Chapter 5

Rela was with the crew for a week on Glemma, teaching them about her own planet, as well as that of the Roogedet lizards, how they attacked, how the Glemmans fought back, repelling them most, but not all the time. There have been several massacres involving the heathen lizards attacking settlements and killing or capturing everyone they found before help could arrive. The twins took it upon themselves to help her as much as they could without being a nuisance.

It was decided to make an interdiction with Rela aboard, so they set up and sent a message, demanding the lizards “return the prisoners from where they were taken and be nice”, launched the drone, and waited. Sure enough, even still, after about the tenth time, the scanners picked up the charging sequence, the ship transitioned, aimed at the Hummingbird, gave the order, and their command bridge and all its personnel were obliterated by a volley from the drone.

Helen, while examining the alien ship and the sensor readouts, was able to determine the ship was older, less refined, than the others, and comparing it to the Drovish and each of the other eight ships, the last two prior to this were less refined, as well. Carl and his family were having an impact on their inventory of ships, and hopefully, their space force.

They asked Rela if she would return to their home with them so they could introduce her to their family as well and share some of their world with her. She jokingly asked if food was included. Yes, Glemman women had a sense of humor. At least that one did. When she was assured we’d feed her, she asked us to take her back to headquarters the next day so she could discuss it with Thayna and Lona Lan. She said she’d be honored to accept our invitation, if allowed.

It was an interesting meeting, in that they noticed she was already speaking directly to us and to her own people, with no translations, and without the vulgar monster language. We explained how it happened, through the interface device, getting the attention of Lona Lan. She said she’d like to get her hands on that technology for her people.

Helen explained that it only worked with an AI, an artificial intelligence, capable of sentient thought and feelings, capable of fondness and love, and there were only a few in the universe that were sentient, and only one that was fully, completely sentient, and had this capability. She went on to offer we would make it available to her, her personal aide, and Rela Vey, but we’d have to draw the line there due to logistics and time constraints. She accepted that at face value. She had no choice, in the first place, but knew we were being honest with her as well.

Rela asked her if she could accept the invitation to travel to the home of Carl and his family and was quickly given that opportunity, as part of her duties. She was to observe, learn, teach, and demonstrate, whatever was possible, whenever possible.

Rela translated the response and asked if that was OK with Carl. It certainly was, he said, and requested of his crew they run one more raid on the way home. Rela explained the raids and the indication that the ships are being decimated to Leader Lona Lan and with her blessing, as well as the thank you for affecting their inventory, hugged each one, beginning with Carl this time, after touching his heart and having him touch hers, and sent them on their way, WITH their new temporary crew member.

The run back to the interdiction point, or ambush spot, if you lean that direction, was a joy, with Rela sharing stories with the crew. She told them she almost had a mate, but that he was killed by the lizards in an attack on his hometown before they had a chance to be mated. She decided to dedicate her time and energy to the leader’s language staff after that, for the time being. She didn’t feel she really needed a mate, wasn’t ready for a child yet, and just put it off. Now she was off gallivanting around the stars with ‘a madman and his madwomen’ and enjoying life, so it may be put off again for a while. She laughed, hoping the others would see her comment as humorous and relaxed internally when they joined her.

They set up, sent a message, and deployed the drone, ready for the attack, but were surprised when Helen sounded the alarm, as usual, but warned them emphatically, there were two ships powering up for a transition. One from each side of the planet in front of them. That meant the drone had to target one of them, and the ship had to target the other.

In just under two minutes, both appeared and sent messages. They were the same message, out of sync by about 5 seconds. “You do not understand we are the supreme beings and must take our vengeance on you, the interlopers. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, you are now no one and will not go back.”

Helen and the drone targeted and locked onto their intended firing points at the same time during the speech, then as soon as the ‘K’ in ‘Kiros’ was spoken, after the recording, both ships lost their command bridges due to holes, large holes, drilled by nitroxolite particulate. One exploded. Different, older, not as well arranged or armored, their reactor was decimated. No telling how many lizards were on that one.

“Battle stations,” Helen stated firmly. She didn’t yell, but there was no mistaking the urgency in her voice. “Two more ships charging for transition from two different locations outside Roogedet’s orbit. One is only three fourths the distance and started charging thirty seconds earlier. I will try to use the drone to target the first arrival. Maliope, Carl, please assist me in using the ship on the other one.”

A ship appeared in less than a minute and a half. The same recording played. It was the identical message, and again, as the command to fire was uttered, the ship quite literally exploded. Since the explosion was instantaneous, the only conclusion was that they were operating a flying reactor, and there was not much else to the ship, save weapons.

The second one appeared, just at twenty-five seconds later, again, the Hummingbird was hailed, and as the same message played, the drone and the Hummingbird both brought it into their sights, figuratively, locking in on it as the message finished. The order to fire was given, and it was decimated, exploding into a fireball.

“Battle stations! Another has started charging from the surface of the planet,” Helen warned them.

Two minutes later, the ship appeared, and the recording started again. “Now you will die. You have taken our ships. You have taken our crews, you must die for your transgressions.” And they fired. No warning, no ‘Kiros’, just a pair of laser canons firing at the Hummingbird. The shields held, both rounds being deflected causing a blinding light in space. The drone answered with a volley of particulate into the command bridge, opening a gaping hole and killing all onboard, surely, but this one didn’t blow up. This one was bigger, newer, and more advanced than all the other fourteen ships. The first 8 and been newer, the next three older, the last three very old and different layouts. The last one, they hoped was the end. Possibly the command cruiser? They could only hope.

The drones went out, took pictures, samples, and inventoried all they could find. There was no way to translate a salvage freighter across the seam in the dimensional planes to pick this one up. The evidence would have to be enough. The ship was easily twice as large as the Drovish, the biggest to date. Onboard, over one hundred bodies were found. None chained to beds, thankfully, so it was more than a hundred lizard warriors, gone. The goddesses would be pleased, Carl hoped.

They waited for two hours, as the drones did their search, calculated and tabulated their findings, then were called back. Carl and Helen translated the ship back to their own dimension and knowing they had just had their first real space battle, went home.

Rela was in awe. Absolute awe of the human and his followers, the beautiful women that were befriending her. They had faced six ships with her on board. Five were at the same time, or at least in the same battle. She was not a military woman, but a stateswoman. Her education was in universal politics, language, and technology. Her education was lacking. These people had technology, and since the Roogedet species didn’t want to converse, or listen, more so, they died. Died by the hundreds at the hands of the handsome man and his beautiful, cute, wondrous and varied women. She was, truly, in awe.

With eyes the size of saucers, she was introduced to the queen of the Angelene enclave, her consort, Carl’s mother, and her consort’s husband, her boyfriend, Carl’s father. She didn’t have a concept of that, so Debbie went on to explain it to her. It took two glasses of dewberry wine to get that explanation through to her, then like the proverbial light being turned on, “Oh. OH! That is so wonderful!” Rela Vey was a romantic.

Grasche, Manowil, and William thought she was cute as a button and decided to make sure she wanted for nothing. She was spoiled rotten by them the entire time, the twins saw to her every desire, and the kitchen staff was asked to experiment with her to see what she liked, then make sure she could have her fill, as desired. Glemma was a world that would be soon exposed to the finer things in life, mainly spices and flavorful food.

A meeting was called with everyone involved and at this point, William now knew of the translation device, both parts, the fuels, the interdictions on the lizard peoples, and meeting with the Glemmans, their leader, and Rela Vey being with them, and why.

“Dad, I have one more thing to share, and I want to, but I need to know, before I do, that your loyalty resides with and only with my mother, myself, and our families. What I will tell you, if you swear an oath to me that this will always be true, will shake your beliefs. It will change many things you are thinking, and have thought, but needs to be kept within these walls.”

The kittens knew what was coming so told the group, “We are going for dessert. We’ll surprise you.” They took the hands of Welsche and Rela, taking them to the kitchen to help prepare ice cream, coffee liqueur and cookies, an entire tray of them for the whole family, and Rela. Of course, the kitchen staff and butler did everything, but they were there to supervise. Carl hadn’t mentioned that Welsche was ready for that news, and as of now, did not know.

“Son, I can promise you, whatever you tell me will stay with us. I have turned down more positions, now, than I have ever accepted, or even considered. I belong here with your mother, her lady friend, and you and yours. What is it that is so flaming important? For the first time in my life, my own son is scaring me.”

“We’ve told you of the new fuel. There is a waste product that occurs with a perfect cook using a certain method. The waste product is a human growth enhancer and is DNA steerable. It will take stem cells from a human being and make another just like it in about three weeks. You know I have the fuel, but that is why I don’t sell it. The fuel Dr. Fred Williams assisted in making as a substitute, somewhat lower grade, creates a wonderful fertilizer in its waste, but is not anywhere near being able to do this. The cooking process is also a bit different. You need to know, so that when we’re doing eight times hyper light speed, you don’t say, ‘Why doesn’t Prelowil have that?’. Especially in front of Prelowil. She knows of the fuel, but not the rest.”

“I understand. Am I to assume you lied to me when I asked you about Helen?”

“Yes.”

“All righty, then. At least I know why. That is a bombshell that does not need to be dropped. You’re a smart kid, but I’ll bet you a Tallookian five lott coin your mother helped make this decision, and probably the queen.”

“And our priestess and even more so and mostly, the Goddess of the Gathering, Manische, as well. Dad, she spoke to me. I just want you to know that. Marischel held me in her arms, and Manische spoke to me directly. It happened, and I made decisions based on the input from some of the smartest and most important women in my life. In no particular order, so I am not struck by lightning, kicked, smacked upside the head, yelled at, or abandoned in my youth, they are the Goddess Manische, my mother, my queen, my priestess, and my Helen.”

“Smart lad to do the out of order thing. If you did. Also, the ‘some of the’ considering your wives heard the whole thing.” William laughed, took Carl in his arms and hugged him. “You have the secret of life in your hands. Keep it there. There is no good that can come of it if it leaves this house.”

“Thank you, William, you have guaranteed my faith in the men of my family,” Grasche said.

“Hear, hear,” Manowil agreed.

A knock was heard on the parlor doors, and dessert was served. The twins served the queen, Grasche, William, Stephanie, and Debbie. Welsche took care of Maliope and Helen. Rela served Carl and Jackie. The servers sat with those they served, and all enjoyed the cookies and the spiked ice cream.

When the conversation restarted, William agreed that it sounded as though Carl and the girls had ruined the Roogedet space navy by attrition, but the only way to tell would be to taunt them again and wait. If it was true, it would be a decision of the Glemmans as to whether they wanted to attack the Roogedet home planet to try to rescue prisoners, or what they thought might work. A big thing would be to prevent the lizards from rebuilding their navy, if the indications came to a favorable fruition.

William offered his services but was told he’d be standing down if he knew what was good for him and helping from the sidelines. He saw through Grasche’s statement and told his son he’d do what he could from a distance. He was retired, and his wife and her girlfriend were not going to risk him and his son at the same time.