Chapter 18

It was after lunch on Dóchas when Sally saw Siobhan with Caoilinn’s Clan and walked over. “You guys handled the group acquiring people from BEN Cruises very well,” she said.

“Thank you,” replied Caoilinn’s Clan together. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of Siobhan’s Clan. Their support really kept us from over-reacting to the situation when we entered their leader’s headquarters. It would have been so easy to just take them out.”

“I can see that. We were very pleased to see the plan that you created exposed them with almost no collateral damage. Do you think the captives the police found will be okay?”

“They should be. Some will probably have dreams about things floating around the room though.”

“Why is that?”

“We did the whole thing cloaked,” replied Sal. “We wanted to scare the staff to the point they would have nightmares, if they survived. Unfortunately, some of the captives caught glimpses of our activity as well.”

“Sally, we knew from our reconnaissance that this operation was as big, or bigger, than the Chosen Ones,” said Caoilinn. “We were enraged once we realized the extent of this evil. Regaining control of our emotions was, I think, harder than taking the place apart. It was our training that gave us the strength to do that. Anyway, we talked it over with Siobhan’s Clan. We concluded that the best way to deal with it was to have the operation collapse onto itself. There were two observations that helped us identify the solution. First, they were holding a no-holds-barred torture session at one of their locations that evening. Second, we found several people lightly restrained in cages who were wearing sensory deprivation helmets.”

Seeing several questioning looks she added, “The helmets are large spheres that totally surround the head from the neck up. Inside is a series of foam covered rubber balloons which, when inflated, hold the head tightly in the center of the sphere. Breathing is done through tubes. These had ports for the eyes and removable plugs over the ears.

“Back to the operation, we went in cloaked. One by one, we forced each of the principals down into their dungeon where we stripped and restrained them. Once they were all in the dungeon, we began putting the deprivation helmets on them. We did the assistants first so the principals could see what was about to happen. Once a helmet was in place, we welded the latches closed. Several were so scared they pissed on themselves. With the helmet in place, their wrist cuffs were connected behind their back and then to a choke chain around their neck. We left the two that ran the place until last. They were white with fear by the time it was their turn. Once they were all bound, we transferred them to the site where the torture activity was scheduled. At the torture site, we briefly opened their eye holes, so they could see where they were. We left these open while they were moved to a cage, and then resealed them. That way they saw the signs posted on the cages with suggested torments. We added a note to the signs indicating that the sensory deprivation helmets could not be removed. The room reminded us of something out of the dark ages.

“After that was completed, we went back to the first location and loosened the restraints on those in the dungeon. We decided not to remove them as we thought it was best for the law enforcement people to find them restrained.

“Once the torture session was underway, a call was made to the FBI and the state police office’s near the group’s headquarters. The caller claimed that there was an undercover officer being tortured at that location. It took several calls before anyone responded. At the group’s headquarters, we left an announcement regarding the unlimited torture session at the other location in plain view. The FBI agents did a good job of finding all the evidence at the headquarters.

“With respect to the other site, we had to push them a little to get them to follow up on the unlimited torture session. Eventually a group of FBI agents, accompanied by state police, raided the other site. They arrived before most of the attendees had left. Unfortunately, none of the principals lived long enough to be questioned.

“So, how do you feel about it now?” asked Sally.

“Sad,” said Abbie. “Sad we couldn’t do more to help the victims. Sad that people get enjoyment out of destroying or abusing others.”

“But at the same time,” said Melanie, “we are pleased that we could make a difference for some people. A quick check of the others being held at the two locations showed that most had only been there for a few days, so they should recover.”

“The Attorney General’s office has instructed the FBI to follow up all the leads they found in the group’s headquarters,” said Siobhan.

“So, do you all feel like you learned anything out of this?” asked Sally.

“Oh, yes,” said Caoilinn. “We learned more about using our abilities, without being too concerned about someone countering them. I suspect that, at some time in the future, we won’t have that luxury.”

“Are you going to share your experiences with the other teams?”

“Definitely. We think we can use what happened as a model for a virtual training session. It can be scripted so we can practice using our defenses against a psionic attack.”

“Good idea. Again, you guys did good,” said Sally.

“Thanks,” replied the group. “We think the training that you, Terry and our mentors provided us, was a significant factor in our success.”

“We haven’t seen Christina’s Clan to ask them how their trip went. Do you know?”

“Well they were on their way to Larissa’s place when the recon drones advised us that there was a lot of activity there for the time of day, which was just before dawn. It turned out to be the initial stages of a raid by some bandits. To make a long story short, all but a few of the women, men and babies were taken to Comrie. The bandits all died.”

“Seems awfully coincidental,” responded Sal.

“We agree, and Intelligence is looking into it. Currently we think the bandits were hired capture those at the farm then send them to another place. This location was operated by a different group before Larissa went there. As best we can tell, Larissa’s sponsor had nothing to do with the raid, or a reason to initiate it. After learning of the raid he was apparently quite saddened by it. We don’t understand it. Larissa says she thinks she does, and tried to explain it to us, but it is a convoluted rationale.”

After nodding, Sally and Siobhan walked off, holding hands.

Caoilinn watched them for a moment, and then turned to her clan. After looking each of them in the eye she said, “I have really been blessed to be here. Before this engagement, I thought we were close. Now, I think we are truly one. God, I love all of you!” The group gathered in a circle, their arms around each other. Their minds flowed together, as their bond grew. Only Star noticed the slight glow surround Caoilinn’s Clan as they held each other tightly.

Several weeks had passed when the sound of the morning chime roused Kathy from her dream. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. Sensing her movements, the lighting in her compartment increased. She could feel the cold wet spot under her ass, reminding her of her sexually intense dream. This time the dream was of her with Kathryn and her friends, but the location had been on Exotic Night. She had had many orgasms while performing on the ship’s stage with Johanna and Conall. She wondered if her dreams of those experiences would ever end. Shaking off her concerns about them she got up, as there were things she had to do.

Walking into the compartment’s bathroom she saw her reflection in the mirror. At first the sight caused her to wonder who the other woman was, then she remembered that it was her. She was pleased with the way her body had changed after her time in the incubator. Now there was no doubt that she was an Órarduine. When the autodoc had projected the effect of the drugs given her on Exotic Night, she knew immediately what the impact on her health would be. She had managed to convince the medical staff to start the Órarduine conversion using the incubator straight away. So far it had worked. She thought that her nipples and areolae were a little more pronounced than most, but not as much as Sarah’s Clan. She slid her fingers over her areolae, which were puffy cones on the front of her now very large breasts. These were topped by thick nipples nearly a centimeter long.

Leaving the bathroom she went toward the exercise machine, then stopped to look at herself in the mirror again. She stood and studied her image. She carefully assessed her features in the reflection as she slowly changed from one position to another. By the way they counted time here it had been just over four weeks since she had arrived on Dóchas. This was only the second time since completing her conversion that she had really looked at herself. The first had been right after coming out of the incubator.

Kathy was pleased with the image she saw in the mirror. She stood nearly a foot taller than she had before all the changes, about half the increase was due to the changes to her ankles and feet. Her breasts were nearly twice their previous size, but now stood proudly on her chest. The increase in breast size fit with her broader shoulders, so they were only slightly more prominent than before. As a doctor, she was surprised that they did not sag, even though she was lactating. She understood why they didn’t, but it was still a pleasant surprise.

Another change she marveled at was the way her muscles ripple under her skin when she flexed her arms or shoulders. Her hair had grown to just below her shoulders, and from what others had told her would soon reach to her waist. It amazed her how easy it was to care for, since all she needed to do was to wash it when she showered and then brush it out. The ribbon of hair down her back had felt strange at first, but she had quickly gotten used to it. Like everyone, her tail reached down to mid-thigh, and was covered by hair similar to that in her mane. It too had felt strange at first, but she quickly adapted to its presence. When she walked or sat it lay between the cheeks of her ass, and was only really noticeable when she stood.

Kathy liked the feel of her body as she slid her hands over her golden colored skin. When she flexed her legs, she could see the muscles move under the skin. The thing that surprised her most was the change in her feet and ankles, since she now stood on what used to be the balls of her feet. Before the change she had worn high heels nearly all the time since she had found them very comfortable. After the conversion, they still felt very comfortable and she didn’t have any difficulties with balance.

While she had been lightly caressing her body, her labia had begun to swell. She slid her hands up and cupped her full breasts before sliding her fingers over her nipples. The wetness on her hand reminded her that she needed to let her milk down, but her attention was drawn to her swelling labia. Kathy spread her legs a bit as she continued to caress her body and breasts. With her arousal growing, her labia majora swelled and as they did they opened, letting the labia minora descend like petals of a flower. Kathy watched her body’s response to her growing arousal.

Her thoughts drifted back to a night on Erotic Night, as she watched her labia majora pulse in sync with her heart while the labia minora rippled with contractions, and moisture became visible. As she looked in the mirror, she began to relive an evening on Exotic Night. When she shivered as a light orgasm crested, she thought, “I need to get moving!” Instead, she drifted back into her memory.

When she heard someone else moving it disrupted her day dreaming. She thought, “I need to finish getting ready, if I am to meet Kathryn’s group for breakfast.” Looking again at her image in the mirror, she saw that she was very aroused. Her labia were pink and there was so much cream she was nearly dripping. She thought, “My sexual appetite has sure grown since Exotic Night. If my perception is correct, I no longer feel driven to achieve my next sexual high. My orgasms now feel different than they did on Exotic Night. More satisfying. Yes, that’s it. I wonder why?”

In the exercise room, she straddled the bench, placing her feet into the foot pads. She adjusted the control pad to extend the dildo in the seat, before adjusting its size. Once she had it set, she lowered her hips, and then watched in the mirror as the realistic looking dildo approached her wet labia, swollen with arousal. She saw her labia minora open to accept the dildo’s crown then shivered as she felt its warmth as it slid between them. Her additional sensitivity and muscle control in them added to the pleasure she felt. She waited until the deeply textured dildo was well into her before leaning forward to place her breasts in the cups. She felt a slight pull as her nipples settled into the artificial mouths. When she began to release her milk, she sighed in pleasure. Placing her hands on the grips, she began her exercise routine. She still found the exercise machine amazing, as well as satisfying.

Before coming to Dóchas she had exercised frequently, but was never a real enthusiast. When she first saw these exercise devices, she didn’t believe what she was told about their abilities. She now found it one of the most enjoyable experiences of the day. The combination moving her arms and legs along, with the electrical stimulation of her muscles, was the equivalent of several hours of intense exercise on Earth. Plus, she was able to let her milk down at the same time, and enjoy a very satisfying orgasm with the integrated dildo.

As she lay on the bench doing her exercises, she thought back over the last several weeks. Conall had gone to Comrie, to see his family, a week ago. When he left, he was quite apprehensive about how they would react to the changes in him. She hadn’t heard from him, but felt that things were progressing favorably. Johanna had started working in the ship’s medical center almost immediately after she had adapted to her new body. Kathy had seen her a few times after she started working in the clinic, but they had not had a chance to sit down and talk. She wondered if Johanna was avoiding her, but quickly decided that that wasn’t the case.

She then thought of Kathryn and her friends, just as the exercise machine’s dildo was pushing her toward an orgasm. Kathy focused her thoughts on her friends as she let her body rush to the pleasure of orgasm. The feeling had hardly begun to drift away, when she again remembered that she had promised to meet them for breakfast. “Star, how soon does breakfast start?” asked Kathy.

“It started thirty minutes ago.”

“Oh, my.” Kathy began to release herself from the exercise machine.

“Is something wrong?” asked Star.

“Not really. I told Kathryn and her friends that I would meet them for breakfast.”

“I will let them know you are running late, but you should have plenty of time.”

“Thank you.” Kathy stepped off the exercise bench and headed for the shower. Twenty minutes later, she was walking into the dining room.

“So, you made it,” said Brittany, causing Kathy to jump, as she hadn’t seen Kathryn’s friend.

“Yes. I was afraid I would miss seeing all of you this morning.”

“We’re over here. Rebeca is bringing your breakfast over to the table now.” As Brittany was talking, they walked over to the others.

“Good morning,” said Kathy.

“Good morning,” came the reply.

“Slow start this morning,” mused Kathryn, “or a pleasing distraction?”

Kathy blushed, causing the group to chuckle. “Both, plus a bit of day-dreaming. I was a bit slow getting up, since my dreams left me a little exhausted. Then, when I saw my image in the mirror on the way to the exerciser, I stopped and looked longer than I intended. Actually, I let myself get caught up in a memory. That, combined with my day-dreaming on the exerciser, was probably the greatest contributor to my being late.”

“Daydreams on the exerciser can cause you to be late for a lot of things,” said Brittany, causing everyone to laugh and Kathy to blush again.

“Can we ask who you dreamed about on the exerciser?” asked Rebeca.

Kathy turned a bright red and looked up at each of her friends. After looking at only a few, she noticed each of them was slightly aroused. It was then she realized that they had sensed her thinking about them. “Oh, I think you know,” replied Kathy, sticking her tongue out. Everyone laughed.

“Kathy, could we do that in person next time?” wondered Elana. “It would be a lot more fun.”

After a moment, Kathy said, “Yes, I think I would like that very much.” As she finished, she suggestively licked her lips.

“Why don’t you join us tonight,” said Katia. Kathy nodded as she took a bite of her meal.

They chatted while Kathy ate. She finished her breakfast just as Claudette and Tara went up to the front of the room to start the morning discussion.

Later that morning, on Eagle, the three Command Staffs were gathering in the conference room to review their status when Claudette asked, “Maureen, how was the Toronto concert?”

“It was excellent. After the incidents at the previous concerts in North America all of us were pleasantly surprised to have everything go very smoothly.”

“Well, maybe those incidents are behind us,” said Tiff, of Siobhan’s Clan.

“There will likely be other attempts,” said Aoife. “I am certain there are other people on Earth that want to have one of us as a trophy. We should expect to be approached by groups seeking assistance in solving a problem. Their real goal will be gaining access to our technology, thinking it will be a direct transfer.”

“Perhaps if we gave them something that required telepathic ability to operate they would just give up,” said Crystal of Maureen’s Clan.

“No. When it didn’t work, they would blame us for its failure,” replied Tiff. “To me, it is ironic that a species that has overcome so many obstacles to arrive where they are, still views new concepts with disbelief and ridicule.”

“With their current approach, they will find it difficult to advance much beyond where they are now.”

“Eibhlin, I think you’re being overly pessimistic,” replied Kendra of Siobhan’s Clan. “Their knowledge already gives them the capability to explore this solar system, and establish outposts. But I agree that their cultural turmoil could keep them from achieving even that.”

“I was making a much more general statement,” replied Eibhlin. “From my perspective they have several critical problems, and science is not their limiting factor. They need to find a way to accept cultural differences in a positive way. They need to remove the issues that support terrorists. But there is a much more fundamental issue. They need to base their growth on working together, rather than exploiting each other. Elevating yourself by putting others down does not foster long-term growth or self-confidence. It only builds divisiveness and hatred.”

“I would like to offer my congratulations to your crews as it appears Eagle and Phoenix are ahead of schedule,” said Sarah, drawing the conversation back to their purpose, as this was a variation of many previous discussions.

Tiff of Siobhan’s Clan said, “It looks like we will be operational in 145 clock cycles rather than the 223 cc we initially thought.”

Colleen of Maureen’s Clan said, “Our progress is close to theirs. I would say we are usually within a week of each other on completing milestones.”

“It’s not a race,” responded Alison of Sarah’s Clan.

“We know that,” replied everyone.

“Dóchas is about 110 cc from finishing its refit,” said Claudette, “although it could be 2 or 3 weeks longer. We’ve occasionally found some things that weren’t quite the way the documents indicated, and it has taken some thoughtful evaluation to sort it out.”

“We’ve seen similar issues,” responded Tiff, “but with a slightly different cause. Most of them were traced back to errors made in setting up the build out sequence. We’ve found a partial solution to this by looking several steps ahead of where we are in the sequence. It has helped us avoid some conflicts but not all. They do now however seem to be easier to resolve.”

“We have a bit of an advantage in that regard. By comparing your build out sequence to ours, it has helped us correct some issues and solve others.”

“Good.”

“You know,” said Claudette with a thoughtful look, “in thinking about some of the situations we’ve run into, I think the original builders of Dóchas had the same difficulty. If what I remember seeing is correct, many times they just chose to press ahead. We know some of the changes resulted in a less than optimum result.”

“I agree.”

“Have you all been sharing this with those building the new ships?” asked Rusty.

“Yes,” responded Tiff. “They’ve seen similar issues, but they have been easier to resolve at their stage in assembly. The same issues haven’t been seen in the cruisers or fighters.”

It was a couple of hours later when wrapping up their review that Sarah said, “So in less than four Órarduine months from now we will have 3 Dóchas class ships fully operational.”

Siobhan responded with, “We believe so, but that is way too far off to commit to anything more definite and not have it bite you in one way or another.” When the laughter died down, she added, “We think the probability is pretty high though.”

“I know,” responded Sarah, “but sometimes the fact that we are so dependent on one ship worries me.”

Maureen said, “I think it does all of us. I know we will be much more comfortable when all of us are operational and have tested our creations.”

“Hear! Hear!” responded many of the group.

It was several days later, after breakfast, and Kathy Evans was sitting in the atrium on Dóchas watching the children as they studied and played. Although it had been more than five Órarduine weeks since she was rescued, she still hadn’t sorted out a direction for her future. She was very pleased with the outcome of the trans-species conversion, even though she knew that the conversion had been a necessity from a long-term health standpoint. Before the conversion she had always felt a little awkward, and attributed that to being taller than those around her. She now felt very comfortable with her movements, as she now felt almost graceful when she moved. It was a feeling she never remembered having before.

The forced changes to her body initiated on Exotic Night had made her feel grotesque. If they had not been corrected, she thought her appearance would have been really grotesque. On Earth, with the combination of those changes in appearance and her sexual addiction, she would have had no choice but to work in the sex industry. Even now, the surgical activities she carried out on Exotic Night discouraged her from seriously considering continuing in the medical profession. The sight of the children playing reminded her of why she had wanted to be a doctor in the first place. However, every time she considered being a doctor again, memories of her participation in the Erotic Surgery Clinic resurfaced. She knew she had had no control over her actions then, but she still felt humiliated by her participation. This was in spite of the fact that the patients requested the surgical alterations. Her memories of them was still so intense that she wasn’t sure she could ever forgive herself, even though there hadn’t been any choice. Tears filled her eyes, as a few of the memories resurfaced. She couldn’t understand why the passengers had requested the procedures.

Over the last couple of weeks Kathy had become good friends with Kathryn and her group. She had stayed overnight with them on several occasions. She always had a wonderful time with them, and in many ways, was looking forward to being with them tonight. They were probably the closest friends she had ever had. Several times the idea of moving in with them had been raised, but Kathy had always changed the subject. Kathy knew why she avoided it. She was afraid they would dump her, or worse yet, humiliate her when they learned what she had done on Exotic Night. Besides, she wasn’t sure what a close friendship was like, since there had only been one or two close friends in her whole life. Kathy knew she needed to get herself sorted out, but it wasn’t easy.

“Well there you are,” said Judy, interrupting her thoughts. “Gail and I were wondering how you were getting along?”

“That is a question I have been puzzling through myself.”

“May we sit down?”

“Yes, please do,” replied Kathy.

Looking over to where the children playing and studying, Judy said, “It is a pleasure to watch them interact with each other, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. Watching them lets you avoid thinking about other, more serious, issues. Besides, this is a beautiful spot. I would have never thought you could have something like this on a space ship.”

“Would you care to talk about your serious issues?” asked Judy.

“Well...”

“Please, don’t feel you have to. However, we have found that sharing helps, whether it is through a mind-link or verbally.”

“I don’t feel that you’re pressuring me. I see my uncertainty as having several aspects to it. When I decided to become a children’s doctor, it was my sole focus for a long time. As a result, I have had very few close, or long-term, friends. My experiences on Exotic Night have caused me to doubt whether being a doctor is an appropriate career. So, with that in mind, I have been trying to determine what my choices are for my future.

“Another difficulty is my relationship with Kathryn’s group. I am not certain how close I want it to be, or should be. Being close to someone is new, as I have always been a loner. This is mostly by choice, though to some extent, by circumstance. A few in Kathryn’s group are still completing their conversion, so the group’s dynamics could change when everyone is together again. That raises the question of whether I will fit in with the group.”

“You’ve never let your guard down with others, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. Looking back, I think I learned that in school. Until I came here, I was always the tallest in a group. In school, I was one of those who always pushed the class average up as I never received less than an A. This resulted in me bearing the brunt of many comments and jokes. Sometimes the worst comments came from those I had thought were friends who I could trust.”

“I think all of us have had those experiences,” said Gail, as she placed her hand on Kathy’s shoulder.

“While on the boat, I enjoyed many of the things I did, even though they were controlling me. I am appalled by what I did in the Erotic Surgery Clinic, and now wonder if I should really consider continuing as a doctor. Every time I think of practicing, those memories come back. Even though the patients asked for the surgery, the fact that I participated is still upsetting.”

“Why shouldn’t you be a doctor?” responded Judy. “Our culture has two significant differences from the one in which you grew up. First, let’s consider your relationship with Kathryn’s group. In a clan, or a similar group, we are totally open with each other, and it is a two-way exchange. To begin a sharing relationship like that, some one must take the first step. Others in the group surely have the same concerns you do about sharing events in their past. Kathryn’s group grew into their intimate relationship through shared experiences and by sharing their thoughts. Even with that, they haven’t fully opened up to each other like a clan does. I believe our culture succeeds because we want each other to enjoy intimate relationships. By the way, did anyone show you how to manage your telepathic abilities?”

“Uh ... I don’t think so.”

“Well, I am embarrassed, since we should have. That is normally done as soon as we know a person is telepathically active. We review their situation again right after the species conversion, as that usually alters their telepathic abilities to some extent.”

“Well, I guess it is my fault really. When I saw the results of my physical, I pushed very hard to start the conversion as soon as possible. I remember now that one of your associates wanted me to talk to a doctor before entering the tube. I had my mind made up, so I went into doctor mode. You know, a doctor is always right.”

“Shame on you. You know doctors should never be in charge of treating themselves. I know I was surprised when we finished with Conall and Johanna and found that you were already in the incubator. You actually ended up in there a week longer because of your pushing. We had to make a couple of adjustments to the treatment sequence, and let it go further before releasing you. This is, in part, why you are a little bigger than the treatment regime you initiated.”

“So are you saying that part of my mental turmoil is due to my stupidity?”

“I wouldn’t be that harsh, and you shouldn’t be that harsh on yourself.”

“I can say I owe you a big thank you for the adjustments you made. I find my new body much more comfortable than I can ever remember it being before. Every time I think about what I would have looked like once the Exotic Night treatments had run their course, I thank God for sending you to rescue me. I am not sure I could have stood any longer than a few minutes at a time.”