Chapter 25

At Siobhan’s home, several people had been watching for the bus since breakfast. Nancy chuckled several times at their antics. Even though they had been up late, they were all up and packed before breakfast. As soon as they saw the bus, there was a loud cheer as they headed out the front door as the bus stopped at the curb.

When the bus stopped, Sally and Cheri stepped out and said, “Good morning.”

Sally added, “Why don’t you give your bags to Cheri? She will put them in the luggage compartment.”

While the group boarded the bus, Nancy, Briana and Siobhan walked through the house checking to make sure everything was off or secured. During this Gee joined them. After introductions, Nancy said, “Gee is going to house sit while you are gone. Another will arrive later today.”

Siobhan said, “You really didn’t need to do that, but thanks. We do appreciate it.”

“Well we thought it was appropriate, considering there were people monitoring your movements.”

After walking through the house Siobhan said, “Well if Gee doesn’t have any questions, then I’m ready,” as she picked up a small bag.

“Me too,” added Briana.

Gee walked them to the door and said with a smile, “Have a great time.”

“Thanks,” replied Briana as she linked arms with Nancy and Siobhan. Together they walked out to the bus. The angle of the light made Nancy’s robe look almost transparent. Thus she appeared to be wearing only high heels. Her appearance drew the attention of a few passing by.

Reaching the bus, Sally said to Nancy, “Are you trying to cause a scene?”

“No. Why?”

“Your robe looked almost transparent part of the time.”

“I wondered why those cars slowed down.”

Nancy then gave Sally a hug and followed Briana and Siobhan in to the bus. Seeing Rusty sitting in the driver’s seat she said, “Well this is a surprise.” She gave him a kiss before sitting down in the first row. As soon as everyone was seated, the bus began to move.

Sally announced, “We have another stop to make before heading to the airport.”

After picking up a group of three, they headed toward the airport. When they passed the turnoff for the main terminal, someone said, “We missed the exit.”

Nancy stood facing the passengers and said, “The airport we are using is a little further on. We should be there in about half an hour. You are probably wondering, why?” There were several nods. “We thought it was best to avoid large crowds or tightly controlled air space. We’ve tried to keep as low a profile as possible in setting up your visit. I think all of you can imagine the commotion there would be if it was generally known why we wanted to meet with you. Doing it this way also protects your privacy if you decide not to join us in our adventure.”

Claudine, who was sitting in the back raised her hand. “Yes?” asked Nancy.

“I believe you said that clothing was optional this week.” Nancy nodded yes. “Can we start now?”

“It would be better if you waited until we were on the plane. We don’t know how many people we will see at the airport.”

“Cool. I can’t wait until we are on the plane.” Many on the bus chuckled.

“Why are you so anxious, if I may ask?”

Someone responded, “She hardly keeps her clothes on in the house.”

“I am very comfortable that way,” retorted Claudine. “To answer your question Nancy, I spent a good part of my life living in nudist colonies with my family before I went to school. Since I lost them, I have missed the atmosphere of living in a nudist camp. I am very much looking forward to this week.”

“In that case, I think you will feel right at home.”

About half way to the airport, Rusty said, “Nancy we have two cars following us. They’ve been with us since shortly after we left Siobhan’s.”

Nancy started to go to the back of the bus, when Rusty added, “Never mind, they aren’t behind us now. There seems to have been an accident.” Even so Nancy was quite tense when she sat back down.

“Relax Nancy,” said Sarah. “We have been watching the video feed from the drones shadowing you. The two cars following you contained surveillance teams monitoring Siobhan’s and Briana’s residences. The first car had a tire blow out. Apparently the driver couldn’t control it, as it swerved then rolled. The second car rammed the first one while it was rolling. A tractor trailer almost plowed into them but managed to stop in time. He stopped to assist, as have several other cars. The highway is blocked by the mess.”

Siobhan looked at Nancy and then Briana. “Did someone just talk to you?”

Nancy was startled by the question. When she looked at Siobhan and Briana, she was quite certain they had heard Sarah. “That was Sarah updating me on a situation behind us. Two cars were in an accident.” Then switching to verbal she added, ”Yes. From your expressions I believe you both heard Sarah’s comments and mine.” They nodded. “We were talking telepathically.”

Siobhan blushed as she said, “When I hear voices like that I usually don’t pay much attention, as I am never sure whether they are real or not. This time everything fit together and was sort of like last night. Again, sorry for eavesdropping.”

“My apologies, as well,” said Briana who’s blush was brighter than Siobhan’s.

“No apologies are necessary. It wasn’t a private conversation. Rusty, Sally and Cheri heard it as well. I will continue to talk to you this way for a bit since both of you can understand me.” They nodded yes. “My impression is that communicating this way is new to you, but considering last night perhaps not unexpected.” They again nodded yes. “We think everyone on the bus has this capability, which is one of the reasons we approached you. Later we can show you how you can manage it. Sarah’s Clan will talk about telepathy and mind linking later today, I think.”

“Yes,” noted Sarah. “Nancy is correct.”

“You’re listening?”

“Yes, partially. We have been keeping tabs on you since last evening, either through you or by one of the drones or bots. Sorry about that but it seemed to be the safest choice.”

“I am glad you have. I was uneasy for a while.”

“Yes, we noticed, which was part of the reason for doing it.” Nancy noticed the amazed expression on both Briana and Siobhan’s faces.

“You know Briana and Siobhan are in this link.”

“Yes. It appears that theirs is already functioning,” Sarah said with a smile in her voice. “They just need more experience communicating this way. It took us a while to be comfortable with it. I suspect, if you look inward a bit, you can figure out how to strengthen it. Actually it would be better to wait until you reach the resort, then we can assist you. We will also show you how to manage your connections and other related stuff. Oh, by the way, the bus driver is Rusty, one of my spouses.”

While listening to Sarah, there were excited expression on their faces. They said, “Wow this is so neat.”

“Yes, it is.”

The bus slowed and turned into the airport entrance. It was a small regional airport that only served executive and private aircraft. As the bus pulled toward the ramp gate, it opened and they drove out onto the ramp. They pulled up next to an executive jet. Even before the bus had stopped, many were standing in the aisle. When the door opened they followed Sally and Cheri out. Sally stepped aside and motioned them to continue onto the plane. She then went to help Cheri with transferring the bags. Once the bags were loaded, Sally and Cheri waited by the jet’s steps, while Rusty drove back to the parking lot.

As soon as Claudine was inside the plane, she began removing her clothes. It didn’t take her long as she wasn’t wearing much more than Nancy was. When she saw it, Nancy smiled. Several others had followed Claudine’s lead. Nancy released the clasps on her robe and slipped it off, joining them.

Rusty walked briskly back toward the jet and followed Sally and Cheri up the steps into the plane. He paused at the front of the cabin for a moment and said, “Hi. My name is Rusty and I am one of Sally’s spouses. In a couple of minutes we will depart. Glad to have you on board. I would join you in your nudity but I have a few more trips after I drop you at the resort. Nice bods though.” Several chuckled and a few blushed as he turned to go up to the flight deck.

Conan was looking out the window when he saw a tall blond exit the operations building and begin walking toward the aircraft. Seeing the similarities with Sally he said softly, “She must be another of Sarah’s Clan.” It was so quiet on the aircraft that everyone heard and laughed causing him to turn bright red.

“I’ve told you that your voice carries,” said Siobhan as she chuckled at his discomfort and patted his arm.

Rusty had paused on hearing him and now said, “Yes that is Alison. We will be your pilots today.” With that he turned and entered the flight deck. Alison stepped in said, “Hi,” to everyone in the cabin before entering the flight deck. The steps folded up and the cabin door closed. Once it was shut, Conan saw the ground crew pull the chocks away from the wheels and then a few moments later heard the engines spin up. When they turned toward the ramp, Conan saw the ground crewman waving his wands directing them toward the runway. He thought, “This is some airplane.”

“What?” said Siobhan.

“I was just thinking this jet is amazing. Usually you feel bumps as an aircraft rolls across the ramp, like you do in a car. The engines are really quiet as well.”

When they reached the end of the runway, they paused while Alison checked with operations. Since this field did not have a tower, they broadcast their intent to depart. They turned onto the runway and immediately began to accelerate. After a short roll, they lifted off and began to climb rapidly but still well within the limits of the jet’s appearance. To those watching on the ground, it was an executive jet taking off, and not the shuttle it really was.

Shortly after they lifted off Nancy stood and said, “You can now move around. There are refreshments in the galley. Please help yourself.” No one moved as they were riveted on the view out the windows. Several had flown before and were amazed at how quickly the aircraft had risen.

“Nancy, how high are we?” asked Conan.

“Alison will give you the details in a moment.”

Just then they heard Alison say, “We are now leveling out at 200,000 feet. Out the right side you can see North America with the Atlantic Ocean on the left.”

“Wow!” exclaimed several passengers.

“We thought that since we will be talking about working on space ships this week you should see Earth first hand from the edge of space.”

“This is obviously not an executive aircraft,” said Conan.

“That’s correct,” said Nancy. “We disguise our shuttle to look like an executive jet. Guess it was effective?”

“Very much so. Before college I flew in one like this several times with my dad. When I first saw it I didn’t notice anything unusual about it, but now several things stand out. On takeoff the acceleration did not push us back in the seat, and then there is the altitude we are at. Also before we started moving you didn’t say anything about buckling in.”

Unknown to the passengers, the shuttle’s radar signature was so small that ATC radar treated it as noise. Its performance also contributed to the returns being treated as noise. This lack of visibility meant that the flight crew and AI were responsible for avoiding other objects. Once they were over an uninhabited area, cloaking was initiated reducing the chance of them being seen.

It was close to an hour later when the shuttle banked right, then begin descending toward the resort. It settled on the large lawn on the ocean side near the main building. When the door opened everyone could smell the sea air as they hurried out of the shuttle. Once everyone had exited, Rusty stepped to the door and looked out to see if the bags had been unloaded. Seeing they were he said, “See you at dinner. Nancy will stay with you until you are settled in.”

He stepped back inside again and the cabin door closed. The group watched as the shuttle quietly moved toward the ocean then began to rise, as it did, then vanish from sight. Its sudden disappearance caused the group to gasp. Seeing their reaction Nancy smiled and thought, “I guess, I felt that way the first time I saw it disappear.” She then said, “As you can see, the shuttle can become invisible on command. We refer to it as being cloaked. Now if you will come with me, we can get your accommodations squared away.” Nancy led them to the main building. During the short walk she pointed out the different facilities. “Beyond what you can see, there are several recreational areas. We have a swimming pool, tennis, and an exercise room. There is a golf course but we would like to save that for later in the week. Sally has set up an outside dojo. She is an instructor for Aikido, Yoga, Tai Chi, and can probably assist you with other martial art’s practice. Nearly all the staff has some proficiency in martial arts.”

Bob was waiting on the porch and Nancy said, “This is Bob one of my spouses.” There was a look of puzzlement on a few faces. “We have a number of family groups here. Some narrow minded people may call them harems, which to them implies someone is superior, but that is not true for this culture. Our group consists of two men and four women. Bob and I have a daughter and son. Our daughter, Joyce, is a member of Sarah’s Clan and our son, Adam, is with US Special Operations somewhere.”

Inside, Julia, Susan and Alice were waiting by the registration desk. After giving everyone their room keys Julia said, “We have given everyone their own room as we didn’t think to ask your preferences. If you decide to share with someone, we don’t care but would like to know as it will help us locate you. Now Nancy will show you the building where your rooms are located. One more thing, please stay within sight of the main buildings for today.”

Nancy led them to an adjacent building and let them sort out their room arrangements. Before leaving she said, “Lunch will be served in two hours. Shortly before that a chime will sound to remind you.”

“Thanks,” said Siobhan.

Nancy went back to the lobby to wait for Rusty, Sally and Alison to return with the next group. She was quite comfortable with the way things had proceeded so far. As soon as she was in the lobby, her fellow spouses surrounded her and gave her a hug. They broke for a minute and sat down on the couch and cuddled.

“I missed cuddling last night,” said Nancy.

Stan kissed her. “We missed you too even though we were connected with you. I think I have a better understanding of Betsy’s comment regarding touching and cuddling, as it seems more important to us now.”

“Where is the rest of Sarah’s Clan?”

“Sarah, Terry, Joyce and Star are monitoring the guests while they get settled,” replied Julia. “Judy, Jill, and Janet went up to the ship with Jean’s group. Erica asked them to come up and assist with Briana’s friends and those arriving with them. The rest are combing the grounds to determine if there are any lurking surprises. Amy’s Clan, Judy, Jill and Janet will be here by dinnertime. Also, two more pairs of lions will arrive with them.”

“Half of Ann’s group is working on getting dinner set up and the rest are with the nannies back at the island taking care of the babies and the farm.”

Just then there was a chirping sound. “Looks like Rusty and Alison are approaching.” Nancy and Susan rose to go down to meet the shuttle.

The group came out of the shuttle in a hurry followed by Maureen with a screaming woman in an arm lock. Maureen’s dress was torn to the point that she was essentially nude. The woman was swearing and screaming while trying to scratch or hit Maureen.

Rusty and Alison followed them out then subdued the woman attacking Maureen.

Sarah came running over, then stopped just short of them and said, “I’ve got her.” With that the woman quieted down as Rusty and Alison released her. She stood in one spot but continued to twitch and jerk about.

Nancy asked Maureen, “Who is she?”

“You don’t know? She told me you had approved her joining our group for the pickup. None of us have ever seen her before.”

“We haven’t either.” Turning to the group she said, “This is Susan. She will take you to the registration desk where you can pickup the keys for your rooms. After that she will show you to your rooms and tell you of the facilities available. Maureen, can you stay with us for a moment?”

She nodded yes, as the others moved off with Susan.

“Well she wasn’t on our invitation list. Can you tell us what happened?”

“Well she seemed very nervous when she joined us at the pickup point, which didn’t seem too surprising as none of us knew her. I attributed it to her being extremely shy, as most of us are familiar with the feeling. On the way to the airport, she became even more withdrawn. She did ask where we were going when we passed the exit for the commercial airport. Rusty told her we were using a private airport. When Rusty drove onto the airport ramp and up to the jet, she really began to shake. Once we were all on the plane, she seemed to become very pale, quiet and withdrawn. We took off, and when Rusty told us how high we were, she went crazy. The view was beautiful; I just wish I could have seen more of it. But just as I got a good view of Earth, she grabbed the back of my dress and yanked. Fortunately it ripped, otherwise I think I would have bounced off of the cabin wall. From then on it was a free-for-all until I managed to get her in an arm lock. And here we are.”

“We need to make another trip, would you like to go with us?” asked Rusty.

“You bet, but what about her. I need to tell my friends. Is it okay, if I am nude?” she asked as she removed the remains of her dress.

“Susan is telling them now. A couple of people will be here in a few minutes to take care of our surprise guest. Once the medics arrive, we can leave.”

“I’m going on this trip as well,” said Nancy. “I think it is better if we have another person in the cabin.”

Rusty and Alison nodded their agreement as Alison said, “That is why I sent them off with Susan. I guess, I was kind of rude.”

“I didn’t see it that way,” replied Maureen.

A few minutes later two bots arrived with a stretcher followed by Cheri. After the woman was secured to the stretcher and being carried away Cheri said, “I am to go with you.”

“Glad to have you along,” said Nancy as they boarded the shuttle.

“I hope this is quieter than the last trip,” said Maureen. She sat next to Nancy in the window seat. She hardly spoke as she looked out the window on their way to the next pick up point. The next two groups would meet them at the airport.