Chapter 687

The Retreat

When the meal was over, Diana and the others who had been in training pitched in to help clean up after supper. Diana stopped by Evie for a moment so she could thank her again. “You do know that this is supposed to last six weeks, right?” When Evie smiled and nodded, Di continued, “Uh, I’m feeling guilty. Our not taking our turn in preparing meals puts way too much on you and the others who aren’t going on the trip.”

Evie stopped to hug the Clan Queen. “There is an easily sufficient number of women to keep up with meals, and while we’re on the subject, you and your group shouldn’t be cleaning up after supper. You’ve worked all day and probably done most of it in the sun. All of you have to be tired, and there is no reason for you to help with this,” she said as she swept her hand around to indicate everyone as they put things back in order. “Di, you don’t count what you do for us all the time. Now we get to cook and do a little catch-up while you train. So, what’s got the General’s panties in a twist?” she asked as she not so subtly changed the subject.

“I have no idea,” Diana responded. “If Jeff knows, he won’t say. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“In the meantime, you and your sister wives need to go relax so we can finish up in here. And Diana, this conversation doesn’t need to be repeated tomorrow. I — we — finally get to play a little catch-up for some of the many things you and Jeff have done for all of us.”

Embarrassed, Diana hugged Evie before going to look for her husband, which meant she turned in the direction her “husband radar” directed her.

As Diana walked into the living room, Morales caught up with Jeff to nervously ask, “did the General mean us as well?”

“He said ‘everyone in the Retreat,’ and he certainly knows you and your family are here. Oh, and I didn’t get to ask. How are the chickens taking to their new home on the pocket planet?”

“Uh, that’s part of what I wanted to talk about,” Morales responded with a smile. “Not only did Ship make a place that looks like their area in our cave, but she also duplicated our area as well. Oh, the outside is different, but inside the ... cave, everything is the same. Our shower works as well as all the appliances. I thought she was just going to make a place that would look familiar for the chickens, not reproduce our home, seemingly, in every detail.”

Jeff hesitated for a moment as he struggled with what Morales was saying. “Ship must have misunderstood what I asked her to do, but come to think about it, she asked permission to go back to 2214 so her remotes could acquire information. Shit, I should have picked up on that.”

Noticing the odd look on Morales’ face, Jeff raised an eyebrow. “What? Certainly you’re not thinking that you have to live there...”

Morales hesitated for a heartbeat. “Jeff, you’re used to living in this great place,” Morales said as he swept his hand around to indicate the Retreat and its furnishings, “and you have your identical suite on board Ship...”

Jeff interrupted, “Does your suite aboard Ship need to be expanded? I just told Ship to design a suite for you and your family...”

“Jeff,” Morales emphasized, “just stop and let me get this out. The suite is beautiful and certainly large enough, but, uh, would you mind if we occasionally spent some time in the ... uh, new cave? I suppose it’s hard for you and your wives to understand, but that cave and the area we live in on 2214 are special to us. If we can spend some time in the ‘cave’ Ship has made for us during our trip, well, I think my wives and I will ... Ah, shit, Jeff. I can’t explain it any other way. 2214 is our home and always will be, and that ‘cave’ seems to be a perfect duplicate — at least of our living area. To a certain extent, it even feels like home. At least until you step outside.”

From the videos, Jeff had seen many of the happenings on 2214. Shit, I should have realized that the place would mean a lot to him. He’s worked for every inch of it with — as the expression goes — blood, sweat and tears.

“As far as I’m concerned, with training taking a priority, you can live in your suite here in the Retreat, or the suite on Ship, or the ‘cave’ Ship made — whichever works for the moment. If you need to check on things or get something from 2214, we can easily do that after training each day. Come to think of it, what do the wolves think about the new ‘cave?’”

Morales chuckled. “They seemed puzzled to begin with and kept going out the door only to stop and look at the unfamiliar landscape. I told them that Ship made the cave just for us, but it was on a pocket planet in another dimension. That led to questions that I couldn’t answer. I overheard Ship talking to them, but I’m beginning to wonder if they’ll ever understand completely. Hell, I don’t understand what a pocket planet is, so why should they?” he muttered under his breath.

With Jeff’s hearing, he heard what Morales said. “Our learning will be an ongoing process,” the Prime assured him.

At eight, everyone who lived in the Retreat was sitting in the giant living room chatting when the General, Ellen and Barbara walked in. The wives took seats, but Whitworth stopped to stand near the big fireplace as the room quieted. He had a large pouch that seemed to contain something more than just a few papers.

Whitworth glanced around the room, his vision finally settling on Morales for a long moment. Eventually, he spoke. “A while back, Colonel Matthews, Lieutenant Mayfield and I formed a tribunal. Its purpose was to determine guilt and mete out punishment for certain individuals. The other individuals are unimportant for my purposes here tonight, but one individual, who is sitting with us, seems a little slow on the uptake on a particular subject.”

Morales’ face was red, but he sat rigid in his seat and said nothing while the General grinned and continued.

“I have sent word, perhaps a bit obtusely, because frankly, I didn’t want to admit having made an uh, unfortunate miscalculation... And remember, I was not the only person on that tribunal, but ... it was, and still is, my responsibility. Mr. Morales, your term of imprisonment on planet 2214-XR was supposed to be life, but you surprised all of us. One of the primary purposes of imprisonment is to rehabilitate the individual back into society. Perhaps we as a tribunal didn’t look at your background in enough detail before we pronounced sentence; perhaps we did, but you have changed. However, according to what the Colonel has — very directly — informed me, you seem to still consider yourself a criminal and a prisoner despite my having relaxed the rules concerning your activities, allowed you to have firearms, marry and even allowed you to return to Earth. Perhaps I should have done this a while back, but the past can’t be changed. The future can. At any rate, that same tribunal has met and in so doing has officially voted to exonerate you of all crimes for which we punished you, and now extends to you a full and equitable pardon for any crimes for which you were found guilty and consequently sent to 2214-XR.”

As the General was talking, he opened the big pouch and held its contents out for the AI to focus on and repeat on the big screen for all to see — a framed Certificate of Pardon signed by the General, Colonel Matthews and Lieutenant Mayfield. Whitworth stepped smartly over to Morales, who scrambled to his feet. As the General handed Morales the pardon, he reached to shake his hand and told him that he and the tribunal were proud of him for all the work he had done for himself and his family while on 2214.

In a quivering voice, Morales managed to thank the General, then turned to do the same to Jeff.

“Lieutenant Mayfield wanted to be here, but he was sent on a mission a couple of days ago. He said to tell you he would get a chance to congratulate you when he returned. And there is one more thing,” Whitworth said as he again reached into the pouch. “This is a deed for your property, and it gives a unique description as well as all the legal details. I would suggest a high tree when you map out your land.”

“Sir?” Morales questioned with a frown.

Whitworth grinned. “Since you are the first property owner on 2214, my wives thought you should have something unique.”

“But, Sir,” Morales stammered, “the property description reads that all is mine as far as my eye can see and also includes all the mineral and water rights for that property.”

“Yes, and I imagine that you can see for a long way, indeed, from the top of that big tree in your front yard. I’m sure that Ship and the Colonel will help you mark your kingdom.”

“But, General, I can even see the mountains in the distance without even being up high.”

Whitworth just grinned at him before saying. “I got tired of worrying if any of the other prisoners would manage to get to you despite all my efforts, so I moved them off the continent. I constructed each of them fortifications equal to or better than what they already had and also gave them professional tools to go with or replace the crude ones they had managed to make. The prisoners who did nothing are dead anyway, so I don’t have to worry about them.”

Morales just stood there stunned as he stammered out his thanks, but his wives pushed past him to hug the General — all three women weeping and laughing as they did so.

Dessie and Phillip at The Waterfalls