Chapter 7

Recap:

Aalea said, “Tom, this 99’ is every bit a spaceship. Father kept this fact a secret. He wanted you to have the extra safety a space-capable ship could provide. When we leave the water, the rudders and screws are pulled in and sealed. When 99 Red Balloons closes up, we are fully capable of traveling within this star system. We don’t have jump engines, so near-earth travel is possible.”

I said, “Your sure the windows are space worthy as-is? Well, that ain’t happening anyway, as long as I am here. I am not exactly a spaceship captain; I’m barely a boat captain. 99’ does all the work. I merely ask for it to do things for me.”

She said, “What do you think my father does? Hee he. Ships-Beings do everything. Father is the wealthy Entertainments program overseer.”

Anna started to come around just then. Drozul must have instructed her AI to wake her up.

I sent, “Good morning Anna. Your are on our yacht on the coast of Delaware.”

She looked around confused.

I asked, “Are you alright? Do you remember me?”

She said, “No! Why am I here?”

I said, “I rescued you. Look down at your legs.”

“HOLY SHIT!”

I said, “99’ please play back my initial meeting with Anna Collins.”

He popped up a virtual screen and played back the few short minutes of our initial meeting.

She watched it for a minute and looked towards me. She looked long and hard.

Anna said, “What the fucks the deal?”

I said, “You saw it. I got you healed and now you will serve me for ten years as my bodyguard. Isn’t that what you just saw yourself agree to?”

I don’t remember that at all.

Drozul sent, “She was full of pain killers, she may be telling the truth.”

I told Anna, “Be that as it may, we are here, and you are healed; you owe me ten years. It’s not like it will be an arduous job. Some women even like me.” I pointed to the other three females present.

She said, “Well, I doubt that would hold up in a court of law.”

I laughed out loud. I said, “Follow me; both of your legs will work as advertised now.” I walked to the stern and pointed down toward the shore.

I said, “That is an Indian village on Delaware Bay in what should have become the state of Delaware. This is not your Earth. This is an alternate of Earth. Notice we are up in the air and they don’t appear to know we are here.”

I continued, There is not likely to be any courts here other than my own. It’s not like you had money for a lawyer, anyway. You are presently on a palatial space yacht and should enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. Would you prefer I chop your leg back off and return you to your Earth? I will if you say so.”

She sat on the top step, sobbing. Amber joined her on the step.

I left them be. I was sure she would choose to stay. I actually suspected the crying shit may be female manipulation bullshit. Been there, done that.

When she denied knowledge of the deal, her eyes changed. She knew it and then she changed her attitude to a pity party. This is Drozul’s doing and I had not wanted a female bodyguard in the first place.

I was one-third bigger than any male here on Earth 0. I had an armored body. I could throw a mule punch that would knock any asshole into the next county, plus the laser finger thing. Fuck her. I don’t need her. Dropped off on the US of A, she would only have the clothes on her back.

I got me a beer and went down to my office. I needed some me time. Bitch! I hate scheming, manipulative bitches. It’s a form of lying, and they do it right to your face. They look you in the eye and lie. I hate liars with a purple passion. I had run across manipulating women a few times while spreading my Exo’s over the years.

Drozul tried to talk to me.

I sent, “Not now. Once in a while a man needs some time alone.”

I used the time to watch the natives nearby. Several got in along canoe and headed upriver.

I said aloud, “99’ follow those guys.”

I watched as they paddled northward up the river to my favorite mullet fishing spot. Oops, I had rustled a few from their private herd of fish.

I watched as a couple of them stood with skinny spears, and the others paddled around the school of fish. The two standing used their spears to harvest over a dozen fish. They pulled their knives out and quickly cleaned the fish. They threw the discarded parts back into the river in the midst of the school. As the other fishermen started paddling back, the spear guys rinsed each fish.

I watched them a while and saw another canoe come upon them from the north. These guys were dressed up nicer. The guys from Tall’s village canoe were in brief breech clouts. The new guys wore more formal duds.

They had full-length leggings from the waist to the ankles. They had a fancy breech clout. The new guys wore moccasins. Up top, they wore a formal-looking tunic with some shell adjournments and tasseled edges. Their headbands had seabird feathers. I assumed by the number of feathers and shell adjournments they each had a different rank or status.

The two groups talked and signed a bit. Then our fishermen paddled ahead to warn the village. We followed the northerners from above.

The newcomers were welcomed reservedly, or it was with solemnity or seriousness. I needed to understand their language; I was at a loss.

“Drozul?”

He sent, “I see them. We have just finished downloading Tall Woman’s language overlay. One of the Ships-Being AIs is putting it into a database and sorting it. We will get back to you with the results of this meeting soon.”

Drozul sent, “When you pick up Tall Woman, we can pop you into a chair for a half hour and download her language into you.”

Drozul continued, “My understanding from this Ships-Being AI is that there are only about two thousand words in the Lenape language. Unfortunately, many hand gestures go along with the spoken word. Otherwise, the context is lost by getting just a part of the overall communication.”

He said, “You may have problems with the hand gestures. They have done this for years, so the gestures have their own muscle memory. It may feel odd to you until you get used to using the gestures.

The new guys sat down with someone I figured was the chief and a few of his loyal followers. A leather pouch of tobacco showed up along with a long pipe. The chief stuffed the pipe with tobacco and it was lit and passed around the guys gathered around the chiefs. A lot of talking and sign language ensued.

If there was one big difference between what I saw here and what was on TV. Here, there was no bead-work or fine stitching. I had to puzzle over that. Ahh, they did not get their $26 worth of beads in New York City since the Dutch never showed up here in America. The Denisovans more likely ate the locals that would become the Dutch. The natives did not receive any beads, fine thread, or needles, either.

Drozul came back later. Evidently a warrior named Mësipék from the neighboring group was gored while hunting. A girl here in the village named Chëmamës was supposed to marry him. They were here to inform her family that the young man had died. Ya. Don’t tell the girl, just the family. Not too PC here - y’all.

When I came up for air and another beer, I was hit between the eyes with Anna and her attitude.

I sent, “99, take us straight up to ten thousand feet.”

I yelled, “ANNA, Take a look outside.”

She went to a window and looked out and down.

She said, “That could be fake.”

I said, “Bullshit! 99’ please unlock the aft door. Anna, you may walk out and look down if you doubt me.”

She went to the doorway, looked out, and staggered back.

She said, “We’re way up high. How is that possible and what or who is 99?”

I said, “99’ is the name for the ship’s Artificial Intelligence; it’s an electronic being. The ship is named 99 Red Balloons. We call the AI by its nickname, ‘99.’ The song 99 Red Balloons is an old rock and roll metaphor for alien spaceships.”

I continued, “This is relevant because this IS a fricken alien spaceship. So, do I have your leg removed and return you to your hovel, or are you going to honor the deal you made? To be honest I am not sure you are worth the effort. I don’t think I can trust you. You want to go back on your word.”

Drozul sent, “She has the conk overlay. She is totally safe.”

I sent, “Ya? Well she does not seem very enamored with me for someone that has graduated from your Conk University and has whiffed my hormones. What were her grades at that school of yours? I sense her primary drive is for herself only. She is for Anna Collins and nobody else in the whole wide world, either world for that matter. She’s fucked up somehow. She’s schizo.”

He sent, “Get ready to grab her, she needs to come back for testing.”

Anna was looking out the window as she began to fall. I did not catch her completely. I did lower her to the deck without her coming into harm. I picked her up in my arms and headed towards the portal. I walked through and they had a gurney waiting for her.

I looked at Drozul with a jaundiced eye, “That whole concubine overlay thing is damned suspect right now.”

He said, “We’ll look into it. I am sure there is an explanation.”

I said, “I don’t really care for an explanation. She is not welcome around me again. I’m done with her. She has issues with a five-letter word; that word is ‘Truth.’ She lied to me several times. I did not dip into her mind to get that. It was very evident by her expressions that she lies a lot. It’s constant with her. I think she was just a rotten bitch. It happens.”

“I’m done with her. A liar always lies again.”

He said, “What should I do with her?”

I said, “Well, we made her disappear from our Earth, why not just space the bitch? Aim her at the sun. That’s what they always do in space movies. I bet Tall Woman would make a better choice for bodyguard anyway. Give Tall a Kung Foo overlay or something. She probably does not hate me. Besides that, I was never convinced with my armoring, shield, and laser finger that I needed much protection.”

I said, “I know Anna was alert enough to say yes to serving as my bodyguard for ten years after we would heal her. She looked right in my eyes. Then she reneged and lied to me later. She played us. She can look you right in the eye and say something so convincingly that I think even she believes the things she makes up. That bitch is psycho.

He said, “This is bad, very bad. This will not go over well in the Entertainments.”

I said, “Tell me you have not introduced her to the galaxy-wide audience already.”

He said, “We have shown you picking her up.”

I said, “Crap. Tell you what, don’t mention her again. Let it just fizzle out as a mystery. It would not hurt to have a little buzz over her and why she is not being mentioned or shown again. Mystery can be a tool. If the questions get too big, start a lottery and pay the winner for the best winning answer. You only need to say Collins was unreliable, or unsuitable or something like that.”

I continued, “That would not be your fault because it isn’t. A well-known comic once said, “You can’t fix stupid.” I subscribe to that belief. One in five is just not salvageable.

I then said, “You could pick a fictional answer from the submissions that best gets you off the hook. It’s entertainment. We use fiction in our entertainment all the time. Give out a prize, money or maybe a date with a popular entertainer.”

He said, “Oh, wow! I never thought about that, but if I got caught, I would have my skin removed excruciatingly.”