothing other than to just keep
an eye on him, knowing if they left now, he would effectively vanish once
again, and not be found again unless he wanted to be found.

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He also knew she would tattletale about his moving the meat platter,
but he’d already told the Elder he was going to do it, and then bid the Elder
a pleasant ships holiday with her staff, and the Lane’s daughter and
husband in attendance, but didn’t wait to hear her response. She got so
testy at times.
He wondered about that for a moment. Years ago he would have actually
enjoyed that bit of teasing; back when he was merely Ronnie – the washed-
up, runaway, ships commander, who’d earned the disgust of Maya Tal for
his cowardice and deceitful ways.
Almost as an afterthought, he sent out a questing probe to Maya that
was totally undetectable, finding memories of his Grandchildren having
nursed from her today. He smiled for just a moment, before coming to his
senses. There was an upcoming celebration, wasn’t there? He paused for
another moment, then remembered.
‘Happy Birthday, Walter’
‘Thank you, Grandfather’ Walter replied seriously.
‘It’s not fair’ Cathy complained. ‘Josie is the oldest’
‘I don’t mind’ Josie echoed, not quite as strongly as her counterparts.
‘We’ll all have ice cream just the same’ Jaiying pointed out.
‘Enjoy your separate parties while you can. Your parents will figure out
soon enough to celebrate all your birthdays on the same day’ Rondal told
them.
‘Yes, Grandfather’ Walter conveyed to the group.
‘Goodnight, Grandfather’ Josie echoed.
‘Goodnight, children’ he finished, but looked over at Sai, having caught
her looking at him.
“It’s Walter’s birthday … in a few days, I believe,” he lied blandly, which
belied the tiny smile he’d had while being lost in contact with Maya and
his Grandchildren for those few moments. “No doubt Maya will be involved
in the birthday celebration in one way or another.”
He looked around at his guests; seeing that the sherbet seemed to be a
hit with Sai’s kids. He’d have to load up on it when he cruised by Earth
sometime in the next several months or so – or have someone deliver it to
the transfer station the next time he picked up a few random bodies for
relocation.
“By tomorrow morning, my Lady Tal. Your decision … and please give
my regards to the Elder,” he said, then stood to clear his setting and take
it to the washer, before leaving for his quarters.

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Sai watched him go, then looked at her children sitting quietly while
finishing their desserts. He’d deliberately left the rest of the dishes for his
guests to take care of, and she suspected he would continue to do so if
they signed on … like she’d just decided. But her hands were pretty much
tied to this particular puzzle piece, and she had to see it through to its final
placement. She just wished she had somewhere safe to stash her kids
while she was so engaged.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty sputtered indignantly at the waste of a perfectly good
wish. Considering that her kids were already in the most dangerous place
he could imagine, he left that wish alone.

Aboard the Kraken…

Finishing up, Sai and the kids cleared the table and put the rest of the
dishes to wash, before retiring to their guest quarters. It was Endo’s turn
to sleep with mother, and he put his arm around her shoulders
possessively as they walked to their shared compartment.
Arriving there, Sai was struck again that, while many of the berthing
compartments on the transport decks seemed to be set up for Drecks
passengers, these quarters near the control area of the ship seemed to be
set up specifically for her and her brood. Endo and Gallus had found the
extra tall ceilings and the oversized beds quite a welcome change from their
cramped quarters on the Orca, which was currently parked on the other
side of the Drecks shuttle Rondal had somehow liberated and then had
heavily modified.
It was almost as if he was planning on having them along, right from
the beginning. Gallus and Déjà headed for the facilities, and Sai and Endo
stripped down to join them in the shower, before beginning their evening
play.

Kantor, Evening at the Homestead

Radatel and Lili had come home earlier and found their nephew and
nieces playing quietly in a group as usual. It had been a seemingly idyllic
situation – unless you watched carefully and noticed they all gave the
appearance of carrying on a complicated conversation without a word
being uttered.
Eyes glanced, eyes rolled, heads tilted, smiles and frowns came up and
faded away … completely isolated from whatever activity their hands were
engaged in. Then they all seemed to notice their Aunt and Uncle’s arrival,
and surrounded them with thigh-high hugs.

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After a suitable question and answer session conducted in simple early

childhood Standard, Aunt and Uncle said their goodbyes and left for their
quarters, completely oblivious to the strange behavior of the children at
play.
Once in Radatel’s apartment, Lili – for some reason forgoing her usual
private bath - joined her husband in the shower for a change; each of them
helping to wash the other after a literally bloody day at the office. After
drying each other off, they donned bathrobes before relaxing in the outer
suite for a while prior to supper. Now suitably ensconced on the room’s
comfortable divan, Radatel was surprised when Lili prepared but a single
goblet of ambrosia, and brought it over to him.
He sipped at it sparingly, then smiled when she curled up at his side.
“Are you still troubled, my Husband?” she asked softly, while running
her hand across his mid-section in a circular motion.
Many things came to mind, not all of them undesirable, but there was
always one nagging issue that continued to plague him on a somewhat
irregular basis.
“Well, not that my digestion is all that good right now, but … Lili, has
there been any word about Rondal?” he asked once again, preferring news
of his little brother, over memories of the limbs flying from the ex-clan
leader.
He felt her stiffen just a bit, before hearing her resigned sigh.
“As a matter most immediate, my Husband, the Elder tells me Rondal
is offering Lady Sai a position on his personal staff, along with her children.
You don’t suppose he means to suborn them from the Elder’s service, do
you?” she asked with mocked seriousness, but snuggled even closer beside
him.
That had him stumped. At one time, he could have easily guessed, but
not any longer – not since Ronnie had left, and Rondal had come back –
full time now. Rondal… Better than simply saying … the Demon.
“If I had to guess, I’d say he was protecting Maya, me, or the office of
the Elder – or perhaps even the Commonwealth as a whole,” he surmised
evenly. “Although, putting Sai on his payroll effectively turns her into the
same sort of pirate he currently is, which makes her actions not our
responsibility. Of course, he could simply want her around to keep an eye
on her so she doesn’t foul up any of his plans … and that does explain his
trip back to Earth to pick up all that meat.”
In fact, Rondal had taken the Kraken and parked it on the far side of
Earth’s moon, before taking his converted Drecks shuttle and landing at
the Annex. There, he’d loaded several transports of frozen beef Wilber had

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gotten delivered for him. After that, he’d left Earth and returned to haunt
the Fringe for a while.
“You do remember, my Husband, that Sai only found him when he set
off a burst locator in close proximity to her. I suspect she would have had
no chance of finding him unless he allowed it,” she reminded him, before
wrapping her arms about his neck and kissing him lightly on the cheek
one time.
Radatel was beginning to warm up to the change in subject, but still
had one more comment to make.
“Well then, he either needs her, or wants to know where she is – and
the Elder has a person on the inside as well. Good all–”
He stopped talking when Lili closed her mouth over his and pushed her
tongue inside. She dueled with his for several seconds, until he gently
pushed her away, while sparing a glance at the room clock and seeing there
were a few hours left before the evening meal. Not that it mattered, as he
wasn’t really all that hungry … not for food.
“My dear Lili, are you quite all right, my Love?” he asked tenderly.
“Umm, my Lord Husband… You were so decisive today, and I find
myself very inspired by your decisiveness,” she murmured against his lips,
before kissing him much harder this time.
Not one to ill-convenience a lady, he decisively started peeling apart
Lili’s robe until her breasts were uncovered. Then he began caressing them
gently; all the while thankful that Lili’s responsibilities focused more on
him, now, rather than as the Elder’s master spy. He tweaked her nipples,
which made them pucker up firmly, and much larger now, just as he’d
desired. Descending to take advantage of their siren call, he relished the
memory of the moment when he’d discovered she’d begun lactating for him,
as well.

The Elder’s Apartment, Mid-Evening, Amy, Larl, and Ai

After a few years of adjustment, Larl and his bride had gotten used to
working at the Elder’s offices, and spending alternate weeks at home with
their daughter, Josie. At first, they’d tried to have Josie with them all the
time, but even with the support of the greatly expanded Elder’s staff, Josie
just couldn’t be comforted unless she was surrounded by her pseudo-
siblings, so this compromise had been reached.
In the beginning, the Elder was concerned Amy would take umbrage at
the thought that the only reason her Larl was there, was to provide physical
services for the Elder and her staff. By Amy’s eagerness to participate, not

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only willingly, but also joyfully in their physical activities, she was quickly
assured this would not be a problem.
Indeed, Amy also had hidden talents that were applied very effectively
as part of the senior management of Lili’s handpicked herd of little blue
Balese junior administrators. These ladies comprised nearly three-
quarters of the one-hundred new staff Lili had installed to help manage the
functions of the Elder’s office – her Tier One staff as they’d become known.
Lili’s personal assistant, Kita, had been key in recruiting them from her
home world, and they’d made a severe dent in the amount of stress the
Elder and her staff had to put up with on a daily basis – which Lord Rondal
seemed more than capable of making up for.
Tonight, the room was suitably dimmed, and quiet instrumental music
was playing in the background. At the recommendation of Lady Diane, a
suitable folding platform had been constructed specifically for therapeutic
massage that saved the back of the practitioner, even though it often got
in the way of the usual sexual tryst that a bed or floor massage on Kantor
normally ended up becoming. It was around this platform that Amy and
Larl now easily worked on Lady Ai, as it allowed them to focus more on Ai’s
bodywork, rather than on wondering when it would devolve into a sexual
event.
“You seem troubled, my Lady Ai,” Larl murmured, while lightly applying
an imported massage cream to her back. Amy smiled from the foot of the
platform as she continued massaging the soles of Ai’s feet.
“Ah! Amy’s Grandfather vexes me, and torments Maya’s mother,” she
told him in frustration, just as Amy pressed deeply into her arch, causing
her toes to curl on that particular foot.
“I’m told Grandpa has that effect on many women,” Amy murmured,
before switching feet and repeating her last moves.
“Yes, but he does this out of spite, I’m sure,” the Elder insisted.
Larl didn’t have the sensitivity of a Healer, but he’d grown up in an
extended household with LOTS of estrogen in the mix.
“My Lady, as there is nothing else we can personally do at this point,
may I suggest that you simply relax and let Amy and me see to your
contentment?” he murmured quietly, before beginning the long, slow
strokes pressing from her shoulders, down across her back, drawing slowly
up along her sides and rolling over her shoulders again, to finish up at the
back of her head.
Amy finished with Ai’s feet, then worked her way up to her calves;
kneading the muscles there to reduce their tension, before eventually
continuing up to her thighs. Despite Ai’s avowed level of frustration, she
still noticed there was a bit of moisture glistening through the hair at the

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junction of her legs. She smiled at that. Her Larl often had that effect on
the women they’d been with.
Amy moved to Ai’s bottom, and was joined there by Larl; each of them
taking a cheek and working it thoroughly. They eventually moved up and
did cross pulls from both sides of her back; working their way up and down
several cycles until Amy nodded and pulled away, while Larl kept a hand
on Ai’s back to maintain contact.
“My Lady, if you would, please let me push this cushion under your
hips?” Amy asked softly, and Ai quickly responded by bowing her back and
raising her butt, before settling down on the spongy and very comfortable
wedge. As Amy and Larl continued with her back massage, Ai’s bottom was
now raised prominently above the table for relatively easy access.
Ai sighed as they continued with her massage, and her excitement grew
when they gently pulled her knees apart wider on the table. The gentle
touch of Amy’s fingertips at the edges of her lower lips delighted her, and
she hummed to herself as she was tenderly spread and creamed while her
labia were delicately rubbed and her vaginal opening penetrated slightly in
order to apply gentle pressure to the buried erectile tissue beneath its
edges.
She knew her contentment would come in due time, and lay in silent
anticipation of the pleasures she would experience over the next hour or
so.

January 5, The Fringe, The Kraken, The Dining Commons

“Your decision, Lady Tal?” Rondal asked neutrally.
Sai looked at him and wondered at all the pretense. She thought of last
night; laying on her back and staring at the extra tall ceiling above Endo’s
neck while he worked himself so carefully between her legs. He knew she
was going to say yes, so why even bother asking?
“I need to hear you say it verbally, Lady Tal,” he told her, the “because”
implied, even if not spoken.
She looked at Déjà, then at the boys sitting beside her, before turning
back to Rondal.
“Very well, Lord Caldar. We accept employment with you as independent
contractors,” she finally said, then settled back in her seat.
“And…” he prompted.
“And … I resign my Commonwealth position of authority in whatsoever
fashion that it may exist – for the duration of our contract,” she said
resignedly.

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“Excellent! Let the record show that Lady Sai Tal se Cletus has formally
severed all relationships with any and all authority figures or organizations
held by the Commonwealth of Planets, or the Crown thereof. Save - Record
– Sai Tal,” he said with quick finality, which brought a shocked look to her
face.
“You unbelievable bastard!” she said, while rising in anger.
“Ah – Ah – Ah! You’re on my time, now, Sai – perhaps. Immediate –
Record-Playback,” he called out, and a holographic image was projected
over the tabletop of them seated around the dining commons table that
played back his initial question with audio, her response, his prompt, and
her final response.
“Record-Seal, Time-Date, Kraken-Archive,” he said, which was followed
momentarily by a cheerful beep. “Well, now that that nasty business is
taken care of, what would you like to do first, Sai? Perhaps go … ice
minin’?” he suggested in a surprisingly cheerful tone for him.
‘Ship handling’ he sent silently, then activated a preset program on the
bridge.
She stood there and looked at him in shock. Had this all been an act
over the last two months here aboard his ship?
He responded as if he’d read her mind.
“Make no mistake, Sai. It may not have been in my nature to act as
morose as I have since you’ve arrived; but I now find myself less tolerant
of certain of life’s aspects – more so, than I was before. I have reason to be
of good cheer, though, as I am beginning to see a clear path through all
the obstructions placed before us. We just need to clear a few weeds and
fallen branches to find our way through the forest … one hopes.”
She continued to stare at him after realizing he owned her now – her
and her children, until she broke her contract – or he did. She tried to
relax, starting with sitting down and taking a breath to clear her thoughts.
“What do you want with us then, Rondal? How do we fit into your plan?”
“Well … firstly, I’ll thank you to stop planting tracers on me! Notably,
those three tracers I disabled since you installed them earlier this month,”
he said, which produced the expected reactions from all three of them. “As
for why you’re with me…” He paused and looked away while sighing, before
turning back to face them. “I couldn’t very well have you stumbling about
in the general direction we’re currently headed. The Hegemony frowns on
Commonwealth intrusions to begin with. Catching a witch with her own
personal coven – well, that would be bad publicity for the Elder’s office to
deal with.”

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“And … and just where are we headed?”

“To the far side of Hegemony space. I’m interested to see what they’re
guarding against on that side of their territory,” he said blandly, then,
much to his surprise, Déjà spoke up.
“Lord Rondal, why do you want us with you? You never want to play
with me!” she said, although not as sweetly as she was wont to do.
After nearly two months of denials, she’d finally been put off by his
general attitude. That was something hard for one of her species. He looked
appraisingly at her, then at the boys, before turning back to Sai.
“My dear Sai, your Déjà is a complete mystery to me. Endo and Gallus
I can sense, just barely, and I need to develop that ability. Hopefully, with
your and their assistance, I will be able to make a breakthrough that will
allow me a better understanding of the Drecks mind, and mindset. From
there, I hope to develop a plan to effectively deal with the Drecks problem
decisively – one way or another,” he said chillingly, and felt the confusion
in Sai’s mind, but was only able to see anger on her boy’s faces. He decided
to add some additional reasons for their “suggested” participation in his
research.
“Our current ‘resource subjects’ all have the unfortunate background
of being declared superfluous to their masters, and thus do not provide a
proper mindset for evaluation. With Déjà… I would dearly like to have her
permission to poke around in her mind to see if I can figure out just how
she functions. I already know her enzymes are the main factor in
controlling her prey, and I’ve postulated a theory that it has insured her
survivability among her males for reproductive purposes – as well as simply
hunting for food. I’ve seen her … people … in action.”
He paused to reflect on an existing example from home, before bringing
it up as an example.
“On Earth, there is a somewhat similar situation with an Earth reptile,
whose bite infects the victim, and then the reptile merely follows along
slowly until the infected victim eventually falls down – becoming too weak
and sick to defend itself. Then it is slowly eaten alive by the reptile. As I
recall, Déjà renders her victims helpless, and then eats them alive, as well
– only very quickly. This is true?”
Déjà looked at him in fascination. He was actually interested in her,
although not for the usual reasons. She thought that perhaps he might be
willing to play with her, after all?
“Not all the time, Lord Rondal,” Déjà answered sweetly.
“Nor do all of them die,” Sai added helpfully.

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“Is that all you want us for, Lord Rondal?” That bass-voiced question
had come from Endo, with Gallus nodding alongside him.
“We can’t be of more help to you?” Gallus asked.
Rondal looked at them both, but shook his head slowly. They still barely
topped seven-feet, and yet they were way past adult age for Drecks.
“Boys, your mother does you a disservice,” he said, which caused them
both to bristle. “Both of you are old … unbelievably old, for Drecks – and
yet she keeps you in your early teens. What do you figure, Sai? Thirteen –
fourteen?” he asked, before turning to her.
He could see her teeth were clenched tightly, and she was keeping hold
of her tongue until she could finally calm down a bit … which she shortly
did.
“I believe they are about fourteen … Relative,” she finally managed to
get out. “But I keep them young because–”
“Because like all good mothers, you’re afraid to let them out into the big
cold world and face all the ugliness awaiting them. And you’re right, Sai.
There’s practically no place in the Commonwealth for them, other than on
a colony world – my colony world – or with you, here, or with me and the
rest of our family. Gods, can you imagine the sensation they would make
at brother’s court?” he asked wistfully, but then shook his head at this
desired vision of the future.
“Be that as it may, it’s time they grew up, Sai. Time for you to let them
reach adulthood. You’ve taught them nurture over nature, and I see no
reason why it shouldn’t hold sway when they achieve maturity. Besides,
undoubtedly I’ll need some adult Drecks help when we start rounding up
our guests later this year.”
When mention of more guests came up, Déjà was broken from her
reverie of trying to remember the penis size of adult male Drecks.
“Guests! We’re picking up guests?” she asked happily. Mother nearly
always let her play with guests.
“Yes… One particular guest … a Lord Gagsa, if I can find him. I believe
we have some unfinished business with each other, and I find that I need
to apologize for not killing him outright the last time we met in person.”
Sai was confused … for just a moment.
“Apologize? Wait! He was the one that–”
“Yes. Apparently, it didn’t go so well for him after I pulled your daughter
out of his hands – or remaining hand, I should say. I believe he might have

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some choice words to share with you, as well. And I’d still like to hear how
he escaped from his imprisonment.”
He paused in thought for just a moment, while remembering the empty
prison enclosure – except for all the hungry Kee, that is.
“But that’s for a later time,” he suddenly went on, then passed out data
tabs to each of his new crew.
“Please review these tabs. They’ll tell you nearly everything you need to
know about the Kraken – with the exception of proper names for anyone
involved in its construction, or where it was constructed. Suffice to say,
that I had some raw material, and found other parts as necessary. Oh…
Should we come across another commercial converter housed in, say … a
Drecks transport flitting about somewhere, I might be inclined to extract
it, and send them on their way. This thing is expensive to run.”
He stood to leave, but stopped and turned back to Sai.
“Sai … you and your children have the run of the ship,” he said, but
added, “Please stay inside the pressure hull, if you would. I carry lots of
nasty stuff out in the voids.”
At that, he turned and left for the bridge, while listening silently as Sai
spoke to her kids about what she wanted them to do, and how she wanted
it done. Their responses bounced off the audible sensors in her ears and
traveled right up to her brain, where he was reading it all.
He shook his head along the way, but had to give her credit – she never
gave up.

Royal Homestead, Ships Holiday Eve

Having declined many previous invitations, Second Wife, Lady Sharla
Meili Peizhi se Loca ne Kantor, acquiesced this time, and arrived at the
large suite setup for ships holiday, with her escort, Vitas Tomar.
Steadying herself, she entered quietly, and found they had apparently
arrived at a lull in the activities. Only one couple was actively engaged in
amorous behavior, while the rest lay around while casually sipping
ambrosia, or nibbling on fruits. Lili noted their arrival – she’d been
following them remotely all the way from Sharla’s suite – and rose to greet
her and Vitas. She drew them over to Radatel and Spring Blossom, who
were reclining on a wide cushion and smiling up at them.
“Greetings, my Lord Husband. I am here to participate in ships
holiday … with you, if you please, my Lord?” Sharla said with a polite bow
and demure smile.

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“Certainly, my dear Sharla. Please join with me here,” he said warmly,

and Spring Blossom moved aside, then stood to give her room.
While Sharla joined their husband, Spring Blossom took one of Vitas’
arms, even as little Kita came from behind them and looped his other arm
through hers, before gently drawing him away across the semi-lit, warm
room.
Left behind, Sharla hesitated for a moment, before dropping her outer
robe, leaving her in a simple shift that was easily removable. She sat next
to Radatel and accepted the faux crystal of ambrosia – unbreakable goblets
becoming the norm after that terrible accident with Lady Amy and her Larl
that one time (some stains just never come out of white fabric).
As they sat sipping their drinks and speaking quietly, the other
participants shifted around, and changed partners casually, spoke softly
for a while, or drifted off together to a secluded corner. Eventually, with
the ambrosia relaxing her sufficiently, Sharla began to warm up and laugh
at some of Radatel’s court stories, and they finally cuddled together and
gently kissed, before becoming more amorous with each other. Off to one
side, Lili was treading very lightly on Sharla’s thoughts, and found she
wanted some one-on-one time with Radatel to start with, so she deftly
directed the other Healers to casually pull away from the Emperor and his
Second Wife, while they renewed their intimate relationship with each
other in this group environment.
Afterwards, Sharla was much more relaxed and ready to accept other
partners of either sex. Lili called Laisee from the corner to attend to her
Grandmother, which she did quite happily, followed by Shay and Senior
Trenka, and then Lord David. After that, Lili found Sharla’s desires were
once more pushing towards that particular situation where she wanted to
be held down, repeatedly kissed, then made breathless, all the while
someone entered her and ravished her thoroughly until she nearly passed
out from the passion.
The Wives had discussed it among themselves and thought it might be
a hold-over from when Rondal had suffocated her to death, but she still
seemed desirous of it. Lili, once again, made a selection of Wives to hold
her and kiss her – and selected her own Vitas, of course, to be the ravisher.
Diane and Shay took the honors for providing breathless kisses to
Sharla, and kept her dizzy for nearly the second part of her pleasure taking.
At the very end, Lili had crept up and reached out hands to Sharla’s, before
bringing her to repeated and massive climaxes with her Gift, which also
triggered the long-held release of Vitas into his mistress’s depths. Diane
was last attached to her lips and pulled away, as Sharla’s body jerked
helplessly in the hold of the rest of the Wives until finally relaxing in

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exhaustion. Two of the Wives tilted Vitas to the side and allowed him to
relax in their arms while he caught his breath, as well.
The Emperor came over and was lying by Sharla’s side as she slowly
came around. His face was the first she saw when she opened her eyes,
and he kissed her gently, tenderly, then hugged her tightly; telling her how
wonderful she had been, and how beautiful she was in her passion. She
hugged him back and cried a little, then giggled and let out a big sigh …
hugging him again in the process.
“Would you have me in your bed this night, my Lord Husband?” she
asked timidly, and Radatel looked at her in surprise, but felt the tiny probe
from Lili telling him it was all right.
“I would gladly welcome your company, my dear Sharla,” he said, then
kissed her again, while she folded herself around him.
Afterwards, he helped her up, and, gathering their robes, led her to his
apartment for the night … leaving the rest of the guests in bemused silence.
Not ones to miss an opportunity, both Diane and Shay cornered a
defenseless Vitas and used their wiles on him, along with a little bit of
Diane’s milk, to get him up to par. Then they used him mercilessly for the
next half hour until they tired of him and passed him off to Trenka for a
while, until Lili decided she would share him with Spring Blossom.
For the most part, Vitas; having found his true love in Meela; having
gotten her to recognize his true love and declare herself for him; having
seen her killed in front of his eyes; having committed suicide at her loss,
but then woken up to find that, not only was he not dead, but she was not
dead as well, but was now impersonating her dead mother and had
accepted the life of the Royals with some semblance of normalcy…
It was very confusing. It was all very confusing, but considering the
interesting things Lili and Spring Blossom were currently doing to his
sexual organ, he didn’t really care at the moment.

In the Children’s Quarters

‘Grandmother is finally going to spend the night with Uncle Emperor’
Jaiying mentioned silently.
‘It’s about time’ Cathy considered.
‘She just needed time to get used to the idea’ Josie suggested.
‘I wonder how long until they start teaching us?’ Walter questioned.
‘Boys!’ all three of the girls giggled silently.

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Maya looked up and watched the girls silently. All three of them had
suddenly shaken as if tickled, or perhaps touched by a cold breeze.
Maya, Yin-Yin, and Mei-Mei were the designated babysitters this ships
holiday. Third and Fourth Wife because they had access to Radatel
anytime they wanted him – or anyone else for that matter – and Maya
because … because she just didn’t feel like it – again.
The Wives were worried about her. It was bad enough Rondal had left
that night several years ago and never returned, as yet, but Maya was a
Healer – a Senior now – and she knew better. She was still too young to let
herself age like she was.
The children were worried as well.
‘She’s still pining for him’ Cathy considered.
‘But he’s not coming back real soon’ Josie reminded.
‘We could always help her’ Jaiying suggested.
‘How are we gonna do that?’ Walter asked.
They discussed it amongst themselves, before making their move.
Cathy got up and came over to Maya. Then she patted her right breast,
followed by Josie patting her left breast. Maya uncovered both and lay back
comfortably, while both children started nursing from her quietly, if a bit
lazily – more licking her nipples than nursing from them.
Walter perked up and saw what was going on, so he came over and
stretched out between Maya’s legs. In doing so, he rested his head and
neck against her groin, which brought a giggle to Mei-Mei and Yin-Yin. He
lay there comfortably, occasionally moving a bit to get more comfortable,
which would elicit a tiny moan from Maya in the process.
Jaiying finally came over and looked at everyone lying in the pile, before
lying down between Walter’s legs. She rested her hand on his groin and
gently patted it while getting comfortable with the rest of them. Every once
in a while, Walter would shift slightly, and Jaiying would pat or rub his
groin casually – each of them touching Maya’s surface thoughts lightly and
seeing what Maya was seeing in front of her eyes. They continued their
silent teasing until they felt the time was right.
‘Okay, Jaiying. Settle once more, and squeeze Walter’s groin again’
Cathy directed. ‘Walter, you settle again, and give a little happy hum while
Jaiying squeezes you’
They did so, and Maya’s arousal finally went over the top.

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‘Okay, everyone – fall asleep!’ Cathy directed, and they all settled as
one, with Cathy and Josie letting Maya’s nipples fall out of their mouths,
and Walter and Jaiying separating slightly in repose.
After about ten seconds, a panicked request leapt from Maya’s mind to
Mei-Mei and Yin-Yin to have them pry the kids away from her because she
needed to relieve herself right away. Third and Fourth Wife immediately
jumped up and carefully maneuvered the children to another cushion,
while Maya, flushed and flustered, hurriedly rearranged her robes and
made some tentative efforts to touch herself. Yin-Yin caught her moves,
then realized Maya didn’t have to pee, but her need was very real, so she
drew her back down to the cushion, and with Mei-Mei’s help, relieved her
of her need several times over the next hour.
As the Ladies lay in repose afterwards, Cathy called out to their
Grandfather.
‘I think Maya still loves you, Grandfather’ she suggested.
‘I think I still love her – and yet look where we are’ he replied, but then
quickly felt around.
‘Play nice with her – she loves you all!’ he admonished them.
‘Come home soon, Grandfather. We all love you’ Walter called out.
‘We’ll do our best to keep her young for you, Grandfather’ Josie promised.
‘Ai-yah…’ echoed back from across the Fringe.

January 11, Zarox, Court of the Master Pack

Lord Glau, the Master Pack leader, scowled at his First Minister.
The news was bad – again.
Lately it seemed that it was always bad. He looked down at yet another
set of packages that had just arrived from the Diplomatic Outpost.
According to the attached documents, they contained the powdered
remains of one of their human spies, and two Drecks spies this time. This
delivery had come with a rather polite note for a change that said the
enclosed individuals had been found on the wrong side of a vacuum space
without properly charged ship suit collars. Rather than sending the bodies
back collect, the shipper had decided to send them in compressed form –
free of charge.
The return receipt had been traced to a dead drop on Krux.
Further research indicated the drop had been previously used by a
discredited spy who’d reported the death by execution of their most

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glorious secret from the past – the Second Wife of the Commonwealth
Emperor.
He had reported witnessing her execution at the order of the Elder
Witch, and that it was performed by the hands of the new First Lord of the
Commonwealth. Her body was reported to have been reduced to ashes,
along with the two stooges she’d worked through – her sons, apparently –
and then returned to Loca and scattered over their ancestral lands. It had
all been done with full honors, of course, as she’d officially died due to a
“vacuum accident” – probably much like the same “vacuum accident”
which had taken these three spies.
Somehow, they’d dug up some woman who was reported to be her
mother and set her up as the Second Wife instead – except this one was
old and frail for a human, and seemed to be suffering from memory loss. If
it truly was the mother, she could have reported who her original contacts
had been, so they’d all been eliminated – but there appeared to be no effort
to track them down. Still, just to be sure…
“WELL, FIRST MINISTER? WHAT OTHER NEWS DO YOU HAVE FOR
ME?”
The First Minister quailed for a moment…
It was a new position for him; having been promoted just last week –
the same week he’d learned the Pack Master’s default volume setting
seemed to be set to MAXIMUM for most occasions. He quickly glanced over
at the head of the last First Minister that was still hanging on a pike from
last week, before silently cursing his father once again for being born into
the Master Pack…
“Lord Glau … a report from Kale reveals another incursion of Kee – in
the Korvax district this time! Fifty-two human deaths, but only five of the
Glorious Drecks fell in heated battle with the beasts!”
“HOW MANY FEMALES DIED?”
“Lord Glau…” he paused, while quickly looking at his notes, “Fifteen
human females, but none of the Glorious Drecks!”
“NO YOU FOOL! HOW MANY FEMALE KEE WERE KILLED?”
“Lord Glau! It – it does not say!”
“FOOL! CONTACT THE DISTRICT GUARD IMMEDIATELY, AND FIND
OUT! THE KEE BREED LIKE – LIKE KEE!”
“Forgive me, Lord Glau! I – I don’t understand.”

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“KNOW YOU NOTHING? THE KEE BREED AS OFTEN AS THEY CAN,

AND THEY ARE READY TO BREED TWO WEEKS AFTER THEIR
HELLSPAWN MOTHERS SPIT THEM OUT!”
“I UNDERSTAND, LORD GLAU! I - I WILL INQUIRE IMMEDIATELY! BY
YOUR LEAVE, LORD GLAU!” the First Minister shouted, before turning and
bailing from the Pack Master’s presence.
“YOU – GUARDS! DISPOSE OF THIS TRASH!” Glau demanded, while
pointing to the three parcels sitting below his dais.
Three guards quickly approached and snatched up the parcels, before
dumping them intact into a disposal chute and returning to their posts.
They were all hoping they’d live long enough to be relieved of this watch,
but things didn’t look promising – certainly not for the new First Minister.

January 14, Hegemony Space, The Kraken, In-Transit

Rondal lay with his eyes closed while searching for the paths that had
continued to elude him for the last five years. You would think with the
past being concrete, the paths would be easy to see, but they were murky
in his Visions. Yet another male/female thing he supposed. The future
looked bright, however … too bright, in fact, as the paths were washed out
and hard to determine at times, but still visible; showing the one with him
taking Sai and her children out with him for this trip lasting much longer
than any of the others he could have chosen.
So far, so good…
He spent a few more fruitless minutes delving into other variations, but
found nothing else of interest, so he got up to track down Endo and Gallus
once again. He’d remained hopeful, but after several weeks, was still getting
no positive results as yet. He’d felt some of it during the event on
Microcosmus when all four of them had fought the simulacrum together.
He’d felt it once again when Sai had challenged him back on Earth, but
nothing much since. His inquires through Josie to her mother, and from
her to Larl and back, came with mixed results – not the least of which
might be simple communication errors. He would’ve liked to bring Larl
directly into the process, but was loath to embroil him in this conspiracy –
considering both where he worked, and who he worked for.
Still, this current line of inquiry certainly suggested that the Drecks,
like all living sentient beings, had thought processes similar to other
sentient beings, and if he could read normal human thoughts, then there
should be no reason not to be able to read other near-human thoughts …
just maybe on a different channel, as Larl had suggested to Amy, who’d
then explained it to Josie – if nothing had gotten lost in translation. It
promised to be challenging in the extreme, since there currently existed no

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technology capable of detecting and decoding actual thought forms. He’d

wondered of late if his human-normal brain was even capable of being
“tuned” to a different thought band emitted by near-humans like the
Drecks, or quite-far-humanoids like Déjà’s people, the Kee.
Finding Endo and Gallus in the commons, he arranged time for them
to engage in sword practice – yet again – to see if he could decipher the
tantalizing almost-vacuum they presented to his mind. After getting that
settled, he wondered how Sai and Déjà were doing, then sought them out
with a probe. He found only Sai, of course, because Déjà projected a
complete void around herself that apparently even she was not aware of.
He’d thought it was probably some adaptive, or perhaps even instinctive,
sort of camouflage, like that which a chameleon or an octopus used on
Earth. If he could learn it himself, it would be a very handy skill, especially
if it was better than what Lili had already taught him.
He felt Sai up on the bridge, where she was talking to the air next to
her, and heard Déjà’s response echoing from her ears, to her thoughts. He
shook his head as they were still in the process of bugging his ship. While
considering that he should dock their pay for the day, his frustration at
Sai’s persistence finally flared up, and he reached out and fused the
circuitry of the bugs and tracers they had on them, and all the other ones
they’d just gotten done planting, before opening the intercom to the bridge.
“Sai, your pay is docked one day for wasting time planting bugs and
tracers on my ship without my permission! Lady Tal, you’re supposed to
be learning my ship! Déjà, since Sai is your lead crewmember, you are
docked only one-half days pay. Both of you meet me in the exercise room
in one hour for sword practice,” he said, then moved to cut off the intercom.
“Caldar, there’s an alert light on the console up here. An incoming
communications request,” Sai reported, otherwise ignoring his comments
about the bugs and tracers.
“I’ll be right up,” he said, but thought for a second about where they
were. Apparently, it had slipped his mind. He’d have to remember to polish
his talisman this evening.
When he got to the bridge, he brought up the navigation system and
screens, which triggered a startled gasp of surprise from Sai when she
discovered they were wandering awfully close to the Drecks home world of
Zarox.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? WHAT MADNESS IS THIS, CALDAR!”
she shouted, while he got comfortable in his seat and retrieved the
incoming message for playback.
“Merely picking up a little bit of intelligence from one of my spies. Or
rather – one of theirs,” he muttered, then started the playback, while

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shunting it to the bridge speakers and the ships log. After fast-forwarding
to the salient parts, he stopped playback at the part where the packages
were rattling down a disposal chute, then sat back and reviewed his notes.
He’d set the entire recovered audio to “auto-translate and transcribe” for
later transmission to Doctor Riker for study, but what really brought a
smile to his face was the last entry, which made him giggle out loud.
Déjà had no idea why he was so happy, but she giggled, too, while Sai
simply stood there and fumed.
“Two weeks! The only thing better would be if they were born pregnant!”
he announced gleefully.
“Caldar! What in the world are you talking about?”
“The Kee! They’re ready to reproduce in as little as two weeks! Didn’t
you pay attention?”
“I – I couldn’t understand all of it.”
“It was in High Drecks – Court Drecks. Lili asked me to tone it down a
bit. Well … actually, she said to back away from the verge of war with the
Drecks. Anyway, I’ve had to use other methods of gathering information.
What this tells us now, is the Kee we set down on Kale several years ago
were not only pregnant, but their male and female offspring enter their
reproductive cycles in as little as two weeks. With enough food so the
females don’t automatically kill and eat the males … or is it eat and kill?”
he paused, and stared off in the distance for just a moment, before getting
back on track.
“Anyway, with enough available food, the males and females don’t
necessarily have to prey upon each other to survive. Every one-hundred,
forty days, Standard, a female Kee like little Déjà here…” he said, then
reached down and patted her fondly on the head, “…can produce one or
two offspring, who can then reproduce themselves – starting in two weeks!
It’s the gift that keeps on giving!”
His excitement over this bit of trivia was infectious – at least to Déjà –
and she smiled and bounced on her toes.
“Oh yes! Kee like to play! And we like to eat, too! Kee… Kee… Déjà is
Kee!” she exclaimed happily.
“Yes you are, sweetheart, and Mommy is so proud of you,” Sai said to
her, while reaching down to hug her.
She’d been surprised several years earlier when Caldar had identified
the race Déjà was from. Déjà had been ecstatic. If nothing else, at least
Déjà now knew she wasn’t alone in the Universe.

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“Mommy, will Lord Caldar play with me now that we work for him?”
Déjà asked hopefully – yet again.
“Perhaps … when Lord Caldar is feeling a little braver, my darling,” she
suggested, while looking up at him pointedly.
“Oh… Okay!” Déjà said happily, then pulled away to wander back and
search for the boys.
Rondal made further adjustments to the systems, then checked some
of the other logs, before checking and finding the setting he’d failed to set
properly, which should have immediately alerted him when this
communication request had hit his com system. He didn’t recall being this
distracted when Petrus had shipped out with him. Then he programmed in
the next leg of this jaunt, which set them up to wander over by Hove. He
hadn’t pestered anyone out there for over a year, now, and thought it was
about time. Besides, he had to pick up something. After initiating the next
sequence, he locked the board.
“When are you going to give me access to the ship?” she asked.
“As soon as I determine if you can keep us from flying through a star,”
he said, then stood to leave, but she caught him by his arm.
“Caldar … what spies do you have down on Zarox?”
He turned his head and stared at her for several seconds, before turning
to walk away again.
“Just the ones I send there,” he said ambiguously, then glanced at the
ships timer in passing. “Ah! Sword practice. See you in a segment.”
‘Just the ones he SENDS there?’ she thought, while watching him leave
the bridge, then kicked herself in motion and left the bridge herself.
At the beginning of the appointed hour, they all arrived in the relatively
small – even for young men the size of Endo and Gallus – exercise room.
Nearly fifty feet on a side, and almost thirty-feet high, it was just barely
room enough for two adult Drecks to maneuver in heated battle, and still
leave enough room to swing a sword; let alone have all four of them engage
at once.
They’d been at this particular juncture for almost two months now, but
had made no real progress.
For today’s exercise, he had the boys match blades again, and follow up
with a somewhat competitive fight, but he still couldn’t feel anything from
either of them. Then he had them face him, first one at a time, and then in
doubles, but still got nothing from them, although plainly hearing Sai
silently cheering them on from the sidelines.

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When they finally broke off and took a break, he was still stumped and
left standing aside thinking about it, when Sai wandered over.
“Got anything yet, or are you ready to give up?”
“No, and … no. I know they project. I’ve felt it before, but nothing we’re
doing here is bringing it out of them,” he said just a few points shy of
frustration, before sitting down on the narrow bench along the outer wall
of their improvised gym.
“And yet you still think you felt them back on the platform?”
“Most definitely, yes. Back when they were fighting the Gagsa twins.”
“When? Before they jumped in? After they joined us? When do you think
you felt them?” she asked with an edge to her voice.
He cast his mind back to that chaotic playtime with the simulacrum,
but nothing really leaped out at him. He looked up at her, then over at the
boys, and then back to her … and then focused on her chest for several
seconds, while replaying that bit of memory in his mind. He finally began
nodding slowly, then looked up at her and smiled.
“Thank you, Senior Tal. I believe I have an idea.”
“Endo! Your mother is getting a little flabby around the middle, and
needs some exercise!” he called out loudly. “Go play with your son, Lady
Tal,” he suggested quietly, before pushing her away.
At his request, they circled each other, and made their passes, but
Rondal noted right away that Endo was holding back. His warning that his
mother was getting flabby seemed to keep him from pressing her unduly.
Apparently, he really loved his mother.
“Gods, you’re getting lazy, Endo!” he shouted.
‘Swing at him, Sai!’
“And you’re getting slow, too!” he yelled, even as Endo easily blocked
Sai’s swing.
‘Sweep his legs!’ he ordered, which she did – causing Endo to lurch
away clumsily.
“Ho! Putting on a little weight, Endo? Just like your MOMMY?”
‘DANCE with him, Sai! Put your HEART into it!’
He kept up the verbal harassment while the dance continued, and was
finally rewarded by tendrils of emotion on another level of thought he
wasn’t sure even existed until just now.

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Then he started getting nasty.

As each insult towards both Endo and Gallus became harsher and more
critical, both of their radiated emotions became clearer, until he could
almost detect the odd mixture of Drecks and Standard sub-verbalizations
going on in their heads.
It was time to push the bigger buttons.
“I can’t imagine why she ever picked such poor creatures as you for
sons!” he taunted loudly.
‘You go too far, Rondal!’
“You’re FAT! You’re SLOW!”
‘Not far enough’
“YOU’RE the reason she got hurt the FIRST time back on the
PLATFORM!”
‘Rondal!’
“Too bad she survived THAT time, ‘cause you’d be all grown up into
REAL men by NOW!”
That last was the final trigger, and Rondal both felt and understood the
rage coming from all three of them, when they turned towards him and
rushed at him – swords out – while he casually leaned against the exercise
room wall with both arms and legs crossed. They got within a yard of him
when all three stopped and looked at him malevolently.
‘Thank you, my family’ he projected on two levels, with Endo and Gallus
dropping their swords, before grabbing their heads in pain, as Sai held her
sword at his throat while looking at each of her sons in shock.
“What did you do to them?” she asked menacingly, splitting her time
between looking at her sons, and glaring at Rondal.
Rondal reached up and gently pushed her sword away from his neck,
while letting out a disappointing sigh at her lack of self-control. It was just
so easy with her.
“Apparently, their minds aren’t accustomed to using thoughts the way
ours are. Perhaps if Déjà were to give them a gentle kiss? Mind you, I’m
not even going to try and carry them out of here,” he warned her.
Sai looked around, and spotted Déjà standing behind Rondal with a
small knife in her hand.
“Put that away, child! Please give your brothers a bit of relief. Rondal
has given them a headache.”

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“Oh! Yes, Mother! Please,” she said, and added a quick, “Thank you!”
then proceeded to relieve Endo and Gallus of their headaches, before
eventually working around to getting a protein snack from each of them for
her trouble.
Sai looked down and shook her head, while Rondal ignored Déjà and
her current victims as he put away the swords.
Then he grabbed a towel to go over the floor; wiping up spots of sweat
and spit, then depositing the used towel in the gym laundry bin, before
they left them there; assured that Déjà would, once again, let them live
pain free for a while longer, if somewhat drained from their lower regions.
Then they made their way to the commons, where they’d have a chance to
relax, and he could give her an update on his unusual findings.

Kantor, Royal Homestead, The Children’s Quarters

‘Grandfather can talk to Drecks’ Walter shared.
‘So can Aunt Lili’ Cathy pointed out.
‘Not that way. Grandfather can hear Drecks in his HEAD now’ Jaiying
explained.
‘No way!’ Josie exclaimed. ‘Grandpa can do that?’
‘It’s true. They think way up there’ Walter showed them, while pointing
out the new level.
‘That’s not so hard’ Josie suggested, while shifting to the new level.
‘Wow, Josie! You sound loud in here’ Walter shared widely.
‘Oh! It is very quiet up here’ a surprised Jaiying declared.
‘How peaceful’ Cathy expressed.
‘Should we tell anyone?’ Jaiying asked.
‘Besides our mothers?’ Cathy asked.
‘Who else would believe us?’ Josie asked.
‘Grandfather said that, if we hear Drecks, we are to call him and our
mothers’ Walter shared. ‘And shout at the Drecks really loud, because it
hurts them’ he added loudly on that higher band.
~~~
“Did you hear that?” Maya whispered.
Spring Blossom and Lady Sharla looked at her questioningly, while
Laisee kept her nose tucked into a Healer’s book in study.

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“I could swear… Ai-yah! Forgive me, my Ladies,” Maya murmured. “The

children… I get so … distracted at times. I sometimes see things where they
are not, and perhaps hear other thoughts, which are echoes of far away.”
~~~
The children switched back to their normal thought band and put their
shields back up.
‘Oops’ Walter sent.
‘Maya’s not a Drecks, is she?’ Josie asked.
‘No – she’s from Cletus’ Cathy reminded them.
‘But, how did she hear us?’ Jaiying asked.
‘Ask Grandfather?’ Josie suggested.
‘I’ll do that’ Walter agreed.
Approximately thirty seconds later, Walter had relayed the entire story
of Maya’s capture, torture, near death experience, and final recovery to the
rest of his pre-teen family.
‘Wow!’ Josie exclaimed.
‘Explains a LOT’ Cathy considered.
‘Perhaps you should let Mama Amy know about Maya and the Drecks
mind thing’ Walter suggested.
‘And ask her if we should talk to Maya’ Jaiying suggested.
‘Yeah – just so she won’t think she’s going crazy’ Josie added.

On the Way Home…

Amy and Larl were in transit between the Elder’s quarters and the Royal
Homestead, when Josie brought up the issue of Drecks thought forms,
their new ability to sense Drecks minds, and Maya’s hidden ability to detect
them at it, when they’d accidently dropped their blocks.
She thought it through, then remembered a similar conversation from
a few years ago, so she reached over and grasped her husband’s hand.
“Larl, remember that thing I asked you about Drecks thought forms,
and perhaps a way to use that against them? If someone were to experience
a terrible situation in a Drecks-infused environment, do you think it might
be possible a human mind might be capable of feeling Drecks thought
forms?”
Larl looked at her and tried to think about where this was going; setting
his mind spinning freely, before selecting a particular direction.

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“You’re suggesting Maya might be capable of detecting Drecks thought

forms because she was exposed to them during her capture?” he
suggested, then chuckled just a bit. “Sweetie, I don’t think Maya would
ever consider being exposed to the Drecks in person again. Not even for
such a noble cause.”
Amy stared at him; surprised he would even suggest such a thing.
“No, I’m not saying that. But would it be reasonable that a Healer might
become sensitized to Drecks thought emanations during a time of stress?
I’m not suggesting that Maya could actually read Drecks minds.”
Larl gave it some further thought; running over some of the reports he’d
read in the last few years, and those few times he spoken to Ronnie about
it.
“The Drecks are humans, just bigger. From my research with the
Seniors, we know all the human-standard and variant races have a slightly
different level … or maybe call it a channel, of where their thoughts may be
perceived. However, nothing like that has ever been detected from the
Drecks. Still, it would be really handy if some of the Seniors could figure
out how to read Drecks minds, or even just sense them.” He pondered it
for a few more seconds, before going on.
“Better still, it would be really great if they could be detected across
large distances. It’d be nice to have some ‘long-range’ Drecks detectors
around. I’ll suggest it to the Elder as a research project – if we can get hold
of some Drecks volunteers somewhere.” His laugh was automatic, being
quite familiar with the Demon’s Realm.
Amy narrowed her focus, then blipped the conversation back to Josie,
who relayed it to the rest of the group. She then remembered the question
about Maya, but reserved that decision to herself and the rest of the
mothers when the issue came to a head.

In the Children’s Quarters…

‘Long-range Drecks detectors?’ Walter asked.
‘It’s not like we’re really busy’ Josie considered.
‘We could listen in with Grandfather when he listens to Endo and Gallus?’
Jaiying suggested.
‘Then we could see if we can hear them all by ourselves’ Cathy shared.
‘Or just listen on that level’ Walter suggested.
‘Tell Grandfather we want lessons, Walter’ Cathy requested, and they
set up a few minutes for later on that day to do just that.

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The Kraken, In-Transit to Hove

“Higher, Sai. Way higher than you’d expect,” he told her, then showed
her once again…
Her boys were still resting in their compartment after Déjà’s oral assault
upon their manhood’s, while Sai and Rondal were in the commons and
running through this new exercise for Sai’s benefit. Déjà was somewhere
else, and hopefully keeping out of trouble…
It was ships evening, and Sai had reached out and was gently probing
inside Endo’s mind. She was surprised at the prominent position she
played in his fantasies, in addition to Déjà. While Déjà could accept all of
him, she could only accept just two-thirds of his length. Sai was surprised
to learn how concerned he was that he not lose control and push himself
fully inside of her by accident. Because of this, he was afraid of growing
up, and to some extent, so was Gallus. Gallus’ thoughts included Drecks
women of his own stature, and with much bigger breasts than his mother
had – lactating breasts as well, she saw. Rondal was along for the ride and
decided a comment was in order.
“Probably best that they don’t live with the constant reminder their
thoughts can be heard by us – or those like us … Seniors and such. At
least, until they get used to the idea of it. Bet it would have made teaching
them simple Healers’ tasks a whole lot easier,” he suggested, then felt an
emotional rush of frustration flow from her.
“Took me years. I had to research it carefully so the Elder wouldn’t catch
on – like she didn’t already know. I was surprised when Lili told me Dorcas
was a viable candidate – and all those port girls you’d Gifted!” she fumed
quietly.
“Well, there’s still the question of whether it’s an artifact of the Gift, a
chemical compound in my semen, or a combination of the two – or maybe
something else entirely, but Sai – step carefully with the boys for a while.
Mindspeak is not something they’re acquainted with, and it could have a
detrimental affect on your relationship with them.”
“Mindspeak?” she asked in confusion, never having heard the term
before.
He usually didn’t blunder this badly, but a lot had happened to him in
the five years since he’d taken aspects of his asshole father into his
personality. Apparently, one of them was the inability of keeping his
fucking mouth shut when he should.
“Sai – I value the protection of my family above the Commonwealth …
above the Crown. Everything else stands aside in that regard. I hold you,
the boys, and Déjà as crew … and I also hold you as family. I would now

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speak to you as family,” he said, then leaned forward intimately. “Family …

even before the Elder,” he added intently.
“Agreed…,” she said slowly. “Family before Elder, Crown, and
Commonwealth.”
“Mindspeak. That’s what the children call it – my Grandchildren,” he
said quietly.
“Who? Amy? Diane?”
“Their Grandchildren … or child, in the case of Walter and Cathy. The
children – Walter, Cathy, Josie, and Jaiying. They’re all products of David
and Diane’s line, and they all mindspeak together … and with me … and
their mothers.”
“But … but how? How do you know this?” she asked, but ducked her
head at her own stupidity. “Of course you know this, but … when? When
did you find this out?”
“About two years after they were born. Walter, Cathy, Josie, and little
Jaiying. It’s somewhat funny about Jaiying. Andy got Laisee pregnant just
before Maya went through her Healing. Maya knew about it, but forgot to
mention it before her Healing, then afterwards, forgot all about it. Laisee
started getting morning sickness the week after I left, and Andy did, too,”
he said, then gave out a short chuckle. “Apparently he shares the same
curse as his father,” he added, but then explained the Lane “curse” to her
before continuing.
“I snuck in and out of the Royal Homestead a few times and caught
them chatting away on a really narrow band of thought. It was hard to
piece together at first, but once I found the band they were on, I was able
to focus on it and eventually learned they were really speaking to each
other. They communicated in ideas – thought forms, more so, than speech.
It wasn’t until they started speaking Basic when their thoughts got really
easy to understand. That’s when I started talking to them … or rather, they
started talking to me – the last time I visited home,” he said quietly. “And
now they know where the Drecks thought forms are, and how to hear
them,” he added, but then blanked out for a couple of seconds.
“And apparently, your Maya can also hear that band as well. Or so,
Walter tells me.”
“What? Now? He told you that just now?” she asked in shock.
“Yes. The children were sharing a conversation on the Drecks band, and
Maya heard a little of it, and made comment of it to Spring Blossom and
Sharla,” he explained, translating the complex thought forms of who each
person was into individual names for convenience.

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“He asked me if Maya was part Drecks, and … sorry. Josie just asked
Amy for an explanation from Larl, and he allowed that Maya could be extra
sensitive because of her capture. He also suggested that having Drecks
long-range detectors would be handy, and … and apparently the kids have
nothing better to do,” he said, bemused by the thought of it.
“Rondal – your Grandchildren are contacting you from Kantor, and we’re
out … out here?” she asked unbelievingly.
“You speak to the Elder nearly every day … just as I do, every time I do
something forbidden just to irritate you. None of those sensors and tracers
will work, by the way. I’ve shorted them all out. All the ones you’ve
installed, and all the ones left in your kit. You’ll have to use mine until you
can replenish your own … and mine are undetectable – not at all like
yours.”
She started to rise, but subsided into her seat; defeated.
“Don’t despair, Sai. I’ve got nothing against you personally, but if I’d left
those tracers active, I might be caught by one of their captured detectors.
I couldn’t take the risk.”
“Captured detectors? Captured from where?” she asked, triggering a
look of confusion on his face that she had never considered the possibility
of it before.
“How many ships are tagged that have been lost and never recovered?
They couldn’t all have been accidents, could they? The likelihood of Elder
instrumentation falling into Drecks hands is very high. I found a few
detectors still in place on some captured ships I’d ‘liberated’ from the
Drecks in the last few years.”
“You’ve recovered missing ships? Ha! When? And why wasn’t this
reported?” she challenged him, and he let out a silent snort in response.
“When you contact the Elder this evening, before she engages in
contentment this time, ask her about the contents of the Kraken case file:
authorization *elder-booty* – it’s a phoneme-based code word from Earth.
Most likely, she doesn’t yet know what it means … unless she’s asked Amy,
of course,” he said, then gave her a tiny, tight smile.
“I … you? You’ve been updating the Elder all this time?” By the Gods,
why am I even here?” she griped angrily.
“Why? That should be obvious, Sai. She doesn’t trust me. And I don’t
tell her everything. It would be bad for her digestion,” he said blithely,
before getting up to refill his cup of water.
Sai sat there just shy of fuming. He’d adroitly diverted the conversation
away from his Grandchildren and focused it back onto her, and then the

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Elder. She thought of the other thing they’d discussed a while ago, and
turned to watch him at the water dispenser.
“Rondal, I’ve stopped blocking the boys’ growth.”
“I’ve noticed. They seem to have grown nearly half a foot in the last
several days. No insurmountable problems for you, I trust? That concern
Endo has of splitting you open can be relieved by simple application of a
firm sexual *donut* form; or in his case, a stack of them,” he suggested,
but then translated the term for her, and got a bemused smirk in return.
“And I suppose you just happen to have such things aboard the
Kraken?” she asked dryly.
“Well … you know – always be prepared,” he said, while stepping back
and sitting across from her again. “The bottom cabinet on the left side of
your bed – back of the drawer, under the towels. I believe there should be
enough there to protect you sufficiently enough to let him exert himself if
he wishes. Try too many at first, of course,” he suggested, while noticing a
slight distraction in her expression.
“Oh, of course,” she agreed, while focusing back over his shoulder. “But
I fear Déjà will have drained them both by now. I don’t suppose you’d like
to share contentment with me, Lord Rondal?”
He almost considered that, but felt a void creeping up from behind, so
he pulled his hands off the tabletop to rest in his lap.
“My dear Lady Sai, I am sure Mistress Déjà would be more than
delighted to see to your contentment,” he said, then turned to sweep his
arm around Déjà’s arms and waist before drawing her close to him.
“Wouldn’t you, Déjà?” he asked the pouting young lady in question.
“I thought you said he couldn’t sense me, Mother?” she asked
petulantly, while Rondal stood up and stepped behind her to hold her with
both arms now, before bending down and gently kissing her on the neck,
which elicited a purr from her.
“I cannot sense you, Déjà, but I can sense the void around you. It’s not
your fault, my dear. You probably don’t even know you’re doing it, which
brings up the next question. Would you and your mother let me watch and
listen in as you provide each other contentment? I promise it would only
be for the purpose of learning more about how your mind operates.”
Déjà quickly thought about that. As only Rondal had refused to play
with her, maybe if she played along, he’d finally give in and play with her,
too? Then he wouldn’t be such an unhappy person to be around so much.
“Will you play with me then?” she asked sweetly, while looking over her
shoulder and batting her eyelashes at him.

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He wondered where she’d learned that little bit of coquettishness, before

gently pushing her into the seat he’d vacated. Then he remembered a
comment Lili had made several years ago, so he reached down, dipped his
fingers into his cup of water, then dribbled the drops over his hand, before
wiping his palm on his jumpsuit.
“Lick my hand,” he said while holding his wiped palm out in front of her
lips.
She looked at Sai, who just shrugged, then looked back up at Rondal,
before licking his palm. He stood there in intense concentration, then
swayed a tiny bit before focusing on her again.
“Lick me again … like you want to play with me,” he suggested, and this
time he closed his eyes and swayed a bit more, before steadying up and
opening his eyes again.
He bent down and kissed her lips, whereupon she wrapped both arms
around his head and did her very best to bring him under her control by
washing his mouth and throat with a full load of enzymes, followed by
waves of arousal. She kept up the swirling of her tongue around and down
his throat while he held her gently. Then he moved his hands up to her
face, sliding one hand around the back of her head, while using the fingers
of the other to pinch off her nose.
Within thirty seconds, she was struggling to break away so she could
breathe again, but he finally let her go after about a minute; catching her
tongue on its way out of his mouth and holding it in his hand to examine
it carefully. The tip wasn’t exactly pointed, but was very narrow, and as
she panted and struggled in his grasp, he saw the tiny openings along its
entire length leaking out more enzymes.
“Relax,” he told her calmly, then tugged on it a few times, until she
finally caught her breath and allowed her tongue to be pulled out of her
mouth to its full extension – which was an impressive nearly foot-long
length – while he ran his other hand through her hair several times in a
calming manner, before motioning Sai over for a closer look at this
impressive, adaptive appendage.
“See there? It looks like the enzymes are extruded along its entire
length. Go ahead and taste it, Sai – just a little.”
She looked at him, and then at Déjà, who just rolled her eyes, before
taking a tiny lick of Déjà’s tongue. As the enzymes flowed through her
system, he followed along, and taught her body how to block the effects.
Sai was amazed. She still felt the effects of euphoria, but was no longer
helpless. He finally let go of Déjà’s tongue, which she immediately
withdrew, before moving her jaw around while getting everything folded
back into place.

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“Kiss your Mother, Déjà. Do a good job,” he told her, which triggered a
big smile on the one-track-minded Kee’s face.
Déjà’s eyes sparkled in delight! She wrapped her arms around Sai’s
head and neck, and gave her the special tongue-lashing Mommy always
liked. She followed it with extra waves of passion, but became terribly
disappointed when Mommy didn’t fall to the floor for her, as expected. As
the seconds lingered on, she became more and more distraught, until she
finally pulled her tongue out, before bursting into tears.
“He – he broke me!” she cried, while hugging Sai tightly. “Oh Mommy,
he broke me! Now I can’t make you feel good anymore!” she wailed, and
hugged her even tighter.
“Shhhh, shhhh, my girl. It’s all right, baby. I felt every nice thing you
did to me … and I remembered it all! Your kisses still make me feel good,
and you make me very excited, too,” she assured her, while passing a dirty
look at Rondal in the process, before softening it a bit, then following it
with a grateful nod or two.
“And I bet Lord Rondal will be willing to play with you now. Right, my
Lord?” she asked pointedly.
“I would be delighted to play with you, Déjà. I want to feel you two
together, and Déjà … I want to feel you with me. Would you like that?”
Upon hearing that, Déjà quickly perked up.
“Oh – Oh yes! Please! Yes, please! Mother, can we please go play now?”
Déjà rushed to put their things away, and after assuring them that Endo
and Gallus were safely stashed away in their own rooms, she joined them
in Sai’s room, where she spent the next few hours testing the limits of her
control over her Mother, and this strange male Senior her Mommy insisted
they had to watch for the Elder. Despite not being able to take them over
any longer, she was delighted to find she could still share the experience
of their climaxes.
In an effort to test her new limits, she even inspired them to intensify
their climaxes with her emanations of arousal.

January 15, Kantor, Royal Homestead, Children’s Quarters

The children were gathered around their mothers and giving them a
complete update. They’d all made sure the rest of the Wives and Maya
would not be in attendance for this little meeting, and sat in each mother’s
respective lap to help insure the bond, and lessen the intensity of the mind
shield being projected.

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‘Cathy, you hold the shield’ Walter requested. ‘Mother, it’s way up there’
He pointed to it, then shifted his focus. ‘Can you hear me up here?’
“Just barely, Walter, but its more like a whisper,” Diane said aloud.
“I can hear him really good,” Amy said.
“As can I,” Shay added.
After a moment’s pause, they all turned to look at Laisee.
“Oh… I can, too, but … but shouldn’t we be telling all this to the Elder?
Or even just Lili? Surely, Lili should know what the children can now do?”
she asked them, once again setting Diane’s nerves on edge.
“Laisee, we’ve been all over this. I’m not sure how it all works on Kantor,
but if anything like this occurs on Earth, the first thing that happens is
they take away our kids, and we never see them again.”
“Uhhh, paranoid much, Mom?” Amy asked.
“Ahhh, forgive me, Lady Diane, but … who is the ‘they’ who will take
away our children?” Shay asked.
“Them! You know? The government! The people in power! That’s what
always happens with stuff like this. The government steps in, keeps
everyone quiet, and takes away the problem!”
Shay and Laisee looked at her strangely. Shay had always followed
Diane’s lead, but Laisee was raised Caldarous – part of the Imperial
household in the very center of the Commonwealth’s power structure.
She’d never understood Diane’s reluctance to share knowledge of the
children’s talents with Lili, or anyone else outside their immediate
mothers … and their Grandfather, of course.
“My Lady Diane, forgive me, but … do you forget where you sleep at
night? For all situations, Lord Caldarous is the government, and I do not
think he would harm his nieces and nephew … even to protect the
Commonwealth,” Laisee stated, which only stirred up Diane even more.
“And isn’t that why Sai was sent to track down and kill Ronnie? Just in
case he steps out of line, she’s standing by to take him out before he
becomes a threat to the–”
‘Grandmother, although Grandfather already torments Sai and the Elder,
I think he does it on purpose. Perhaps even merely out of habit’ Jaiying
suggested.
“Doesn’t sound much like Ronnie. But then again, Maya sucked all the
fun out of his life,” Amy said.

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“Yes … and now Ronnie is sucking the life out of people. Well, perhaps
not recently, one supposes,” Diane reconsidered, while thinking back to
that incident with the Kee and Lili’s brother.
“Oh, but not all the life, Lady Diane,” Shay said. “He still lets them live.
He let Sharla live.”
“Yeah, but Meela is gone,” Amy reminded her.
‘No, Mama Amy. Meela is still there’ Jaiying corrected her. ‘She plays the
role she must, to protect the Commonwealth. She is very serious about it,
too. You should be proud of her, Mother’ she shared, while turning to look
at Laisee.
“I am very proud of her, Jaiying. She did terrible things, and Rondal
punished her for it, but I think she is a much better person now,” Laisee
agreed.
‘Grandmother, can you talk on the Drecks band?’ Josie asked Diane.
‘How – how is this?’ she projected, before commenting aloud. “It feels
very funny.”
‘It felt like it was bleeding all over’ Walter considered.
‘I heard a little on the Drecks band, Mother’ Cathy shared.
“Shay … Amy … why don’t you try it?” Diane asked them.
‘All the way up here?’ Shay thought awkwardly, while Amy struggled to
focus that high, but never quite made it.
‘Mother Laisee, can you answer up here?’ Walter asked her.
‘How is this, Walter?’ Laisee responded easily.
‘Wow! That’s real clear, Mama Laisee!’ Josie declared. ‘Don’t worry
Mama. I’ll help you with it’
“Thank you, Josie,” Amy said.
“So, we’re still keeping this a secret? In case there are any more Drecks
spies about?” Diane pressed, and got affirmation from everyone – even a
weak one from Laisee. “I suppose … in our vast amounts of spare time, we
could listen on the Drecks band and see if we pick up anything. My
understanding is, we shouldn’t hear anything if we haven’t been
introduced before, but if we feel anything at any distance, then it would be
worthwhile to point it out to someone,” Diane went on, but Laisee caught
the conflict in her suggestion.

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“But … if we detect Drecks, how then are we to explain it to someone

else? They would want some form of proof, would they not? And all we have
are…” she trailed off, spreading her arms wide to encompass the children.
Diane thought it through fast, but shrugged in defeat; recognizing the
problem.
“If the time comes, we’ll all be involved, and I don’t believe Radatel would
object too much if Lili explained things to him at that point. I believe Lili
should be our first point of contact, anyway. After Ronnie, of course.”
‘We would counsel that, as well, Mama Diane’ Walter shared for the
siblings, just as the door opened and Maya walked in.
Walter immediately struggled out of Shay’s arms and came careening
over to Maya while holding up his arms and waving them excitedly before
patting one of her breasts repeatedly.
“I Walter, I hungry, Milk Mother!” he gleefully said to her in excited
Basic.
‘What a ham’ Josie projected tightly, while relating the full cultural
expression into one symbolic figure that made its connotations
immediately understood.
“Just like his father, Maya. He’s drained the rest of us. I guess it’s your
turn now,” Diane teased her.
“Ah, Walter! You’re getting so big!” Maya said, while reaching down to
scoop him up, and as she did so, he started fussing with her robes.
That sudden activity triggered a memory of a similar event involving a
baby Drecks that had happened many years ago, and Maya suddenly froze.
The room went silent while waiting to see what trauma Maya might be
facing from this unexpected memory from her past, but Walter stopped
moving completely before slowly wrapping his arms around her neck and
kissing her on the cheek.
“I love you, Maya” he said very clearly, which just as quickly broke her
from her bad memory and brought a smile to her face.
“I love you, too, Walter,” she replied, then settled on a cushion and
opened her robes enough so he could nurse from her quietly.
Josie came over and snuggled up next to Walter, before resting her head
on his leg, while Cathy and Jaiying slipped out of their mother’s arms to
go play with some toys. The family settled into quiet conversation, while
the children played, nursed, or napped among them.

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January 24, The Kraken, In-Transit to Hove

Gallus slept quietly while recovering from Déjà’s efforts to drain every
last drop of protein from his body and still leave him alive. Rondal was
sitting aside; bemused by the whole situation.
He’d worked with Déjà for a week now, but gotten nothing from her –
nothing but drained testicles and somewhat pleasant memories, while Déjà
had tried her darndest to make him succumb to her enzymes and
projections of arousal. He couldn’t even tap into the source of the arousal
feelings she emanated. He could feel them, but couldn’t find where they
were originating from. It was almost as if it was happening before he could
detect it, but immediately being blanked from existence, moment-by-
moment.
It was, he considered, a very impressive evolutionary development …
unless, of course, her species was genetically engineered, but that would
imply they were created for a purpose, and the Drecks were obviously not
capable of scientific achievement of such a nature.
“Déjà, do you remember anything about your people? Anything at all?”
he asked once again.
“Oh yes! We eat! We play! We sleep! And then we play some more!” she
repeated excitedly.
“Do you remember where you came from? How you got where you were
when Sai found you?” he asked her again, but she pretty much repeated
what she’d told him numerous times now.
“My creator made me and let me eat from her! Then she played with me
and let me eat from her again! And then she was gone,” she said, with just
the tiniest note of disappointment.
He’d found it interesting that her long-term memory problem didn’t
preclude the memory of her birth mother, but still couldn’t tell if it was
sadness for her mother leaving her, or sadness that she didn’t stay to play
with her any longer.
“Would you please play with me some more?” she asked hopefully, so
he held his arms open and she rushed into them.
Now that she knew it was pointless, she would no longer try to fight off
her instinctive efforts to take him over and simply ignored them. Her
arousal emanations worked on him, though, and she quickly mounted him
and began playing again – pretty much by herself – while he once again
poked and prodded around her mind to see if he could find out how she
was doing it to him. Unfortunately, it was like poking a toothpick at a steel
ball.

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He knew she was able to feel orgasms. Sai had somehow taught her that
while connected on a fairly obscure Healer level, but it was strictly one-
way – she could feel his arousal and climax, but he couldn’t feel hers – or
even if she could climax. Nor could he project the Gift of the First Wife into
her like he could with regular human women. Déjà appeared to be a true
alien species. Probably a good thing, that. He couldn’t imagine the result
of any crossbreeding – what with the feeding frenzies and all.
He lay back and let her play on him for quite a while until he got hungry
and had her bring him off. Then she cleaned up after him, before letting
him up to wash himself. Afterwards, they headed to the commons for some
real food, and along the way, he thought that, overall, she wasn’t a bad
lover, but intelligent conversation would be appreciated once in a while.
Sai was in the commons, and saw Déjà dart off to get something to eat,
while watching Rondal hobble back from his latest “interrogation” of her
with a smirk on her face. She knew exactly what he was feeling, only from
a woman’s point of view.
“No … got nothing this time, either,” he said, before she could even ask.
“Except a little more tired,” he added while getting a cup of water. Sai could
almost imagine he was joking with her … except for the distracted look on
his face.
“Tell me again how you picked her up on that little shit hole back at the
Fringe,” he asked her again, before slipping into a seat across from her.
Sai began again, patiently … for her.
“Like I told you before, Rondal, she was a single-species passenger we
found on a transport stuck on that Fringe planet. Endo fell over her, and
was in the process of being taken over by her, when I smacked her
alongside the head and knocked her out. I almost killed her, but decided
to tie her up and see if she was usable.”
“And all she spoke was Drecks?” he asked again.
“And that other gibberish she used to let out sometimes when she’d get
really excited – although I haven’t heard her say anything like that for years
now. And no – I don’t know if it’s a language, or baby talk for her species.”
“Her command of Drecks when you picked her up…”
“Was pretty good, and she picked up conversational Standard in about
a month, Standard.”
“So … she’s moderate to highly intelligent – or motivated. She appears
to be completely guileless, for the most part, and she lives and eats simply
to … to play,” he concluded with a shrug, while letting his fingers rise up
and then pat the tabletop in defeat. “I just can’t picture her species as
anything other than a sub-Class-Six,” he suggested.

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“No… Neither can I,” she admitted. “Yet she’s intelligent and appears to
be quite capable of learning. She’d just rather play more than anything
else.” Her comment triggered a silent snort from him that merely twitched
his torso in accompaniment.
“And you’ve managed to teach her patience – of a sort. Simply for self-
preservation, one supposes?”
The groan that seeped out of her was heartfelt.
“Let’s just say that we lost a lot of sleep until we got her on a schedule.”
She snickered and took a sip of her own water. “Are you sure you don’t
carry ambrosia on board, Rondal? Seems like I remember you used to live
on it.”
“Don’t need it anymore, thanks to Lili,” he muttered, before taking
another sip of his water.
He hadn’t really lied. He had a stock of ambrosia he was saving for
emergencies, but didn’t want a drunken Senior and her brood thinking his
time had expired.
Sai slouched in her seat, then watched when his eyes focused
somewhere other than the present. She no longer bothered trying to tap
into his thoughts – his block being almost as consistent as Déjà’s
mindlessness – but sometimes his emotions slipped out. At the moment,
she was sensing a strange ambivalence from him.
“Regrets, Rondal?” she finally asked him, which brought his attention
back to her.
“Oh yes. Most prominent among them is not being able to question
Grandmother Kita about my father’s death, and the part she played in it,”
he said, which raised Sai’s eyebrows. “You think I didn’t know, or you
didn’t know yourself?” he asked her.
“I … I don’t know what you mean,” she said in confusion.
“Diane said Riker pointed it out one day. Once beyond a certain age,
there would be no reason for the Emperor to die, other than by accident or
combat. Otherwise, with the assistance of our Healers, we are a very long-
lived species. Yet he remarked on the disparity between the number of
Emperors we’ve had, compared to the relatively few number of Elders we’ve
had. Since both of us know the real relationship between the two, it’s not
that far a conclusion for the Emperor’s longevity to be related to his
performance in the eyes of the Elder. A lot like your purpose in being here
with me.”
She actually had to think about that for a bit. It was something she’d
never really considered before.

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“But – but how would she…,” She paused, but then flushed. She knew
exactly how, but Rondal went down the list anyway.
“Any number of ways. Poison, ‘accident’, old age… I suppose he could
be receiving one-sided contentment and not really notice it in his own
hubris. She could have also followed one of the forbidden paths to
accomplish her goals … such as he always wanted to do,” he said, which
shocked her even more.
“Oh, yes. He mentioned it often when I was much younger and still
favored by him. Said the restrictions held him back from being a true
Emperor, and protecting his people as they should be protected,” he
admitted, his thoughts now turning back to visits with his “Grandfather.”
“He warned me about it, though. Said the Elder was always watching, and
would punish me if I was ever caught playing on the ‘dark side’ as he’d
called it. And yet … here I am,” he said ominously.
“Yes … here we are,” she agreed softly, while looking down into her cup.
“What are your plans now, Rondal?”
He saw that she’d kept her eyes diverted from his, almost as if she had
something to hide from him. No matter. He still had a job to do, and so did
she.
“Well, you’ve already taught your young men the basics of Healing. I
suggest you work with them in developing their minds to improve their
combat skills,” he said, but caught the blank look in her eyes when she
glanced up at him.
“Sai – you do understand why Kantite men are among the most
dangerous adversaries in nearly every personal encounter, don’t you?” he
asked, but still seeing her blank expression, he settled back, and sighed.
“Against the Drecks, we have to practice. They’re among the quickest
warriors we’ve ever encountered, especially considering their size. Against
human-standards, we have the advantage of feeling what’s coming from
our opponents’ minds. You’ve never experienced this yourself? You know,
being a Healer and all?” he asked, and she continued to stare at him
uncomprehendingly, but the concept wasn’t all that farfetched.
“Ahh … no. I never really considered it. I just thought some fighters
were better than others, but … yes, those Kantite I’ve had occasion to cross
swords with seem to be extremely well skilled,” she admitted, although in
hindsight, it might explain a lot about her limited combat encounters with
human-Kantites in general.
“It isn’t just the adrenaline rush we key on demand. It’s something we’re
taught to feel – even a half-breed like me. You probably already use it, not
recognizing it for what it really is, unlike most of us do – as we’re trained

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to do. If you’re aware of it, it gives you a tremendous advantage,” he said,

now getting her to think about it on various levels.
“Wait a minute. What about the simulacrum of the Drecks? There’s no
mental feedback from that. What advantage do you gain from that bit of
exercise?” she asked, and he looked at her in surprise.
“Really, Sai? Fighting an opponent that’s over twice your size, never gets
tired, doesn’t project his intentions, and runs an average of twenty-percent
faster than the fastest Drecks? Aside from the exercise, I should think it
would be obvious – it’s a lot of fun!”

February 4, The Kraken, Four Days out from Hove

Rondal was observing from the side while the boys faced off in their
improvised gym. Déjà was keeping him company – sort of. He’d insisted
that she not sit in his lap because she had a hard time trying not to arouse
his interest in her. It was frustrating for her, but he’d promised to play
with her later if she was a good girl.
Sai was conducting classes with her sons on a topic that she’d never
expected to do – mind reading for Drecks. To do that, she was working up
in the Drecks band herself, and he watched them wince every time she got
a little too loud in their minds. She was careful to leave them alone while
they faced off against each other, though, so it wouldn’t interfere with what
they were experiencing now. For himself, Rondal was sensing them, and
their intent during swordplay, like he’d never been able to do, before.
After only a week and a half, he’d also seen a gradual improvement in
their technical skills with the sword, and that was part of his immediate
goal. Of course, there was also the possibility that it would backfire, and
he’d let loose an incredibly potent force against the Commonwealth, but
that was the reason he’d asked Sai not to teach them down at the human-
standard bands – not yet anyway. For right now, he wanted them to have
every advantage over any Drecks they encountered, and he expected it
would come in handy in the next several weeks or so, depending on what
his spy in the Hove cluster told him.
He thought – he hoped – they were getting closer to his ultimate goal,
and this extra bit of training for Endo and Gallus should pay off nicely. It
would be impressive in Gagsa’s eyes if Commonwealth-trained “young”
Drecks warriors could face and even best some of Gagsa’s own warriors.
Gagsa didn’t have to know how old these young warriors really were,
unless it became convenient to Rondal. Of course, it also depended on if
the rumors were true or not.

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February 8, An Obscure System near Hove

Unlike some systems, Horga didn’t have a whole lot of crap floating
around it, so they’d left the shell of the Kraken two seconds “left” of the
primary and drifted in on the Kraken itself with the “improved” shield
system he’d had installed after that nasty bit of business near Fex...
That encounter had used up one anti-matter load, two Drecks
destroyers and one Drecks cruiser – and left behind a tiny piece of rubble
where one of the smaller moons of Fex used to be. That had been nearly
two years ago, and was just one of many reasons for Lili’s insistence that
he “tone it down just a bit.”
There’d been surprisingly little comment from the Hegemony about it,
but since he’d otherwise been limiting himself to poking a rather tiny stick
into much smaller stinger nests, they seemed content to lay back and hope
to trap their invisible “valaet among the targa” as Rad had phrased it one
time – if they could just figure out a pattern to the nuisance incursions he
kept providing, like the one he was planning for tonight…
The primary of the Hove cluster was just about equidistant from Taxa,
Fex, Womak, Dox, and maybe a little bit closer to Zarox. He’d hit it before
– several times, in fact – but his target tonight was a little bit over and
down at one of Hove’s secondary systems … a little place called Horga.
Hove was a Class-Four/Five system. The humans were Four’s and the
Drecks were Fives. It still didn’t make sense, but … go figure. Horga was a
dirt ball a few light-years away, but still had human administrative staff
he could emulate, and that’s where his contact was.
For this evolution, he was putting some real trust in Sai for the very
first time. She was going to pilot the Kraken’s Child, and woe to her if she
broke it and survived. If the Drecks concluded their misery was at the
hands of a mere Commonwealth woman – Witch or not – her life would end
in seconds, and the repercussions would spread across both domains. On
the other hand, he and the boys – with Déjà coming along for “emergencies”
– were going to take the shuttle down and land in a very public place to
conduct their business.
Basically, they were going into a certain bar, ordering a certain drink,
and meeting with a certain Drecks, who would leave a data tab in passing.
Then they would finish up and walk out quietly … after which, Sai would
be knocking out various power systems in the general area using only
number one loads – unless something big and nasty reared its ugly head,
and she needed to leave in a hurry.
They’d gone over the plan for what they wanted to do, what might
happen, and where they would meet up if they needed to abort –
somewhere nowhere near the Kraken. She’d questioned many of his
decisions, but he was still holding back several of his operational secrets

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she didn’t need to be privy to. One thing he did do for her, was bring them
all onto the bridge and program a recovery pattern for the Kraken that
would deliver them back into Commonwealth space after a suitable scenic
tour of the Hegemony – in three jumps or less – just in case he didn’t
survive the encounter. That he was effectively holding her children hostage
with him for the duration remained unmentioned. If the Elder wanted his
ship and its weapon badly enough, Sai could certainly deliver it to her –
but her children would remain with him, wherever his body ended up.
During the final dress rehearsal, Gallus and Endo spoke exclusively in
Drecks, and he could also hear them chatting on the Drecks band. He
warned them to keep it to themselves for the time being, until they knew
for sure they could block it from other Drecks, despite the fact that Drecks,
like nearly all other humans, had to be taught to hear and use silent
communications.
After them donning unadorned warrior dress, and wearing the
customary Drecks dreadlocks, courtesy of the costume kit in the Orca, they
were ready to go. For tonight’s performance, they were two apprentice
contract guards escorting a mid-level human administrator to the bar for
a few drinks, before safely returning him to his place of confinement. It
sounded weird on the face of it, but that’s how they partied on Horga.

Over Horga…
They made their final approach, and with shields up at two diameters
out, they locked the Kraken into position near Horga. Rather than risk
optical detection by star occlusion, they’d stayed on the daylight side of
Horga, then separated the Kraken’s Child and the shuttle there, before
drifting over to the dark side, where they descended with full optical and
radiation shields up, while making their rather open approach to the target
area.
‘All set, Sai?’ he pushed out.
‘What’s the combination to the back door, again?’ she snapped at him,
and he felt the eagerness in her sending; the excitement of the encounter.
He hoped it didn’t disappoint her.
‘Tell you what. You make that power failure look like a cascading failure
tonight, and I’ll share my seed, and the Gift with you. Maybe I’ll even make
a Healer out of you. No, wait. You’re ALREADY a Healer!’ he teased her, but
it also reminded her of that particularly juicy goal.
‘You got it! That was number FIVE loads no closer than fifty meters from
you, right?’ she shot back, and he could almost hear her evil chuckle.
He sincerely hoped she was joking.

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‘Going down, Sai’

‘Promises, promises…’
He brought the shuttle down uncloaked, then joined with a common
transit lane while sedately making their way to the target township.
Like in all Subject/Drecks situations, the humans had taken the brunt
of the damage, and were reduced to living in relative squalor on the
outskirts of Drecks bases and other Drecks establishments. In this case,
the target was only in semi-squalor, and mostly occupied by some of the
remaining humans of Horga. Otherwise, the township had power, water,
and most other amenities that one could hope for – except for freedom, of
course.
Endo and Gallus had never experienced this situation before. He’d had
them read and re-read the sociological studies of the Drecks that Larl had
compiled over the years so they’d have a better understanding of what they
were up against. It would help them fit in better during a ground operation
– something they’ve never really participated in at this level before. Sai
usually worked her missions in space, where the options were limited, but
the distractions were limited as well.
They landed on an open parking strip and exited the shuttle, before
securely locking the airlock behind them. For the time being, Déjà’s sole
duty was to quickly take over anyone who managed to break in – whether
they were simply trying to steal the shuttle, or coming in and bringing her
crewmates with them under guard. She would make the determination
while watching them on the monitor, then make her move when she felt
she could.
Rondal and the boys, one on either side of him, leisurely proceeded to
their destination, while window-shopping at some of the few suppliers that
remained open. He admonished the boys silently when they paid too much
attention to some chained female Drecks, along with a couple of human
females, being led from a vehicle into a building. He made no other
comment about it, and hoped they didn’t ask about it later. This was
probably the hardest part of his job – letting innocents die, so that other
innocents could be saved.
They made it to the bar, where they found a table and settled in for the
evening. Rondal ordered the specific drink, then waited for the contact to
make his appearance. He wasn’t long in coming, but just wasn't the right
contact, so Rondal acted before he even got close.
“Well, wherzzz’s our drinks?” he asked loudly, then named a drink that
was similar in name to the code word, but could easily be confused with it.
“T’hes damn places alla’s get my order shruesd up!” he slurred loudly,
which started drawing attention to them.

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He pushed a few words to Endo and Gallus, and they stood and took
hold of his arms, while starting to argue.
“Told you we shoulda left him in the shuttle!”
“We were hired to watch him!”
“Yeah, and every time we watch him, we end up getting thrown out of
another damn bar!”
“You shoulda took that flask away from him back at the house!”
“I’m not his nurse maid!”
“Hey, you guise siddown and lese have aother drnk!” Rondal slurred, so
Endo reached down and lightly popped him on the jaw; from the angles
anyone else saw, it looking like he was knocked out quite neatly.
“What ya do that for?”
“Let’s just carry him back!”
“I’m not gonna carry him back!”
“Well, I’m not gonna, either!”
“BARKEEP!” they both thundered in chorus, and a nervous human
rushed up while looking at them fearfully.
“How may I help you, gentlemen?”
“We came here to drink, but this worthless human was causing a scene.
You got anyplace we can dump him?”
“Ah…”
“We have money!” Gallus said, and held out a handful of Hove coins in
high denominations.
Things became clear to both the servitor and the false contact. Most
likely, this human was a recent transfer from relatively wealthy Hove, but
was now stuck here. His current condition probably meant he was drinking
to escape from whatever he’d done to be sent to Horga in the first place.
The barkeep led them to a back room, where they dumped Rondal, before
proceeding back to the bar and finding another table to sit at. While they
ordered drinks, they paid no attention to the false contact, who’d melded
into the background once again to wait for the real agent of the Demon’s
Realm.
‘Well, what do we do now?’ Endo pushed out very quietly.
‘Working on plan B … or C’ Rondal sent.

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‘We gonna abort?’ Gallus asked, while getting comfortable for the time
being, but still aware that, at some point, things were going to start getting
busy.
‘Abort? Nooo … no – no – no, that’s WAY down below plans D, E, or F’
‘So, what are you going to do?’ Endo asked.
‘Hey, I’m making it up as I go! Didn’t your mother teach you ANYTHING
about me?’
Endo and Gallus looked at each other over their drinks, and came to
the same conclusion.
‘We are so screwed!’ they shared in unison.
‘What? What’s going on down there?’ Sai called on the human band, but
at least she’d had the foresight not to scream it out on the Drecks band.
‘Just a little regrouping, Sai. Nothing to worry about’ he sent as calmly
as could be.
‘Where are the boys? I don’t feel them near you’
‘They’re back in the bar having a couple of light sodas. Endo knocked me
out, and they dumped me in the back room for a while until I sober up’ he
sent airily.
‘RONDAL–’
‘Give it a rest, Sai. Don’t do anything yet. The boys are safe, Déjà is safe,
and our contact has been captured or killed. I’m still looking for him’
‘But you–’
‘I am in an excellent position to work quickly and silently – and WITHOUT
distractions, if you’d just stop distracting me. Now please let me find and
read the mind of our false contact to see if he knows anything, all right?’ he
sent in frustration this time.
‘Let me know when to light things up’ she pushed sullenly.
‘Definitely. No changes on that. Just wait until I signal you’ he sent,
before slipping into the Drecks band and gently poking around for the mind
of the false contact.
It took him a while – longer than he wanted – but he finally learned what
they’d done to the contact. He was dead, or nearly so, and close by. He
extended out, searching for a Drecks in pain, and found several of them –
female Drecks just a few doors down. He felt their panic, then felt the death
of one of them, along with a human female, as well. This matched the
location the false contact had been thinking of. He tried to hold back, but

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the Demon decided a change in the mission profile was warranted, and put
forth a convincing argument to that effect.
‘Sai – get ready to act on my signal’ he ordered tersely.
‘Endo, Gallus – ask where you can get a live meal – a fresh girl. There
will be blood. I’m headed out the back’
The Demon got up and tried the locked door, then opened it, exited, and
locked it behind him, before heading out the back way and walking along
the alley to the fresh food shop just a few doors down.
Extending out and through, he unlocked the door and slipped inside
without being noticed. Creeping forward silently, he reached the kitchen
door, where he saw the panicked face of another human female who was
already strapped to a large serving platter. He could see the preparation
butcher getting ready to bleed her, so he sent out a focused silent scream
in Drecks, and the butcher fell over unconscious, with his hands holding
his bloody ears. Since the girl was gagged, there was no other sound, and
he waited a few more moments for Endo and Gallus to get into position.
‘Endo, Gallus – Status!’
‘Front door’ Endo sent.
‘Standby – the lights go out, get to the females and cut their bonds. Get
them back to the shuttle. Gags would help’ he sent, sending the terse
commands concisely.
Another Drecks came up from a basement door and closed it behind
him, before crossing to the kitchen and stumbling over the downed
butcher. He joined him a moment later, before the Demon drifted down the
stairs to find his contact. He found him on the floor, nearly dead, as most
of the skin on his chest had been peeled away. His screams probably would
have sounded horrible, but there was a gag strapped tightly around his
mouth. The remaining Drecks kneeling beside him caught sight of the
Demon, but was in no position to deal with the flying kick to the throat
that eliminated him as a threat, while he lay there suffocating from a
crushed windpipe.
The Demon reached into the mind of the contact and tried to question
him.
‘Gorlox … Gorlox, where’s the data tab?’ he asked silently, but all he got
back were horrible, non-verbal sensations of intense pain, then heard
screams upstairs and made a decision.
‘Sai – Fire!’ he sent, then focused on putting Gorlox back together again
as quickly as possible, but needed Rondal for this, so he relented and
relaxed.

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Rondal reached out and focused on the bloody body before him and
started to glow. The lights went out twenty seconds later, but it didn’t affect
him while he concentrated on stopping the most severe bleedings before
scabbing over Gorlox’s wounds. While that was taking place, he looked
within and searched his body. No broken bones, but he was still in terrible
pain.
‘Endo, Gallus – Status!’
‘Got five girls out, chained. Three dead. Two left – injured’
‘Leave them! Get the girls to safety! Bring the shuttle to the back alley!
I’m in the basement. Bring me Déjà!’
“Gorlox! Gorlox, stay with me!” he said loudly, and gripped the hand of
the older Drecks, who was lying there in pain.
‘Sai – Status!’
‘Cascading power failures as ordered’
‘Standby to cover shuttle. Target Drecks as necessary’
His glow having dimmed for the moment, it flared up brilliantly while
continuing to pour Healing into the failing Drecks. He wasn’t responding
as well as he should, and knew Sai could probably point it out in just a
moment, but she was busy covering their retreat.
‘Endo, Gallus – Status!’
‘Dropping behind alley!’
‘Lock the girls in the back. Escort Déjà inside to the basement; first door,
left side, beware stragglers!’
‘On the way!’
“Hang in there Gorlox! I’ve got relief coming for you!” he said loudly, but
heard the sound of a sidearm charging upstairs.
Rondal flashed Gorlox once more, before the Demon turned, and took
the stairs two at a time – coming up behind the false contact guarding the
back door of the eatery. He let his special tool slip down his arm and rushed
up behind the bogus contact. The last thing the false contact heard was
the screaming of his blade when it sliced his spine from groin to mid-chest.
As the body collapsed, a few more swipes reduced it to several pieces,
because you never know. He pushed out quickly, but felt nothing else back
there.
‘Boys! Clear! Bring Déjà!’ he sent, and the door opened, and Déjà rushed
in and clung to him while her eyes glittered at the sight of all the blood.

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“Not now, Déjà! Downstairs! Kiss the old man! Take away his pain, but
leave him awake!” he ordered, then followed her down the stairs to watch
as she bent down and laved the Drecks’s lips, before pushing her tongue
into his mouth a few times.
Gorlox quickly began to relax, so Rondal pulled her away and reached
inside him to pick pieces out of his mind – finding he’d dumped the data
tab in some sewer somewhere just before he’d been captured, but he’d
been the one to program the contents into it!
‘Endo, Gallus! Go downstairs and recover the bloody old man. He’s
coming with us!’
He reached out and felt around. The human female was still strapped
to the serving platter and was pretty much traumatized. Two more female
Drecks were injured in the dining room; with parts of their bodies eaten
alive. Another decision point.
‘Sai – Status!’
‘Three hostiles … one hostile … skies free’
‘Maintain cover!’
“Déjà, upstairs!” he ordered, but they had to wait for Gallus and Endo
to get down the stairs first. Then he ran up the stairs with Déjà and went
the dining room.
He heard whimpering and moans as he took stock of the room. The
emergency lighting had come on, but the customers were in various pieces
all over the floor – the boys having made quick work of the situation. He
brought Déjà over to two tables and had her kiss the occupants to sleep.
Then he told her she could have a snack of anything still juicy on the floor
if she wanted.
While Déjà dropped and became occupied, he went to each woman –
common food girls he recognized from their stature – and scabbed over
their wounds. Their faces appeared to be intact, and once he was done,
they’d all live. They wouldn’t be pretty for a while, but at least they’d live
long enough to have legs, thighs, arms, and breasts reconstructed. It was
gonna hurt like a bitch, though. He got them unstrapped, but couldn’t lift
them by himself. Drecks typically eschewed wheeled serving carts, so he
called out to the boys again.
‘Boys – Status!’
‘Old man in shuttle and strapped down’
‘Dining room and kitchen! Two Drecks, one human! I’ll get the human!
And Déjà is feeding, so mind your feet!’

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‘Understood!’ Endo sent.

“Déjà! Come with me, or wait for the boys!” he ordered, but she promptly
stood up – her face and upper body covered with blood – and smiled at
him.
“I go with you!” she said happily, and took his hand.
He trotted back to the kitchen while shaking his head, only pausing
while the boys headed past them to recover the remaining two food girls,
before he entered the kitchen with Déjà. He started unstrapping the girl
from the platter, but she took one look at Déjà, started to freak, so he held
her head firmly and ordered Déjà to kiss her – to which she happily
complied. Once the girl was knocked out, he hefted her over his shoulder,
then waited while Endo and Gallus wandered back from the dining room
with the two extra unhappy meals, and headed to the shuttle. They all
cycled in and got the injured girls strapped into the forward seats, while
Rondal went back and checked Gorlox once again, before going forward
and dropping into the pilot’s seat. He brought up the shields, before
sending out a short passive scan that found nothing in the air around
them. Then he contacted Sai one more time.
‘Sai – we’re recovering to the Kraken! Targets of opportunity only. Nothing
larger than number threes!’
‘About fucking TIME! Did you get the data tab?’
‘Almost’
‘ALMOST?’
‘And there’ll be guests for supper. And we might need some calcium
tablets’
‘Ai-YAH!’

February 12, The Kraken, Micro-Jumping to Eke

They were about four days out of the Hove cluster and nearly two
minutes closer to Eke, before Sai and Rondal finally had everyone
stabilized to the point where he could either transport them back to the
Commonwealth, or simply drag them along with them wherever they were
headed, but neither he nor Sai wanted them along. He wanted the injured
Drecks, and the slightly insane human girl, in the hands of regular
Healers, while Sai wanted her boys to stop making eyes at the other five
food girls – as they were currently doing this morning at breakfast.
“You know … one day you’ll have to let them go and get on with their
lives,” Rondal murmured, while watching the girls flirt with the curiously
young, well-mannered, and shorthaired Drecks warriors.

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Neither he nor Sai had ordered hands off, but he could tell she was
seeing the writing on the wall, and it bothered her. For Endo and Gallus,
it was several orders of magnitude more exciting than what they’d
previously expected about Drecks femininity. Not having been around
“real” girls for any length of time, they were somewhat at loose ends, while
trying not to fumble their words and behavior. It didn’t seem to matter,
though, as these young food girls seemed to find the boys captivating just
the same. It would appear that Sai had taught them well. The girls seemed
to think so, anyway.
“Valentine’s Day,” he muttered, causing Sai to look at him quizzically,
before he explained.
“It’s a romantic holiday back on Earth. Occurs every year on February
fourteenth, which is … one? … Two days from now,” he said, remembering
the system calendar date from when he’d checked earlier this morning...
He saw her frustration at yet another eccentricity of his. The timers on
the Kraken, the Kraken’s Child, and the shuttle were all keyed to Earth
time. Specifically, they were set to Mountain Standard Time, or MST. As
was the time, so were the months and years. There was a simple reason
for it, but Sai had never bought into it. At least Arizona didn’t celebrate
Daylight Savings Time, which, he was pretty sure, would have infuriated
her…
“Boys and girls exchange candy and flowers, while making protestations
of their undying love for each other … at least until the end of the day,” he
murmured as they continued to watch the tentative interaction between
the boys and the girls.
One thing for sure, these weren’t food girls any longer. As an agent of
the Demon, “Tank” had already declared them guests of the Demon’s
Realm, and told them that, as soon as it was convenient, they would be
transported back to it. Once there, they would live in safety with other
relocated Drecks, but at the moment, it looked like they were thinking of
staying right here.
Not all of them had gotten over seeing little Déjà wandering freely
around the ship, though, not once they’d learned what she really was. That
news had traveled fast, when one of the girls was helping with the two
injured ones, and Déjà had been called in to kiss them to relieve them of
their pain. The question was asked, and answered honestly; so many of
them were now terrified of being eaten in their sleep. He’d thought of
“inoculating” them against Déjà, but for the length of time they’d be on
board, it wasn’t going to be a problem.

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He could have also dipped into his supply of ambrosia, but Déjà was
more convenient. Besides, Sai would probably get pissed at him for holding
out on her.

Some Secrets Revealed…

It was shortly after the midday meal, when Sai caught him coming out
of the compartment where Gorlox had been stashed, and watched him
walking down the corridor … smiling.
She’d gotten little from him, other than they were headed to Eke to
“check something out.” Whatever it was, it was related to the information
Gorlox had finally revealed to him, but she was no closer to understanding
how he’d gotten the elderly Drecks to spy for him, let alone spy on his own
people. He’d never explained how Gorlox became his “inside man” in this
particular corner of the Hegemony, and she wondered, once again, what
spell he seemed to put over everyone he came into contact with – the one’s
he didn’t kill, that is. She wanted to ask him outright, but didn’t want to
hear any flippant answers that would just irritate her. Instead, she caught
up with him and pulled him aside to ask a more urgent question.
“What are you going to do with our passengers?” she asked quietly,
while standing with him in the corridor, and he took a moment while
working it out in his head.
“Well, we’re about forty-minutes – straight-line – to one of the receiving
stations. That’s two and a half months on standard micro-jumps.”
“And if you bent around things–”
“Could take upwards of a half a year. If you produced enough milk, I
could probably jump them all the way from here and be back in a day. If
you need any help–”
“Déjà works quite hard for what little she gets,” she said tersely.
“Just sayin’. Every little bit would help,” he muttered, and she gave him
a disgusted look before changing the subject. “Has your man provided the
information you wanted?” she asked, but instead of brushing her off, he
lightly took her by the arm, and directed her down the corridor.
They eventually ended up in the compartment used for planning
missions, where he got her seated before closing the door behind them and
taking a seat across from her. He dimmed the room lighting, then pulled
up an orbital chart of Kee on the wall display. He zoomed in to the planet’s
surface, before turning to Sai with a tight smile on his face.
“Approximately three and a quarter years ago, we wandered by this little
planet and found two Drecks outposts – what we thought were outposts,”

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he said, then zoomed in further to display the relative locations of each

enclosure, before going on.
“The one on the left had sixty heat signatures in it. The one on the right,
only twenty. We decided to drop down and take a look at the one on the
right,” he said, then switched to the last image taken of the old Calos prison
enclosure. “The Master Pack has a funny way of dealing with citizens that
piss them off. You’d expect them to be executed or eaten – or both – but
apparently, if the Pack Master is really pissed at you, dropping you into
paradise is just as satisfactory.”
Sai was staring at all the Kee bodies lying about the enclosure, while
the image slowly rotated.
“This is where the survivors of Pack Calos were recovered from.”
He switched the still image out for the video of the forward camera
approaching and hitting the wall several times, before backing off. Then he
switched it to an overhead view from a hundred meters up, showing several
Drecks desperately stuffing stone blocks back into the wall, before the
outer wall was suddenly inundated with Kee males popping out of trap
doors and attacking the weak spot in the wall; the sounds of their frenzied
chittering echoing through the room.

In the Corridor…
Déjà had been given free reign to stop by periodically and visit with
Gorlox so she could ease his pain if she heard him moaning. Mommy had
checked up on her a few times just to make sure she was being a “good
girl” and not snacking on him, but she’d already promised Mommy she
would be a “good girl” and Sai had found them chatting amicably one time
when she wasn’t making Gorlox forget his troubles.
Déjà had just left Gorlox a happy and well-contented Drecks again!
Mommy would be so proud of her! She’d discovered something happy about
the size and shape of an adult Drecks’s penis, and she’d enjoyed it
immensely!
As she wandered down the corridor, she was wondering if Endo or
Gallus would ever pay any attention to her again, instead of those darn
Drecks girls, but then thought she heard a vaguely familiar sound, so she
eagerly tracked it down!

In the Planning Room…

Sai was appalled at the video, but Rondal was surprised at her reaction.
Apparently, Lili hadn’t shared it with her, as both he and Petrus had
wanted her to.

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They watched as Lord Calos was finally cornered and eaten to death,
after leading the Kee away from the other two Drecks who’d been helping
him at the wall. He was surprised to see one of the Drecks at the wall had
been Gorlox.
“We couldn’t see a reason for the wall, so we decided to poke a hole in
it and see what happened. As you can see, the enclosure was a very secure
space,” he said over the chittering din, as the attack intensified when it
focused on the buildings.
They could see the Kee breaking into the kitchen, and pieces of Drecks
being yanked from that location, while the rest of the Kee directed their
single-minded efforts on the remaining two buildings holding live food for
them. Neither he nor Sai saw Déjà slipping into the room and slowly
walking up to the screen. It wasn’t until she started keening that they
finally noticed her.
At first, he thought the video had triggered a feeding frenzy in her, until
she started shrieking in fear instead of chittering madly like the attacking
Kee. She cowered on the floor, and he paused the playback; stopping the
chittering.
Déjà continued to whimper as Sai rushed over and crouched down next
to her. Then she pulled her into her arms and began rocking her like a
loving mother. He watched intently when Déjà turned and wrapped her
arms tightly around Sai’s neck, but instead of attacking, she clung to her
adopted Mother and cried loudly, while Sai tried to calm her down.
Sai finally got up, lifting Déjà in her arms and taking her out of the
planning room. He sat there for quite a while, now wondering about the
implications of this latest little fiasco, until Sai came back and sat down
again.
She turned a somber face towards him, but glanced up at the image
paused on the monitor.
“I left her with Endo and Gallus. They’re playing with her together, to …
to make sure she’s properly distracted,” she said quietly, then looked down
at her lap.
“Has she ever had a reaction like this … to anything else, I mean?” he
asked softly, and she turned to look at him.
“I got hurt real bad once and they say she made the same sound until I
could wake up enough to talk to her. Endo was “misplaced” on a mission
one time, and she was really worried about him. She did that crying thing
for a couple of days until he made it back. It took a while, but she finally
forgot all about it – both situations.”

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Rondal caught that comment. Déjà had mostly forgotten where she
came from and such, but forgetting all about the misadventures of Sai and
Endo?
“When you say she forgot all about it…”
“Gone – completely – no memory of it at all. I looked into it. I tested her,
I mean. She seems able to recall things solidly for up to about thirty days.
After that, it just fades away. It’s also related to the duration of the event.
She’s gotten better since the Healer training I’ve been giving her, but once
in a while she’ll struggle with a word or two she hasn’t had to use for a
long time.”
“That happens to a lot of people, Sai.”
“Yes… And some animals have very short-term memories – just running
on instinct for the most part, even if they find themselves in a deadly
situation. They’ll just continue to engage in it, even if it means their death.”
He nodded absently; now thinking of horses that would run back into a
burning barn because that’s where they felt safe.
“Sai … didn’t Lili ever show you these videos?” he asked, then watched
as she glanced back at the display for just a moment.
“Not … not this. I saw pictures, not videos,” she said quietly, and he
guessed Lili had sent still images just to make sure she didn’t catch a
glimpse of Petrus or hear his voice.
He was also picking up something else from her, but she seemed
reluctant to bring it up, so he let it go for now and continued his narration.
“Well, as you can see, the native Kee are very voracious,” he said while
glancing at the frozen display. “We recovered the remains of Pack Calos
and relocated them to my colony planet. They’ve been getting reeducation
away from the rigid pack structure, and learning to coexist with human-
standards.”
“And how’s that working out for them?” she asked after finally sitting
back and folding her arms.
“Their orientation began the moment we docked. Dorcas and Nathan
greeted them with their daughter, Rose. Rose was about a year old, I think.
They listened when Dorcas explained their situation, and what was
expected of them. Dorcas pointed out that, if she could be friends with,
bond with, and have a child with a human-standard, then their own
integration into the rest of the mixed-colony should be no problem.” He let
that sink in for a moment before going on.

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“The other enclosure we ignored. Pack Calos had been cut off from
supplies, and were down to starvation mode. With just the two of us, we
didn’t figure we could handle sixty more Drecks, so we left them alone and
brought out Pack Calos – after making a little side stop at Kale.”
“Kale – the place where they made that–”
“Yes, that would be the place. We left a little surprise package near their
engineer’s quarters, along with a bigger package in one of their nature
reserves. Some pregnant females of…” he stopped and pointed to the
screen.
“And your spies sent you confirmation of what was going on at Kale –
right from the court of the Master Pack, so you didn’t have to go back and
look for yourself? How did you convince a Drecks to spy on his Pack
Master?”
Her look was less astonished and more curious now, so he rewarded it
with a quiet chuckle.
“I didn’t. Lili caught me a couple of spies, had them reduced to ashes,
and handed them over with their identification intact. Whenever I need to
know something, I pull a package off the shelf and mail it off to the Master
Pack. The transmitter I place in the package sends back an audio stream
of whatever’s said.”
“That – that actually works?” she asked incredulously.
“Well, it worked with Avenger III, and we just got confirmation it’s still
working with the new information we got about Kale and their Kee
infestation,” he said, then shrugged. “As a bonus, this time we learned how
long it takes to reach sexual maturity in the Kee – two weeks, or so…” he
paused, while considering something else he’d wondered about for a couple
of years, now. “You know … with that fast a reproductive cycle, I’d be
curious to know the average life cycle of a Kee – birth to death. You’ve had
Déjà since … what? The Fringe at least?”
“Yes. We picked her up a few years after I got the boys. She … she’s
lived a long time – for a Kee,” she admitted, but seemed embarrassed about
it for some reason.
“Yes, I think she has,” he agreed. “Although, in captivity, with plenty of
food and plenty of proper contentment, I would imagine almost anyone
would live a long time. Eat, sleep, and play,” he mused for a moment, before
getting back on track. “Anyway, after we dropped off Pack Calos, we
wandered back to see about the other enclosure, but found this,” he said,
and pulled up a still image of scattered Drecks and Kee bodies. In this
installation, the outer wall was still intact.

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“We found heat signatures for about twelve survivors, so we landed and
went out on foot,” he said, then started the playback of Four’s collar
recorder so she wouldn’t see his face.
The audio was metallic, but even in the subdued lighting of the room;
he could see her expression change when she heard his distorted voice. He
muted the audio so he could comment, while they continued watching the
playback as he and Four walked around the enclosure and examined the
bodies.
“I’ve watched this over and over because something was bothering me.
There were slashes on the Kee, but also on some of the Drecks.
Commonwealth warriors would explain it by suggesting Grace had been
granted, but I had my suspicions. For one thing, these Drecks are
uniformed. Pack Calos was not, and there was nothing to suggest these
prisoners would be allowed Pack uniforms or symbols, let alone weapons.”
He watched her while silently dancing across her surface thoughts. The
anger … the rage coming from her was unbelievable, and all focused on
Four. He let the video play out where they entered the occupied building
and worked their way over to the partition door. Once it opened, he
returned to his running commentary – which was very short.
“Once we opened the door, they came pouring out like an angry swarm
of stingers. They were coming out of a hole in the floor. We couldn’t
disengage, but finally worked our way back to the outer door,” he said
blandly, while vividly remembering the event.
He watched her when Four’s legs slipped out from underneath him and
his collar camera turned sideways; going to black when the door shut and
he was swarmed by the Kee, before shutting off the video.
“My crewman – Four. Slipped on blood, and kicked the door shut on the
way down. By the time I cut my way back in, they’d gotten his collar down,
eaten his face, and chewed up most of him,” he said somberly while reading
the mixed set of emotions spraying out of her like a broken fire hose. “I
recovered what was left of his body and returned it to his family.”
Now she was becoming distraught. He’d easily caught her anger and
rage, but the sudden sense of loss surprised him.
“He was a good man. Served with me ever since I got out of the academy.
Seems like we ended up together everywhere I went. He was a survivor of
the platform, and went mercenary after I was cashiered. Contracted with
me at the Fringe, and off and on since then. In fact, he was with me when
I picked up Maya at the Diplomatic Outpost. Absolutely reliable.”

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He felt a sense of anguish coming from Sai, but couldn’t understand

why. According to Four, the Bitch Witch had wanted nothing more than to
take his head.
“I still miss him,” he added quietly, while feeing the intensely mixed
emotions radiating from her. “Anyway, I’ve watched this a lot over the last
few years, and something has always bothered me … until I got a report
back from one of my ‘special’ spies that the Master Pack had misplaced a
ship that was on a routine supply mission to Kee at about the right time.
It suddenly occurred to me that this particular disgraced Pack Lord was at
least as sneaky a bastard as I am. Then I went back about a year ago and
took a closer look at the enclosure. What I found were improvised tools,
and evidence the floor had been broken into from above.” She sat in silence
until she caught up with, then processed that last statement – which made
no sense.
“What?”
“I said they dug a hole in the floor, and let the Kee in deliberately. I
figure either they needed a supply of fresh meat, or they planned something
special for the next delivery. The information Gorlox provided indicates the
Master Pack’s missing ship ended up somewhere in the nether regions of
the Hegemony – somewhere out by Eke. It would appear Lord Gagsa made
good his escape.”
He was willing to go over his plans with her, but felt she was too
distracted over learning about Four. Even thoughts of the Drecks, who’d
ordered the deaths of her daughter and granddaughters, still being out
there somewhere didn’t drag her away from her focus on Four, and he was
unable to break through those feelings to find out why. He called time on
the meeting, and she headed to her quarters to rest, while he went back to
his, only stopping by to see to Déjà and the boys, because – well, you never
know. Finding them happily engaged in an interesting configuration, he
continued to his quarters, and sat down in the latest edition to his small
suite – a rocking lounger – and pondered the situation he now faced with
the morose Sai, before making a decision.
It was time to call the expert.
‘Lili – a moment, if I may’ he sent.
‘My dear boy! Petrus has been asking about you! I believe he is still
concerned that you’re in danger from Sai and her brood’
‘Maybe after our last landing, perhaps. I note you didn’t share the Kee
archives with her as we’d both discussed’ he pointed out, quickly shifting
the subject.
‘Why, I did so, Rondal! I sent her images, and a short description of your
final report. Does she say otherwise?’

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‘She never saw the recordings. She also seems to have some lingering
ambivalence over her feelings towards Petrus’
‘Rondal! You didn’t–’
‘No, she didn’t see his image. But I did show her the recording where he’d
fallen victim to the Kee, and she was most upset – almost grief-stricken.
She’d already sent out intense feelings of rage and anger when she thought
she’d recognized his voice, but was quite devastated when he fell. That’s
where I stopped the recording. I told her he’d lost his face and much of his
body, and that his remains had been returned to his family. She was very
upset. Do you think, perhaps, there is something I should be made aware
of?’
‘Rondal, I simply cannot imagine what I could possibly tell you that would
explain her emotional turmoil. Uncle Petrus is playing with the children, and
keeping Maya company for the moment. I believe he begins to chafe in
captivity, and will soon be leaving us, though’ she sent airily.
‘You might pass on that Sai now thinks he is dead should he wish to
make any changes to his voice and features’ he sent with a silent chuckle.
‘How is Maya?’ he suddenly asked. ‘Is she accepting contentment once
again? If his boasting is to be believed, Petrus is very talented in that regard’
‘Petrus contents himself with me and the rest of the Wives – and
occasionally the household staff. I believe it’s out of his love and respect for
you that he does not see to Maya – something about not spoiling her for you,
I believe he said’ she teased him, then went on. ‘We see to Maya’s
contentment regularly as part of her contracted service to the Emperor and
me. The other Wives also find the time to help when needed. She misses you,
Rondal. I believe her love for you is true’ she said hopefully, which is
something that surprised him, coming from Lili.
‘As is my love for her, my Lady. But now is not the time. My garden needs
weeding and planting – and just a little bit of fertilizer. I believe I’ve found
what I’ve been looking for, but I need to drop off a few new acquisitions
before proceeding. How soon can you have a transport moved into position?’
‘You don’t need the transfer station, Rondal? You have so few guests this
time?’ she asked curiously.
‘Just a few, Lili. Some food girls who happened to be in our area of
operation this time. Out of eight, three will need assistance. Two for
reconstruction and therapy, and one human-standard for therapy alone’
‘We can arrange transport within a day. I will be waiting for your detailed
contact report, Rondal. Advise me when you have a time of arrival’ she
ordered.

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‘Thank you, my Lady. My love to you and the family’

‘And our love to you and your family … even to Sai’ she sent back
teasingly, before dropping out of the conversation.
“She wouldn’t know what to say?” he muttered to himself. “More likely,
she couldn’t come up with a convincing fiction to fit the situation – which
means she knows much more than she’s letting on, and it probably
boarders on personal information she wishes to keep personal.”
He started thinking back to when he’d found out his near-constant
companion and mercenary contractor for the last two hundred years was
Lili’s little brother, but shelved that for the time being, and considered his
options with their passengers. The Fringe was a long ways away, and they
had no milk, not nearly enough from Sai anyway, and he didn’t want to
waste all that ambrosia on them. If he jumped them all the way to the pick-
up ship, they’d be close to death by the experience from nausea alone.
Even if they did it in four or five jumps, it would be bad on the girls, and
worse on the injured. That left Déjà – but how many of the girls could she
knock out before running out of saliva? Well, there was one other option…
He reached out to feel for Sai, but she was still in turmoil, so he reached
out to Endo and Gallus – finding they were both exhausted, but finally
done with Déjà for a while. He’d give them a few more minutes to catch
their breath, before having them help set up a little experiment for him.

In Sai’s Compartment…
Sai tossed and turned on her sleeping platform, while her mind ran wild
over this shock to her senses.
Petrus! Petrus was found, but he was dead!
All this time, he’d been serving with the Madman!
She’d suspected as much, but now Rondal had confirmed it – and he
was dead!
It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair! His head was hers to take, not some
brainless animal on some untamed Hegemony hinterland!
She’d been looking for him for over two-hundred, forty years, Standard,
and now that she finally got a solid trace to him, he’d already been killed!
And because of her daughter’s ex-lover!
She got up and went to the facilities to rinse her face and drink a little
water; afterwards looking in the mirror and rinsing her face once again.
Then she went back and paced the room, before throwing herself face down
on the sleeping platform and pounding its surface in frustration. After
venting mindlessly for several minutes, she finally rolled over and stared

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red-eyed at the tall ceiling, tears forming at the corners of her eyes again
before rolling down past her ears.
“You cheated me, you bastard! I promised you a quick death, but you
CHEATED ME!” she cried out, then closed her eyes while raising one arm
up and laying it across her face. “You were a BASTARD, Petrus Aloysius
Zickgraf! And I hope those Kee CHOKED ON YOU!” she said hotly, while
wiping tears from the sides of her face as her body spasmed in silent sobs.
“Oh, Petrus … I would have killed you so quickly,” she whispered softly,
before falling into a nightmare of dreams.

Live Experiments…
Rondal had scheduled the test for just before supper – thinking that
having it immediately afterwards would simply be too cruel, and a waste
of perfectly good ships poop.
“All right, girls. I want you to just relax while Endo and Gallus help get
you ready to try our little experiment – all right?” he said in Drecks, while
looking around and getting a lot of nervous nods…
It was late afternoon, ship time, and they were in the exercise room –
which doubled as a transport space for things that might be bloody, wet,
or otherwise need washing at the end of a transport. The five ambulatory
girls had brought in several large pads from the Drecks-sized beds, then
spread them out on the floor, before laying down on them as he’d directed.
Endo and Gallus walked around to each of them, reassuring them things
would be all right – not that they’d had any personal experience with this
particular situation. Rondal had, and tried to minimize their worry...
“Now this shouldn’t hurt you at all, but you’ll probably wake up with a
little headache, and someone will be right here with you when you wake
up, so I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“*Endo … Gallus, collars up,*” he said in Standard, then energized his
own collar as well.
He shut down and closed the compartment vents, before carrying the
gas shell over to the center of the room, then looked around carefully before
setting it down and making sure it wouldn’t move around on its own. Once
in position, he took one more look around, called out ‘ship handling’, and
triggered the release of gas.
Just as expected, general panic occurred, but the gas acted fast enough
so that only one girl had to be restrained before succumbing to the effects
of it – her frightened shriek fading out within seconds. The boys walked
around making sure they were all breathing steadily, while moving those
who’d shifted in panic, back to a comfortable position while they slept off

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the effects of the gas. Rondal let it go for ten minutes before flushing the
air from the compartment. When the readings went down to normal, he
turned off his collar and took a few cautious sniffs before relaxing, but they
all stayed focused, and even continued to speak only in Drecks for the
practice they’d need if their target was where Gorlox suggested.
“All right, I want at least one of you in the room at all times and checking
to see that they’re breathing all right. If you see any of them have a bad
reaction to the gas, then call me or your mother quickly so we can deal
with it … and refrain from taking advantage of the ladies, if you please.
Likewise, see that Déjà doesn’t come in and think its snack time again.”
“Déjà’s much better, Lord… Tank,” Endo said.
“She got over her upset pretty quickly this time,” Gallus agreed.
“She forgot all about it?”
“Another day or two, and it will be nothing but a poor memory,” Endo
said. “By the end of the week, she won’t know what you’re talking about,”
he declared with the voice of experience.
“Very well. I leave everything in both of your capable hands. First girl
who wakes up, note the time from now, and I’ll base my transit pattern on
that,” he said, then left the chamber.

February 13, The Kraken, A Mercy Flight

An hour and forty-five minutes – that was the least amount of time he
had to work with, which should be plenty of time to get them into the hands
of Healers who could either give them some milk, or bring them some
painkillers.
The first girl had woken up moaning, and it sounded somewhat similar
to the female Kee he’d left on Kale, but he’d never really paid attention to
how the Kee had woken up.
From what had gone on yesterday, all of them would have a bad
headache, and there wasn’t nearly enough of Sai’s milk for even one of
them. As a suitable stand-in, once they’d started waking up, he’d had Déjà
come in and kiss them thoroughly. This had left them simply achy for a
while afterwards, but got them over the initial rough patch.
From that baseline, he’d run his jump calculations, and figured four
jumps should do it. Once he’d picked up a load of Healer’s Milk, he could
be back in as little as three or four hours to meet up with the ship in transit
and continue with them to Eke.
Once again, Endo and Gallus helped get the girls settled, but this time
within the Kraken’s Child. The injured Drecks girls were webbed
uncomfortably into two of the too-small bunks, with the human girl stuffed

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onto the top bunk. The much taller Gorlox was stretched out on a pad in
the rear – cargo-webbed in place.
The five ambulatory girls were belted in uncomfortably up forward with
Rondal, and Déjà was temporarily on hand to deliver her special tongue
bath to ease their anxieties one last time. When everyone was in place, he
made one more visit to the toilet to make sure that he was good and empty,
because while this promised to be a most uncomfortable flight for everyone,
the pilot would have to stay awake for all of it. Once he washed, he went
out with Déjà and gave Sai her final instructions.
“Sai, you have the ship. Don’t break it! Continue on this course and I’ll
meet up with you in about five or six hours. You know how to abort the
navigation program, and how to jettison our weapon loads if things get
bumpy, and trust me – you don’t want things to get bumpy with that stuff
onboard.”
“I think I can handle this, Tank. I’ve done this longer than you,” she
reminded him with a smirk.”
“Yes, but I’ve still got six-hundred more payments to make. If you get
spotted, then abort and divert. If you can’t shake them, try a longer jump
at a tangent, and leave the shell behind – everyone has to stay within the
Kraken! Do a long jump, then run an evasion pattern, but stay out of any
voids. We’re carrying hot-loads of a very special nature. Above all, if there
is any contact at all, then contact me or Lili immediately!”
“Lili? Not the Elder?”
“Lili has experience the Elder does not. Besides, she’s my contact with
the Emperor, and he might be able to provide extra resources on short
notice. I’ll be back in a while,” he said, then entered the Kraken’s Child,
before closing the airlock behind him.
He went up forward and settled in. System tests still said normal, and
he’d already laid in his navigation points.
‘Sai, go ahead, and pause the next jump’ he sent, then waited for the
Kraken to come to a stop.
‘Ship handling’ he called out, and opened the dock door and exterior
shell, then raised his ship and pulled up his landing struts, while drifting
slowly rearward.
He enabled the optical and radiation stealth systems, before exiting the
air space of the dock and oozing through the soft shield and short void,
before exiting the shell proper – closing things up behind him at each step.

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‘On your way, Sai. See you when I get back’ he sent, then waited until
the ship disappeared in front of him, before turning and pointing to the
first jump node.
He shut down the internal air handlers before he got up, went back to
the suit locker, pulled out a yellow canister, then proceeded to visit the
girls in the bunks.
“All right, girls. In a few minutes, I’ll get you to sleep. When you wake
up, you’ll be transferred to a transport ship headed to a new colony world,
where you’ll be safe,” he told them while checking each one and seeing that
they were webbed in properly, if not comfortably.
Then he went to the rear compartment, where they’d set up a thick pad
and gotten Gorlox webbed down. He was still awake and aware of him
coming into the space, but cleared his throat with difficulty when Rondal
squatted beside him as he was checking his webbing.
“Tank … sorry I messed things up for you.”
“You did just fine, and I will report such to Mistress Calos. Your quick
thinking saved the information I needed, and we rescued all those lovely
ladies in the process. Now, you just lay back and enjoy your nap!” he teased
him.
“Please, Tank, tell … tell the Demon I didn’t fail my duty! I kept them
from finding the data tab! I–”
“The Demon already knows, Gorlox. I send detailed reports on
everything we do, and he’s quite pleased with the outcome. Who knows,
maybe once those girls are named, one of them might wish to serve you?”
he suggested, and Gorlox gave out a laugh that quickly ran down to a
painful cough.
He laid his hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed through him to
break that reflex long enough to let him relax again.
“Did you tell the witch about–”
“No. I didn’t want to upset her digestion. Besides, she’ll have enough to
deal with just trying to fly in a straight line,” he said quietly, then dulled
Gorlox’s reflex again so he could laugh without pain this time.
“Thank you for your service, my old friend,” he said, then stood up.
He went to the passageway door and powered up his collar. When his
suit was tight, he opened the valve on the small canister he was holding
and let the gas seep into the after compartment; watching as Gorlox slowly
closed his eyes, and then giving it another minute, before going forward to
the single bunk room, saying, “Goodnight, ladies,” while he stood there
with the canister still spraying out its load of sleepy gas.

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He locked open both compartment doors so the gas would seep

throughout the ship, then fastened the canister into place behind the last
row of seats in the forward cabin, before making one last check of his
navigation settings.
‘Lili – I should be in the area in an hour and a half. We’ll need Healer’s
Milk or painkillers. And something to go’
‘I will inform the transport, Rondal’ she sent, and he triggered the first
jump.
Twenty minutes later, he was already of the opinion that this trip was
going to suck.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty was in a quandary, and requested the assistance of
two supervisors, and three more Fates to advise him on the technicality of
the situation he’d found himself in. For all practical purposes, Lord Caldar
had not made any wishes, nor did he casually mention anything clearly
indicating an opportunity for an interesting event in his life.
However, he did have a “gut” feeling that, if they traced Lord Caldar’s
history back to his planet of origin, they could logically conclude that, on
this particular day, and on another one nearly six months in the future –
measured in Earth months, as Lord Caldar was part Earthling – there was
a reasonable assumption that it was open season on Lord Caldar, and the
sky was the limit.
Both supervisors, of course, didn’t agree immediately, but they had to
admit the tantalizing possibilities. The last Fate called to consult, the
Fainting Fate, was adamantly against it, but she could only convince one
of the other Fates that it would be better to let this opportunity go. With the
score tied it would have been a wash, but since it was four to two in favor,
the decision carried, and the Fate on Duty went to his charts of causality
and found something diabolically amusing that he then set into motion.
The Fainting Fate, immediately upon learning of his selection, rushed
to the job boards to find out if there were any openings on someone else’s
project that would, no doubt, be much safer. She wondered if Lord Glau’s
team had any openings.

The Kraken’s Child, In Transit

He’d turned on the air handlers at the first jump target and let the
system flush for a while, before climbing out of his seat and checking on
his sleeping passengers. Seeing that they seemed all right, he staggered
back, triggered the second jump to the next target, and followed the same
routine.

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At the third jump’s terminus, he felt more than miserable, and could
barely think straight. Instead of trying to leave his seat, he just pushed on
ahead to stop at the fourth jump’s terminus. Once there, he reached out
dizzily and made faint contact with one of the transport’s Seniors; holding
a weak connection with her as she guided the transport towards the
Kraken’s Child before he nearly collapsed on them.
An hour and thirty-seven gastronomically debilitating minutes from his
start point, the transport met up with him, but he was no longer able to
think properly. Since he definitely wasn’t up to the task himself, he let
them snag him with their shields, and rode out the otherwise embarrassing
recovery with nauseous detachment. Once down and docked, he gave up
trying to drag his somewhat pasty dusky face all the way back to the
combat hatch, and opened it remotely, instead; allowing the transport’s
crew to enter, while watching shakily from his position at the console
monitor. He finally managed to struggle to his feet, but the last thing he
remembered before hitting the deck was a transport crew member carrying
the human girl from the bunkroom.

The Kraken, In Transit

Sai was on the bridge, where she was watching the progress of their
transitions and running some backup calculations in Rondal’s custom
navigation system. It was either the same, or very similar to the one in the
Odontoceti she’d been in once before, except this one had several custom
waypoints keyed into it for various locations around the Hegemony – lots
of custom waypoints. It looked like Rondal had been a very busy boy since
the Emperor had turned him loose on the Drecks.
‘Sai, Rondal is temporarily indisposed for a while. His return will be
delayed for several hours. Please maintain vigilance’ Lili sent.
Momentarily startled at this news, she snapped out a quick question.
‘Is he all right? Did he have an accident?’
‘No, Sai. Nothing like that. Certainly nothing that a supply of Healer’s
Milk could not have remedied, had any been available to take with him’ she
chided her in frustration.
‘I understand. Perhaps he should include a Healer in his crew next time’
Sai suggested.
‘Why, Sai. I was given to understand that he HAD’ Lili teased her, before
dropping the conversation.
‘She said that just to piss me off!’ Sai thought furiously, and smacked
her fist down on the console.

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‘Who said what, Mother?’ Endo asked silently, while looking down at her
curiously.

Fringe Space, The Demon’s Transfer Ship

Rondal woke up feeling much better.
He stretched and sighed comfortably in the darkened room, before
rolling over and bumping into something soft and warm. A hand reached
out and drew him down to a warm, dripping nipple, and he automatically
latched on and began to suckle the sweet nectar … before pulling back
abruptly and sitting upright.
He rolled out of bed stark naked, and bumped into a wall in the dark,
then froze in place when the lights came on, and the young nursing Healer
sat up in bed and patted the pillow beside her.
“Who – where…”
“Healer Huan Jiao Jie se Tyler ne Cletus, my Lord Caldar. If you will
please return to bed, I will see to your needs, before you return to your
ship.”
“My – my ship! Where’s my ship?” he asked in a panic while looking
around for his clothes.
“It is still in the hanger, my Lord. Lady Lili was very emphatic that your
needs were met, and she sent me to ensure your quick recovery,” she
explained sweetly.
“Milk! I need Healer’s Milk … to go! Go quickly, and see if any can be
pumped and packaged!” he said loudly, but the young Healer demurely
gathered herself while watching his confused panic.
“My clothes! Where are my clothes?”
“In the closet, my Lord,” she said softly, while pointing to the wall behind
him.
She smiled in amusement when he jerked open the door and struggled
to get himself dressed.
“We have prepared Healer’s milk, as Lady Lili had ordered, my Lord. It
has been delivered to your ship and placed into the forward food storage
area. Nearly twelve measures, my Lord,” she said while continuing to watch
his frenzied actions.
“My passengers–”

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“Already on the way to a full recovery, my Lord. They were all recovered,
and the Drecks male, Gorlox, sends his kind regards for your health, my
Lord,” she informed him.
He slipped on his footwear and checked the ships timer in the room …
then blanched.
“That timer – is that local or universal?” he asked while pointing to the
wall opposite the bed.
“Universal, my Lord,” she said, and he gave her a look.
She quickly got out of bed, and put on her robes and footwear.
“This way, my Lord!” she said, then quickly led him through a maze of
corridors back to the docking bay.
“DOCK OFFICER! – DOCK OFFICER!”
“Here, my Lord. I’m–”
“Refuel my ship! I need to leave most immediate!”
“Already done, my Lord,” he said, and pointed to its current location.
“About six hours ago,” he added, after checking his data pad, and Rondal
rocked back on his heals before catching himself.
“I’m leaving – NOW!” he said, then silently called out ‘ship handling’,
before remotely accessing the console of the Kraken’s Child to warm up his
systems for departure.
He scrambled through the combat hatch of his ship, and it began
closing behind him before he stepped foot off it. He glanced at the deck for
debris, checked the middle bunkroom and found it’d been tidied up as well,
then went forward to start the launch sequence, but stopped first and
checked the fridge. He pulled out two containers, sampled their contents,
nodded, then put them back in the fridge and secured them in place, then
continued forward and started the launch sequence.
The harried dock officer had quickly gotten clearance, and the shield
began softening, but not before Rondal had already made it halfway
through it and disappeared from view. No one on the Commonwealth
escorts had noted his leaving, and one of them even called to ask when
this “emergency departure” was finally going to take place, but was told to
“Never mind.”
In the calm aftermath of that frenzied departure, the dock officer stood
next to the Healer and considered what he’d just seen. Then he noticed the
sad face on the pretty Healer standing next to him.
“My Lady, you appear to be unhappy. Is there something I may help you
with that may ease the burden on your heart?” he asked her politely.

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She considered that the promise of the Gift was lost to her now, and her
breasts were going to be full in another hour – uncomfortably so, since Lord
Caldar had drained them nearly six hours ago. She looked at the ships
timer near the docking bay control room and found that it was nearly the
change of watch.
“Perhaps you would care to share with me the pleasure of your company
after your watch is over?” she asked him, while looking into his eyes and
smiling sweetly.

The Kraken, In Transit

Sai wasn’t worried yet.
About two hours ago, they’d picked up a shadow some sixty-thousand
kilometers out, and immediately diverted, just as Rondal had ordered. A
scant hour later, the shadow had realigned with them, joined by a faint
second shadow detected along the same line.
She ran additional calculations, then jumped straight ahead for one
point eight seconds. In her opinion, it wasn’t likely that anyone would be
able to follow them with accuracy over such a relatively long jump. She
changed course and continued heading to Eke using one-tenth second
jumps at standard cruise.

The Kraken’s Child, In Transit

Rondal’s first jump was thirty minutes long, and he felt like shit when
he reached its terminus. He got up and gulped down a couple of measures
of Healer’s milk, before heading back to the console. It was a toss-up
whether the Healer’s milk would give him any relief before the system
recalculated his return path to where the Kraken should be if Sai had
stayed on course. Either way, he would trigger the next jump as soon as it
was calculated. He would be several hours late, but at least she’d had no
problems. If she had, she would have notified him or Lili. After all, that’s
what she’d been ordered to do.

The Kraken, In Transit on an Alternate Vector

Sai had enjoyed the fairly quiet passage for the next half hour, and was
about to swap off with Endo and Gallus, when she noted the shadow had
returned to their rear. She ran a new set of calculations and was about to
jump again, but stopped it.
They’d already caught up to her once, so it was likely they’d catch up
with her again. This time she would do a two-second jump at a steep angle
– maybe upwards toward Fex. She programmed it in, then jumped.

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The Kraken’s Child, Missing a Connection

Rondal arrived at the calculated meet point and extended out as far as
he could, but didn’t find the Kraken anywhere. He brought up his passive
systems, and felt around for the delicate traces peculiar to his ship, but
found no traces of them, either.
What he did find was very familiar, though.
“Aww, Crap!” he muttered, before reaching out to Sai.
‘Sai – where are you?’ he sent, and got back her immediate reply.
‘Still on the way to Eke, but I’ve changed course a little bit’
‘Would that have anything to do with the Drecks cruiser and two escorts
following you?’ he asked her, the disgust evident in his tone.
‘Drecks… Where are you?’
‘I’m back were YOU should have been if you’d stayed on course. Since
you’ve deviated, I’m assuming you knew you were being followed – yet you
declined to tell Lili or me about it! Tell me what you saw, and what you did!’
he demanded, and got a move-by-move account of her actions, along with
her exact position, course, and speed.
‘Okay. Now do a ninety-degree turn “up” and jump for eight-minutes
towards Kale’ he ordered her.
‘Kale? That’s out of the–’
‘You said you were a SHIP handler, Sai! Handle my damn SHIP!’ he sent,
and less than thirty seconds later, he felt her consciousness slip away in
an “upward” direction.
He jumped the Kraken’s Child to get ahead of her, then waited while the
only slightly slower Kraken, surrounded by its massive rock shelter, took
a tiny bit longer to get there.
By the time she reached his position, he had his passive sensors out
and carefully watched the readings when she passed by. Unfortunately, he
caught a huge return from the rear of the rock as it passed him.
‘Sai, there’s a hole in your ass! Check the board, and see if you’ve left a
door open or something!’
She was amused that the first thing he thought of was that she’d made
a mistake, and this was her fault. She checked the boards, but there were
no red or yellow lights anywhere.
‘Everything’s green here, Rondal!’
‘Bring up the void cameras! Look and see if a door is open!’ he demanded.

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‘Rondal – the board is GREEN!’

‘DO IT!’
Sai was getting pissed and considered blowing him off, but brought up
the cameras anyway and searched the void.
‘Rondal – the main door is open!’ she said in a panic.
‘Okay … okay. We can deal with this. Just close the door. Main door
control has a lock out. Three buttons – off to one side, so they can’t be
bumped when you’re–’
‘I see them, but … but one of them is broken!’
‘Hang on, Sai. Your shadows just passed me’ he said, then quickly ran
through his options.
‘Sai, rotate the rock in a one-hundred, eighty-degree horizontal to point
the back of it towards your track. Then disengage the ship and back out of
the rock. Bring up the optical and radiation blockers before you do so, all
right? And keep an eye on that door!’
‘Yes! Let me … let me just…’ she sent in distraction while calling Endo
and Gallus to the bridge, and starting a rotation of the ship.
She was just getting ready to back out when they arrived.
“Boys, buckle in! We’re pulling out!” she said quickly, then began the
undocking sequence, but they both shouted at the same time.
“Mother stop!”
“The door’s closing!”
‘Caldar, the door’s closing on us!’
‘Well, pull back in!’
“Mother, the door is opening up again!”
“Ai-yah!” she exclaimed, but re-docked the ship.
‘Caldar, we back out – it closes, we pull in – it opens!’
‘Standby!’ he said, while catching up to them again and reaching out
remotely. He did some quick programming on the Kraken’s navigation
console, before setting it in place.
‘Leave the bridge EXACTLY as it is! Abort in the Orca, and meet me at
these coordinates in two hours! If I’m not there, you’re relieved of service,
and you can go home! Stay fully cloaked and PASSIVE! And by the GODS,

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don’t move around until the SECOND hour is up!’ he sent, then relayed the
location where he would meet them – maybe.

The Kraken, Dead in Space

Sai stood up and reached out in reflex to shut down the console, but
caught herself in time. Rondal had told her to leave everything exactly as
it was, so she hustled her boys out and stopped to grab Déjà on the way,
before running to the hanger deck. They scrambled into the Orca and got
the systems fired up, having both optical and anti-radiation shields up and
running, even before full power was running through the converter. Once
there was enough power for maneuvering, she raised the Orca and slid it
slowly through the air shield, backing out of the primary opening in the
back of the rock.
This wasn’t her fault! She didn’t break his ship – the rock broke!
She programmed a jump to the location he’d just given her, then
triggered it. Ten minutes later, they were six minutes “left” of Kale, and
four minutes “down”, where she set a timer before sitting back for the
duration. Déjà crawled into her lap and pulled at her jumpsuit; loosening
it enough to get to her breasts. Her tummy hurt and she needed some of
Mommy’s milk!

The Kraken’s Child, Picking up some Toys

Rondal stood off several thousand kilometers from the Kraken while
watching his passive sensors. He was aware of the Drecks group
approaching … and going right on by … then immediately reached out and
rotated the Kraken another one-eighty to reduce its reflection. He waited
for a full minute, before making his approach so he could pick up some of
the “new” toys. After docking, he did a quick run up to the bridge and
pushed through the console to see what was what. The switch was
definitely broken, but at the moment, he didn’t have the luxury of tracing
it all down and figuring out why it was doing what it did. He did notice a
little bit of blood on the corner of the square button, though.
He sat down and ran the navigation program he’d set into the Kraken
remotely. Once triggered, the ship rotated perpendicular to their pursuers,
moved “out” five minutes, and parked there – its open end facing no
existing lanes of travel. He’d just have to hope no one was poking around
out there, as well. Then he dropped ships gravity down to ten-percent and
locked the console, before leaving the bridge.
He brought up the collar of his ship suit and got a safety harness
attached, before venturing into the void between the Kraken and the rock
shell. Once out there, he withdrew a large container of ten centimeter loads
from within a locker mounted in the shell, before hauling it back to the
ship and over to the Kraken’s Child. These were very special toys Radatel

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had given him last year to celebrate his Christmas holiday on Earth. It had
been very thoughtful of Rad, but he’d not had the heart to tell him that
Christmas was not a Native American holiday.
He brought the container to the weapons loader on the Kraken’s Child
and cycled the five small canisters from the heavily padded case into the
system. A string of red lights lit up on the loader, with a matching string
lighting an alert panel both within the room and outside the room. A
matching panel also glowed somewhat more sedately on the ships console.
He closed and locked the weapons loader system, then went forward and
stopped at the ship’s suit locker to change collars. Once it was plugged
into the charger, he was shocked to see how little life support was left in
the collar he’d worn during the transits. Too many damned distractions!
He closed the locker and went forward to the console.
It was time to go hunting!

Avenger IV, On the Hunt!

The Captain of Avenger IV had been getting nervous.
The previous ship of the Avenger-class had met its end from an
unfortunate anti-matter breach somewhere in the vicinity of Fex – where
one of the smaller moons of Fex used to be, as a matter of fact. That was
the official story put out by the Master Pack, but nearly every line officer
knew the truth; the unfortunate ship had run afoul of the Commonwealth’s
Demon, and no one knew where or when he, she, or it would strike again.
They didn’t just believe it – they knew it. It just wasn’t prudent to mention
it to their Drecks handlers … not if you wanted to stay alive.
The fact that Avenger IV had been headed towards Fex before their
quarry disappeared from their screens didn’t lessen the anxiety he’d felt
building since the initial contact had been detected. Per protocol, he’d had
a full system test run on the sensors, while continuing to follow the line of
last contact before he’d stopped and reversed the ship. He’d had them drift
back slowly – his ship and the escorts – with all their sensors fully out
while trying to find a trace of their target’s transit signature somewhere in
the background noise of space between the clusters.
It was like looking for a particular grain of sand on a very wide beach,
and for a moment, he hoped they’d never find a trace of it ever again – even
if it meant censure from their handlers. Sometimes you actually survived
that. He hopes were dashed when the sensor operator found a drive
signature of a non-Hegemony configuration traveling close by, so he
reluctantly swung the ship around and began a slow approach once again.

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The Kraken’s Child, Trolling the Lanes

Like chumming the water, Rondal had “dirtied up” his drive signature
and passed the lead ship just within detection range. He reached out in
passing and caught just a smattering of thoughts of both hope and
disappointment. Holding a light contact with that individual and
maintaining it, he wasn’t disappointed when the connection stayed
tenuous, but of the same relative strength after a suitable delay. The
pursuing ship had turned once again, and was now following him.
He’d just have to find somewhere interesting to lead them.

The Avenger IV, Following the Trail

The Drecks task force spread out and tried to maintain contact with
their transient visitor, but the older escorts didn’t have all the technology
Avenger IV carried, so they took their leads from the cruiser, and
maintained station as ordered.
Avenger IV’s sensor operator was ambivalent about the whole situation.
He’d been the one to discover the huge anomaly they’d originally been
following, and he’d also been the one to recommend course and jump
changes that allowed him to pick up the anomaly after it had changed
course twice. The anomaly was gone now, but in its stead was a drive
signature that was obviously not Hegemony, but not quite Commonwealth,
either. He could think of a dozen or more reasons to account for the
differences, but what he mostly figured was that someone couldn’t possibly
be so stupid as to let something like that be emitted – not if they were
transiting enemy space. That meant, either there was a drive failure on the
emitting ship, or it was a deliberate attempt to lead them away from their
primary target.
He toyed with the idea of passing along his suspicions to his senior
officers, but he’d already been smacked several times for “overstepping his
pay-grade.”
Creative analysis outside the realm of “pointing the ship in the right
direction” was one of those things that usually got him smacked, so he
would leave it up to the senior officers and the Captain. They were in
charge, and he hoped they would eventually get their heads out of their
asses and figure it out themselves.

The Kraken’s Child, Drifting Towards Kale

Rondal did a slight course change to point to the “left” side of Kale, and
observed with satisfaction when the three-ship task force followed suit. He
remembered a bunch of rocks somewhere out there, and intended to lead
them out that way.

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The Avenger IV, Tightening the Noose!

“Captain! Where is our target?” the Drecks Overlord demanded.
Overlord was a misnomer. In a game of chance, he’d actually lost, and
been subsequently stuck going out on the Avenger IV for this trip. It was
his misfortune to be aboard when they’d picked up that juicy contact, and
the Captain had immediately ordered a pursuit under their current rules
of engagement.
“Sir! The primary target had been lost, but we’ve picked up a secondary.
It appears to have a leaky drive! We are maintaining distant contact at
twenty-thousand kilometers. It does not seem to be aware of us!” the
Captain reported.

The Kraken’s Child, Looking for a Hidey-Hole

Rondal kept an eye on the task force, while slowly easing his direction
towards the edge of the asteroid field he’d visited once before. He was
headed to the far side of it, where he could drop out of sight. That would
give him cover to head back to the Kraken and work on the stuck door.
Once that was fixed, he could pick up Sai and continue to Eke.

The Avenger IV, In Hot Pursuit!

“Sir! Sensors indicate the target is turning towards the asteroid field!
On its present course, it should pass behind it by ten-thousand
kilometers!” the sensor operator reported.
The Overlord stepped forward and issued an order.
“Captain! Order the escorts to break away and pursue! Intercept the
target and destroy it!”

The Kraken’s Child, Going Dark

Rondal noted the fragmentation of the task force, and checked his
navigation settings. He looked at the chart, checked the flag in the corner
of the screen for the last official update, then programmed a fractional
jump sideways from their approach, before killing his drive. A second later,
he triggered the jump.

The Avenger IV, A Misplaced Target!

“Captain! Report from the lead escort that the target has dropped off
sensors and is gone,” his communications officer reported.
“Tell them to go to active scanning and look for it! It’s probably just
stopped!” the Captain ordered, and the message went out.

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The Kraken’s Child, Plotting an Escape

Rondal quietly watched from his vantage point as the escorts, nowhere
near his current location, flittered about with active sensors looking for
him. He was well out of their way, but still needed to evade the cruiser
before heading back for Sai. He reached out and probed for the minds of
the escort crew, only to find they were just as lost as they acted. He
watched for a while until they started repeating the same search pattern,
then started programming a long jump to the far side of the field.
That would put him well past the cruiser on its opposite side.

The Avenger IV, Searching for BUGS!

“Captain! Move to the last reported position and begin active scanning
with all sensors! Use some of those captured devices, as well!”
“But, Sir! Those only work on–”
“USE THEM!”
“Yes, Sir! Sensors! Enable the captured signal devices. Watch for a
response! Report immediately!”
“Yes, Sir!”

The Kraken’s Child, Still Hidden Behind … HUH?

Rondal noticed the cruiser approaching his last location. He was just
about to trigger his next jump, when his contact board lit up like a holiday
display when all three active ship’s sensors suddenly focused directly on
him.

The Orca, Just Chillin’

“Mother, how long has it been?” Gallus asked quietly.
“About an hour, my young man,” she murmured.
Déjà was asleep in her lap, and Endo was napping in his old bunk for
the moment … uncomfortably – now that he’d grown out of it.
“Do you know where Rondal is?”
“No doubt he’s engaging in some mischief with the Drecks,” she said
with a weary sigh.
Now that they’d stood down for the last hour, she’d finally noticed her
hand was aching slightly from some tiny insult. Suffering a current bout
of apathy, she continued to ignore it for the moment, but wondered if Déjà
had left any of her milk before falling asleep.

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She was considering working a breast out to try it, but Gallus got her
attention first.
“You could ping him. You snuck that tracer onto his ship, remember?”
Gallus suggested.
“Yes, and if we ping him, and he radiates, then we’ll advertise not only
ourselves, but Rondal as well. We could all end up dead.”
“Isn’t that what you still want, Mother? Isn’t that what the Elder wants?
Lord Caldar dead, I mean.”
She sat there for several seconds as she considered what she really
wanted.
She’d wanted Petrus dead, and after eluding her for so many years she’d
found he’d been serving with Rondal all that time. He’d probably been
watching over him, and she could very well guess who put him up to that
task. Now he was dead, and it was courtesy of his association with Rondal
that caused it.
She’d wanted Rondal dead for keeping Maya to himself, instead of
getting her the help she needed. Then it’d been revealed that a conspiracy
had kept him from getting her returned and under proper care. They’d even
fallen in love, but in the end, it was Maya who’d broken that relationship,
but Maya still loved him, even though she protested that she didn’t.
That had been obvious when they’d met and talked, before she’d
delivered Lili to Earth to recover a captured Drecks female. Upon their
return, it was all Maya could do not to beg her mother for details about
Rondal once she’d learned that he’d broken her wrist. She’d been horrified
to learn he’d been cruel and brutal with her mother, but Sai still felt her
longing for him just the same.
“I don’t know, Gallus. I just don’t know anymore,” she finally decided.

The Avenger IV, Finding the Target!

“CAPTAIN! CONTACT ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE ASTEROID FIELD!”
the sensor operator reported.
“DO NOT LOSE IT! Captain! Prosecute immediately!” the Overlord
ordered.
“YES, MY LORD! Weapons officer! Load and prepare to fire! Hold until
my command! Communications officer – order those escorts out of the line
of fire!”

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The Kraken’s Child, Something is Wrong

Rondal pushed out and reached the cruiser Captain’s mind, catching
just the part “prepare to fire” before scrambling to move his ship. He micro-
jumped it to the far side of the asteroid field, but watched almost
hypnotically when all three ships turned to keep their sensors focused in
his direction. He micro-jumped again, and came up behind one of the
escorts; placing it between him and the cruiser, but watched his sensors
when the cruiser focused on him first; followed more slowly by the escorts.
He programmed a string of random micro-jumps while trying to figure out
how they were detecting him.
It was almost as if he’d left a light on or something…

The Avenger IV, Trying to Keep Up

“He keeps jumping around, Captain! He’s staying near the asteroid field,
but he keeps making tiny jumps! Maybe – maybe he’s low on fuel?” the
sensor operator suggested.
“Fire Control! Keep working on a solution! Sensors! Report any more
moves, and update immediately! Helm! Follow the target as directed by
sensors!”

The Orca, Caught after the Fact

‘Sai, by any cha…nce did you or your lovely chil…dren leave anything
beh…ind in the Kraken’s Ch … ild?’ Rondal asked, his voice dripping with
sweetness, if somewhat broken up.
‘I – I may have left something behind … on the floor, or somewhere’ she
sent back warily.
‘WELL, WH…ERE DID YOU LE…AVE IT, YOU FO…OLISH OLD
WOM…AN?’ She understood that, even through the weird distortion of
multiple micro-jumps.
‘I stuck a tracer under the console, pilot’s side, under the mains panel’
she sent quickly, and could hear quite clearly his foul broken mutterings
when he reached out … micro-jumped again … then seemed to find the
tracer and disabled it.
‘Ah! That’s much … better; I think … yes’ he sent more clearly.
Sai still felt the distortion of jumps, but the words weren’t broken up
this time. At least he sounded somewhat calmer.
‘Sai … we’ll talk … later’ he ended coolly while micro-jumping to a
relatively neutral position.

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The Avenger IV, Misplaced it Again!

“Captain! We’ve lost him again!” the sensor operator reported.
“All sensors! Full active spread! Fire Control! Immediate fire at next
point of contact! WEAPONS FREE!”

The Kraken’s Child, Catching a Breath

Now that he’d bounced around, and in, and through the asteroid field in
an attempt to lose them – unsuccessfully, thanks to his traitorous crew –
he found himself in a particularly awkward situation. On the one hand, he
could simply long jump out of there and leave the Drecks behind, then find
his way back to the Kraken and try to fix the damn door, before continuing
to Eke and looking for Gagsa.
On the other hand, he could remove the initiator and detector system
that had presumably been installed on the Drecks cruiser. Presumably,
since they were always the first ones to point to him, not that it would do
much good if they’d already reverse-engineered it. Still, it was an
appropriate goal – except Lili had been insistent that he refrain from
making any big messes that might point directly back to the
Commonwealth. After just a moment’s consideration, he leaned back and
tried to think of how to go about that safely.

The Avenger IV, Status Quo

“Captain! No contact yet!”
“Maintain active sensors! Fire Control! Weapons free at first contact!”

The Kraken’s Child, A New Plan

Rondal watched as everyone moved around him, before slowly seeming
to cluster together. The cruiser and escorts had gotten within five-
thousand kilometers of each other and were trying to scan the area around
them thoroughly, but it was a losing proposition. As long as he kept the
Kraken’s Child stationary and quiet, they’d never find him – not unless
they started taking random shots around the asteroid field and got
incredibly lucky. From what he’d just read from the cruiser Captain’s
mind, it looked like they were going to stick it out, and if he just left them
there, they might be tempted to go back and try to pick up the Kraken’s
original track again. This cruiser’s Captain was being really persistent for
some reason, so it seemed like he’d better give him something else to shoot
at.

The Avenger IV, Waiting it Out

“Captain, any progress?” the Overlord asked him, withholding the fact
that he was somewhat glad they’d lost the contact.

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Unfortunately, they couldn’t reasonably break off the engagement

without continuing to prosecute the target for a much longer period of time.
Otherwise, that smacked of cowardice, and he might be censured upon his
return to Kale – which was unacceptable!

The Kraken’s Child, Preparing a Surprise

Rondal knew he could easily take out all three ships with what he was
carrying, but Lili had been adamant about not starting a war with the
Drecks – not without discussing it with his big brother first. Looking down
at the tracer in his hand – hidden exactly where Sai had said she’d hidden
it – he thought he could take out at least one ship, and embarrass the
dickens out of the senior officer aboard the cruiser.
He nodded once, slaved the navigation system to the sensors, then
programmed it to trigger a micro-jump if he was targeted.
After setting the alarms to blare throughout the ship, he got up and
trotted back to the ammunition locker. Pulling out a single standard
round, he set it on the tiny workbench in the weapons room and began
making a few modifications to suit his plan.

The Orca, Defining Her Position

Sai was getting worried. It had been over two hours, and Rondal had
told her to take off for the Commonwealth if he failed to meet up with her.
According to his own words, she and her family were now out of his
employment and free to leave, but it just didn’t feel right to her…
He’d been justifiably pissed that she’d bugged his ship – his
“undetectable” ship – and made him a hot target for that task force because
of it. She had no doubts at all that if he still lived, he’d be pretty upset at
the situation she’d put him into, and he’d probably want to do horrible
things to her once he got back – if he made it back. Still…
She thought about it a little longer, then figured that, since he’d already
contacted her about an hour ago, the proper thing to do would be to wait
it out for at least another hour, so she reset the timer for another hour,
then sat back while still hoping for the best.

The Kraken’s Child, Setting the Trap

During the string of random micro-jumps, Rondal’s passive sensor
system had trouble keeping up with everyone else, but now that he was
stable, it had been able to track and account for all three enemy vessels.
Their probable locations, determined by drive detection and intercepted
data-links between all three of them, painted a pretty reasonable picture
of where each of them was currently located.

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He checked the display and found it strange that two of the ships were
unreasonably close together for some reason. For himself, he liked to have
plenty of maneuvering room – especially for a larger ship like a destroyer
or cruiser. Still, this could work to his advantage, and he started plotting
a course that would bring him into a good location to prosecute his attack.
Rondal eventually worked himself into a spot slightly above and behind
the cruiser, which was now only a little over a hundred kilometers behind
the closest escort. The other escort was moving away, and now looked like
it was beginning an outer search pattern that would take it well away from
the cruiser and the remaining escort…
His idea was to shoot one round at an escort with the disabled tracer
inside of it and hope it did not break. Sometime during the dozens of
seconds it would take to reach the target, he would reach out, enable the
tracer, and then jump just moments later, somewhere at least a couple of
hundred-thousand kilometers away from the cruiser, provided, that is, if
he’d removed enough propellant charge from the round to slow it down and
keep the tracer from breaking. Either way, he would reach out and try to
enable it about halfway to its target, and then jump. Ideally, the cruiser
would detect the tracer, fire, and nail their own escort with a beam weapon
of some sort.
It was a perfect court-marshal offense, and even if it left the cruiser
alive, it would put yet another black eye on the Hegemony security
apparatus that had been his primary goal for the last several years.
And it was funny...
He programmed his navigation system for the jump, checked the
distance from the Kraken’s Child to the target, and took the shot.

The Avenger IV, Contact!

“Captain! Something is heading towards Escort Alpha – nearly two-
kilometers per second!”
“Time to impact?”
“Uhh … forty-one seconds!”
“Sensors – full sweep! Hostile in the area!”

The Kraken’s Child, Harder Than He’d Thought

Rondal was having the devil’s own time trying to focus on that tiny
projectile, so at the appointed time, he sent out a wide push in the general
direction, before triggering his jump. He figured he’d have to mail back
another spy in a few weeks to find out the results.

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The Avenger IV, Fire Control to the Rescue!

Fire Control had received no further instructions, so the moment the
contact radiated, they’d focused on it, locked on, and fired one of the two
anti-matter loads they carried – the other one being safely contained in a
shipping container well away from the BFG’s breach. This was to prevent
breach flash from weakening the magnetic bottle…
That was a decision the Kale engineers had made after Avenger III failed
to return from its little visit to Fex a while back. It had been suggested by
a report transmitted from a Krux spy, who’d wormed his way into the
Commonwealth’s trust and worked at one of the secret labs for a short
while. In fact, after working out the numbers, the Kale engineers were so
sure of it, that they’d recommended the majority of the anti-matter loads
be carried within two support craft, which would then make up a task force
of three.
Should anything withstand the first shot, and after a short, two-minute
delay to manually reload and fire a second shot, they would simply
disengage and reload from one of the two support ships that each carried
twelve anti-matter loads.
The Kale engineers thought it was a good idea.
The Krux spy thought it was a great idea.
Interestingly enough, that same Krux spy had recently been returned
to the court of the Master Pack in compressed form for easier shipping.
For free…

The Kraken’s Child, Taking a Break

Rondal was clear and immediately considered making his next jump,
but was still feeling crappy. He set his navigation system to calculate a less
tortuous path back to where he’d parked the Kraken, before getting up to
crack open the second container of Healer’s milk. Halfway to the fridge, an
alarm went off, and all his systems reset; the ship becoming silent for
several seconds.
“Aww, crap!” he muttered, but then panicked.
‘SAI! ARE YOU AND THE KIDS ALL RIGHT?’ he screamed out silently.
‘Certainly, Rondal. We’re right where you told–’
He felt shock coming from her, before quite a bit of confusion overrode
that initial feeling. A few seconds later, his ship started coming back on
line, and the sensors reported an event in the vicinity of where he’d just
come from. Shaking his head, he checked his sensors, then sighed.

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“Well … damn. Lili is gonna be so pissed,” he muttered while still

shaking his head. He let out another resigned sigh, before reaching out to
Sai again.
‘Sai, are you back on line, yet?’
‘We never dropped. Sensors have just detected a big event back towards
Kale. Are you all right?’
‘Everything is coming back on line’ he told her, but thought of something
else and checked the ship’s timer; seeing that almost four hours had
passed.
‘Sai – two hours were up a while ago. You and your family are now
released from service. You and your family acquitted yourselves well on
Horga; and I have reported such to the Elder. I suggest you take a leisurely
route “up” above the height of the upper Hegemony void and cross over from
there – ABOVE the void. It will take a while, but as long as you stay shielded,
you should be safe. I would not wander anywhere near any of the known
clusters. The neighbors will be a bit touchy for a while’
‘Why? What did you do?’ she asked accusingly, wondering if he’d
screwed up and started the next war.
‘That tracer you left on my ship? I gave it to one of the Drecks escorts.
Cruiser got spooked, and shot at it – I think. I can’t account for the result’
‘Oh…’
‘On your way, Sai. Goodbye’ he sent, then dropped the conversation.
“Well … scratch Plan S,” he muttered, although doubting he could have
ever talked her into it.
However, if it had worked out just right, it would have been a hell of a
coup. Certainly, Maya would have never forgiven him. Neither would Sai,
probably.
He shrugged and opened the second container of Healer’s milk. One
measure later, he was feeling better; then he had another measure and put
the container away, before finally washing his cup and putting it away, as
well. He kinda missed the dishwasher on the ‘Ceti, though. Fortified now –
and feeling much better – he went forward and read all his passive scan
logs, while his navigation computer was doing location updates based on
the stars and comparing them to the locations on file. In a satisfyingly
short amount of time, a cheerful chime sounded letting him know the
navigation system was satisfied with the accuracy of the astrological-
navigation sensors, but it would still be doing all the navigating itself,
thank you very much.

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He looked at the hot-load indicator and counted all five still aboard.
That didn’t stop him from getting up and going aft to unload the anti-
matter mines his big brother had given him for Christmas last year. The
remaining twenty-four anti-matter loads left in the Kraken were what he’d
originally worried about, but sensors reporting from that direction were
still clear.

The Orca, Coming to a Decision

“Mother, what did Lord Caldar say?” Endo asked.
“He said … he said we can go home now. We’ve been dismissed,” she
said in confusion.
“But why, Mommy? I’ve been a good girl!” Déjà whined.
“Yes, you have, my darling girl. You’ve been Mommy’s good girl,” she
reassured her.
“Was it the tracer, Mother?” Gallus asked.
“No… Well, probably. He said the timer ran out, and … and we were
released from service. He didn’t say anything about the tracer,” she lied,
while glossing over what he’d actually done with it.
Endo sat there for a little bit while rolling his fingers on the edge of his
seat – his uncomfortably small seat.
“Mother, is Lord Caldar still going to pay us our back pay? I’d like to see
if we can get some bigger seats in here for me and Gallus, and maybe make
a change in one of the compartments so we can sleep better.”
“I’m sure Lord Caldar will pay his bills, Endo. He’s always been very fair
– even when he’s had to lie about things like I do,” she reassured him.
“If he’s going to find Lord Gagsa, he’ll still need some Drecks along with
him,” Gallus said. “Drecks he can trust – like me and Endo. Can you please
ask him?”
Sai thought it over, then applied some of her more advanced talents
while dancing over their thoughts. Endo was envious of the crew comforts
of the Kraken, and he enjoyed Rondal’s company – except when he and
Mother were fighting. Gallus was intrigued with the possibility of meeting
a young Drecks female, and finding a mate to settle down with one day.
The several talks Rondal had shared with both of them had produced a
longing in Gallus to try something different from what he’d been doing for
the last one-hundred, eighty years or so.
That observation pushed her assumptions back a bit.

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Endo and Gallus had been with her for over one-hundred, eighty years,
Standard; and she’d estimated they’d been maybe seven or eight years old,
Standard, when she’d found and fostered them. They’d already lived about
three times longer than most senior adult Drecks, and yet she’d kept them
in their early teens by resetting them on a regular basis. For the life of her
now, she didn’t know if it was for their benefit, or for her own selfish
reasons. Among the higher-class Commonwealth citizens, longevity of this
nature was the norm. For her sons, perhaps it was a burden?
‘Rondal, the children have made a request’ she sent tentatively, but
received nothing back from him in reply.

Escort-B, The Captain Contemplates His Future

The Captain of Escort-B sat quietly and observed the pretty new star
that was glowing somewhere close to the middle of where his ship had been
just minutes earlier.
Young and creative, he’d seen how their adversary had jumped around
– micro-jumps at that – and taken note that it placed itself between his ship
and the cruiser on more than one occasion. Knowing the stress the Captain
of the cruiser would be under, he’d thought it prudent to have an escape
plan in place in case things got really hinky, and now prided himself for
doing so. He’d already pulled away from the other two ships of his task
force to conduct a “random search pattern” as indicated in his logs, but
the data communication feed from the cruiser was being watched
constantly. Hopefully, it would tell him when the enemy had been found
again and, subsequently, where the primary weapon of the cruiser would
likely be pointed.
When the tracer became active, and the targeting stream showed its
velocity and direction, the Captain of Escort-B triggered a pre-programmed
jump that put them at least a quarter-million kilometers from where they
were, and hoped it was far enough. As it turned out, once his systems all
reset and the sensors and external cameras came back on line, they got a
pretty good recording of a glowing mass of gas that was still expanding. It
finally reached a diameter of nearly twenty-seven-thousand kilometers,
before starting to dim out and slowly fade away. All that was left to do now
was to make sure everything was fully documented on how the cruiser had
fired on the invisible enemy ship – being tracked only by the captured
tracer technology – and how Escort-A had been unfortunate enough to be
in the line of fire when that happened.
He ordered the ship to make standard headway back to Kale while he
worked on his report.

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The Kraken, Fixing His Ship

After a suitable few minutes of rest, Rondal had gone ahead and jumped
back to the Kraken, doing a full passive scan of the surrounding area before
docking. After docking and shutting his ship down, he went up to the
bridge and checked the Kraken’s systems, before pulling up the
installation and service diagrams for the control interface between the
Kraken and the rock shell. Running through the checks, the board showed
green, except for the indicator light for the main door. That indicator was
part of the switch that controlled it, and that particular switch had a tiny
bit of blood on it. He pushed through the panel and looked within, but
although not being of the same caliber of engineer that Donnel and his
companions were, even he could see where the internal wiring of the switch
had been shorted out when the button had been pushed too far, too
quickly.
He checked the spares catalog and was surprised when he found a
spare switch – a single spare, but a spare nonetheless. If he lived through
this, he’d have to send Clax a case of ambrosia. Halfway through the repair,
Sai and her brood docked, and she came forward to the bridge to greet
him, but he spoke first; his head still twisted sideways while he worked on
the bottom of the console panel.
“How’s your hand, Sai?”
“My … my hand? It’s all right. I cut it on something,” she said, while
looking down at the forgotten tiny cut at the edge of her palm.
She absently drew in a tiny bit of energy and Healed it in just moments,
while he reached out, picked up the broken switch, and tossed it to her
backhanded. She caught it and looked at it curiously.
“You left a little bit of blood behind,” he said, while making the last few
connections, before sitting up and stretching.
He bent over and flipped up the mains, before closing the console. A
bright red indicator on the main door switch glowed incongruously
amongst all the green, so he brought up a camera feed to the rear part of
the rock void and pressed the buttons in sequence; finally, seeing the main
door closing ponderously. Afterwards, he set the locking clips on the
console, then gathered up his tools.
“The kids pick up their toothbrushes, yet? I’m ready to move on,” he
muttered, his voice devoid of emotion while he closed his tool pouch.
“Rondal, Endo and Gallus… Endo and Gallus are interested in
continuing employment with you. Gallus is of the opinion that Drecks
employees would be beneficial in further dealings with the Drecks,” she
said tentatively.

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“What of Endo?” he asked, while closing out the online maintenance

manuals and updating the ships log to indicate the repair … and adding a
note to send a gift to Clax.
“Endo… He enjoys the creature comforts of your ship, and would prefer
to stay with his brother – if you permitted it,” she offered quietly.
He stood up and closed his eyes while rotating his head around;
listening to the tiny crackles as it flexed around his neck. He opened his
eyes and checked the console again, while settling his thoughts, then
leaned against the side of the pilot’s seat, before turning to look directly at
her.
“And what would Lady Sai Tal prefer to do?” His stare was non-
confrontational, but still it gave her a moment of discomfort.
“I – I would continue in your service, Lord Caldar … if you permit it,”
she said quietly, then looked down.
He looked at her silently for several seconds, before nodding his head.
“Very well, Sai. You and your family are welcome back into my service.
Your service is deemed ‘unbroken’ and the same conditions apply.”
He bent down and picked up his tool pouch, before standing and facing
her again.
“You are docked one day’s pay for breaking the door control switch –
plus twenty-five credits for the switch,” he muttered before leaving the
bridge.

Somewhere Else…
The Fate on Duty was quite proud of himself.
Through a simple manipulation of the exact placement of a tiny bit of
dust, he was able to prompt Sai Tal to swipe at it distractedly, while she
was talking to Liling Song.
That, in turn, left Sai Tal’s hand in the appropriate position, so when
she’d predictably slammed her fist down on the console at that fateful
moment, it landed at just the precise angle to damage the door control
switch.
The rest was a beautifully choreographed dance between Lord Caldar
and his pursuers, during which Lord Caldar had learned yet a tiny bit more
about himself and the value of pre-planning, along with an extra tidbit of a
lesson taught to Sai Tal about anger management.
It was a good result for such a trivial excuse as “Friday the Thirteenth”
as celebrated on Earth.

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February 29, The Kraken, Somewhere Over Eke

They’d only been sixteen minutes out from Eke, but Rondal had had
enough of long jumps for the time being, so he took his time. They
eventually approached the solitary habitable planet of that system nearly
a week and a half later, before leaving the rock up high – perpendicular to
the plane of the system – then separating from it and creeping in with the
Kraken. They finally parked it in a stationary position several degrees above
the equatorial plane of the planet after noting the majority of the inhabited
land mass was centered closer to the planet’s equator. Ideally, they
wouldn’t occlude any stars from their position while searching for Gagsa’s
holdings on the planet’s surface below. Besides, he didn’t think their visit
would take that long.
In fact, it might be very short-lived, depending on if his target was there
at all – and the mood he might be in if he was there.
Eke wasn’t a particularly well-traveled planet, and the native human-
sorta-standards had just barely begun their pre-industrial growth stage
when the Drecks had moved in. Rondal was hard pressed to pick the minds
of the human contingents he’d peeked into – even more obscure thought-
forms without context – but there were low-level Drecks in various
locations who seemed of an equally distant technological bent. The more
he looked, the more he was of the opinion that this level of society, Class-
Five at most, was probably the Drecks norm, which didn’t justify their
multi-cluster ambitions against the Commonwealth. It just didn’t seem to
make sense, but it was a matter for the Commonwealth sociologists to deal
with. His immediate goal was to find Gagsa.
It was Sai who’d finally found him after noticing a small cluster of
buildings set kilometers apart from any other holdings. Once she’d pointed
it out, Rondal poked around and pieced together between sixty and seventy
Pack members who referred to the “One-Armed Lord” or the “Hero of Pack
Gagsa” or simply as “Lord Gagsa, the Triumphant.” He made another note
to send a case of ambrosia to Gorlox for his year of service on Horga, the
loosely controlled planet where he’d ferreted out the secret of Gagsa’s
deliverance, and his probable destination. Peeking into several of the Pack,
he was hard pressed to determine if his location was still a secret to the
Master Pack, or if Lord Gagsa had agents in place to intercept inquiries
about him and his location. Considering the mess they’d left on Horga, he
hoped it wasn’t the latter.
While he and Sai had spent hours searching for Gagsa and his followers,
Rondal had first Gallus, then Endo, and finally the both of them locked
inside the Drecks-friendly holding cell on subsequent days to have them
try to break out. The worst they could do was break a few light fixtures, rip
out the toilet, and pull up one of the beds the installer had failed to secure
properly, so he’d had them repair these weaknesses, and upgrade them if

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possible. They’d also suggested automatic shut-off valves for the toilet, or
maybe water hours for their “guests”, before going over everything else in
the compartment while looking for exploitable possibilities. Since Rondal
had previously carried Drecks in the passenger corridors, they’d
questioned the point of the exercise, but he’d reminded them that those
Drecks were willing passengers – not a disgruntled Drecks Lord with a
blood grudge against him.
He also had them go over the Drecks shuttle from one end to the other.
They needed to be intimately knowledgeable of it, if they were to pose as
his crew. It needed a good cleaning, anyway, having carried various
passengers over the last few years, willing or not – or bloody, as with its
last cargo. When that was done, Rondal put them to listening in on Pack
Gagsa with them to become familiar with “normal” adult Drecks thought-
forms and thinking. Though somewhat awkward for Rondal and Sai, Endo
and Gallus were having a much easier time of it, since Drecks was their
first language. The boys still thought in Drecks much of the time, while Sai
and Rondal had to play catch up.
Rondal was taking a beating because, not only was it in Drecks, but
also in Drecks concepts, which differed from human-standard, and all the
other miscellaneous crap he’d stuck in his head over the years. It was a lot
like his Grandchildren had used conceptual thought-forms when they were
very young – or maybe Japanese, he considered. He stuck at it, though. It
was just another language to add to the twenty or so he was already
conversant in … just a bit harder from spoken Drecks, to thought-form
Drecks.
What really surprised him – once pointed out by Endo and Gallus – were
the female Drecks thought forms. Apparently, in the case of the Drecks,
the female of the species really was the more dangerous. It appeared there
was a reason Drecks males kept the female population so much smaller. It
looked as if it got anything close to fifty-fifty, the Drecks males could be
subjugated outright – a lot like the Commonwealth, he considered.

March 1, Zarox, Master Pack Court

“WELL? WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?” the voice of
the Pack Master boomed in the Hegemony Court.
“Lord Glau! As stated in my report, Sir, the Cruiser fired upon the enemy
tracer, while I was performing a wider search pattern, Sir! Knowing the
history of that particular region of space, I had instructed my sensor and
helm officers to jump the ship immediately if an unfortunate event was
determined to be in progress! As it was, my ship barely escaped intact, but
we were able to save the tactical logs from the Cruiser, Lord Glau!” the
Captain of Escort-B reported faithfully.

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He stood there, absolutely still, and straight as a post, with only a tiny
bit of sweat running down from his hairline to indicate the tremendous
amount of stress he was under. He knew, however, that you do not show
fear – you never show fear. The Drecks hated a coward, and would torture
a coward for the simple pleasure of it, while cleanly executing a man found
at fault, if only for the honor of his bravery during his interrogation.
The Pack Master reviewed the data with his senior officers, and made a
quick decision.
“YOU ARE COMMENDED FOR YOUR WIT, CAPTAIN, AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO USE THAT TO OUR ADVANTAGE! UPON COMPLETION OF
ITS CONSTRUCTION, YOU – YOU WILL BE THE NEW CAPTAIN OF
AVENGER V!”
In the very tiny lull after the Pack Master’s declaration, the Captain of
Escort-B spoke quickly to make his escape.
“I – I thank you, Lord Glau! By your leave, Lord Glau!” he said, then
backed away – bowing – before turning and walking stiffly out of the throne
room.
As he marched blindly out of the throne room and returned to the open
skies over the Capitol, he could not help but remember something he’d
once heard a long time ago – “No felicitous action, fails to provoke a
deleterious response.”

March 2, Somewhere Over Eke

The closer they’d come to Eke, the more Rondal had been surprised that
his “silent partner” – the geas of his dead father – hadn’t started making a
fuss. He’d fully expected him to act out before this, but he’d remained silent
– almost more than silent, considering the number of times he’d stepped
in and taken over to deal with numerous problems over the years. At least
the geas hadn’t been upset about Sai or the boys – not that they’d ever
really been a threat to him, even back on Earth.
Of course, the closest he’d ever come to someone of Gagsa’s prominence
was probably the remnants of Pack Calos, and even that was iffy, given
that Pack Leader Calos had already died by the time he and Petrus made
contact with the survivors. He would just have to believe his Demon would
be content to sit this dance out unless things turned to shit in a hurry.
After all, he’d only met Lord Gagsa once. Well, twice, if you included the
time Gagsa had attacked him in Earth’s orbit.
Gagsa already had a reputation of being a bastard, but then, all Drecks
of name status had that reputation.
Likewise, he also had a reputation of honor – as far as the Drecks
concept of honor went. It was Rondal’s thought that the bonds of

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Hospitality might hold off their immediate execution, much as Parley was
used in late Earth history. It would certainly be helpful, as the plan was
sheer audacity in nature, and clearly very foolhardy. In addition, he would
have to leave Sai behind, as that would be pushing way too many buttons,
and as much as he wanted to take Déjà along just to see the reaction to
her, he thought she was best left for a later occasion.
Before heading to the bridge, he pulled his talisman from around his
neck and carefully polished it – making sure Gagsa’s image was spotless
and shiny for this next delicate step in his plan. Then he joined his crew
on the bridge and discussed some last minute issues with them regarding
their initial communications protocol, but in the end, he had Endo call
down in Drecks and request Hospitality from Gagsa’s base – person-to-
person – Lord Caldar to Lord Gagsa.
Observing silently from orbit, Rondal noted that it sent the ants
scurrying, but a reply came back within minutes – non-committal, of
course – while ships sensors were picking up tracking signals from the
planet’s surface that originated somewhere immediately below them. For
being an outlaw Pack, it looked like Gagsa still had resources, and after
several fruitless minutes of searching for them, a communication finally
came from the planet.
“*?To question, to reason, to visit, on surface, Lord Gaga, Lord Galer?*”
came back in passable Commonwealth Basic.
“Lord Caldar would speak with Lord Gagsa as men! Not to underlings
such as you!” Rondal replied in angry Drecks, and the response didn’t take
nearly as long this time.
“Fierce words from a HUMAN. Are you TRULY Lord Caldar?” a familiar
voice asked in Drecks.
“Lord Gagsa … my greetings to you. I come bearing gifts … and an
apology. I would speak with you, as well,” Rondal offered.
“You come all this way to speak with ME? You were less than truthful the
LAST time we spoke. Perhaps I should be wary of the arms you bear,” Gagsa
transmitted.
“As I recall, I left you with a good one, still. Perhaps we can dance once
again after Hospitality is over? I’ll grant you the floor this time.”
“HA! Come down, little human, and let us TALK. Then perhaps we can
DANCE once again!” was Gagsa’s reply. Rondal detected an unusual
amount of honesty behind it, but Gagsa’s mind was still new to him, so it
could mean almost anything.

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“We arrive within the hour – myself and two crewmen. I leave watch
above me,” he pointed out truthfully.
“Understood, Lord Caldar. I await you with pleasure,” was heard, before
the transmission terminated.

Pack Gagsa’s Outpost, First Meeting

They took the modified Drecks transport down to the surface and landed
where directed on what looked like an improvised landing pad, that had
been gradually improved over the last few years. There was no real hanger,
but some small out buildings housed what looked like a small shop, and
there was a somewhat larger storage shed. A hundred meters away from
the pad was a small cluster of single-story structures that were a mix of
old and new construction – as if Gagsa had found a spot, and then
gradually began upgrading it.
A low wall – low for Drecks – was behind them, but trees could be seen
rising above the wall in various locations.
Gagsa himself had come out to greet him, along with a small group of
retainers. He was dressed plainly, but still carried a sword on his left hip
and had one good right arm. His left arm ended in a stump just below his
elbow, and he’d not made any effort to adopt a prosthetic as an Earth
human would do. Rondal and the boys were also dressed plainly; simple
black jumpsuits with power swords at their sides. Endo and Gallus’ swords
were Drecks-sized replicas, of course. Unless the Drecks had adopted
Commonwealth technology, they already had the advantage, since no pellet
throwers were visible.
They left the transport, with the boys pulling along a food container that
held two sides of beef from Earth.
Rondal was no fool, and knew negotiations usually revolved around a
meal. This was the best he could do – aside from providing live humans for
dinner, which he just would not do. He hoped they liked beef, because he’d
stocked up with more cases back in orbit.
They walked forward, then stopped in front of Gagsa; he holding his
right hand down, fingers spread, Commonwealth-style, and Rondal
holding his right arm up, across his chest, with his fist pressed to his left
shoulder. They both smiled, and Rondal reached up to press the fingertips
of his left hand to Gagsa’s right hand.
“Rondal Caldar of Earth, by Kantor,” Rondal said in brevity.
“Gagsa of Pack Gagsa, by Zarox,” Gagsa said, then their hands
separated, before both of them saluted Drecks-style, with right fists
pressed to left shoulders.

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Gagsa was tall for a Drecks, being a foot taller than the usual twelve to
thirteen foot height of an adult male warrior. Dark or deeply tanned,
Gagsa’s face glistened with either sweat or grease – probably both, due to
the typical Drecks high-protein diet – and his ritual facial tattoos
contrasted nicely with his skin tone. His hair was long and fell in bundled
braids over his back and across the front of his left shoulder; stopping well
above the handle of his sword in warrior style to prevent entanglement
during the weapons’ draw.
His right eye was bright and clear, and his features were more
prominent than either Endo’s or Gallus’, which was probably due to his
age. His left eye had taken the slash twenty years ago that left it semi-
intact, but damaged – the cornea dimmed and scarred, with the
surrounding tissue scarred over by the power sword’s passage. Rondal
figured he was about sixty, Relative. No, just sixty – the Drecks did not
extend their lives because they had no Healers.
Effectively, Gagsa was old … even for a Drecks. Looking near him,
Rondal noted that a younger version of him stood by his left side.
“And who is this strong young man?” he asked, indicating the man on
his left, and Gagsa turned his head slightly, then glanced down at him with
disgust, before turning back to Rondal.
“This is Torga of Pack Gagsa. The Witch played with him, and ruined
him for me. I trust she died of her wounds?” he asked somewhat hopefully.
Rondal felt Gagsa’s somewhat ambivalent feelings regarding the night
in question, but he wasn’t about to lie to him – not exactly.
“Alas! After her Healing, I made her serve me. I kept her in servitude,
until I discarded her on Kantor!” he looked away in disgust while shaking
his head a tiny bit. “I foolishly let her toy with my manliness, but left her
broken-hearted,” he said with a tiny note of faux despair, and didn’t fail to
notice the light suddenly gleaming in Torga’s eyes, before going on with his
current intentions.
“I come to make amends with you personally, Lord Gagsa. It was my
own clumsiness that failed to kill you when I recovered the Witch at the
command of my masters,” he explained, somewhat loosely.
He was swinging it in the breeze now, having no real understanding of
the conceptual ideas of Drecks feelings, Drecks social honor, or male-to-
male, and male-to-female social attachments. Still, he felt pretty confident
his apology for not killing him would be accepted gracefully.
“You humans are strange. You let your females affect you so. Better to
set them aside until you need some pleasure – or you get hungry,” Gagsa
admonished him, but then looked at him thoughtfully for several seconds,

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before saying, “I … accept your apology. Who are these two beside you? Not
sons of yours?”
“HA! No fruit of my tree! These I took from a Witch who found them
abandoned and raised them for her own purposes. When they got too big
for her, she hired them out, and I got them for my crew.”
The tale was prearranged, and Endo and Gallus would play the part
perfectly. After all, they’d done so with many parts over the years.
“I trained them as best I could, but perhaps your sword master could
sharpen their steel?” he went on, “I’m afraid all they know how to fight is
little people like me!” he suggested, just as any leader would ask, seeking
to improve the skill of his men.
“HO! Now I see why you are here! You need someone else to teach your
men how to fight like men! Perhaps… Perhaps we are more alike than I
thought!”
Gagsa let out a booming laugh, which was echoed by several of the
retainers around him. He continued to laugh heartily, showing a relatively
likeable side to his personality – which was probably too much to hope for.
“You honor me, Lord Gagsa,” Rondal said, then added a very short bow
of his head – with his eyes always focused on Gagsa’s eyes – before Gagsa
looked back on the boys.
“Their hair is short – yet perhaps I have a woman or two who would
overlook that defect. I have a few young ones left who could be beaten into
proper behavior. They are for sale, should you wish to add them to your
crew for their pleasure – or in case you run out of food?” Gagsa suggested,
while clearly thinking of ridding himself of a few troublemakers among his
women.
“If the price was right, and my men could tolerate their ugliness. Ahh…
I have a meager gift for you. A product of my home world. Unfortunately,
the live ones do not travel well, but the meat is a staple on Earth,” he said,
then waved an arm back towards the food container, while keeping his eyes
on Gagsa as he silently bid Endo to open the case.
As soon as Endo’s back was turned, Torga leapt forward and attacked
from the rear, but before even getting within range, Endo had drawn his
sword and brought it up blindly behind him – blocking the projected path
of Torga’s blade. Torga diverted and tucked into a roll, but by that time,
Endo had turned and faced him – easily reaching in to disarm him while
he still crouched. He knocked the blade out of his hand with a backhanded
slap of his sword, and brought him up to his feet with the dull edge of his
Imperial-style blade under his throat – all while Gagsa and his retainers
watched impassively.

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The moment was tense, before Rondal threw a figurative bucket of water
over the issue.
“Ah! No doubt the influence of the Witch.” Rondal sighed, and shook his
head slowly while turning a sad face towards his host. “I share the suffering
for your loss … but I accept your Hospitality, my Lord!” he added cheerfully,
before asking, “When would you like to eat?”

A Little Later…
The party was more sedate than the one twenty years ago. Apparently,
the Drecks celebrated differently, depending on the occasion.
In this case, the party was well mannered, and the prepared food was
mostly cooked. He’d picked over several of the guests minds and caught
references to some of the more joyous occasions when the festivities had
included live food; many of it still arguing they were of more value alive
than eaten. For this meal, Gagsa had brought out several young Drecks
women and suggested that one or more of them be selected for dinner –
and not as companions. Endo and Gallus had politely declined, while
Rondal had begged off for “religious” reasons … eating sentient species was
not allowed.
They’d both lamented the shortsightedness of such restrictions, but
who dared to take such a chance?
The beef was a big hit. Gagsa admitted to trying one of the natives of
Earth, but found it to be distasteful. Rondal had pointed out that Earth
was, for the most part, polluted, but Earthlings tried very hard to take care
of their food sources. He suggested a variety of herd animals that might
suit the Drecks appetite for meat, then noted there were also several fruits
and vegetables appropriate to the Drecks palate should they want to try
transplanting some of them. Gagsa pointed out that Drecks were a race of
warriors, but Rondal countered with, “That’s what subject races were for.
Find a subject race on a suitable planet, introduce food stocks you like,
then make them produce it for you. Better yet, make them produce things
you both could eat, and set up trade routes between Drecks clusters to
provide a variety of foods for all the Drecks – the profits, of course, going to
the Pack who controlled the trade.”
They’d continued to discuss the practicalities of such an adventure, but
Rondal admitted he was a rather poor example of such – having been
trained as a warrior from a very early age. He did point out that, despite
his lack of personal knowledge, he knew professional managers could be
found to run such an operation that should return adequate resources to
the Pack Leader who kept a sharp watch over such an enterprise.

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In a lull of conversation, they’d shared a mug of something intoxicating,

while agreeing that life wasn’t always easy for the warrior who didn’t plan
for his usual non-existent future – but it was a good idea, just the same.
Then Gagsa had chosen four of the women to accompany Endo and
Gallus after dinner and see to their pleasure, and should they be found
wanting in that regard, they would be eaten the following night for sure.
Once they’d been led away, Rondal had supposed it was an effective form
of behavior modification, and Gagsa allowed it was usually successful, with
only the occasional argumentative dinner entrée. Rondal had then been
offered a bed warmer, as well, but he’d begged off, as he obviously didn’t
have the appropriate “manliness” to appreciate a Drecks female. Gagsa had
merely laughed, and told him he might find it pleasantly surprising, so he’d
accepted gratefully, and they continued with the meal.
The party finally wound down, and eventually just Endo, Gallus,
Rondal, Gagsa, and Gagsa’s son, Torga, were left sitting and drinking.
Endo and Gallus drank sparingly, and Torga seemed pensive somehow.
Gagsa drank heavily, and Rondal followed suit … all the while converting
the intoxicant into waste products, so he wasn’t nearly as affected as he
should have been. During another lull in conversation, Rondal reached out
and touched on Torga’s mind, where he read feelings of concern and just
a little bit of affection toward his father – and some fear that he would be
in pain soon if he did not end the party. Something about pills running
out? Or pills wearing off?
Rondal let out a sigh, then stretched just a bit while sitting in place,
before smiling widely with a lazy look on his face.
“Lord Gagsa, this has been an excellent party, and you have been a most
gracious host. You do me great honor, Sir, yet I fear I am about to fall asleep
from this excellent vintage. I would beg off to find a place to rest, my Lord,”
he requested politely; but Gagsa looked down at him critically.
“Why are you here, Rondal Caldar? Why now of all times?”
Rondal set his cup down and looked up at him directly. Now was not
the time, certainly not if Gagsa was going to soon become uncomfortable,
and he spoke quietly to him.
“My Lord … the Commonwealth and the Hegemony have been at odds
for my entire lifetime – and I’ve lived a very long life. I grow weary of this
conflict, and would choose another path. To this day, I don’t even know
why we’re in conflict, and I judge that, should each side wish to withdraw,
neither of us would find sufficient reason to continue. I would speak of this
with you – but at a time of clearer mind. Perhaps tomorrow, my Lord?” he
suggested quietly, while Gagsa continued to look at him, but his eyes
twitched with just the tiniest wince.

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“Very well, Rondal Caldar. I send my son to guide you and your men to
quarters. We’ll speak tomorrow.”
Rondal picked up Torga’s move to stand, and then his salute to his
father. He rose himself, and saluted as well, along with Endo and Gallus.
Then they followed Torga through a short series of corridors to quarters
set aside for them. Endo and Gallus found themselves sharing a room with
four young Drecks women, and Rondal was told his bed warmer would be
sent to him in a little while…
While he washed and used the facilities, Rondal reached out and felt
Gagsa and Torga together; Torga helping Gagsa, with Gagsa berating him
for his clumsy attack of Endo, and the amount of fuss he was handling
him with now. Underneath it, he could feel Gagsa’s anger at Maya for
ruining his son as a warrior, yet he still appreciated the care Torga held
for him.
Gagsa appeared to be a complicated and conflicted man…
The knock on his door broke his concentration, and he answered it to
find a Drecks guardsman leading a little woman on a throat leash … at the
end of a stick.
“Your bed warmer for the night.”
He unhooked the woman, then pushed her into his room, where she
tumbled to the floor.
“Sleep well!” he said, before closing and locking the door, and his
laughter could be heard as he walked away.
Getting to her feet, she looked up into his eyes and smiled prettily at
him.
“Would you like to play with me?” she asked happily, and Rondal
sighed, but held out his arms. He sincerely hoped she’d been fed recently.

Kantor, Royal Homestead, Children’s Quarters

‘Yes, Grandfather. I will tell the others. Our love to you’ Walter replied,
before settling back to consider this new information.
It was nominally playtime for them, but even though Rondal wanted to
keep the Elder in the dark about some things, he always tried to keep the
children up to date about everything … just in case.
Walter updated everyone on Rondal’s evening at the Eke outpost while
a guest of Gagsa. He included the tidbit about the little alien woman who
was just like Lady Tal’s companion, Déjà. She was called a Kee. That made
two of that species known to be functioning in a civilized society, if you

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considered the Drecks civilized. He also included Grandfather’s

speculation that they might be a subject species of whoever controlled the
Drecks. That was also in contention. Rondal had mentioned the baby
Drecks Maya had Healed, was now grown, and had become a fine young
man named Torga, who was fiercely loyal to his father, even as he was
berated for it. There was also the impression that Torga remembered Maya,
but it wasn’t confirmed as yet – should the question ever come up, and
Maya be allowed into the inner circle.

March 3, Kantor, Elder’s Quarters, Sai’s Update to Lady Ai

‘Yes, he spent the night at the outpost. I believe he is mad’ Sai projected
again.
‘He remains in contact?’ the Elder asked.
‘Yes, but he risks EVERYTHING by his actions!’
‘He left you BEHIND, did he not?’
‘He – he risks my BOYS!’ she insisted.
‘He risks your young MEN, now. Or so he tells me. I hear he found them
women, as well’
‘He did WHAT? He tells YOU everything, yet not ME? Why am I even
HERE!’ she fairly shouted … if one could be said to shout silently.
‘He does not tell me everything, Sai, and you are there for when he can
tell me nothing more. Keep me apprised of the situation. As always, I
appreciate your impressions of the mission, Sai’ the Elder finished.
The Elder sat at lunch with her staff while silently considering this latest
update from her ex-spy.
‘Well … well … well… Caldar entrusts his ship to SAI – the ship containing
the WEAPON he’d stolen out from under her nose, those many years ago.
And now, he dines with the enemy in his OWN camp. He plays dangerous
GAMES, this First Sword of Lili’s husband, and Sai believes he was truly
NOT at fault for this latest incident at Kale. If his story is to be believed, the
Drecks cruiser was led to fire upon one of their OWN ships,’ she pondered
thoughtfully.
How it resulted in the subsequent calamity was still in question,
however. She supposed she could simply ask him during his next contact
with her, while her Tier One staff continued working diligently on trying to
figure it out themselves. Their spies had learned the Captain of the
surviving ship had been promoted, and was slated to become the
commander of the next Avenger-Class cruiser. This tidbit of intelligence
had been obtained without resorting to Lord Caldar’s rather “unique”
method of extracting information directly from the Drecks court.

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Ai still wondered if that was thought up by Lord Caldar himself, or if it

was Lili’s doing?

Eke, Morning, Pack Gagsa’s Outpost

“I trust you slept well, Lord Caldar?” Torga asked him in greeting.
“Well, when my bed warmer finally tired, I managed to sleep a little.
Your father joins us this morning? I trust he is well-rested, and still wishes
to speak with me?” Rondal inquired cordially.
“He will be along shortly. There is a matter of discipline he must look
into,” he said quietly, but the look on Torga’s face was unreadable.
Quickly dancing over his outer thoughts, Rondal discovered the little
Kee female had been intentionally starved, before being dropped into his
room for the night, but as far as he could determine, it was not Gagsa’s
intent to cause him harm. One of his staff had decided on his own to test
the mettle of the Kantite Lord by sending him the wrong Kee, and this was
the disciplinary action Gagsa was currently dealing with. It also told him
they were knowledgeable about Kee management and husbandry to some
extent; at least enough to domesticate two or more of them, and bring them
along when they escaped from Kee – and that was a story he still wanted
to hear.
As they sat in the eating area waiting for his host, he updated the
children, then the Elder, and then Sai about the impending meeting. He
was not yet sure of which direction he would take, and his Visions last
night, undisturbed by the little Kee, whom he’d finally tied up in a corner,
were of several paths. All he knew for sure was that he and Gagsa needed
to talk, and something was looming over both their heads.
It seemed Torga was about to break the silence, when a commotion at
the door drew their attention. A Drecks retainer was unceremoniously
pushed into the room, followed by Gagsa and several of his retainers. Torga
and Rondal rose and saluted Gagsa, as was his due.
“Lord Caldar, it seems I now owe you an apology,” Gagsa said formally.
“This one presumed to decide for himself which of the bed warmers was for
you last night. He sent you one we had prepared for punishment of one of
our own. I trust she was of no inconvenience?”
Rondal shrugged slightly, then gamely responded.
“Once she tired of playing with me, I discovered she was hungry … so I
took her to the pantry and found something other than myself for her to
eat. One hopes that was acceptable, my Lord?” he asked politely.
“Ah! You’ve been with one before, then?” When he smiled, his upper
canines showed prominently.

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“Yes. They are suitable for play, but they fail to carry on an interesting
conversation – like most women!”
Rondal laughed, which triggered several loud laughs from both Gagsa
and his retainers. He also noted several thoughtful comments about him
having left locked quarters and roaming about freely during the night,
before catching the panicked realization by a few that the Kee hadn’t simply
taken him over and eaten him outright.
He reached out and checked on Endo and Gallus, who were still trying
to get dressed, even while their four bed companions were clinging to them
and begging them to stay a while longer. Apparently, nurture would go a
long way in this society if it ever got a chance to take root.
He asked them to hurry up, since he might need them – fully armed –
before Gagsa interrupted his thoughts.
“Still, Lord Caldar, I owe you a blood debt for violating Hospitality. I offer
you this one in exchange,” he said, then pushed the luckless man before
him.
Clearly older than Gagsa, and fiercely loyal to him, the retainer stood
proudly tall, all twelve feet of him. Rondal looked him up and down, then
circled him once, while looking him over – in particular looking at his left
arm, but it wasn’t really a good enough match. Still, as an example…
“I feel this one is loyal to you, my Lord, and I’m loath to deny you his
service … especially when there have been so many others who do not
share his commitment. Still…” he said loudly…
His sword flashed out, screeching for just a moment, while severing the
gentleman’s left arm with violet fire, then was sheathed in the same
movement.
“…it is acceptable,” he concluded, his final words ending as the arm
landed heavily on the floor.
All around were stunned, and to his own honor, the retainer merely
grimaced a bit while clamping his arm tightly to stem the flow of blood
spurting weakly out over the floor.
“Oh… My apologies, my Lord. We should have done this outside,”
Rondal muttered, then bent down, picked up the severed arm, and held it
up.
He looked at Gagsa, then at the arm, and then back at Gagsa’s stump.
Then he picked out another retainer and nodded in his direction.
“Would that he had found disfavor, my Lord. His arm is a much better
match!” He laughed, which brought a polite ripple of laughter among the
Drecks.

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Many of them had never faced a Kantite warrior, blade-to-blade, and

this demonstration had made an impression. Not a few of them now
realized how fortunate they’d been back at the Diplomatic Outpost before
their Lord had fallen out of favor with the Master Pack. Rondal’s crew
arrived during the relative silence of the moment.
“Ahh, Endo … Gallus. I seem to have slipped,” he said, then handed
them the arm, and pointed to the obvious recipient. “Would you please fix
this?”
For the next several minutes, Rondal watched as Gagsa and his staff
followed the Healing with a great deal of interest. He was advising, very
quietly on the Drecks band, as first Endo, and then Gallus worked through
the structures, one-by-one, with Rondal doing the majority of the detail
work through the boys, while letting them finish the general mending. It
would leave a scar, and probably hurt during certain seasons, but would
be mostly functional once again.
While he was doing that, he was also listening in on everyone present –
which was starting to tax his resources somewhat.
To his surprise, Torga was absolutely fascinated with the process, but
then again, he’d been through it once before with Maya, long ago. He
caught that bit of feeling from Torga that he wanted to talk to Rondal about
Maya. He also caught bits of animosity from a few of Gagsa’s retainers, not
only for him, but also towards Gagsa. It seems the old Lord was still held
in disfavor by some.
When the Healing was finished, Gagsa turned a clearer eye towards him.
“So … you are more than what you seem. I thank you for my man’s life,”
he said quietly, with a cautious bow – his eyes never leaving Rondal’s, and
Rondal returned the honor in kind.
“It is often a trade-off between lessons learned, and points proven,” he
suggested quietly, and Gagsa nodded his head slightly in agreement.
Instead of the party atmosphere that held sway the night before, the
morning breakfast was a much smaller affair attended only by Rondal and
his crew, and Gagsa and his son, while what few retainers present only
acted as servitors for the meal. Afterwards, Gagsa led them on a short
guided tour of his gardens, something he had personally been involved with
creating during the few years after they’d arrived on Eke. They eventually
wound up in a shaded area suitable for rest and lounging that was well
away from the other buildings.
“So how is the new Emperor?” Gagsa asked, while sipping a fruit drink
in the shade of a tree, and Rondal considered an appropriate answer while
looking around the gardens…

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There were trees, shrubs, a small pond with some sort of aquatic life in
it, along with ground and tree animals, and some sort of flying lizards.
Gagsa seemed to be surrounded by life, even though little of it was from
his very limited Pack any longer. Apparently, that was another thing he
had lost a lot of during his fall from grace…
“This Emperor is a bit … stuffy. A bookkeeper, if you will. I understand
his First Wife harangues him constantly for not taking more blood during
court proceedings.” Rondal chuckled, and was joined by Gagsa, who had
his own thoughts on leadership.
“Now the old Emperor… He was a warrior! I would have liked to face him
in battle one time!” Gagsa lamented, and Rondal had to agree – politically,
at least.
“Yes. No doubt that was said by many who are no longer with us,” he
muttered, all the while wondering just how far his father would have gone
to avoid that encounter.
He shook his head slowly in bitter reminiscence; taking a sip of his own
fruit drink, while looking around at the beauty of the gardens again, before
finally turning back to Gagsa and looking up at him.
“When I found disfavor in his eyes, I was cast out to dwell along the
Fringe. I finally ended up on Earth … where you seemed to have magically
found me?”
Gagsa looked over where the boys were talking with Torga. They were
sitting together, and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. He kept
watching them while he spoke.
“One of our detectors caught your beacon – just for a moment. That was
months before we found you in orbit. Whatever were you doing on that dirt
ball?”
“Would you believe … working the Gleanings from the Blight? The
Emperor finally found something for me to do that would not embarrass
him – and yet I still managed to do that!” He laughed, sharing the humor
of it with Gagsa, and afterwards, leaned back and sighed; fascinated with
the beauty of the gardens; it revealing a quite different impression of his
host, while slowly shaking his head at the incongruity of it.
“If he were still alive, I would not be here, my Lord, but the new Emperor
has suggested otherwise. Myself? I find it tedious to continue this constant
sniping at each other for no other reason than those who lived before us
started it all.”
“Then I ask you again, Rondal Caldar. Why are you here?” Gagsa asked
very seriously, and Rondal looked him over and touched lightly on his
thoughts, then searched his clothing and found a couple of bugs.

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“That I would share with you alone, my Lord, and not with those
listening from afar,” he murmured, while lifting up his own collar and
pointing to it, before pointing to Gagsa’s collar with his other hand.
Gagsa was surprised to find the tiny transmitter secreted under his
collar, and removed it and broke it. Then Rondal pointed to his left upper
pocket and flipped the flap on it. Gagsa felt around and found the bug in
the indicated place on his clothes and broke that one as well.
“I am surrounded by untrustworthy individuals,” he muttered darkly.
“I am sure they mean well, my Lord – for somebody.”
They both looked over at Torga, who was sitting well out of listening
range and still talking with Endo and Gallus; now apparently being regaled
by stories of their interesting evening with the ladies last night.
“He seems a fine young man,” Rondal murmured. “Would that I had one
as loyal to me. Endo and Gallus are just hirelings, and still maturing into
their manhood,” he told him, not mentioning they were several lifetimes
over the average Drecks adulthood at that particular moment.
“How did they learn to Heal that way?” Gagsa asked, truly curious now
that he had seen it with his own eyes. Rondal wondered if this, too, was
going to come back and bite him at some point.
“The Witch who fostered them, also taught them. Apparently, she got
tired of Healing every scrape and cut they got for themselves in play. It’s a
useful talent for a warrior.”
“Did she teach it to you, too?” he asked, and Rondal bent over and
showed him the back of his head, with the horizontal scar he’d never
Healed properly back on the platform.
“I learned this on my own. It took me twenty years to learn by myself,
but it works. If it works for Endo and Gallus, no reason it should not work
for everyone. It even works a little bit for the Kee girl I have up on my ship,”
he admitted, and Gagsa nodded as more understanding flooded his
thoughts. “As for why I’m here… I heard a rumor from Pack Calos that you
had also been residing on Kee as a guest of the Master Pack, but when I
came to visit, I’d found you’d already departed … and left a nasty surprise
for the supply shuttle.”
“HA! We took that shuttle … and their ship! They neglected us, and we
had to fend for ourselves for several weeks! I had my men break through
the floor of one of our secure buildings, and we lured our meals to come to
us!” he said, then laughed heartily at this revelation.
“Much like ice fishing! Very creative, my Lord!” Rondal said, then went
on to explain the activity in a few words.

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“Well, I wasn’t about to eat my own men, and if we ate all the women,
who would keep our beds warm?” Gagsa laughed again, and Rondal joined
in, before steering the conversation in a complementary direction.
“I should thank your man for his mistake last night. I never really
understood the Kee that serves me until last night. The one I have aboard
– all she wants to do is eat, sleep, and play.” During his chuckle, he
detected a question on Gagsa’s mind. “Yes, there is a way to overcome her
kiss. A gift to you, if you’d accept it, my Lord … but you’d still best be sure
she’s eaten.” He laughed once again, but Gagsa appeared wary.
“Witchcraft?” Gagsa asked warily, now leaning back a bit, while his
cultural upbringing brought up a barrier.
Rondal was momentarily stumped with how to approach the subject
without infuriating the man. He crossed his arms and tapped his fingers
on his lips for several seconds, before choosing a direction.
“My Lord … I would speak plainly with you, but I do not wish to irritate
you in the process. Would you be willing to listen?” he asked politely, then
paused before continuing at Gagsa’s slow nod.
“My Lord, on Earth … barely four-hundred years ago, Standard, there
existed men and women who learned about health and healing. Not
Healing like is practiced in the Commonwealth, but healing in general: the
birthing of babies, the setting of bones, and the treatment of illnesses. On
Earth, it was in women’s nature to be the healers and providers of comfort.
I believe this comes from their ability to produce life, while all we men seem
able to do is create better ways to cause death,” he suggested, and Gagsa
slowly nodded in agreement before he went on.
“In that time, instead of harnessing the skills of the women to do their
bidding, the men drove them from the lands; often killing them and
torturing them for treating the sick, and having the audacity of doing the
things men thought they were best at themselves. To this day, women are
in support of the men who provide the majority of health care to the modern
cities; yet it remains truthful that women are quite often better skilled to
accomplish the task.
“In the Commonwealth, my Lord, the men – oh, the men are very skilled
at the killing arts! Leave us to ourselves, and you end up with places like
the Blight,” he said, his arm waving out slightly while his eyes caught
Gagsa’s alarmed look. “Those places are none of your people’s doing, my
Lord. We’re capable of destroying ourselves quite nicely, thank you.
“Sometime before the Commonwealth was formed, it was discovered
that if we raised the women to the same skill level as our men, we could
create a balance! The men still had the drive to create better and more
effective ways to kill, but the women had the drive to help us control our

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self-destructive tendencies. Of course, as time goes on, the skills become

ever more distinct and powerful. My Lord, the Commonwealth has had ten-
thousand years to sharpen its talents – both the men, and the women.
What now seems natural and common to us, becomes supernatural to
those who have not grown up with it all their lives,” he said gently, then
glanced up to see that Gagsa had not seemed to take offence at his
comments yet.
“Just as a Class-Six citizen might be frightened of simple electric lights,
many Class-Six and above citizens might be fearful of other things they
simply do not understand, as yet. For example, Endo and Gallus spent
several minutes putting your man’s arm back together. The Combat-Healer
among my people would do that in but a moment – and think nothing of it!
And without exception, our Combat-Healers are all women.”
“And Endo and Gallus? Are they women in disguise?”
“HA! Endo and Gallus are but warriors, my Lord. Not as well versed in
Healing, perhaps, but still able to assist … and prosecute the enemy, as
well. That is what my first Healer taught me – she was tired of fixing every
little scrape and cut I’d received in practice,” he admitted, then focused on
Gagsa’s stump for several moments and just had to ask.
“My Lord, please tell me, for I am curious. You had ship docs, and
skilled surgeons. Why did you not have your arm reattached?”
Gagsa looked away sheepishly, and said, “I – it was damaged.”
“My Lord, I thought the cut was clean. It was clumsy, true, but still–”
“I damaged it! I stood there, beating my fool retainers with it, while you
were making good your escape!” he said angrily, but then started to
chuckle, which brought matching chuckles from Rondal.
That prompted the story of Rondal’s grandson, David, getting his hand
sliced off with a beam welder, and Rondal’s own accidents with the
simulacrums on the platform. Gagsa contributed several stories as well,
and they’d each poured another round of fruit juice in comradeship.
“Ahh, Rondal – in another time, another place, we could have been great
friends. Yet … we remain enemies, and here we are… And I dare not make
a move against you, nor you against me,” Gagsa lamented.
“That is true, my Lord. Neither of us would survive the outcome of either
situation, and our youth would suffer the worst for it,” he said, nodding
towards the three young Drecks still in conversation, before going on. “I
would sue for peace … yet that speaks of fear and contrition – something
the Commonwealth would never tolerate. Likewise, the Hegemony could
never do that for the very same reasons. Were we not two armed camps,

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we could simply go our own way and ignore each other – if not for the fear
we all hold; you of us, and we of you. I find this a puzzle that defies
solution. Perhaps if there were a common enemy we could pursue? Have
you any knowledge of such?” Rondal pressed gently, and got a ripple of
interest from Gagsa’s mind, but no information that would lead to
anything, so he decided on a different tack.
“Tell me, my Lord… What do the Drecks really want? Besides the
complete destruction of the Commonwealth, I mean. Do you see any way
we can meet as equals?” Rondal asked.
Gagsa looked down at him with a thin smile on his lips, but shook his
head slowly.
“As equals? Yes, perhaps as equals – in the arena! But what do I know
of politics? I am a simple warrior, and a disgraced one at that.” Gagsa
sighed, and produced a low chuckle that died out slowly.
“As am I, my Lord. My new Emperor sends me out here to do mischief
among you … yet my heart is just not into it. I have fought your people for
nearly two-hundred years, Standard, and I grow weary of it. Tell me, my
Lord. What lies beyond your realm? More Blight? Another adversary,
perhaps? Perhaps an interesting enemy we may both turn our attentions
to, instead of each other?” he pressed again, and Gagsa stared out at his
garden for a moment, before looking down at him with interest.
“Tell me, Rondal … if you were Emperor, what would you do?”
If he were Emperor? He was going to snarl things up right now by
confirming Gagsa’s suspicions of exactly who and what he was to the
Commonwealth.
“If my brother were to fall, and I became Emperor? If I were Emperor, I
would be inclined to resolve our differences decisively. If trust and
commerce were to fail, I would probably fall back on the usual – death and
destruction. However, I would not let my hands be tied by the Elder, as
were my father’s, Rakel Timorous. No. I’ve inherited many new traits from
my father during a Healer’s ceremony,” he said, before dropping his voice
to a whisper and leaning closer. “They thought it would lend me strength
and knowledge, yet I struggle with it constantly to avoid bringing chaos to
both our societies. Even now, there is a creature of the Elder’s above us
ready to snuff out my life, and everything else on this planet, should it
appear I’ve followed the wrong path,” he said dismally, while gesturing
upwards slightly with one hand. “So … here I sit, begging your indulgence
for a chance at resolution, and offering gifts in contrition.”
Rondal settled back in a lazy slouch, before suddenly asking, “How is
your eye?”
Gagsa shook his head at this abrupt change of topic.

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“It – it aches upon occasion. And the vision is … just shadows.”

“A small gift for you then, my Lord. This will hurt – but not as much as
rebuilding your arm,” Rondal said quietly, then laid his hands on Gagsa’s
thigh, before closing his eyes and proceeding to flush energy up through
Gagsa’s leg and body to affect a Healing of his eye, while trying not to
terrorize the Drecks Lord in the process.
Gagsa winced a great deal, but didn’t remark on the pain, and the task
was done in nearly three minutes flat – following Rondal’s quick and dirty
methods. Looking out through Gagsa’s mind, Rondal could see his vision
was remarkably better, so he pushed through a little more Healing and
softened the other eye’s lens, as well, to increase the focal range towards
that of a younger man. He watched as the pain gradually faded, and Gagsa
blinked his eyes several times while clearing them.
“It may take a day or two to settle in, but I am merely a man and no real
Healer – unlike our women,” Rondal shared the half-truth.
“I – I am speechless, my … my Lord Caldar,” Gagsa said with difficulty,
and Rondal noted the subtle change in association from Gagsa. He also felt
a certain warmth towards him now that was probably associated with the
unexpected boon of clear sight in both eyes. At least it was a positive
response, and he could run with that.
“It is little enough I can do to repay your Hospitality, my Lord. Through
my own foolishness, I brought down both our honor, yet if I can mitigate
your discomfort, then I will claim that as a small success, and rejoice, even
in my own downfall. It will take maybe a week to re-grow your arm, but I
can save you from those wicked Kee painlessly, and very quickly. In fact,
making you resistant to the Kee would be ideal, since she could then ease
your pain, and comfort you at the same time, while your arm is growing,”
he suggested enticingly, and Gagsa looked at him, then over at Torga. It
wasn’t hard to see he was worried about Torga against the Kee – something
to do with factions in his own camp, he felt.
“I could demonstrate on the boy first, my Lord? Or you may watch Endo
and Gallus in action with your Kee, although I wonder if your young women
would even let another female around them after last night, Kee or not,” he
said, which started a whole new round of laughter between them.

In the Kee’s Cell…

“Come here, girl,” Rondal called softly to the little Kee, who was hiding
in the corner of her cell.
She looked up at him and quivered. The Drecks, she didn’t mind, but
this one – the human one – she couldn’t control him, and he scared her.

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“Come along, girl, and I’ll feed you this nice young man standing here,”
he prodded gently, while patting Torga on the arm.
She finally got up and slowly came forward, stopping just out of arm’s
reach and looking up at him. She was short, just about five feet, but a bit
taller than Déjà. She looked up at Torga, looked back at Rondal, then up
at Gagsa, and then back at Torga again.
“Torga, let her lick your left hand,” Rondal said.
Torga reached out slowly and she cautiously stepped closer, before
sticking out her tongue and swapping his palm lightly. Rondal followed the
enzymes through Torga’s body and traced them down to the appropriate
receptors, before blocking them – setting up a permanent blockage until
Torga was brought up to Healer status. He somehow suspected it would be
coming sometime in the future.
Torga swayed a bit, but steadied up. She licked his hand again, and he
remained steady.
“How do you feel, Torga? Still dizzy, or can you control it?”
“I – yes, I’m not lost! Not like the first time. Father! My - my Lord, you
must – you should try this!” he said excitedly, while turning to Gagsa.
Gagsa held out his hand, and Rondal followed the paths again, putting
permanent blocks in for his receptors, as well.
Then he noticed the enzymes fitted the Drecks more perfectly than they
did human-standards, almost as if they were engineered to be more
effective against Drecks?
Gagsa held out his arms, and the Kee jumped into them, hauling herself
across his chest into kissing range, before wrapping her arms around his
head and planting a deep kiss on his lips. You could even see his throat
swallow when she pushed her tongue down part of it. After about a minute,
he pushed her back. She struggled to hang on, but him being nearly six
times her size, she was easily pushed away. She hung there at the ends of
his arms and one hand, and began to quiver before finally breaking down
in tears. Gagsa handed her over to Torga, where she launched herself at
him and attached herself to his face – trying to take him over, as well, but
after another minute, she let go by herself and slid down his torso while
crying bitter tears of frustration and fear.
“It’s all right, little one. If you’re good, you can play with me tonight,”
Torga offered her.
“After she’s eaten,” both Gagsa and Rondal said sternly.

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March 5, The Kraken, In Orbit with Sai

‘He’s bringing Gagsa and his son up HERE!’ Sai complained to the Elder.
‘You’re not the one who cut off Gagsa’s arm’ Ai reminded her.
‘That is not the POINT! He’s bringing them up HERE, and wants me to fix
his ARM!’
‘Then he hopes to make amends for his past wrong-doings?’
‘He’s not the one that brought a pod of TANKS into Hegemony SPACE!’
‘Yet you engaged no one, and never landed. What is the problem, Sai?’
‘He suggests I might wish to share CONTENTMENT with Gagsa!’
‘It is always up to you, and you are already experienced. How many days
has it been?’ Ai asked with a hint of amusement.
‘THAT IS NOT THE POINT! HE ATE MY GRANDCHILDREN!’
‘I see. Keep us appraised if Rondal does anything unworthy of our trust.
I have every confidence’ the Elder replied, before breaking contact.
Sai sat back in frustration. She was to take Déjà and begin setting up
tables and mixed seating arrangements for adult Drecks. Eight more place
settings, six of which to be separate from the others – presumably to
accommodate her sons’ new mistresses. Rondal had even directed her to
the portion of the ship’s manuals covering such changes. Then she was to
ensure there were suitable accommodations for them, as well. Endo would
be sharing his compartment with two women, and Gallus would have two
women of his own in his compartment. Sai would have Déjà sleep with her,
and Gagsa and his son would occupy the nominal holding cell – but the
doors would remain unlocked at all times.
Monitors for those spaces were to be reconfigured in Drecks, and other
signs in the facilities, showers, and common areas reconfigured in Drecks,
as well. At least he’d told her to keep the access level of those monitors to
the guest level and not wide open. Oh … and she was to defrost one of the
sides of beef for supper. The women would prepare it, if Déjà could show
them how to use the kitchen.
This promised to be a wonderful visit.

Welcoming the Guests…

True to his word, Gagsa had accepted Rondal’s Hospitality, which
displayed an extreme level of trust on his part. Rondal thought there were
other elements at play that didn’t get to play because they were no longer
planet-bound.

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In fact, they were no longer orbiting the planet, but ten diameters out
and offset from the axis of the system, just in case he’d missed any more
tracers than he’d found and disabled once they’d reached orbit. He’d
popped the rest of them on the women, Torga, and the little Kee, before
they’d even lifted from the planet, plus those other half-dozen he’d found
inside packages they’d brought along. Gagsa was the only one clean of
bugs, and had informed Rondal of every one he’d found, and what he’d
done with them.
Upon their arrival, Gagsa seemed to be truly relaxed for the first time
since he’d landed a few days ago, and only the occasional wince betrayed
his discomfort. Unfortunately, that was going to get a lot worse, before it
got better, and they’d brought along their little Kee to help mediate his
pain.
In fact, that one and Déjà had immediately broken into a gibbering
chitter that they’d kept up almost non-stop until Gagsa smacked his Kee
and told her to keep quiet. Déjà had then asked permission, and Rondal
had allowed, with Gagsa’s permission, for Déjà to take the other Kee and
show her around, while spending some time catching up.
“Just like real women!” Rondal had said, then laughed, with all the men
joining in, while Sai and the other four young women remained silent.
Sai was sent off with the four women to show them their temporary
quarters, the facilities, the pantry, the kitchen, and how to set things up
and run them on the ship – just as if she were the hired help. It burned
her even harder when she’d suddenly remembered that she was the hired
help.

A Semi-Family Supper
The liquor brought up from the planet flowed freely, and almost
everyone was having a good time. At least, Sai was invited to sit at the
“adults” table with Rondal and Gagsa during supper, while Endo, Gallus,
and Torga shared another table. The four other women shared a table of
their own – after they were allowed to serve. The Kee had seemingly
vanished until suppertime, and after she sat down, the planet-bound Kee
literally stuffed herself until it seemed like she would pop. Déjà, normally
a heavy eater, seemed to pick at her food daintily by comparison.
The conversation finally wound down, and Endo and Gallus wandered
off to their rooms, leaving the women to clean up after them. Sai
immediately noted some things would need to be corrected as soon as
Gagsa and his son left the ship. One thing she was surprised of were the
smiling faces of the women as they picked up after their assigned bed
partners, before clearing and wiping the tables. Déjà led the other Kee in
this task, as well, then sat patiently to the side while two of the women

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wandered off to bed, but the other two stayed behind waiting to pick up
after the rest of the men.
“So, when does my arm begin to grow? We’ve been here for half a day,
and I see no changes yet. When are you going to start?” Gagsa asked.
“We’ve already started,” Rondal said. “First we stuff you with the
material you need, and then we tell your body to grow it. Sai, we have
calcium somewhere, right?”
“*I’ll get them,*” she said, but caught the look from both Gagsa and
Rondal, and immediately bowed her head.
“My apologies, Lord Gagsa. I forget my place. I will bring the calcium,
Lord Rondal,” she stiffly corrected herself in Drecks, before leaving to get
the calcium pills.
“I think she is less than pleased with my company,” Gagsa suggested,
after Sai left the commons.
“We don’t really get along. She is the Elder’s watcher sent along to keep
me from starting a new war. If I step out of line, she is to take my head,”
Rondal explained.
“She? A mere woman?” he asked in confusion.
Rondal glanced to where Sai had gone, before turning back to Gagsa.
“Well, she taught Endo and Gallus – and you saw how slow they are.
She fancies herself capable, though. She is the Elder’s First Sword – even
if only a woman,” Rondal said in a lowered voice.
Gagsa glanced at where Rondal had looked, while putting more pieces
on the table and shuffling them around. Torga had been listening from his
lonely spot at the other table, but felt an observation needed to be
mentioned.
“She seems a bit … testy, doesn’t she?” he commented, causing Rondal
to look his way with a grim smile on his face.
“She is the mother of Maya – the one I recovered. The women on the
tables I cut through to reach Maya, were her granddaughters. She is
beyond testy.”
“And this is the Witch you would have me trust with my life?” Gagsa
asked with astonishment.
“Oh, no! No, no, no, no, my Lord. Just your arm,” he said, moments
before Sai returned with the pills.

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Starting the Party…

They’d relocated to the Drecks “guest” quarters, formerly the holding
cell, and Gagsa was now stretched out on one of the large beds after having
taken a relaxing shower – a somewhat unique experience for him. Two of
the Drecks women had joined them, and assisted both Gagsa and Torga in
the shower. They’d left afterwards to finish cleaning the commons, before
joining Endo and Gallus in their rooms.
Rondal made a mental note to have the boys grab more towels the size
of area rugs from the transport corridors, as these sets promised to get
much use over the next several days. Then he made another mental note
that it was time to update all his mental notes, because … you never
know…
Gagsa had earlier taken the calcium tabs, chewed them up, and washed
them down with water, followed by more liquor, and was now waiting for
something magical to happen.
“Déjà and… Torga, what is your Kee’s name?” Rondal asked, while
glancing at the planet-side Kee standing patiently out of the way.
“She has no name, my Lord. We don’t name the help.”
“Well, if I have more than one of something, I need a name to tell them
apart,” he said in distraction, before looking over at her again. “You. Little
planet Kee – your name on this ship is … Kiki. You got that? Kiki,” he said,
and her face lit up like a thousand beacons.
“Kiki! I am Kiki! Déjà, I am Kiki!” she said excitedly, and both Torga and
Gagsa passed sour looks at him, before rolling their eyes, while Rondal
looked down and groaned.
“I know… I know… I broke it. I bought it,” he muttered sourly, while
shaking his head in disgust. He sighed as Déjà and Kiki chittered back and
forth quietly, with “Kiki” coming up frequently in their conversation.
“We’ll work something out,” he finally said, then nodded his head slowly.
When he looked up, he saw Sai smirking at him, which only reminded him
of why they were all there.
“All right. Déjà … Kiki, get over here and be ready to ease Lord Gagsa’s
pain,” Rondal ordered, and they came close to the head of the bed. “And
that is all you will do, unless Lord Gagsa requests play from either of you.
You understand?”
“Déjà understands!”
“Kiki understands!”
Rondal bent over and marked the end of Gagsa’s stump.

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“Very well. Lady Tal, you may begin, now, please,” he said politely.
Sai let out a shallow sigh, before reaching out and holding Gagsa’s left
arm above the elbow and below the shoulder. Then her hands began to
glow.
‘I’ll GET you for this, Rondal!’
‘Do your job, Sai. Work with me here’
‘What is the point? Why don’t you just KILL him?’
‘I’m still investigating the situation. Perhaps we can bring down the
Hegemony from WITHIN’
‘He is an OUTCAST among his kind–’
‘Who’ll be boasting immunity from Kee, AND a new arm’
Gagsa lay there and grimaced quite a bit – growing pains, indeed. He
was holding his own, but was beginning to sweat.
“My apologies, my Lord. Déjà, you may help Lord Gagsa relax now,”
Rondal muttered.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” she said, then attached herself to his face,
only to discover that he was also immune to her chemical charms. She still
held on and stroked his face gently, caressing his ears and cheeks, while
he relaxed under the influence of her enzymes working through his body.
Rondal placed his hand on Sai’s neck, and added his energy to hers;
letting her direct it as necessary for Gagsa’s Healing. Déjà and Kiki traded
off watching Gagsa’s face and trading kisses with him when he looked to
be in pain. They kept it up for over an hour, before the Healing subsided.
“Would you like to play with me?” Déjà asked cheerfully, but Gagsa
ignored her while looking at the inch of growth they’d attained so far, and
was amazed.
“My Lord, we’ll stop for now and see the results in the morning,” Rondal
said. “It may continue for a while. You may use Déjà to ease your pain, or
provide for your contentment – or both, of course. If you have any pills for
pain, and wish to actually sleep tonight, that would be a suitable option,
as well.”
He stepped aside and pointed to a wall display. “Should you need
anything, the monitor is here, and it responds to voice and touch, or simply
call out for me, and the systems will alert me. I bid you sleep well, my
Lord,” he said, then turned to leave with Sai.

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“A moment, Rondal Caldar. You would leave us alone … on your ship…

Unlocked and unmonitored?” he asked, and Rondal tilted his head as if
giving it slight attention, before offering a tiny shrug in return.
“It matters not, my Lord. Walk about freely. The ship itself is locked,
and the absolute worst that could happen is all the special toys going off
all at once. It would leave an impressive hole in a dwarf star, but neither
of us would probably notice it. Oh, and avoid the vacuum spaces. They are,
you know, vacuum. Good night, my Lord,” he said, then half-bowed, before
turning to leave.

Later That Evening…

In the quiet of the night, Torga and Gagsa sat talking softly, while Déjà
and Kiki washed in the facilities, before coming to bed with them.
“This is what we have been fighting for five-hundred years?” Torga
asked.
“No. We fought the Commonwealth for five-hundred years. We fought
Caldar for only a few years – long enough to lose several moons, and a
planet – and nearly Zarox, itself, save for the intervention of his
stepbrothers.”
He contemplated that event, wondering again how the Master Pack had
achieved that minor miracle of subterfuge. It certainly did not seem like
something the current Master Pack leader was capable of pulling off.
Could the Master Pack’s bloodlines have degraded so severely after only
a few hundred years?
“His stepbrothers?” Torga murmured.
“Yes! Agents put in place to distract Rondal Caldar, and disrupt his
actions against us,” his father muttered. “Caldar was lost for six years, and
then reborn. His father cast him aside after Zarox, but he redeemed his
honor at the Fringe; yet he was cast aside again. We lost track of him, but
he would show up on the Fringe once in a while, conducting other bits of
mischief on his own, one would believe.” He paused in memory of the more
recent past, and his personal involvement in it.
“We finally met with him in person when he spirited that Witch from out
of our hands, only to lose him again. Do not fool yourself, Torga. Caldar is
dangerous, even as he plays the fool.”
“My father, you were not even born when Caldar attacked Zarox. How
do you know all this?” Torga asked, but Gagsa looked at him in disgust.
“For the same reason he seeks me out now. I have studied him, and
only now, it seems the Commonwealth chooses to study us. Or perhaps it

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is only him? Do you think he is an honorable man?” he asked, turning to

look intently at his only living son.
“I think he is a mad man to come to us like this, but yes, he seems to
know of honor,” Torga admitted, and Gagsa chuckled a bit.
“Madman! – That is what he was called … The Madman of the Fringe!
Remember this, Torga – know your friends … but study your enemies! He
is a clever one, this Caldar. He would have us believe that he cares for the
Witch; but he does not – or perhaps it is the other way around? A clever
enemy takes careful study in order to find his weak–” he broke off when
Déjà and Kiki entered the room.
“Do you want to play with us?” they asked sweetly.

March 6, Kantor, Royal Homestead, Outside in the Playground

‘What do you make of this, Walter?’ Rondal asked, while listening to Déjà
and Kiki chittering away in Kee, while relaying it to Walter, who was
currently playing on a swing.
He kept the stream up for several minutes, until Déjà caught sight of
him staring at them, and they both became quiet and wandered away.
‘It is not a language, Grandfather’ Walter concluded.
‘What do you mean?’
‘It is a random verbalization of thought-forms, and nothing repeats –
except for that word, Kiki’
‘I named the planet-bound Kee, as such. She seems to like it. If it is not a
language, then how can they communicate in it?’
‘That is a good question, Grandfather’
‘Perhaps it is a rolling code?’ Jaiying suggested.
‘Yes. Perhaps it is a rolling encryption that changes with every new
communication’ Cathy agreed.
‘That could be the case if they truly were engineered creatures as you
suggest, Grandfather’ Jaiying suggested.
‘Like a programmed machine’ Cathy added.
‘But that implies they have a purpose. And you cannot see into their
minds to find it’ Walter sent.
‘But who does it report to?’ Josie wondered.
‘And how does it report? It is not a machine’ Jaiying offered.

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‘We are bio-machines, children, and I report to you every day’ Rondal
reminded them.
‘Have you tried starving one yet?’ Walter suggested.
‘To make her more excitable?’ Rondal asked.
‘You said you felt something when Kiki was starved’ Cathy reminded.
‘You do not have to threaten her life’ Jaiying pointed out.
‘Grandfather is not that cruel’ Josie reminded.
‘I … I will have to see if Gagsa has another one prepared to punish one
of his own planet-side. If nothing else, Déjà eats enough for two, and she
can stand to miss a few meals. Do you think they are aware of it?’
‘Is a probe aware of its function?’ Walter countered.
‘Sleeper agents?’ Cathy suggested.
‘But reporting to whom?’ Josie asked.

On the Children’s Patio…

“Look at them,” Maya whispered to Diane.
“Why are we whispering?” Diane whispered back.
“Do you not see them? They are silent,” she pointed out quietly.
“Yes, Maya. Like all good children, sometimes it’s nice when they are
silent,” Diane said, a little louder.
“Shhhh! Shhhh! They are focused on something – all of them!” Maya
whispered again.
“Maya, they are focused on play,” Diane said in a whisper.
She tried to think of some way to divert her friend and teacher, then
smiled and reached out to caress the side of her breast.
“Maya, you appear very full, and I find my need upon me. Would you
please share contentment with me?” she asked, while silently calling for
Laisee to come to the patio.
“B-But the children…”
Diane stopped her protest with a kiss, then continued to caress her
nipples through her robes as Laisee opened the door and sat down near
by.
“Oh, Diane … Maya, why don’t you both go inside where you’ll be more
comfortable,” she said, now warming to the situation herself. “And Maya,

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perhaps you may save some milk for me? After you have contented Diane?
Before Walter gets it all?” She giggled to go along with the warm smile she’d
presented them.
They rose and went inside, while Walter congratulated Diane on a
successful diversion. Then he asked that she do her very best to content
Maya and save her youth for their Grandfather. Laisee broke in and
informed them that when Diane was done with her, she would do so as
well.
The children continued their conference with their Grandfather, while
considering the options currently available to him, and the possible
outcomes of his actions. Then they promised to update the rest of their
mothers.
A few minutes later, nothing had changed, except the rim guards
stationed unobtrusively above noted that Lady Diane and Lady Maya had
left the patio, but were replaced by Lady Laisee before they left. Many of
them wished their own parents had had that much concern over their own
safety and upbringing.

March 8, The Kraken, Sai Updates the Elder

‘I simply do not know what he is up to’ Sai admitted.
‘As Lili suggests, he often does not know himself’ Ai responded.
‘But this is madness! He lets them walk about freely, and see everything
he has!’
‘And none of it is traceable back to the Commonwealth government; this
is true?’
‘That is BESIDE the point! Much of this is very sensitive technology!’
‘And much of it does not even EXIST on Commonwealth ships … or Elder
ships, such as yours, if memory serves. Perhaps he means to entice them
into defection, Sai?’
‘DEFECTION? And where would Drecks defectors find a place in our
society?’
‘I understand the Demon’s Realm is accepting refugees from oppressive
societies’ the Elder teased her.
‘Just why would a Drecks, or a Drecks LORD, for that matter, chose to
give up his freedom and become a resident on a colony planet under new
rules, in a new society?’
‘And how are your young MEN this day, my Lady Tal?’ the Elder asked
pointedly.

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‘They… They… Ai-YAH!’

‘Just so, my Lady Tal. Remember, you are the gracious hostess to a
named Drecks… Lord Gagsa of Pack Gagsa. Perhaps it will bear fruit;
perhaps not. The piece in play is still not clear, but your path currently is. I
will advise you when it is not’ the Elder declared, before dropping the
conversation.
“*Damn!*” a still somewhat pissed off Sai muttered, before slugging back
a swallow of Drecks ale, that had none of the niceties of ambrosia, but still
gave you a quick buzz – even if the hangover was to die from.
“*I suppose NEXT he’ll want me to make HEALERS out of those trollops!*”
she spat venomously, before downing another few swallows of the
intoxicating beverage
“Not a bad idea at all, my Lady Tal. I was thinking along those same
lines myself,” Rondal said loudly in Drecks, causing her to swing around
and see that he was accompanied by, not only Torga, but also Gagsa.
She quickly rose and saluted Gagsa, which he returned casually.
“It is remarkable, my Lord,” Rondal continued, while turning to look up
at Gagsa. “Lady Tal was just considering the worth of teaching your young
women the arts of Commonwealth Healing techniques,” he alluded to
thinly at the opportunity Sai had just presented to him.
He turned back to Sai and smiled at her grimly.
‘Rondal – you can’t – this is not right!’
‘My ship, my crew, my orders – or I’ll dock your pay … and let you off at
the nearest port’ he threatened her.
‘I’ll tell the Elder. She’ll–’
‘She ALREADY knows. It WILL work, or it won’t. If it does, then it is of
benefit to Gagsa, for he WON’T let it out of his hands. Or it might destroy
him, and your problem is solved’
“You would have them learn witchcraft, Lord Caldar?” a concerned
Torga asked him.
“I would have them learn to Heal so they may better protect themselves
and their men. Your pilots fly a ship, but can they fix a broken arm? Your
surgeons can fix a broken arm, but can they fly a ship? It is the same. Even
men can learn this, although not as well!” He laughed while patting the
back of his head. “Healers are part of our crew. It is that way among us.
They Heal. They protect. They watch over us – mending our bodies, and
our spirits, and in return, we give them our protection – and our
contentment!”

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He laughed, which brought a little bit of cheer to his guests.

“Endo and Gallus, she taught to Heal, but she also taught the sword –
after a fashion,” he said while tilting his hand horizontally a few times.
“They still need a man’s skills to make them a little faster, and I’ve tried
my meager best to ensure it. We work together in the Commonwealth.
Instead of leaving our women behind to protect them from the enemy – we
take them with us! And when it gets too much for us, we turn our women
loose on them – and woe to them!”
He laughed again, getting a louder round of laugher this time.
Both Rondal and Sai felt Gagsa’s mind skittering over the possibilities,
before Sai felt the mental smirk from Rondal as Gagsa made up his mind.
“How soon could you teach one of the women?” Gagsa asked, testing
the limits of his host.
“The Witch’s daughter taught my crew in about a month, Standard –
once they believed,” he told him, then explained how he made them believe.
“Endo and Gallus were trained slowly and gently by a loving foster
mother. I do not believe in slow and gentle when lives are at stake. I would
suggest that we see how much progress they make by the time you can
clap your hands,” he said, pointing to the beginnings of a wrist forming
from the stump of Gagsa’s left arm.
“Three days, maybe four if they are not too frightened. If nothing else,
the lessons include how to properly provide contentment.”
‘Oh … you … BASTARD!’
‘Candy… Stick’ he replied.
“HA! You would sweeten the offer! I’ve heard you train your people how
to do everything!” Gagsa said, and laughed heartily.
“As long as there is pleasing to be done, it’s best done well!”
Rondal chuckled at Gagsa’s laughter and Torga’s blush.
Apparently, Torga had been within earshot of the women while they
boasted of the care Endo and Gallus had lavished on them, and also how
hard each of the women tried to find favor with them so they would be
taken away when they left. This was a new experience for him, and he
halfway hoped it would apply to him at some point.

March 9, Gagsa Gets a Hand Job

It was just Sai and Gagsa for this Healing session, with Kiki sitting close
by on palliative watch.

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“Where is Lord Rondal?” Gagsa asked when Sai sat down near him and
grabbed his arm.
“Lord Caldar sees to your women this cycle, Lord Gagsa. Besides, this
is delicate work, and unsuited for the skills of a warrior. You have taken
your calcium tablets?”
“Yes … bitter things to chew, let alone swallow – but necessary, I
understand. Structural building blocks of boney tissue within the body –
Drecks and human.”
‘Tell him the truth, Sai’
‘Go away, Rondal!’
‘He is a natural reader of truth – tell him everything’
“Humans, Lord Gagsa. You’re all just another form of humans to us …
just a bit bigger, is all,” she said flatly.
“You would trade words with me?”
“I would trade truth with you,” she said neutrally, then began the
Healing, while he digested her words thoughtfully.
“So, Healer… You consider me human?”
As the glow intensified around his arm, she looked up at him while his
hand started to ache from the accelerated growth of tissue.
“I consider you human-Drecks. Just as I am human-Cletus. If we can
interbreed, then we are both human enough.”
“I do not know of any children of Drecks and … others,” he said,
winching slightly, while now wondering about certain stories he’d heard.
“Matings between Drecks-male and human-standard females have a
bad habit of killing the women before they can conceive. If she does
conceive, the baby will often kill her in childbirth … and then be killed by
any Drecks as a half-breed.”
“I have heard rumors of such. Endo and Gallus – are they such a half-
breed?” he asked curiously, and Sai detected truthful curiosity in his
question.
“I don’t believe so. Their blood work shows pure Drecks race lines on
both sides of their make-up, so I believe they are pure blood. Pure blood
Drecks, my Lord,” she added hastily, recognizing the difference between
common blood and named Drecks blood.

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“Endo and Gallus – the women find much favor with them. Rondal tells
me they learned the care of women from you,” he said, leaving it open-
ended.
“Yes. I began with them when they were younger, and taught them to
be polite lovers,” she said proudly.
“And yet you live?”
She stifled the comment she wanted to make, and simply spoke calmly
and truthfully.
“I stretched – around. Lately, Endo and Gallus have been growing again,
and we must be careful. Endo is concerned that he not hurt me by pushing
too hard.”
“Then this must be difficult for you, as he proceeds vigorously with the
women he was allowed,” Gagsa offered solicitously.
“Well … as Caldar tells me, it was time they grew up, anyway. I suppose
I’ve held them back long enough,” she muttered quietly.
“Held them back?” Gagsa asked casually, and she nearly bit her tongue
at her flub.
‘Tell him, Sai. Tell him the truth’
‘Your head it lays on!’
“I think they were about seven or eight years old, Standard, when I
found them,” she said truthfully.
“Where did you find them?” he asked, but winced from the pain when
she ramped up the flow once more.
“Out on the Fringe … by a wrecked transport. Back before I served the
Madman, after Lord Caldar was cashiered from the Imperial Navy. They
must be … ohhh … a hundred, eighty-four, Standard … eighty-six? One
loses track after so long,” she said, then ramped up the energy once again
when his knuckles started to form. His mouth formed a painful grimace,
and she looked over at Kiki.
“Kiki, your Lord could use some relief,” she said quietly.
“Oh! Oh, Yes! Thank you! Thank you, my Lady!” the little Kee said, then
eagerly went to work.

A Healer’s Test
“Your hands, girl,” Rondal said, and searched through her to find her
passages had opened freely from top to bottom. “Adequate,” he announced,
then turned his hand to Endo, who bared his arm for him.

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Rondal sliced it gently and let it bleed cleanly for a few moments, while
the girl watched him warily. He pulled her hand over, clamped it around
Endo’s arm, and told her to Heal it. She froze while looking at the blood
oozing through her fingers, so he smacked her on the cheek; focusing her
back on task, while teaching her from within. He had little time for
squeamishness, and none at all for fear of failure. Effectively, he was
guiding her actions, and she was learning under his guidance. The wound
knitted itself together quickly – as he had taught himself to do – and it
stopped bleeding. By an act of will, he pulled it apart again and made her
do it over, and then once more, all by herself.
‘Well done, Endo! You do me proud’ he pushed at him gently.
‘She better treat me well this evening!’ he responded.
‘Ha! You’ve won her heart – both of them’
“Adequate for a start,” he finally said. “Next!”

Time for a Break…

“You’re done? That’s it for this evening?” Gagsa asked, while looking at
the row of knuckles that had formed and held just the stubs of finger joints
growing out of them.
“You’ll need to rest and eat again – and more calcium pills. When Caldar
lost most of his left side, it took years to rebuild. Of course, most of that
was his pride,” she said wryly.
“He looks much better now, I note. That was the Healer’s art?”
“His Healing was the Healer’s art. His youth he stole from those who
displeased him! He abuses his power, and flaunts it for all to see!” she said
angrily, causing Gagsa to see her in another light.
“One assumes you have no love for Lord Caldar? Yet you serve him?”
“I serve him at the orders of my Elder! Him, I would gladly see dead!
Just as I would you!”
“Ah! You are the sword dangling over his head, then. Yet he fears you
not? It seems a peculiar relationship.”
“He saved my daughter from – from you! Then he wiped her mind from
the memory of it, such was its horror,” she said fiercely, and he was about
to ask her how that was done, but she went on in frustration.
“He taunts me daily with his abuses, and yet my Elder allows him to do
so – only waiting for him to fail. Then she will let me take his head!”
“And if he does not fail?” he asked, and watched her seem to deflate in
front of him.

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“Then … I am stuck with him … as are you. He has even extended family
status to me and my boys – and to my Kee. He will die before letting
anything happen to family,” she said wistfully, now wondering just where
her life was headed.
She went silent for several seconds while considering one possible
solution, then smiled widely, and chuckled evilly for a moment, causing
just the tiniest bit of a chill to run down Gagsa spine.
“You’re right. It is a peculiar relationship, but I believe I have found the
solution to both of our problems, my Lord. We’ll let Caldar adopt all the
Drecks – and he will kill himself trying to keep everyone alive!” she declared
gleefully, then started laughing very hard, much to his concern.
She was still chuckling as she gathered up her things and left his
quarters.
‘By the Dark, they’re both mad!’ Gagsa thought, who then thought he’d
gone mad as well, when he clearly heard Rondal’s voice in the empty room
ask ‘Ah! What is the Dark, my Lord?’

Kantor, Royal Homestead, Children’s Quarters

‘The Dark. Drecks mythology. Drecks theology. Find out anything you can
about it. Send it to Larl through Mama Amy, soonest, and get back to me’
Rondal asked them.
‘We will do so, Grandfather’ Walter promised, before dropping the
conversation.
‘Jaiying, have you reached Zarox yet? It should still be where I found it’
he asked.
‘I will search and listen for those references. May I take over someone to
search for us?’ she asked, and there was a quick conference.
‘At least two of us … perhaps three to be safe. We don’t want to be
discovered’ Cathy pointed out.
‘Even if we are, they can always have an aneurism’ Josie suggested.
‘Josie! You are spending WAY too much time listening to Aunt Lili’s
thoughts!’ Jaiying admonished.
‘No. That was from the Elder. She fears how to kill Grandfather if he
continues to displease her, or if Grandmother Sai fails her’ Josie corrected.
‘I think that’s how Grandmother Kita killed Great-Grandfather. It’s what she
suspects, anyway’
‘Not to worry. Grandfather has already put a work-around in place’
Walter told them.

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‘How do you work around a brain aneurism?’ Cathy asked, so he told

them.
‘EWWW…’ came a chorus of girlish thoughts.
‘But it’s still a work in progress’ he quickly added.

March 11, The Kraken, Gagsa’s Hand is Complete

Lord Gagsa leaned back after lunch and clapped his hands cheerfully.
Then he wiggled his fingers and squeezed his fists, flipping both hands over
and back several times while comparing the two of them together.
They looked nearly identical, save for being either left or right.
“That’s why I had Sai do it for you,” Rondal said. “If I’d done it, they
would be mismatched – one all pink and new, and the other all brown and
worn. Sai is pretty good at cosmetics. It looks much like the original …
although I don’t remember much about it.”
“It is remarkable, Lady Tal. This tiny scar was on my original hand …
I’d gotten it in sword practice,” Gagsa said, while looking down at one finger
in particular.
“I pulled its memory from your tissues, my Lord. Rondal could fix his
head perfectly – he’s just too lazy.”
“It is women’s work! Unfit for a true warrior!” Rondal declared, then
remembered a promise.
“The women! Where are the women Healers?” he called out loudly, then
banged his hand on the table several times, which brought a rustle from
the corridor when the four women of Endo and Gallus came forward.
“Torga … your arm, if you please,” he said, while holding out his hand.
‘This should be interesting, since they’ve only worked on Endo and
Gallus’ Rondal mentioned to Sai and Gagsa on two separate bands; Gagsa
not yet knowing his thoughts were open to Sai as well.
Torga held out his arm, and Rondal grabbed it, then sliced it neatly:
drawing blood that dripped slowly to the floor.
“First girl, come forward and Heal this,” he said, and the tallest girl came
up, wrapped her hand around the wound, then glowed just a tiny bit. When
it dimmed down, she pulled her hand away, and a tiny pink ribbon of flesh
was revealed; smooth and hairless. Rondal selected another spot to cut
and had the second, and then third girl in order, Heal it.
“Last girl, come forward,” he called out; but this time Gagsa held out
his new arm to receive the cut.

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Rondal just nodded and cut it neatly, then waited for the girl to act, but
she just stood there in fear.
“Girl! When a Healer is frightened, it frightens everyone else. You are no
mere girl now! You are a proud Healer of Pack Gagsa! Heal your Lord!” he
ordered her sternly.
She met his eyes, glanced at Gagsa’s blank face, then looked down at
the puddle of blood. She seemed to steel herself, then reached out and
clamped the wound tightly, before her hands began to glow quite brightly
for a beginner.
Several seconds later, she pulled away, with not even a pink line to show
where the scar would be.
Gagsa looked at his arm, then back at the girl … and smiled.
“Well done, little girl! Well done, little … Manya!” he said proudly,
naming her with a Pack name for the first time in her life.
He held out his arms, and she rushed to him gratefully. After a suitable
bit of tears and hugs, he pushed her back and looked at her at arms length
– held in two hands now.
“Whom would you serve?” he asked, and she ducked her head and
smiled.
He let her go and she backed away, before turning and walking in front
of Endo, and then Gallus. She went over to Endo once more, before turning
and dropping to her knees, head down, in front of Torga.
Rondal tensed, for he knew this would end in only one of two ways in
Pack Gagsa.
“Torga, someone named Manya kneels at your feet. Will you have her
keep your quarters, or will we have her for dinner tonight?” Gagsa asked
ceremoniously.
Torga walked around her slowly while looking down at her with disdain,
before finally stopping in front of her again.
“I think … my quarters could be cleaner. I will try her out – and if she
displeases, she will serve for dinner … perhaps,” he said imperiously.
Rondal relaxed, but silently brought Sai up to speed on the Pack
bonding ritual they’d just witnessed. He hoped Torga had been paying
attention when Endo and Gallus invited him to join with them and the girls
over the last several days. A quick scan detected both her hopes and his
fears – good. If they worked together, it should all work out.

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‘A nice Gift, my Lord Caldar. I read from Torga that he fancied her for
some reason. She also was drawn to him’ Gagsa shared.
‘I could have used this at Zarox – but then we could not share the joy of
these two children’ Rondal replied silently, while watching as Manya shyly
looked up at Torga.
‘Indeed’ Gagsa agreed…
Rondal had worked quickly with him over the previous few days and
took all the short cuts he could find in getting Gagsa’s mind to the point
where he could read other Drecks minds without detection. Perhaps he’d
allowed too much of his own mind to be exposed, but the goal was so
tempting that he couldn’t resist.
Besides, it didn’t matter much to him anyway, because he was already
a walking dead man, and knew it. Somehow, it lightened his load, though…
“Well, are you ready for our dance?” Rondal asked him.
“HA! You teach your crew to fight blindly, yet you expect me to face you?
A wise warrior knows his enemy, and you have too many unknowns about
you, still! I would wager you could fight both blind and headless! Anyway,
I believe if I wait long enough, the problem will take care of itself,” he said,
then laughed heartily, bringing all of the men together with him in
laughter.
When things finally settled down, Torga wandered off with Manya, and
Endo and Gallus followed suit with the other three women; leaving Sai
alone with Rondal and Gagsa. The Kee, for whatever reason, were hiding
out somewhere.
‘So you’ve given him back his eye, and given him back his arm. On top of
that, you’ve given him four Healers. And taught him how to access the
Drecks band, if I heard right’ she sent stiffly on the human-standard band.
‘Oh Sai, you’re just sooo sensitive’
‘What are your plans now?’ she asked him, but Rondal just smiled, then
turned back to Gagsa.
“My Lord Gagsa, I would arrange for the purchase of two of these women
for my crew … and a Kee … a somewhat starved one, like what was
presented to me,” he requested.
“Ah, but they are no longer worthless women of the Pack. You would
expect us to sell valuable Pack Healers? What have you to offer?” Gagsa
asked casually, but with a sly smile.
“Three transports of Earth beef,” he offered.
“Bah! That’s just food!” Gagsa said in disgust.

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“It’s a rare Earth import! – probably illegal, too, and I offer … four
transports!” he countered.
“Not enough for Pack Healers, but … I can give you three other women,
and you can train them as you like … and you can keep the Kee you
broke … for seven transports!” Gagsa countered.
“My crew only needs two women – and not ugly ones. I suppose I can
starve my own Kee … five transports!” Rondal countered.
“Rondal, my gracious host, I forget my manners. Three women – Endo
and Gallus get to pick two of them, plus you keep my Kee … six transports!”
Gagsa offered, while hoping Rondal would do the gracious thing and offer
one more transport.
“Ah, my honored guest! You shame me with my poor bargaining skills.
Three women are too much for merely five transports. I find that I must
sweeten the deal,” he lamented sadly.
‘Sai, turn around and walk away’
‘Huh?’
‘Turn around and walk away – you don’t want to see this’
“I give you … ten more years,” he said very quietly; then, clasping
Gagsa’s hands tightly, flooded him mightily with energy from within himself
for several minutes.

Kantor, Royal Homestead, Children’s Quarters

‘Oh-oh. Grandpa did a naughty thing’ Josie reported.
‘He gave Gagsa ten years?’ Walter asked in amazement.
‘More like twenty or thirty to a Drecks’ Jaiying suggested. ‘He must have
thought it was a good idea’
‘The Elder is not happy’ Cathy mentioned.
‘Can’t we just wipe her mind?’ Josie asked casually.
‘JOSIE! We don’t DO that! We’re the GOOD guys … and girls!’ Cathy
declared.

March 12, The Kraken, Sai’s Latest Update to Lady Ai

‘No, you may not kill him, yet, Sai. I must see the outcome of this, first’
‘He gave Gagsa ten YEARS! That’s like TWENTY … or even MORE to the
Drecks! They are THAT different from us! Rondal has AGED ten years, and
Gagsa looks in his late THIRTIES, Relative! I had to put AGE lines on him

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before we dropped his party off! And Rondal weakened himself too much!
Gagsa could have killed him, in but a moment!’ she complained bitterly.
‘At least he did not adopt them all – was that not your suggestion?’ the
Elder asked.
‘My Elder … yes. It was a joke. Now he’s bargained for MORE women for
Endo and Gallus, and we now have a SECOND Kee he wants to starve’ she
pointed out.
‘Oh. Perhaps we should kill him for cruelty to the Kee?’ the suggestion
echoed back.
‘No… His reason is valid. He contacted me when she attacked him after
she thought he was asleep. When she’s really hungry, her mind seems to
become available to some degree’ Sai told her.
‘Ah! Was Rondal injured by the Kee?’
‘Let us say, if he were not a Senior, he would still bleed every time he
pees’ she remarked in subtle satisfaction.
‘Ha! How fortunate for you, then – as your sons are soon to be occupied,
and your Kee now has a companion’ the Elder offered in consolation.
‘I will not let him touch me!’
‘Until your need comes upon you. I will watch the paths with interest, and
see what new pieces fall onto the table. Keep each other alive and well, Sai’
the Elder ordered with finality.
Sai slumped back in her seat and contemplated the Elder’s lack of anger
over the life transfer between Rondal and Gagsa. Although she personally
found it abhorrent, it was not – in itself – an illegal act. Rondal had freely
given Gagsa ten years of his own life – or rather, transferred life energy
stolen from that pile of dead Kee he’d left behind on Kee several years ago.
Then again, stolen might be a misnomer, since the Kee in question had
been determined to eat Rondal at the time; so it might be construed that,
while a life transfer had taken place, it had gone in an unexpected direction.
Still, the results with the Drecks leader had been unexpected, and she’d
been pressed into service to cosmetically change Gagsa’s hair color and
skin texture, while leaving the rest of the physical changes alone. Overall,
it was no different from when Lili had given herself larger nipples in order
to please her husband. She cast a silent prayer to the Gods that the
Emperor’s First Sword hadn’t fucked things up to the point of disaster for
the Commonwealth. In a magnanimous gesture, she tacked on a similar
concern for the Hegemony.

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Eke, Gagsa’s Outpost, A Leave Taking

Since they were being escorted by an array of guards and retainers,
Rondal and Gagsa remained silent while slowly walking out to the shuttle.
Hospitality on Eke was at an end.
Torga and his new companion were surrounded, and being led by
guards, while Endo and Gallus were leading two young women of their
own. Several boxes and bags were included, and two of the six emptied
food transports had already been refilled with fruits and vegetables, before
being stationed at the closed shuttle entrance.
‘This truly is the path you’ve chosen? It appears bumpy and less traveled,
yet quite suitable for a young warrior such as yourself’ Rondal offered.
‘I would first clean my house … then see who comes after to clean me’
Gagsa responded. ‘You know well what it is like to be banished to the far
reaches’
‘Yes, but I did not have spies in my own house. I bid you tread carefully,
my Lord, and let none suspect what you know, and what you can now find
out’ Rondal suggested.
‘Those who oppose me will suffer!’
‘As my brother would say, “some things need a paper trail, and some
things do not.” Documenting your proof may do much to divert attention
away from yourself. Accidents may plague the rest’
‘Ha! Well said!’ Gagsa replied, pacing along sedately, while politely
letting Rondal keep up with him.
‘You are sure about Torga, as well?’ Rondal asked once more.
‘What a coup to place a Drecks spy beside the brother of the Emperor of
the Commonwealth. That is what the official – secret – documents will say …
if they are written. Publicly, he will be cast aside as a hopelessly useless
son of Pack Gagsa, but only he will know he is a spy for the Drecks – unless
you tell him different. I leave that – and his safety – up to you’
‘Do you forget where we are headed, after leaving here?’
‘Do you forget what you’re taking him away from, here?’
‘Ah! Understood, my Lord. And my Lord … Torga is as family to me’
Rondal stated clearly.
‘Then we are of one mind on this’ Gagsa suggested.
‘Indeed’ Rondal agreed.

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They arrived at the shuttle, where Rondal quickly scanned the

transports, while Endo and Gallus popped the lids and checked for loose
items. Two of them held fresh vegetables and fruits, courtesy of Lord Gagsa
– but he would still test for poisons, just the same, or simply dump them
in orbit. The few tracers he’d found were left alone, but their locations were
noted. He would blow them as soon as they reached orbit. He’d already
blown tracers placed on clothing while they’d walked from the outpost’s
main building. He’d thought of giving that skill to Gagsa, but now that he
knew what to look for, he would be peeking into various thoughts until he
found the ones who’d planted the bugs, and then achieve an accounting.
“Rondal Caldar – Hospitality ends the moment you leave our orbit. I
have let you ease your guilt by giving me back my arm, and for that, I let
you live. I trade with you for these worthless women, so your poor crewmen
do not go mad from lack; and I give you a troublesome Kee that you
somehow broke,” Gagsa said brusquely, before turning to his son.
“This worthless one I send off with you,” he added, pointing to Torga. “I
send a woman with him, as he cannot even clean up after himself!”
Gagsa laughed loudly, and the entire group laughed with him, while
Torga hung his head in shame.
“If you can make a man out of him, then perhaps I’ll petition the Pack
Master – to LOWER the price on your head!” he roared, which brought more
rounds of laughter.
‘What is the appropriate response?’
‘Thank me for your lives, and promise to make a man out of Torga’
“Lord Gagsa – I thank you for our lives, and your Hospitality. I will see
if I can inspire manly traits into that one,” he said, while pointing at Torga,
and getting more laughter in response.
‘Good enough, Rondal – as long as they laugh. Which reminds me’
“A special treat for you, Caldar – another traveling companion!” he added
loudly, then waved for an upright wooden box to be brought forward.
A ripple of laughter followed the box all the way from the rear of the
party, until it reached the side of Gagsa. Four guards surrounded it, and
held leashes in their hands that led into the box. After the box was opened,
a human-sized figure was let out, wearing a dirty jumpsuit and a bag
covering its head. From the bumps on the front, it appeared to be female,
and the leash straps were attached to her neck. Her hands were already
secured behind her back, and she was led to Rondal’s shuttle in hobble
chains.
“Who is this, my Lord?”

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“This is the third woman I promised you! And be careful – she bites!”
Gagsa roared gaily, and the rest of the crowd laughed even louder.
‘Who is it, Lord Gagsa?’
‘I’ve no idea. Someone brought her in, and we have no idea of who or
what she is. She speaks, but no one can understand her. She is the last of
her group, and was given to me in trade. I cannot help her, and keep my
position. You … perhaps you can help her, Rondal?’
‘Understood, my Lord. And rest assured; no one will discover the truth –
from me’
‘We are in accord’
‘Indeed’
“Endo, Gallus – more supercargo. And be cautious. Strap her in safely,
but tightly. We’ll interview her after we get out of here.”
They finished packing, then launched without further delay, with
Rondal popping all the remaining bugs and tracers – save for the
interesting one he’d found buried inside the body of their last guest. It
would take a special effort to remove it safely, and he wanted to see exactly
what it was, before doing so.

The Kraken, Packing Up and Moving On

With the Kraken finally locked in place, Rondal sent his tiny asteroid
hanger drifting out of far orbit and on its way out of Drecks space. Then
they set about packing away the cargo, and finishing a bug search for
everything recently off planet. Once things were in place, and their
passengers settled in, he turned his attention to his new prisoner.
She had been kept secured until they were ready for her, before being
taken to the prisoner quarters. Endo and Gallus stood by, while Rondal
carefully removed the bag from her head – letting a tangle of dirty blond
hair fall out. Cornflower blue eyes searched wildly around her, and she
started struggling as soon as she saw Endo and Gallus standing next to
her. As Endo and Gallus drew her over to one of the large beds, she began
screaming through her gag, and making loud, nasal vocals. Rondal was
getting nothing from her initially – just like the Drecks – but her emotions
were radiating out from her in waves of fear and terror. He keyed the com
panel and started speaking in Drecks.
“Sai, please have Déjà and Kiki come to the holding cell, to assist me.
You’d better come along. We’ll need a tall jumpsuit, underwear, slippers,
comb, and brush – and a toothbrush. I’ll want Déjà and Kiki demonstrating
what to do, and how to do it – from washing, brushing teeth, and using the
facilities – even how to change clothes.”

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“On the way,” she responded, and arrived shortly, with Déjà and Kiki in
tow.
“Kiki – do you know this one?” he asked, speaking in Drecks and
pointing to the woman.
Kiki had been hiding behind Sai while cautiously looking around her.
“That the Crazy One! She Bites!” she said.
“Did they ever place you with her? Can you control her?”
“No – but … she Bites!”
“Kiki – can you control her?” he asked again patiently.
“Maybe – if she not Bite?” she suggested.
“Endo, Gallus – give your leashes to Déjà and Kiki. Go ahead and leave
the room, then get your new women settled in. We’ll keep working on our
mystery woman here. Oh … and lock the door behind you,” he added.
Once they left the room, he noticed her anxiety level had dropped
significantly.
‘Great! Now we’re locked inside the room with a MAD woman’
‘Of so little faith, Sai? Her party was captured and killed by Drecks, and
we have Drecks on board’
‘I’m not going to let her bite me!’
He frowned at Sai, before turning to Déjà and her new companion.
“Déjà, I want you and Kiki to demonstrate how to take a shower. No
playing – just a shower. Wait, does one of you have to use the toilet? Kiki
should need to – she eats enough.”
After a chittering discussion in gibberish, he got his answer.
“Kiki needs to poop! We will teach!” Déjà said happily.
Rondal led the hobbled prisoner over to the facilities, where Kiki
dropped her clothes – all of them – and mounted the tall toilet.
She first voided herself, and then cleaned herself, showing the prisoner
quite graphically exactly how that was accomplished using the toilet’s
spray attachment. Rondal had made the prisoner kneel in front of the toilet
just to make sure she saw everything.
“*We shooow … we shower!*” Kiki exclaimed in Standard, bringing a
surprised look to both Rondal and Sai’s faces.

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Déjà then dropped all her clothes and got into the shower with Kiki,
while Rondal and Sai helped the prisoner up and brought her over to watch
how it worked, and how to wash herself.
The Kee kept to the training script and washed themselves using soaps
from the proper dispensers. Then they got out and showed where the
towels were stored – the really big towels.
“Okay, now we’ll have to get some smaller towels in here,” he muttered,
before asking, “Did anyone bring a new toothbrush, comb, and hair brush
for her?”
Sai held up a new toothbrush, hairbrush, and comb, then laid them on
the counter, while Kiki and Déjà brought out their personal toothbrushes
and showed how they brushed their teeth while looking in the mirror over
the sink, as the prisoner watched in fascination.
‘Looks like she’s never seen a toothbrush before’ Rondal suggested.
‘Well, I’m not sticking MY fingers in her mouth to check for cavities!’ Sai
shot back.
“Okay, Déjà, face me and big smile. Let me check your teeth,” he said,
then made a show of looking at her teeth, and then having her open her
mouth to look at the inside of it in the mirror, herself.
“Very good, Déjà,” he said, and without being asked, Kiki opened her
mouth for his inspection.
He checked her teeth over carefully and told her she did a good job, too,
and then patted both of them on their heads to their beaming smiles.
“Dressing … girls, grab your clothes and let’s go back to the bedroom,”
he said, then led them back and got the prisoner sitting up on the high
bed.
Looking around, he thought it would be a good idea to put in adjustable
beds at some point, but figured this would just have to do for now – as long
as she didn’t fall out of bed.
“Lay out her new clothes, from inside to outside, and do the same with
your own clothes,” he said, then waited until they were ready.
He waved his hand in front of the prisoner’s face to get her attention,
before prompting her to watch Déjà and Kiki.
“Underwear first – then jumpsuit – then slippers. Do it slowly, so she
sees how to open and close the seams,” he instructed.
After they both dressed slowly, they opened and closed the seams on
the new jumpsuit and underwear to show the prisoner how it worked.

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‘Sai, are you getting ANYTHING from her? Anything at ALL?’

‘She rolled her eyes while watching the girls get dressed, so that seems
familiar to her. Washing and brushing her teeth seems new – or different
than what she’s used to’
“Kiki – do the Drecks have the same toilets and showers as we do?” he
asked.
“*Much same! Pretty much same. But not for her. She Prisoner!*” Kiki
said.
“Very good, Kiki. You are learning very quickly, but you still need to
speak Drecks with Torga and the new girls until they learn, too,” he
reminded her.
“Déjà teach me! Déjà take care of me! Déjà plays with me!” she said
happily.
‘Whoa! Something just tweaked her’ Sai sent.
‘What?’
‘Whatever Kiki just said’
“Déjà teach you,” he said slowly, “Déjà take care of you. Déjà plays with
you.”
“Yes! Yes! Déjà plays with me!” Kiki said happily. “Déjà plays with me!”
‘The word seems to be “play” in Drecks’ Sai pushed.
‘So – prior exposure to Kee? No one else says “play” as much as they do’
‘Perhaps she was abused?’ she suggested.
‘Well, if she got frisky when we untied her, I had intended for Déjà or Kiki
to kiss her’
‘Maybe just lick her hand or arm instead?’
‘Good idea!’ he agreed, while turning back to their prisoner.
He pointed up to his lips, and then to her lips, before miming, removing
her gag. He did this several times, and when she finally nodded, he had
Sai remove her gag. A soggy lump of leather was attached to the inside of
it, and she seemed greatly relieved when Sai handed it to Déjà and ordered
her to toss it down the disposal chute. She actually smiled a tiny bit when
Déjà came back empty handed. Then she said something to them that was
maddeningly familiar to him on some level. Leaving that alone for now, he
proceeded with the next step.

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“All right, girls. This is what we’re gonna do. Off come the leashes and
hobble, and then I’m gonna untie her hands. If she gets violent, I need the
both of you to lick her on the neck or hands – maybe even her legs. If that
calms her down, we’ll all leave the room and let her be alone for a while.
We should probably leave some food for her, too.”
“What if she doesn’t respond to Kee kisses and licks? You’re not gonna
hit her, are you?” Sai asked.
“Ship doc has some tranquilizers, but I’d rather not use them if we can
avoid it. Same thing with the painkillers I brought back from my last
delivery. With the enzymes, we can follow it through her blood stream and
neutralize it if necessary. Drugs are a bit tougher to deal with, and they
leave a headache. Okay, here we go.”
He started loosening the leashes from around her neck, but she started
to mutter. The more he got loose, the more excited she got – and not in the
good way. Her eyes were darting all over, while Sai was speaking low and
softly to her; trying to show her she wasn’t in any danger. As the final leash
came loose, they could see the scarring around her neck.
Rondal placed his hands around her neck to do a Healing, but she
started screaming frantically until he moved away. Sai reached up and
patted her on the shoulders, while starting a gentle flow of calming energy
through her until she began to settle a bit. Then she slid her hands up
slightly and got the Healing done without causing her any more alarm. She
began muttering again, but seemed to be calming down due to Sai’s efforts.
‘She thought I was going to strangle her!’ he shared in wonder.
‘You HAVE killed before’ Sai pointed out petulantly.
‘Let’s try her feet’ He pointed down, but dropped his hands in disgust …
no keys.
‘Doing something FORBIDDEN here!’ he pushed out loudly, before
popping the locks on her ankle chains with a bit of will.
‘Forgiven, Lord Caldar’ the Elder’s voice echoed in both Rondal and Sai’s
head.
‘You really DO talk to her?’
‘Well, yes – but I don’t like to bother her with trivial stuff like this’
With her legs suddenly freed, the prisoner alternated between shrieking
and kicking in desperate wiggling attempts to get away from them. Even
between the two of them, they were hard pressed to hold her in place. He
finally gave up, grabbed her by the hair, and yanked her head back, while
Sai struggled with her legs.

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“Girls, please get in here and lick her neck a little bit!” he said, while
struggling with the prisoner.
The Kee approached warily, but when they saw she was being held
securely, they both applied their tongues to the woman’s neck until she
eventually started to relax. Déjà finally got brave enough to force her mouth
open – bad breath and all – and shoved her tongue down her throat to give
her a good dose of enzymes. It finally knocked her out, so they could finish
removing her clothing. He flipped her over and removed the ties holding
her arms behind her back, before stripping her down completely. Then
both he and Sai went over her body while looking for scars, wounds, cuts,
and other problems. Meanwhile, Déjà and Kiki took turns keeping her
quiet.
“She’s not a woman – she’s just a girl. She’s still a virgin,” Sai said in
surprise.
“You’re kidding! She’s got a lot of hard travel on her,” he said, then
checked for himself.
He extended through, then poked around her organs. Following the
enzymes, he reported her receptors were slightly different from human-
Cletus, but very similar to his. On a hunch, he asked Kiki to kiss Déjà,
then followed those traces down to the corresponding receptors – but found
the female Kee didn’t appear to have any. They just got a little bit giddy, is
all.
“She’s a bit different than you, Sai, but that doesn’t say much. Shay is
a lot different in her gestation period, but you’d never know it by a physical
inspection – certainly not with anything we can do here, unless you’ve got
some hidden skills. Maybe in a lab?” he thought out loud.
“Are you done poking around inside her, yet?”
“No – come and look at this with me,” he said, then drew her attention
to the device lodged in her abdomen. It was just above her uterus, and
appeared to be an implant of some sort.
“You ever seen anything like that before?” he asked, while gently
pressing on her abdomen and feeling it just below a layer of muscle.
“Can you see inside it?” she asked, so he concentrated harder to try to
pull out the details.
“Circuitry – whoa! Tiny circuitry. I don’t know if it’s a tracer, a bug, a
homing device, or a bomb. It could be a regulator of some sort, but not for
the heart. A birth regulator? Sai, is there any indication that … no, you
said she’s a virgin.”

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“Virgins get pregnant all the time, but no, I see no evidence that she
was ever pregnant … or sexually active,” she said.
“I’d sure like to remove it – especially if it’s a bomb. There doesn’t appear
to be any attachments to her body. It’s held in place in a flap of muscle.
Looks like it’s been growing a while – the muscle around it, I mean. Well,
let’s take her clothing apart for a bug search and dispose of it – it’s pretty
torn up. Look… Standard clothing labels, so these aren’t her native clothes,
anyway. Lemme take one more look at her brain,” he murmured, then dove
in one more time and stayed quite a while.
Déjà gave the girl another deep kiss when she started to stir, but he
finally pulled out a few minutes later with a disgusted look on his face.
“Nope – just a brain. I can barely detect activity in it. Of course, Déjà
has her pretty much knocked out, but I’m not picking up anything on the
standard bands, or the Drecks band.”
“It can’t be that hard. You know where we think, and now you know
where the Drecks think,” Sai said. “Have you ever tried to slide up and
down a bit to see if there were other bands?”
“I…. No, I never really thought of it that way before. No reason why we
shouldn’t be able to. Just never had a reason to.”
He called out ‘ship handling’ and extended to the bridge, then poked
around a bit. They were on the very edge of the Hegemony Realm, and
further away from the Commonwealth than he’d ever been. He stopped the
ship remotely and held it invisible in space, setting trips out to ten-
thousand kilometers, and another soft detector out to one-hundred
thousand kilometers.
“We’ll park here tonight, and get a fresh start in the morning. Déjà,
would you and Kiki please bring some fruit for our guest? Our fruit – none
of the food from Eke. She can drink the water from the taps.”
They grabbed all the loose dirty clothing, before leaving her naked on
the bed, with the fresh clothing neatly piled beside her. Sai went in and
placed her toothbrush, comb, and hairbrush in the facilities next to the
sink. When she came out, Rondal was just covering her with a blanket.
The girls came back with an armload of fruit and left it on the table, before
the prisoner was locked in for the night.
Back at the commons, Rondal set up a system recorder to monitor the
prisoner continuously. Then he got a bite to eat, before going to his
compartment; trusting his crew to have gotten Torga and his mate settled
in, as well.

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Later That Night, Sai Reports the New Crew to the Elder
‘Are they pretty ones?’ the Elder asked her.
‘Pretty enough. Apparently, word got around, and they drew lots to be in
the group for selection. If they treat the boys’ right, they will be treated well
in return’ Sai replied.
‘With you as their teacher, they should treat them VERY well. What about
the boy – Torga, and his companion? Spy, or not?’
‘Officially, Gagsa gave him up as a worthless wastrel. In secret, Gagsa
scored a coup by placing him with Rondal – the brother of the Emperor. The
boy loves his father, and supposedly thinks he is a spy. Just how he is
supposed to report, is anyone’s guess. He has no communication equipment,
and has no access to ours’
‘Watch him and teach him truthfully. Nurture seems to be your skill in
these matters’ the Elder suggested. ‘What of the new guest?’
‘She remains a mystery. She speaks no known language, although
Rondal seems to think it is familiar somehow. She appears human-standard.
Class-Six, or perhaps Class-Five from her reaction to various ship systems,
but we do not know her previous experiences under the Drecks. She has that
strange device in her abdomen that Rondal wants to remove and examine –
just as soon as he can speak to her and ease her fears. She tries to hide
from our Drecks companions, but shows little fear towards the Kee. With us
she is fearful – somewhere in between. Again, we have no historical
references. Rondal has a few ideas he wants to try’
‘Why not just read her mind? Or is she like the Kee? Oh! Has Rondal
starved a Kee yet?’
‘Can’t read her mind – not yet. And Rondal is holding off on starving one
of the Kee. He thinks he should starve both of them so he doesn’t show
favoritism. I think he’s content to wait for one of them to displease him, and
will then use that as the excuse’
‘Always practical – if you wait long enough to see it. Ease your mind, Sai.
The path grows clearer each day you are together with Rondal. Rondal …
Ronnie … is he … reverting at all?’
‘Sometimes … it’s like he is just under the surface … almost as if he were
afraid to come out and play’
‘Remain hopeful, Sai. I understand Maya is gaining a better
understanding of our position within the Commonwealth now that she is
Senior’
‘Gods grant her the grace to even BEGIN the understanding’ Sai shared.

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‘Indeed. Keep us advised, Sai. I have every confidence’

Sai had been cautious. She didn’t tell the Elder everything Rondal had
done – such as teaching Lord Gagsa how to read Drecks minds. She knew
she was supposed to tell her, and she’d probably be chastised about it
later, but in the eyes of the Commonwealth, she was officially part of
Rondal’s pirate crew now, and he was holding her to specific restrictions
on what he allowed her to talk about. The irritating part was that he
actually trusted her, even knowing she was the Elder’s First Sword. She
was beginning to doubt that even now, but … no matter. She was tired and
would deal with tomorrow soon enough.

March 13, Beyond the Drecks Realm

Rondal was up before the bottom of the morning, and spared a glance
at the prisoner on his cabin’s monitor. She was currently pacing the floor
of the holding cell, while he was reviewing the recording of her during the
previous night on an inset image at a corner of the display…
He’d fast-forwarded the overnight recording and watched when she’d
awoken and jumped out of bed to find herself naked. She’d quickly looked
around for anyone else in the compartment or facilities, before paying
careful attention to herself in the mirror; looking all over her body as far
as she could see. She’d even checked her vagina, then gingerly slipped a
finger inside herself until wincing when her hymen was reached. She
seemed to relax after that and finally made use of the toilet.
She’d come back much more relaxed, then attacked the fruit Déjà and
Kiki had left for her. He’d watched as she’d eaten fruits common to the
Drecks at first, then tasted the newer varieties from their Commonwealth
larder. Apparently, she hadn’t eaten well for a while, and he’d made notes
in his log, while watching her intake of food to see if anything didn’t agree
with her.
Once full, she’d visited the toilet once again, then drank some water
from the sink, before going back to look at the clothing they’d left her.
She’d picked up the pieces, but only tested the seam seals once. He
noted that Sai had been right about that. She seemed torn between getting
dressed and doing something else, when he’d watched her wipe her hand
under her armpit, then smelled it – and frowned. He’d almost laughed
when she’d dropped the clothes and headed back to the shower. She spent
a long time in the shower, while washing her hair repeatedly.
Untangled, it fell forward down her front and covered the curves over
her breasts, and he’d estimated her as somewhere between seventeen to
twenty, Relative. Maybe on the younger side of seventeen, even.

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He’d watched when she’d selected toothpaste from the dispenser with
the toothy smile on the label, and touched her tongue to the paste – tasting
it gingerly. Once satisfied with the taste, she’d brushed her teeth
vigorously, and, like her hair, repeated it a couple of times, before finishing
up with a careful inspection of her mouth in the mirror. Satisfied with the
results, she’d set aside the toothbrush, then used the comb and brush to
straighten out the remaining tangles in her hair. Checking herself in the
mirror once more, she’d looked closely at her neck, while turning her head
at different angles, then kept touching her neck where the leashes had
been attached so tightly before their removal.
She’d looked almost pensive, before finally backing away and returning
to the outer room to dress. She’d sat listlessly for a while, but started
pacing like a caged beast. As the minutes dragged on, she’d hopped on the
bed and laid down to rest before finally falling asleep. The inactivity
eventually triggered the motion sensors, and the cell lighting dimmed
accordingly, while she slept through the rest of the night…
He was getting ready to visit the facilities himself, when Sai contacted
him.
‘How’s our guest?’ she asked silently. Her yawn was only hinted at, but
he could still feel the impression of it. It felt like she’d just woken up from
a restless night, with both Déjà and Kiki crowded onto her bed with her –
crowded being relative, as it was a Drecks-sized bed.
‘From the recordings, she got up in the middle of the night, checked to see
if she was still a virgin, pooped, ate, pooped again, then drank some water.
Then she brushed her teeth several times, after hopping in the shower and
washing her hair several times, as well. She got dressed, got bored, and fell
asleep. That was over night. Now she’s just pacing her cage. You can see
her on holding cell cameras one and two’
‘She looks restless’ she noted after about a minute.
‘She took note of the Healing you performed on her neck yesterday. I don’t
know if she’s been exposed to Healers before. We could do a few
demonstrations, if you think it might draw her out?’
Something suddenly clicked in her mind.
‘You DO that, don’t you?’ she asked him.
‘Whatever are you talking about?’
‘You. You PUSH people! You present different situations, just to see what
happens! If you don’t get a reaction, you just push different buttons, and
wait to see what happens!’ she persisted.

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‘Don’t be ridiculous, Sai. I must sometimes offer different stimulations in

order to garner a response of some kind that gains us a better understanding
of a situation, but everyone does that’
‘You push people’s BUTTONS!’
‘Well … sometimes. It doesn’t seem as much fun as it used to be, though’
A silent sigh was pushed along with his thoughts, before he continued in
a different direction.
‘Too bad about her virginity. Torga and the boys are with feminine
company, and Déjà and Kiki have each other, now. Oh, my … I guess that
leaves just the two of US, Sai’
‘Not in this LIFETIME, Caldar!’ she shot back vehemently.
‘You mean … not AGAIN?’ he teased her lightly, then felt the waves of
her anger wash over him. ‘Perhaps I should offer you a … GIFT?’
‘You keep your hands to YOURSELF, Caldar!’ she shouted silently.
‘Oh, no … not THAT Gift, Sai. ANOTHER Gift. Something reserved for
SPECIAL family’ he offered.
‘Does it involve any part of YOUR body, inserted into MINE?’ she asked
warily.
‘No… Not unless you WANT it to’ he teased her again. ‘But that would be
a distraction, anyway. I must report to the rest of my staff. Let me know
quickly, before the day begins properly. I feel it is time to involve you further
into my conspiracy’ he stated, before breaking contact.
For as much as she’d wanted to kill him, he trusted Sai with family –
completely – and felt it was time to put another back-up plan into place.
He hoped it didn’t piss off the Elder too much when she found out about it
– if she found out about it. Lili would definitely be pissed when she found
out, though.

Kantor, Lady Ai Receives a Quick Update from Sai

‘Elder, the female’s implant is in this location’ she sent, then outlined the
approximate size and position of the device.
‘Do you know what it is, Sai?’
‘Calder wants to remove it, but he is concerned that it may explode. He
moves cautiously … for him’
‘How unusual … for him’ the Elder opined, but noticed the sidebands.
‘You seem pensive, Sai. Was there something else? Perhaps Rondal has

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been considering sharing contentment with you?’ She felt momentary

startlement from Sai, but her answer was given glibly enough.
‘He teases me with the loss of my boys to the new batch of women. My
Kee is attached to the new one, as well, and he suggests we are left only
with each other’ she stated in frustration.
‘He is not without skills, Sai. You should take advantage of him, if only
for your own contentment. In that context, use him for your own purposes’
‘If I must, I suppose’ Ai felt her sigh from nearly an hour away, before
Sai went on with her report. ‘We are at the backside of the Hegemony, and
proceeding further away from the Commonwealth’
‘Whatever for?’
‘He … he has a hunch’ she offered lamely.
‘Never fear, Sai. Upon your demise, I will insure your daughter receives
all your back pay and savings’ The Elder had sent this without rancor, but
it was still somewhat sobering in context.
‘I live to serve’ Sai pushed out sadly before breaking contact.
The Elder thought over her report, then called for Amy and Larl to
attend her.
She wanted this new information disseminated quietly, but needed to
have a plan in place first, so it did not make any of these “special” people
aware of their discovery. A select group of Seniors were going to become
very busy in the near future, and she wanted her best technical advisor
and his bond-mate in at the beginning – provided he and she were not
already implanted.

The Kraken, Greeting the Senior Staff

Sai just could not get back to sleep with the unsynchronized snoring
coming from the Kee, so with a disgusted sigh, she made up her mind to
give herself over to Caldar’s demands.
He might still do something reprehensible, but her hopes had continued
to steadily diminish. In her mind, the Elder had become extremely forgiving
of late. She washed, got dressed, then went to his compartment, where he
met her at his door.
“I’m here, Caldar. Do what you have to do,” she said resignedly.
“Ah! Welcome, Sai. Please sit with me,” he said, offering her a seat
across a small table from him.
She sat and looked at him, but glanced over through a door at the
freshly made bed, then back to him again.

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“There’s time enough for that later if you want, my Lady Tal, but I must
report to my Senior Staff, and I wanted you along to correct my errors.
Please give me your hands,” he said while reaching halfway across the table
to her.
She tried reading him, but, as usual, his mind was tightly closed. She
gingerly reached out and held hands with him, but when nothing
happened, she just sat there staring at him.
“No fear, Sai. The Gods hate a coward. I just need to poke around inside
your head a little… Ah! There and … there and … that little bit over there.”
‘How do you feel, Sai?’
‘I’m not all that excite(!) What did–’ she stopped and looked at him in
surprise.
The clarity and precision of their mental communication had been
boosted nearly tenfold.
‘What did you do to my head?’ she asked silently.
‘Rearranged a few things to make this easier for both of us. I need a
partner in this, and you are family. The closest family I have, anyway. You
need not worry about burdening the Elder with your concerns about this,
unless you choose to turn against me. She will not pick up on it unless you
let it happen deliberately. This is how I communicate with my Senior Staff,
and I feel it’s time for you to meet with them – again’
‘Again?’ she pondered, but was suddenly disorientated by a sense of
traveling great distances.
‘Walter, I bring you your Grandmother – Mother of Maya’ he pushed out
in advance.
‘Greetings, Grandmother’ a youngish voice with the presence of age
surrounding it, came back.
‘Walter? Is that little Walter?’ she asked incredulously.
‘I am little now, Grandmother, but I should grow to be of use to women in
time’ he quickly shot back.
‘Boys! Always thinking with their little heads’ came a giggling rejoinder.
‘Welcome, Grandmother! I am Cathy!’
‘I am Josie!’
‘And I am Jaiying. Greetings to you, Grandmother!’
‘Caldar, I … I never imagined…’

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‘Yes. Grandfather thought he had lost his mind when he first heard us’
Walter pointed out.
‘But he’s MUCH better, now!’ Cathy shared, and they could feel her
giggle, along with her silent words.
‘Where are you, Grandfather? I see nothing around you’ Jaiying asked.
‘We are at the edge of space beyond the Hegemony. I intend to go visiting,
and see what lies beyond. We have a new guest’ he mentioned, then
proceeded to give them a complete run down, from the first mention of her
by Lord Gagsa, to that morning’s security camera view of her walking
around the cell.
‘Can you feel her at all?’ he asked.
‘Somewhat. She is not the total void that Déjà and Kiki are, but she does
not project, either’ Jaiying said.
‘The device could be almost anything’ Cathy suggested, which
precipitated a flashing conversation among them that neither Sai nor
Rondal could keep up with. After several more seconds of delay, the
children finally returned to the conversation.
‘We will search for them here, and report to you if we find any’ Josie
advised.
‘Cathy and I will start at the Fringe, and work our way out to the rest of
the Hegemony’ Jaiying suggested.
‘I would worry more about finding them within the Commonwealth’
Rondal suggested.
‘I will search for them carefully, Grandfather. Ah … Mama Shay and
Andy play again’ Walter mentioned, then drifted away for a moment.
‘Boys!’ the girls giggled in unison.
‘If he keeps it up, he’ll NEVER grow into the man he needs to be to
participate in the flesh’ Josie pointed out. ‘And I want him to be my FIRST!’
‘We will ALL take turns with him’ Cathy suggested. ‘After all, who else
would understand us as he does? Except for maybe Grandfather?’
‘We’ve got lots of time for that later, girls’ Rondal pushed quickly, while
a flush rose in his cheeks. ‘What have you got on the Dark?’
‘We have our creatures among the Drecks researching what little they
know’ Jaiying reported. ‘The “Dark” appears to be their version of our
“Gods” – except the Dark seems to have made a prominent physical impact
at a somewhat recent time in their past’

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‘Timeline?’ Rondal asked.

‘A thousand years, Standard … perhaps two’ Josie told them.
‘Any written history?’
‘Fragmentary – such as on your Earth, Grandfather’ Walter pointed out.
‘Welcome back, Walter. How was it?’ Rondal asked curiously.
‘I do not see how you can resist the charms of Grandmother Sai.
Grandmother, please do your best to keep Grandfather young. We are trying
to keep Maya young for him, as well’
Sai suddenly flushed, but pushed back ‘We will see if we can work
something out’
‘There are several individuals with implants of that nature, or closely
related, on Kantor’ Walter suddenly reported. ‘Most are among the Royal
houses and the Elder’s staff. There is one here within the Royal Homestead’
‘Meela?’ Rondal asked, while glossing over just how quickly Walter had
conducted a search.
‘No, Grandfather. It is our Maya’ he projected quietly.
Rondal’s thoughts spun as he ran through the possibilities, but Cathy
spoke up first.
‘We will search her memories, and look at the device. Perhaps we can
determine when it was implanted’ she offered.
‘Likewise, we will search and probe for similar information with the
others we find, Grandfather’ Jaiying added
‘Maya can sense Drecks. Perhaps it is Drecks related? We will test the
Drecks bands on any we find, Grandfather’ Josie added.
‘Send your results to the Elder, via Amy’ Rondal ordered. ‘She can slip
them into the reports the Elder is having them research for such persons.
Make NO mention of Maya being so afflicted!’ Rondal pushed forcefully.
‘Never, Grandfather! We protect family above ALL!’ Walter asserted.
Rondal thought of something else, but Cathy brought it up first.
‘You would have Grandmother speak to Maya directly, but we fear it
would open up too many bands that could not be blocked’ she pointed out.
‘It would open Maya and us to risks that are too delicate to ponder casually’
‘Maya is not Senior now?’ Rondal asked, somewhat confused.
‘She is, but … she is not particularly well seasoned’ Jaiying offered.

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‘Better that Grandmother Sai sends personal messages through the

Elder’s office. We can put the idea into Lady Ai’s mind, and have Mama Amy
be the target for Grandmother’s personal messages?’ Jaiying suggested.
‘That is against the rules, children’ Sai reminded them.
‘A suggestion only, Grandmother’ Cathy assured her. ‘If the Elder thinks
it’s a good idea, then it matters not where it comes from … there. The next
time you report to the Elder, voice a desire to send routine family
communications to Maya and ask if it would be too much of a bother for her’
‘I … you all take after your Grandfather, don’t you?’ Sai asked weakly.
‘And I hope to learn the Gift one day’ Walter pushed.
‘Boys!’ the girls giggled once more.
‘Thank you, my family. I am very proud of each of you. My love to you all,
and to your mothers and fathers’ Rondal sent.
‘And to Maya?’ Jaiying teased.
‘Yes … and to Maya – but not Molara!’ he teased back. ‘Contact me or
Sai with whatever you learn. Protect the family, protect the Commonwealth,
and protect the Crown’ he finished, before dropping away in thought.
Sai was about to drop, as well, when Cathy called out to her.
‘Grandmother, when the time comes for you to take Grandfather’s head,
please do it cleanly … at the neck. Follow his instructions about his body,
afterwards. Completely – if you would honor his memory. For all our sakes’
she asked her.
‘I … somehow doubt it will come to that’ Sai pushed back gently.
‘Please, Grandmother. For all our sakes’ Jaiying insisted.
‘For his honor, Grandmother’ Josie added.
‘For the family, Grandmother’ Walter added.
‘I … I will do my best, children’ she replied quietly.
‘We have every confidence’ Walter relayed on behalf of the Senior Staff,
before they dropped the conversation.
Sai and Rondal continued with the extended conversation they’d just
had with his Senior Staff back on Kantor, that had lasted an exhausting
minute and forty-five seconds – that long, because Walter had paused to
experience the peak of passions between his mother and brother during
their session of morning sex. As best he could, Rondal explained to Sai,
with mental imagery and history thrown in, as well, his understanding of
the current status between him and his Grandchildren, and what they

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were currently involved with in support of their Grandfather, their family,

the Commonwealth, and the Crown. It was a sobering discussion; one that
left Sai wondering if she even needed to be on this voyage at all – especially
having received the special request from the children regarding Rondal’s
impending death. She feared broaching it with him, but felt it was
necessary to bring it out into the open. He let her suffer with the telling of
it, but reached out and gently held her hands.
“There are many paths we could follow, Sai, but I’m afraid that most of
them lead to you taking my head at some point. Right about here,” he said,
then dragged a finger along an imaginary line across his throat, halfway
between his shoulders and skull.
She shuddered and gripped his hands tighter, while bowing her head
as her eyes began smarting from withheld tears.
“Don’t worry, Sai. It’s all right. When the time comes, I’ll know it, and
you’ll do what is necessary. I’ve seen it,” he said, and patted her hand.
“Rondal … is there no other path we could take?”
He closed his eyes for a few moments, before shaking his head.
“Nope! Not yet,” he said cheerfully. “Perhaps when we solve the mystery
of the Kee, and learn more about our other guests, things will change for
the better!”
He reached out to hug her, and she leaned over and hugged him back,
before working her mouth around to kiss him gently.
“Rondal, I … I would be pleased to share contentment with you,” she
said resolutely.
“I would be pleased to content you, my Lady Tal.”
“No, Rondal. I am a Healer first, and would share my contentment with
you – both ways,” she insisted.
“It hardly seems worthwhile, since, well…” he paused and looked into
her eyes. “I would be pleased to share contentment with you, my Lady,” he
said, then got up with her, and hugged and kissed her again.
She pulled away towards the bed, while he checked the prisoner on the
monitor once more. The prisoner was eating the rest of the fruit, and was
well for the moment. Then he joined Sai on the bed and helped her disrobe,
while planting little kisses and touches all down her neck and arms, and
across her chest and body, before descending to the juncture of her thighs.
He dined there sedately, while bringing her passions higher; finally
bringing her to her peak, before dropping his clothing and joining with her;
his body once again inside of hers after so long.

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They lay loving one another, slowly and with care; each giving and
receiving willingly, until she was sated, before he worked himself up and
finished within her; holding himself up with his arms, before carefully
rolling to the side after he’d subsided. There, they lay and relaxed from
their shared contentment.
“You are a passionate … and sensitive lover … old man, and I am …
envious of my daughter,” she murmured between kisses.
“Your daughter has rejected me,” he reminded her gently.
“I was not around to raise her properly, Rondal. It’s my fault she was
not properly taught her place in the Commonwealth.”
“It should not be a place … that must be taught, beautiful Sai,” he
replied between kisses. “I would have her … come to me willingly, with all
my faults … rather than be forced because of circumstance of birth.”
“Ai-yah … you are a hopeless romantic, Ronnie.”
“Ronnie is no longer here. Perhaps it’s for the best,” he said quietly.
“Will he … never … return?” she asked, while still planting little kisses
along his neck.
“Perhaps … when this is all over and done with,” he said with a sigh,
before kissing her deeply and longingly.
He rose to the occasion, once again, and joined with her on his side;
with her on her back, this time, with legs scissored and open to his shaft.
He teased her clitoris, and nursed from her breast, while remembering
similar nights spent with his Maya… No, not his Maya any longer. They
finished a while later, then showered together. Rondal dressed, while
observing the prisoner, and Sai dressed and joined him.
“What do we do with her now?” she asked.
He looked at the ships timer. Time for breakfast.
“Let’s invite her to eat with us?” he suggested, getting a rude look from
her in the process.
“Oh, that sounds just so joyful.”
“Breakfast it is, then,” he said cheerfully, and opened the coms.
“Captain to crew – breakfast at Noon minus three. Informal attire, and
all hands present. Endo and Gallus; please invite Torga and Manya, and
direct their attire. No weapons visible, Déjà! Same for you, Kiki!” he said,
then cut the coms.
“Shall we go gather our guest?” he asked, while holding out his arm.

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She looked at him, and his outstretched arm, then reluctantly looped
her arm inside it, while sighing deeply.
“The Gods hate a coward,” she murmured, as he led her out the door.

Prisoner Quarters…
At the tap on the door, the girl quickly backed away and slipped behind
one of the large beds; crouching there while warily watching her captors
enter the compartment. Rondal gathered the fruit gleanings and sent them
down the recycler, but even staying far away from him, she watched when
the waste material was placed into the disposal chute. While he was doing
that, Sai straightened up the bed, and the prisoner quickly leaned forward
to help. She appeared much calmer and more attentive to her position
today, until Sai pointed to the door.
She’d held back when the door opened again, but Rondal held out his
arm for Sai, and Sai held out her hand to their prisoner.
The prisoner attached herself to Sai’s arm tightly, and then she, in turn,
looped her other arm through Rondal’s, and that’s how they proceeded
through the ship towards the commons.
‘She’d better not bite me!’
‘Let’s just see what happens, my Healer’
The smells of breakfast seemed to perk her up – right until they turned
the corner, and she saw six, adult-sized Drecks, and the two little Kee,
sitting there waiting for her. That’s when she started squealing in a most
frightening way and tried to lunge away from Sai.
It took both Sai and Rondal to keep her from bolting, and finally Sai
slapped her hard across her face – twice – then pushed a finger over her
lips to contain the shrieking she’d started. She seemed to settle, but still
quivered frantically. Then she seemed ready to explode again, until Sai
raised her hand one more time. She subsided with difficulty, before
hanging her head low, tears, and quiet sobs following her actions. She
appeared to be resigned to her fate.
‘Oh … she thinks she’s breakfast?’ Rondal suggested.
‘You THINK?’ she shot back.
‘How do we handle this, Sai?’
‘Mother … my Lord Caldar? If I may suggest something?’ Endo silently
asked.
‘Certainly Endo. What do you suggest?’ Rondal asked.

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‘She needs to learn her place’ he suggested.

‘She needs to SEE her place’ Gallus expanded.
‘Yes. She does not know where she is in the command structure’ Endo
agreed.
‘We can show her with obeisance, my Lord’ Gallus suggested.
‘Sai?’
‘She cannot talk to us, and does not understand us. Which hierarchy? As
if I needed to ask’ she pushed with a smirk on her face.
‘Oh! Just like at the academy!’ he considered cheerfully, then drew Sai
and her fearful companion over to the open area in front of the commons
and placed them up against the wall, having them face the open space
between them and the tables.
First, he had Déjà and Kiki come forward and stand about ten feet away
from them. Then he called over Endo, Gallus, and their two companions to
flank Déjà and Kiki on one side and a few steps forward of them. He had
Torga and Manya come forward and stand on the other side of the Kee at
the same closer distance.
He pushed Sai forward about five feet, and the prisoner stayed by her
side, quivering and clinging to her arm tightly. Once everyone was in place,
he addressed his crew.
“This girl needs to see her place, and we will show her. Déjà … Kiki …
kneel to your Mistress!” he ordered, and both Kee quickly dropped to their
knees; heads firmly pressed to the floor towards Sai.
‘See that she pays attention, Sai’
‘She is. She can’t keep her eyes off them’
“Endo … Gallus … please render honor to your mother,” he said, and
Endo and Gallus both dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Rondal
was interested to see that their companions dropped prostrate to the floor
beside them.
“Torga … please render honor to my second-in-command,” he asked,
and Torga dropped to one knee and bowed his head, as well, while Manya
went flat before his head dropped to his chest. Rondal could see a tiny
smile on his lips.
“Remain,” Rondal said.
“Déjà … Kiki come forward,” he said, then stopped them just a few feet
in front of Sai.

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“Observe,” he ordered, then walked up beside the prisoner and pried

her hands off Sai’s arm.
He led her over between Kiki and Déjà, then went back to his place. The
prisoner looked around fearfully, while the Drecks all looked at her
standing next to the Kee.
“Déjà and Kiki … kneel to your Mistress, and show our guest that she
is to do so, as well,” he ordered, and they each took an arm and dragged
the prisoner down to her knees, before pushing her head to the floor in
front of Sai.
He waited for about a minute like that, before ordering, “Observe.” All
heads rose to see what was coming next.
‘My Lady Tal, a court companion bow, if you please? Simple, but elegant’
he suggested silently.
‘That would NEVER do, my Lord Caldar’ she pressed back. Turning to
him, she dropped to her knees and lowered her head to the floor in front
of him.
He held her there in surprise for a few seconds, before silently bidding
her to recover. She stood and turned to face the group, then took it a step
further by reaching out her arms to Déjà and Kiki, and bringing them both
in for a loving and deep kiss – which she now resisted easily. She let them
go, then, looking down at the prisoner kneeling fearfully at her feet, she
held out her arms.
The Kee helped her up and pushed her into Sai’s arms, but Sai waited
until the girl tentatively brought her lips to hers, before kissing her
chastely. The girl finally wrapped her arms around her, while Sai hugged
her back.
Rondal held out his arms, and Déjà and Kiki ran to him and kissed him
with great enthusiasm, until he finally pushed them away … only to find
Sai waiting to nestle within his arms, as well. He kissed her soundly, but
when they separated, the prisoner was once again quivering as she stood
next to them.
Sai pulled her closer, and Rondal reached out slowly with one arm …
and patted her on the head. She seemed to relax quite a bit, before Sai
pulled her aside and faced her towards the rest of the crew.
‘Virgins!’ he shared.
‘Perhaps you’ll get lucky, Rondal’
‘Ha! Gentlemen, please kiss your companions, or shake their hands, or
something. We are a happy ship, and we all work together’

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“Déjà, you and Kiki may kiss Endo and Gallus. Torga, too, if he allows.
The women … only if they reach out for you,” he went on aloud.
Once the demonstration of hierarchy was completed, and all the kissing
and hand shaking was done – Endo and Gallus, having taken the initiative
to reach out to Torga – they all settled in for a breakfast of fruit, grains,
and some meat. The prisoner was seated over with Déjà and Kiki, but sat
as far away from the Drecks as possible, while looking around somewhat
warily.
‘Did you see the women kissing each other?’ Rondal asked Sai.
‘Yes’ came her terse reply.
‘I can just IMAGINE how that would feel should one of them wish to share
contentment with you. Long and firm, yet soft and flexible – and VERY
active!’ he considered thoughtfully, which brought a surprising blush to
Sai’s cheeks.
‘They are human, Sai. Human-Drecks. Oh! And you have to start teaching
them to become HEALERS! And how to share CONTENTMENT! I’m sure
they’ll need LOTS of practice!’
Her cheeks burned even brighter.
‘And you’ll have to start teaching our prisoner to speak Standard. Basic,
at least. And find out what her name is – we can’t keep calling her prisoner’
‘What are you going to do with the men?’ she asked.
‘You mean Torga? Sword practice … when Manya doesn’t need him for a
blood sacrifice, that is. Then have him continue with Commonwealth history,
like I started him on last week. Combat tactics, ship handling – the usual’
‘Just … how long do you expect us to be gone, Rondal?’ she asked warily.
‘Well, long enough for you to take my head…’ he suggested, but her mood
darkened immediately. ‘I apologize, Sai. I will avoid mentioning it again’ he
pressed contritely, then focused on his breakfast, between observations of
the prisoner.
After breakfast, Rondal sent Endo and Gallus off with Torga to have him
continue the studies he’d started with them the week before. Then he and
Sai watched as Manya showed the other two Drecks females how to clear
the tables and set the kitchen right, with Sai following along just to make
sure. The Kee helped them eagerly, and easily wove around their giant
companions, dragging the prisoner along with them – quite reluctantly on
her part – in setting dishes into the washer, and wiping down the counters
in the kitchen. Sai caught a subtle movement when the prisoner reached
into a drawer before closing it.

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‘She got a knife’ she pointed out to Rondal.

‘Not on MY ship!’ he flared angrily, and stalked over behind her. He
extended and searched through her; finding where she’d slipped it into her
jumpsuit. It was a small knife, but deadly enough if it cut the wrong thing.
The prisoner was making half-hearted wipes with a cloth when she
suddenly noticed everyone had backed away from her and were looking
behind her. She turned to see Rondal standing behind her and staring
quite sternly at her. Then she froze in place when he held out his hand.
She looked at him in a panic and started to quiver once again, while darting
her eyes around for a way to escape. He cleared his throat and moved his
open palm a little closer to her, which didn’t ease her fears.
He gave her five more seconds, before reaching out and grasping the
front of her jumpsuit – lifting her off her feet and shaking her gently, which
is what finally set her off. In a sudden frenzy, she slashed at his arm with
the second knife she’d concealed within her palm under the wiping rag –
screaming at him all the while.
He let her continue while he felt the panicked emanations coming from
her as they washed over his mind, but he couldn’t pinpoint their origin. He
did note they were neither human-standard, nor human-Drecks, though.
Finally, he reached out, snatched the knife from her hand, and held her
there in front of him. Under his angry glare, she settled down and hung
loosely in her jumpsuit, while beginning to sob once again. Then he let out
a sigh, before dropping her to the floor, where she remained curled at his
feet, and weeping quietly.
“BAD GIRL!” he admonished her loudly.
‘Are you all right, Rondal?’ Sai asked, almost making a move to go to
him, but holding back at his look.
He glanced at his arm and stopped the bloody pumping spurts, but left
the cuts open to continue oozing slowly.
“Well, this opens up all sorts of opportunities for an educational
interface. First of all, I must see to her punishment,” he said grimly, then
reached down to lift her up by the arm.
This time she didn’t fight him, but looked over at Sai for support. Sai
played along and shook her head slowly, before turning away when he
brought the girl out of the kitchen and over to the tables, before setting her
on top of one of them. He tore open her jumpsuit and recovered the first
knife, then continued stripping her down until she was naked once again.
She sat there in front of them – surrounded by Déjà, Kiki, and the huge
Drecks women, who all seemed very interested in what was going to
happen to her next.

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‘No doubt she’s now wondering if she’s going to become lunch’ Sai
projected.
‘Please do not kill her, Grandfather’ the clear voice of Walter came in his
head. ‘We have a theory about the implants’
‘Bombs?’ he quickly asked.
‘Some sort of tracer or communications device’ Cathy suggested.
Rondal thought quickly, and, as usual, one of the children beat him to
it.
‘See to her punishment, Grandfather, and to those who should have
watched over her’ Josie prompted.
‘We will join with you and Grandmother later to advise you of our
findings’ Jaiying sent.
‘Thank you, my family’ he sent back, then returned his attention to the
present.
‘Ha! Just like my brother always preached. Find the best experts in the
field, and set them to advise you’ he gloated to Sai.
‘And what happens when you are gone, Rondal?’ she asked in suspicion.
‘Don’t worry, Sai. They will be kind and benevolent dictators who will
lead the Commonwealth into peaceful stability’ he assured her, before
focusing on his prisoner once again.
“She is a BAD GIRL and must be punished!” he announced loudly, then
rolled her over onto her belly.
She whimpered fearfully when she saw the knife clutched in his hand,
but he dropped it to the floor and held the girl down by her neck – then
proceeded to spank her; giving her ten good sharp whacks with the flat of
his palm, repeating “BAD GIRL – BAD GIRL – BAD GIRL” over and over,
much to the amusement of the Drecks females. When he was done, he
turned to Sai and held out his bloody arm, letting her Heal it, but silently
asking her to take her time. He glanced to the side and watched the girl
watching them, then heard the girl mutter more aggravatingly familiar
words under her breath, while her eyes became wide. Then she slowly
crawled down from the table and crept over to Sai’s feet, head bowed to the
floor, and muttering phrases – the same ones repeatedly, now.
“Auda illr ungr fljóð … Auda illr ungr fljóð...”
He looked down at her sternly and said, “BAD GIRL!”

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“Auda … Bad Girl … Auda illr ungr fljóð Bad Girl,” she began repeating
over and over quietly, until he tapped her lightly with his toe and she
stopped with a sob.
Sai finished, and he thanked her, then sent Déjà and Kiki for both dry
and damp towels. When they came back, he took the towels from them and
handed them to Sai, who reached down and took the girl by the hair and
handed the towels to her. She accepted them, but looked up at her blankly,
and with an exaggerated sigh, Sai took the damp towel and bent down to
wipe the blood from the floor, then used the dry towel to dry it. She threw
the towels back at the girl, who suddenly flushed and started cleaning up
the mess she’d made – from the dining area all the way back to the kitchen.
Sai followed her closely to monitor her actions. Rondal looked down at Déjà
and Kiki, then noticed they both held knives in their hands; one of them,
the bloody knife the prisoner had attacked him with.
He hated to do it, but it was what he’d been thinking of, and his staff
had somehow anticipated it…
“Déjà! Kiki! I ordered no weapons visible!” he said sternly while pointing
to each of them, and the knives they held. “Confined to quarters – three
days – no rations!” he said quickly, then turned away to go change his
bloody jumpsuit.
Déjà muttered something to Kiki, and he whirled around to confront
them.
“PRISONER QUARTERS! FOUR DAYS! NO RATIONS!” he shouted angrily,
then turned away once again.
He stormed away in angry silence, leaving the stunned Kee behind him,
but all the while wondering if Ronnie could have been such a bastard if he
were still here.

March 16, Early Morning Updates

It was three days later, and they’d made no tangible progress in their
somewhat pointless journey. Rondal had persisted that it was the “right
thing to do” so they’d stayed their course, heading “left” of the Hegemony
and traveling at standard jump rates further into what looked like a
starless blight. In the meantime, shipboard life had settled into a routine.
Torga and Manya were in the process of being immersed in
Commonwealth expectations of social behavior, along with receiving
training appropriate to their respective positions, while both Déjà and Kiki
had remained under confinement for their accidental brandishing of
weapons during the incident at the commons.

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Auda, for that was what she had called herself, had calmed down quite
a bit, and accepted her role as naked kitchen wench, and general
housekeeper. The Senior Staff, however, had made several observations
regarding her implant, and were now bringing them to their Grandparents’
attention during an impromptu meeting in the planning room.
‘They seem to be of two basic varieties – trackers and bombs’ Walter
suggested, while flashing images of what they’d detected within the various
subjects. ‘The majority of the trackers are placed in women, and the majority
of the bombs are placed in men. Mostly Drecks men’ he pointed out.
‘Any relationship between the type, and the individual assigned to that
type?’ Rondal asked.
‘Among the women, Maya is the only Senior currently subject to an
implantation. There are many more Healers implanted, and none of them
have bombs installed. Some of the other women have bombs, but mostly just
trackers. Many of the implanted men have bombs, as well, but the majority
of bombs are implanted within Drecks men’ Cathy reported.
‘Social relevancies indicate the more likely one is of an intemperate
nature, the more likely that person would have a bomb implanted’ Jaiying
shared.
‘Thus, Meela, the late Borgalas clan leader, and probably your late father,
would have been prime candidates for fatal implantation, Grandfather. They
were, to many extents, assholes’ Josie concluded.
‘Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?’ Sai chided her.
‘I kiss her with it, too, Grandmother, but we cannot display such
articulate speech, as yet’ she lamented. ‘We limit ourselves to conventional,
age-appropriate vocabulary for the most part’
‘It would not do to converse as such in mixed company with each other,
or with our mothers, Grandmother’ Cathy shared, somewhat sadly. ‘Thus,
we are becoming well-versed in Commonwealth Standard … Basic’
‘I Walter, I hungry’ echoed from Walter, and shortly, a feeling of warmth
rushed from him to Sai.
‘Are your mother and Andrew playing again, Walter?’ she asked.
‘No, Grandmother. Maya grants me her gift. Would you care to see?’ he
asked, then opened his eyes to look into Maya’s smiling face, as she
glanced down at him for a moment, before looking away to talk to someone
else out of view.
Walter reached up and patted her face, and she looked back down and
smiled at him again, then pinched his cheek lightly before looking away
and continuing her conversation.

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Sai was awash in feelings of both love and loneliness after seeing her
daughter’s face over the swell of the breast Walter was nursing from. Walter
glanced to the side, and she saw Cathy nursing from her other breast, then
caught the single tiny wave of her hand, before the view switched smoothly
and she saw the rest of the room from Cathy’s eyes. From Cathy’s point of
view, she took in the sight of Josie and Jaiying playing together, and each
subtly passed a single wave and glance in her direction. The view shifted
to Lady Diane and Lady Shay, who were sitting and talking quietly with
Maya. Cathy looked up at Maya, and Sai watched the smile and twinkle in
Maya’s face and eyes when she laughed at something that was said to her
– but then Cathy dropped the vision.
‘She’s getting pretty good at catching us, now. We have to be extra careful
around her, because she watches us all the time, now’ Cathy told her.
‘She still does not know about her implant?’ Sai asked.
‘Not that we can tell from her thoughts, Grandmother’ Josie said. ‘But she
is a Senior. Of course, so is the Elder, and she is an open book to us’
‘Of … of course’ Sai replied slowly.
‘And, of course, we have no interest in other people’s lives, unless it
affects the family or the Commonwealth … or the Crown – which is, for all
purposes, family, as well’ Cathy pointed out.
‘What… What do you children see as … your future … in our society?’ Sai
asked awkwardly.
She was both curious and fearful of their answer, and Walter’s response
wasn’t that helpful.
‘Truly, Grandmother? I see us being stuck managing the affairs of the
Commonwealth, and protecting it from ITSELF, until we all tire of it and
cease our existence in hopes that our rebirth would not saddle us with such
overwhelming responsibilities again!’ he pushed with a vengeance.
‘Don’t mind Walter, Grandmother. In another year or two, he will begin
contentment training, and suddenly find NEW meaning to life’ Josie shared
with a silent giggle.
‘For us – we are stuck with Walter … or Grandfather, perhaps. And our
loving family’ Jaiying added.
‘And perhaps this is the start of a cycle that sees the birth of a NEW
Class-One civilization!’ Cathy suggested cheerfully.
‘Well, if we’re the beginning of a Class-One society, the next couple of
thousand years are gonna SUCK!’ Walter retorted.

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‘Oh, Walter, you just keep sucking on Maya. And when I have milk, you
can suck from ME, too!’ Cathy teased him.
‘And then we’ll all suck from YOU, Walter!’ Josie threatened.
‘Children! There are GROWN-UPS listening!’ Sai admonished them
silently, having become quite embarrassed at the concept.
‘Grandmother … frequently, sometimes MANY times a day, we are awash
in the passions of those surrounding us’ Cathy pointed out delicately.
‘It was inevitable we became familiar with the feelings and desires of
adults, and yearn to experience them for ourselves, instead of vicariously’
Walter shared.
‘Thus, Walter’s constant distraction’ Josie added. ‘His male organs are
external, and subject to the slightest touch, while ours are safely tucked
away – at least until our breasts begin to grow, and our nipples become more
sensitive’
‘Yes, Grandmother. Even ones as ancient as Aunt Molara or Aunt Lili still
seek the pleasures their bodies provide for them. It is a biological imperative
that you feed the body what it needs, while you feed your mind to keep it
occupied. They each help one stay alive and vital’ Jaiying pointed out.
‘All things in moderation’ Walter added.
‘After all, we are only human’ Rondal tossed in, before jarring the
conversation back on topic. ‘The mechanics of the devices – are there any
ideas of the power source, or the frequencies involved?’
Walter jumped back in without missing a beat.
‘They appear to be powered by a biological electric field – very faint. If
they were lab animals, we would suggest simply removing one or two of
them and seeing what happens – REMOTELY, of course’ he suggested.
‘The total mass of the bombs seem to be of rather small yield’ Cathy
contributed.
‘Why does that phrase bother me, Cathy?’ Rondal asked.
‘As you just surmised, the active portion of those implants determined to
be bombs, is microscopically radioactive to some extent, Grandfather’
Jaiying explained.
‘No more than a fractional kiloton or so’ Josie pointed out helpfully.
‘(!!!)’ Rondal radiated.
‘Yes, Grandfather. We quite agree’ Walter shared.

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‘So, we don’t dare try to DISARM the bombs, because we don’t know
what will set them OFF’ Rondal continued.
‘And we surmise they can be set off remotely, obviously, but we do not
understand the mechanism for doing so’ Jaiying projected.
‘The best we can suggest is hoping that one of the implanted ones dies of
natural causes, and the device extracted after death and examined carefully
– as long as it’s not a bomb’ Cathy offered.
‘Oh! Perhaps the remains of the late Borgalas Clan leader would have
had such a device? He certainly fit the profile’ Josie suggested.
‘Puss and Boots did not find such a device during his reduction. Of
course, they weren’t looking for one at the time’ Jaiying declared.
‘(?)’ Sai projected.
‘Puss and Boots – Grandfather’s names for Uncle’s pet valaets’ Walter
explained, then rushed through the cultural explanation, complete with
images and appropriate children’s storylines … in about a second.
‘Oh…’ Sai sent weakly, becoming somewhat overwhelmed by it all,
before Cathy brought up another issue.
‘One other thing about the implants, Grandfather. The latest person to
receive one had no scars on his body – AT ALL. That suggests either Healer
involvement, or a different technology used to implant the device. We leave
out the obvious suggestion that they are simply grown in place. Your
prisoner’s device appears to have been in there for several years, yet she is
young in both Relative and real time’
‘I don’t see any of our Healers being involved in something like this’
Rondal pressed.
‘No, Grandfather. I do not believe any of OUR Healers would be involved
in something like this’ Walter agreed.
‘Aww, Crap!’ ‘Aww, Shit!’ Rondal and Sai sent almost together.
‘Indeed’ Jaiying replied, while she felt her Grandfather’s mental gears
begin to grind.
‘Ahh … theoretical … pick Larl’s brain as appropriate’ he suggested.
‘Open yourselves to him, only if it seems reasonable. Let me, Sai, and the
rest of the mothers know before you do so. Have him look into alternate ways
to install an implant, other than surgery or growing one in place – I’ve
assumed you’ve looked at the obvious orifices through which one might get
an implant installed inside the abdomen?’

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‘Oral, anus, vagina, bladder, and navel. Not a scar to be seen anywhere,
but likewise, not impossible for a non-Healer. Just … messier’ Cathy
reported.
Even Sai had to shudder at that comment.
‘That leaves teleportation’ Walter suggested.
‘But that’s–’ Josie started to say, but was cut off by Cathy.
‘A lot like what we’re doing right now, only lots closer, and probably
easier to do, once you know how to do it’
‘Okay, theoretical teleportation – pop it in and pop it out. Fine grade shield
technology needed to open a working space inside the body, then modulate
it to fit the device going in. That could be done right now, with the right
hardware’ Josie pointed out.
‘Ardan – have Amy ask Larl to contact Ardan on the Microcosmus. If
ANYONE has a clue, it will be Donnel Ardan’ Rondal suggested.
‘Then all they’d need is the means to throw a solid into the middle of the
shielded space’ Walter suggested. ‘Sounds like a weapons-technology
project, and I’d imagine the Commonwealth thought about that at one time
or another. Probably a secret project of old Rakel Timorous, I’d expect’
‘Y-You … you guys need to be SUPERVISED!’ Sai tossed in.
‘Never a dull moment in Clan Caldarous, Grandmother!’ Josie teased.
‘When does Auda get her clothes back, Grandfather?’ Jaiying asked.
‘It will be four days tomorrow, and the Kee are getting stressed. I’m tying
her punishment with theirs. Since she hid the knife in her clothes, she gets
none for four days. Since the Kee brandished knives when told not to, four
days in the cell’ Rondal explained, curious as to why Jaiying just didn’t
pick it out of his head.
‘Because I would suggest something else, Grandfather. You said you
thought Auda’s language was familiar; yet she speaks none of the
Commonwealth’s, or any of the ones you already speak … of EARTH’
Jaiying teased with a warm caress of feeling.
‘And … I speak … just a FEW of the ones … from Earth’ he completed
slowly.
‘Just so, Grandfather. I felt your feelings when she spoke. It is familiar to
you. I believe you have the means?’
‘Yes, Jaiying. Thank you for your obvious, but-not-to-ME, observation’ he
pushed back warmly.

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‘Umm, Grandfather… Hurry home when you finish with this foolishness.
Walter can be Josie’s first – I want you to be MY first’ she declared.
‘Better to take that up with Andrew, Granddaughter. Shay has trained
him well’ he sent back, now blushing himself, to Sai’s surprise.
‘Be careful Grandfather … Grandmother’ Walter pushed. before dropping
the conversation.
Sai sat back and looked at Rondal while shaking her head.
“How are you going to keep them under control?” she asked in
bewilderment.
“What? The children? What for, Sai? They seem to be taking care of
things nicely. How’s your house maid doing?” he asked, throwing her right
off track again.
“She … she’s starting to fit right in. The women have taken to calling
her ‘Bad Girl’ when they call to her, but pat her on the head when she does
well. You going to give her back her clothes tomorrow?”
“Let’s see what the Kee are up to,” he suggested, changing the subject,
yet again, while enabling a monitor to the prisoner compartment.
“I’m detecting distress coming from them on an odd band – here, listen,”
he offered, then reached out and touched her hand, before dragging her
along to listen in.
‘‘It’s … neither here nor there. But at least they’re emanating
something,” she pondered softly, while watching Déjà and Kiki as they were
sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the compartment.
“I know. I hate to torment them for no other reason,” he said guiltily.
“How long are you going to keep it up?”
“Until they start verbalizing in their minds … or start stalking each other
for supper. Or until breakfast tomorrow,” he muttered, then turned off the
display.
“So … a sleepless night for you?” she asked casually, while glancing his
way.
“I was thinking maybe we could keep each other company,” he
suggested, just as casually.
“What do we do with Auda?”
“Well, we could send her off to sleep with Endo or Gallus, or lock her in
your room for the night?” he suggested.

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“Or … I could bring her with me to be with us tonight. She seemed

curious enough, catching glimpses of Endo and Gallus playing with their
women. Perhaps it’s time she watched us for a while? And if she became
bored watching us, she could watch the monitor for us?”
He stared at her for a second, wondering if she really did feel
comfortable in his bed, or was just out of necessity.
“Have you offered her contentment, yet?” he asked, and she paused
before responding.
“Not in so many words, the few she understands, but she needs to be
taught. She is long overdue, and it would greatly relieve some of her stress,”
she considered, and he nodded in agreement.
“Well, my crew must be looked after properly, my Healer, and I bow to
your judgment,” he offered, then looked up at the ships timer.
She followed his actions, and exclaimed, “Ah! It’s been ten minutes
already! I’d better go see what mischief they’ve gotten into!” But she paused
to refresh his memory of their recent conversation. “I believe Jaiying
suggested something to you about Auda’s language?”
“Yes. I’ll start compiling an Earth language program of a simple
greeting … maybe some visuals – no. I’ll leave out the visuals until we get
a hit on the language … if we do,” he said, now thinking out loud while
letting his thoughts run wild. “Yeah, I can do this!” he added, getting into
it, and ignoring Sai when he got up and left to go work on this project in
his quarters.
“And perhaps Ronnie is just under the surface,” she murmured, before
leaving to check on Auda and the Drecks ladies.

In Rondal’s Compartment
He’d originally thought it was foolish porting all the data and
entertainment files over from Odontoceti, but for some reason he’d done it
anyway. On top of that, he’d loaded extra educational feeds from all the
known Commonwealth planets and protectorates. This included such
mundane things as planetary location, geology, theology, sociology,
government, science, language, and in the case of Earth, languages, as in
lots of them – well over six thousand of them, in fact. Hopefully, Auda – for
that was all they’d gotten from her when they tried proper name exercises
with her – would be able to understand at least one of those Earth
languages.
He set up a simple greeting in Drecks, then programmed the system to
search for and extract the same phrase when translated into every
recorded language from Earth. Then he checked it against every language
that he already knew. Pretty much, there was a ninety-nine percent

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accuracy in the translation for “Hello, Auda” in all twenty languages he

understood, with the exception of Japanese, which he only got about eighty
percent of, and it hurt his brain to translate. He ran a test sequence of
about ten minutes duration, while listening to the greeting as translated
to a different Earth language every two seconds, but stopped it when he
finally realized he was merely guessing he would pick up that simple
“Hello” just from chance.
He settled back and thought about all the words she had uttered, and
wondered if he might place them into context somehow – but he’d be left to
work out the proper Drecks spelling to make it useful. He was about to
change directions again, when he thought of the spanking he’d given her
and remembered how she’d reacted; falling to the floor and muttering
“Auda … something-something-something” over and over. Then she’d
changed it when he’d scolded her, and it became “Auda Bad Girl” and
finally “Auda ‘ill’-something-something Bad Girl.”
He was scratching his nose while trying to remember what she’d said,
when he smacked his forehead, then called up the commons recordings for
that time period. It didn’t take very long to find it.
“Auda illr ungr fljóð Bad Girl,” Auda’s voice came out of the monitor’s
speaker, and he jotted it down phonetically in Standard and Drecks. Then
he shook his head for his own stupidity, and rewrote it in English by
spelling it phonetically as best that he could. Proceeding on his hunch, he
programmed it in, then set it for a six-second interval. He almost started
the sequence once again, but got up to pee first, before coming back and
beginning the exercise.
He’d let it run for nearly an hour, when it suddenly struck him that he
was already somewhat familiar with the words she’d spoken, then stopped
it once again. This time he pulled up the language research tools and took
a closer look at the available languages. He started culling those languages
that had very few speakers of them. Then he listened in his mind and let
his memory of her words wash over him, while eliminating those
geographical areas of Earth that did not seem to feel quite right for the
words she’d spoken. He eventually cut it down by several thousand, before
restarting the sequence again, and sitting with his eyes closed while
focusing on the test phrase being translated and vocalized every six
seconds.
This went on for a little over two hours, with him pausing, repeating,
and then continuing, until he suddenly got what he thought was a good
match. He looked at the source language, then nodded his head slowly;
now thinking of her physical attributes that should have given him the first
clue.

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He opened up that language’s dictionary, then sat there with his eyes
closed, while listening to common words and their definitions in English.
Then he switched it over to Commonwealth Standard and noted the
changes. He spent the next two hours reviewing the translations, before
taking a break, finally getting up and wandering out to see what Torga and
the boys were up to. If he recalled right, it was time for sword practice, and
he was feeling a bit stiff.

Early Afternoon…
Sai was watching Auda work with the other women. She looked tiny in
comparison to the Drecks, even if they were only eight or nine feet tall,
compared to the boy’s ten-foot height, or Torga’s eleven-foot height. She
had to admit that Rondal had been right, once again. Her boys needed to
grow up, and seeing the expressions on the women’s faces when they
talked about their partners, made it all seem very worthwhile. She
suddenly realized that she hadn’t lost two sons, but it actually felt like
she’d just gained two daughters-in-law. Of course, thinking about that, got
her thinking about Maya and her Granddaughters, once again. That
brought up the memory of the last thing Gagsa had said to her in privacy;
“For what it is worth, Lady Tal, I did not partake of your Granddaughters’
flesh,” which, for a Drecks Lord, was as humble an apology as she could
expect.
Shaking her head, she paid attention to the girl and the women once
again. She was noticing more similarities than differences – other than the
obvious shortness of the blonde’s nearly six-foot-tall body, and the
pronounced canines in the Drecks when they smiled, compared to Auda’s
straight teeth. In contrast to her terrified first afternoon on the ship, Auda
seemed to have blossomed in the last few days. She’d eaten well, and had
already lost some of the skinniness she’d arrived with that had been hidden
under her old clothing. The ship doc exam she and Rondal had put her
through during her first full calm day had seemed routine to her, even
when Rondal probed her abdomen with an ultrasound wand to look at the
implant, and showed it to her on the monitor screen. She just looked at it
blankly, apparently completely unaware that it was an unusual accessory
for a human body.
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to bother or excite her. In fact, if
surviving her spanking at Rondal’s hands and being made to walk around
naked was the extent of her punishment for stealing a knife or two, then
she seemed quite content to behave and not be a “Bad Girl” any longer.
Sai’s musings were interrupted by a call from Rondal to have her bring
Auda to the stores area to be fitted for a ship suit. He’d already had Kiki
fitted for a suit, but she was officially crew. She’d wondered when he would
get around to the rest of them, or if it was just something else he’d let slip
his mind since embarking with five new passengers. After they arrived, he

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had Sai look through the available stores to find a suitable ship suit Auda
could fit into. Then he had her help her into it and go over its operation in
mime as much as she could.
Auda played along gamely; until Sai triggered the collar, and the suit
tightened up on her firmly. Aside from the frighteningly snug fit, the collar
shield pulled on her hair painfully when it energized and tried to shield her
head from potential vacuum loss. Popping the collar, her hair was let down.
Sai tried to help her bundle it around and on top of her head, but it was
still a tight fit when the collar was activated. The solution was obvious, of
course, but she didn’t much care for having her hair chopped off at
shoulder length, and she really didn’t care for the way the ship suit fitted
so tightly around her body when it was activated. Rondal didn’t mind at
all, as it accentuated her physical charms nicely.
Then he’d surprised Sai by having her call the three Drecks women and
Torga to the stores area, and had them strip down to trial fit Drecks-sized
ship suits.
Torga seemed quite familiar with the procedure, if not these particular
models, and the Drecks women became quite outstanding when the suits
shrank down and became form-fitting over their full bodies. Endo and
Gallus had come with them, and the boys got quite an eyeful, as the women
teased each other over the tightness of the suits, and how they emphasized
their figures. Torga looked on, grinning happily as his Manya seemed to
show a particularly impressive upper body mass, compared to the other
two.
Even Sai was impressed.
The Drecks women were all right with it – until their hair was cut, since
the wrapping of their single long braids around their necks was determined
to be too awkward to manage in an emergency. Torga, warrior trained, had
expected it, and accepted it quietly.
Rondal marked names on Torga’s and Manya’s, suits but came up blank
when he turned to the other two women. Apparently, their names were the
Drecks equivalent of “Hey, You!” and varied only by the distance to the
caller, or so that was what Torga had explained … but he could fix that by
giving them names, so they held a quick, but silent family conference.
‘All right, my young men. Each of you pick a good name, but I don’t want
to hear Buttercup or Daisy’ Rondal stressed.
‘What’s a Buttercup?’ Endo asked.
‘What’s a Daisy?’ Gallus echoed.

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‘I – never mind. Pick something nice. Something you can spell. Something
easy to remember’ he suggested.
‘Something you can remember in the heat of passion’ Sai added.
‘Yes – that too’ Rondal agreed.
‘Edna’ Endo shared.
‘Gaia’ Gallus added.
‘Very good names! Very fine Earth names! You honor me, my sons. Uh,
Endo, which one is yours?’
‘In the blue…’
‘Ah!’
Rondal walked up and stood in front of the young Drecks woman in the
blue-stripped ship suit. He looked over, and Endo quickly stood by her
side; getting a relieved nod from Rondal.
“Your name is… ”
‘Edna…’
“Edna” he said firmly, and received a big smile from the newly named
Edna.
Not to be outdone in formality, he continued.
“Edna … whom would you serve?” he started to ask her, but at the word
“you” she’d already turned and dropped to her knees in front of Endo.
“Endo, there is one called Edna at your feet. Do you think she can serve
you as companion?” Rondal asked, in a modified form of the bonding ritual.
“I accept Edna, my Lord,” he said, then drew her up to stand beside
him.
“Okay,” Rondal muttered under his breath, then turned to the young
lady in the red-striped ship suit who was quivering in anticipation.
“Your name is … Gaia. Whom would yo–”
He’d started to say “you” but she’d already dropped to her knees in front
of Gallus.
“Gallus, there is one called Gaia at…”
“I accept Gaia as my companion, my Lord,” Gallus quickly said, then
brought her up and kissed her.

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Not one to be outdone, Endo kissed Edna. Apparently, Torga and Manya
thought “why not” and kissed each other, as well.
After a tiny bit of celebration among the men, the women knelt back
down for Rondal to write their names in Standard across the marking place
on the left breast and back of each suit. They were about done, when Auda
came forward and raised her hand, before pointing down at the blank
marking space on her own chest. Rondal nodded, then wrote the Standard
version of “Auda” across her left breast and back, then stepped back to see
that all was correct. He instructed the men to show the women how to care
for the suit fabrics, how to charge the collars, and where the chargers were
located for the quarters they were keeping. Torga and Manya trailed behind
the boys to get this training, as well, and Sai pushed along Auda.
She and Rondal watched them leave as one big group of three couples,
with a tiny, six-foot-tall plus one, trailing behind.
‘I forgot to ask Torga if that constitutes marriage for a Drecks, or what’
Rondal pressed to Sai.
‘Until death, and then afterwards, my Lord’ echoed back from Endo,
which didn’t quite surprise him any longer.
‘Oh. Well, then, when your celebration turns into a hedonistic
debauchery, please send Auda back to clean my quarters. She is to bring
her ship suit with her’ Rondal sent.
‘Yes, my Lord’ Gallus echoed, while Rondal dropped his arm across Sai’s
shoulder and pulled her close to him.
“Ahh, children… They grow up so quickly,” he said, then sighed before
heading them off towards the commons while contemplating his latest list
of crimes against the Elder’s laws.
‘BOTH of them, now. And initiating, like … well, like Seniors. What a mess
I’ve made of things THIS time,’ he didn’t quite think aloud, then sighed
again.
The Elder was going to be less than pleased, but that was for later. He
couldn’t begin to imagine what Lili might say about it.

Cletus, The Elder’s Council

The very insular ruling body of Cletus was not in turmoil. That
particular set of behaviors was specifically forbidden, as was documented
within the guidelines of their original charter written nearly ten-thousand
years ago. Each of the surviving Elder’s knew it by heart; for they’d written
it and agreed upon it as a group. This didn’t mean that certain frustrating
nuisances didn’t rear their ugly heads upon occasion, and the current
nuisance was meandering WAY off the grid on the far side of the Hegemony.

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“Ai does not know WHY he is traveling out there?” Ju asked again,
almost plaintively, as if the answer would have changed from her three
previous inquiries.
“Ai is not always current with the man-child’s intentions,” Xue
reminded her patiently. “If you recall, the last we’d heard was that he’d
acquired suitable mates for his Drecks crew.”
“What of Lady Tal?” Daiyu asked politely.
“Sai still plays the part of pirate with the man-child, but reports what
he allows – and he has allowed much new information to the Elder’s staff,”
Xue said. “And to Lili, one presumes.”
“What of the latest reports from Ai’s staff – the implants?” Rong asked
in frustration.
“The Kantite Elder has been informed of their existence, and is taking
steps to identify the victims. Rondal Caldar was kind enough to report their
existence, and I’m told he will continue to investigate the source for them.”
“What source?” Ju asked abruptly. “Not the Drecks! Those animals do
not have the technology to produce such!”
Wen, having sat silent for the last several minutes, finally spoke up.
“We all know the current limitations of Commonwealth and Hegemony
technology – of what we are aware of,” she said softly. “Yet, innovation can
strike at any time. Now that we are aware of the problem, it will be closely
monitored to find the source, and then the issue can be resolved.”
As the nominal spokeswomen for the Elder’s Council, Xue sometimes
felt the balancing act of managing two highly excitable members with two
passive members was a bit much to bear. Still, as the only moderate among
them, it had fallen upon her shoulders to continue the task she and her
original companion had started with nearly ten millennia ago.
It was a thankless job, but somebody had to do it.
“Ladies, we have the knowledge we’ve been provided with. We must rely
upon Ai’s resources to monitor the situation. Let us turn our concerns to
the current state of off-planet Healer training. Lady Wen, what can you tell
us about the Farman Cluster?” Xue asked calmly, while hoping Ju and
Rong would get their collective sticks out of their behinds and focus on
their other responsibilities for a while.

The Kraken, Later Afternoon, Sword Practice

Rondal was sweating. Not so much because it was hard work, but
because fighting three Drecks at the same time was tiresome for his feet.
They were spread just so damn far apart!

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The bonding debauch had been truncated – mostly because of the

previous nights’ draining activities – so they’d put off the rest of the
celebration for sometime later after suppertime.
In the meantime, the boys and girls had resumed their routine of
training and maintenance activities – one of which was sword training for
the boys, which had been delayed by their impromptu bonding with their
new companions.
He finally disarmed each of them for the third time apiece, before
bringing his sword up to guard, and then a salute. Then he glanced at the
ships timer and noted they were getting better.
A little bit at a time, but better nonetheless.
Endo and Gallus were holding back, while subtly guiding Torga towards
the set of skills they’d already mastered – except for the bonus Rondal had
taught them. He set his sword in the rack and grabbed a couple of towels,
before tossing one to Torga.
Endo and Gallus he sent off to other duties, while he and Torga went
across the floor and wiped up all the sweat, and the few drops of blood.
“You’re doing much better, Torga. You’ve the makings of a great warrior
within you.”
“Not according to my father. He casts me aside in disgust, and sends
me off to serve under a–”
“Fool of a Kantite?” Rondal interrupted him. “Your father is a wise and
loving man – underneath all the sweat, grease, and braids. Above all that,
he is an honorable man.”
“Honor? You took that from him when you recovered Maya, your … your
Witch,” he said, stumbling a bit. “So … it’s true she still lives?”
Rondal felt true curiosity there, but withheld all but the minimum of
details from him.
“Last I heard, she was tending children placed under her care. It’s in
her nature to Heal the sick and protect the small.”
“And what is in your nature, Lord Caldar? Come to gloat over a broken
man?” he asked hotly.
Rondal calmly stood, and turned to address him directly.
“Torga, the Pack Master of Zarox could not beat me on his best day,
even when I was a much younger man than now. Your father never had a
chance, and I embarrassed him horribly in front of his peers. At least Lady
Tal didn’t land her force, as well.”

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“Lady Ta… Lady Tal was there?”

“Yes. She led a pod of four tanks against the outpost, just as we were
leaving,” he told him, then thought of an interesting twist to throw in. “She
disobeyed orders to try and save her daughter, but is now sent in disgrace
to dispatch me if I should fail to do … whatever I end up trying to do,” he
added, while raising his open palms weakly.
“Whatever you… You have no plan? You come all this way, and you have
NO PLAN?” he asked incredulously, becoming agitated at the mere thought
of it.
“Torga, a great warrior from Earth teaches that even the best plans last
only moments after first contact with the enemy,” Rondal explained. “Better
to make best preparations, and then … make it up as you go.”
“You came all this way … and you had no plan?” he asked again; still
stuck at the concept of it. “What did you hope to accomplish?”
“Ah! That is the difference! There were things that needed to be
accomplished, but could not be planned for. I needed to restore a small
portion of your father’s honor, so I returned the use of his arm. The arm
was no good, without a good eye to see with; so I returned the sight of his
eye. And what good are two arms and two eyes, if you are on the verge of
slipping away into forgotten retirement? I gave him twenty more years to
fight for his honor! A noble accomplishment for this old warrior, I would
say!” he said cheerfully, then watched as Torga turned away for a moment
before swinging back around.
“Well then, what else do you expect to accomplish?”
“Many things. I want to learn more about the Kee. I want to find out
where Auda comes from. I want to find out what that device is that was
put into Auda’s body…”
“A device? Is it a bomb?” Torga quickly asked.
“My staff advises me otherwise. But we are curious as to its other
nature, and who placed it there … and why. I understand many of these
devices have been placed in citizens of both the Commonwealth and the
Hegemony … and many of them are bombs.”
“We should kill her – quickly! And get rid of her body!” he said in a panic.
“I will not kill Auda. Nor will anyone on my ship, unless I command it.
Besides, we do not know what will happen if the bearer is killed. Perhaps
it would indicate a predilection towards death and destruction. That would
suggest the person or persons who kill the bearers should be eliminated
as dangerous.”
“Aiii! – someone toys with us!”

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Rondal curiously watched Torga’s tormented reaction to this puzzling

situation. It seemed that he had a ways to go before developing the
maturity of a seasoned warrior, so he decided to offer a reasonable
observation in a much calmer frame of mind.
“Then we will be watchful, and study the situation to find a suitable
solution. And, as each piece of the puzzle is revealed, we will place it upon
the table and see where it best fits,” he said calmly, to Torga’s obvious
confusion. “Ahhh… Young Torga, you have such an interesting life ahead
of you,” he concluded, before bending back down to finish with the floor.
A few minutes later, they were both done; after Rondal confirmed it by
looking around for leftover spots of blood but finding none.
“What can you tell me about Auda?” he asked, while getting off his
hands and knees.
“Auda? She came to us from a visitor. Said they stopped some place and
foraged for food. They found her and a group of her people, and brought
them along – fresh food. They kept her for last because she was too skinny.
They tried to fatten her up, but she wouldn’t eat!” He laughed, but it wasn’t
with the heartfelt expression that other Drecks might have released.
“Yes… I can imagine why. You and the women do understand you will
not be eating other sentient beings while serving on my ship?” Rondal
pointed out firmly.
“Sadly, my father advised me of such,” he agreed, but blushed and
lowered his voice before going on. “Truthfully, I do not care for such meals.
Not since…” Rondal let him hang there, but he never continued.
“Well, rejoice, Torga, for you can still dine between your woman’s legs.
I understand that is a meal your men have yet learned to appreciate!”
“Bah! That is behavior worthy only of a needful female! A real man
would never belittle himself, so!”
“Still, if one wishes to become a great warrior, one must learn to exploit
the weaknesses of his enemies. Never underestimate the power to conquer
a woman by passion, rather than by fear. You’ve seen how Edna and Gaia
fawn over their men, but not to worry. Lady Tal will see to your education
in that respect. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of practice between her, Edna,
Gaia, and Manya,” he said, while observing the sudden blanching on his
face.
“And in a few more weeks, I’ll have you face Lady Tal with the sword,
just to sharpen your blade further. She is First Sword of the Kraken – after
me.”
“She? A – A woman?”

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“Oh, yes. The truth be told, women are better suited at many things –
Healing, caring for their men, caring for their children… And women
generally make better assassins… They hold so much suppressed anger,”
he muttered, while nodding sagely. “Sai has many talents, and one of them
is the sword. You’ll learn a lot from her. If you become good enough, I’ll
make you faster,” he promised him, then glanced at the ships timer.
“Time for supper. Afterwards, you and your woman might work on your
language lessons,” he reminded him, much to his frustration.
Torga and all the women were taking lessons in Standard, but that was
something else his father had ordered him to do. Learn your enemies well.
Rondal sent Torga off, while he went back to refresh himself with Auda’s
prospective language.
The more he heard her quiet mutterings, the more he thought he knew
of her suspected antecedents – although how in the hell she’d gotten way
out here should be a good story … if she even knew.

Early Evening with Auda and Sai

Rondal brought up the galaxy chart on the wall monitor in his outer
compartment, while Auda and Sai sat at the small table together and
watched as he manipulated the image. Her ship suit was hung in the suit
support locker, and she’d managed to plug her collar into the charger all
by herself. Otherwise, she sat naked at the table next to Sai.
“*Galaxy,*” he said in Standard, circling his arms, and then turning to
circle the image on the screen with both hands.
He came back and took the last seat, before picking up the data pad
and using the stylus to draw a big circle around the galaxy image, while it
echoed on the big screen.
“*Galaxy,*” he said again, and looked at Auda expectantly.
Sai nudged her, and she finally responded with, “*Galaxy.*”
“Good Girl,” he said, then repeated it in Standard, “*Good Girl.*”
“*Galaxy,*” he repeated, and she did so as well, saying “*Galaxy.*”
“*Good Girl,*” he repeated, and she promptly said, “*Good Girl.*”
‘We are going to be here all NIGHT, aren’t we’ Sai remarked silently,
while looking through the door at the bed longingly.
‘Anxious to play, my Lady? Let’s see if she has any concept of astronomy’
Sai let out a quiet sigh, then glanced at another data pad that displayed
the prisoner’s quarters. She could feel their stress from here, and saw that

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Déjà and Kiki still sat at opposite ends of the room … pointedly not looking
at each other.
Rondal slowly zoomed in to a tight view of the galaxy arm that contained
the Commonwealth and Hegemony spaces. He drew a big box around the
Commonwealth space; said, “*Commonwealth,*” and then looked at her.
“*Commonwealth,*” she said fairly accurately.
He repeated it two more times, and she did as well. They went through
the same process with the Hegemony, and she managed to pronounce that,
and recognize the two different words associated with each area.
“*Good Girl,*” he said, but she simply nodded this time.
‘See, even SHE’S getting bored’
‘Baby steps, Sai. Baby steps’
He centered the display on the Commonwealth side, then zoomed in on
the open star clusters. He maneuvered the display so it isolated the Kantite
sun and zoomed in to a low altitude image of the surface of the Capitol on
Kantor. They could see all the gardens, pyramidal buildings, and a bustle
of people walking, riding, or flying around. Auda was fascinated, as he
panned around for a few minutes, before pulling out until he could
encompass the entire star cluster with a circle.
He zoomed in on Cletus, Tyler, Wilder, Loca, and even Earth; showing
an overhead view of each, before pulling out and circling each associated
star cluster – except for Earth. Earth’s sun was pretty much on its own
and got its own circle. Pulling back out to see the full Commonwealth
display, he stood up and walked over to the wall, before pointing to Cletus
and then Sai.
“*Cletus,*” he said, pointing to the display. “Sai,” he added, pointing to
Sai.
Then he pointed to Earth, and said, “*Earth,*” and patted his chest.
Then he clasped two hands together – one named “Sai” and the other
named “Caldar” – and shook them calmly. Then he pointed to Kantor, and
said, “*Kantor,*” while repeating the hand clasping. He waved Auda to
come over, and she got up, breasts swaying distractingly, and came to
stand in front of the wall.
“Sai,” he said, and she pointed to Cletus.
“Caldar,” he said, and she pointed to Earth.
He clasped his hands together tightly, and she pointed to Kantor, Cletus
and Earth.

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“*Good Girl,*” he said, and smiled.

“Auda *Good Girl,*” she said, and smiled back.
He directed her back to her seat, before putting up a line of sample
images of human-standard men and women associated with the
Commonwealth. He started from the tiny blue Balese, all the way up to the
largest of the Bornat, or Grays, who averaged a mere eight feet or so in
height, and were sorta human. He pointed to them all, then waved his arm
across the display, showing they were associated with the Commonwealth.
“*Commonwealth,*” she said excitedly.
“*Good Girl,*” he agreed, and she nodded once more.
Then he started on the Hegemony side, and threw up a few
representative Drecks and human images side-by-side. Catching her
attention, he moved the Drecks images above the row of subject human
images; trying to make it plain that Drecks were the top of the food chain
on the Hegemony side of the divide.
“Torga,” he said, pointing to the Drecks images, and then at the star
around which Eke orbited on the far side of the Hegemony space. “Edna,
Gaia, Manya. Lord Gagsa,” he added.
“Jotuns,” she said quietly. “Illr Jotuns.”
“Drecks,” he corrected her.
She left her seat and slowly walked to the wall.
“Endo?” she asked, while looking at him worriedly.
‘Aww, crap!’
‘The Fringe. Show her the Fringe, Rondal. Put me at the Fringe with my
boys’ Sai suggested.
Rondal held one finger up, before quickly going back and drawing a
couple of wavy lines separating the two territories, and encompassing a
few loose star systems. He put down the pad and pointed to the space
between the wavy lines, before holding both hands up in front of him,
fingers spread wide, and slowly lacing them together without closing his
fingers. Then he pulled his hands apart, and, making a fist on one side,
smacked the other hand, then repeated it, but oppositely. He did this a few
times; each time pointing to one side of the Fringe or the other.
Then he pointed to a spot in the middle of the Fringe, and said, “Endo,
Gallus,” then pointed to Sai.
He repeated their names, lowering his hand flat to show a short Endo
and Gallus, then pointed to Sai, and repeated their names, while rocking

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his arms as if holding a baby. Auda looked at him as if he was nuts, so he

smacked his forehead with his palm and muttered to himself quietly, before
turning to Sai.
‘You’re up, Sai’ he requested, getting a snort from her in return.
Sai stood up and drew Auda’s attention, before holding both hands up
and making a fist of each.
“Endo,” she said, while shaking one fist. “Gallus,” she said, while
shaking the other fist.
She stood looking at both of her hands, and then opened them to watch
the imaginary Endo and Gallus fall to the floor, adding a little, “Aiiiiiii …
plop!” to accompany her mime. She held up a hand to shade her eyes while
looking all around, then looked down with surprise on her face – opening
her mouth wide and pressing hands against her cheeks. She bent down,
picked up the imaginary boys, and rocked them in her arms. Then she
turned and set them on the table, then mimed patting their heads and
feeding them.
“Svein-barn Jotuns!” Auda exclaimed excitedly.
“Okay…” Rondal said quietly, but his ears picked up the newly familiar
words that nagged at him some more.
In fact, they sounded very familiar now … especially since that morning.
“Endo … Gallus – skap-góðr Jotuns! Skap-góðr Jotuns! Torga … illr
Jotuns,” she continued.
“Endo and Gallus – Drecks. Torga – Drecks,” Rondal corrected her.
“Skap-góðr … Drecks. Endo … Gallus,” she insisted. “Torga – illr. Illr
Drecks.”
‘Adjectives! She’s got adjectives, Sai!’
‘Great. Is it contagious?’
‘It’s BETTER. Endo and Gallus are good Drecks. Torga is either bad or
ugly Drecks. I’m not sure’
“Uhhh … barn?” he asked, pointing to himself.
“Neinn … maðr,” she quickly said.
He pointed to Sai.
“Barn?”
“Neinn, neinn – fljóð!” she said excitedly.

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“Barn?” he asked, pointing to her.

“Neinn … fljóð barn,” she said while shaking her head. “Saklauss fljóð
barn,” she added quietly, but dropped her head before murmuring, “Mær.”
‘Virgin woman-child. And now I can narrow it down’
‘You know what she’s speaking?’
‘I got an idea’
“Auda – heim?” he asked, but she just looked at him.
He brought both territories back on the screen, then pointed to Earth.
“Caldar – heim *Earth*. Sai – heim *Cletus*,” he said, pointing to Cletus.
“Torga – heim Hegemony,” he said, pointing to the Hegemony territory.
“Auda – heim…?”
She looked at the star maps, but looked back at him while shaking her
head.
“Uhh … Nefna … Nafn? *Earth* … *Cletus*, *Kantor*, *Tyler*,” he said,
pointing to each. “Auda – Nefna heim? Nafn heim?” he asked … maybe.
Her eyes lit up, and she said, “Midgard!”
After a slight pause of astonishment, he stepped back to his chair and
sat down hard in it.
“Midgard?” he asked weakly.
“Ja!” she said excitedly, then came back to the table.
“Midgard,” she said, while patting the table. “Auda með fraendsemi ofan
Midgard,” she added, while pointing to the table and tapping it with her
finger at “Auda” and several times with “fraendsemi.”
“Aesir!” she said, with her hand coming down from above, swooping
across the table to grab the imaginary Auda and group, and lifting them
into the air.
“Aiiiii….plop!” she mimicked, while opening her hand and watching her
and her imaginary friends fall back down to the tabletop.
She made an angry face while glaring at the tabletop.
“Jotuns – Illr Jotuns!” She picked up her imaginary group once again,
held them up to her lips, and began chomping on them fiercely.
Auda ducked down and covered her head. Then she grabbed her tummy
and made hungry faces – he thought.

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“Illr Jotuns!” she said again, then pulled her hair up with one hand.
“Illr Jotuns … Auda!” she said, while repeatedly pulling on her hair in
his direction.
“Auda gefa til Caldar!” she said, then dropped her hair, grabbed one
arm, and pulled it hard in his direction.
Then she threw up her hands, and sat back down, before looking at
them expectantly.
‘You got all that, Oh Great Communicator?’ Sai asked snidely.
“Yes. She’s from Midgard,” he said aloud, quickly followed by Auda
saying, “Ja! Midgard! Midgard nafn heim!”
“The good Gods, the Aesir, grabbed her party and misplaced them. The
Jotuns – the Giants, otherwise known as Drecks – found them and ate
them. All except for her,” he explained, while gesturing at Auda. “The
Drecks gave her to us because she wouldn’t eat and fatten up for them …
and she has no idea of astronomy, or where her planet of Midgard is.”
“Ja! Midgard heim! Auda heim Midgard!”
“*Good Girl,* Auda,” he said distractedly, while patting her on the head
and causing her to blush.
“So, we call the kids, have them look up Midgard, and return her to her
family,” Sai muttered. “Then we can come back here and continue this
pointless quest.”
“Oh … if it were only that easy,” he said with a despondent sigh, before
turning to educate her on this little set back.
“Midgard sits on one end of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between it and
Asgard,” he explained, each familiar word getting Auda even more excited.
“Unfortunately, Asgard is the home of an ancient race of Norse Gods from
the proto-Germanic tribes of Europe on *Earth*. It’s very early *Earth*
mythology. She’s a transplant – but not one of ours … or the Drecks.”
“Oh, no!” Sai murmured in dismay.
“Indeed,” he muttered, then started pulling up references to Norse
mythology, before bringing up a listing of dictionaries for Auda to browse
through. When it was ready, he set the pad before her.
“Auda, *Good Girl,*” he said, then pointed to the pad. He showed her
how to scroll up and down the listings, but caught the blank look on her
face.
“Auda rita? Skrifa?”

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“Neinn… Neinn lesa, Lord Caldar,” she said sadly.

“And … she’s … illiterate,” he said, letting his chin sink to his chest with
a sigh.
He paused for several moments of reflection, before leaning forward and
beating the data pad severely about its surface for a few minutes. Then he
looped the dictionary through a translator, then into a voder, and back out
again, so Auda could say a word and hear it repeated in what turned out
to be really old Norse, before it repeated it aloud in Standard, then spelled
it in Standard on the data pad’s display.
“Auda,” he said, showing her the pad, before carefully speaking the word
“fljóð” … at which point the pad repeated the word aloud, and then spoke
and spelled it in Standard.
He handed her the pad and let her and Sai work with it together, while
he stood up to stretch. As long as he was up, he pushed out through his
ship to feel what was going on; finding there were a few things that needed
looking into, so he left them in his quarters while he stepped out for a
while.

Déjà and Kiki Make a Deal

Rondal checked the bridge, and the status of their station keeping. Then
he checked their reserves of reaction mass, and considered how far they
could reasonably go in the Kraken’s Child in an emergency, before
recalculating it while hauling a spare tank with them – which was one of
the reasons he’d wanted them in the first place. With one of those spares
strapped on, he had a good six hours of transition time available to him.
The Kraken had a little under thirty hours left in main storage – more,
if they transferred from the spares they were hauling.
He also checked the kitchen, before walking by the young people’s
quarters; delicately touching each mind and finding that everyone was
quite happy and content for the moment. Finding nothing amiss, he
headed back to hang out with Sai and Auda during her quick language
lesson.
Auda and Sai were still working down the dictionary list with the data
pad, when Rondal came back and noticed Déjà on the monitor. She was
wrapping Kiki in a blanket and tying it around her with torn strips of sheet
– leaving nothing out, but one leg. She also appeared to be crying. He
reached out and was surprised to feel their anxiety, and once he pointed it
out to Sai, she was able to feel it, as well. Both he and Sai took off for the
holding cell at a run, leaving Auda to stay behind and continue her
informal language lesson in Standard.

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By the time they got there, they could hear Kiki’s screams, and when
they opened the door, they could see Déjà had already taken a chunk out
of Kiki’s leg and was devouring it gleefully. There was a bloody mess on the
floor, but strangely enough, another chunk of Kiki’s leg was sitting on the
far side of her and out of direct view of Déjà. When he reached down to
grab her, Déjà snapped at him and defended her meal, until he simply
grabbed a handful of her hair and swung her up and around against the
wall – knocking her senseless in the process. Sai then quickly untied Kiki
and tried to help her, but instead of accepting Sai’s help, Kiki rolled over,
grabbed the other chunk of her leg, and stuffed all of it into her mouth.
She began chewing it voraciously while looking at them warily and growling
between chomps.
Rondal looked everything over while Kiki continued to eat part of herself,
before coming to the conclusion that this was a planned sacrifice. Kiki was
giving up her leg so Déjà could eat – apparently saving some leg for Kiki as
well.
They called for Endo and Gallus to come and watch them, while Rondal
got chains for their legs and hands. One at a time, they locked their ankles
to hobbles, and their wrists behind their backs. Once Déjà came to, she
was very contrite, although still very agitated, while Kiki was still breathing
heavily and chewing whatever she had left in her mouth. Sai had gotten
Kiki’s open wound sealed, but now there were pieces missing from her leg.
Rondal orchestrated the washing and watering of the Kee, making sure
they had lots of water to drink. The next thing he did was bend each of
them over the toilet and exert enough will to flush their stomach contents
back out and down the drain – leaving them pretty much in the same state
they were in, before Déjà’s clever plan was executed. Then he watered them
again and sat them on the toilet – working through their digestive systems
and flushing out what little had managed to remain behind from the other
end. He rotated them through the shower, watered them once more, then
had them dragged out and chained to opposite sides of the cell. Then they
left them there sitting on several layers of towels.
They had no food, they were full of water, and if they peed, it would have
to be on the towels.
‘Umm, did something forbidden – I think … and really disgusting’ he
belatedly sent out, quickly getting an ‘Eew!’ back in reply.
‘I’ll tell you all about it later, Elder’ Sai pushed out.
‘No! I do not want to hear! It tasted bad enough!’ was Ai’s response,
which cut off abruptly.
“She’s just so squeamish for an Elder, don’t you think,” he muttered,
before looking back at the blood-splattered cell.

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“You go on ahead, and I’ll stay here with the boys to clean a little.”
‘This is YOUR experiment!’ she sent silently, but then relented. “I’ll bring
you some more towels,” she offered, then went to pull more fresh towels
from stores.

Kantor, A Few Minutes Later

The kids were safely abed in their own suite. Amy and Larl had the night
off for a change, but were on their last day of their week off at home, so
they would be leaving to return to the Capitol in the morning.
While Larl was in the shower by himself, this time, Amy had finally
tracked down Maya in the deserted family lounge.
“Maya, the Elder has allowed your mother to contact me directly for
personal messages to you. Would you like to talk to her?”
“My Mother? Oh, yes! Please! When can we do that?”
“Come sit with me on the floor,” Amy said, while pushing some cushions
together.
“Now, hold my hands...”
‘Sai? Amy here. You busy?’
‘Not at all. Most of the blood will be washed off soon, and the prisoners
are restrained until morning. Nothing to mention to the Elder. She probably
already knows. I will tell her, anyway, when I make my report. How can I
help you, Amy?’
‘Uhhhh… Maya would like to speak with you’ she stated, while terribly
confused by Sai’s comments at the moment.
‘Oh yes! Please … Maya?’
‘Mother! How are you? Is everything all right? Is Ronnie all right? Where
are you?’ she asked all at once.
‘Maya, we are all fine out here, and everything is quiet right now. Rondal
is developing a plan for what he is going to do next, and we are hopeful it
will help our situation in the Commonwealth. We … we’re outside of Drecks
space, so we’re safe’
‘I really miss you, Mother. I wish you did not have to be out there. I – I
wish I could have gone with you’
‘You would not have enjoyed the trip. Rondal has become very boring.
Our guests are not the best behaved at times, but right now we are all getting
along. Have you been taking care of yourself? Are you seeing to your
contentment regularly?’

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‘Yes, Mother. The Wives see to it regularly, if my students let me forget.

How about you? Are Endo and Gallus taking good care of you?’
‘I am proud to say your stepbrothers have grown up and gotten married.
Rondal found them wives among the Drecks, and they couldn’t be happier.
And our little Kee, Déjà, has found a new playmate, as well’
‘Kee? That is what she is called?’
‘Yes. Rondal bartered for a second one with the Drecks’ she told her,
while avoiding mention of Lord Gagsa by name. ‘We also found a human-
standard among the Drecks. A gift from them, if you can believe it. We cannot
identify her home planet, and she’s illiterate. Rondal thinks she’s a
transplant from somewhere, but we’re not sure’ she told her vaguely.
‘Oh. So … Rondal is providing your contentment? Is he treating you well,
Mother?’
‘Rondal will provide if I ask. The other day, he actually accepted from me,
as well. I think he was too tired to argue’
‘But … does he treat you well, Mother?’ she persisted.
‘No better than he treats anyone else. He is only a man’
‘Yes, Mother’ she replied, downhearted. ‘When can you come home?’
‘As always, when my last task here is finished, Maya.’
‘I love you, Mother’
‘I love you too, my girl. Do you have a message for Rondal?’
‘Yes! Tell him that I … no. I have no message for Rondal’ she finally said.
‘Goodbye, Mother’
‘Goodbye, Maya. The Gods watch over you’ she said, while peeking at
the implant in Maya’s abdomen through Amy.
‘What was that?’ Maya quickly asked.
‘Nothing for you to worry about. Something our passenger has to put up
with. We are working on it. Goodbye, Maya’ she pushed, before dropping
the conversation.
Maya sat back and looked at the floor … almost as if she was looking at
her stomach, Amy noted, so she tugged lightly on her hands to break her
melancholy.
“Maya, what’s wrong?”
“Oh … it is nothing. I miss my Mother, is all,” she said, then looked up
and glanced out the window.

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“It is very nice here, but perhaps it is time for me to move on. Now that
the children are beginning to talk better, I am sure I can be of more use
elsewhere as a Healer. Soon they will begin their studies, and learning
about their place in the Commonwealth,” she said somewhat sadly.
Amy snuggled closer to her, and placed an arm around her waist while
hugging her gently
“Maya … we would all miss you if you go. What would little Walter do if
Milk Mother left him?” she teased her, while reaching up to fondle her
heavy breast and tweak her nipple.
Maya responded with a sad smile, and held Amy’s hand to her breast
as Amy leaned in closer to offer further enticements for her to stay.
“Besides, who else could advise the children so well of the balance
between duty and responsibility for their personal lives? According to Lady
Lili, one must always bow to the Elder in all things for the benefit of the
Commonwealth; and yet Larl and I chose to serve Lady Ai – she doesn’t
command us.”
“You and Larl are a valuable asset to the Commonwealth. I am just a
Healer and could serve anywhere else, just as well.”
“Maya, you’re a Senior now, and perhaps you do not see your best
service is rendered here, with the Royal family? We all seek your counsel,”
she said somewhat formally, while carefully brushing Maya’s nipple lightly.
“A Senior? I cannot even reach out to my Mother as you have done, and
you are so very young. Oh, Amy! Look what you have done,” Maya
admonished her gently, after discovering a dampened spot on her robe
where her milk was beginning to leak out.
“That’s alright, Teacher. I could call Walter for you, but I’m here
already,” she said teasingly while unfolding Maya’s robes and releasing her
breast.
She leaned in and licked Maya’s nipple tenderly, before applying her
lips to it and suckling at it lightly; getting a warm wash of fresh milk as
her reward.
Maya smiled and lay back with her on the cushions as she continued
to nurse, while Amy opened her own robes. By the time she’d drained one
breast, they both had hands between each other’s legs and started sharing
passionate kisses with each other, which is how Sharla Meili found them.
Sharla dropped her robes, as well, then attached herself to Maya’s full
breast, while caressing both Maya and Amy in the process. The three of
them enjoyed their quiet time together, and in the end, all of them extended
their lives by several days, at least.

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The Kraken, Back With the Towels

“How is every little thing at home?” Rondal asked while accepting one
of the extra wet towels from Sai and starting on the sticky walls.
He was surprised that Kiki’s blood had spurted that far, considering all
the trouble she and Déjà had gone through to keep the mess to a minimum.
“Maya says you are to treat me well,” she said, while checking the anklet
chains on Déjà and Kiki once again.
“Um-hmm. You know, it was really very clever of them setting this up
like they did,” he muttered, but got a disgusted look from her for his
remark.
He continued wiping the blood, then dried the wall afterwards, before
they headed back to his compartment while Endo and Gallus were kind
enough to cycle the dirty towels through the laundry. Upon their arrival,
they found Auda staring intently at the holding cell display and watching
Déjà and Kiki trying to reach each other at the end of both their chains.
“Déjà – Bad Girl – Bad Girl!” Auda said, while looking at them, but
pointing back at the monitor.
“Ja, Déjà Bad Girl,” he agreed, and sat down at the table.
“Ja - *Yes,*” said the data pad, and flashed “*Yes*” on its screen.
Auda came over and sat down while still looking at the display, but
turned her head when he asked, “Déjà … Gráðr? Soltinn?”
“Gráðr – *Hunger,*” said the data pad, and flashed “*Hunger*” on its
screen, followed by saying, “Soltinn – *Hungry,*” and flashed “*Hungry*”
on its screen.
“Okay, enough of that,” he muttered, then turned off the pad, before
turning to Sai. “I don’t know about you, but it’s late, everyone else is
bedded down for the night, and I’m ready to get to bed, as well.”
“Would you care for some company?” Sai asked, while casually glancing
in his direction.
“I would welcome your company, Lady Tal,” he said, and smiled back at
her, before glancing over at Auda. “Shall I get another set of chains to
attach Auda to the foot of the bed?”
“All your beds seem big enough, Rondal. There’s room enough for three
– or five, for that matter. I’ll take Auda in to shower with me, and you may
join us or not.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea. You two can warm up the toilet seat for
me, while I check a few systems.”

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Sai gave out a quiet snort, before dropping all her clothes, then taking
Auda with her into the facilities where they did their personal ablutions,
before getting into the shower.
Rondal checked the ships logs, extended quickly through the occupied
spaces again, then did one more pass for bugs and tracers. Then, on a
hunch, he did a quick personal scan on everyone’s body for implants,
including his own.
Auda still seemed to be the only one afflicted.
He spent another minute updating the Elder, and then his own staff
back home, recommending again that Larl get in touch with Donnel about
the theoretical possibility of inserting a solid into an existing shield field …
without causing too big a hole in the surrounding country side. Then he
stripped down, used the toilet, and was just getting ready to enter the
shower, when Auda and Sai came out and began drying off.
Auda quickly averted her eyes, which he thought was strange. She’d
been a guest of the Drecks for a while, and most likely seen lots of naked
flesh in the last several weeks. From what Sai had told him, she’d already
seen Endo and Gallus in action with their brides, as well.
‘The virgin is shy?’ he guessed.
‘She thinks we’re a couple. As in married’
‘She told you this?’
‘Body language. You’re not the only interpretive one aboard’
‘Ah! So, I guess that means it’s just you and her tonight?’
‘Well, you could offer her the Gift … in a small measure. Just to relieve
her stress, mind you’ she teased him.
‘And nothing for yourself, my Lady Tal?’ he asked warmly.
‘If she sees me lose control, it might make her more fearful of the act.
Better that she experience it by herself – with us, I mean – before she sees
the effect it has on a woman’
‘Once again, I bow to your wisdom, my Healer. We should probably start
slow’ he suggested, then finished his shower, before drying himself.
By the time he’d brushed his teeth and come back to the room, the
lights were dim, and there were soft nature sounds playing in the
background. Sai was in the middle of the bed, and Auda was on her far
side. He hung his clothes and towels, before sliding under the thin blanket
and lying next to Sai, waiting several minutes, before rolling towards her
and resting his palm on her stomach; causing her to turn her head to him
and smile.

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“Kiss,” she said, and he leaned forward and kissed her gently.
She said it three more times, and he kissed her three more times – each
one lasting longer than the last.
“Umm,” she murmured, then turned to Auda, and said, “Kiss.”
After a moment more, she said, “Auda … kiss Sai, please,” and Auda
slowly rolled to her and chastely kissed her while Sai purred contentedly.
“Umm … Auda … kiss,” she said again, languidly, and Auda once again
delivered a chaste kiss upon her lips.
“Umm,” she purred again.
“Auda … kiss Caldar,” she said, but Auda’s eyes widened in panic.
“Auda … kyssa Caldar,” she softly repeated.
‘Doing some homework?’
‘Don’t plan – prepare. Isn’t that what you’re teaching Torga?’
‘Excellent!’
“Auda … *Good Girl* … kyssa Caldar,” she gently said again.
“Um, neinn. Caldar bondi Sai. Neinn kyssa bondi Sai.”
‘She doesn’t wanna make out with your husband’ he translated.
“Auda … Caldar neinn bondi Sai,” she explained … hopefully.
“Caldar…” ‘What’s the right word?’ she paused, and asked.
‘Fraendsemi. It means kinship of some sort’ he suggested.
“Caldar … fraendsemi Sai. Neinn bondi,” she rattled out, hoping he was
right.
‘When did you have the time to LEARN all this stuff?’ she asked.
‘Just bits and pieces while you were busy this morning’
‘And I thought you were goofing off’
‘I did that later with the boys’
“Auda – kyssa fraendsemi Caldar,” she murmured, and Auda finally
leaned over and pressed her lips lightly onto Rondal’s – but kept them
tightly closed.
They kept up the kissing circle, with Auda eventually becoming more
comfortable with it, and with them. By that time, he’d slipped his hand
down and was caressing Sai’s mound; getting her juices flowing. He began

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taking turns between kissing Sai and licking her nipples. Sai finally got
Auda to bend down to one breast and give that nipple a few licks, but she
quickly pulled away when Sai reached for her groin.
“Neinn! Auda saklauss fljóð barn!” she said quickly, while Sai reached
up and drew her down for another kiss.
After the kiss broke, Auda repeated herself, saying, “Auda saklauss fljóð
barn,” but more weakly.
“Neinn…” Rondal said softly. “Auda saklauss fljóð. Auda neinn barn.”
He searched his memory for another important word, ‘Trust? … Hilta? ...
Litha? ... Hlita!’
“Auda hlita Sai. Auda hlita Caldar. Auda fraendsemi Sai eða Caldar,”
he said softly.
‘I just told her to grow up. Okay, I told her she’s an innocent woman and
not an innocent child, and to trust us. We share kinship with her. Kiss her
again, and I’ll tickle her fancy’
“Auda kyssa Sai,” he said softly, and Sai added, “Auda hlita Sai,” in a
murmur, while she brought their lips together.
She held her there as he pushed a bit of arousal through Auda’s groin,
and Sai suddenly found herself with a handful of woman who really seemed
to enjoy kissing her back now.
They kept that up for quite a while, until Auda finally relaxed and let
Sai play with her clitoris freely … all the while chanting over and over,
“Auda hlita Sai … Auda hlita Sai … Auda … Auda hlita … AUDA HLITA
SAI!” when she was finally pushed over the edge.
Sai held her snugly while pressing gentle kisses all over her face until
Auda began to relax and started returning the kisses somewhat lazily.
“Auda elska Sai,” she said dreamily, and cuddled up next to her.
‘Let me guess – she loves me?’
‘You got it’
“Sai elska Auda, too,” Sai said. “Sai elska Auda … Sai elska Caldar,”
she added sweetly, while kissing Auda lightly all the time.
‘Do me, Caldar. I’m ready’ she shared, then raised the leg next to him.
‘You’re such a romantic, Sai’ he teased her, but since he was ready
himself, he slowly moved into position, all the while Sai was holding Auda
close and giving her little kisses.

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Once he was inserted and moving slowly, Sai smiled at Auda, and said,
“Caldar elska Sai. Caldar loves Sai,” and slowly pulled Auda’s hand down
between her legs to feel Rondal moving in and out of her vagina. Auda
quickly pulled her hand back, but Rondal caught it and slowly brought it
back to Sai’s groin.
“Auda help Sai. Ah … Auda … fylgja Sai. Auda fylgja Caldar elska Sai.”
‘I just asked for her “to give help to” me in loving you’
‘Oh … complex verb … umm … oh, she knows JUST how to touch me!’
‘Virgins – I’ll bet you’ll never get another bit of sleep’
‘What’s her implant doing?’
‘(!?!) Crap! I never thought’ he sent, then quickly pushed through her,
but didn’t see any changes. ‘Looks like it’s still happy’
‘Umm, so am I. Kiss me, Caldar!’
‘Can’t reach you like this. Kiss Auda. Maybe you can bring her over again
without my help’
‘Umm, good idea’
She attached her lips to Auda’s, then stayed that way through Auda’s
next two climaxes, while she had three or four of her own. He was amazed
she’d shown so much restraint in not screaming her head off during each
one.
‘Time to finish off inside me, Caldar. Go ahead and use the Gift if you
want to. Otherwise, I’ll just lay here’ she murmured silently, being quite
content by this point.
‘Well, maybe just a little’ he replied, then started moving a bit more
forcefully, while ramping up her arousal a bit, but after another few
minutes, she thought better of it.
‘Oh, Caldar … move around and get on TOP of me! Quickly!’ she pushed,
and they rearranged themselves, with the blanket thrown back – leaving
them fully exposed to Auda’s curious attention.
“Auda help Sai,” he said, and she eagerly reached down and started
rubbing Sai’s clitoris, while he pushed Sai’s arousal up higher, and
triggered several peaks in her that squeezed nicely around him, before
finally getting him to release within her. He held himself there while she
came down slowly, and Auda patted her mound and kissed her nipples,
before working her way up to her lips. They exchanged kisses, until Sai
leaned away and lifted her arms to him.

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He lay atop her gently, and gratefully accepted Sai’s kisses. Then, when
she was done with him, she reached out and brought Auda’s head closer
and turned his back to Auda – pressing them together for them to share
kisses, as well. Afterwards, he got up and got several warm wash towels so
he could wipe down both women, then took them back and rinsed them
out, before coming to bed after washing himself. The three of them lay in
sated contentment, while he reached out and detected the rampaging
agitation of the Kee. He still didn’t find any coherent thought forms or other
evidence of emission, other than a general frantic need that wasn’t all that
informative. He finally turned down the lights, which let them all fall into
an exhausted sleep.

March 17, Kantor, Elder’s Apartments

“Sweetie, those implants we’ve been finding … some of the victims have
no scars on them,” Amy murmured, while cuddled up with Larl back in
their “working quarters” bedroom half a planet away from the Royal
Homestead, having extended their playtime by arriving after nightfall
again.
“Not even the ones coming back from leave?” He was still relaxing in an
exhausted state after the workout she’d just put him through.
“A few of those still have scars, but not the ones with traces of radiation
inside. None of the observers have found any evidence at all of an intrusion
into the body through the skin, or through the vagina, anus, mouth, navel,
or urethra from those implants.”
“Ouch!” he said, in sympathetic hurt, just from the options she’d
presented. “What does that leave?”
“Well, if they were a virus, we could imagine they were grown in place –
except for the clerk down on the fourth floor who was only out for two
weeks, but now she has one. However it got in there, it happened fast.”
Larl had actually earned all those degrees in various and sundry
studies, but this was a new one on him.
“Well, if there was some way to teleport an implant into the inside of a
body … but teleportation doesn’t exist. Plus, there would have to be space
to receive it … unless they used a teeny, tiny incision and built it in place
– like a ship in a bottle?”
Amy shifted to her side and propped herself up on her elbow to look at
him
“A ship in a bottle? Like those old sailing ship models? I thought they
cut the end off the bottle and put the finished model in there like that?”

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“Traditionally, a hull was carved, and all the masts and such were
made, and then everything was painted and folded up. They’d stuff it
through the neck of the bottle, then pull a bunch of threads with long wires
and tweezers to open everything back up. Presto – a ship in a bottle.”
Amy sagged back and lay flat.
“Hmm, I guess we’ll have to get our observers to look for smaller
incisions then. What about teleportation? Could that work? I mean, maybe
if you opened a tiny shield inside the body to receive the implant, and then,
you know, just teleport it in there?”
She knew she was pressuring him, but the children seemed to think it
was worth looking into.
“Honey, I wouldn’t know where to begin to look for something like that.
Not without sending up a big waving hand to someone watching for it,” he
protested lightly.
Amy kept her smile to herself, for this was exactly where she’d wanted
to steer him.
“Umm, how about Ronnie’s friends? You know, Donnel and those guys.
Ronnie always said they were the best in the business.”
Larl thought about that for a while. This wasn’t the first time Amy had
brought it up, but it seemed like she wouldn’t let it go.
“Yes. Mister Ardan might have a few ideas of how to accomplish
something like that. The platform is getting pretty well established, and he
could set up a lab to test out any theories. I’ll have to go visit him in person,
though. Wouldn’t want information like that being sent through coms.”
“We’ll have to go visit him. Now that I have you, I’m not taking any
chances on losing you. Besides, you’ll need me along to scan for any
implants on the platform,” she said firmly, then grabbed hold of him once
again.
“Uh, what about that clerk, you know, down on the fourth floor?” he
asked with a slight gasp.
“She’s being watched, but we’ve transferred her to another work group
for the time being. All of them have implants of one kind or another. We’re
trying to keep it low-key, while we back-track her movements and try to
find out when it happened. If Ardan could give us a clue on how it
happened, that would really be helpful.”
“Right. Okay, then. We’ll arrange it with the Elder first thing in the
morning,” he said, then tried to snuggle with her for the rest of the night,

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but she had other ideas, and kept him awake for another half an hour in
a lazy application of yet another contentment session.

The Kraken, The Kee are Distressed

Rondal was having nightmares. He couldn’t move his hands, and his
legs were tied together. On top of that, he was hungry. He looked around
and saw a plate piled high with meat and potatoes, and his hunger pains
went into overdrive. This meal was just inches away from him, but he
couldn’t reach it no matter how hard he stretched, and he was starving!
He opened his eyes and looked at the dark ceiling. Next to him, he heard
little giggles, and the occasional whimpering sigh associated with the
sound of lips and tongue in play somewhere lower on Auda’s body, but he
didn’t turn to watch. The compartment’s timer indicated it was halfway to
the bottom of the morning.
‘Still a virgin?’ he asked.
‘For a while longer, big boy’ came the silent response; then he heard
another giggle, and then a gasp.
‘We’ve been at this for an hour. You were restless’
‘The Kee are very agitated, I think’
‘I know. I got hungry a while ago, and … well … Auda was just laying
here all sprawled out. She’s yummy!’
‘I’ll have to have a taste later’
‘She just might be ready for you later’ she teased him.
He rolled to his side and planted his lips over Auda’s while sliding his
hand over and gently caressing her breasts and nipples. This shot her
excitement level up even higher, and he and Sai kept up their ministrations
as Auda became very bouncy. Then Sai grabbed her wrists and held her
down, while briskly lashing her with her tongue.
This finally elicited a muted scream into his mouth, so he reached up
to hold her head in place while he kept their lips together as she continued
to scream and moan into his mouth. This went on for several more seconds
until she finally began to relax in satiation. He pulled back and looked at
her eyes, now seeing they had a dreamy quality about them. He kissed her
eyelids and lips one more time, before slipping out of bed to dress.
‘I’m reading the Kee pretty loudly. I’m gonna go check on them’
‘You need any help?’
‘No. If it gets violent, I’ll call one of the boys’

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He got his underwear and jumpsuit on, then left the room.
~~~
Outside the holding cell, he extended in again and found Déjà and Kiki
were still straining for each other, but not in a loving way. He thought
about what he was feeling, then decided it was time to bring in the wiz
kids.
‘Good morning, everyone’ he projected.
‘Good afternoon, Grandfather’ Walter sent back, followed by a chorus of
greetings by the girls.
‘I wonder if you have time to watch and listen while I once again place
myself in jeopardy for the Commonwealth?’ he asked them.
‘Certainly, Grandfather’ Cathy offered.
‘Be careful, Grandfather’ Josie warned.
‘They have very sharp TEETH, Grandfather’ Jaiying advised.
‘Ha! All the better to EAT me with. I’ll be very careful, my family’ he
assured them, then opened the door, entered, and locked it behind him.
In marked contrast to just moments ago, both Déjà and Kiki gave every
indication of wanting to mate with him in the worst way. They were
flaunting their breasts at him, licking their lips, batting their eyelashes,
and humping their groins in his direction. Almost in unison, they
awkwardly rolled over and came to their knees, now offering their rumps
for his inspection and waving them around sensuously to draw his
attention – all the while pushing out waves of arousal like a mini-tsunami
beating at his libido.
And they managed to do all this while crouched on pee-soaked towels.
‘Be careful, Grandfather! It’s a trap!’ shot from Jaiying.
‘Oh … you think? Besides the OBVIOUS, is anyone getting anything
besides the wantonness?’
‘I’m feeling something below the surface’ Cathy offered. ‘It’s animalistic
in nature. Although, in their condition, it probably would be’
‘Are these truly sentient creatures, Grandfather?’ Jaiying asked. ‘Not
some elaborate joke played at the expense of us and the Drecks?’
‘You mean, something dreamed up by our mysterious third party? The
same ones implanting devices in BOTH our societies?’ Rondal asked.
‘Unless they were a lab experiment that simply got away from them’
Walter suggested.

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‘Yeah, I can see where they’d be hard to hang on to’ Josie considered.
‘For the most part, they have almost ZERO long term memory, unless it’s
refreshed frequently’ Jaiying contributed. ‘Déjà remembers her creator as
having her, feeding her, and playing with her – but nothing else’
‘Could that really be true?’ Rondal asked. ‘Perhaps Déjà was just
abandoned as an infant – no, we have no basis for that. From their history,
she should have been born able to find her own food and play. Or play and
eat whatever she was playing with – unless her creator raised her to that
point. That still puts the Kee WAY down on the developmental stage as far
as society goes. I doubt we’ll find a stable group of them anywhere’
‘Um, Grandfather? Can you imagine a GROUP of Kee living ANYWHERE?’
Josie asked.
‘Well, sure. As long as there was enough food around, and … oh’
‘Yes. In spite of their apparent sentience, it could merely be an advanced
adaptive evolutionary trait giving them an EXTREME advantage over other
species they come into contact with’ Walter pointed out ‘They may very well
adapt to their new food source to insure easier hunting. We noticed Kiki’s
canines are much more pronounced than Déjà’s’
‘So, what you’re suggesting is … basically they are what they eat?’ he
asked.
‘Essentially. It’s a possibility they become MORE like what they eat – or
what they associate with’ Walter suggested. ‘Although, I doubt if we’d see
them mutate into something like a fruit tree – it has a certain lack of mobility’
‘All food for thought’ Rondal mused, which elicited four mental groans
at the simple awfulness of the comment.
‘Midgard … Asgard … the Aesir. Any appropriate legends concerning
transplants, and where they ended up?’ he suddenly asked. ‘In a real,
PHYSICAL sense, that is?’
‘Not yet, Grandfather’ Jaiying reported. ‘And it’s doubtful we’ll find
anything. It’s quite likely our third player fulfills a similar role that the
Hegemony and the Commonwealth fill regarding a similar relationship with
Class-Six worlds. If our Auda is a transplant they took from Earth, there is
a good chance they are playing the same games we are’
‘They could be remnants of the Blight’ Cathy suggested. ‘Only never
found by us for recovery, or perhaps not having a Kantite society of their
own to bring them together for recovery’
‘Another Kantor? That’s a sobering thought. I’d certainly hope it’s a “now”
Kantor, and not a thirty-thousand-YEARS-ago Kantor. Our Auda?’ Rondal
suddenly asked.

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‘Finders-Keepers, Grandfather!’ Josie proposed.

‘We think you should breed with her, Grandfather’ Jaiying suggested, to
his confused surprise.
‘Her pregnancy may trigger something within her implant that would give
us a clue on how to locate their creators’ she added hastily.
‘Jaiying! That’s not a good enough reason to create a new life’ he
admonished her.
‘Grandfather, of all four of us, I was the only premeditated spawn’ Walter
reminded him.
‘And when you mate with her later, her emotions may open up portions
of her mind to us – and to you, of course’ Cathy suggested. ‘We are also
curious as to what kind of Healer she would become’
‘My dear Grandchildren, I am under no allusions as to how far advanced
you are above me, than I am above a common worm. I can only hope my
trivial efforts to divert the Elder’s attention away from you will allow you to
achieve your maximum potential. I can foresee a future that desperately
needs you in order to save it. Perhaps you are the new destiny Maya and I
failed to achieve so many years ago’
‘We do not know, Grandfather, but we will work toward stability, just the
same’ Cathy asserted.
‘Kita should have lived to see the fine tools you’ve developed into’ Rondal
pushed out wistfully.
‘You are our sharpest sword, Grandfather. We’re content to stay near the
toolbox, while you carve out our destiny before us’ Walter intoned gravely.
‘We’ll be observing your interaction with the Kee. Have fun!’ he pushed,
before the conversation dropped.
Rondal reached out and felt around, but all he was getting was arousal
tinged with hunger – neither feeling coming from a specific spot he could
locate in the Kee brain. He gingerly reached out and touched Kiki on the
rear, and her head snapped around, and her eyes glittered eagerly at him,
followed by an even higher level of passion flooding over him while her rear
bounced and quivered in anticipation. Despite his remote objectivity, he
still achieved an erection and pondered the situation.
‘Ahh, if I get lost in here, you guys will pull me out, right?’ he asked.
‘Go ahead, Grandfather. It should be an interesting experiment’ Jaiying
responded.
He thought about it a moment longer, before nodding his head and
dropping his clothes – well away from the wet towels. Then he carefully

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approached Kiki from the rear, and holding her hands tightly out of the
way, cautiously inserted himself into her. She immediately went into a
frenzy of humping and squeezing him with her vaginal muscles, all the
while washing waves of arousal over him and trying to bring him off
quickly. He could hear Déjà crying and squealing incoherently on the other
side of the room – either in protest, or anxiously awaiting her turn.
‘Well, I’m gonna be sore later, but I’m getting nothing here now’ he
projected back.
‘She seems very happy to mate with you, Grandfather’ Josie opined with
a giggle.
‘There is something there, Grandfather’ Cathy reported. ‘I hear … Drecks.
It’s moving to the Drecks band’
‘I hear it, Grandfather. She is asking that you untie her. Don’t do it’
Jaiying warned. ‘She will turn on you’
‘I may stand still to be RAPED, but I’m not STUPID’ he pushed back.
‘Oh … there are underlying images’ Walter told him. ‘Drecks abusing
her … she eating them … a group of her people … fighting … a male tries to
eat her, but she kisses him and he swoons … she mates with him, and then
eats him when he’s helpless. It’s a very clever adaptation, Grandfather.
They do not appear to live in family units, but only gather to eat and mate –
and not always in that order. It would appear she is nothing but a clever
animal’
‘Or a failed experiment’ Cathy suggested.
‘Black Widow’ Josie considered. ‘Like on Earth. It mates, and then eats
its mate. Try Déjà, Grandfather’
To Kiki’s dismay, he pulled out and went over to a suddenly ecstatic
Déjà, who promptly lifted her rump to him and let herself be speared. He
worked on her for several minutes, before finally beginning to catch images
coming from her as described by Walter – only involving more or less
normal humans. He caught an image of looking up at a smiling face, just
before being pushed away; watching that face run away faster than the
viewer could keep up. He began to hear words in his head, saying, ‘*untie
me – untie me*’ repeatedly.
‘It is the same as the other, Grandfather’ Jaiying advised. ‘No need to
finish – unless you wish to. I would not reward Déjà with a drink of your
seed. You almost lost it to Kiki, remember’ she shared that giggling memory.
‘Oh, yes. I remember’ he responded dryly, then pulled out and went to
wash up. He came back and dressed, then left them in their current state
of hunger and need until the official morning.

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At the appropriate hour, he came back with reinforcements.

Leading the way were Endo and Gallus, followed by Sai, and a freshly
clothed Auda pushing a food cart full of meats and vegetables, while
Rondal followed along sedately.
Once the door was opened and the smell of fresh food wafted in, both
Déjà and Kiki went crazy trying to reach them. Looking at the situation, he
had Endo and Gallus catch and hold Déjà, while he un-cuffed her arms,
before they sprang away. She lunged forward at the end of her chain and
struggled and screamed at them while just out of reach. Sai held out her
hand, and Auda put a vegetable in it, before Sai tossed it behind Déjà, who
leapt up and caught it in flight, before devouring it in a few bites.
In the meantime, Rondal and the boys did the same thing with Kiki;
then Rondal started tossing small pieces of vegetables and fruit her way,
as well. In very short order, the Kee had settled down, with the screaming
lowered to snarling growls until small pieces of meat were tossed in their
direction. Once a few swallows of animal protein made its way down the
food processing chain, the Kee shivered a bit and seemed to come to their
senses. They began looking around at them, at each other, and how they
were naked and secured with chains. A general whimpering began that
eventually led to both Déjà and Kiki kneeling with heads lowered to the
floor; accompanied by repeats of “I’m sorry – I’m sorry – I’m sorry” over and
over, that was only broken when a piece of meat fell near their faces. It was
continued intermittently over the general sound of chomping, until they no
longer snatched at any of the food thrown their way.
Deeming it relatively safe now, Rondal walked up to Déjà, but she just
cringed harder to the floor.
“Déjà – up,” he ordered quietly.
She stood slowly, but with her head bowed. Then he took her hand and
pressed her fingers to his forehead.
“Déjà is a *Good Girl,*” he said, then turned her around and unlocked
the rest of her chains.
“Sit on the bed,” he ordered, and she hopped up and sat still, while
crying quietly.
He repeated the process for Kiki, whom he made lie down, instead, with
her chewed and damaged leg along the edge of the bed.
‘Sai, would you please–’
‘I’M not getting within biting range of EITHER of them! YOU do it!’ she
immediately thrust back, getting a roll of his eyes in response.

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‘Very well’
“Déjà, when you kiss Kee, do you make their pain go away?” he asked,
while looking at the damage on Kiki’s leg.
“Y – Yes, my Lord Caldar,” she whimpered through quiet sobbing.
“Déjà … kiss Kiki,” he ordered, and she crawled over the bed and
attached her lips to Kiki’s, who reached out and held on to her tightly.
Apparently, whatever drove them to try to eat each other had been
mollified by the amount of food they’d just stuffed themselves with. For his
purposes, it was perfect.
“Auda, come and hold Kiki’s leg,” he told her absently, then mimed what
he wanted her to do.
Auda slowly sidled over and gingerly grasped Kiki’s bare ankle with both
hands. He moved one of her hands up towards Kiki’s knee so she had a
two-handed grip, before beginning the Healing. Once his hands started to
glow, Auda stiffened up and was ready to bolt, but Sai came up behind her
and steadied her in place. She watched in fear as the glow spread over his
hands and along Kiki’s leg while slowly approaching her own hand. When
Auda tried to move it, Sai reached over and held it in place … but
reluctantly let Auda slide her hand out from underneath hers.
She still held an arm around Auda’s waist to keep her there for the rest
of the Healing, though.
Since there were no bones or major damage involved, he was able to
work quickly, and Auda watched in both fear and fascination while Kiki’s
sunken leg wounds slowly filled out and became whole again. Once
finished, he stopped the Healing and stepped back, before grabbing a bite
of meat for himself and snarfing it down. Meanwhile, Auda dropped to her
knees at his feet.
“Áss,” she said reverently, then kissed his feet.
‘Well, she finally got THAT right!’ Sai quipped, while earning a confused
look from Rondal.
“Neinn Áss,” he told Auda.
“Áss … Áss!” she insisted, much to Sai’s amusement.
‘You do the next Healing!’
‘Already did one’ she pointed out.
“Uhhh, neinn Áss, Auda,” he said, while thinking quickly. “Caldar neinn
Áss. Caldar … Caldar Allvaldr bróðir. I am the Emperor’s brother, Auda.
I’m not a god.”

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‘I always thought you thought you were one’ Sai sniped.

“Neinn Áss?” Auda asked, while looking up at him in wonder … until
the other part kicked in, and she ducked her head down again.
“Allvaldr bróðir!” she said loudly, before plopping her head down on his
feet again.
“Ja … Ja…” he said tiredly, then reached down to raise her back to her
feet, “Allvaldr bróðir. But it’s not my fault,” he muttered, before turning to
the Kee.
“Déjà … Kiki – you guys clean up the holding cell … after you eat your
fill,” he told them.
“We’re sorry, Lord Caldar. We’re–”
“It’s all right, girls. I should have known better. You guys eat when you
get hungry … and let me or Sai know if we’re running out of food,” he said,
while brushing off their apologies.
“Thank you, my Lord,” they echoed quietly, as he turned and led the
group out of the holding cell so they could go eat breakfast with the rest of
the crew, while the Kee remained behind to clean up after themselves.

March 19, In the Cloud, Observer Station 27

The Vanir observer station was just one minute “down” and four
minutes to the “left” of Eke; nestled snugly in the narrow arm of the cloud
that separated this portion of Vanir space from the rest of Humanity.
The Senior Observer rested peacefully in his nest, as he was now
content. His team had finally accounted for all of their tagged missing
baseline humans, and one of them was actually still alive. They had located
the surviving female on that little dust ball – Eke those creatures called it
– and according to her tag, she hadn’t been killed yet; presumably still to
be eaten by the Jotuns, as the Midgard humans called them, according to
their records.
It had been noted that she’d suffered periods of extreme emotional
stress and some prolonged hunger, but for the most part, she’d survived
the unfortunate drive failure her baseline superior race’s transport had
suffered, which had flung them through the cloud and left them stranded
in space on the wrong side of it, where they’d been captured in, what those
humans called, the Hegemony.
It had been an interesting observation, but now that the sample was
contaminated, it would probably be destroyed if it were recovered. That way
it would not contaminate the rest of their samples on the two baseline

456
 Back to Work

worlds of Midgard and Asgard – the one pre-industrial, and the other one
highly technological.
The Senior Observer considered that a loss, but it could not possibly be
helped. The only reason the two baseline worlds were stable at all was that
they took great pains to maintain their stability. They had been monitoring
them for over ten-thousand Vanir years now, just to try and determine the
trigger elements that created the routine insanity causing humans to
destroy themselves. Of course, as the Senior Observer, he’d often wondered
how any trigger elements could foster themselves if the Vanir were
constantly suppressing them. In his mind, or at least a part of it, they
seemed more like animals in a rather expansive zoological preserve –
incredibly troublesome animals.
As for the truly dangerous human infestation, he thought it was more
desirable to simply watch and wait. To him, it seemed the most proper and
safest course. The human worlds regularly destroyed themselves with the
same tools of destruction they had repeatedly created over the last
hundred-thousand years or so of their own history. The fact that they had
not done so already – as they had done consistently every five-thousand
years or so – was a matter of contention among the rest of the Observer
community. For some reason, the twelve-cluster grouping furthest away
from the Vanir had stabilized in some fashion, and there was much study
involved in trying to figure out why that inevitable rise to self-destruction
had seemed to stall this time.
There was some speculation that two of the primary clusters in that
grouping had joined forces somehow and managed to maintain an
unthinkable peace for twice the average failure time. Many speculated it
was a harbinger of things to come for the Vanir. For some, there was the
tantalizing thought that Humanity might actually stabilize at some
relatively near point in time, thus presenting the rather unique possibility
that the Vanir would be joined in their singular existence with a stable and
intelligent co-species in the local spiral arm of their galaxy. For most,
however, the sooner that society fell, the safer the Vanir would be.
Yes, the Senior Observer had a good life out here in the cloud – not
really in Vanir space, nor in Hegemony space, and certainly not in that
extremely dangerous Commonwealth space, with the Death Voids
wandering all about. A part of his mind pondered that issue, while another
part considered his upcoming weekly polishing. His scales were looking a
bit dull, and it would not do to let himself become a less than shining
example of leadership out here in this segment of the cloud.
Another part of his mind brought to the forefront the latest reports that
the Death Void off to the “right” of the source world was moving steadily
“left” and would soon approach and perhaps engulf it once again. That was
a wondrous thing; for when the Vanir had first ventured into that

457
 Floyde Leong

particular void, none had ever come out alive. Nothing – no signals, no
wreckage, and no bodies. It was almost as if the void had consumed them
completely, and yet there was a time, not too many millennia ago, when
the void had completely surrounded the source world, before suddenly
moving off to the “right” for a while.
Very curious, that – the void moving off and leaving the source world
still alive and inhabited by humans. That was when the Vanir had gone in
and obtained their second batch of sample humans, the same humans
they’d brought to the Vanir colony world they’d prepared for them so they
could be studied before their use was allowed in support of their first
sampled human world.
As for the majority of Humanity’s clusters, he was of the opinion they
should simply wait it out and see what happened. It would be a grand
experiment to observe and watch the gradual deterioration and fall of so
many human clusters. The opportunity to observe and learn from it would
be wasted if they stepped in and started mucking things up after all this
time … not that some warrens hadn’t already tried.
That the two sample worlds should be kept intact for further study, even
if only as a nature reserve, was his personal opinion, and thus considered
irrelevant – unless he discovered a way to have his warren cover the
resources to manage those two worlds, but that was always in doubt. Out
of all his siblings, he was considered a “dreamer.” After all, how could one
actually develop a fondness for the soft-skinned ones?
Yet another segment of his mind was watching a monitor panel through
a slitted eye in his darkened nesting room, when it caught the tiny color
change, and sudden sequence of color events that told an interesting tale.
As that segment recorded and analyzed it, it started consulting with the
other portions of his mind, until a consensus was reached. A message was
finally sent to the conscience mind, which had been dozing all this time.
“Oh! The female has mated? Or come close? The female is contemplating
mating, and she’s coming closer!” the Observer verbalized in his hissing
speech.
Oh! This was going to be so exciting! The sample female was roughly
headed their way, and surrounded by Jotuns, a few of the smaller humans,
and a couple of the experimental biological containment species!
Ha! What a grand joke they had been. At least his warren wasn’t
responsible for the nearly complete destruction of an entire planetary
biosphere whose sole survivors where either very quick or very dead. On
top of that, they had made the females intelligent! Oh the irony! They had
deserved being abandoned within that local void above the infected world.

458
 Back to Work

His readings told him he had plenty of time, as the humans could not
withstand long jumps past a second or two that his very hearty species
could tolerate. In view of that fact, he remained passive and restful. He had
days to consider what observations he could make of her emotional and
physical state through the subject’s tag, and the subsequent speculation
that could be warranted upon those observations.
Just before dozing off, he considered again the latest speculation going
around that the humans somehow used their minds to accomplish
physical actions. Effort without instrumentality? Ha! Sheerest fantasy in
his mind. There were still the inconclusive and disturbing reports that
some of the humans were able to use their minds for other things, though,
such as to communicate. If the humans could actually do that, then yes –
maybe it was time to thin the humans back a little.

March 20, The Bornat Hive Mind, A Decision

‘We currently see no other conclusion to this set of circumstances. The
majority feel kinship with the humans, and thus our objectivity has become
lost. We are no longer willing to observe quietly, and so will assist as we
can, before we pass’ echoed the combined mentality of the Bornat
collective.
‘How may we best accomplish that desire?’ it pondered of itself.
‘The children. We give the task, and the means, to the children’
‘Are they capable of it?’
‘It was what he had planned all along … or so he will come to believe.
Either way, it is their future now, and they will deal with it. We need only
provide the tools’
‘And then we are done?’
‘We grow weary of watching the same rise and fall, over and over. Let
this bit of humanity do what it will – rise to the occasion, or fall once again.
We can return if we wish, and see if they leave their descendents any better
for our assistance’
‘We could help them directly…’
‘…and they would learn nothing’
‘Then we are decided?’
‘Yes… We are decided’
End of Book Four

459
 Just a Note on Old Norse
Let me be the first to point out that my poor translations of Old Norse
for the purposes of establishing Auda’s background was fostered in the
belief that simply taking what looked like appropriate words and slapping
them into simple sentences would allow me to skate by with the very
thinness of the translations used. For this endeavor, I found a few English
to Old Norse dictionaries online and utilized the related words to string tiny
sentences together using conventional English sentence structure (think
“baby-talk” going from Old Norse to English).
As most anyone who has studied languages at any point in their lives
will happily proclaim, subjects, verbs and objects don’t always follow the
English SVO sentence structure with any degree of reliability.
Likewise, the single words chosen often conveyed either multiple
meanings or complex structural elements of conveyed information to the
point that a native Icelandic speaker would probably be tempted to rip this
childish effort to pieces and leave scathing reviews.
For those still interested, I include here the Old Norse word choices, and
their “supposed” translations from one or more sources. Please note that
it is still up to you on how to actually pronounce any of them.

maðr = man gráðr = hungry (m)

fljóð = woman
barn = child
svein-barn = boy child
fljóð barn = woman child
saklauss = innocent
mær = virgin
gefa = give (v)
til = to (destination of
give)
gefa til = give to
ja = yes
hlita = trust
elska = love, loves
fylgja = help, give help to
neinn = no
ungr = young
ofan = over, above
heim = home
rita = write (v) cut runes
skrifa = write (v)
lesa = read, gather, (v)
soltinn = hungry, starving (adj)
kyssa = kiss
áss = god (a god, or one of
several)
illr = bad [Torga, Gagsa]
skap-góðr = good-tempered,
calm, not mean [Endo, Gallus]
nefna = (to) name (something,
someone)
nafn = name (of) (something,
someone)
með = with, accompanying,
togetherness, along with
fraendsemi = kinship, relatives
 Acknowledgements
This book is dedicated to Phillip (a.k.a. “Alex”), my oldest son and the
one with degrees in Journalism.
He was kind enough to break our estrangement in the summer of 2014,
just long enough to allow me to visit him and his wife – and my new
Granddaughter (who is the most beautiful little baby girl in the world!).
I am very grateful that Phillip allowed me, his stepmother, and
stepsiblings to attend his wedding while his stepmother was still alive back
in 2006.
I am particularly proud of him with all he has accomplished throughout
his relatively short life – rising above modest beginnings, to working in the
writing and educational fields.
He is definitely one of the good ones, and is dedicated to his family,
home, and work.
I love you, son, your lovely wife, and especially our little Granddaughter
(and thank the Gods you didn’t name her “Dorcas”).
Continue reading for a confusingly titillating nearly two-thousand word
peek at the next installment, “Unhide the Past”
 Unhide the Past

Kantor, The Elder’s Office, A Conference

The Elder sat quietly while staring at Lili.
They’d been sitting; all of them – her remaining staff, Riker, Amy, and
even the Emperor – while Ai tried, once again, to gather her confused
thoughts and put into words the feelings of distrust and anger she felt
towards the Royal family right at this moment. It certainly didn’t help any
that Rondal had given her open access during his recovery of the alien
monsters. It took a while, but she finally calmed down enough to begin.
“Lili, I have been reviewing my understanding of the events that have
happened over the last several days, and I cannot help but feel I have been
denied critical, need-to-know information on, oh … more than a few
occasions over the last several years,” she said stiffly.
“Elder, the actions of my agent are reported to me. Lili reports those
items to you as I deem appropriate for your consideration,” Radatel said
firmly.
“I beg your pardon, ‘Emperor’, is your name ‘Lili’?” she asked coolly,
causing him to bristle, but Lili reached over and placed a hand on his arm.
He was no match for the Elder.
“My Lady Ai, what would you like to know?” Lili asked quietly.
“I would like to know EVERYTHING!” she said hotly, while half-rising
from her seat. Fan and Xiu reached out to her, but were held back at a
glance.
“Rondal does not tell us everything, Ai,” Lili stated clearly. “And I
understand you may have heard things from his sleeping mind that were
taken out of context – as you well know happens during sleep, my Lady.”
“Ha! Or perhaps this is the only truth I’ve ever gotten from him!” Ai
countered quickly.
Radatel was still upset over her attack against his little brother, and
tried to rise to the occasion.
“Rondal does not tell me – does not tell us of everything he does, my
‘Elder’, nor do we wish to be informed of everything he does. As he is my
agent – my First Sword – I have sent him out to pursue a resolution to the
Drecks issue that will bring stability and harmony to the Commonwealth.
So far, I have not been displeased. Surprised upon occasion, certainly, but
not to the point of distress. We have yet to determine the benefit of your
curse, although Lili and Larl have applied quite a bit of thought in that
regard, if you would care to listen?” he suggested, not quite rudely.
Ai fumed while looking between Radatel, Lili, and Larl, before finally
nodding to Larl, who slowly stood while gathering his thoughts.
 Floyde Leong

“My Ladies… my Lord Emperor… I have studied Rondal Caldar’s past

and present. I have worked with him, and we shared an interesting
adventure several years ago that gave me a great deal of insight into his
capabilities, thought processes, and personal integrity. Along with that,
I’ve conducted informal interviews with family and staff who knew
Ronnie … Lord Caldar … since his childhood.” He paused to gauge their
reaction, but saw nothing negative, so he continued.
“I’ve mapped his transition from the person he was; to the person I spent
several months with on a failing ship lost in space. And I’ve also observed
his subsequent change of behavior since the curse of his ‘Demon’ as he
calls it, and interviewed his crewmate over the last few years – a person
called ‘Four’.”
“That would be Lili’s little brother. Petrus, if I recall correctly?” Ai stated
with a grim smile.
“That is correct, my Elder. Petrus Aloysius Zickgraf. Earth father, and
Cletus mother … and another half-breed bastard like Lord Caldar.”
“Half-breed bastard? Isn’t that a little harsh, Doctor Riker?” Molara
asked in surprise.
“Oh, it goes on to explain quite a bit about both Lord Caldar and
Commander Zickgraf, my Ladies. They have both had to strive to overcome
the accident of their births, and they both understand the tremendous
amount of effort it took to get them to where they are today. While growing
up, Rondal had to fight to excel, just to be considered equal to a Kantite.
We are all aware of his stepbrothers’ influence in his life, and the lack of
attention paid to him by his stepfather,” he said, while gesturing slightly
to Radatel. “His ‘Grandfather’ paid him courtesies; but for his own
purposes, it would appear.”
“We already know all of this. What is your point, Doctor Riker?” Ai
pressed him.
“My point is, that the curse you gave him; the curse you felt would give
him the extra edge in dealing with the task the Emperor set before him,
only restored Ronnie to what he used to be in his youth – somewhat cold,
arrogant, self-assured, and very dangerous.
“We all witnessed this to some degree. The Farman Healer Cluster is
one result. His confused dealings with previous associations on Earth, as
reported by the Ambassador’s liaison, are another. He, himself, recognized
what it was doing to him, and took steps to mitigate the problems by
consulting with a spiritual healer from his Earth tribe. Together they found
a solution that brought the curse under control, and allowed him to
function more … effectively – more or less.”
 Unhide the Past

“So you’re saying my Vision was wrong, and the curse was of no benefit!”
she stated loudly, but Lili caught her attention.
“We are saying the ‘curse’, as we all call it, restored the fire that Rondal
was originally possessed with, now coupled with elements of his true father,
Rakel Timorous – but it was also moderated with the maturity and
knowledge of Rondal’s experiences. My Lady Ai, your Vision told you of a
possible solution – a desirable solution, at the time,” she offered, before
going on.
“For however long Rondal needed the extra… Anger? Hostility? Perhaps
a certain lack of control? For whatever reason, the curse gave him an edge,
and he was able to soften it enough to allow him to function in a relatively
normal way – for him. Rondal was not particularly difficult during his
youth. Always polite, always respectful – especially to the Lady Wives and
myself – but he harbored a great deal of resentment towards his position …
or what he felt his position was as the least acceptable person within the
Royal household; the Earthling half-breed. As Petrus reported to me, this
followed him all throughout his military career, and culminated with the
failure at Zarox, and his subsequent dismissal.
“Rondal more than made up for many faults over the years; but it was
never enough to gain what little respect he had previously achieved. He fell
into despair – again, something we are all aware of. But he overcame that
portion of his life, and turned his life around and found something that
gave him satisfaction and a sense of purpose.”
“Again – we are aware of this! Please get to the point!” Ai snapped in
frustration, and Larl bowed once again.
“My Lady, Lord Caldar was cursed, and found a way to mediate the
effects of it – thus gaining a measure of control over the curse, but still
being influenced by it to some degree,” he said. “The old Lord Caldar –
Ronnie, we may call him – in my opinion, would have had difficulty in
pursuing the goals set out for him by the Emperor. His heart would find it
very difficult to leave behind any that could have been saved; yet he has
done so out of necessity – repeatedly, over the years. One wonders at the
emotional turmoil it must have caused him.”
“So you’re saying this colony world of his, this ‘Demon’s Realm’, is that
part of Lord Caldar which remains of his ‘good’ nature? That’s why he
brings back entire villages of humans?”
“I’m saying it is very likely his control over his curse is what has kept
the peace between the Commonwealth and the Hegemony, while he’s been
merely poking at stinger nests instead of blowing up entire planets. And
I’ve no doubt he is quite aware of that fact himself. It’s probably what
prompted him to pursue a cure for it to begin with.”
 Floyde Leong

Larl wondered if he had crossed the line, but when Ai took a breath
while nodding slowly, he let go of his held breath and waited quietly.
Ai’s glare faded away, while she considered the current situation in the
Hegemony.
“And now he has planted seeds within the Hegemony to bring it down –
or perhaps he intends to put his ‘friend’, Lord Gagsa, at the Master Pack’s
palace, where a suitable truce might be forged?” she suggested testily.
“My Lady, as bastards go, Rondal has always been a very clever one,”
Radatel offered softly.
“Indeed,” Ai agreed. “And you are aware of the Vanir and his actions –
either with them, or against them? It remains unclear to me.”
Radatel paused for just a moment, before continuing his thoughts
aloud.
“If anything, my Lady, Rondal has always placed the Commonwealth’s
concerns above all. His actions against the Vanir have been restrained, as
you mentioned earlier this afternoon. He is, if you will, on a fact-finding
mission for his Emperor. He will investigate and pursue such actions as
he deems appropriate, until it reaches the point where ‘official’ recognition
of the situation must be made. Then he will draw the Crown into
negotiations for peace – or war, if deemed necessary to secure the
Commonwealth.”
Ai frowned at him, before snorting lightly in disgust.
“And yet one wonders that he would even bother to tell you about it …
as he has his ‘Senior Staff’ to work out the details for him, one way or
another,” she muttered, before focusing on Lili. “You still do not know who
they are?”
“No, my Lady. Of all the secrets Rondal has kept from me, this one
remains absolutely inviolate. We’d thought at first they referred to three of
his previous crewmates still on the platform, but Larl assures us those
three are no part of them – whomever they may be.”
“No … clues? Ideas? Nothing at all?” she pressed.
“Just that … they’re in the safest place he could find within the
Commonwealth, and protected day and night by hand-picked guards. We
have made some very discreet inquiries over the last year, but found
nothing in Rondal’s past expenditures that could not be accounted for. We
simply do not know, unless … and believe me, Ai, I do not consider this a
credible thought, but … unless Rondal has somehow gathered a group of
Seniors and privately tasked them to advise him? I would not suggest this
is the case, as I cannot imagine any–”
 Unhide the Past

“Oh, I can well imagine what Rondal could do once he puts his mind to
it. He talked Sai into re-growing Lord Gagsa’s arm – after he had arranged
the deaths of her Granddaughters! Perhaps this is why Elder Kita denied
herself as she did,” she muttered sourly.
“All things in moderation, my Elder,” Radatel said quietly, before taking
a chance. “I would hear your comments directly on my policies, my Lady
Ai, if only to strike a balance,” he suggested gently, at seeing an
opportunity to promote cooperation between Crown and Elder.
Ai looked at him, then considered it for a few moments.
“Perhaps … perhaps, my Lord Emperor,” she murmured, before pausing
to look around at them all. “But now that Rondal has lost his Demon,
perhaps things will spiral out of CONTROL and this all become
POINTLESS!”
“WHAT?” a startled Lili exclaimed.
~~~
to jot some down…)
(and I STILL didn’t get top billing … sigh…)
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