Chapter 15: Family Time

Buck stood behind his father smiling. You seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit there, Pop, he thought to the gray giant.

Another wooommmp issued from the massive Air Rattler in the hairy giant's hand and shattered a ten-ton bolder 500 yards down the range. It is indeed quite a lot of fun testing these new weapons the other boys made my son, Father thought back, grinning.

The 300 newly enhanced Air Walkers standing at the end of the canyon probably agreed with their Captain but were having too much fun to chat right now. Never in their history had such excellent weapons been available, and they wanted to make sure that all Air Walkers were experts with them when the time came to defend Earth.

Captain Tomias and 300 of his men worked with the Air Walkers showing them the different variations on both the Air Rattlers and Air Devastators. The big giants had no problem with the LERG's, it was the grenade launcher that was causing them the most concern. Figuring out the trajectory needed to drop the grenades was making it difficult for them to hit the target.

Benny and Bill were huddled together, trying to redesign an easier way to get the Party Pooper to work on the Air Devastator. They had set up a temporary workbench and had one of the Air Devastators disassembled before them.

It will work if you add the small flip up vid screen behind the scope. The new data chip in the replicator will combine both the laser scope and the vid screen together. Then the data chip in the scope will process the trajectory automatically, Tex's thoughts came to the two men looking down at the huge rifle. Two small drones came scurrying up to them from the ship, each had a box of different size vid screens to test on the huge Devastator weapon.

It took them ten minutes to finally decide on a screen after managing to pull Commander Fadish away from the firing range. It was indeed a battle, as he was just as enthused as the rest of the Air Walkers with their new toys. But once they informed him of the aiming process for the Party Pooper, he was overjoyed to be the test subject.

With the addition of the 12-inch vid screen and the miniature replicator that Benny had integrated for the grenade launcher they were ready for testing. Tex had spent hours going over the different varieties of grenades and had downloaded them into the tiny replicator.

Another new advancement from the two humans helping the small AI was the process of choosing from the different grenades to launch. Bill and Tex had come up with a chip that worked off of direct thought. After connecting their new chip into the mini replicator, any enhanced warrior only had to think a command to change his choice of grenades instantly.

It took 20 seconds to set the weapon up for an individual warrior. Once done, it would not fire for anyone else without command authorization codes. Fadish was ecstatic and dying to get on the range with the upgraded weapon.

Calling a halt to all the firing was indeed a chore, the big Air Walkers were almost in a high from shooting the new toys. It took 15 minutes before the range was totally silent.

Bill sent drones out with over 50 of the life size targets, placing some in groups and others behind boulders. He even had the drones set up moving targets for the final test. Even the men were excited to see what would happen once Fadish zoned his skills in and really went to town.

Captain Father and Buck came over to watch the testing of the new upgrades and smiled when Commander Fadish started getting used to the vid screen. The way it worked was simplistic in itself. It simply set a laser on the target and then you raised the weapon until the center dot matched the dot on the target. Once that was achieved, clear the damn room boys!

Sasha smiled as she looked at the massive new sleep training room spread out before her. With over 400 enhancement/medical beds the Air Walkers going through the process now, were the ones needing training in medical knowledge. All the Air Walkers lying before her would be her new staff for the various ships and bases they needed to build. In two more hours, these people would be done with both their own enhancements and medical training. Finally Shera and myself will get a small break from Pit duty, she thought, smiling.

The two of them had been run ragged by the overwhelming influx of new injuries that the training pit had sent them. The saving grace had been the fact that Sasha really did not need to rest, and the Fergus's small medical bay personnel had helped out considerably.

The 50 people from the Balask had been the first to get the upgrade training, mainly on the Air Walker physiology. They already knew both their own and the humans they had studied for years. The Air Walkers had never shown up on their data before. Chief medical officer Shanod had been surprised at the fact that no one had stopped to consider Shera and Razor's physiology had never been studied. That meant both of the Pride race had to undergo test after test to acquire the needed information, and Razor wasn't too happy about it.

"Anything that keeps me out of designing those new fighters is a nuisance to me, except you my love," he said to his mate, squeezing her to him.

"That might be true sweetie, but what happens if one of us became injured and no one knew how to treat us? Where would we be then?" Shera asked as she rubbed herself against her mate. It was her way of getting Razor's undivided attention and agreement, and it worked every time.

Razor had sighed and giving up his next day as she already knew he would. She has me wrapped around her little finger and she damn well knows it too! he thought to himself, smiling as he squeezed her closer to him.

Careful my love, we don't want to hurt the boys now do we? Shera thought back to him, pulling away a little.

No we don't want that my... "WHAT!" he said, almost yelling as he saw the smile on her face. "You said boys. Your not talking about my balls either are you?" he asked as his heart skipped a beat.

Shera shook her head. "You really have a one track mind don't you honey? No I'm talking about THE boys that Doctor Shanod found when he was running all of the tests on the both of us. We're going to have TWINS!" she said to the shocked Razor.

Razor laid back his head and let out a tremendous roar scaring all the personnel in the Med.Bay.

Sasha came running over on her short little legs, yelling for someone to get a med. bed ready for a medical emergency. "Hurry Shera, get him on the bed before he goes into cardiac arrest!" she said, trying to pull the huge lionman to the open bed as medical personnel scurried around in preparation.

Shera let out a roar of her own that got everyone's attention and scared the living shit out of a couple of the Fergus personnel, "Stop moving everyone, it's not what you think. I just informed Razor he is going to be a proud father in a few months, that's all."

Sasha went from a full-blown medical emergency to laughing until she fell down on the floor. Everyone else was in the same state of laughter when Buck and the rest of the squad came running into the Med.Bay. "How is he Shera? Do you need anything, anything at all?" he asked, concern clearly on his face.

"Yeah sweets, I know I'm not his blood type but we'll do anything to help the big kitty. He's our buddy," Tex said, running up to check on Razor. He even went so far as to call Bear to help lift the lionman off his feet and together they carried him over to the stunned staff by the med. bed.

"What the hell are you people waiting for? Move your asses! That's our friend there and he'd better get the best damn medical treatment you can give," said a normally quiet Jet as he glared at the laughing green people.

Bill was perplexed as Shera continued to laugh even harder now. Concerned he grabbed her up and headed to another empty med. bed beside the one the two other men were trying to get Razor to lie down in.

"Stop it Bill! You're going to hurt your nephews if you don't let me down right now," Shera said as she looked into the man's eyes.

Poor Bill just about dropped her on her ass with that statement. Understanding came and he started laughing too. "Hey guys, I think you can let Razor up now. He ain't sick, he's just a little excited about being a Daddy," he said to the Bear and Tex as they struggled to get the lionman to be still.

The two men immediately stopped their struggles and let poor Razor out of the bed. But Tex was still not totally convinced that his friend was not injured in some way.

"Bill, don't pee down my back and tell me it raining. We all heard ole Razor roar like he was dying clean down in the mess hall," Tex said as he looked back at his friend getting out of the med. bed.

"It's true Tex. I was just a little overwhelmed when my wife told me that we are going to have twin boys soon, that's all," he said smiling.

"Well damn son, next time just do a jig or something," Bear said, slapping the lionman on the back. "We knocked over quite a few people getting here and I know for sure we ruined a whole cart of fresh bread the cook just made," Bear said forlornly. The big man thought of all that fresh bread on the rolling tray, and how Bill had knocked it over, sending those lovely loafs flying everywhere.

Razor laughed and hugged the big man, "Don't worry my friend. I'll make sure the cook understands and gets you a dozen more ready again soon."

That made Bear smile and so he hugged the lionman hard, which in turn made Razor think he might have been safer in the med. bed after all.

The squad all carefully gave Shera hugs and kisses and even grabbed up the newest Aunt Sasha and did the same to her.

"I'm not a piece of glass guys, at least not for a while yet," said a smiling Shera. She giggled at how careful they all were when they hugged her.

With the excitement finally over, Tex, Bill and Buck went to check on three of the people almost finished in the medical training part of the large group. These three held a special place in the hearts of the three warriors, as they were the love of their lives.

Tex and Sue had got married two nights after the warriors had returned home. Joseph had performed the wedding. A very happy group of women from both the ships and the Sanctuary had scrambled to coordinate a beautiful wedding in the meadow under the stars. It was the largest wedding in the history of the new world as the entire combined races were witnesses to the vows taken and the love given between the two humans.

Over 15,000 people from the three different races watched as the two humans joined their lives together. The roar that went up into the night as the two kissed at the end of their vows made the very trees around them shake and tremble. Bill watched, as his friend Tex gave his love and life to the beautiful young blonde-haired woman.

Bill's own hand gently squeezed a small female hand inside his. That hand was connected to the woman he loved with all his heart. The petite little blonde beside him was Mary. She was the cousin of Sue, the woman Tex was marrying right now.

"I guess that when we get married Bill, you and Tex will be related for real," Mary said, smiling up at the quiet man.

Bill had only been half listening to her, but even he caught the "When we get married" part, there was no "If we get married" to be found in her statement. Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound, besides I can't think of a better person to be related to than my buddy down there. Bill thought, smiling again as he kissed his love's sweet lips. "Whenever you're ready my love, but can I ask one small favor from you?" he whispered.

Mary was a little startled. She didn't think Bill had caught the "When" part. Men were usually denser to the subtle suggestions made by women. "Oh course my love, whatever you would like," she stuttered softly as she looked up into his gray eyes.

Bill smiled down at her saying, "Can we try and cut down on the guest list a little? That's a hell of a lot of mouths to feed down there," he said, pointing at the 15,000 people gathered around and below them.

Mary laughed as she too found the sheer number of people overwhelming. "I think about twenty or so would be enough for us, don't you agree?" she asked, hugging the love of her life.

Bill nodded at her, and squeezing her tight he asked, "Well then, when can I have the privilege of calling you my wife and queen?"

Mary was overcome with different emotions. This man that she had come to love had changed so much since the first time he walked into the cafeteria months ago. Now he was confident, strong, smarter than anyone she knew and yet still held a calm quietness about him. "If possible, how about in two days then my love?" she finally said.

Bill looked down at her, smiling, "Two more days and your lovely body that I dream of every night will be all mine finally," he said, adding a funny leer to his voice.

Mary laughed and slapped his arm. "Is that all I am to you Bill, a hunk of meat? Besides that you aren't the only one looking forward to some time in the sheets you know," she said as she winked at him.

Bill was smart enough not to say anything more, so he just hugged her close and watched as his best friend and his new wife kissed. Bill let out a yell with the rest of the massive group at the joy he felt for his soon to be cousin.

Two days later in a quiet ceremony in the FFP Jonathon Stone, Captain Father joined the two humans together in marriage. The group was small, as Bill had requested, the squad and their mates, the council members and their mates, Tomias and his Number One and Fadish looked on as the two humans gave their love and vows to each other.