Chapter 25

Those on Lorenzo’s yacht off of Tangier were just finishing breakfast when Alana told Sergio that Aoife would be calling him shortly. Sergio looked at her with a questioning expression. Just the phone rang. Lorenzo answered it. He talked with Aoife for a few moments about how things had gone the previous day, before handing the phone to Sergio.

“Hello Aoife,” said Sergio.

“Good morning,” replied Aoife. “I hope you had a good night relaxing on the boat.”

“Yes. I think we all did. Judging by Lorenzo’s reaction, I take it that everything went fine.”

“Yes. Everything went pretty well. We had a few injuries, but considering everything, it went very well. There will probably be one or two more incidents today, and maybe some tomorrow. We have the impression you put the word out to the brothel owners.”

“You caught me. Yes, it was something like that,” replied Sergio, with a smile. “I just told them that if they put the employees they purchased in Tangier in a room off by themselves, they probably wouldn’t have any embarrassments.” Realizing she may not understand he added, “Embarrassments hurt business.”

Aoife laughed, and said, “What an interesting way of handling it. The reason I’ve called is in response to your earlier offer to assist with this mess. We have found quite a bit of correspondence describing the Council of Brother’s plans that includes a lot of names. If that were to show up in places where it would be published, it should be sufficient to cause many of their members to be prosecuted. If you let everything show up, it could cause your organization some embarrassment, but we don’t think it would have any long-term impact on most aspects of your business. It would show that you are not necessarily a supporter of the terrorists, even though you owned the warehouse. If some of the participants were easily found, it could speed up prosecution. We will leave it up to your discretion as to what gets released.”

“You are certainly placing a lot of trust in me and The Organization.”

“We don’t think it is misplaced. Both you and Lorenzo are very honorable people.”

“Thanks. We will do it, but it would be easier if I was at home.”

“We can arrange that. Someone will pick you up within the hour.”

“Thanks, bye.” Sergio handed the phone back to Lorenzo and said, “I am going back to the house. Aoife is sending someone to take me, and I would like for you to go as well.”

Amber and Lorenzo looked at each other for a few moments, before he said, “Amber, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are free to choose what is best for you. I feel especially blessed to have had our short time together. I will always be a friend you can count on. Never forget that I do care a great deal for you, but I think hanging around me is not the best choice for your future.”

“I know,” replied Amber, with large tears in her eyes. “My time with you has been the most memorable time in my life. I will never forget you or our time together. I too, will always be a friend you can count on.” Amber moved over up to hug Lorenzo, and then gave him a very passionate kiss to seal their friendship. When they broke apart she turned to Sergio, and taking his hands said, “You have a very loyal friend in Lorenzo. Please, both of you look out for each other.” She then gave him a hug and a kiss as well.

“Gee Amber, we haven’t left yet,” said Lorenzo.

“Yea, so we get to do all the cuddling again.” Amber then pumped her fist in the air, causing everyone to laugh.

“Sergio. Lorenzo,” said Alana, “you could come visit us. All you need to do is to give us a call and we will pick you up.”

“How?”

“Just say Dóchas into the phone.”

Lorenzo gave her a funny look.

“It will work.”

Lorenzo just shrugged.

Amber helped Lorenzo get his things together, and then they went up on deck. Once there Lorenzo went to talk to the Captain, as he felt that there could still be problems before the ship reached home port. They had turned toward Sicily late yesterday afternoon, after the events in Tangier were finished. The Captain told Lorenzo that no one appeared to be trailing them. Lorenzo then went back to the group on deck. He had just reached the group, when a smaller version of a shuttle appeared next to the ship.

“Well, it looks like your chariot is here,” said Emelia of Alana’s Clan. “We can board as soon as you are ready. Bev and I will be going with you. The trip will take about an hour.”

“The rest of us will wait here until Emelia and Bev return,” added Cathal. “Our systems tell us that this is the best strategy. You should tell your security people to be very cautious for the next month or so. Communications secure enough for open conversations will be a problem for some time.”

“We try to always approach electronic communication as being insecure,” replied Sergio. “I guess now we need to worry about people hearing our thoughts.”

“Not from us,” replied Alana, quickly. “Both of you seem to have the ability to sense it. Many on Earth also have that ability, if they listen. As for us, it is only among close friends that we openly share thoughts. Beyond that it requires specific permission. If you broadcast your thoughts, it is assumed you meant to share. Where we live, if you seek to look without permission, you will find yourself isolated, or worse. Are there exceptions? Yes. Does this help?”

“Yes, but I was just kidding with my comment,” said Sergio, looking a little uneasy.

“Sergio, relax,” replied Cathal. “No offense was taken. Alana wasn’t sure that you were aware of our rules for telepathy.”

“Thanks,” replied Sergio, and offered his hand to Cathal. Cathal clasped it in both of his for the handshake, causing Sergio to smile. That started the hugs and kisses, with each wishing Sergio and Lorenzo well, along with the hope of seeing them again. Amber was the last to wish them well.

Alana’s Clan watched the scout ship depart before settling back to relax. “Amber,” said Elyse, “Lorenzo will never forget you. The two of you have a very special bond. It is a bond similar to what Cathal has with his Special Ops teammates.”

“I know. Tell me what is it like on Dóchas?”

“So, you want to be a space traveler,” replied Cleo.

“If that is what the Órarduine are. I think it is more than that. There is so much more that I need to know. When can my telepathy be fully enabled?”

“I thought it was.”

“It seems like something is missing.”

“We may not be able to help with that, but can we look?”

“Yes.”

The group appeared to be quietly resting in the deckchairs while Alana’s Clan tried to determine why Amber felt something was missing. Together with Amber, they went over the different aspects of telepathic communication and the psionic abilities that most of them had. There were a couple of areas that puzzled Alana’s Clan, the same ones that puzzled Amber.

“Amber,” said Elyse, as they finished, “when we get to Dóchas, I think you should talk to Aoife about what you are sensing. We suspect those are psionic attributes, but we are not familiar with them.”

“Cool. Then we are going to Dóchas?” replied Amber, with a large smile and a twinkle in her eye. “I can do the conversion there.”

“Yes, it can be done on any of the ships, or at An Clochán. Are you sure that is what you want to do? It cannot be undone.”

“I can see why you are worried about me rushing in to choose to be an Órarduine. I could make a case that is the best thing for me to do. Due to the drugs Akil’s group gave me, I will be insane and looking 90 years old in ten years or less. Although that is not the reason I think conversion is for me. I can’t express it, I just know it is the best choice.”

“Amber, we sense the truth in what you say.”

“The scout ship will be here in a few minutes. Can we board the shuttle now?”

“Sure,” said Cathal, sensing Amber’s urgency, “I will tell the Captain we are leaving, and give him a contact number in case he needs assistance.”

“There are two ships out there, watching. We can’t see them because they are over the horizon. They are using a balloon-supported antennae.”

Alana watched Amber as she spoke, then said, “Cathal, tell the Captain he is being followed. We will leave a special monitor on the mast that will warn him well before they are close enough to cause a problem. Let’s board.”

With that, Cathal went to talk to the Captain while the rest of the clan boarded their shuttle. When Amber entered, her face glowed with happiness as she looked around. “This is just like my dreams.” Those with her just smiled.

When Cathal boarded the shuttle, he said, “Let’s give those following Lorenzo’s yacht something to remember.”

“What do you have in mind?” replied Alana.

“If we fly just under the speed of sound a few meters above the ocean we will create one heck of a rooster tail. If we are cloaked it will be even more mysterious. But I think above the speed of sound will be even better.”

“Alpha02 AI, set a course to approach the ship following the yacht on its port side, then cross their bow at 100 yards.”

“Acknowledged. I will set altitude to optimize rooster tail.”

It was dawn on Comrie when Captain Lewis looked out over the lawn at the people sleeping on blankets. When they had boarded the shuttle at Bethesda, she had concerns about how they could help. One of the Órarduine medical staff had briefed them during their trip here. They asked for at least two doctors or nurses to work with each one of their staff, as their staff knew what resources were available. By doing this, they thought that they could effectively evaluate four to six people at a time. At the time Captain Lewis had doubts, but it had worked very well. All of them knew the hard part would be today, as reality set in.

“Is that you Norma?” asked Elanor.

Norma turned and gasped. “I never expected to see you here.” As she spoke, Norma tried to remember the last time she had seen Commander Brown.

“Well, I’m here. It was pretty exciting last night, wasn’t it?”

“I had some doubts about their plan, but it really worked well. When did you arrive?”

“Oh, I think around 1900 or so local. It looks like you have been promoted since I last saw you.”

“I think you have as well. Actually, I have been promoted twice.”

“Congratulations. Yes, I received my promotion last year. It was right after an assignment similar to this one.”

“Let’s get some coffee, then I would like to hear your story.” Just as Norma spoke a woman came up and handed her and Elanor a cup of coffee, surprising both of them.

“Well for a story, there is not really much to tell. It started out with us preparing for a field exercise on an SAS base. The facility had been set up the day before, and we were to report the next morning. It was around 2300 hours or so when all of us received a call telling us that the exercise had started. We were directed to be at the field hospital within the hour, or sooner if possible. It was a challenge for some, but we made it.”

“So? There must be more.”

“Well, about an hour after we arrived, several ships like the one we were on last night landed next to our hospital. They had brought us a group of women and a few men to care for. I was surprised to see quite a few SAS and Irish Spec Ops helping the patients into the hospital. The patients had been extracted from some place in Africa. Oh, that reminds me where I remember that voice from.”

“What voice?”

“I heard a man talking last night, and it sounded just like Calvin, the SAS mission commander. Anyway, the next day quite a few Órarduine came to visit with our patients. It wasn’t like this time, as most of the patients just needed someone to talk to while they recovered. I can’t say much else about it.”

“I think we will need to do much more than just counseling with this group.”

“Yes. You know Órarduine are telepathic?”

“Oops.” Norma blushed.

“So, I take you are still bi.” said Elanor, laughing.

“Yes. I was admiring several of them last night.”

“They won’t mind. Their attitude toward interpersonal relations is that they must be consensual, other than that, pretty much anything goes.”

“I wonder what we will do for clothes.”

“Connie told us last night, during a lull, that they would provide us with something like a Salwar Kameez outfit to wear.” Norma looked puzzled. “It is a loose wrap-around skirt and a loose blouse or jacket. I’m sure you’ll like them. They are providing them to anyone that wants one. The medical staff will wear dark red, to make it easier to find us.”

“I noticed that most of them were naked, which I understand is normal for them.”

“Yes. They told us that we should not feel pressured to adopt their mode of dress. Connie told us that she thought the patients had seldom worn any covering since being abducted.”

“Let’s get our two groups together at breakfast, so we can share what we have talked about.”

“Fine. I’ll see if one of their doctors can join us.”

Just then, the chime sounded for breakfast.

In a tall building, Fatin looked out over the city. He was located high enough that he could see the desert surrounding the city. His thoughts were in turmoil. The reports they were receiving were hard to believe as they indicated that their special elite training camp had vanished. In addition to that, yesterday there were news reports of an explosion on the Tangier waterfront, wiping out a bunch of buildings. Since hearing that, he had been unable to reach either Akil or anyone else there. If the reports were true, it would greatly complicate their plans.

Fatin’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned and looked as his servant entered. The expression on his face told him all he needed to know. Fatin listened quietly as the servant said, “The reports were correct but understated. Where the training camp was, there is now only barren land. The warehouse and adjacent buildings are no more. Reports now arriving indicate that the transfer points are gone as are the staff, and the ships positioned to raid the alien’s island are not answering radio calls. Our missile development area is fine. The details are in the folder.”

“This is a disaster. I expect representatives from the Council shortly. Show them in when they get here.”

“Yes, Master,” replied the servant then left.

It wasn’t long before Hatim, the Council representative, arrived. A few hours later two more Council members arrived. After reviewing the reports, they discussed the impact of their losses on achieving their goal. Just from reading the reports it was clear that this was a major setback in terms of timing, but the plan still appeared to be viable. After discussing the information, they turned their attention to considering who could have done this without any warning. If the Organization or any of Earth’s governments had been involved, they would have heard about it, long before it began. It wasn’t long before they realized that only the Órarduine aliens could have done this.

When Fatin saw the opportunity he said, “Perhaps we should use our satellite weapons against them. They were designed to take out other satellites as well as Earth installations, so they should be capable of destroying their space ships and their island.” He paused and then continued with, “I believe we have completed one of our special communication satellites, and there are plans to build more. These are the same as those the Chinese and Russians launched for us. Since we lost those two satellites, the Chinese and Russians are closely monitoring the launch teams and sites. However, if we take our time, our agents can arrange for them to be launched. As hungry as both countries are for funding launches, I think it should be fairly easy.”

Hatim said, “By that time our launch site should be operational. The team developing them has projected that the two pads can be completed in seven months or so. If we are going to use the satellites against the space ships then we should strike the island as well. That should be enough to pay them back for what they have done to us.”

Their meeting lasted well into the evening. When it ended they had a proposal to put before the full Council, with the goal of paying back the aliens for destroying their facilities and killing their members. It would also show the world that they were a power to be recognized.

Fatin sighed in relief as he watched the two men depart. Before they met, he had anticipated being blamed for the failure. The issue had never come up and they had a plan that could achieve an aspect of their goals, if it worked. While he could initiate some of the preparations, it was the Council’s decision to make. He wondered if they would wait until all the pieces were in place.

It was just before lunch on Dóchas when the shuttle carrying Alana’s Clan settled onto its cradle in the hangar. Sarah, Aoife, Maeve, Tara and Alison were waiting for them when they stepped out. Cathal introduced Amber to Sarah and Alison before joining the hugs and kisses welcoming Alana’s Clan back.

“Alana,” said Cathal, “with this kind of welcome back, we need to go on more trips.”

“Oh, give me a break,” said Aoife, tapping him on the shoulder, “we always have hugs and kisses for our friends.” When she reached Amber, she took her hands and said, “We are all very glad you chose to join us.”

“You mean I can,” replied Amber, with tears in her eyes. “I thought...”

“No, Alana’s Clan just wanted you to be certain about your choice. Let’s go have lunch. Judy will join us there. After lunch we can look at those items that are bothering you. I know Alana’s Clan was correct, in that they are other psionic abilities.”

“When can I start the conversion?” asked Amber.

“Within a day.”

After lunch Judy and Aoife joined with Amber to look at her abilities and the areas she didn’t understand. They went over the parts Alana’s Clan had helped her with and showed how to fine-tune some other abilities. Aoife told her that one of the areas had to do with telekinesis. The other one, of about equal intensity, would allow her to anticipate future events.

“Amber, those areas will be more active after you are an Órarduine,” said Aoife. “Remind me after you are up and I will help you understand them.”

“Wonderful. I sensed some apprehension about my choice to be an Órarduine.”

“There was when we first heard about it. However, after being with you, we are no longer concerned. We are pleased that you have chosen to join us. We think you will love it here as much as we do.”

“This is the only decision I have ever made with absolutely no doubt about it being the right one.”

It was late morning at Comrie when Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen looked out of the shuttle as they approached Comrie. “Wow, look at all the people,” said Sarah.

“I never thought the rescue would involve this many people,” replied Siobhan. “I wonder what we have gotten ourselves into.”

“Amy just told me that some of the guests are looking forward to our arrival,” said Sarah. By this time the shuttle had turned so that it followed the island’s valley up to the arrival area, it then hovered just above the ground. “I am not sure what to expect. Both Múirne and Ursula were very insistent that we come and welcome our guests. They felt it would help them believe that their ordeal was over. Even with all my experience, I find it hard to comprehend the anguish these people must have experienced.”

“Our natural openness and security is all we can offer. Let’s hope that it will be enough to help them find themselves.” With that, the three stepped outside and looked over the crowd. They were surprised by how quiet it was. Múirne and Ursula walked over and gave each of them a hug. Together they walked up to the patio that overlooked the arrival area. As they did, Sarah remembered another meeting that was held on this same patio a long time ago.

“Your right, Sarah,” said Maureen, “the situation we have now is very similar, except for the size of the crowd, a different perspective, and a different kind of conditioning.”

“We will need another ship or two if they all decide they would rather join us than go home.”

“Many of them may feel that they no longer have a home,” responded Siobhan.

“Good morning,” said Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen, Múirne and Ursula in unison, both verbally and telepathically, to the crowd.

“Good morning,” came the response.

“We are very pleased that you accepted our invitation to visit us,” continued Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen and paused for a moment to see if anyone noticed their tongue in cheek comment. “We hope you enjoy your vacation here as our guests.”

Someone in the crowd muttered, “It is certainly an improvement on our previous accommodation.” Several of those around her chuckled, causing Sarah, Siobhan and Maureen to smile.

“We represent the Command Staffs of the three space ships orbiting overhead.” They then introduced themselves and named each of their ships. “All of our family, which includes those on our ships and on Mars, are pleased to know you are free. You are welcome to stay as long as you want to.

“Currently we have three groups of people here. They are staff, those who came for interviews and those who arrived in the last 24 hours or so. The staff includes those from England and the US who are assisting with your medical care. Our comments are mostly directed at those we rescued in the last 24 hours or so.

“When you arrived here, our medical staff gave each of you a medical evaluation. The doctors tell us that all of you arrived under the influence of behavior modifying drugs. It will take a few days for them to clear out of your body, even though you have taken an antidote. Since the behavioral drugs do not interfere with your comprehension, we came to tell you what we know about those who kidnapped you, where we are and who we are.