Chapter 9

"Do you have any idea of how much even the initial 1,000 are worth?"

"$5 maybe $6 million if they are really state of art items."

I got the 'Oh you dummy, you' look.

"We will agree that to get started the Chinese will receive $1 billion to make them. The next 2,500 are really, really special, and in the first phase we will negotiate down to $20 billion, then the serious work starts. Mom and Dad (she sniffled a bit) worked on them 14 years."

I had heard of ion power, and even absolute zero. Never did understand why it might cost so much, though. "What was 'cold fusion' again, Jody?"

Many men would say that after marriage a woman changes. I'm not sure if a woman thinks a man does too or not. (Sue, I can use advice here!)

What about two women? Is having your daughter a slave higher and more honoured than you an issue? (no pun here). These 'mysteries' would have to be pondered if these girls kept trying to get me to see things their way, we would have to ponder quite a long time. They made things very hard (no pun), I mean difficult, to reach a decision. If two wives were the same work as four, then there might be some benefits. After all, my slaves had no problem now in telling me what to do.

What did I know about women? My idea of a meaningful relationship was to be able to walk away, to the nearest hospital, even. That one time, one or three measly episodes, (I swear by everything 'wholly' she said she was 16, Officer!!!!) I always listened when she said 'Go', I meant no. I may have been a nerd but I was not that stupid, usually, till I met Jody.

I would do the man thing. I would ask Mei what I should do; after all, she would have her cats pay me a visit one night if I did not do what she wanted, Heather too, with her wolves probably. I was hoping Jody and Mollie liked tropical fish. The question from Mei if a 'coral' snake needed to be in water all the time really got my attention. The one, "then does a 'lion' fish need water too" had me worried. Like I said we were off Auckland, NZ, and 73 guys were more than willing to provide 'samples' for any experimenting 'MY girls' might want to consider. I suggested the wolves and cats needed to go with them and get some exercise during their next walkabout on the ship. Somewhere I read or heard that 'pets' ... OH, never mind! I never would doubt them, but then again, one should never say never. Was I, moi, getting a taste of that 'green monster' Jody might be feeling.

Mei was no help. No help at all. I would just have to sleep with it, er, on it.

Enough, I thought! I was very curious on how Mollie was going to be rich, and what the really big problem was that Jody was concerned about.

Mollie, it turned out, would have no financial problems. The US State Department (CIA) had provided cash, housing, transportation and few armed guards for Mollie. She would be receiving a small fortune every year for the rest of her life. When she travelled with Li Wu or me, the multi-national team would take over security. (Yeah! Sure! )

This highlighted our real problem. There was no trust. A sort of forced and tentative co-operation existed to get the first batch readied. Some other things would be required if the 'really, really, special' 2,500 would even get under way. It was not just money that was the problem.

Everybody involved was willing to make an accommodation to start on these next items. All knew, however, that the T's and C's (Terms and Conditions) hammered out would by default become the way things would be going forward. It was not so much getting cozy in bed with one another, it was the other things these computers would power and control. That was something each wanted only for themselves.

We might have been able to work out a deal just on the 2,500, then tackled the long-term issues, if June 28th had not been (NZ time it was). Bombs fell from the sky, boats were headed our way, and through the smoke, fire and confusion aboard ship, the lifeless bodies, the dead and dying, and blood all over was like a scene from a disaster movie.

Now I might have mentioned that all our new, super close friends did not trust each other. This turned out to be a good thing. The damage to us was extensive. Aircraft were slow to launch. (Had the shell costumes had some effects on the crew, maybe?) Four H 17 -and two Chinese Ming Class Attack Copters raced to where the boats were coming from. They must have gotten orders to protect our ship. Six giant killer subs rose from the sea around us. No one even could imagine Chinese craft that big or that silent. No one knew they were there. Four headed for the approaching boats. Soon things seemed to explode, the faint screams of men and the tearing of wood, steel and plastic filled the air. A message came across that the Royal New Zealand Air Force had 'terminated' a bombing exercise and would insure our uninterrupted sail.

The Chinese had various ways to combat attacks at sea. Some had been developed to protect the many cargo and tanker fleets sailing (diesel, really) around the world. These military versions were a bit more effective. Heat, paralysis, even death were the normal result of the high energy weapons used against the ships. All 23 were boarded, safes, logs and anything and everything they could find was taken. Lead officers, the Captain and XO, Navigators, and any 'Watching Commissars' were taken aboard the subs.

The PRC had a very effective way in dealing with the rest. Chum, today's 'shark snack', was dumped into the water, a few hundred plastic ties around their hands, the crews were allowed two choices, stay with the burning (now) sinking boat, or trying to swim (no hands) 26 miles to the nearest reef in shark infested waters. Oh, some free spirits choose that time for some target practice with a new 'needle gun'.

"My girls were Ok, RIGHT???"

Then I saw Mollie kneeling over the body of Jody, stroking her little face.

I don't know why my heart wants to always stop, but I froze. Mei and Heather ran up and joined the two even before I got there. Jody seemed alive. Mollie lowered her face. She raised it to me. "She has a 'Last Wish', Master." Jody partially motioned me over.

"I don't want to die a slave, Master. Will you marry me, I mean us, my mom and me?"

I said 'Yes' before I saw the smile on her face, and Mei and Heather raising eyebrows and shaking their head. "Boy, are you easy." "Can I have a new ship, Master? Can I have a new plane? Man; men are just suckers for a pretty face!"

Now I said Jody was bad, devious, determined, sneaky, and down right lethal the way she got whatever she wanted, but this, this, when everything is in flames around us, she pulls this. I only had one thought in response.