Chapter 684

Dessie and Phillip at The Waterfall Campsite

...”I don’t want any of them. How about another biscuit instead?”

“We used up all the dough...” she started, but quickly added, “but I can mix more.”

As she began, he moved closer to her. “I’m feeling a bit guilty for making you fix another batch of biscuit dough when we could have just poured some hot water into one of the freeze-dried meals.”

Dessie stopped to give him a quick kiss. “There’s no greater compliment to a cook than to have someone want more. Here, sit beside me, and I’ll teach you to cook biscuits in a Dutch oven. Sophia’s recipe is a bit different but still quite easy to do.”

“Nope,” Phillip said. “I’ll do the grunt work, and my master chef can take care of the biscuits.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Just imagine how good that trout is going to taste cooked over the campfire.”

“Well, we aren’t going to have trout tonight, and if you want more biscuits, sit by me.”

Phillip’s cooking on the trail reached its maximum when he poured hot water into a dinner pouch, and Dessie knew it. Still, she wouldn’t be denied, so he sat beside her.

He did his best. He paid attention — even asked questions — but how could a man learn when women used terms such as a pinch of this or a smidgen of that? He had tried the cookbook route, but first, you had to learn the language. Reduce, caramelize, roux, macerate, parboil, puree, on and on. He had to look up the definition of the word, then try to understand the process before he could even start putting things together. And... why couldn’t you just put everything in a pan and stir?

He knew that if they had biscuits out here, Dessie would have to cook them if they expected the food to be edible. When the biscuits were done, they both wound up eating another buttered biscuit with jelly. It was powdered butter, but it melted nicely in the hot biscuit and enhanced the flavor.

Stuffed, Phillip staggered over to work more on setting up the campsite while Dessie washed the few dishes and cooking utensils in the lake before dipping them in boiling water.

“Well,” she said as she walked over to him, “cleanup was certainly easy tonight, and we’ve both had our shower. Want to turn in early, Lover. I can take care of that problem you had at the waterfall.”

The Retreat

The girls stared at each other before Melissa spoke while grinning widely. “Oh, we’re certain that we can think up a suitable reward for all our efforts and hardships,” she stressed. “And ... should you want to start on that reward right now...” she said as the two slipped their tops off in perfect unison.

“However,” Jenny inserted, “this is only a down payment.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” the Prime returned as he came from behind his desk.

With breakfast and cleanup over, Jeff sat with Diana in one of the hallway alcoves overlooking the grounds in front of the Retreat. Midsummer, the grass was a deep green, and the flowers that Diana and her sister-wives had managed to grow were in full bloom.

“I know this has to be something major since you brought me to this beautiful place to talk to me.”

Jeff frowned. “Did it ever occur to you that there are times when I like to be alone with my First wife? I do love you; you know.”

“I love you too,” she said before leaning forward to peck him on the lips. “Now spill. What’s so important that you bring me all the way around to the front? There are several alcoves in the back that are much nearer to the living room and kitchen. One even overlooks our little flower garden back there.”

Jeff sighed before giving up and almost blurting out. “I chose an assistant for you. Well, actually, two of them.”

“Jeff,” she said, frustration beginning to show. “I don’t need assistants. Besides, I don’t have time to train them, and why ‘two,’ by the way?”

“I gave up and chose them because you continued to ignore me when I asked you to appoint someone. And two? Because I think you’ll need them.”

“Jeff, I enjoy interacting with my sister-wives and the other people here at the Retreat. Someone has to make the day-to-day decisions, and doing so certainly isn’t a hardship for me.”

“Baby, I don’t want to interrupt your interaction with others, far from it, because you’re the major reason everyone gets along so well. Sometimes, however, when I’m trying to reach you, you have half a dozen things going on simultaneously, and I wind up not getting to discuss things with you. And don’t bother denying it.”

“Darnit, Jeff. I don’t mind...”

“The Sergeant in charge of a section of training at the main base has had an accident and will be out for several weeks — if he is ever able to resume his duties at all. I might wind up having to have Ship or Little One heal him, but we can’t do that for everyone ... Sergeant Higgins is being temporally transferred to the base for the duration of the other Sergeant’s problems. I made certain that the transfer was temporary, though, and Higgins will be coming back in time to go with us on the trip. In the meantime, Corporal Torres is going to take over Higgins’ duties.”

Jeff smiled at his wife. “You and Sergeant Higgins are a lot alike. Oh, he doesn’t have a nice set of titties like you, but he’s a workaholic just as you are. The problems with an assistant jumping in to take over Higgins’ job are several-fold. Higgins has been in charge of Security for us from the first, and many of the things he does aren’t even listed in the training manuals, because he developed them as things changed with our family.

“The same goes for the training. It has also developed along lines that don’t necessarily work at the base, and because of the changes, the old-style training simply doesn’t work efficiently here any longer. We have equipment — a lot of it experimental — that is beyond what the General has at other installations. Much of our defensive and offensive equipment is extraterrestrial or experimental. To understate, our defenses here are multi-level. Not only is Ship protected by several levels of defense, but even her existence is a major secret. As you know, if word ever got out that we had a Starship here, there would be no way to stop the so-called news media from speculating, and the politicians would demand access. Can you imagine the power a politician would command if he could somehow become Ship’s master?

“On and on, and Higgins has developed most of our Security procedures that keep us safe. Before you ask, the General has tried to promote him, but he won’t accept it. It doesn’t really matter that much, though. Higgins commands more power than most anyone at the base, no matter the rank. If his name is on the order request, he gets it — period. Oh, the General may bitch about the cost, but whatever Higgins wants gets delivered ASAP. All back to protecting Ship and the people she calls her family.

“Among the many things he has done for us are outlines for training my wives and everyone else here at the Retreat, and ... the training is not identical. Obviously, my family will be required to put forth more effort. We are all enhanced, including Adrienné, but our other alien friends are not.

“I’ve been on protection details a few times, and I always had more respect for the person I was protecting if they, at least, attempted to help protect themselves. Don’t misunderstand me, our Security force is better at protecting us than we will ever be, but that isn’t to say that we can’t develop skills to help, should we be attacked — again.”

“But we have already been trained, although some of us do have more than others,” Diana began.

“Agreed, but training never stops — not if you want to survive the next firefight. We are all going to become better at everything we do to protect ourselves — a lot better. While my wives can hit almost any target that any one of my team can hit, the team will still be more accurate and a hell of a lot faster even while they are also giving orders, updating or changing those plans as things change in the firefight, or advising other team members of threats. All while the firefight continues unabated. And that’s without a battle helmet, let alone the advanced version that shows the weapon sights superimposed on the member’s helmet screen — all assisted by an AI. With the improved version, a team member can fire as accurately with the pulse rifle at belt level as he can with it against his shoulder. I said ‘he,’ but obviously, that goes for the females on my team as well.”

“Jeff, we aren’t combat soldiers...”

“And I don’t expect you to be, but neither are my wives going to die because they couldn’t defend themselves adequately. What if we are boarded?”

“Boarded? But Ship is...”

“The best, as far as we know, but as I’ve said before, she is only one. Supposed she is losing a confrontation, and the enemy manages to board us. What if they capture one of my wives? Or worse yet, the unspeakable happens? We have to prepare for everything we can prepare for.

“The General has recently informed me that we now have enough advanced helmets for all our teams with enough left over for everyone in my extended family — at least those here at the Retreat. His techs will be here within the week to measure everyone for the new helmet. It’s a process that involves much more than measuring the size of your head, and it takes roughly thirty minutes per individual. Since the newest version of the helmet is activated and controlled by your brain, I’m hoping that none of you will become nauseated during the fitting process.”

“Will it work with Adrienné?” the Clan Queen asked.

The Prime hesitated. “I asked the techs that same question. There’s no way to tell without trying, but they’re optimistic.”

“If it works on Adrienné, are you going to let the Miadax men use the helmets?”

“I have no demanding reason not to trust them and many reasons to trust them, but ... not yet,” he admitted. “Perhaps that will change someday, but for now, there is no immediate reason to arm them or give them the advanced helmets — yet.”

Jeff hesitated a moment before, “Di?”

Diana sighed. “Okay. I see your point. I suppose I could use an assistant for some things.”

“Di...”

“All right. Assistants,” she said with a sigh of exasperation. “I promise.”

“Good. Your first pulse rifle class should be waiting for you in Security’s training room in thirty minutes.”

“Jeff, that’s not funny.”

“Wasn’t meant to be,” he said as he came to his feet. “Better hurry.”

“Jeff — I’m not prepared.”

“Bullshit. It’s a beginner’s class. I want everyone, including those who are already excellent marksmen, to review, starting at the beginning. The teams do it occasionally. There’s no reason not to do it with our people. The ones who are really good can help the beginners. As far as being ready, you will be next time,” he said as he stood and kissed her passionately, but stopped to say, “I’ve arranged for you and your crew to have lunch at Security’s dining hall each day this week. After that, all you will have to do is have an assistant call and tell the Sergeant how many of you there will be eating with him and on what days. You have primary use of the range until all our people are fully up to speed with the pulse rifle. I left the tests as well as the outline the Sergeant uses with your assistants.”