Chapter 28

I looked at the large display before me, and watched the features of my home get so small they could not be distinguished. Clouds raced by like faint ghosts busily needed elsewhere. The curve of the Earth could be easily seen, till it turned into a circular shape. The black of night surrounded this shining ball, and seemed to eat it, as we got further away. It felt suddenly much lonelier, than I had ever felt before. No mission I had ever been on before felt this way, for now I had so much more to loose, and such a heavy burden to bear for two races.

From my seat I could see the stars so clearly, that I thought I could just reach out and take a handful home. They seamed so clean now, with their steady light that they reminded me of jewels on a large black velvet cloth.

I pulled my self back to the mission. Our least time course, found us soon hovering inside a crater on the moon's surface, ten minutes and four seconds after leaving the Earth's atmosphere. I did not even have time to appreciate my first real space flight.

I could feel Mom's worry for my welfare. We both could be in harm's way, or the mission could be a cakewalk. Two and half million years, meant that our intel was a bit dated.

We carried an anti-grav sled, that I would pull to, and possibly from, the refinery. Its rating was over three tonnes, so thirteen tonnes here on the moon should be easy. A small motor allowed it to go up steep inclines and under a heavy load. There had been no Human to walk on the moon since December of 1972, and I felt humble. In '72 I had been away from Vietnam's rice paddies and jungles for only a year, and studying hard to get where I was now in life.

"Let's do this Mom. I will talk to you on the laser, when I can. Believe it, or not, I love you."

The deck disappeared and I was alone in the crater. No matter where I looked, I could not see the ship, even though I knew it was right in front of me. I set my load down and strapped what I needed to the sled. The sled itself looked an impressive piece of military hardware. The girls had painted garish green and pink characters all over the conveyance. All their names in English and Tandra covered the craft. Words of good luck and a large phallus, no doubt painted by Susan, graced the prow. I walked up the slight incline to the crater's edge. After looking at some marker stars, a grid formed in front of me, with a probable route. Mom was so close to me, but must remain silent so as not to give a warning.

The incline in front of me was forty six degrees and I had an idea. The winter time in Canada could be fun, if you embraced it right.

The sled was soon between my legs, and I aimed it as best I could, with the best software in the system or even in this spiral arm. I sat down, and the sled took off downhill. With my hands on the tie down points inside the sled, I picked up a speed of almost ninety kilometres per hour. The centre of my body governed the course, and I avoided quite a few large rocks and flew over a small crater filled with fine dust.

When I coasted to a stop, many kilometres away, I lengthened the tractor pull on the sled to eight metres. The power required was so small, that it would hopefully never be noticed.

A small sensor suite in my suit warned me of deep pockets of dust, or hidden fissures in the rock. Once I had to release a small probe, that flew ahead. It circled a veritable lake of dust, to give me a safe route. I had to turn right to best avoid this area. The probe's power was again too low to be noticed, so it kept flying ahead. It was one of the contingencies we had discussed on Earth. Twelve hours later, I came to one of the designated stopping points, where I was to rest.

A pass led through the crags of a major crater, and this allowed me to aim the laser back to Mom, and tell her that I was ok.

From the unit in sound came Mother's voice, "What were you thinking of, riding that sled down that incline? You could have been hurt, and put the mission in jeopardy. If you were here, I would consider taking you home to think on your mistakes. I am not going to let you sit in the command chair again. Nova and Blue could easily take your place, and I would have a much easier time. What are your wives going to think, if you were hurt or killed? Susan would..."

"Mom, I love you, and I know you love me. I will be careful, but there are limits to any conservative plan."

"All right, just be cautious. I have invested a lot of time in your training." She was manufactured a few thousand years before the Earth system was first visited, by the transmitter crew. Even a few years would make a minuscule amount, when compared to her age. She worried just as my mother or Aunt Harriet would, about my welfare.

She relayed my good wishes back to Earth and I heard the girls comments in return. This time there was a slight lag in our conversation, even with the relatively short distance to Earth.

After promising to talk again in a few hours, I set up my 'rough' camp. A dome enclosed everything, including the sled. The matter transmitter delivered a hot chicken dinner, with corn, potatoes, gravy and Caesar Salad. The coffee was strong with lots of milk, the way I liked it. All of this was served on a white tablecloth, I had insisted on. A hand-operated cleanser like the dry showers, removed all traces of fat and grease. Even the crumbs I cleaned up.

Taking a dump was harder in the tent, because it was sent back through the matter transmitter. The suit still let me pass the liquids and solids, but instead of hitting the moon's surface, they disappeared just like the chicken bones, plates and tablecloth. I had no intention of retaining the matter and recycling it. The cleanser insured that I would have no 'cling-ons' later to attack me. The tingle as it worked, might thrill some people, but it definitely did nothing for me now.

I slept comfortably beside the sled for about four hours. A small breakfast and my ablutions only took minutes. The tent was struck in seconds and everything stored. Mom was happy that I had slept well, then went on for more minutes trying to get me to be extra careful. The wives said how excited they were and tried to keep my morale up.

Susan paced the long floor. On each side of her, her sisters tried to pretend they were content to wait till the final word was given, even if it was going to take at up to ninety hours to get to the base.

Dog was walked around the base, so many times, by each of the girls, that he was tired. Secric took him outside every few hours to let him have a rest from his admirers.

It had only been five hours since the last talk, and the youngest five started crying. It started with Amy and spread to the rest. Within minutes Star and Sandy joined in. Their noise was not loud, but the amount of 'sound' in the mind was frightening. They may have picked up their feelings from Susan, or worked it out on their own.

Nova knew what to do, and she went over to Moth the youngest and laid her on her back, and proceeded to suck and lick the little girl. The others did not even notice or care, but continued to cry. Blue, Kitten, and Chris joined in, to soothe the youngsters. Susan knew her duty and coaxed Amy onto her back, and did the same as the other adults. On the next bed Star and Sandy held one another and continued crying.

Susan worked on Amy with her fingers as well as her lips and tongue. The child was twitching. She had a good orgasm, but nowhere near what she would get with Henry.

Susan got up and helped Star and Sandy to do one another. This arrangement was common for the very young, but with Susan's mind in the matrix, it threw all the old rules out the door. She had assumed the head of the household or candasu, as it should be in a typical Tandra family. Her position as metsu demanded that she lead, and not just idly pass the time. The proper feelings were distorted out of proportion, when I was not the pampered male, but actually the steering force here.

Like all Tandra, they had their orgasm in sixty seconds or less. There were better ways to do this.

Susan got up and went to the matter transmitter, and visualized the rock close to the house. The frigid air, reminded her to energize her suit, and make it invisible. The trip to the house and back was only a few minutes. She carried a bag around her neck, and under the suit. Once on the rock, it was less than a second, before she was inside again.

Walking up to the now quiet girls she said, "I have some things to show you. This is the brush I usually use. I have used it many times to keep your hair and mine shiny and straight. Come here, Nova." She brushed from the forehead down to the tail bone many times. Nova's hair did start to shine. Nova began to really enjoy the treatment about the time a hundred strokes were done. She had used this same brush a few times, but enjoyed when somebody else was pampering her.

Susan kept her mind shut as she said, "There is other thing that can help make you feel good." She squirted some oil on the brush handle, and said to Nova, "Lay back, and hold your knees. This will relax you." Susan oily hand was wiped across Nova's mons. "Hold still Nova." The brush handle was quickly worked in, and a stroking rhythm was established.

"What are you doing?"

"Making my suna happy, while our husband is away." She said this as she continued to stroke. Just like her lover and husband, she tried to get Nova to the edge and keep her there. The brush handle was smooth, which was a good thing for Tandra vaginas. The nerve clusters would be rubbed raw, by the wavy handle she used to use, at home.

Within twenty seconds Nova was at the brink and Susan stopped moving, till she was able to control Nova's reactions.

Susan's own emotions started to make the others respond to her. Blue could sense Susan need and she moved forward, and pushed Susan legs apart, and started to suck on her small clit. The feedback grew greater and greater.

Susan put her free hand under Blue's chin and raise the head, for a lingering kiss. "Take this Honey, and keep my suna close to an orgasm, but try not to let her go over."

This was not the Tandra way. An orgasm was to be achieved in the shortest time. This time she would do as her metsu asked, even though the other suna piteously cried for her to hurry, and let her cum.

Susan got behind Blue, and extracted another brush. Blue stopped as the new oily handle was inserted into her delicate vagina. "Blue keep stroking Nova, she needs her fun too."

"Come here, Chris, and hold the brush. Chris was not stupid by any means, but came over because of the order of her metsu. "Put one arm on Blue's back to steady yourself, while you use this with your other hand. Think of Blue, and do not let her have her cum, till I say so." The stroking slowed down because of the level of sensations felt by Nova and Blue.

Getting behind Chris, Susan extracted the turkey baster, and lubricated it. Chris had her eyes wide, as she saw the large phallus image approach her cunt. "Take it easy Honey, and this won't hurt a bit. Susan traced the tip around Chris various clits, before she inserted the plastic into the stunned woman. "Keep working Honey. Blue needs this."

"Kitten come over here and help our sister." Kitten was compelled to do this, as if an irresistible force pushed her over. "Put one hand on Chris pretty bum, and slowly stroke this in and out of her." Kitten did, but did not take her eyes off of Susan, and what she would do next.

A long red candle, that had come off the dining room table, came out of the bag. Susan showed the candle to Kitten as she put it into her mouth and deep throated it as much as she could. Taking it out, she put oil on it, then some on Kitten's quivering vagina. The blunt end went in, and Susan started to stroke it in and out.

There were fourteen more candles in the bag, as well as a plastic dildo and a large vibrator.

Sandy then Star were next. The strokes were down to about two a minute.

Within minutes, Amy, Kitty, Topaz, Moth and then Cloud joined the chain. The four younger ones had to put the oily candles into their rectums, because their vaginas were too small. All Tandra had large strong lower bowels, made for both elimination and sex. They could take lots of lovemaking, this was why a woman had an alternate method of keeping a mate, if she thought she might accidentally drop her egg at the wrong time.

Getting behind Cloud, Susan inserted the greased candle, that fit the young child easily. She stroked very slow, because the pace was now down to less than one a minute. Each and everyone felt the phalli, in not only her own orifice, but in all the orifices, of all the rest.

"Come here, Secric, I have a job for you." The woman that had never so much as touched another Human or Tandra, before a few weeks ago, did as she was compelled.

When Susan got the last child up to the same plateau, she relinquished the candle to Secric.

Secric who some would say was naïve, had no such notions when Susan took the vibrator, and stroked into her slowly. As they all approached that place of agony, where there was so much stimulation, but never enough to bring them over. Susan turned the vibrator on fully, and stroked it in and out furiously.

This was the same as fissionable material. They all felt Secric, as her cunt vibrated to all the nerves, that nature had bestowed on Tandra vaginas. The Chernobyl-like melt down, brought everybody into a line of twitching, convulsing, pulsating, matter. Susan herself enjoyed her own cum, because she to was in the loop, though nothing was actually touching her erogenous zones.

Susan recovered first, and heard the vibrator still humming in Secric's vagina. Apparently the girls had been still connected, and the batteries had kept them twitching for a long time. She took them one at a time and put them in bed in pairs. This time she switched partners, so that there would be no favourites. Susan was the odd girl out, so she joined in with Blue and Star. When they woke up five hours later, everybody was happy again.

Blue was the first to ask, "What was that thing, that you used on Secric?"

Susan opened her mind, to allow Blue to see all the various toys, that could be used. Susan went for the vibrator, and ran it and herself through a cleanser, before coming back to Blue. When Susan approached the bed, Blue backed up, as if Susan carried a dangerous weapon. The memory of the vibrations was very hard to get over. Blue almost had an orgasm, when she heard the sound, as Susan casually turned the power on.

"Take this Blue, and see if you can make some for the rest. The little ones might need smaller ones for themselves. Perhaps you should make two, so you can do both holes at once."

"Really, you can do that?"

"Only if you want to try. But I have a better idea first."

When all the girls were awake, they marvelled at the toys, as Blue displayed how it worked. Susan started the conversation, "That husband of ours, likes to take unnecessary risks. Nova and Blue were salvaging safety equipment. What I would like to do, is get the car and plane in here, and do the necessary work to them, so that he will not kill himself or us." They all agreed, that it was a good idea.

"I would like to open the hangar, and move the plane over to one side, to make room for the van. When that is done, we fly one of your trucks down, and put one of the vehicles into it. The satellite will think the van is in the garage with the plane. When the safety devices have been installed, the vehicle can go back the same way. Henry wanted a matter transmitter to be installed in the basement. Do you think we can do that, while he is gone?"

The girls became enthused with the logistics, and the idea of the things that they could accomplish, if given the right resources.

I had worked my way down the inner wall of the crater by letting the sled precede me. The area was so large that it took almost four hours to cross. I had run full out, with my enhanced muscles and coordination, I was able to reach almost sixty kilometres an hour, in the one sixth gravity. The rest stops were short and infrequent, because I could be seen by Tandra equipment. I could have run right by Earth people, if any were handy. They would not see me or the sled, but only my prints and the dust.

Twelve hours after breaking camp the last time, I set the tent up in a high crag, protected on all sides, and only open in a spot, that was in Mom's direction. This was almost seventy kilometres further along, than we had hoped for. Also, it was the last possible place to get supplies, from the matter transmitter on the ship.

Mom felt more confident, as I was besting our most optimistic estimates, of where I should be. I rested a few extra hours, and ate the last good meal till I would be able to get back to Mom. The rest of the supplies were now transported in, and stored on the sled.

When I struck camp, I heard a quivering in Mom's voice. She was still worried, and had no reason to berate me for anything, but tried anyway. Mom got a copy of all that I saw so far, in my travels. I gave this at the latest possible time, for I knew that she would find something wrong with the way I ran, walked or breathed. I took quite a while to talk to the girls. They were only audible through a converter, but I could still hear the worry in each.

I made two more camps, eating and drinking from my limited supplies. The last portion was the hardest to navigate yet. The terrain was very broken, and there was no detailed plan for this section. I was forced to send the drone out, to the limit of its transmitter range, and survey the tortuous path I must take. I would have liked to climb to the top of the butte, but the sensors, would surely find me.

Seven times I had to backtrack, because of blind alleys or obstructions. Fifty three hours after starting out, I was under the overhang that hid, an out-of-the-way section of the glistening dome.

I decided to rest before attempting to enter. This was the most important thing, I had done in my life, and I wanted to be prepared as best as I could be. Three hours later, the anxiety was too great, and I struck the dome, for what I hoped would be the last time.

A disk, covered with a thin coating of zinc, was taken from my supplies. It was about one metre in diameter, and about nine centimetres thick. I placed the disk's flatter surface against the dome, and pushed, while activating it with my mind. I could feel vibrations follow my bones to my ears. Minutes later, the humming stopped, and I hoped this was enough. The front of the disk parted at my command, and I climbed in, leaving the sled outside for the moment. A tube had formed, and it expanded the nine centimetres, to over two metres. It extended through the shield wall. When the hatch was sealed behind me, I ordered a small hole be made in the wall ahead of me. When the pressure had equalized, the inner hatch was opened. I had the gun in my hand, waiting for any resistance.

The floor was over five metres down. This was not a long fall in the light gravity, but it would present some problems in getting the sled, and the other supplies into the base. The illumination level was about the same as what the Earth dome had been, when I first arrived, but since my sight had been improved, the present illumination was even considered bright.

The location was just as good as any other, I could pick, so I returned to the outside, and dragged in the sled. I jumped easily to the floor below. The tractor on the sled, attached itself to the inner wall, and lowered the sled to the ground. With an unspoken command, the door to the tunnel closed, and soon the disk returned to its original shape, but on this side of the wall. I effortlessly caught it, as it fell.

A device on my suit indicated the air was not the same as Earth's but more like the thin but rich air, of modern Human spacecraft. The temperature was, after converting, about twenty. This was quite cool by Tandra standards.

The call pads on the wall could give me all the information I wanted. The computer doing this was simple, and did not need supervision often. The trouble was, that if all the people were in stasis, no inquiries would be made, then any use of the call pads, would start an alarm.

I could see the last known plans of the refinery and base, in my mind. My probable location was superimposed on this. Only reconnaissance would tell me for sure. The plan called for me to disable the AI in the computer first, but leave the rest untouched.

Going to the right, I proceeded down a long hall. The infrequent openings, only showed dormant machinery, and unlike the Earth, had dust deep in spots. The floor had undisturbed dust, and ancient rubbish. Most was so old, that even with my new Tandra education, I could not make out its original purpose. The first markings on the wall, were of little immediate help, till I stopped and used a grid superimposed over a portion of the shape, and worked to decipher the image. I found, that I was almost in the right position, but the dust under the overhang had resulted in me being one floor higher, than I anticipated. This made the route one floor more than was planned.

I thought of the footprints, in the lunar surface, that had been made by the pioneers of space. Their forms may last a long time now. When the refinery was working, and a long time after, dust that had not been pulled down by the weak gravity, settled over the long years. The constant rain of meteors, also stirred up massive amounts of dust, that would take years if not centuries to settle out. The time span was something I was only beginning to get used to.