Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 09

Back on Earth a crew of Sholan's with a number of staff for the Embassy on Shola was ready to leave. The former pirate ship had been essentially gutted of any and all information, personal items, and refurnished. It had been cleaned inside and out and painted with colors Billy had requested. For the most part they were standard ship colors which were designed to keep people relaxed. All the luggage had been loaded on and everyone had been brought aboard the night before. Since Billy had made his opinion known about the females coming back on it the launch had been moved forward.

It was going to be about three weeks for the ship to reach Shola since this ship didn't have the modifications of the Sandi. That would come later once Billy had a chance to get his hands on the ship. Once everyone was on board they contacted the local earth to space controller and received a flight path. Once they had that and launch permissions they lifted off and headed towards space. It was going to take time to get out of orbit since everything was heavily locked down and especially for ships coming into the system and leaving the system.

Once they had reached orbit and received permission to leave Near Earth Orbit they followed the neutral zone towards the edge of the system and then jumped to hyper. All of the Sholan's had been trained on using both the ship systems as well as the weapon systems. As far as the new staff for the Embassy they were going to be getting some training on basic emergency protocols just in case. When they hit hyper everyone settled down since it was going to be some time before they arrived on Shola.

~~~

The following morning back on Earth Amelia showed up at the Barque and after asking to see the females was shown to their cabins. She gave the warrior outside a smile as she requested admittance to the rooms. "I need to talk to the ladies about going to Shola. There have been a few changes which they need to know about."

Shojim gave her a salute out of respect for her and her life mate. "They are awake Lady Amelia and please go in. If you need any help please contact me and I will have some of the other warriors come in." He activated the door controls and gave her a pleasant smile.

Amelia reached over and rested a hand on his arm. "You are a very good young man. I have seen how you and the other warriors have been helping the women. It shows what sort of men you are. The women are fortunate to have your support." After one last squeeze of his arm she slowly walked into the room and settled down in a chair Savanna pulled out for her. "Thank you sweetie, I appreciate it." One of the other ladies brought over a cup of coffee for her and she gave her a pleased smile.

"So what brings you here Amelia? What news do you have for us?" Bitty came over and settled down in a chair across from her. Bitty was looking better than she had been but wasn't completely up to par.

Amelia leaned forward and grasped her hand. "Billy contacted Ike this morning and let's just say he was less than impressed with the idea of you going back on the pirate ship. Ike wasn't either since he hadn't known about it. The Sandi is being sent to earth with supplies to help with the relief effort. Once they have dropped those off they are going to pick you up and take you to Shola. Billy is going to have quarters ready for you when you arrive." She took a sip of the coffee after speaking.

Bitty chortled at that. "I don't even want to know what Billy had to say about it. I know him and I am sure he had something pithy to say." Her expression tensed and she had to tighten her jaw muscles. "I am honestly glad we don't have to think about or consider going back on that thing. To be honest we did discuss it and we would have chosen not to go."

Amelia looked at Angel and gave her a tired smile. "Billy has indicated all the rooms on the Sandi have internal locks on the doors. It doesn't matter if you four woman share two rooms or if your warriors share the room the doors will open only to those who are occupying it. Each room has two beds in it though the shower and facilities are communal. Vangie and several of his warriors are bringing her back at the moment so you will know some of the crew."

Angel was sitting on one of the beds and leaned against the warrior who had chosen to stay close to her. "Thank you Lady Amelia for the information and I am not sure about the others but I almost want a warrior in my room so I know I am safe. It might be stupid but if anything happens I want to feel safe." As well as someone who would take care of her if they were boarded though she didn't honestly expect that.

Savanna had to agree with that though Bitty and Clarice would have to think about it. Even though they did trust their warriors they weren't sure about having a male in their rooms even if they were Sholan and ones they had known for several months.

Amelia was holding onto her cane and listening as they women were talking. She gave everyone in the room a good look. "If that is what you, Savanna and Angel, want then that can be arranged and for Clarice and Bitty you can share a room with your warriors across from you in the room on the other side of the p-way. There will be a few others going back with you since the other ship couldn't hold everyone." She waited to see if there were any other questions. "If you will excuse me I have an appointment in medical."

Savanna stood and helped Amelia up and gave her a light hug. "I hope they can help you ma'am. They have done so much for us." She moved back and watched Amelia move out of the room before she turned to Shojim and wrapped her arms around him. "Would you mind using the other bunk in the room? I don't want to force you and don't want to build any sort of expectation." Damn it to hell if she hadn't been so damaged she would have strongly considered asking him to share her bed once or twice. It wasn't just that he wasn't human but he was a damn fine male.

Shojim wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug. "How could I mind? Even as much as we have been impressed with Crystal's strength in dealing with what has happened we have been impressed with you. You being the others who were impacted by this crap. I don't have any expectations other than wanting to introduce you to the other warriors I know and my family since you are all such strong females. If you want me in your room then so be it. If you want a lock on the door to feel safe so be it. You and the rest are our mascots."

~~~

Sue Anne and her husband were at one of the local diners when a young woman approached. "Ma'am I would like to have a talk with you and your husband about your expanding business." She handed a card over and hoped they wouldn't react too much. "It is of a great deal of importance that we talk." Her card indicated she was a member of the FBI.

Sue Anne looked at the card and barely managed not to react. "Well I guess though next time please schedule an appointment. I don't appreciate being approached when I want a quiet lunch." She handed the card to her hubby for him to review. "So what are you wanting to discuss?" She asked before ordering some food.

The woman nodded at Sue Anne's comment. "Normally I would have but I just arrived in town and happened to notice the two of you here. As far as what I would like to discuss I would prefer it to be in private. I am sure you understand. I will call your office and schedule an appointment in the next day or two. Have a good day and I will see you later." She left the booth they were sitting at and went back to her booth and finished her food.

From what little they had on the ones who had attempted to assassinate Ambassador Madlax as well as information from the pirate ship there was a massive conspiracy. Since Sue Anne was a good friend of the Ambassador not to mention his shocking new tech it was a good chance they would try to get a finger hold in the new company. To either prevent this or to use it to identify even some of who might be involved they needed access to the company. She had been sent here to talk to Sue Anne and see about getting hooked up.

Once she was done eating she paid her bill and left the Diner since she had finished the contact portion of the job. Now was waiting to have a meeting with them and explain why she was there. She also knew the ship who had been chased in system by the fuckers who had destroyed the habitat had been taken into custody. Beyond that she didn't have any idea of what might be going on with it.

~~~

The Swiss had taken the ship into protective custody which was a polite way of they weren't taking chances. Between the attempt on some of the lives of those in their care and the apparent death of one of the females they weren't feeling very trusting. The moment the ship had slowed down she had been boarded by an armed force and taken over. The entire crew had been brought over to the combat ship and detained. They had been informed it was simply procedure but that was a lie.

When they arrived at the Swiss base the other pirates had been taken to the crew of the ship were escorted off and taken to be processed. They had bioscans, finger prints, DNA, and facial pictures done. Once that was taken care of they were escorted to some secure quarters for the moment. If what they had said panned out then they would be released with an apology but if not then it would be taken from there.

The ship itself was shut down and power removed from all systems. For the next few days it was going to be a case of every last inch of it was to be scoured for any and all information on where she had been. It was going to include as many different forensics tests as possible to identify anyone who had been onboard in the last six months. The engines were to be checked for wear and tear to see if that matched up with the ship logs. It was going to take some time to deal with but at the moment several of the world leaders didn't care. They wanted to know who was behind this fucking mess.

It was going to take time for them to clear the ship and the Swiss had already decided if the ship was going to be taken it was going to the Ambassador. The pirate ship had just left and this would be a good test ship as well. As bad as it sounded they were willing to destroy several small ships before implementing the changes on a larger ship.

~~~

The following evening Mizaki and Dani were curled up on the sofa and doing their best to relax. It had been very enjoyable but much of that had been the damn link. He was feeling rather frustrated that this had been forced on them. It wasn't necessarily for him so much as for Dani. Everyone on Shola knew that the potential was there and from what he understood it had been ages since anyone had fought the link. Much of his anger was for Dani since this wasn't her world and culture. It didn't matter that they only had to come together ever five days. Even if she did find someone else, human or Sholan, she was still going to feel constrained by the Link.

Dani was sitting next to Mizaki and was leaning against his side as her legs were draped across his lap. She knew he was thinking and hard but he was using the shielding or filters they had been taught to keep her from knowing about what. Then again she was doing much the same since their link day was over and now that she could think of something other than getting screwed by him she was also. Dani was still horrified by the whole link thing but she had to admit that last night he had screwed her to the point she was more satisfied than she had ever been. Her former boyfriend had been enjoyable but good god Mizaki was... She couldn't even think of an adequate description.

Before she realized it she had fallen asleep curled up next to him and even as he was thinking she was quietly snoring against his side. In her dreams she felt like she was asking why this had happened and the response made her feel strange. She could see a dark figure in a robe who was either starting to sit down or standing while picking up some weapons. "Enshalla young one, enshalla. Accept the link and your Leska. He will take care of you."

When she jerked awake it was late and Mizaki was asleep next to her on the sofa. She tried to move and had to groan since her body wasn't happy with her. She was stiff and sore from the position she was in. "Wake up Mizaki and lets go to bed. I am going to feel like hell if I stay here." She yawned and poked him till he woke up.

~~~

Crystal and Kingie had settled into his room since the two of them had the dinner. It had been hard for her to do more than simply sleep next to him but damn it she did want more. Even if she had been raped and abused by those bastards on that ship she was still a young woman. She did have urges, wants, and needs and right now she wanted Kingie in a bad way. She had been talking to the therapists about how best to deal with this. Their general consensus was that as long as she didn't feel like she was using him to feel whole again then take it easy and ask him.

She did understand that since they had been very clear about some people turning to their rescuers as a crutch to feel somewhat alive. Since she hadn't known Kingie before he had saved her and simply latched onto him as someone who she felt would protect her she didn't think it was that. At the moment she was back in the garden in front of the house which she had grown to love. It helped keep her calm and allowed her to think. Why that was she didn't know but it was such a lovely place.

While she was out there Amahs came out and settled in the chair next to Crystal and relaxed. "What are you thinking Crystal? I could smell you were tense when I came home from school. You were also smelling scared and somewhat..." She couldn't really describe the emotion.

Crystal made room for her and wrapped an arm around the younger girl as she curled up next to her. When Amahs asked her what she was thinking she didn't even blush. She had been thinking about it enough recently that it was not an issue to stress over, or so she thought. She tried to consider the best way to reply and finally did. "I guess you could say in a way I am starting to come into my first heat sort of like India. It isn't the same for humans but it is the best description. I care for Kingie a great deal but with what happened I am scared."

Amahs had sort of figured that out since Crystal was close to the age most Sholan females went into heat. She loved her brother but the idea that someone might find him interesting in that way made her want to shudder. "Oh... Um, well... Okay." Now she wished she hadn't asked.

That was almost what Crystal needed from her and she sniggered at Amahs. "Not sure what to say about someone finding your brother interesting huh?" She sighed and gave the girl a light hug. "I know it is a horrible thought but Kingie is a very wonderful person and he has done so much for me. I made it hard for him at times but he stuck with me and I can't think of someone I might be interested in more than him."

Amahs gave Crystal a hug since she had talked to both her brother and her parents. They hadn't said much but she could read between the lines. "Then talk to him Crystal. I am sure he will understand your fears and worries. He is a pretty good older brother."

Crystal wished it was that easy but to her it wasn't. She needed to do more thinking on the subject before anything might even happen. "Why don't you go inside Amahs? I need to do some more thinking please." She gave the girl a hug before urging her out of the chair they were in.

~~~

Billy was again in the design office and for the moment he was just with what he had started calling his team. They were still working on the engine design he was thinking of the original schematics for the pirate ship. They were the ship builder's designs and he knew there were going to be major changes. He had sent a request for any and all details of the search of the ship after capture. That might take a bit of time to get it cleared through the various agencies involved. While Z'Marl was doing some low level design with the others since most of it was just data entry.

On the main holotable he had the wire design for the ship. Using the information he had from the taking of the ship he could not the physical changes. That would allow him to make some guesses on some other changes. Though he couldn't guarantee it the engine was probably going to the original. Replacing either the n-space or hyper engines was a very massive project. Even for a corvette like this it would require removing large sections of the hull and internal compartments. Going with that he was going to do some basic redesign of the engines. For this he could use many of the original modifications to the Sandi.

He made a few gestures with his hands and the ship expanded and scrolled to the left till the engine was showing. He started tapping on one tooth as contemplated it and then changed to an exploded view of the engines. Once they were expanded he called up several VR screens and started making notes. How long he was doing that he didn't know. He had been focusing enough on it when a set of claws ran up his sides he squealed like a school girl. Billy was standing on the tips of his toes and his entire body was quivering in reaction.

When he finally recovered and whirled around Satasha was giving him an impudent grin. "You are ignoring your Leska and soon to be triad partner. Either you feed us or you sleep on the couch." From the other end of the room she could hear some badly muffled snickers at his reaction.

Since Billy was still trying to get his heart to start working again all he could do was glower at her. When he was finally able to speak he was definitely grumpy sounding. "Fine, I will feed you, I think I have some of those kitty treats left you love. You know the ones from Earth?" He could hear the muffled laughter as well and he slowly turned his head and looked at them. "Is there something amusing going on?"

Z'Marl outright laughed. "Well other than damn near scaring the fur off me yup, she walked right up to you, sniffed your hair, and you didn't notice. She had to get your attention somehow." Her eyes were dancing with amusement when she replied.

"I am going to find you a nice large cardboard box to curl up in. I am going to take a picture and post it to all the media sites." Now that was wrong but he was feeling rather ganged up on at the moment. He straightened his robes and realized he was hungry as well. "Shall we go eat? Now that my thought process has been messed up I am hungry." Billy saved the screens and closed the file on the ship diagrams.

At the mention of cardboard boxes all the Sholan's stared at him with a confused look. He snickered and made a mental note to order a few boxes just to tease them. He knew that Dani and Sally would probably kill him.

He gave one last stretch and wrapped his arms around Satasha and gave her a gentle kiss. "I will get you later for your evil attack but for the moment I am hungry. Green Goddess sound good?" He wasn't in the mood to make anything. That and he needed the distraction. He knew Dani was at the end of her first real link day and he needed a distraction.

Z'Marl came over and gave him a good hug and kiss as well. "How about Feline Frenzy instead? I hear it is really good and is sort of a finger food place. I am not feeling formal and I have heard good reviews on it." She leaned against him and nosed his hair before running her tongue up his neck.

Billy snorted at the name of the place. "I think Dani mentioned that place and she enjoyed it... Well before all the crap happened to her and Mizaki." He made a face before looking at the others. "Go on home and I will see you in the morning. I am going to spend the evening with my ladies and actually try and relax." He gave them a pleased smile before turning and offering each woman an arm and walked out of the Embassy.