Chapter 85

Tabitha and Tammy stepped back onto the bridge and saw the ship. “Tim, are we being attacked?” Tammy asked in a panic.

“No, that ship is our gift to Tim and his special crew. We call it Nortaris; that was the name of our old war god.”

Tim looked at the ship and thought it was lovely. He returned to Queen Jaclyn and said, “The ship and your war will have to wait until I get this ship and the people aboard it straightened out. That is my primary concern.”

“As I’ve been taught, the great ones take their time and do things well. So, I will return when you use Lois to contact me. The ship will stay within range and remain cloaked.” Saying that she disappeared.

Tim watched as the ship started to cloak.

“Tim, what are you going to do now?” asked Tammy.

“Well, the first thing is to get our second-string flight crew over here and see what will happen when April comes here. Let’s make our people the first new crew.”

Tim returned to April and said, “Are you finding your programming to be better now?”

“Yes, Tim. I saw that all of my code had been restored to its original condition. “Thank you. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, please describe the differences between the two ships. I don’t mean in detail, but rather in general.”

“There’s almost no difference between the two of us. Except for the stuff you’ve added to the weapons. Everything else is much the same.”

“Okay, I can have my team install two MTS machines.” One on Deck 2 and the other on Deck 9, will that be, okay?”

“They may start at any moment. I realize you offer your people access to Deck 5. Do you desire the same for the folks on this ship?”

“Yes, please, but wait until I have a chance to talk with them.”

“Tim, it’s been about 900 years since anybody talked with them. How do you think you’ll be received?”

“Question: Have they attempted to enter anything outside of the deck they are now on?”

“No, they seem to be pleased with the way things are going.”

“Is there a way to see what’s happening on that deck?”

“Yes, I’ll show you on the view screen.” April turned on the monitors for deck two.

The first thing they saw was a guy with green skin and a long, skinny tail, fucking a female from behind.

Tammy leaned in and whispered to him, “Tim, these are your kinds of people.”

“April, go to another camera,” Tim said, gesturing towards another group of people nearby.

April switched to multi-cameras. “Tim, which one do you want to see?”

Tim looked at the screen and said, “Number 5, please.” Number 5 switched to the large screen. There were both males and females sitting around a table eating. Tim asked, “Can you interpret for me?”

A voice of a female says, “There seems to be something going on with this world of ours.”

A male voice says, “And again, you think something is going to happen to our world. It’s been the same for as long as anyone can remember. Why do you think there is something wrong with it this time?”

The female’s voice says, “It feels different; there’s something in the air.”

Another male’s voice said, “Yes, and last time, you felt the ground move and your dishes fell to the floor.”

“Well, they did, and yes, I felt the ground move.”

Tim asks, “April, did something happen at the time she was talking about?”

“I believe, that was when my program hit a bad board. Which may have caused me to jerk a little.”

“So, the people on deck 3 think they are on a world. Do you leave the lights on all the time?”

“No, I will use your time frame. The lights stay on for 12 hours and off for the same.”

“So, they do have night and day. Do you know if they have a leader?”

“I believe they call her Kelly. She is the one who is now approaching the table.”

Kelly stood there with a stern look, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes darting from person to person. She is full-figured and has gigantic breasts, I believe that is what you call them.”

Tim couldn’t help but be impressed by her strong presence and commanding demeanor. He looked at her and said, “Yes, I believe I could get along with her. How long has she been the leader?”

“At the young age of eighteen, she was voted into a position of leadership.”

“Why was she selected as leader at such a young age? Is there anything special about her?”

“The only thing is, the temperature in the room seems to drop a few degrees, and the air feels heavier. It’s like a physical manifestation of her anger, and it’s both fascinating and unsettling to witness. Other than that, no nothing special that I know of.”

Tim looked April and said, “What do you mean by getting colder? Like what the room and things around her?”

“Tim, my gages weren’t working right, so I have no reading to compare too.”

“Is your system now functioning properly? If this is the case, could you keep an eye on her? Please notify me if anything changes.”

“The first female we were listing to, does she have any special talents?”

“She can feel movements that the others can’t. That about all.”

“Have you talked to this group?”

“No, they had no idea, that they are on a ship. It will be up to you to break the news to them.”

Tim sat there and thought about how he was going to do this. It had to be something sample. He thought, ‘ok, if I can get Kelly away from the rest. Them bring her up here and show her where she and the others are. Hopely, she will see, that things could change for the better. Now, how am I going to get her away from the others?’

But suddenly, something strange happened. April noticed that the temperature around Kelly seemed to be dropping rapidly. “Tim, something just happened, the area around Kelly is getting colder.”

Tim looked at the screen and saw Kelly pointing towards a table. “April, translation.”

Kelly said, “You don’t talk to me in that tone of voice. Go set at that table and be quite!”

Mark says, the one moving, said, “you can’t do that, we need to vote.”

Tim saw everyone start to shiver and starting the rub their arms, as they looked around to see what happened.

The only person not shivering was Kelly. She seemed to not notice the way the others were feeling.

“April, did you change anything? How far did the temperature drop?”

“The temperature dropped two degrees, and only in a twenty-foot circle around the individuals.”

“April, can I see the expression on Kelly’s face just before it turned cold?” Tim sat there, staring at the monitor.

“Tim, is this what you want?” while she showed Kelly’s face, frozen on the monitor.

“Yes, now I need a look at her face, right next to that one, only as soon as she came near the table.”

April placed an image of Kelly’s face right next to the one on the monitor and asked, “Is that the way you wanted it?”

“Yes, thank you.” He looked at both for a long time. Carefully studying both views.

“Tim, may I ask, what are you looking for?”

“The image of Kelly’s face as the temperature drops is here on the left. If you notice the strain on her face, like she is trying to keep something in.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with the temperature dropping?”

“Without her knowledge, she is causing the drop in temperature. She’s trying not to get mad.” Tim sat there and watched her face carefully. “April, tell me when the temperature starts to rise.”

“It’s starting to return to normal.”

Tim Sat was back in his seat and relaxed. “I thought so; her face is relaxing. She has herself back under control.”

Tabitha asked, “Tim, how are you going to handle this?”

“I don’t know. I want her to come out, and how I’m going to do that is the question.” Tim leaned forward, still studying the image. “April, does she know all the people on the deck?”

“No, but you see those two that are back away from her. And they are constantly looking after her. They are themselves self-proclaimed bodyguards. They follow her everywhere.”

“Well, we can’t just walk in there. “Are there any animals on board?”

“When you mention ‘animals,’ what exactly do you mean? In other worlds, these kinds of people are known as animals.”

“I get your point. Small beings lived in my world. We referred to them as ‘cats.’ While some weren’t very small, others weren’t quite little either. April, you may want to look into the Earth Cat Registry that Sarha has.”

“Sarha has granted me permission to examine her database, so I understand. In response to your inquiry, yes, there are little animals. Cats, in particular. The kids love to have them as pets.”

“I suppose I can entice her away from Deck 3 with the aid of a cat. After that, we can talk.”

Tabitha asks, “How long will we have to keep her away, and will they miss her?”

Tim asked her, “April, does Kelly ever get sick?”

“Yes, sometimes back, she was sick for a week.”

“She was missed, wasn’t she?”

“No, those bodyguards stood outside her quarters and didn’t allow anyone in.”

“Do you have recording of her during that time?”

“Tim, what are you thinking?” Tammy sat on one of the seats, wondering what Tim would do.

“Well, I’m thinking. I’ll had Pauline go down to Deck 3 and change into a small white cat and find Kelly. Then lead her to the lift doorway. We see if we can talk to her.”

“What happens, if she doesn’t want to talk and the temperature starts getting colder.” With her arms wrapped around herself, Tammy asks.

“What do you think, she’ll do if she see us?” replied Tabitha.

“Possible, turn us into icicles.” Tammy said with her arms still around herself. “You know just think about being cold. Reminds me of Rose and her people and the building they were in and little heat.”

“Maybe we should get that cold weather clothing back out.” Replied Tabitha.

“Funny ladies. We need a plan to get her away from the deck and talk with her about this ship.”

“Well, we could have Pauline go into her place and knot her out and bring her here.” Tammy chuckled as she imagined Pauline knotting her out by transforming her right arm into a hammer.

He turned to the group, his brow furrowed in worry. ‘How will Pauline get her out, without the guards see them?’ he asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Okay, Pauline transforms into a cat and informs Kelly that she is new to this world and needs assistance. Take her to the elevator and hurl her in.”

Tabitha looked at Tammy and asked, “When did you get so violent?”

Tammy sat up straight and grinned, adding, “I am not violent, but fun-loving. Besides, how else will Pauline get her out of there?”

Tim said, “Not a bad idea, but the guards would follow her.”

Tabitha said, “What if she wouldn’t follow her or knot go into the elevator.”

Tim sat there quietly, contemplating how to make this work. ‘The challenge was persuading her to approach him so that they could converse. He wanted her to feel secure and comfortable, ... So, how can I get her here? ... And finally, how to explain that this is not a planet but rather a ship.

He turned to April and instructed her to send a message to Pauline. ‘Have her come over to our ship immediately,’ he said, his voice firm and determined.

“She us on her way.” Replied April. “Tim, do you have this kind of trouble, all the time?”

“Yes, Tim doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. So, he thinks things through.”

Pauline walked from the lift and said, “This ship is just like Sarha’s ship.” Walked over to Tim and asked, “What did you want?”

“First, this is April, the ship’s AI. Secondly, look at the picture. We need her out of there, so we can talk. She has two bodyguards, and we don’t want to harm anyone.”

Pauline smiled and said, “I can go in there as a spider and bite them and put them to sleep. Then do the same thing to her. Change into my gorilla and carry her out. What’s the problem?”

“Yes, I knew it. That’s the way I wanted to do it. But Tim didn’t like it.” Tammy said as she pumped her arm up and down in the air.

“What do you want if that’s not it? For someone to drop in and whisk her away.”

Tim with a surprised look said, “That’s it, we just whisk her away.”

Everyone looked at Tim like he was crazy. “Tim, what are you talking about now?” Tammy asked.

“We’ll just drop in and whisk her away, no problem,” Tim confidently declared, with a smile on his face.

Tabitha raised an eyebrow and asked, “Ok, Tim, how exactly are you planning on dropping in?”

“I’m not the one, Connie is,” declared Tim confidently. “I’ll have her teleport into Kelly’s living quarters and then teleport her to the bridge.”

“Tim, Connie will need to know where everything is. You wouldn’t want her to teleport into the middle of the couch or even into Kelly, would you?” Tammy asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Tim suggests that Kelly could be lured into a trap by Pauline transforming into a little white kitten. This would make her seem harmless and vulnerable to Kelly, who would then take her into her quarters, not knowing she is actually Pauline in disguise.

Pauline’s eyes lit up with excitement as she realized how this plan could work. He then adds that Connie could use her powers to teleport right next to Pauline once she is in her quarters.

Tabitha had listened to the idea and was brainstorming different ideas, trying to find a solution. But as she sat there, she couldn’t help but wonder, “What if Kelly does want to go with Connie?”

He couldn’t help but think and said. “Then we have a problem!”

Pauline said, “Tim, if she screams, the guards will hear her and come in to see what is happening. The distraction will give her time to get mad and the temperature will start dropping.”

“I know, I know,” Tim said, rubbing his temples. “We’ve gone through so many ideas, but nothing seems to be working. Do any of you have any fresh ideas?”

“Let’s hit her over the head and bring her back here!” Tammy exclaimed, her eyes alight with a wild glint.

Tammy’s words hung in the air, her voice dripping with malice and a hint of excitement. The group of friends gathered around her, their eyes wide with shock and confusion. “What had gotten into Tammy?” Pauline asked.

“She is on one of her violent kicks again, throwing things and yelling at anyone.” Said Tabitha, she get over it after a while.

“I’m not violent, Tim wanted ideas, so I gave him one. Now you guys give him one.”

Tabitha shuddered her shoulders and tried to think of a way to get Kelly out of her house without causing a trouble. Her eyes lit up, and said, “I have it. We’ll gas her!”

Pauline replied, “No that will take to long and again could make her mad.”

“May I add something to your thoughts,” April, didn’t know if she was allowed to input any ideas. Her former crew paid little attention to her.

Tim looked up and said, “April, any suggestion are more than welcome. What is it?”

“Well, Miss Pauline is right. Gas would be the best. I have gas with a mask, the reaction time is two seconds. Would that help?”

“Would it hurt her? And how long would it last?” Tim asked April.

“No, it does not hurt the ones aboard this ship. The time varies with the amount of inhaled. How long would you like her to be unconscious?”

Tim sat there and examined the situation. It was critical to him that she not awaken quickly. He needed time to collect his thoughts and provide an explanation.

“Could you make it thirty minutes, that way we could set up an area where she could feel comfortable.”

“When would you need this gas?”

As Tim continued to work on his plan, he also realized that he needed to be prepared for all possible outcomes. He couldn’t predict how Kelly would react or what she would say. But he could be ready to offer his support and be there for her in any way she needed it. He thought about different scenarios and how he would handle each one with empathy and understanding. But at the same time, he needed her to understand that he was now the captain, and they were on his ship and under his protection.

“Tim, once you get her onto the bridge, how are you going to make her understand what is happening? You know the moment you start talking about this being a spaceship and that they have been on it for over 900 years, she’s going to have a fit and all kinds of questions.”

Tim looked up at her and said, “Please, one problem at a time. Ok, we now know how we are going to get Kelly here. The next problem is. If we keep her here for any length of time, she will be missed.”

“Do you have a way of making clones here? If so, how long would it take to make one of Kelly?”

“Yes, I can make clones here, and it takes three days. But first, I would need a DNA sample from her. Then, once the clone is almost done, Kelly would have to be next to her for memory transfer.”

“Tim, since I can shapeshift, I can be her in four seconds. Since I am there as the cat, why not let me be Kelly?”

Tim goes over the whole thing now. “We’ll send Pauline to her as a cat. She’ll keep the cat and take it home. The cat will tell us that the area is clear, and Connie will appear. Pauline changes to herself and places the gas mask over Kelly as she comes back into the room. Connie then grabs Kelly and bring her to the bridge.”

He looked around the bridge and asked, “Have we missed anything?”

“Tim, what happens if she wakes up and is frightened and the bridge begins to get cold? You know the controls here cannot handle ice.” Tabitha asked as she looked around at all of the control panels.

“What you’re expressing sounds right. We may want to take her to the medical bay,” Tim said, addressing the team.

Connie asked, “So, I pick her up and take her to the medical bay. What happens when she wakes up and finds herself in a strange place? How are you going to talk to her? If she allowed you to talk in the first place, maybe she’ll freak out and start freezing the whole place, even before anyone can talk to her.”

“We need to explain the ship and her part in this whole thing,” Tim said seriously. “She must listen as we explain the ship’s history and how she might help her people.”

Tammy said, “Tim, some people just cannot take the truth without first considering it. Being in a foreign environment with unfamiliar people might take a long time. If you were in her place, would you believe anything they told you?”

Tim sat there and thought about what they were saying. Then he remembered the military and the rules of being a prisoner of war. ‘Don’t believe anything you have been told or seen without knowing the facts.’ “Ok, so how are we going to talk to her and make her understand?”

“Tim, do you recall when we had to put trainer headsets on some of the teenagers? They had to learn about the ship itself and how to utilize the technology in place to help them navigate. Why not use it here to do the same thing? The only catch is that April will need to give her a short biography and bring her up to speed.” Tammy is trying to assist.

“That sounds like a good idea. “April, do you have a trainer headset here?”

“Yes, I have them. Could you please tell me what you want her to learn? I will present her with a complete update. Will she be awake?”

Tim sat there, thought about it, and said, “I do not believe that’s a good idea. How long would it take you to piece together the ship’s mission and a brief history of the ones who have come before? Then finish with her and the others aboard this ship. Could you toss some stuff about the former crew sending for help and about her ability to change the temperature?”

“I can prepare the materials and input them into the trainer in three hours and twenty-one minutes. It will take her three days to comprehend and retain the information. I’ll make it all seem like a dream.”

Tim looked at Pauline and asked, “Could you change into her form for the three days?”

“Yes, but what am I going to do for those three days? You know they will expect me to show up and rule the place.”

Tammy turned and said, “You will be the queen of this ship for three days. You’ll soon understand how we feel as princesses. Being asked, What are we going to do next? Or, Princess, do you want us to do anything for you this morning?”

“Perhaps I can pretend to be sick and have someone look after me. They could be sitting there waiting to take care of my needs.”

Tabitha laughed and said, “Now you sound like our father.”

To completely embrace the persona, Tim asks April to display a recording of Kelly so that Pauline can better comprehend how she moves and behaves. Looking at the recording of Kelly can help Pauline obtain a feel for her physical appearance and a better idea of how she handles herself.

“Tim, I can start as soon as Pauline wishes. I can work backwards from now on. That way, she may observe how she behaved today.”

Tim looked at Pauline and said, “It’s up to you; can you infiltrate the Deck 3 community and find Kelly, follow her to her quarters, and get inside?”

“Yes, but I’ll need a day to analyze her behavior. Also, to observe how her guards behave.”

Tim looked around and said, “Ok, tomorrow, same time, here.” The girls nodded their heads.

Tim sat there and watched the girls leave, and he noticed Pauline heading to a seat near the far side of the bridge. The view screen came on, and there was a recording of Kelly.

“April, is Deck 5 the same as Deck 5 of SSG1?”

“Yes, it is. Would you like to see it? The lifts are set up for you and the new crew. I’ll meet you at the lift exit. She then disappeared.

Tim rose and headed toward the lift, recalling the first time he walked toward the lift on Sarha’s ship. It seems like an eternity ago.

He exited the lift on Deck 5 and followed the movable walkway to the beach area. As he stepped from the walkway, April commented, “Sarha has told me how you had her Deck 5 set up. I’ve had my clones working with the same configuration.”

Tim walked through the door and thought he was back on Sarha’s Deck 5. April was right; she did have the same setup. Even the wall dividing the lake. There were even some of the clones playing in the water and laying on the beach.

April was that he looked around and asked, “Tim, what are you looking for?”

“Oh, nothing, just kind of looking for Hey Boy.”

“I’m sorry, Tim. I don’t have bots here. I could get a female clone and name her Hey Girl and have her act the same way.” April broke into a smile on that one.

Tim turned, smiling, and said, “No, it’s ok. This Deck 5 will be for your people and the soldiers that will be stationed here.” He looked around and turned back to the entrance and asked, Is there anything different aboard this ship?”

“Yes, now that you asked, we’ll have to go to Deck 9, and I can show you.”

They walked into Deck 9, bay 103, stood on the platform, and looked down on a starfighter. Tim stood there, staring. He was looking at a highly performant craft. “It’s a beauty; what kind is it?”

“The crew before called it a stingray. I have 2,000 of them aboard. Sarah informed me that you have changed from pilots being in fighters to pilots being in simulators. If you wish, I will have my clones start setting up the same system here.”

“Yes, please do. Once you have the first ones ready, I’ll send over some of our pilots to start training on these.”

“Tim, the 2,000 are broken out into four fighter groups. They are the red, blue, green, and yellow groups. The spacecraft are in those colors.”

“Are there any more improvements in the weapons field?”

“No, but if you wish. My clones will start resetting up the machine to make the nano-bots. So, if you need them, they are here and ready.”

Tim checked the rest of the areas he was interested in and returned to the bridge. He saw Pauline still checking out Kelly’s actions. “April, I’m returning to Sarha’s ship; if you need anything, call me and I’ll come back.”

Tammy summoned the second shift crew to the lounge and informed them that they were headed to SSG2 to be the first shift crew.

Kipingga asked, “Who will be our captain?”

“Tim is now the commander of both ships. April is the AI that will carry out Tim’s directives. She has commanded the ship for more than 900 years. She’d like to have company on the bridge. She will hand over control of the ship to the crew. If there is an emergency, she will regain control.”

“If the AI was and will control the ship, why are we going over there, and will I have to move my family over there?” Asked another crew member.

“No, everyone will be allowed to return to their lodgings here. Tim is setting up two MTS machines there. It could be like walking to work every day. But it’s on another ship. Once Tim contacts the folks on Deck 3, more people will cross on a daily basis.”

Another crew member asked, “What’s the people like over there? Will they be helping run the ship and fighting like we do here?”

Tammy looked at her and said, “They assume they are on a planet and have no idea what is happening. When things started to spiral out of control with her crew and commanders, the AI (April) sealed down Deck 3.”

“So, they think they are on a planet. Haven’t they explored to see what their world looks like?” Asked another.

“No, according to April, everyone just accepted it as the way things were and never questioned it. Tim does not want to disturb them. The unexpected might be a major concern. He intends to put the leader to sleep and then reveal the history of her people. When he steps onto Deck 3 and introduces himself, he hopes this will help to break the ice.”

“Who will be our replacements?” another asked.

“You are the only team that can handle this challenge. Nonetheless, Tim will choose a small number of newbies and a few folks from each shift to train as the ship’s crew. April will welcome guests onto the bridge and will gladly show them the way if they make a mistake. She will train her new crew.”

“When do we start?” asked another.

“Your time starts tomorrow morning at eight a.m. and will end at five p.m. with breaks just like you do here. There will be no difference. I will be there to start off your day and introduce you to April. See you in the morning.

No sooner than Tim sat down in the captain’s seat, and Deniece called, “Tim, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Will Tabitha and Tammy be eating with us?”

“I’ll contact them to see.” Tim replied as he started to stand up. Sarha quickly reminded Tim about the queen’s day at the beach before he could move. “Make sure the soldiers are there before they arrive. They are aware of who is expected to attend. I’ll be having dinner; feel free to call if you need me.”

Tim walked into the living room, and Wendy was waiting for him. “Daddy, what is the other ship like? Can I go over and see the other kids, please?”

Deniece strolled in from the kitchen and remarked, “She’s been like that since she got home from school. She’s just like you, always eager to go everywhere.”

Tim grinned at the comment, fully aware that he was not her biological father. He gazed at Deniece and expressed his gratitude, “Thanks, honey.” He looked at Wendy and stated, “I need to familiarize myself with the people on the other ship before allowing my daughter to go there. Once I confirm the presence of children and ensure the safety of the area, I will let you know. Then we will head over there, and you can meet those children. Sure thing?”

Deniece pivoted to return to the kitchen but halted in her tracks. “You might want to take a shower; Miss C is waiting.” She headed back to the kitchen.

Tim nodded and asked Wendy, “Have you done your homework?”

“No, I’ll go do it now. We’ll go over to the other ship, so I can play with the other kids, right?”

Wendy headed to her room as Tim made his way to his to freshen up. After undressing, Tim made his way to the shower. Miss C stood there with her back to the shower door, hands on the shower wall, and legs spread apart. Miss C turned her head and looked over her shoulder, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “I’m ready for you,” she said in a seductive tone.

Tim smiled and said, “I’m glad to see that; you look so sexy like that.” He stepped in and closed the shower door.

Deniece sat at the table and then began to organize the food. She called the kids, walked to the bedroom door, and informed Tim and Miss C that supper was ready. She heard a moan and knew they’d be out of the shower shortly.