Chapter 18

It was daybreak when Sarah’s Clan woke up. Sensing her spouses were awake, Sarah said, “Considering I only had some six hours sleep I feel really good.” She then moved to kiss Rusty then Joyce.

“Wow,” said Tara, “I felt that.”

“Felt what?” asked Claudette.

“I felt Sarah kiss Rusty then Joyce. It wasn’t quite like her lips touching me, but I felt it.”

“So that’s what that was. When I first woke, I wasn’t sure where I was, then I had trouble believing it.”

Judy said, “You are not alone. I’ve felt that way several times since I’ve been here.” As Judy was talking she hugged and kissed Janet then Erin.

“I think what I’ve experienced in the last day or so will be dwarfed by our experiences over the next few days.”

“Could be,” responded Sarah, as they rose from the bed and moved to the exercise benches, they paused to hug and give each of their spouses a kiss. Once they were on their bench, each of them engaged the electro-stimulator. Again, the exercises for Claudette, Tara, Erin and Alison weren’t as intense as those their spouses experienced. When they finished, they assisted Jill, Janet, Judy and Joyce to the showers. In the shower they reviewed last night’s events and their potential impact.

As they were drying off Donna said, “Bob and Nancy want to talk to you as soon as possible.”

“Donna, ask them to meet us in the conference room in 10 minutes,” replied Terry. “Ask them if they would bring rolls and coffee, provided they are ready.”

“Okay.”

“MAI, how is Amy’s group?” asked Sarah.

“They’ve been stabilized. The virus is very aggressive. Each has suffered a considerable amount of tissue damage. The medical staff are concerned that they may not have enough time to block the virus before the damage becomes critical. They have identified the virus’s mechanism of attack and have developed a treatment protocol. They need your approval to continue, once you have accepted command.”

Sarah said, “As you heard, we are going to meet with Bob and Nancy in a few minutes. While we are on the ship, we plan on placing this location in Donna’s and their hands.”

“Bob will be full of questions about the changes in security status as I am sure he has already seen them,” added Rusty with Sally nodding in agreement. “I think we should be open with them regarding what we know of our situation. This will place them in a better position to act if necessary while we are gone.”

“You know that this will start them on the path of binding them to us,” said MAI.

“What do you mean?” asked Sally.

“First, I agree with your plan. However, their acceptance has some subtle implications that may be unacceptable to them. By filling that role some changes in their makeup may take place. If these continue for too long then they will form a bond with this ship’s family and species. Based on your background, I believe this is a similar feeling to that of a very strong friendship. This may make it hard for them to objectively evaluate whether they wish to fully join this family, if they reach that decision point.” There were several puzzled expressions. “Perhaps I’m not making myself clear. Traditionally, we strive not to take any action that will cause someone to act as we hope they will solely for our benefit. Instead we want them to select the best choice as seen from their perspective. I’ll grant that 8 of the 12 in your clan really didn’t have the opportunity to make that choice, because of circumstances. A space ship is a very small environment, especially when some are disenchanted.”

“Interesting,” they replied.

“Okay,” said Rusty. “I really don’t think that will be an issue. Nancy recently asked me a question that leads me to believe they are seriously considering asking to stay. Today, we would prefer for them to have the authority to act in our absence if necessary. We could act remotely through Donna, but the delay in execution may cause a problem.”

“In light of Nancy’s question, why not share the risks associated with them actively assisting?” asked Sarah. “We can give them a summary sufficient for them to see if they need, or want, to know more. I’ll let Rusty, Judy and Sally explain it while I monitor their reactions.”

“Try it. Your approach appears to provide a nice balance.”

They arrived at the conference room just as Bob and Nancy did. After placing the coffee and food on the table, they greeted each other with hugs and kisses. Their kisses were filled with the loving passion they felt and seemed to increase with each greeting.

“Wow,” said Nancy. “Maybe we ought to do this more often. If Joyce put any more passion into her kisses, she could make me cum in seconds.” Several chuckled.

“Okay before we get sidetracked, Rusty and Sarah, what the hell is going on?” asked Bob sharply.

“I see you are your usual testy self this morning,” responded Sally with a smile. “You need more coffee.”

Bob frowned then added, “Well we tried to go for a walk earlier. We were only a short distance from the patio when we walked into something. It was almost like a glass wall with no edges as there didn’t seem to be any way around it.”

“There isn’t,” said Rusty firmly. He could see Bob was building up a head of steam while Nancy waited expectantly. Looking at Bob he added, “Going on a rant won’t resolve anything.” Bob stared at Rusty, then looked at the others and started to speak, but instead nodded his head as he exhaled.

“We have a problem. Last night after dinner, there was an incident that brought to light a serious event that occurred earlier in the day. As best we’ve been able to determine, yesterday around lunch Amy’s Clan was deliberately exposed to a very aggressive virus. They are currently on the ship in isolation receiving medical care. Fortunately, no one else was exposed. We have not identified the agent. However, we know how it was delivered and who did it. That person is also in isolation on the ship.

“In response to this, a barrier was setup as a temporary protective measure around this immediate area. It is temporary but will likely be up for most of today. While it is in place there are a number of issues we need to address. Right after breakfast we will be going to the ship and will likely be there for several hours. While Donna can manage the site, it is better if she has a biological partner. Since last night it has been us, and we could continue, however, being new at it we think that is a poor choice. This is primarily because we are not sure whether we could interrupt what we were doing on the ship to focus on an issue here. Another issue is the communication time lag. There are other concerns. An alternative is to ask someone here to fill that role temporarily. Nancy and you are excellent choices, but if you do this then it could have significant ramifications for your family’s future. This likely includes the others who came with you.”

“You are not making a lot of sense, Rusty,” said Nancy forcefully.

“Well I thought I was pretty clear about our situation.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s try this. From what you’ve learned since being here you know that our efforts are directed toward staffing the space ship. With more staff, it can be repaired. Living on a space ship is very different from living on a planet. Some have characterized it as living inside a can. So you need crew members that are comfortable and happy with living in that environment for long periods of time.”

“But I thought you wanted us to help here,” said Bob.

“We do,” responded Sally.

“We are not doing a good job of this,” said Judy, “in part because we care about all of you. While the choice appears simple on the surface, it has some potential consequences that may not be obvious. As Rusty noted, after breakfast, we will go to the ship. We will be gone for most of the morning and perhaps much of the afternoon. During the time we are away, Donna will be responsible for this site, including defensive measures. Through our link with her, we can assist her as needed. This has a few disadvantages. Due to the distance there will be a delay in execution, also this would be our first time interacting with her in this way. An alternative is to have someone here to assist her.”

“If we knew what to expect, we would be agreeable to assisting Donna,” said Bob. “I don’t see the problem.”

Rusty said, “The concern is that if you fill that role it could unduly influence decisions all of you make regarding your association with this society.” Nancy and Bob smiled as they heard Rusty’s comments. “These people have some very interesting technology and some very unique interpersonal links. A major concern is that some one could opt in, then come to regret it. We don’t want to unduly influence anyone.” Rusty smiled. “We want to be the car salesman that just gives you the facts and lets you make the choices without being pushed. As Erica put it, when living inside a space ship, just a tiny level of friction or discontent potentially has many dire implications. Why? Space is a hostile environment where one mistake can be very tragic.”

Nancy looked at Bob and then said, “We have been considering discussing with you the idea of us staying permanently. In the last several days, our mind-link has become much more open and apparent. For us, it seems to be limited to our group of six. Alice, Susan, Julia and Stan have just indicated to me that they agree. I have opened my mind to them so they can hear our discussion.”

“Okay, that alleviates our initial concern. There is still Zoe’s group, Shirley and her children to consider. We presume you have a plan for the businesses.”

“Yes. Right now, it is a work in progress. We need some input from several of you. As to the others, I don’t think what we do will cause them to overlook the consequences of making this choice.” Sally and Joyce smiled on hearing Nancy’s choice of words. “I don’t think we are the only ones considering this.”

“Let’s deal with our immediate issue. Will you and Bob, along with the four in your group, oversee this sites’ defenses in conjunction with Donna while we are gone?” asked Rusty.

“You bet,” they immediately replied.

“In a moment, we will mind-link with your group to bring you up to date. You should be aware that the primary reason we are going to the ship is to accept command of it.”

“What?” responded Nancy’s Clan in unison.

“We were advised about two weeks ago by the ship’s Master AI, that our group was a prime candidate to become the ship’s Command Staff,” replied Sarah. “At the time, we were not keen on accepting that role, and I can’t say that we are now. She told us that our reluctance was viewed as a positive. Our hesitancy was largely due to not knowing what the role entailed, whether we had the talent to do it and what our future was going to be. When we met the MAI, we were told that our psionic abilities weren’t strong enough to fill that role. These have grown considerably since then and recent events are pushing us to accept now. Nancy, relax and open your mind to us so we can transfer the information regarding our current circumstances.”

Nancy and Bob’s faces paled as they assimilated the information. Nancy could feel the emotional impact on the rest of her clan.

Sarah said to her spouses, “Let’s give them a moment to relax.”

After they saw Nancy’s Clan had calmed down Sarah’s Clan said, “We find this a very easy way to communicate. After breakfast, we will give everyone a brief summary of our situation. They will be asked to delay doing anything away from the complex until we return later today. We do not intend to tell them about the probability of us accepting the position of ‘Command Staff’. Traditionally, those in that position are sometimes referred to as the ‘Chosen Ones.’ Those two words have a different meaning to the crew than they do to us Earthlings, so we hope to understand the meaning better before it is generally shared. We know it will have to be shared, we just need to figure out a good way to do it so it doesn’t change the relationship between any of us.”

“That makes a lot of sense.”

“We need for Bob, Stan, Nancy and at least one other to take the weapons training this morning,” said Rusty. “You should do it one at a time but it doesn’t take very long.”

“How?”

“Donna will give you access to what we know as the armory. The training procedure is rather interesting. You wear a helmet which is really a set of head bands. These provide an avenue to allow the information to be directly transferred to your mind. By the time, you are done, you will essentially be an expert with the weapons. If you have a need to use them before you have an opportunity for live fire, then follow your instincts. The benefit of live fire is to increase your confidence.”

“It’s that good?” responded Bob.

“Yes.”

“Can we feel Zoe’s group out on their plans?” asked Nancy. “They need to know we are planning on staying here. Shirley as well.”

“Sure. Try to feel them out before you share what you are considering. I hope you do it better than we did.” Rusty’s comment caused several to smile.

“Let’s go to breakfast,” said Joyce, “as I am hungry. It has probably already started.” Just then several stomachs growled, causing them to laugh.

Everyone was eating when they arrived on the patio. They quickly went through the serving line and hurriedly ate their breakfast. Janet was surprised by the amount of food each of them took and how quickly it was finished off. She wondered if it was due to all the energy expended in the last 12 hours. Her spouses silently told her that they agreed with her observation.

As breakfast finished, Sam stood up and rapped on the table to get everyone’s attention. Once it was quiet, he gave a summary of things that needed to be done at the farm.

When Sam finished, Rusty stood and casually looked around before saying, “Last night Amy’s group and Jennifer became quite ill. They were transported to the ship for medical treatment. The word we have this morning is that their condition, while critical, has been stabilized. As soon as we know more we will share it with you. Due to the circumstances surrounding their illnesses, a shield has been placed around this complex. This prevents anyone not known to live here from entering. It also keeps you from leaving unless accompanied by one of the lions. This is primarily to protect us.

“Sam, most everything you indicated for today is inside the force shield. We will be gone to the ship for most of the morning and continuing into the afternoon. We would appreciate it, if you can save the work outside the shield until after we return. Currently we expect the shield to be gone by tomorrow, hopefully before then.”

“Not a problem. In fact I don’t see anything coming up that couldn’t wait a few days if necessary.”

“Now while we are away, Bob and Nancy, or Nancy’s Clan, will assist Donna with overseeing the site’s operation. We suspect that one of the groups that raided Sylvia’s farm now knows our location in terms of latitude and longitude. It will most likely be several days or more before they try anything. This island is not on any normal ocean route. From a distance on the ocean the island hazy appearance. Closeup it appears to be inaccessible due the lack of a beach and sharp rise in terrain except for one small area that is difficult to see from sea level.”

“Do you know what made them sick?” asked Sophia.

“A virus. A very aggressive one. So far it has not been identified but is the same as the one infecting the woman sent to the ship from the farm.”

“Oh my god,” said several in the group.

“The whole site has been scanned. Traces were found only in Jim and Amy’s work area. The area has been sealed off and several bots will be cleaning it up.”

“We would like to meet with those working in the dispensary when we are done here. Other than that we don’t have anything else, but we expect to be back for dinner, if not Donna will inform you of our delay. When we return, we will get together so we can bring you up to date.”

Dorothy, Maria, Sophia, Patricia, Jessica and Mary all came over to where Rusty and Sarah were standing. Judy said, “Today, Donna will accelerate your training. You will need to work in pairs. If it was me I would follow a work-rest-learn cycle. Base the cycle length on the length of the learning segments. I expect the modules to be between 3 and 4 hours long, which is longer than normal.”

“We don’t know if we can fill in for Betsy and Connie,” said Maria as she looked at the other nurses, who nodded in agreement.

“You will have too. Just do the best you can. Don’t forget, we have resources on the ship that can assist you. I don’t believe they have treated humans but from what I’ve learned there isn’t that much difference. They can provide advice and help you in working through a diagnosis. We suspect it could be several months before Betsy and Connie recover enough to work again.”

“Just do your best,” said Joyce. “We know you will.” She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek with a hug.

“Donna, as you heard Nancy’s Clan will assist you with overseeing the island while we are on the ship,” said Sarah. “Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need anything.”

“Understood. Appropriate authorizations are enabled for Nancy’s Clan. Good luck.”

When Sarah’s Clan exited the patio, their shuttle became visible as it settled onto the lawn just beyond the shield. As soon as they were aboard the shuttle it lifted off before they had time to sit down.

The shuttle’s AI said, “Welcome aboard Sarah’s Clan.”

Sarah and Rusty hadn’t detected any movement so they went up to the flight deck to learn when they would leave. They stepped onto the deck just in time to see the earth change into a blue ball off to starboard. The pilot and copilot seats were empty, but the craft was rapidly rising into the dark void of space.

The shuttle’s AI said, “Sarah, Rusty, you can sit in the seats. We will arrive at the ship in 10 minutes.”

“Where is the ship? How far are we going?”

“The ship is currently at what you call the L5 Lagrange point of the Sun – Mars orbit.”

“And it’s only going to take 10 minutes.”

“Yes. This is a Priority One trip. We can do this without causing a disturbance due to the shuttle’s size and our path. Normally this is a 40 to 70 minute trip.”

They sat down in the seats and looked out in wonder at the surrounding darkness filled with so many bright specks of light. Looking out of the starboard window they could see Earth and its moon rapidly receding.

“An interesting sight,” said Rusty.

It was quiet in the cabin behind them, as their spouses were staring at the sights surrounding them. They had watched the monitor on the front wall until the viewing ports opened on leaving Earth’s atmosphere. The monitors gave them a panoramic view of the universe. It wasn’t long before they saw a dark object begin to take form in front of them.

“AI when we get close to the ship, would you slowly circle it?” asked Rusty. “We would like to see what it looks like.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Not really, we would just like to see the external surfaces so we can get an idea of its condition. So real slow and close enough that we can see some detail.”

They watched in awe as the ship began to fill their view. When they were close to it, they saw a door open in the side. The shuttle slowed dramatically and turned so it was virtually standing still next to the ship. This let them carefully scan the amazing structure. To them it was very much like the space ships seen in science fiction movies. It was huge.

The shuttle AI said, “Sarah and Rusty, you can use the controls in front of you to direct our flight path. Don’t worry, I will still be flying the ship. By taking the controls, I can get a feel of your intent which will let me respond faster.”

Rusty gently placed his hand on the stick and then began to direct them around the large ship. They could see areas with extensive damage. In some places the damage looked fresh while others looked as if it had been there a long time. All twelve of them shared their observations as they circled the ship. Some places near one end looked freshly repaired as did some near several access ports similar to the open one.

They had just finished their third circuit when Sarah said, “AI, I think we’ve seen enough for now. Let’s dock.”

Their shuttle drifted out away from the ship then turned toward the opening. Once facing it, a console screen began showing their approach. Rusty said, “That looks just like a glide path instrument in an airplane.”

The shuttle passed through the opening and settled onto a cradle. As soon as it touched the cradle the port closed and within seconds the cabin door opened. When they stepped out on to the deck, they were met by two people who strongly resembled Amy’s group. One offered his hand to Rusty then Sarah as he said, “Welcome aboard. Let’s go in here so you can meet everyone.”

Inside the adjacent room, which was set up much like a lounge, the introductions continued. Once they were complete Sarah said, “Thank you for using names we can easily pronounce. We understand that like Amy’s Clan you’ve chosen ones that are phonetically similar to your actual name.”

“Your perception is correct,” said Luther. “Nadia and I are leading the effort to treat Amy’s Clan. We need to go over our proposal for their treatment and those for the other two.”

Terry said, “Although that is an urgent priority, we’ve been told there are several things we need to do before we can focus on that.”

Clearly agitated Luther said, “But we need to do something quickly. The Clan’s condition is critical...”

As Luther was speaking, a door of the lounge opened and a woman entered. The sight of her caused him to stop talking and several to gasp. While her appearance resembled a combination of Sarah and Amy’s Clans members, she literally radiated authority. Their hosts moved to the side creating a path for her, as she walked toward Sarah’s Clan. Sarah’s Clan responded by increasing the strength of their link.

When the woman saw their response she said, “Sorry, I should have spoken sooner.” As soon as she spoke, Sarah’s Clan sighed and relaxed as they realized who she was. “Yes, I am the MAI, you’ve been talking too. Your hosts are a bit shocked. This is in part due to us not having any direct contact before now, also I entered from a part of the ship they haven’t been able access. Additionally, in normal times an AI forming a visual construct is unusual. However these events should help them understand what will likely take place today. Now, I suspect they have many questions.”

“You know we prefer names for people,” said Sarah, “so we would like to call you, Star. Doing this would make it easier for us to direct our thoughts both verbally and through our mind-link.”

“That will be fine, but the ships record has assigned me a different name, a name that would be difficult for you to pronounce. It must be used for certain actions but pronouncing it is not really necessary for telepathic communication. However, a ship’s commander can change the record.”

“We can live with that.”

“Let me introduce myself to them and then we need to go to the bridge.” Mention of the bridge caused their hosts to quieten, as they had been quietly discussing the meaning of the woman’s appearance. “Fellow crew members, as you’ve probably concluded, I am the Master AI for the ship. Donna, the AI you have been working with, has been aware of my presence since last night. Why not before then? It was due to restraints on AIs instituted by our government. If those limitations were violated it would have meant the end for our delicate situation. As you probably suspect the incident that brought us here killed everyone including the Command Staff. The initial event was an act of sabotage. The responses by the Command Staff to the sabotage triggered other aspects of the sabotage increasing the damage. The death of the Command Staff initiated several defensive security measures. It is these security measures that limit your access to all the ship. All of you survived because you were isolated from the ship’s systems at that time. You all have done well in dealing with the situation, as we are here today. Now I need to show Sarah’s Clan the bridge. Afterward, they will meet with you regarding Amy’s Clan medical condition. It is important to do it in that order. Once that is done we can talk some more and answer questions.”