Chapter 35

Later as they were finishing their shower Sarah said, “Our exercise regime seemed considerably more strenuous this morning.”

“It was scheduled to be that way, but I think it felt worse because we didn’t sleep soundly,” responded Jill. “You weren’t breathing nearly as hard as some of us.”

“That makes sense.”

When their children joined them at breakfast Corey anxiously asked, “Did everything go alright last night?”

“Good morning,” said Sarah and her spouses with a grin.

Realizing the admonishment the children said, “Good morning.”

Moya quickly added, “Did it?”

Chuckling Joyce said, “Yes. The pirates chose to fight and lost. Our people incurred some injuries but everyone will be fine. Iolar and Taiséalai will be back late today or early tomorrow as they are escorting the recovered commercial ships to the Atewa station.”

“Great,” responded several of the children with the others nodding agreement.

Sarah said, “To answer your next question, Marthanóir and Fiontar will be here on station around 11:00 hours.”

Keri said, “We have quite a bit scheduled for today, so we weren’t going to say hello until late today.”

“They will be happy to see you all,” assured Jill. “There are children around your age among the passengers.”

“I wonder what they think of the change.”

Deirdre inquired, “Are they going to live at Tara Ardchlár?”

“Yes. They will likely move down over the next several days.”

“If you want, we can show them around,” offered Earnán.

“We are certain that Staffing will appreciate your assistance. Let Madeline’s Clan know.”

“We will.”

At 10:54 Molly’s Clan said, “Command Staffs, Marthanóir is in her position over Ananu and resuming her role.”

“Great,” responded Sarah’s, Keriann’s, Siobhan’s, and Amy’s Clans.

Molly’s Clan’s message was quickly followed by an identical one from Jackie’s Clan, eliciting an identical response from the Command Staffs.

Molly queried, “Who was following us and what happened?”

Keriann replied, “They were pirates. Apparently there was a paranormal among their leaders who thought you all would be a valuable acquisition. The pirates didn’t survive the engagement. The Atewa are still searching the remains of their ships. Iolar and Taiséalai are escorting their captured cargo ships to the Atewa base and should be here tomorrow some time.”

“So we weren’t overreacting?” asked Mairia of Jackie’s Clan.

“Nope. We haven’t had time to review the data that has been gathered from their ships. The Atewa are currently gathering up the crew who abandoned ship. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.”

“So the feelings we had of disaster were due to their paranormal.”

“At this time we are fairly certain that that is the case. This is something we need to discuss with our Mentors as I don’t think any of them realized that was possible, especially at that distance.”

“Well now that we’ve experienced it, we know what it feels like so it will be easier to deal with in the future.”

“We hope so,” replied Eileen of Siobhan’s Clan.

“To change the topic,” said Sarah, “we were thinking of having a few of us visit your ships to welcome them. Would that be a problem?”

“Well,” said Jackie, “considering how crowded we are, why don’t you do that using the monitors we use for family meetings?”

“We are agreeable. We do have other guests.”

“The Coschenz you rescued?”

“Yes.”

“Is that going to impact how soon the passengers move to Tara Ardchlár?” queried Alissa of Molly’s Clan.

Amy said, “Not really. Depending on the Medical Center work load we could begin this afternoon, but tomorrow morning would likely be a better choice. Provided they all clear the Medical review with no problems, it should only take us two days at most. Quite a few of those who were living on Princess Manria would like to move back temporarily.”

“Problems?”

“We don’t think so. We think they like the environment of Manria better than our temporary quarters. From our perspective this will make it easier for the new arrivals to become part of us by being among us at Tara.”

“Okay.”

Sarah said, “We want to have a welcoming reception for them as soon as possible after they are all at Tara.”

“Well that looks as though it will be the 30^th,” responded Keriann.

“So let’s have it in the afternoon,” suggested Aoife. “We can open the reception by introducing ourselves then offer to answer any general questions.”

Kathleen of Molly’s Clan asked, “Where are you going to hold the reception?”

“In the bowl shaped meadow south of the temporary residences.”

“I don’t believe I’ve noticed it.”

“Well you aren’t alone; many of us didn’t until it was pointed out to us. As it is currently laid out, it will work for groups up to about 18,000 or so. I believe it is pretty close to being ready to use. Also don’t forget the New Year celebration will be in 23 days.”

“I can assure you that none of us intend to miss that celebration.”

“So let’s have the welcome broadcast today at 14:00 hours,” said Maeve. “We will announce that a welcome reception will be held at 19:00 hours on the 31^st.”

“When is the Coschenz assembly?” queried Kelly.

“On the 35^th at 11:00 hours, at least that is the date and time we discussed with Victurcz. Plans are to introduce all the Councilors at the beginning of the Coschenz assembly with a bit of flare. Actually we need to get together and go over that presentation. Based on our discussions with their Elders, there are several issues that we need to address clearly.”

“Are there problems with them?” inquired Cariss.

“Only with some of them having problems accepting their new circumstances. They think we intend keep them from leaving, while actually our intent is to make sure that each family group is free to make a choice without external pressure.”

“I think I understand the issue and I am sure it will become clearer after we catch up with events here.”

Sarah said, “Do we want to have a staff meeting on the 29^th?”

“I believe so,” said Molly.

“Oh, we definitely agree,” added Jackie.

“Okay. How about on Dóchas at 11:00 hours?”

“Agreed,” responded everyone.

“I have the impression that this will be both a Command Staff and Councilor meeting,” noted Chester.

“That is my view as well,” replied Kendra of Siobhan’s Clan. “But for the minutes, we should be able to cleanly separate them. Our planning for the Coschenz assembly will take place at another time.”

“Agreed.”

It was shortly before 11:00 hours on the 29^th when Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans’ shuttles entered the hanger on Dóchas. The shuttles had barely settled on their cradles when the other Command Staffs entered the hanger to greet their friends.

They were on their way to the conference room off Dóchas’ bridge when Evangline of Molly’s Clan said, “It looks like lot has been accomplished at Tara Ardchlár since we left.”

“It certainly does,” added Jackie.

“We are a little ahead of schedule,” responded Jim of Amy’s Clan. “This is probably due to the additional help we have from those staying with us.”

“Good,” responded Molly. “There were times when we wondered if our being gone was delaying things.”

As they entered the conference room the members of Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans gave their friends another heartfelt hug. They all had tears in their eyes as they hugged their friends.

Molly said, “Until this last jump, I, well we, hadn’t realized how difficult it was to keep our focus amid the uncertainty we felt. Although since we have our link I don’t think the distress we felt was as bad as it could have been.”

“Well your message caused us a good bit of anxiety while waiting for your arrival,” confided Maureen. “I am sure it was nothing like you all felt during that leg of your voyage.”

Jamie of Kathryn’s Clan added, “I believe that we collectively breathed a sigh of relief when you arrived. Afterward it didn’t take long for the tension to go sky high as we waited for the pirates arrival.”

“I noticed,” said Calvin. “For it being sort of our first solo mission, I was impressed by how well our crews responded. I have to admit, my first one did not go as well.”

Morrigan and Creidne appeared and said, “You all did fine, and better than some with a lot more experience. As long as you keep your focus and realize your limitations, you will be fine.”

“Thank you,” responded Maureen’s and Kathryn’s Clans.

“Just to be clear, our comments were meant for Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans.

“Once you get things sorted we still need to review what occurred and figure out what options we overlooked. We think all eight Command Staffs should participate.”

“How would the 42^nd be?” asked Maeve, “or is that too long after the engagement?”

“Well it would be better if it was sooner,” Creidne countered.

“Then let’s do it on the 32^nd, provided everyone is agreeable.”

“Okay,” responded several of those present with the others nodding.

“Good,” replied Morrigan and Creidne.

Creidne added, “Our apologies for interrupting your meeting.”

“You are welcome to stay,” responded Sarah.

“We agree,” added the others.

“What is on your agenda?” inquired Morrigan.

“Primarily it is for Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans to bring us up to date on issues at An Clochán and their relationship with Earth’s governments. We also need to review what has happened here with them.”

Sensing their puzzlement Katia added, “While we are already aware what has occurred, doing this often brings to our attention things we’ve missed.”

“Thanks. We understand as we’ve seen the amount of information you all track.”

“While we could look at less detail when we visit various groups they seemed very pleased to learn that we are familiar with their project.”

With a smile Morrigan said, “We’ve heard that.”

It was nearly dinner time before they had covered all the activities at Tara while Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans had been away, what those Clans had learnt while at An Clochán, and details of their interaction with Earth’s leaders. As their discussions were winding down Mairia of Jackie’s Clan inquired, “I sense some concern about the recent Coschenz arrivals?”

Kathy said, “Based on our observations at the Medical Center, we do have concerns about some of them. These are mostly people who held privileged positions before the trip. Their difficulty is getting past the idea that it was people they trusted that had set them up to be enslaved, or worse. However, they are a small minority and may be the only ones who want to leave.”

“So when do you think they will begin requesting to stay?” queried Kathleen of Molly’s Clan.

“A few already have. As to the rest, it will probably be after we hear from the Oreschre World. As we noted earlier, we don’t think the government of Oreschre had anything to do with this relocation. It will be interesting to see how they respond to this incident.”

Joyce added, “It is only Blee, Winz, Max, and Jar who have stated their intent to stay so far. However, there are indications that Victurcz and her immediate family will also opt to join us. There are a few others that we suspect are leaning that way but they are the ones we had the most interaction with.”

Emma of Keriann’s Clan asked, “Sarah, can we use the same facilities we did before to exercise and freshen up?”

“I believe so. I’ll have Star check. I gather that everyone is staying for dinner.”

“We’d love to,” responded Molly’s and Jackie’s Clans. The other clans nodded their agreement.

“Great.” Sarah paused a moment then added, “Star is checking and will get back to each of you in a few moments.”

“Sarah, you know it is really easy for us to transfer back to our ship then return for dinner,” responded Siobhan.

“We have the facilities but that works as well.”

“After thinking about it a bit more, we are going to transfer back to our ship, when we return we will bring our children.”

“Now, that is a good idea,” replied Maureen. “I think we will do the same. See you in an hour.” With that her clan disappeared from the conference room.

“Looks like we had a good idea,” chuckled Siobhan.

“Be back in an hour,” chorused Siobhan’s, Keriann’s, and Kathryn’s Clans just before they also disappeared.

Molly’s, Amy’s and Jackie’s Clans smirked as Molly asked, “Is there something strange about the Dóchas accommodations? They seemed to be in a hurry.”

“Not that we are aware of,” laughed Jill. “I think that they realized that going back to their ship had several advantages. One being that their children could return with them. I am not sure they realize that tonight may last a little longer than usual as a choir is singing this evening.”

“Great,” responded Molly. “We missed hearing them when we were on our trip.”

“An even better benefit is that we get more time to visit with you all,” noted Erica of Amy’s Clan.

At 19:00 hours on the 31^st Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen, Kathryn, Keriann, Molly, Jackie, and Amy walked on to the amphitheater’s stage. On seeing them the sounds of chatter among the new arrivals from Sol quickly diminished. Together they said, “As we said when you arrived here, ‘Welcome to Tara Ardchlár, Gaillimh Isle on the Planet Ananu in Celia System’. This is our first opportunity to use the amphitheater. Our reason for having this reception is so that we can introduce ourselves. It also gives us the opportunity to address any general questions or concerns you have for the benefit of everyone. However, remember that the more questions you ask the longer it is ‘till we can all partake of the refreshments.”

Their comment prompted many in the audience to laugh.

“My name is Sarah and beside me are Siobhan, Maureen, Keriann, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie, and Amy.” As she spoke their names each bowed then waved. “We are members of clans whose name is the same as our given name. In a few moments the rest of our spouses will join us.

“Seven of the clans represented here fill the role of Command Staff for our Dóchas class ships. We began this role as each ship became operational. Shortly after arriving here the eight clans we represent were elected to be the first Councilors for our Family on Ananu. The details of our governing structure, our constitution, can be found on our network, to which you have access. Our constitution was created and approved by our family during our journey here. Please review them which we believe many of you have. As for the Council of Ananu, it consists of 8 clans who are elected for a term of 8 years with a limit of 2 consecutive terms. The constitution includes a means of terminating a clan’s term. It also has provisions for a parliament and a judiciary. At this point neither have been formed and it will likely be several years before they are. As to when that will happen, that will be a Family decision. Currently the role of parliament is fulfilled through the use of the chat rooms on our network to which everyone has access or an assembly like this. The organizational structure for Tara Ardchlár is the same as our ships. There are many more details about us and our plans which are available to you on our network so we will skip going into any greater detail. Again, we strongly encourage you to spend some time reviewing this information as our governmental structure is significantly different from that used on Earth. Please ask questions if you don’t understand something. If you have suggestions please let us know. We trust that you realize that when we use the term ‘Family’, it includes everyone residing on Ananu, our ships, and those representing us in other Worlds.

“Now I would like to introduce my spouses.” As Sarah said ‘Rusty’, he appeared standing next to her. His sudden appearance prompted several gasps in the audience. He waved then bowed before stepping slightly behind Sarah. This sequence was repeated for each of her spouses as she named them. After introducing Alena, she gestured toward Siobhan as she said, “Siobhan will now introduce her clan.”

As Amy finished introducing her clan she added, “These eight clans currently serve as Ananu Councilors. Sarah’s, Siobhan’s, Maureen’s, Keriann’s, Kathryn’s, Molly’s, and Jackie’s Clans also fill the role of Command Staff on our Dóchas Class spaceships. Amy’s Clan oversees the activities on Gaillimh Island, this island, which is a role similar to the Command Staff of a ship.

“We all hope that you are comfortable in your temporary accommodations. Since you arrived, we’ve noticed that many of you are using the Learning Centers thus they are very busy. Please remember that we also have Learning Centers on our spaceships and that they are available to everyone, so please take advantage of them. You can make arrangements to use them by using the scheduling function on your tablet. When you schedule a time you will receive a message indicating transportation arrangements.”

Several Councilors said in unison, “Now we will give you a quick review of our current plans for Tara Ardchlár. Conceptually Tara Ardchlár currently consists of this plateau and the nearby valley floor. Included in this is a small farming community south of the plateau. As our settlement grows there will likely be changes to our plans. We will use our network to determine what those changes will be and our Family meetings to finalize them. For us a Family meeting includes all who reside on Ananu and our spaceships. Obviously we can’t all be in one location so we use a series of large monitors at multiple locations. The monitors are like those you used for meetings on the ships coming here. Alternatively, you can participate using your tablet. Another way to participate is telepathically which we are doing at the moment. Our telepathic link with the other Councilors enables us to stay in sync when speaking in unison.”