Chapter 55

A strange assault shuttle appeared in Gorgipest space reporting to approach.

"Gorgipest approach, this is the shuttle "Tangerine", transponder zero four one zero tare easy easy, at the hyper, with India, inbound for yours, request clearance and instructions."

There was a prolonged pause before the reply.

"Aahhh "Tangerine", clearance is not yet available, continue approach."

"Approach, continue approach, "Tangerine"."

The pause this time lasted just over two minutes.

""Tangerine", identified at the hyper, you are cleared to make a direct approach to the harbour at your own velocity; there is no other traffic. Report at the outer for further instructions. We have no information on you. Request details?"

The listeners, who now included the 119 watches, could hear the amusement behind the female voice with the definite Mounty accent,

"Approach, direct and call at the outer. Be advised we are a modified ex-RMN Minnow class assault shuttle, registered at Ramsgate on Old Earth, and we sometimes use the callsign 737, our base ship is "Sundowner" in the same register, "Tangerine"."

"737, wait."

You could almost hear the 'puter drives being booted up as 737 continued its approach. Some five minutes passed before Approach came back,

"737, our records don't show either name registered as Old Earth register. Where is your base ship? Approach."

"Approach, she dropped us off at the hyper exit and then continued on to visit Scapa, 737."

"737, wait."

Several more minutes passed,

"737, Be advised, the Port Authorities want to inspect you before entering harbour. Will you be requiring a pilot, Approach"

"Approach. Negative. I have pilot exemption under name of Gillard, Clare, with the ships HM Courier "Tulip" and the training ship "Sundowner". 737."

"737, continue approach."

Clare's PDA buzzed — she preferred that sound as her ring tone. She had been half expecting this call and wondered which of the two would com; she made the link and found herself gazing at Morg.

"Clare, are you trying to give Approach a heart attack? You know they have just ordered the harbour cleared?"

"Suspicious lot aren't they?"

"Well, you are about the third or fourth visitor they've had since the raid and they are still operating with lashed up coms and no radar. They had to get 119 to confirm your presence and trek."

"Cedric's little gadget is picking up a signal which it identifies as emitting from 119 and, as expected, the threat level hasn't moved off the bottom of the gauge. Where are you?"

"I'm in a Harbourian assault shuttle in the middle of the orbitals' wreckage. Approach want to send a UVA out to ... Calm down Nigel, its my old boss ... later, man. Its just my right seat student making noises. There might be a UVA coming to have a look at you so don't blast it, please; 119 are a bit edgy you do realise?"

"Suits, I'll play nice, Morg. Would you give Sloane Square a heads-up? I don't have their coms and we, seven of us, need a place to doss down for a while. Simmo is in "Sundowner" but we thought we'd better put a toe in first before we jumped in."

"Simmo? Here? TJ is gonna be pissed. We weren't told he was coming."

"Yah. Berryl said not to tell you and to stay dark until we got here as you'd tell us not to bring him."

"This is a war zone, Clare."

"Berryl said you'd say that and to point out that your other children and partners were here already ... here's your little friend coming up in full stealth. Gotta go. See you later!"

Clare nodded at the screen showing the UVA on FTL active as she replaced her PDA and spoke to Jane and Janice in the nav and EW positions over the intercom,

"We play dumb until we literally see him. It should be safe, TJ and Morg reported RMN took the laser out of them for more com gear apparently. It might come close enough that our image intensifier can pick it up — its not that we don't know where to look. Dorothy (in the right seat), let's drift over towards it. 119 had energy mounts and torpedoes and we are still out of energy range."

"Suits, Boss."

"Not you, too."

Dorothy grinned and put a few more degrees over to the left of the trek. A minute went by and a different voice came up on coms.

"737, this is "Vance", you are moving to the left of required trek. Please correct immediately."

Clare chortled evilly before replying,

"Thank you "Vance". Without the beacons, it's a bit difficult to know exactly where to head so we pointed ourselves at the orbitals. How did you pick it up, our threat detection reads zero? 737."

Clare released the PTT and said,

"Oops. Major really major security blunder. Someone is going to be wearing two of them."

As Clare corrected the course, Janice said

"Got it visual at three three six, level."

"Goody" replied Clare and pressed the PTT

"Vance, we have a visual contact bearing three three six and level. Is that yours or orbital wreckage? 737."

Silence. Clare was about to repeat the transmission but another male voice with a Grenoble accent came up on the com

"737, that is a scout of ours and its vid shows you are armed. "Vance"."

""Vance" be advised we hold letters of marque from the United Solarian Senate which have been noted by your Kingdom on our last visit to Settlement and Gorgipest. 737."

Released the PTT and remarked over the intercom,

"Think on that, sonny boy."

McCock come back,

"737, what are your intentions? Vance."

""Vance", we are neutrals and intend to land at Sierra Hotel Oscar Whiskey's pad and visit friends, 737."

"737, be advised that is a proscribed area. "Vance"."

""Vance", be advised this shuttle is owned by the same people who own SHOW so the proscription does not apply. 737"

"737, continue approach."

"737."

Game and set, Gillard.

"Approach, 737 at the outer."

"737, you are cleared to SHOW by the direct route. Decrease velocity to five hundred kay."

"737 direct, five hundred."

"What? No inspection?" from Dorothy.

"That bit about SHOW; probably talked to TJ or Morg" Janice answered, "and got them to vouch for us."

"Yah."

Game, set and match, Gillard.

Clare turned onto the new heading and then turned 737 over to take the momentum off her; then righted her and proceeded at minimal thrust across to the descent point where Clare used the atmosphere to further decrease forward velocity before using full thruster control to make the landing and then park inside the hangar which had been readied by the manufactory security.

Gabrielle was waiting with the ground shuttle bus.

"Hello, Jane, Janice. Your boss been naughty and upsetting people again?'

"Hello, Gabrielle. Clare likes to twist their tails; one day she will have us all in jail. No customs?" Jane asked.

"Not down here. All searches and such like are done out in space. You must have friends in high places. Get yourselves in. Julie is doing a day shift at the Club."

At Sloane Square, the Sundowners dispersed to the rooms previously occupied and after freshening, gathered and helped in the kitchen catching up on the events as they had affected the staff; Elle explained about the trainees. Julie had kept her staff informed of "Sundowner" so the staff only needed the personal bits — gossip that is. Cook knew them all and appreciated the help.

TJ arrived in the flivver just before Ivy arrived with the children who came hurtling through the front door like matter being sucked into a black hole continuing down the hallway to the kitchen dragging TJ and Ivy with them. Each of the children exhibited a carapace broach so the Sundowners showed no surprise when the children greeted them by name. The fourth companion was the house "sentry".

The children were the surprised ones when the Sundowners greeted each by name.

{Sitting room} the Matriarch hissed. (The Matriarch had chosen Hazel.)

"Cooky, can we take some tea and stuff, please" TJ asked.

"I've got enough. Morg gave us warning. The urn goes on the trolley and be sure you power it up. Here's the kids' afternoon snacks. Ivy, the butter's in the cooler on a plate."

TJ had organised the urn and crockery and Ivy the munchies and a small saucer of powdered chocolate — she paused, nodded, and added some more.

"Clever. How did you know?" TJ asked.

Ivy shrugged,

"Every one but Cooky and I suddenly turned to leave and you start organising afternoon tea; you're usually as domesticated as a 'cat."

Ivy and TJ entered the sitting room with the necessaries; the children leapt to assist — good training of course, nothing to do with grabbing the tastiest "sangers" for themselves.

The Matriarch was on the coffee table communing with a slightly smaller version of herself. TJ was aware of a slight buzz and analysed it as being 'spider talk' — a bit like machine language in a 'puter whereas BASIC was needed for interaction with Homo.

Tea and munchies distributed, Ivy and TJ sat on the only vacant seats — side by side on the small love seat — accompanied by an almost smirk on Hazel's lips.

TJ and Ivy were bringing each other up to date on the past day or so's event more as a time "filler" than any thing of substance waiting for the companions to commune.

TJ felt a mental double click to attract his attention and as he turned to look at the source, the Matriarch; that worthy leapt across the gap onto his sleeve. TJ reflexly mentally clamped down. The Matriarch transferred herself to his knee where TJ could look at her without having to hold his arm out. She stood on her rear legs waving forelegs at him in obvious sign language of friendly intentions. TJ let his mind lock relax enough to read her.

{I need you to trust me. I wish to conduct an experiment based on information from the colony. They have done it numerous times but not on a mutie who has full lock-out. No harm will come to you.}

'Why should I trust you?'

{Because it does have implications for your children; we do not wish to use them. The colony has not used Simmo. We do not know the effects on muties and I wish to try a graduated experiment with someone who can control his lock out.}

'Detail the experiment.'

{The colony inadvertently discovered that using our saliva and physical contact, we can communicate with normals with or without their consent; we can of course still be physically removed unless we are able to develop a method of mind control. I wish to make the contact with you and then have you set levels of block and I assess the extent of the communication.}

'And command?'

{Not at first; that is where trust is required. I need baseline first.}

TJ nodded and the Matriarch leapt onto TJ's neck and settled. TJ gazed at a virtual horizon as he mentally communed with her.

Ivy, the Sundowners and the children carried on conversations.

TJ was still communing when Ivy dispatched the children for homework.

The Sundowners and Ivy continued their chatter mainly about TJ's and Morg's interaction with the Sundowner and Windsor females. The discussion's details got quite intimately informative but the ugly head of jealousy did not figure — each female was still her own person with duties to perform as were the menfolk. The women had itches needing scratching, usually by a preferred partner, but not always. The microcosm of Sundowner society was an open sexual one without (as yet) the sex disturbing the psychological relationships. Ivy was having difficulty getting her mind around people being able to have enjoyable casual sex and in the next time frame have enjoyable meaningful sex with a preferred partner.

"Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!" Ivy screamed as she jumped out of the love seat in one direction and the colony representative spinning high in the other.

"It spoke to me!" Ivy yelled.

"What did she say?" Clare asked calmly.

"She said that humans can have different partners if the parties feel valued and here the value is accorded by the human colony."