Chapter 542

The Prison Planet

Back at the front of the cave, Jeff raised an eyebrow as he caught his Clan Queen’s eye. “Later,” she mouthed with a wink that Morales didn’t see.

Morales smiled at his wife as she sat beside him. “You two were gone for quite a while.”

“Female things,” she answered while barely holding back a giggle. Well, it definitely was about females, so I didn’t lie to him.

“Oh,” he said, then after a second, he repeated with more emphasis, “Oh,” without asking anything further.

Jasmine, having suspected that the Matthews would visit the day after Kei and Jeff’s wedding, had put two big loaves of bread in to bake shortly before the Matthews’ arrival. Her visitors had noticed the delicious smell as soon as they entered, but she just teased them and said the bread would not be ready for a while yet.

After returning with Diana, Jasmine had made a production of checking her watch. Addressing Selina, Jasmine asked if she would like to help her with the bread. When it was out of the oven, Selina asked who wanted butter on their hot bread. The response was unanimous, as she knew it would be, so she buttered each piece as soon as Jasmine sliced it.

The group spent the next couple of hours socializing as they consumed the freshly baked bread while drinking coffee and the soft drinks left over from Jasmine and Morales’ wedding. Jeff noticed the chicken swings and commented on them after seeing one of the hens fly up to land on one. Morales grinned and said, “Let’s see if I can entice Junior into showing off a bit.”

When he called, the half-grown rooster came running. Morales picked him up, and with everyone following, walked to the nearby alcove where he tossed Junior toward the swing. Junior spread his powerful wings, banked and landed perfectly on the swing, but just stood on it as it barely moved back and forth.

“Well?” Morales said. “You’re always showing off; now is your chance to show everybody what you can do.”

Junior cocked his head and looked at the human for a second, then with enough understanding to realize that Morales wanted him to make the swing go, Junior rocked his body and used his wings to move the swing higher and higher.

“Oh, that is great,” Selina said, giggling. “Look at him go.”

It’s debatable if Junior fully understood Morales words, but it was more probable that he knew the humans were watching and also that Morales wanted him to do something. Everyone was becoming tense as the swing quickly rose higher and higher on its arcs. With a final hard push and the assistance of his wings, the swing went over the top, but instead of it dumping him, Junior had figured out just how much push he needed and in exactly what direction to keep the swing going in a circle. With a hard flutter of his wings, the swing went on past its apogee and continued the loop, the rooster making a sound a bit like “whee”, but that may have been the wind in his wings. Junior made a second loop, too, but before the swing reached the critical point on his next loop, he released his grip on the seat at just the right point to sail across the alcove, then banking dramatically, and with a flutter of wings, landed on Morales’ shoulder.

When everyone started clapping, Junior, at first, cringed, but it only took a second for him to realize that they were doing this weird thing for him. Standing as tall as he could, he fluttered his wings, stuck out his chest ... and nature stepped in. Surprising everyone, including him, Junior made his first attempt at crowing. The beginning was ... okay, but about halfway through, his voice broke, much like a teenage boy trying to sing, and the last half wasn’t so ... masculine. If a chicken can be masculine.

Most everyone had heard a rooster crow – videos, movies and the like – so they knew, at least vaguely, what the infamous cock-a-doodle-do from a rooster was supposed to sound like, but this one just ... wasn’t. But, it did produce laughter.

Junior hadn’t really meant to do it; nature had just decided that it was time. His second attempt was all him, though – and much worse. To him, everyone seemed to like it because they laughed, so he did his broken, squeaky cock-a-doodle-do again.

“Oh, shit,” Morales muttered under his breath when he realized what was probably going to happen – a lot. But ... at the time, he had no idea just how much or how truly early in the mornings it would start. Gertrude’s morning screech was bad enough, although since Jasmine had come to live in the cave, Gertrude had kept it to a minimum, possibly fearing that Jasmine would wring her neck – and she may have been right. But Morales and Jasmine would find that nature would wake the young rooster early, and he would find himself crowing – or something. Like all roosters, he already loved to make the sound. Morales fervently hoped that the young rooster would improve quickly.

After the swing demonstration, Jasmine filled the bamboo sections with cracked corn before tossing the new toys down for the chickens to play with.

When the group was again sitting around the fire, Jasmine explained to Aiko and Kei that the chickens were native to twenty-two fourteen and seemed to be very intelligent to begin with. With the enhancement, they were truly amazing for chickens, plus they laid eggs that were considerably larger than those laid by Earth chickens. “Unfortunately,” she said, “there are only three full-grown hens, but we’re hoping that the chicks will reach maturity soon and begin laying eggs too.”

Diana had already checked, so she knew that there were still eggs in the case they had brought a few weeks ago, but she made a mental note to send another case of eggs soon.

After a time, Jeff commented, “I suppose we need to go before we wear out our welcome. You two, just let us know when we can come back and finish the power installation.”

Jasmine and Morales looked at each other before she turned back to Jeff. “First off, you and your family can never wear out your welcome. You are always welcome here, and about the installation, any time would be fine with us. We’re looking forward to having true lighting, and when spring comes, the installation of the well pump so we can have running water.”

Morales, having become friends with Jeff, wholeheartedly agreed with her and said so.

The Clan Queen passed a look with her husband similar to the one Jasmine and Morales had just passed. Neither Jeff nor Diana said anything, but they had previously discussed bringing in modern appliances soon after the power installation was completed. That was one of the reasons Jeff had overcompensated so much when he installed the power grid – there would be plenty of power for appliances when it was needed.

Beyond proud of her husband, Diana put an arm around him, vowing to herself that she was going to give him a great blowjob when they got home.

Arlene had described the wolves to Aiko before they came. Soon after their arrival, she had been introduced to the two huge animals, but even without Arlene’s warning ahead of time, Aiko knew that they only resembled the animals she had seen on nature shows. Astonishing her, Lobo and Lila sat during the introduction, obviously well behaved, both of them staring back with intelligent eyes, each whining a greeting as their names were mentioned. Apparently realizing that their grins of pleasure or welcome tended to show too many teeth to new humans, they both refrained from their usual greeting, but instead, kept their mouths closed during the introductions.

After the introductions were over, Jasmine had turned to Aiko. “Please don’t go outside under any circumstance without either Morales or myself and the wolves to guard you. The area has many ferocious animals and we have had some very close calls. If Lobo and Lila try to herd you back inside, get back in quickly.”

Later, Diana, escorted by an armed Jasmine and the two wolves, took Aiko to introduce her to the outhouse. The snow was deep, although the pathway was shoveled out. She came to a stop as soon as she was outside the cave, and couldn’t help staring at the enormous trees that she had not had time to scrutinize sufficiently when they had arrived. Now that she could really look at them, she realized that some were taller than any she had ever seen in videos at home, and still farther up, was the huge and terrifyingly alien-appearing thing that was Ship hanging just above the tallest of the monster trees, the battleship so big that her presence left the area in deep shade.

“Oh, my. I came in that?” she whispered, awed.

Seeing Aiko’s distress, the Clan Queen spoke up. “She is, indeed, a daunting spectacle, but Jeff is her Prime and in complete control. She would never hurt us – never – and she might well be what saves Earth from an alien invasion.” Seeing the puzzlement on Aiko’s face, “We have a lot to tell you, but for now, just believe that she’s the greatest friend that Earth has, and also remember, you would be dead without her. She saved your life before she even got to know you.”

“I ... will have to thank her properly when I am once again inside her,” Aiko very reverently said. “I owe much, not only to her but to all of you.”

“Nonsense,” Diana returned as she motioned for them to continue toward the outhouse, “We did nothing for you that we wouldn’t have done for anyone, but ... you’re special to all us wives because you’re the mother of our sister-wife.”

Inside the outhouse, Aiko looked into the dark hole, then realized that she was glad she couldn’t see in there very well. She expected a smell, but Morales had regularly used lime from a big bag that Jeff had brought him. She sat carefully, but despite the cold, some part of her worried that some insect or snake would ... She refused to think about it, wiped and hurried to pull her panties and jeans up.

Later, as the group prepared to leave, Diana hugged Jasmine, Jeff having taken Morales aside for a private conversation. “I’ll get started on your project as soon as we’re home. But ... you’re certain that this is what you want, right?”

“Absolutely,” Jasmine returned. “It’s ... Crap, I don’t know what it is, but it just feels right. I’m the wife of a true Alpha...”

“An enhanced Alpha,” Diana offered.

“Yes. Whatever this ... feeling is, I’m almost driven by it. It’s not just that I want another wife or wives for my husband, but I think I somehow need this for myself as well. Oh, my, I know that doesn’t make sense...”

“ ... says the one who is just wanting an extra wife or two for her Alpha as she talks to the wife who has sixteen sister-wives.” Then with a sigh, “I know what you’re feeling because I am certainly familiar with the drive for a sister-wife. Jas, my sister-wives are closer than natural sisters could ever be. I feel their orgasms from several rooms away, and the intensity when we’re touching while one of us is having sex is unbelievable. Once that happens, that effect and the closeness never quite goes away, and the effect is shared by all of us. I’m not sure what makes the drive happen, but it does. I’ll do everything I can to locate the girls for you. But, as I said, I first have to get my husband, then the General, on board about this. But I have a secret weapon with the General,” she said with a grin. “His wives. They know the feeling and will understand why you want this. If the General even starts to balk, I’ll back off and talk to his wives.”

“Get them to cut him off?” Jasmine asked with a giggle.

“No. Never. We don’t do that. We tried that with Jeff – once – and we’re not going to do it again – ever. No. They will probably just snuggle with him and tell him how important it is for you ... and Morales. The General loves his wives and knows just how much they both love him. Trust me. He’ll give in sooner or later.”

“Di, this has to work.”

“It will. We’ll find them and then see what happens. Just give me some time, but for now, we have to go. We have a lawyer and his wife coming for supper, and hopefully, he will start proceedings against Aiko’s husband.”

With a hug, Diana joined the others, and they were soon all back aboard Ship.

Aiko, hesitantly, asked Jeff if she could somehow thank Ship for healing her.

“Sure,” he returned. “She will talk to you just as any of us would.”

Aiko still seemed unsure. “Uh, how do I address her? I mean...”

“If you are referring to me,” Ship said, her voice sounding as if she were standing directly in front of Aiko, “all you have to do is mention my name, or otherwise attract my attention. May I help you, Aiko?”

Aiko blushed deeply. “I ... cannot express my gratitude sufficiently. You healed me when I was dying. I... Thank you...”

“ ... Ship,” Jeff offered. “She prefers to be addressed as Ship.”

“Thank you, Ship. I know that you saved my life.”

“You are most welcome, Aiko,” Ship quietly returned. “I am certain that we will become close friends.”

The Retreat

Diana and Jeff, walking behind the others, exited the fake building and made their way, arm in arm, toward the Retreat. “So, are you going to tell me?” he asked, laughter barely concealed.

“Not now. Not like this,” she said, looking up at him.

“That bad, huh?”

Holding back a giggle, she returned, “No – that good – but I want us to be able to sit down where we can talk uninterrupted before I ask you.”

“Hell, I might as well say yes, now. I’ll have to sooner or later, anyway,” he grumped.

“True,” she said with a giggle, “but we need to have the conversation.” Then changing the tone of her voice as she smiled up at him while they walked along following the others, “Baby, this needs to happen, and once I explain it, I think you’ll want to be a part of it.”

He let out a sigh. “Yeah, that’s what worries me.”

Tim Williamson and his wife, Joanne, had finished with a superb meal and were now sitting in the living room with Jeff, Diana, Kei and Aiko. “Well, we’ll give you guys some privacy,” Jeff said as he and Diana came to their feet.

Aiko also quickly stood. “Mr. and Mrs. Matthews,” she said, formally, “if you would be so kind, I would very much appreciate it if the two of you would stay and assist me. You are familiar with much of what has happened, and I think that your advice would be, not just helpful, but also crucial.”