Chapter 39

"Good day gentlemen." They looked startled, so I said, "I am sorry for coming on you unaware, but habits are sometimes hard to break. With the inclement weather would you gentlemen prefer to step into my transport? But know this; once you follow me you are in for at least three months." They all nodded their heads, and I led them to the ship. The ship was made visible, and the ramp lowered. A faint light showed the interior.

They balked at the sight, almost ready to turn and run. Most figured that they would not make it very far afoot in the snow. "Don't be frightened. Everyone here is Human, and I am hiring you to fight to save this planet. Come with me into the ship. It is much more comfortable there, than out in the rain."

They followed me except one, that slinked away, and he hid behind a tree. His eyes growing large, as he saw some of the inside of the alien craft. "Gentlemen, I did not lie to you. We will one day, be attacked by a race of beings, that think it proper to eat other intelligent races. You and your families are going to be on their menus." They looked around at each other, wondering at the enormity of my words.

"Carlton, will you pick up the straggler please?" The men did not understand whom I was talking to, but one of their number came drifting through the air, screaming as he went, to land beside his friends on the deck.

"As I said previously, you are in for three months. If you decide to leave then, you are welcome to go with all of your property and pay. You will each get an education that only a few on Earth have ever received. The medical facilities will cure each of you of any disease you may have. This includes everything from arthritis to cancer. If you look at John you will see a man that fought with me in Viet Nam, irregardless of his looks. Wouldn't it be good to be twenty again?"

I scanned their minds, and saw that I would have to throw them from the ship to get them off now. "Gentlemen, you have all made a decision, that will benefit both you, and the entire Human race."

Within twenty minutes all but one of the recruits showed up, and they were brought onboard. Matt Deeker, a friend of the absentee said, "Chad had a heart attack, and is in the hospital now. It doesn't look too good for him."

Chad was one of ours now, even if he couldn't make it to the pick-up point. We got all the information we could about him, and dropped to a public phone booth, to ask each of the hospitals if they had our man. Carlton dropped John, Martin, and me off at the correct local hospital, while Carl stayed onboard.

My inquiries did indeed put Chad in the intensive care ward. The night shift nurse thought it odd that the door opened for a few seconds and closed, but she was busy with her reports, and didn't make too much of it. The records said Chad was down the far end of the hall, in a room made for four, but only had one other patient at the moment.

Chad was an old man, and tubes ran to his arm, along with many wires. The other bed held a boy of eighteen or so, that had been seriously hurt in a car accident. I switched off my invisibility and started to use the diagnostician on him. Almost twenty percent of his heart muscle was dead, and only electrical probes kept his heart working.

The hand autodoc started the repair work, in conjunction with the bodies own repair procedures. Within four minutes the heart was beginning to respond, and would soon be as good as it was when Chad was thirty. I was about to put the tools away when I heard a groan from the other unconscious patient.

"John," I mind-spoke. "I am going to see what I can do for the other patient. When I am done, slap a generator on Chad, and let's get out of here. As soon as the wires are disconnected, the staff will rush in here, thinking that his heart stopped."

"I have an idea on that," said Martin. I looked into his mind and smiled.

The other patient would probably not make it through the night. His lungs had been punctured, and other organs damaged. The heroic operation had done all that current medical science could do. I had to use the autodoc almost ten minutes, to get the serious damage taken care of, and most of the minor. I included his seriously damaged face, and missing eye.

The eye would now grow to occupy the empty socket, in time. The bone structure of the face would have taken many operations, if he was alive to undergo them.

John and Martin wheeled the beds together, and the electrodes were removed from Chad's chest without incident. The sensors were transferred to the other patient quickly, so as to not set off the alarms. Another few seconds under the autodoc, and Chad's wounds were healed. As an afterthought, I placed ten one thousand dollar bills to the safety pin on his pillow, holding the call button.

John carried Chad's invisible form out past the nurse that was now conveniently away from her desk. Part way through the hospital, I became visible to open doors and get in the elevator. After we came out the front door of the hospital, we were whisked skyward, and onto Carlton's deck. We materialized in an open spot among the men, and immediately became visible.

Matt Deeker ran over to see his friend, who actually pushed him away and said, "What is all the fuss, and where are my clothes?" He looked at Matt and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lt. Meech asked, "What happened, sir?"

"We repaired Chad's heart, and I took a few minutes to work on another patient. I would not like to be in his shoes tomorrow."

"Why is that, sir?"

"He was about to die, and he will be able to walk out tomorrow. Chad was in serious shape, and he up and sneaks out of the hospital in his hospital gown. The only one they can question is the boy, for everything that happened."

Chad was standing, and could not believe any of what he heard, till Matt turned him around, and showed him the ship. Just when Matt was getting started, we docked in the base, and the shield disappeared from the doorway.

As the passengers disembarked, the other recruits came over to see the newcomers. They took over their care, as the newest members went through the medical department.

In the next few days, I devoted my time to getting Mom's hull up and running. The computer now incorporated many memory chips that Mom had loaded with all the data she thought it needed. Our largest AI crystal was carefully inserted, and we waited almost eight hours till it made its presence known.

Carl took care of recruiting in Boston, Columbia NC, and Sault St. Marie, and we picked up slightly over a hundred recruits.

Matt, Chad, and the four others took over the job of feeding all of the troops. Their kitchen was chaotic in the extreme. Mom made large pots, which were prepared as any other kitchen, but tractors held them in place, as energy weapons set far below their lowest setting, bombarded the pots.

The girls were taken over by Susan and Secric, and they trained in karate and the Tandra equivalent. When the combat suits were not in use by the mercs, the girls had them. The men would laugh at the pretentious airs of the women, till they were challenged. More often than not, if there was an outright loser, it was the men.

Mom awoke more Tandra women to work on the other problems in the base and inside her old hull, for the first set had accomplished their tasks. The food replicator and matter transmitter for the waste had finally been repaired, and the base was now operational. More fabrication units could now be manufactured, for weapons and defence.

The mercs got over the differences soon enough with the new women, and could be seen talking individually with the girls, at any opportunity.

Susan had given her version of the birds and the bees, and explained Human males to the women. She demanded only one woman to any particular man. In a turn around, said that a woman could do an unheard of thing, and take more than one man if she could handle them. The women for their part were very pleased at not having to share with nine or more sisters. Getting the attention of many males, made them think they were in heaven.

Mom's hull came alive during the time I was sleeping. I awoke and felt compelled to go to her. Carlton made the short trip with just me. The ship looked much the same, except it now floated the usual two metres off the surface of the moon. Her hull was only a hundred a forty metres or so, but she gleamed even better than in the base. All of her projectors had been replaced, to enable her to come back to Earth undetected. It was good that Carlton landed away from the ship, so I could view her mass once again. She was over seventy metres wide and fifty metres high. Small by the standards that I now knew to be the norm, but still a ship to love.

I walked through the now well trodden dust to her hatch. I was whisked in as expected, by the computer, and found myself staring at the image of Mom that she used when greeting the troops.

I was so overcome, that I ran to her, to put my arms around her, luckily she used her tractors to support me before I fell in the weak lunar gravity. I was so overcome with emotion, that I had forgotten that she was only an image.

"Hello, Henry. It has been a long time since I spoke to you from here."

"Yes it has. Are you really here or just a projection from Earth?"

"I am here. All of my memories are here now, just as they are on Earth. I have decided to do something similar to Secric, and use twin personalities to operate the ship and the base. When we meet, we exchange data, and both of us can enjoy space travel, and the guiding of the Tandra in this system. This has the advantage of two of us working on the problems. Is this all right with you?"

"More than all right. This way you are safe. I don't want to loose you again."

"Thank you, Henry. That was the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me. I want to show you the galley. It is the first thing I got working after the shields."

It looked like a modern kitchen, in a large prosperous restaurant. Pots hung from a rack suspended by tractors. Three large stoves could feed hundreds. A freezer hung empty, while a stasis chamber held the same. A refrigerator seemed superfluous, but it came in handy for food served cold. Large ceramic surfaces were ready to assist in the preparation of the food. A large cleanser was ready to take care of dirty pots and dishes. On an otherwise barren wall, was a series of small alcoves underneath a matter transmitter.

"Ask for coffee, Henry."

I did, a large thick ceramic mug appeared, and a thick stream of black liquid slowly fell into the container. I could smell the brew, even from where I stood, and marvelled at its richness. I took the mug in two hands, and sipped cautiously at the hot drink.

"Hmm, this is great, Mom. I do not think I ever tasted any as good. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to make this the way you did."

"I read in a book how a nautical navy functions on coffee. If they ran out, they would just turn around, and head for port to get some."

"You may be right. I know I need the stuff to get going. Show me the rest of the ship, Mom."

The mess would seat two hundred people easily. We had discussed the need for one large mess, over one for the ratings and one for the officers. There was no need for such a large crew in any case.

She took me to my cabin, or rather, my suite. The shower was large, like the one at the house, and amazingly used water, then the cleanser. The berth was actually an entire room of approximately seven metres square. There was enough room for all my family, and still leave half the room vacant. The bed wasn't the anti grav I expected, but a firm mattress. Cushions covered the most of the area, to take the place of chairs or pillows. There were no closets, for a ship this size, would store the things you wanted, until requested.

There was a small family galley, only able to seat fifty people.

Our own place to eat. I suspected that Mom wanted an officer's mess and this was her way of getting it.

"Mom, why are you still trying to make officer country and rating territory?"

"I can see why you think that," she said. "The truth of the matter is that I already have the officers picked."

"Why are you doing this? I argued with you before about this subject. Two hundred times the speed of light is fine by me. I don't want to be a passenger, while a crew of Tandra can up the speed to six hundred. I would rather have you do it."

"Henry, you will not be upset by this crew. I want you to be the Captain, and your family to the remainder of the complement. I have known for a long time that you can do better than the standard crew. You have lightly bonded with Roger, and though you do not know it, with Amy, and to a lesser extent everybody you have come in contact with."

"Mom, I don't understand. Are you saying I can form a crew?"

"Yes, Henry. Roughly seven percent of the Tandra population can form a strong enough union, to get about five multiples of what I can do alone. The very best, can do more than a hundred and sixty times my maximum velocity. They are much in demand, and they control all of the military and government in the Tandra Empire. Their ability to link and drive a ship, also make them capable of running an empire.

Mom went on with a patient look on her face. "I have waited since I was built, to get even a mediocre crew. Now I find that I may have one of the best, and all within this base. I have to confess that some of my worry for you was because your likes may never come along to me again."

I closed my mind to think. I could feel even from here, the thoughts of my family. This was nothing new, because this happened very quickly since meeting Chris and Kitten. All Tandra could feel one another this way. Why was I so different, that Mom wanted me?

"Mom, I think you are mistaken about my abilities. I will still do as you wish, and try to help you find your home planet."

"It is you that is mistaken. No other Tandra in this vicinity can hold in their mind the links to so many others. I can see hundreds of strands emanating from you. The strands to your loved ones are very strong and even the links to your friends, are extraordinarily tough, beyond measure. You have actually strengthened their links to you. In a few centuries, when you reach your full potential, you will have superseded any Tandra unit that was ever known."

"Centuries, Mom?"

"Surely you know that the Tandra could live for thousands of years. Our medicine is the finest in the galaxy, when we were at our height. Even now, I have almost full benefit of all of that knowledge. Most Tandra died because they refused to strive for new horizons, and simply allowed themselves to pass away.

"Our empire grew, because people such as you, could work with others, and find out the most inscrutable facts, and employ them to the empire's advantage. You are one of those gifted people that could do the impossible, if you would only try?"

"I don't know what to say. I have so many plans for Earth, and my adopted people. I can't even come up with a good enough weapon against the Samutz."

"I have taken your ideas and only added the programming necessary to cripple any Tandra ship in existence. I have held back on data, to see how you would function, and you have come through time after time, with what was needed. Do not belittle your contribution, for it is much greater than you know."

"How can I form this group that you are talking of?"

"Simply do as you have been doing, and follow your instincts. Love in this case, can literally make everything happen."

I went back to the base, with Carlton following behind. We took it easy so I would have more time to think. I had hoped that since I was cured of my diseases, that I would live a little longer. I wondered why I had never really thought of the extended benefits of the medical know-how for myself. The prospects of an extended lifetime, was both exhilarating and appalling, at the same time. I would be fortunate, that my wives and children would be able to live to a fine old age with me. The thoughts of them not prematurely dying as my parents and other relatives had done, eased my mind. Others, that I knew, and thought of as friends, would need the treatment as well. Their relatives and friends would need the same thing, and so on. Eventually the entire Earth would be covered with people able to live for thousands of years. The way we were using our resources, this would not be an option.

Mom rested in her old position, and Carlton took a position alongside her hull. Early risers ran over to the ship, to admire the hull and their own work. I too, did my admiring, and thanked each person for all the effort they had done to bring Mom back.

Susan, and the remainder of the base people, came with grav sleds of supplies to Mom. I saw hundreds of complete missiles, and many empty zinc plated casings. Along with components, I saw some Earth food.

Looking at Susan, I said, "I was hoping to get more time with Mom, and her new hull, before the repair crew had to go out."

"We are on a tight schedule. The girls can do some work on her systems when not working on the defensive stations. The Oort Cloud is only one light year away, and a light year thick. We need to get the replacements into position and update the old missiles. The Samutz coming in will never leave."

"Are you still only taking the newly awakened girls?"

"Yes, except Sadda. She has done a lot of training in an almost fanatical way. She demanded a berth, to help with our defences. I guess I am baby sitting, till she gets back. It is a good thing, because I have been having a little discomfort about being full, and Nova suggested Bobby, and Roger, help me out. I feel good about that, Roger needs parents, something bad, even if he also needs sex to help him bond."

Ten minutes later the ship left on a fifteen light year trip. They were scheduled to be back no later than twenty six days from now. Their goal was to refurbish thousands of the possible millions of missiles, guarding this system. Almost nine hundred new units would add to the already impressive number. I knew that this really meant that our defences were still spread very thin.

Carl had just returned in his suit, he greeted both of us, and said, "I see you made the papers again."

"How is that?"

He took out the Toronto Sun and the National Inquirer. On the front page of each, was the face of the patient we left in the hospital. Captions all over the cover, told of different aspects of a dying man's remarkable recovery. Chad's disappearance figured prominently. One article going so far as to suggest that Chad was an angel that had come to help the dying man.

Susan asked what I had done. I let her read my actions in my mind, and my comments after returning to the ship. She laughed at the joke I inadvertently played on the poor fellow, in the paper. "Better the hassle he is getting, than being dead I guess."

I asked, "How is the outside world reacting to the Tandra presence?"

"Still looks confusing. Everybody is still on a war footing, and rumours are running rampant. Nobody knows what to believe. Suicides are at an all time high, and the mental hospitals are full to overflowing. The stock market has been fucked for months now, only some fat cats are making money from armaments and gold. By the way, gold has shot up to over fifteen hundred dollars an ounce. Do you still want to sell the gold you have?"

"Maybe later, there is too much on our plates now, anyway. Or do you want to hit some more pushers for some easy money?" I joked at him, as I slapped his shoulder.

"It did cross my mind, but I would be happy to just sell the gold, when the price is so high."

"Ok, I will keep it in mind, if we go someplace."

Carl went off saying, "Ok, I have to go, and speak to an angel."

That night the mess had a total of a hundred and eighty eight men. Slightly more than half were American. The cities of Boston, Columbia NC., and Sault St. Marie Mi. had given up some of their fighting men, to help our cause. The rest was evenly distributed as to nationality as I could get, considering the people that came to our recruitment drive. The line-up getting food had comments once in a while of Saint Chad, or something similar. Chad gave his benediction, with the serving spoon of potatoes, to each and every man, going by him.