Chapter 12

Joseph watched as the wall of the ship started to melt and slide down into the grass. "Stay back until I know it is safe," he said to the other Council members.

The small group watched in amazement as the liquid metal started to span the distance from the ground to the doorway of the sleek ship. It quickly took the shape of a stairway with handrails; apparently as rigid as the steel they had in their own library stairs.

Joseph cautiously approached the stairway as his heart beat furiously. He was no coward though, so with determination he stepped onto the stairway.

Glancing up the stairs, he saw Buck and the rest of the Alpha squad waiting for him and smiling. Joseph quickened his pace as the rest of the Council members followed close behind. All of them, including Joseph, were well into their 60's and moved with great care on the steps.

"Buck, how did you come by this machine?" the leader asked while grasping Buck's hand as he reached the top step.

Buck smiled and pulled the older man into a hug. "Oh this old thing? We went mining up the mountains looking for treasure, and pulled this old piece of slag out." Benny tried to kick Buck in the butt but only managed to reach the back of his thigh. His Captain still got the point. "Sorry Number One bad joke," he said, grinning down at the little man.

"Next time I'll make sure I have a stool ready pard," Benny grinned back.

The other crewmembers laughed and starting greeting the other four Council members and exchanging hugs. The little metal man then greeted each of them in turn, bowing dramatically to the two female members of the Council. Benny's gallantry both shocked them and brought a bright red color to their faces, as he kissed both of their aged hands.

"Ahh had no idea that Buck would bringing such fine young ladies on board. Surely you two Southern belles are too young to be Council members? When will your mothers be accepting our hospitality for the meetin?" the little man asked with a southern accent.

Buck fought not to laugh as he stood next to Benny placing his hand on his Number One's shoulder. "Thank you Sir Benny. Would you please lead these lovely young belles to the conference room?" Buck asked.

"Of course Mister Buck. Would you ladies please follow me? I'll see if I might be able to wrangle up some sassafras tea for you to sip on while we wait for the gentlemen to follow," Benny said, leading the two Councilwomen down the hallway.

Buck managed to hold off till the women and Benny had got out of hearing range then he cracked up, slapping Joseph on the back, "Hell, I bet Benny doesn't even know what sassafras tea is! That's my number one though."

Buck's laughter had Joseph smiling as he leaned over to Buck whispering, "If I didn't know better, I'd say that little man was Tex's brother."

Buck laughed softly, "Unfortunately that's almost the case, and poor Benny is not the only one that's got a little bit of ole Tex's personality inside either."

"Oh really. When will I meet the other one?" Joseph asked smiling.

Well that's going to take a lot more time to explain also. Let's just get you through one shock at a time, alright?" Buck asked.

"You are the squad leader here, so you are in charge young man," Joseph said as they entered the conference room.

Once everyone had found a seat, Buck started explaining the last three months to the Council members. Of course the members were shocked to learn of the Pride group, and the destruction they had left in their wake.

Were they truly more lion and tiger than man Buck?" asked one member named Fred.

"They were a mixture of both. Most had all the human traits we do including love, hate, passion, gentleness and greed. Two of them risked their very lives to help us end the havoc that was caused by the rest of the Pride," Buck answered.

"After a terrible loss of a loved one, they still fought by our side against the remaining Pride members. One had to watch as his mother was actually ripped apart in front of him, I might add," Bill interjected.

Looking at the members carefully as Bill's words sunk in, Buck stood up, "I would like you to meet the last surviving members now. They are as close to me in my heart as the rest of my team. Treat them as such and there will be no problems today," he added, with a stern look to the Council member.

"Of course we will Buck. We are all one family in the heart of Mother Earth after all," Joseph said, his voice breaking with grief. His own heart went out to the one who suffered the loss of his mother.

"Sasha, will you please bring Razor and Shera to the conference room now?" Buck said.

"At once my Captain. We are outside the door now," came the reply through speakers in the room.

The door slid open silently, and Joseph watched as another little metal person came through the door followed by two tall humanoid type creatures. They wore the same silver and green uniforms that the rest of the team now wore, with the exception of sleeves to cover their hairy arms.

Joseph noted the soft tan fur that covered their distinctly lion faces and arms. Their unique set of massive paws were bare as they walked in, the pads on the bottom of their paws making them silent as nature had intended. They are truly magnificent creatures. I sense their souls are good. The pain of loss in the male is balanced out by his love for the female beside him, thought the empath as he stood up to greet the two fantastic new life forms.

"Members of the Council, may I introduce Razor, and his mate Shera," Buck said as the two stepped towards the end of the table where Joseph sat.

Razor extended his hairy hand, gently squeezing the older Council member's hand. "I am pleased to finally meet you Joseph. Buck and the others have told us so much about you," Razor said, flashing a row of 3-inch white fangs as he smiled.

Joseph had to look up, since the lionman was a little over seven feet tall. "The pleasure is mine Razor, and may I say how beautiful your mate Shera is," Joseph said as he released Razor's hand. He took the lioness's hand and kissed the top of it, feeling the soft fur on his lips.

Shera giggled in delight at the older human's display of gallantry.

"Careful oh wise one. Such talk might change my mind on whom I want for a mate," Shera said, smiling softly.

Joseph's face turned bright red as he blushed at her seductive reply. Razor was smiling wider now with a twinkle in his eyes, "Are you sure you could handle her my friend? I have the gashes on my back as proof of how passionate her love can be."

Tex cracked up at this saying, "Proof hell, the entire ship can hear y'all when you're playing. Joseph, they sound like two cats fighting over the same piece of meat."

Both of the lionpeople looked like a deer caught in the headlights at the outburst of their friend. They both growled at Tex as Razor said softly, "Remember your rule about payback my friend?" Smiling, they took a seat beside a now stricken Tex, who knew his day would come in spades. The rest of the table burst into laughter at the poor man's face.

Not to be left out of such gallantry, Sasha timidly walked over to the elder of the humans, and presented her little metal hand for a kiss. "I am not as beautiful as Shera, but may I have the same honor please?" she asked quietly.

Joseph's heart showed why he was the leader of the Sanctuary as he got down on his arthritic knees, and looked directly into the little metal woman's beautiful blue eyes. "There is no doubt that you are beautiful my dear, but your loving heart and intelligence outshines your beauty like the sun outshines the moon," he said quietly as he kissed her little metal hand.

For once Sasha could not reply. Her processors simply could not fathom what the older human had said. She had diagnosed the creaking she heard when he kneeled down and knew he did so with great pain. Her scan showed this affliction ran rampant throughout every joint in his body. He must be hiding this terrible pain from the ones he loves. Everyday must be sheer agony for this wonderful man, she thought.

She quickly sent the scan to Bear and Jet's mind since they were the closest to Joseph at the table. They quietly stood up and took a spot on either side of their leader.

A single tear ran down her face as she stepped closer to the kneeling man and gently kissed him on the cheek. "You are truly the best example of why we are all here my new and dear friend," she said quietly, then stepped back as Bear and Jet carefully helped the older man to his feet. They also had soft tears in their eyes as they realized what their leader had been hiding all these years.

The room had become deathly silent in that time and everyone could hear the joints creak in Joseph's knees as he stood with great difficulty. The look on his face showed the hidden pain but quickly changed to a smile as he stood.

Joseph straightened his aging body, and then gave a slight bow to the men that assisted him, "Thank you for your help my young warriors. I must remember not to kneel too often again."

Of course Bear being Bear grabbed the older man and gave him a hug, squeezing the air out of Joseph. Jet quickly stepped in and save the old man from the clutches of his overwhelmed friend.

Sasha smiled and said, "When we are done with this meeting today, I want you to come see me my friend. I have a surprise for you."

Joseph nodded gasping for air. I have got to remember not to be too near Bear if drama is in the air, the Elder thought. Jet helped Joseph back to his seat, while shooting a glare at the big black teddy Bear.

Sasha moved over to a snickering Tex and grabbed his ear, pulling him back down into his seat. Only the little lady could get away with that kind of physical abuse to the most deadly gunman in the world.

"Dang girl, leave a little meat on there. My girl Sue might want a nibble too," Tex said. Sitting down again, he rubbed the new source of pain inflicted by his best friend's wife.

The gesture had its affect though and everyone laughed loud and hard till tears ran down a lot of faces. "Well now that that is settled, we still have a lot to discuss," Buck said, wiping his own eyes.

Buck continued telling the rest of the squad's adventure, telling them of the town's battle and the victory over the vicious Pride leader. They all now understood the part that their new friend Razor had played and the loss of his own mother.

Buck told them how afterwards they had decided to continue the search and had camped out in the woods. He told them about how he had gone on a perimeter sweep, and was attacked by the mutant rattlesnake. Everyone in the room was holding their breath as he told of the battle he had fought and won, but at the cost of the deadly bite in his arm.

Buck had never told the entire story to his own team, just enough to let them know that all was fine now. Even they were fascinated at the story, as Buck talked of how he passed out as the venom started to shut down the his body.

I have never heard of a snake that size before, how did you survive such a poisonous bite Buck?" asked Agatha, one of the Council members.

"I wouldn't have survived the bite, in fact I was at death's door for almost a week. If it had not been for the help of our other new friends, I would be in the ground by now. In fact I think it's time you met my new father," Buck replied.

"Is he here too?" Councilwoman Bernice asked, looking around with trepidation. The story had both inspired the Council and scared them to death at all that waited outside their little valley.

Buck knew his people. Until recently, they had thought that human beings were the only lifeforms with a soul on Earth. Already today they had met lionpeople and living AI's, so he was ready for the fearful glances he saw.

"He is the captain of the larger ship we came from," he informed the Council.

Councilman Jason cut in to ask, "What did this little lady mean when she called you 'Captain' earlier? Are you giving up your squad Buck?"

Bear stood up before Buck could answer, looking at the good hearted but very naive Council members. "The entire squad is behind this decision, not just Buck. Our world as you know it will change drastically in the next few years Jason. We need to be ready for what is to come or all is lost."

"Bear is correct my friends. Bill here knew more of the real world than we did. But compared to the knowledge of our world's true danger, even Bill was in the dark," Jet added quietly.

Joseph was thoughtful as he listened to the statements by his squad. He realized the Alpha squad members were not the same men that had left looking for a cure three months ago.

"I see that we have much to learn and discuss my friends. I think perhaps we should do so in a more open environment, so that all the people of the Sanctuary can hear this news at the same time," Joseph suggested.

Buck nodded in agreement. "Once you have met my other new friends, we will do that Joseph." Buck said respectfully.

"Why do we need to meet them before the rest of our people Buck?" Jason asked.

Buck smiled. "Well mainly because the Air Walkers are not truly of this world, although you know them by other names like Sasquach, and Bigfoot. I believe the shock of meeting a live Bigfoot might be too much for a lot of our people without some preparation about who they really are," Buck answered.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It would be better to be able to prepare the way for a legend coming to the sanctuary than to just let them show up and frighten the humans there. "It's one thing to have heard the stories all your life and quite another to have an 8-foot hairy humanoid sit down and eat in the cafeteria with you," Buck said.

"Shall we go to the Dragnot then?" Benny asked, smiling as he stood up.

Buck grinned at the sanctuary leader saying, "Joseph my friend, It's time you met my Pop."

Turning to the others he ordered, "Crew of the FFP Jonathon Stone, man your stations. It's time to get this ball rolling."

"You named the ship after our founder?" asked a surprised Joseph.

Buck smiled at the elder man, "Can you think of a better name for the first real spaceship in earth's history than his?"

The entire Council beamed at the honor bestowed to the man they owed their very existence to. "No I certainly cannot, Captain Buck of the FFP Jonathon Stone, and very well done if I might say so," Joseph replied, smiling.

The crewmembers made their way to the bridge and their different stations while Sasha lead the Council members to an open space just inside the bridge doorway. "Wait here please," she said as she went over to sit by the captain.

Buck watched as Benny and Sasha sat down on either side of him. The Council members looked around nervously, trying to find an extra seat. "Sasha would you please do the honors?" Buck said smiling.

"Of course my captain," Sasha said and ordered six chairs to form from the floor behind the people standing.

The members of course jumped when they realized the very floor was moving and changing behind them. But they soon settled down as they realized it was the same procedure they had witnessed on the stairs outside. They quickly took their seats and used the safety belts that locked around their waist.

"Bill, steady as she goes, make sure they know we are using the Captain's dock this time," Buck ordered.

"Yes sir Captain, I'll see if Captain Father is available to meet us there in person," Bill replied.

Joseph's hands gripped the armrest as the ship gave a slight shudder and lifted off the grass. To think that I would be in a spaceship one day is truly fantastic! he thought as the other member's faces started to loose color.

"Steady people, remember who is driving this ship and be proud for their accomplishments. It will be the first of many I believe," he reminded the frightened members beside him.

Daniel's voice came over the com. unit as he was quickly trying to get the looky loos away from the ship. "You dang people get back! Can't you see they're taking off? Bobby, I'll whip your butt if you take one more step towards that ship boy."

"We are clear Buck. Setting a heading for the Dragnot now," Bill said. "Dragnot this is the Jonathon Stone. We are requesting clearance for the Captain's Dock over?"

"This is the Dragnot sweetie. You are cleared to land Bill," came the voice over the speakers.

Bill's face turned red as the rest of the crew laughed.

"Sweetie?" Joseph inquired looking over at Buck.

Buck smiled replying, "It seems the control supervisor has a thing for old Bill there. I don't know how it would work out though. I think she's a little too old for him."

Sasha said, smiling, "Well only by eight or nine hundred thousand years Buck. Besides, I think they'd make a cute couple."

"Size might be a problem though. She's got at least two feet and 300 lbs on him," quipped Tex from up front as he turned his chair to face the poor beleaguered man in question.

"Oh I see, well love has a strange way of overlooking such trivial matters I believe," Joseph said, smiling at the red face Bill.

Poor Bill stuttered saying; "Now look here pe people, I just made a comment on how she sounded nice that's all. Be ... Besides I have my eyes on a certain lady in the cafeteria right now, if she'll give me the time of day that is."

The Jonathon Stone moved towards the opening in the side of the massive ship. A soft jolt moved through the ship as the Dragnot's landing beams locked on to them and took control. Bill called out on the com, "Big Mama you have control. Bring us in, and thanks again Celesta."

"No problem Little Bill, I'll see you when you land," Celesta replied as the Jonathon Stone settled down on the landing bay floor.

Buck led everyone to the hallway as Benny pressed the door panel. Watching the wall liquefy into stairs, Buck turned to Joseph, asking, "You ready to meet the new neighbors?"

Joseph stilled himself hoping he wouldn't just gawk at the Air Walker that was Buck's father now. "I'm as prepared as I can make myself Buck," he said, sighing as they stepped onto the stairway and walked down onto the deck.

Joseph's eyes were saucers as the two massive Air Walkers approached them. Of course, being 5'6" tall didn't help matters when he was looking up at an 8' gray hairy leader either.

Father smiled as he extended his massive hand, "Welcome to the Dragnot. It is my honor to meet you Joseph."

Joseph's hand disappeared inside the huge hand as he tried not to stutter, "Thank you Captain Father. It is indeed my deepest honor to meet you."

Father nodded, turning to the other Air Walker and introduced him. "This is my Number One, Fadish," he said as he let go of Joseph's hand.

Fadish bowed at the hips, offering his hand to the leader of the Sanctuary. "It is an honor to meet the leader of Buck's people. If the rest of your people are like Buck and his friends, we will make a truly great clan."

Joseph smiled as he shook the Air Walker's hand. "I would hope that our people would work well together. It might take a little time as we have never encountered such a fantastic race as yours."

The other Council members had moved off the stairway, and were shaking hands with both Father and Fadish.

Bear thought to Captain Father as his stomach rumbled loud enough to be heard by all, Captain, I don't mean to be too forward but when is lunch served here?

Ha ha ha ha. Well my friend, I'd say now is as good a time as any wouldn't you? The big Captain thought to Bear, as he laughed out loud.