Chapter 28

Miss Lime was in better shape but I unexpectedly found an embryo. I compared the size to a chart and figured it was one of the men that raped her. I got the med unit to dislodge the cells from her uterus. She did not need this knowledge.

Gail was in as bad a shape as Mom. June was young but I found the onset of juvenile diabetes which took a while to repair.

Hal would interface with each of them but not let them know that they were tapped.

I slept in late Sunday morning and even found the bed empty when I got up.

"Betts, Erica?"

"We are giving flying lessons."

"Just checking. It's not often I wake up alone."

Some kids came home and others disappeared. All of them were now wearing the Aristis uniform. They were all saluting. The next morning, Mom looked at me with her head cocked to one side.

I said, "They are taking shuttle piloting lessons which relate to mathematics, coordination, construction methods and safety. Sort of a like a total emersion."

"I saw Patricia's report card last semester and I know what you are saying is true but you always use that mumbo jumbo with the shuttle?"

"All humans like the mumbo jumbo. All their religion, politics and customs are all wrapped up in rituals usually meant to confuse. They play the game and learn more. They are not hurt and they learn structure."

"I guess you're right but I don't like the saluting. It reminds me of the military and what happened."

"Mom the salute is not what any military has used for two thousand years. The military is not glamorised but it really does offer structure that many people need in their lives. Forcing a round peg in a square hole is no good but life is a good deal more complicated than two geometric shapes. We can fit in many other ways well enough to overlook where we do not mesh well."

The saluting continued but I tried not to meet anybody near Mom.

Miss Lime was one happy lady one minute then down in the dumps the next. She had morning-after regrets. Pop had to show her the error of her ways. I was not going to mention that he was having unprotected sex with a woman who was not on the pill yet. I tried to get an idea of why she would be that way.

Mom went in later and used the strap-on. Miss Lime was too fucked to think right. I caught glimpses in her mind of her having a baby. This seemed to be her goal. Finding a mate to help support both mother and child didn't seem to bother her.

Leslie went in later to give Pop a break and found herself being pounded by him.

The Doc came a half hour later and I let him in. "That uniform looks nice Wally. Star Fleet?"

"Ours is, though we figured the movies are wrong. This is the dress uniform. We are getting a casual and mess uniform made up now they are more conservative but still distinctive."

"I'd like to see them. I brought over three canvases, a spare easel and some of my painting supplies. I was hoping to see you paint something so I can get an idea of what you are trying to do."

"I can paint, I guess, but I need to put a few extra coats of primer on the canvas and then put vertical micro groves in it. It may be easier to do after the picture is painted."

"What will this accomplish?"

"I am not sure if I can do it or not so I would rather wait and see myself."

"That's ok with me. Do you want me to show you what I know?"

"I would be honoured."

"Then let's find a place with some natural light."

We set up in the living room with newspapers on the floor. The Doc drew a picture of me then put it on the easel. Just then there was a scream of joy from the bedroom. The Doc looked at me quickly.

"Don't worry Doc. None of them have died from that yet."

"Was that who I think it was?"

"As headshrinker three, I cannot say."

"But she's..."

"Doc, have you learned to trust me by now?"

"... I guess I have."

"Then there is no danger to anybody and the population of the earth will not increase minutely."

"Can you read minds?"

"No, but I am working on that too. Maybe I will share that info when I get it. You could shrink heads on an assembly line."

"It would help but I am still concerned."

"Then you do not trust me."

"It's difficult Wally."

"Just look at the facts Doc. Add them all up and see if I have been on the level with you. If it appears that I am right the majority of the time then place a little trust in me."

"But how did you know?"

"I have headshrinker three and also a lot of personal observations. Let it go now."

"I'll try."

"Thanks, then perhaps you can get on with the lesson. The great Swami predicts that the next eruption will occur in one minute followed by at least one more."

Doc looked at his watch then began to uncap paint and put in on his pallet. I was ten seconds early and in thirty more another voice was heard. Three minutes later there was another followed by a deeper bellow of release.

Betts and Erica were sitting in the chairs watching us and smiled at each noise coming from the bedroom.

The Doc showed me what to do then I painted something similar on the other mid sized canvas. I was a lot quicker than he was and the paint seemed to go just where I wanted it to go. The brush strokes were altered to see their effect and even rotated through the strokes.

"That's good Wally, you learn very quickly."

"Thanks Doc. I could go faster with a thicker paint and one that dried much faster. I have to wait for the paint underneath to dry before I can put detail on. One colour tends to bleed into another."

"There are tricks and that is what I was offering you before."

"I am doing one painting and perhaps use these two canvases if you will sell them to me."

"They are my gift to you."

"Thanks Doc but the large canvas has to be purchased."

"Ok, it cost a hundred dollars. Do you have that much?"

I hurried to my room and brought back a hundred dollar bill. When I handed it to him, I said, "Thanks for bringing them over."

We cleaned up quickly and started to make lunch. "Doc will you stay for just a bit. We have leftover chicken, leftover salad and leftover potato salad and a lot of other leftovers."

"Thanks, I don't mind leftovers."

"Are the girls coming tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I talked to Chuck and Wendy. They will go to the other class to make room."

"You think of everything."

"I try and still fail."

Pop came out first and he seemed to be full of energy today. He shook hands with the Doc heartily and said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. I wondered how come I smelt paint."

"Hello Mr Huggins. I promised to bring a canvas for Wally."

All three women were talking and didn't see the Doc until they were in front of him. Miss Lime turned pale and fled. Mom was after her in a flash. What was surprising was that Mom grabbed Miss Lime and threw her over the arm of a chair. She pulled the woman's dress up and her panties down. Three quick smacks were heard and the struggles ceased. Mom gave some very strict orders and both women came back into the kitchen.

Mom said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. How are you today?"

"Just find Mrs Huggins."

Mom looked at Miss Lime and the woman said, "Hello Doctor Suffolk. It is nice to see you today?"

"It is nice to see you too. You looked a little pale. How do you feel?"

"I was a little worried before, but not now."

"That's good to hear. We all need friends."

"I have found some good ones, the kind I need."

"Really! That's good too. Wally was going to feed us some leftovers. They were good yesterday so they should be good today."

"Some things improve with time Doctor."

We ate casually. Pilots and trainees came and went regularly and I doubt if there was ever an empty seat in the shuttle. They came in and fuelled up and went to study. Nadac was giving the finer points of shuttle handling both inside and outside the atmosphere though we kept our own altitude below radar. Our shuttle had none of the bells and whistles so his course had to be much more basic.

The Doc commented, "How come all the saluting all of a sudden?"

"Part of the structure we are building. There are a lot of books dealing with naval regulations and we are using the better points of all of them."

"Naval? I always thought your rank of captain was for ground forces."

"It always was naval but actually Star Fleet."

"A one ship fleet?"

"The idea of building a ship is to learn. There are not many people that could have made The Beagle. With that behind us, we are building a larger one. This one may have a screen to show images. A standard shuttle is like two school buses joined side to side. We are going with a smaller version for now."

"You have the money to do all this?"

"The Beagle cost two hundred and ninety dollars to build. Not bad when compared to NASA. We could have cut the cost to a quarter with used metal. I also have investments that bring in revenue. The end product I am getting is a person that is confident and can use their hands."

"I thought your product was your shuttle?"

"You are mistaken. People are moulded as you must know. I want well balanced psyches and strong bodies. Military structure helps if it is adjusted to the age of the trainee."

"Professionally speaking you are doing a great job. They are inspired and happy. Too bad that Star Fleet is so far in the future."

"It's as close as we want it to be."

"What do you think of the Augusto girls?"

"Tell the law that I think they're pretty and I like them. For your own information, they were hurt by their loss of a father and their mother's inattention. Reading between the lines of the newspaper, it looks like they were headed for rape and possible murder. The girls could have been linked to a house used for three kidnappings. They still need help and we can give some support. As I said before, the community has to help as well."

"What if the community helped you financially?"

"I would rather donate my time, Doc."

"You can't build shuttles that way."

"Yes I can. I am building people and they will make them, even out of papier-mâché if necessary."

When the Doc left, the adults settled down, well all except Miss Lime. Mom got everybody into the master bedroom and asked me to come too. Mom stood beside the bed and said, "Connie, come here please."

Miss Lime came close. She was extremely nervous now as she stood before Mom. Mom held her like a lover and kissed her passionately. I could see Miss Lime's body relax in her lover's embrace. When they separated, Mom moved their bodies so they were both facing me.

Mom said, "We all love Connie, Wally. She still has her problems and misconceptions. Her rape just triggered what was in her mind all along. We had a long talk, when we were not having fun. Connie wants you very much. In her mind she is positive that it was you that killed all those evil people. She feels that her instincts are pulling her to find a mate that is strong, and able to fight for her and her children."

I said, "Did you know that Connie does not take contraceptives?"

"No!"

Miss Lime turned red and looked down at the floor.

I said, "Is she starting to transfer her focus to Bert?"

"Partially. It will take time but I do not know how far we can go. She has really fixated on you. It is as if she was searching for you since she was born."

"Connie," I said as I moved closer. She didn't raise her head and I put my finger under her chin to get her to look up at me. "What is it that you really want from me? Do not lie and tell me everything."

"... I... am attracted to violent people. Many times I am hurt because they beat women. I am looking for a man that will hold me but not hurt me unless I'm bad. I want to have children but my common sense was able to make me take my pills. I... I worked hard to get the job I now have. It was to be near those that were hurt but then I found out that you killed to protect your family. I wanted you to hold me even if it is only once in a while."

"Why did you go off of your contraceptives now?"

"... I thought... that if I carried your child you would want me more. I tried very hard to resist you. Erica and the other girls protect you the way I want you to protect me. I could not get close. Sometimes I broke down and had to go after you but then I felt bad for doing that until the next time."

This was weird but all people are weird one way or another. "Would you be bad on purpose to be punished?"

"... if you want?"

"Would you do this for your own reasons?"

"I think so, but I wouldn't if you did not want me to."

"Tell me how you feel about making love to another woman?"

"I want men a lot more. When the woman is strong... like your mother, I do what I am told and I like it a lot more. I would stop doing that if you want or do more if that is what you want."

"Next year I am changing schools. What were your plans?"

"I would do anything you want."

"What were your own plans?"

"I do not have a licence to teach high school. I got the job I did because I am a good psychologist. I'm trying to get into the system as a counsellor. The graduating classes could all be put together and I could watch them. I would still be close to you though not as close as now."

"We'll talk later. I have to do a lot of thinking."

"I'm rich Wally."

I had to smile. "Thanks for telling me but money is not important, not even close."

"Will you consider me?"

"That is what I have to think about and I have to involve Betts and Erica."

"I can make you happy without them."

"Perhaps you could but I happen to love them. I want you now to have fun. Gail and June will help you do this. If there is nothing pressing at your home, I want you to stay here tonight. All of you better get some sleep too. There is work tomorrow."

"I will do whatever you want, Wally."

Pop followed me out of the room and we closed the door behind us. "What are we going to do with her? Mom likes her, I think because she is like June in a way."

"I don't know Pop. My tastes run toward people that are self assured now. I am wearing my soldier personae and will have to keep this for the rest of my life. I love Betts and Erica. I am either going to die or be somebody important. If I manage to avoid early death then my time will be limited. I want children but I am not going to bring them to life without me being there to guide them."

Pop said, "My life has changed too. All of a sudden I am a father again. I want the best for June and that is to let her have a family of her own. Gail I hope is just being friendly. I cannot keep up to her sometimes. Mom has changed dramatically. She is now much more outgoing. It is as if she is staking her claim as number one wife. I love Leslie even though she is young for us. I don't know what I am going to do when I get older."

"Pop, I have this feeling that you will keep up just fine."

"Your feelings are pretty good, Wally, but I still don't know what to do with Connie."

"I'll talk to the girls but a vague feeling is that Connie will fit in with Doc and Irene. The time is not right for that yet though. I don't know why though."

"They're good people."

"I think so too. Now you better get in there. Gail and Mom are probably acting like samurai at the moment."

"Oh, you know about that?"

"Pop, I am the great Swami, remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

Betts and Erica were waiting in the living room with Chuck and Wendy. Chuck said, "I didn't think Miss Lime was quite like that. She must have worked hard to keep herself together."

"She is still working now but not as hard. You heard me say that the Doc and Irene will get her later but a lot of things have to happen for this to work and I am not sure of all of them. Betts, Erica do you mind sharing me with Connie? It will be temporary but it also may last for a few years."

Betts said, "Can you take care of three of us? Miss Lime, or probably Connie in this situation, is hungry."

"You two are the same way whether you realise it or not."

"Can you keep up?"

"I can. Connie is going to have to move in with us."

"Why, we have our academy training to continue?"

"I know that. I also know that she has to live here. She will not let our secret out. I also implanted a communicator in her. I am not sure yet how much she will be allowed to learn"

Wendy said, "Only the adults don't know. We have the new shuttle coming. The sheer size of it will mean they will catch on at some point. I have been doing a lot of thinking recently. Some facts keep cropping up that I cannot work out a solution for."

"Tell me them."

"I am a lot smarter now than I was before or I would not be able to come up with the other ideas. The people that gave you the crystals would not let you use them the way we have unless they were extremely sure that they could control any situation. That means that they have had a long time to become familiar with this crystal technology. That amount of time would cause some of the technology to percolate to the rest of humanity. I found no evidence of this. You are far more intelligent than we are or what you were before. This means you somehow got smarter the way we did. Your fighting is good for your age but you can do some amazing things that we cannot do. I cannot open a safe they way you do and you know where your enemies are even if they are hiding. The drones feed you information but you do it far better than we can."

I said, "Betts, do you have anything to add?"

"I sure do. You make love to me and I feel too full. You last a lot longer than you did before. Everything Wendy said, I thought too. I thought that you were just getting advanced training but even that is starting to become unbelievable."

"Erica, anything that you see as odd?"

"You became stronger after both visits north. Your reflexes got better too. When I see you shooting, it is as if you know where the dart or bullet is going to go, something like an invisible laser light that only you can see."

"Chuck?"

"Star Fleet is just too good even for the academy. The two computers are and example of this. You going to explain?"

"I have been waiting for this time. I think it best to wait for the others to come back so I can talk to all of you."

Chuck said, "What about the trainees?"

"They will know eventually and now is a good time. Let's go meet them in the garage."

It felt comforting that Betts and Erica held me. If they had a lot of worries then they would either run or keep their distance. Elaine, Shirley and Sam were in the house being a happy triplet.

The shuttle came in and the trainees or cadets got out along with Jerry and Ashleigh. They had all heard our conversation and said nothing now mentally or verbally. They did line up with the rest as if on parade.

"I am going to give you the story without going into all the details. First off, I was born with some gifts. I sometimes know what is going to happen. The gift is erratic though. All of us have certain abilities that we may never see unless they are developed. We are all telepathic to some extent but it will never be developed if we use the communicators the way we are now.

"All of us have the latent ability to move small amounts of matter with our minds. I have the rare ability to perceive the lines of flux that are emitted by certain molecular structures. I can see in more than the three common dimensions to do this. These last two abilities work together to allow me to move small portions of these molecules to form multi dimensional forms. The crystals so formed go into all sorts of devices.

"My ability to see in more dimensions allows me to focus through objects to see them behind a barrier. At one time it was like a slice was made with a knife and I had to keep slicing until I saw all the pieces then put them together to see a person or a tumour.

"Those abilities are in many of us but as I said, they are dormant. Now for some history. You have heard of the Tomma. They exist." This didn't seem to shock them at all.

"The Tomma came to earth a long time ago and formed a colony. This colony was a way of doing an experiment on themselves. Something happened. The colony failed but the altered Tomma did not all die out. We are those altered Tomma."

I got some grins but they said nothing.

"Another Tomma colony altered themselves far more and failed, but a different way. This colony survived and grew far more than we did. They also collapsed a few more times. The last time allowed them to develop the crystal technology far beyond what the Tomma were able to do. These people are called the Aristis. Going back a bit, the original Tomma civilisation fell too and until recently was far more barbaric than what the human civilisation is at this point.

"Over three centuries ago the Aristis were involved in a war with the Wikki. In my opinion the war started because the warlike Aristis wanted to test their skills and show that they were brave. The Aristis were and I guess still are composed of a lot of kingdoms with no head king.

"On the world of Casslis, King Rontem was overthrown by an Aristis faction with the help of the Wikki. He did manage to escape in the Fonduush which you have seen the images of. The ship needed guidance and the king placed most of his personality and memories into a class 72 computer. His body and a good portion of all those onboard died in the fight.

"A hundred and thirty seven standard years later one of the two intelligent probes found the world of Cralto which happens to be one of the worlds the Tomma inhabit.

"For nearly two centuries, King Rontem that now lived in the computer as a natural entity, organised the planet. The fighting by the barbaric Tomma came to a halt. They were organised to begin mining and manufacturing. The Fonduush had been partially repaired by some scavengers but not much. The Tomma were taught much the same as you are now learning. They are missing one important feature in their minds that allows them to work with crystals the way I do.

"You have learned from the story mentioned on the computer's that the Tomma are telepathic but not latently. They actually communicate that way. The males cannot leave the planet for long or they die. The women though can crew the Fonduush.

"Now for new knowledge. One of the two probes sent out, found earth. The probe at first just assessed us. The main computer houses another man by the name of Nadac. He has been the one in charge of the academy. When it turned out that the Tomma could not manufacture crystals or repair the still damaged computer on Fonduush, King Rontem ordered that a search for people like me be undertaken.

"When they found me, they put small crystals in my body to assess my abilities and as a marker which all of you now have too. My brain was changed to make me more intelligent. I failed most of the criteria to be an Aristis. A small crystal computer was implanted and I never knew it. This computer interfaced with my more intelligent mind and now I am even smarter than before. I learned that I had to fight to survive and I did just that.

"I did some odd things and I think it was because I was becoming more Aristis like. I fully intend to be a tech so that I can repair the Fonduush and revitalise the cultures of the Aristis, the Tomma and ourselves. To do this we need administrators. I want to join the aristocratic caste. To make sure all of this happens I need to be in the warrior caste.

"Now to the younger members of our group along with Greg and Lasha. There has been a lot of fighting recently. This was me. My big mouth forced King Rontem to command me to not only fight but to rescue those that needed it. Before that there was the farm that originally had Caputo held Greg. Chuck, Jerry, Sam, Betts and I were the ones that made the raid."

Greg burst out, "But commandos did that."

"It was us along with some extra help from Nadac. In fact, there are drones in this room controlled by both Nadac and King Rontem. They want us safe and to do that they watch over us, the same way we use the drones I make."

The trainees didn't know about this so I said, "There are a lot of drones around. The ceramic boxes in my bedroom are living beings though the Aristis may tell me different. We can use our minds to control small spies that fly in the air and see or sometimes hear what is near.

"My main job is to learn how to repair the computer on the Fonduush and to make other crystals as they are needed. The tech caste is high but I want more. The Aristis happen to love conflict. This keeps them strong. The leaders and the soldiers have to know how to fight. We are that part. Star Fleet was something in the movies or on televison but now it is real. One day we may even be the same way the organisation is portrayed in the movies.

"Now for some personal data. The Aristis males altered their DNA to become what they now are. One of the things they changed was their pricks. They wanted to please the ladies more.

"Nadac changed mine to do this. I can last longer too.

"To take Caputo down, we made him sell off all his property. Nadac is one very smart guy. He is devious too and that is a nice thing to say to an Aristis male. We bought up all we wanted from Caputo at real cheap prices. When he escaped he was going to go to a different country and live off his money. The money was all put into electronic funds and Nadac managed to grab that money too. This means that the companies I own are quite wealthy."

Everybody looked stunned. They had known that something was odd but I guess not this weird. "Now for a stupid question. What clarifications do you want?"

The questions came so quickly I got them to go in order but only ask one question at a time. It was good that I did not have to talk because there were a lot of explanations.

An hour later I called a halt to this and ordered that the trainees be shown how to use the drones. This gave me a rest. Not long after we had supper. During the meal, the adults noticed that we were exceptionally quiet. That was the furthest from the truth because we were communicating mentally. One major question was answered but not voiced just yet. Connie could move in with us and both Betts and Erica would support her.

After the meal, the adults along with Betts and Erica had a meeting. Miss Lime, or I guess I had to call her Connie now, was on pins and needles. To get it over with I said, "I have made my decision Connie. You thought me the best choice because of my ability to kill and perhaps my intelligence. Love has not developed but I know that it will. I will take you but only in the understanding that I will look for another mate for you. I estimate that you will be with us a few years. If I find nobody that is suitable then you will stay with me."

She ran to me now and hugged me to her. I guess she had the right because I just gave her permission. She said, "Thank you Wally, I know you will not regret it. I will make you happy."

"Connie you will be one of my mates. You will have a room in this house but you will sleep with us. Women that are not dominant do not inspire you but my other mates will show you who is boss. I think that you will enjoy your new life here."

"What about my home?"

"It's a condo, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Sell it. Keep the money. I will be supporting you."

"But I am rich."

"Are you questioning me already?"

"No, Sir."

"We will come by your home after we finish karate. We will help you move your personal belongings. This will continue all week. Next week you will accompany us to karate and participate unless your duties at school require you to stay." Connie's eyes blazed while Mom and Pop were a bit stunned.

"I want you to go to your new home now."

"Yes, Sir."

Connie left and I said, "You two better go too. I'll be along in a moment."

When they left, I said, "Connie needs somebody to take charge. I do not love her but I do care for her. I had to put on that act so she would fit in better."

Mom said, "What's going to happen to her?"

"She will move in with us. She will be given responsibilities to carry out. We will make her happy but I think she belongs with Doc and Irene. I don't know why yet but that is where she will end up. She will be happy there too."

"How do you know that?"

"It is a gift. Sometimes I can use it and some times I cannot. This time I am not sure of what will happen."

Mom said, "She is bound to find out more about your past, the same thing you were trying to avoid with those two girls."