Chapter 27

Sam said, "Then we need an airlock or vac-suits. I'd go with the vac-suits though.

Wendy said, "We can use better seats and it's too small for all of us."

Our shuttle was the size of a station wagon. It was cramped to get in and out of. There were a lot of sharp edges. All the guys wanted more power but we had problems there. When I came out of my dive, I used power from the accumulator to assist. We had sucked sixty three amps from the mains too.

We used the power that an electrical car would consume and we were not tied to the roads. Climbing had to be done at a gentler pace and the accumulator had to be tied in better to give the surges of power we needed. This had to be done automatically too because not everybody would be prepared for it.

Getting to an orbital position would take six hours at the rate we used. We would go beyond the limit of the broadcast power if we tried to do this. We were also overweight. This cut back on our acceleration. Broadcast power was good but it had its problems too with distance. Using our own power would mean a heavier ship and thus the need for even more power.

Aristis vehicles of this sort were very common. They did not take from their home power source but from the planetary grid. You paid for how much you used and for the use of the automatic machinery that all industrialised worlds used to control traffic.

When we all got back to my home, Mom said with a smile, "Did you enjoy your flight Wally?"

"There were a lot of minor problems to overcome then we had to discuss what could be done better. Chuck landed on the Sky Dome roof. Wendy flew around the CN Tower but stayed under three hundred metres. Your daughter flew with precision and grace but she likes to go fast. In fact all the girls went fast except Shirley. She was very meticulous in her use of power and controlled her altitude very well. Sam raced a train and wanted to land on the roof as if he was in a movie. Jerry raced down the streets in a dive at a hundred and thirty but the crosswinds were not that bad."

"And what about you?"

"I had fun too. I could not climb very far because radar would pick us up. I had to use emergency power from the accumulator to pull out well enough. We never got beyond four gravities but even that was momentary."

"No shield? You must have been seen."

"We were invisible alright but radar will still defeat our camouflage."

Mom hugged and kissed me. "It is nice to have a son that is still a boy sometimes. What you have gone through... well I am glad you are still a boy."

"Thanks Mom. It's fun to pretend too. Do you want me to pretend not to know about the party too?"

"You know everything. It was not a secret."

"That's good because I invited Miss Lime."

"How is she doing?"

"She shakes a bit but she is coping well. She mentioned that she heard some gossip about our family. She says it is interesting and that she would love to come."

"What does that mean?"

"I am not sure yet. It may not look good for Pop. If she makes love to a person and not a specifics gender then you might find a new friend. She hasn't met anybody since the... attack. She is currently getting some professional assistance."

"Tell me what she is like Wally. I talked to her in the hospital but you know her more."

"She looks fairly happy but I get this feeling that she is really a lot like June."

"Oh, really. Now that is interesting."

"I may be wrong so just go slow."

"I would never hurt her."

"I know that Mom. She may be looking for somebody strong to protect her. I hope she doesn't try to pursue me."

"We'll have to invite her to stay the night."

"That may be too much."

"Well, we'll see."

That night I made more thrusters and decided on a larger accumulator. We would mount them tomorrow and encourage the substrate to connect to the units. We could still use the ship as the computer grew once more.

The next morning I took an invitation to Miss Lime that was signed by all of us. She was happy to get it. During the day she smiled at me a lot more and I began to worry.

I concentrated on my investments but only picked up seventeen million. It was a slow day. We had accumulated twenty three billion dollars. Some of it was tied up in a computer processing company and a bit more in a conglomerate of small shipping companies. Nadac was making money hand over fist when he sold software.

I made hardware that went into all the trucks, planes and ships that we even owned a partial interest in. Cosner Data Processing took this information and helped plot the best route to follow. Our spy in the sky found traffic congestion and told our computer. Our machine told the ones in Cosner, who in turn informed the driver, pilot or captain.

Hijackings were common in some cities. The drivers were not told that they were monitored but three got fired for starting business on their own. The police were always involved. Gangs went after trucks with or without the driver's complicity. The police were always there to make arrests.

During recess, Erica asked, "What are you thinking about most of the time? You aren't talking to anybody."

"When we worked on Caputo to hurt him, we came on ways to do this financially too. We could have just destroyed but instead we bought some of the things he wanted before he skipped the country."

"I know you have a company that owns some of the houses around where we live."

"It is more than that. I have companies that own companies that own property. I was talking with the academy about what to do about it."

"How much do you have?"

"It changes all the time because some of it is invested in stock. Let's just say that I am well off."

"So you don't have to go to work when you get older?"

"That would be a dull life. I want to be a technician that makes machines and then fixes them. I want to be a soldier so I can defend those I love." Erica liked this part. "I want to be a leader that helps our people to a better life."

Betts was on the other side of me and said, "What about us?"

"All of you will be the same thing as me. Some will be better techs or better leaders. We can only tell when you are fully trained."

"I have to ask you about Miss Lime. Erica keeps me posted to the way she looks at you."

"I have two other women that look at me with an even hungrier look. You both make me happy so why do I need more complications?"

We worked after karate in Gail's garage. The lighting was much better and the tools were new. They took a bit of getting used to. When the welding was done, we had to repaint the burnt sections inside and outside the hull. I mounted all of the crystals even though it would take two week for the last crystal to be reached and made functional.

The accumulator was not done yet. We had everybody over helping but the charged accumulator has to stay protected. The small one we used held a lot of power. The power it had was not electricity but it worked much the same way when it shorted through flesh. The fifteen minute max would soon go up to an hour of level flight and perhaps twice that if we flew slow. Here it was air resistance against the power needed to stay afloat.

After the meal I sent the guys on patrol over Toronto. They could do just as good a job in front of their monitors if not better. There were seven seats though and seven of them.

Erica and Betts looked longingly as The Beagle left. "Come on girls, a little work for us then we can go to bed early." That seemed to help.

My birthday was today and everybody seemed to be coming to congratulate me. This had never happened before but people were talking a lot more to me since I met Nadac. They were going to be invited to my home tomorrow. This would turn out to be a sizable portion of the school. It was not just all of the grade eights but all of the children that Caputo hurt. This also included all the wallflowers that the girls and guys had found that needed some self confidence. A caterer was contracted to provide the food and would clean up later.

It was still too cool to swim but there was lots of grass. The opening in the wall to Gail's property was open and her yard could be used too.

Miss Lime usually walked around the class to see what we were doing. She would put her small hand on the shoulder of those she talked to though some saw this as improper. She usually looked at my drawing or art. Her hand usually went up my neck just a bit to make me shiver. Erica was not upset with this but wondered what it was all about.

At the end of the day Miss Lime said, "Your mother and I have spoken on the phone twice about the party. She seems to be a very nice lady."

"Did you talk to Mom I or Mom II?"

"I believe it was Lillian."

"Both moms are very kind and loving people. The family is very important to them."

Since we were now alone in the class, she said, "It is unusual to have two mothers and still have a father."

"I have three. My birth mother changed at my birth. It was best that I moved out. Lillian and Bert took me in. Our family has grown with Wendy, Erin and Leslie."

"And Paul."

"Definitely with Paul. Mrs Watson and her daughter Liza are our back door neighbours and they are in our family too. When you bring in my friends, then the house feels better."

"Your family is so interesting. The party is expected to last well into the night. Your mother invited me to stay over if I felt like it. She says there are so many empty rooms that this is no problem. How do you feel about that?"

"I think you will enjoy yourself. You will be safe."

"Why do you say that?"

"Safe?"

"Yes."

"My family will look out for you... very aggressively. I see that your hands still shake. You are not over your trauma yet. You will be able to relax and enjoy yourself. Judgments are not made and you can be yourself."

"That sounds like an idyllic place."

"Family is supposed to be that way."

School was a little more fun that day and so was karate. Sensei Kazuyoshi had been invited. I said, "There will be a lot of adults at the party too."

"I think I will be able to come."

"That is kind of you. Do not be afraid though. Hardly anybody tries to murder us these days."

"That is good to hear. The police wanted to know about your training, especially with the sword. I said you had not been trained yet." In a whisper he said, "I did not tell them of the extra training you received someplace other than this dojo."

"That was kind of you too. It tends to confuse the matter somewhat."

When we got home, the younger ones jumped into the shuttle. One day they would find out and perhaps talk accidentally. Perhaps it was time to introduce them to Hal and Matt along with a communicator.

When we could, we got the kids to start their academy training. Betts and Erica went on early patrol but Chuck and Wendy stayed behind. There was lots of work to do for the party and they knew I was working on a new computer.

Just before supper, I made an important breakthrough. A small piece of road sand was partially displaced. It was only an infinitesimal portion of a small fragment of rock but it proved that this could be done. I did not know how it happened but it had to be investigated a lot more now. When I brought my head out of the box, my feelings of elation were submerged as much as I could.

The gang came back to eat though they would have skipped the meal to continue flying. During the meal, Gail casually mentioned the power surges that caused the lights to dim. Mom II didn't notice any at our house. The guys kept their faces down so nobody could look at them.

During the meal I said, "Nadac, I would like to have the use of the class seven med unit once more."

"How many more will you add?"

"Gail, the munchkins and their guy. I am not sure of Greg or Lasha. If I inform them of our shuttle then they will get more training. The two could be adopted or forced to leave our family. The authorities may do this to put pressure on me."

"The rest of your family should be included."

"Why?"

"At some time in the future, it is inevitable. If you place the communicator now I can set their minds up without them suspecting any change. When the time is right, they can integrated with no problems."

"I suppose so."

"I will send the unit down. I have made another unit for you that requires the crystals. Complete this unit and send it back for testing."

"We need another beam power transmitter. The surges are detectable. Last summer we had a blackout that was serious. We may have more. I do not like relying on accumulator power exclusively."

"It is very safe."

"Your people make good vehicles but ours are not as well made. I want safety if I can get it. We also learn more about beam power use and its distribution. One day we may need energy weapons. The accumulators made their usefulness limited."

"I will send the unit and the crystals. The largest crystal can be configured to beam in one particular area and thus extend the range of your craft."

A series of graphs came to me. The Beagle could reach orbit and now circle the earth under power as long as a computer tracked us to send the power our way. I had this information already in my head but it was not all sorted. We still had to pretend that I had not been given what Nadac told me was his complete memories. He was an Aristis though and I was not sure he had done so. What he had given me had also been stored in the 72 in case Nadac took the information away from me later.

Betts said, "What were you talking about?"

She must have detected my preoccupation. "I want the med unit back. We need a better power transmitter."

"We have enough if we watch our acceleration."

"Sometimes you may not have a choice. What about the second ship? It is a lot larger. We may use both at once. The stronger shield to absorb radar require more power. We need a longer range too."

"It sounds like you are talking big now."

"Yes I am."

"How much power do you think."

"A megawatt..."

"Wow!" I heard from nine minds.

"... to start. There will be millions of shuttles some day. A gigawatt in ten years then go up."

"Up to where?"

"Up to where the power can be used for most fuel burning applications. We humans are killing our only planet and I have to find ways of allowing poor earth to live longer or until we can move to other systems."

There was a pause then, "But we burn coal to make electricity?" I got the feeling that they knew that this was not a good idea.

"There are other clean and safe methods."

Sam said, "Antimatter?"

"That's the best."

Pop said, "What are you guys worried about. You are quiet all of a sudden."

Betts said, "Not worried, just thinking."

"It must be important."

"Kinda."

Wendy said, "How are you going to make it?"

"I am not sure yet. What I am worried about is the fact that antimatter reactors will be detectable from orbit."

Ashleigh said, "Just build it in an old uranium mine."

"That's a great idea. I'm glad I got friends like you guys."

Elaine said, "How are you going to buy the land? Even that will cost money. Then there is all the equipment. It could run into the millions."

"I have enough money for that."

"You do!"

"We will talk later, ok?"

"Sure."

We cleaned up and Pop said, "It's Friday night. Caputo has left us. Have you guys thought of going out for a change? There are some good movies on. The paper mentioned a good science fiction movie."

"It sounds interesting but I have some work to do."

"Your Star Fleet computer?"

"It is coming along nice, Pop."

"Aren't you carrying this play acting just a bit far?"

"Actually I do some very good thinking there. You might also think that since I am thirteen that I cannot dream. I am thinking of how to improve the lives of all of us. Antimatter is something that just cropped up. It is very costly to make and I have to produce some and make it profitable."

"I heard that a gram of antimatter would cost trillions of dollars."

"That's right Pop. I need lots of it to generate cheap and clean power. With that power, I can change the way we travel. I want to stop using fossil fuels. Better communications will mean we do not need to travel as much. Food can come to us. Public transportation has to be pushed so that it is used like our buses and subway but only more so."

Mom said, "Pop was only saying that you seem to play a lot when you are so bright. You are still young and even adults play. It is very commendable to look for ways of improving human interaction. I personally think that if it is ever done then you will probably have a hand in it."

The shipment from Nadac came later that night and Betts brought me the contents of the shipping sphere. They had been introduced to it from academy graphics that showed a sphere arriving when one of Nadac's personalities was talking to one of his particular students. It was not ho-hum but it was not frightening.

I came out of the box and put the equipment aside except for the med unit. I loaded all of my communicators in it and said, "Betts, try to get Patricia in here alone."

"Is she ready Cap." This was a command decision and not relating to us personally.

"Yes, Private."

Patricia came into the room and hugged me. "What's up Captain. Betts said this was official."

"It is. Star Fleet requires both a medical be performed and a communicator be given you."

"We play doctor sometimes. Do you want me to take off my clothes?"

"Not this time Sweety." She didn't look happy with this.

"Lie on the bed with your belly down. This takes only a little while."

"Ok," she said as she bounced on the bed.

This time I used the med unit to put her to sleep. It would be less stressful this way. Betts held her sister as I parted the hair. The med unit went to work and did what was required of it.

The unit then went all over Patricia's body checking and correcting minor problems. Hal asked me all the time whether something should be done or not. I could trust him up to a point. He was still young and had to learn what I would allow and what I would not. The same information was sent to Betts so she would understand.

Liza and Erin went quickly. What had really happened to them was not mentioned. They would grow into the idea slowly I hoped and there would not be much stress. Hal and Nadac would have to monitor them for years to make sure they did not slip up.

When Paul came in, I said, "Hello Brother."

"Hi Wally. You don't call me Brother much."

"No but we are brothers. Star Fleet sent over this nifty gadget. I..."

"Is that a class seven med unit?"

"Sure is. Regulations say you have to be tested and given a communicator."

"Ok," he jumped on the bed the way the girls did. This said the girls had told him what had happened.

When I got close and parted Paul's hair I felt the urge to cuddle and protect him. I had to smile at the way nature had made his mind do that to everybody around him. Betts held his head and he went to sleep.

Paul's body though had many more problems relating to his being fucked so many times in the kiddy porn films. Nature had short changed him to compensate too.

Paul woke up a half hour later and said, "I must have went to sleep. I am sorry Sir."

"Nothing to be sorry for. The unit put you to sleep. We did a complete scan. There were a lot of small problems but all of us need some tinkering. You pass the medical."

"Do I get the communicator now?"

I told him more than I had told the munchkins so that he could tell them personally. "It is already implanted. Over the next few weeks, your mind will adjust to the communicator. You can send your thoughts to us and we can do the same thing. Data can be fed to your mind now. You do not need a computer. A screen will appear in your mind for visual data. The communicator that Kirk used or the small communicator they used on the 'Next Generation' has been superseded with the new unit. You have the ability to turn it off and to only talk to those of us you choose."

"I don't feel anything."

"You are not supposed to. I have a word of warning for you."

"What is it, Sir?"

"When your unit begins to communicate, the girls may be inclined to be so excited that they will tell others a fraction of the truth. This cannot be allowed to happen. Even when Star Fleet is recognised, there are some things that have to be kept secret."

"Like the cloaking device that Star Fleet developed but were not allowed to use."

"The movies are not accurate. We have the cloaking device now."

"Will I still get the corvette?"

I remembered the drawing of him. "I think so but you will have other ships first. Piloting the shuttle should be on the computer now if Star Fleet is working right."

"I'll look Sir."

Paul went to leave but stopped, turned around, and hugged me the way Lasha had been told. I hugged him back and felt good about it.

Betts was hugged too and she enjoyed it as much as I did. She said when Paul left. "Paul is so special."

"Yes he is."

"What about Lasha and Greg?"

"You better put on your uniform and I will too. When it is official then they will not be as nervous."

"Can we do them both now?"

"Let's try it your way then."

When Lasha and Greg came into the room, they immediately went to attention and saluted. I saluted them back the way the Aristis did by striking the right fist over the heart.

"This is a compulsory medical examination. Both of you on the bed, face down."

The two hurried to comply and thought they looked at each other smiling at the game, they went to sleep. They woke up slowly after both went through the medical. They had bowel problems too but they were not bad. Lasha had a disc problem in his spine and the body started to make some minor repairs. To do more would require him to be immobilised for twelve hours. This could be done after they were made aware of what the med unit was good for.

When they stood before me I said, "Repairs were started but you, Cadet Guriis, need to spend the night in Star Fleet sick bay."

"What is wrong Sir."

"A minor disc problem in your back. You will be ordered to sick bay in twenty eight units."

"That will not interfere with my schooling Sir."

"Your birthday comes near that time soldier. You may find your priorities have changed by that time."

They didn't understand but they marched out again. Betts said, "You want me to get June?"

"Ah... June is playing games with the adults."

"What is she doing?"

"Lillian is wearing a plastic device and working it into June's vagina."

"That sounds like fun. What about the rest?"

"Gail is doing the same thing to Leslie. Pop is pooped."

"How come you can see in there?"

Betts did not know abut my seeing through walls so I said, "Rank, hath its privileges."

That night I accessed the thoughts of all six people with the communicator. They had no defence and I was abusing a privilege but I was also trying to do a lot to help humanity. I did not delve into their thoughts the way Nadac could do to me but there was still a lot to see.

What surprised me was that Paul loved the girls but they were too much for him. He wanted to play with guys like others of his age did. The munchkins were jealous of each other when it came to Paul's affections. It was not at a destructive level yet but I was going to have to make some changes.

Greg and Lasha both thought I would make the best mate for them but hid it from the other. Lasha liked girls more than I thought but then again so did Greg. Liking guys was not black or white but somewhere in between.

Saturday morning brought my birthday present. Erica had made it to that important part of me first and stayed there until I gave her what she wanted. It was easy to see that she wanted a baby too but we were too young for that. Erica climbed aboard then and was on her second orgasm by the time Betts woke up. It was not too long later that I started to think like Paul.

Wendy and June made breakfast and came in to serve it. Betts was sitting on my mouth feeding me all she could. When her orgasms passed she took the food and put it into my mouth interspersed with kisses.

People started to come over early and set up a large tent. It looked like it may rain and it was best to be prepared. The girls had been given the money to make all the arrangements but they wanted to use their own. Wendy thought she was still rich because of the money left over from purchasing her share of the house. The insurance company was balking at paying on her mother's policy still. Our lawyers said they would have to pay.

June worked for a living and had a seven hundred dollars saved up. Betts made $500 a week clear like the rest now and the additional $1000 a week for learning to fight and to be a soldier in general. I won out when I pulled rank. The party would cost thousands.

The guys and gals had slept over but after breakfast they took to the air. This time Ashleigh and Jerry stayed behind. To compensate I opened up Matt's home and showed them the working computer as they talked to Matt. It was a little eerie but Matt seemed comfortable. I showed the pair the new med unit in parts and the power transmitter. They were learning more about my abilities at moving molecules of matter so the flux lines would change.

Learning the truth slowly seemed to be the answer. At some point they would need to be told the rest in one lump but that had not occurred yet.

Jerry said, "So our unit gets one of these for ourselves?"

"Yes but that means that all of you have to learn one more piece of equipment."

"When does it end?"

"We all need to be techs and soldiers. Think of all the equipment we need. The list never ends and more stuff is invented all the time. When it comes to operating strange equipment you are able to fudge it. The various functions of a device have to be learned which is easy then you learn all you can about each function. New equipment is not 100% new just different ways of doing something or it has different modules. It's like learning to be a car mechanic. There is a lot to learn but you have only a few ways to do what needs to be done. Learn the basics then you can fix nearly everything."

"That sounds logical. The academy is predicting changes to our planet that make even the movie version of Star Fleet look horky."

"Those are predictions. It is like those science magazines that promise a plane or a car will take over in just a year or two. If you read really old issues you can see just how much bullshit they threw at us."

"My dad has some and I know."

Ashleigh said, "Tell me about this power transmitter."

"It is an extra level of security. I want to ease up on the power consumption here. Our power bills won't be much but with the new shuttle it is going far up. The cops are looking for grow operations and I want to avoid that.

"Sometimes all of Toronto has a blackout. To get power we either buy a generator or use the portion of the power grid that is beyond the city. I own an office building south of here that will get a unit. Higher power bills mean I pay more."

"What about beyond the grid?"

"Both do that too. The office building can get two generators running on natural gas. A small one could take care of small problems and a large unit kicks in if the need arrises."

Jerry asked, "That sounds good but is there enough power to run the building and the shuttles at the same time?"

"It's going to have to be."

The adults came out of the bedroom slowly. They had showers and sometimes a bit more loving before coming to breakfast. Pop looked done in but he also looked happy. Gail slept over most of the time and was not shy about kissing Pop. June was the only one that could not do this when strangers were around.

We all sat together talking. I said, "Pop, I want something special for my birthday."

"It is kinda late but I can try."

"This is for next weekend."

"Ok."

"I want you to take Paul away on Friday night. Find a place to camp and then fish Saturday. Camp that night and come back Sunday night."

"That is not about you."

"That is my request."

"But I have other commitments."