Chapter 19

The following new characters appear in this chapter and the next:

Eremon O’Domhnaill

Clan Chief and Speaker of the Assembly, 5’-9’’ tall, 190 pounds, 54 years old, auburn hair starting to turn gray, green yes

Aengus O’Neill

Clan Chief of the Ui Neill and Second Speaker, 5’-7’’ tall, 185 pounds, 58 years old, gray hair and beard, gray eyes

Bearach O’Brien

Clan Chief and Third Speaker, 5’-8’’ tall, 170 pounds, 60 years old, gray hair, blue eyes

Daire MacFiachna

Sub-Chief, trouble maker, 5’-10’’ tall, 165 pounds, 36 years old, black hair, hazel eyes

Kellie Collins

Marine Sergeant, Regimental Combat Karate Champion, 5’-6’’ tall, 135 pounds, 25 years old, short rich brown hair, gray eyes

Following lunch, we briefed Kanisha on our trip to speak to the Leaders of the original colonists, and what she would need to be aware of while we were away. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in studying Magic. We didn’t have any trouble with the spells that we were taught or the advice on when and how to use them.

Sergeant Rogers, the S-2 NCO, reported on his findings just before we broke for evening chow. It appeared that the returning Parthas Army units had all taken up defensive positions outside of New Dublin to defend it. What they were expecting to defend it against, we weren’t sure of.

Our uniforms had been returned just after lunch and looked very good. That evening, we added our insignias of rank, our medals and awards plus our name tags to them. We also saw to the shine on our low quarters (shoes) and our headgear.

It was still early when Trish knocked on the door frame of my room.

“You busy?” she asked through the open door.

“Just finishing,” I told her, as she entered the room dressed in just a negligee with an open dressing gown over it. Her hair was down, and she appeared to have just finished showering.

“Why don’t you shower and join me in my room?” she said very quietly in a passion filled voice. I was a bit surprised. We had all been rather busy lately, and sex had taken a back seat to work. Still, here she was on the night before an important meeting, and she definitely appeared to be ready for an evening of sex.

As I had said, it had been a while since we had done anything; the last time had been on the Baltic on the way here. After taking another swipe over my shoes, I set them aside and rose to grab my towel and showering kit.

“Ten minutes,” I told her, and she smiled.

“The door will be unlocked,” she told me before leaving.

Arriving at her door later, I checked the hallway, but it was empty, before opening the door and slipping into her room. The door to my room was already closed.

Trish was in bed already and naked. After losing my shorts, I joined her. Following a little hugging and kissing, plus a bit of breast massaging, Trish was more than ready.

“Fuck me long and hard,” she commanded.

“I’m not sure about the long part,” I told her, as I slipped into her. The first time wasn’t all that long, but we finished together. Later that night, the second time was much longer, but just as passionate and hard as the first time had been. We slept very well following that.

In the morning, we were up early to shower and dress before having breakfast and checking on developments over night. From all of the reports, the night had been very quiet. It wasn’t until we went to check on and feed our Partners, that we realized what a mistake we had made. As soon as we approached their mobile homes, both Susie and Clare were up at the bars and smiling at us.

“Kits!” both female Tigers asked in expectant mental voices. The Colonel blushed big time at this, but it was even worse when Sara flew in through the rolled up warehouse door.

“Chicks!” she sent, also in an expectant voice.

“Did all of the Partners listen in on us last night?” the Colonel asked in an embarrassed voice.

“It wasn’t just the Partners who felt and knew what the two of you were doing last night,” Miranda told us, on appearing out of nowhere near the cages.

“What?” the Colonel shouted, turning even redder.

“All of the Magic users were affected by the two of you. There is a spell to prevent that, but I didn’t think that it would be needed yet. Eachna and Eavan created a ward around all of us after the first time, but it was a bit late by then, as we had all been affected. There was a good bit of sex last night as soon as we found someone willing,” she told us with a smile.

“Are Eachna and Eavan all right?” the Colonel asked, remembering how young the two girls were.

“Yes, they were able to insulate themselves from what you were doing. They said it often happened at home, when the need was on one or more of the Magic users there, and they forgot to cast the spell,” Miranda told us.

“Are we still on for 1000 hrs.?” she asked next, changing the subject.

“Yes, we’ll all need to be in the lobby by 0915 to check everyone out, and to make sure everyone knows where we are going, and what we will be doing,” the Colonel answered, now recovered.

“All right, I’ll let everyone know,” she told us before disappearing. Joel arrived right after that, but he just walked in. We all saw to preparing our Partners for the trip to the flat-lands after they had eaten.

At 0915, everyone assembled in the lobby. Eachna and Eavan were wearing clothes that I hadn’t seen previously, and I wondered where they had obtained them. That was before remembering that they could easily transfer home to change clothes. What else they did while there was what really bothered me, but there wasn’t time for that now.

All of the human members of Tiger Team were in our Full Dress First Class Uniforms. This consisted of a long sleeve dark blue uniform coat trimmed with gold braid, and medium blue pants that had a gold stripe down each leg. There was a white shirt under the coat with a black tie. Even the women were wearing pants. We all had on a maroon beret that signified that we were an Operational Team and had Partners or used Magic. Our uniform coats had all of our medals and awards pinned to them as well as our name tags. Our insignias of rank were on shoulder boards as well as our lapels. We all had on our spit-shined low quarters (shoes). Our Partners didn’t wear any insignias, but we had groomed them to ensure that they looked their best.

The Marine squad marched in a minute or so after we had all arrived with our Partners. They marched in, in perfect step, and came to a halt three paces from the Colonel before the Squad Leader saluted.

“Reporting with the Precision Drill Team, sir,” Sergeant Hanson said after saluting. Those of us on Tiger Team just stared at him and his people in shock.

“Captain Roanoke never did mention which squad was practicing for the Drill Team competition,” the Colonel reminded us, before adding, “Welcome aboard Sergeant Hanson. Are all of you ready for this?”

“Yes sir, this can’t be any worse than appearing before the Battalion or Regimental Commander for the competition,” Hanson told us. “Although it looks like we’ll miss the competition this year,” he added.

“Maybe not, if we can pull this off. We could all be elsewhere shortly if we do,” the Colonel told him, before we inspected the Marines. They were all wearing the uniforms they would perform in for the competition. It consisted of a medium blue uniform coat with red trim, white pants with a red stripe down each leg, and a white saucer cap with a black brim. They were also each wearing a white belt from which hung the scabbard and sword that they would be performing with. They all had on spit-shined black shoes. Their coats had their ranks, medals, and awards on them. They all looked very sharp.

Following the inspection, the Colonel and Eachna explained where we were going and what was expected to happen. Eachna also explained what she thought their part in the arrival ceremony would be. The Marines all grinned on hearing what she said. The Marines had been a little apprehensive at the prospect of being transferred by Magic, but they had all seen what the Magic users could do previously and weren’t too worried.

As 1000 hrs. approached, Tiger Team spread out on line and joined hands. Eachna was on one end of the line, and Eavan was on the other end. We were facing the Marines who were in two ranks in front of us but facing us. Our Partners were on line between us and the Marines. They too were facing us. Bob and Susie were sitting on the floor and the Eagles were sitting on perches.

The two Irish girls and Miranda cast the transfer spell using their Talents and ours to draw sufficient Magic for the spell to transfer all of us at one time. We vanished from the lobby of the hotel, and a split second later, we appeared just inside the walled courtyard of a large stone building. There were a number of other groups of men in the process of assembling there also.

We appeared just in front of the open gates in the courtyard wall and facing the broad steps leading up to the entrance of the building. We were some 60 feet from the steps. While the Marines and our Partners were facing the building, Tiger Team and the Irish girls had our backs to it, because of the way we had been facing when casting the spell.

“About face,” I called quietly, and we all turned to face the building. Our sudden arrival had caused a bit of consternation, as we had startled the other groups assembled there.

“The Representatives of the Unity Government,” a man at the top of the steps announced in a deep baritone voice on seeing Eachna and Eavan with us. This surprised both the Colonel and me, as we hadn’t expected to be announced as soon as we arrived.

“Present arms,” the Colonel called in a loud voice, and all of the humans saluted. Our Partners, of course, couldn’t salute, but they were not left out. Bob and Susie both rose to their feet and roared, while the Eagles both spread their wings and screeched while we saluted.

“Order arms,” the Colonel ordered, and we all dropped our salute but remained at attention, while the Partners returned to a rest state. The Tigers were sitting, and the Eagles folded their wings and remained quiet on their perches.

The Leader of the three older men at the top of the steps didn’t speak out loud when he addressed those present, but we on Tiger Team heard him address them in our minds, and we understood him.

“Welcome all of you to the semi-annual meeting of the Clan Chiefs and Elders. We have been joined this time by a group representing the Unity Government. Unlike those previously sent here by the Unity, this group is able to converse with us by the use of their Talents and Magic. We will hear from them after the meeting convenes. For now, we will continue with the formal Entrance of the Clans,” he finished in our minds. Miranda quietly informed the Marines of what he had said.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected those attending this gathering to be wearing, but the three at the top of the steps were as well dressed as any government executive or important politician from any of the leading worlds of the Unity. Those representing the various Clans, but especially their Chiefs and Elders, were dressed similarly. It was their followers who were dressed in what I had to consider were the more traditional clothing and colors of their Clan, as their clothing varied considerably. None of them, however, were dressed as sharply as the Marines or we were.

The man with the deep baritone voice began calling out the Clan names in Gaelic, and those in that Clan proceeded with great pomp and dignity into what we would shortly learn was a large hall that occupied the ground or first floor of the building. They were accompanied by drums or bagpipes.

While this was occurring, as it took some time, Luther and the Colonel were donning the shoulder pad and leather sleeve that they had brought with them for their Partners to land on and to perch on. The wooden perches would be carried into the building by the Marines at the end of the squad to be used inside if needed.

Eachna and Eavan had left us shortly after we arrived and joined the man in the center of the group of older men, the one who had welcomed everyone. Those five had been the first to enter the building, even before the Clans were called to enter. We were the last to be called to enter, and in Standard not Gaelic. On entering, we found the Clans lined up along the walls of the hall in the order that they had been called in. The Clan ahead of us had already reached the stage at the end of the hall where the Clan Chiefs and Elders were now seated when we entered. Their Leader’s followers had just finished whatever presentation they had planned for the meeting, and they moved to their place on the right side of the hall near the doors.

The man with the deep baritone voice, who I now considered to be the Master of Ceremonies, indicated for us to proceed down the hall to where the Clan Chiefs and Elders were seated on the stage.

“Sergeant Hanson, call cadence and all of you strut while marching,” the Colonel directed. Hanson stepped to the side of our formation and gave, “Forward march.” We all stepped off as he began calling cadence, which we didn’t really need, but the sound startled many of those in attendance, as we marched up to the stage at the end of the long hall. The Marines had taps on their shoes, and they sounded a click at each step they took on the marble floor of the hall. This also got the attention of those observing us.