Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 02

"We are approaching the enemy base and have destroyed seven of the combatants. Orders General?"

"Order the troop transport to launch the landing craft, detail two claws of fighters to provide cover and slow us down. I want us at least one thousand kunlong away from the base." He didn't care about the troops since they were expendable. If any of the major ships were destroyed without a very good reason it would screw his plans up as well. "Make sure a complete log of the battle, information on the enemy, and communications is sent to the courier. Once they receive it they are to leave system and report to the HQ."

The comm. officer took care of getting the data package ready and sent it on its way. "Data sent via hyper drone General. Upon receipt of the drone the courier will send the drone back."

~~~

When the troop ships landed and the troops started entering the base the bomb detonation was set off. The base, nearby ships, and the transport vanished in a boiling fury of blackness. For a very brief moment a micro black hole appeared before it collapsed. For the microsecond it existed it sucked in everything nearby including the enemy ships as well as friendly ships.

"By the first Egg what the hell was that?" The sensor officer swore as a circular gap appeared in the asteroid belt where the base had been. "General a weapon went off that doesn't match anything we have seen or used before. I can't tell you what it was other than it seems to have swallowed up the base and everything nearby." Fear scent could be smelled pouring from the males body.

The General looked at the display and ordered a replay and swore himself. "With draw all ships near the asteroid belt. As they retreat have them do as much damage as possible but do not take chances. Keep all possible sensors scanning where the base was and send out another drone with all the data possible. Encrypt it for the Emperor's eyes only."

~~~

The pirate smirked when the station and transport were wiped out. That seemed to give pause to the enemy since they appeared to be pulling back a fair amount. "Take us out of orbit and keep it slow. Follow the belt till we are well away and then make a run out of the system."

By now his forces had been decimated though they had done a fair amount of damage to whoever had attacked him. He most definitely wasn't pleased since it was very possible his life would be terminated at any point. Chances were very good some of the Organizations special operatives were on board and would kill him for his failure. "I am going to my cabin and don't disturb me unless it is critical."

~~~

Billy had called Vangie into his office at the consulate and waved him to a chair. "I have an idea that you might just like." He still had that evil look on his face from earlier.

Vangie cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "I recognize that look and it seems to indicate pain and suffering for some poor bastard. I have a feeling it deals with Signey and the subject of her interested. Do tell what evil thoughts are traveling through your mind."

Billy snickered at him. "Well I was thinking that I need to go through and clean my weapons. I know you have indicated interest in the workings of my antiques. I was rather thinking that you could invite me over to your house so I can show you how to clean them. If said boy showed up at the same time..." His smile widened as he was speaking and the deviltry was dancing in his eyes.

Vangie's muzzle wrinkled in amusement. "Even better we can have Kingie come over as well and you can show both of us how to clean and maintain your weapons." He scratched an ear for a moment. "Why don't we have Kingie invite Crystal over as well and have a family evening of it?"

Both of them traded evil smirks and fist bumped. It was something Billy had recently taught both Kingie and Vangie just to annoy his girls. "That sounds like a deal and how about Friday? That will give me time to take care of a few things like a trip to my ship and have a meal catered."

Vangie had to shake his head. "Yilly I am glad I am on your good side. When that evil streak of yours breaks loose you can be a total bastard. Those three are still being snubbed and especially by the females. The last time the leader of the three made a pass at a female he got clawed and told to go rot."

Billy snorted. "I didn't even have to work hard on that punishment. If I had been less pissed off it would have been worse." He had to grumble. "Tasha kept nixing my really good ideas so that was what I had to settle for."

Vangie stood. "Well I need to go and let Holla know as well as Sally. I will let Holla suggest to Signey that she invite the boy over for a formal meeting. I want to make sure and introduce him to all my family and friends." As he left the office his tail and ears were showing serious amusement at Billy's suggestion.

Billy smiled and then contacted Tasha. *Hey love, we are going to be going to Vangie's on Friday. It is going to be a family dinner since pretty much everyone is invited. Us, Dani and Z'Marl, Crystal and Kingie, Sandi and Jenna and I am looking forward to it. Would you mind setting up a caterer for it?*

He could sense Satasha contemplating his request. *I am not going to ask what you are up to you evil man. I know that it is safer that I don't ask since I have a feeling this is related to the other morning.* She was definitely getting to know how his mind worked.

Billy tried the innocent act just because. *I just want to have a quiet evening with everyone. I don't know why you are suspecting me of an ulterior motive. I feel hurt by your insinuation.*

Satasha mentally growled at him. *Quiet my ass and have you decided where you are going to bury the body?* Just for good measure she mentally snorted as well. *I have things to do and will see you this evening.*

Billy snickered at her reaction before going back to work. There wasn't actually a great deal of work for him yet so he normally was able to get the Ambassadorial work done first thing. Then he dealt with any paperwork from Sue Anne and the company she was managing on Earth. Once that was done he would retire to his design room and keep working on the upgrades he had been.

Now that he had several different jobs as well as access to some of the Sholan computers he was starting over. The basic design was solid but he was going to take his time and do his best to work out the entire engine design before he did anything. Before with the urgency he was doing bit work on it. Now he could start from the beginning and incorporate the changes he had come up with.

Z'Marl was in the room already and she was working on updating the notations for the drive so the Sholan computers could process them. Billy was getting better with the math notations they used but he wanted to make sure that it was correct when input. "Hey hun, how are you doing?" He leaned over and nuzzled her ear for a moment before drawing her into a kiss.

Just to tease him she grumbled at him. "I know why you wanted me as your companion... It is so you give me the headaches and avoid giving them to anyone else." When he kissed her she licked his nose before nipping it lightly. "That is for being a meanie."

Billy twitched back and frowned at her. "I know better than that." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You have been happier in the last couple of weeks now that you are both working and using your brain. Your smile has been less forced and you aren't trying to hide just how intelligent you are. I love the change I am seeing." He was stroking her ears as he was talking to her.

Z'Marl leaned against him and rubbed her head against his abdomen. "Thank you Yilly and I am happier. I was happy before but now I am even happier. What you are doing with the n-space drives as well as the h-drives is simply fascinating and forcing me to stretch my mind. After watching you and your girls not only admitting to being frigging brilliant but reveling in it has encouraged me." She had to snicker. "I think half the boys and some of the girls in the classes Dani is taking are scared of her. Well intellectually that is, I know of several boys who are rather interested in her but are scared to admit it. I think one said something about not wanting to annoy her father for some reason."

Billy kept stroking her ears and hair as she was talking. "I have to admit myself that I am greatly enjoying getting back into designing things. Working with you is very enjoyable as well. I was wondering if you had any plans this evening? I would like to take you to dinner and then spend the night with you." At the mention of the boys he did snicker. "Good, if they are smart they will actually talk to her and get to know her. If they are simply looking for a night with a human female then..." He growled slightly.

She leaned into him a bit more. "That would be very enjoyable and thank you. Now I need to get back to work you silly man." She moved away from his hug and started working on the data again.

Billy had to smile to himself. He had major plans this evening and he hoped she would approve. "I have some things to do as well. I am taking this afternoon off and letting my brain toss around a few ideas that I am considering. If you have any questions I am going to be in our quarters." He left the room and headed for their quarters.

When he walked in he found Satasha there as he had expected and walked over and gave her a hug. "I am inviting both you and Z'Marl out to dinner this evening. There are a few things we need to talk about and especially our relationship. I am going to take a nap and then get ready to go out this evening."

She had to smile since she had a fairly good idea of what he was thinking about. "Go and relax and I will make the reservations." After a good kiss she watched him head towards the bedroom.

~~~

Billy had reviewed the data on the Triads and had come to the conclusion much of it was true. He did have the bond with Satasha and could feel a bond with Z'Marl as well. He wasn't sure if she was feeling it yet but it was drawing them closer together and sooner than later they would pair. It would be similar to when he had paired with Satasha with their memories merging. It wouldn't have the drive to pair every five days though. Periodically they would be drawn together but not on a scheduled basis.

At first the idea sounded odd much in the way it had been odd when he had first had sex with her. It wasn't the way he had been raised and he had never been in a relationship with more than one woman at a time. It might be normal for Sholan's but not for him. He had been forced to do a great deal of thinking since he had met Satasha. Probably the hardest part he had to come to terms with was Satasha potentially meeting someone she wished to spend time with. That had actually happened and he had to really struggle to deal with his reactions. The Sholan half of him was pleased that someone had found her attractive. The human half had been rather appalled and shocked though he had no room to complain.

He hadn't spoken to Satasha about it since it was well within her rights though he knew that the link day following her encounter had been a bit stressed. She had given him room to contemplate and come to terms with it. She had also been upfront about it yet not tried to toss it in his face so to speak. It had made him somewhat grumpy as he was dealing with his feelings but once he had come to terms with it he hadn't had a problem.

Billy pulled his attention back to what he had been contemplating and it did feel right. Tonight he was going to ask Satasha to be his lifemate and also ask Z'Marl to be the second mate in the Triad. He had talked to both Dani and Sally about it and both were pleased. Dani was still working on the cultural differences not to mention her encounter with Z'Marl. As he was thinking he eventually fell asleep.

Satasha came into the room and smiled at Billy as he lay there sleeping. Most of the dressings were off though his arm was still strapped to his chest most of the time. The surgeon was planning on one more operation for a final fix. That was going to be a minor surgery and after that the physical therapy would start. He was going to have scars for the rest of his life but he would be pretty close to a hundred percent when done.

She walked over and settled down beside him and gently stroked his face. "How can such a stinker look so innocent while sleeping?" Satasha murmured.

Z'Marl had just come in and heard her and had to grin. "Probably because he has no guilt issues when he deals out his evilness." She settled down as well and stroked his hair. "We are going to dinner tonight if he didn't mention it. He also wanted to spend the night with me as well. I have to admit I am looking forward to it."

Satasha looked up and smiled at her. "Yilly did mention both dinner and spending the night. He invited me to the dinner but for some reason not for the night." She winked at Z'Marl when she said that and ducked when she batted at her.

Billy had awoken and started snickering. "That is because I didn't think either of you would go for it. Now if you are interested..." He sat up as he was talking and snickered at the frowns from the two. "I guess not, oh well such is life."

"Daddy stop teasing your mate and companion." Dani called from the living area. "That is just mean of you and I will do something like dye your hair green or some other horrible color. I do hope the three of you have a nice dinner out." She was going out with several Sholan's from the classes she was taking. As of now she had washed her hands of her former boyfriend. He had sent a letter encouraging her to come back to earth and college to be with him.

He simply snickered before getting up and pulling out a good robe and some of his accoutrements for it. Billy felt silly wearing the Ambassadorial seal but for tonight he was going with it. Both bracelets were on and he had even buffed them so they had a nice shine. "I am going to grab a quick shower and then get dressed." Before he moved he gave both women a good kiss.

~~~

Once Dr. Desjean had finished giving the medical report on the ladies and the recommended treatment plan she sat back down. She was needed till Ceolura told her she could leave. Chances were good that this would take till lunch. It wasn't a problem since she now had a second doctor aboard the Barque.

The Ambassador reviewed the information and after asking a handful more questions she dismissed the ladies. "I am going to take into consideration all the points made, both by you as well as the Doctor. Once I have composed my findings I will forward them to Alrel for review. I should have an answer for you in about a week. I am going to recommend that this be approved for the length of the treatment first and further review after that. I am also going to forward this to the human Ambassador for review as well."

Bitty snickered slightly. "I am pretty sure I know what Billy will have to say about it. He will probably grump about having a bunch of women dumped on him even as he finds a safe place for us." The four of them stood and walked out of the room.

Ceolura glanced over at Amanda. "Would you care to stay for lunch? Ike normally comes by for lunch to touch base with me and discuss any issues off the books." As she was talking she stood and stretched. "I hate sitting in one spot for any length of time. For some reason it always makes my tail stiff."

Amanda knew it was going to hurt getting up. She had been sitting to long but hadn't wanted to disturb the conversation. With a sigh she carefully slid forward and using her cane finally was able to stand. It did hurt and would hurt for a while since she couldn't take her pain meds on an empty stomach. "I think I would prefer to lay down for a while. I need to eat something and then take my meds."

Dr. Desjean didn't know Amanda had any problems since Ceolura had specifically not told her. "Lady Amanda if you wouldn't mind coming to medical I might have something for the pain. Something you don't need to have to eat before taking." Her ears were forward as she talked to the woman.

Amanda started to frown at Ceolura since she felt like she was being setup. Ceolura shook her head. "I haven't said anything to her about your medical problems. She was here simply to give her opinion on the ladies."

Dr. Desjean looked between the two of them and had to wonder what was going on. "If needed I can step out or just go to medical. If you want to come past please do but that is your choice." She stood up and shook out her tabard and doctors jacket while waiting for a reply.

Amanda contemplated Ceolura and everything she could read in her posture and expression indicated the truth. She hadn't done this to set her up or to get her to medical. She had wanted her there to listen to the females and the doctors opinion. "Fine, I will go to your medical and get examined. I do not want to hear another word about this at all."

Ceolura nodded. "It is your call Amanda and nothing will be said. If you wish to go then go but please don't do it for any other reason than your wanting to go. I would never put pressure on anyone to do something they didn't want to do. It goes against my training and beliefs." She looked at the doctor. "Only do what she allows and no pressure for anything else. I will let Ike know that you will be here for lunch."

Once Ceolura had left the room Dr. Desjean gave Amanda a questioning look. "I was not informed of any medical issue you might have. I can tell simply by observation that something is wrong with your hip and you are in pain. If all you want is something for the pain then so be it. I would appreciate a chance to examine what is wrong but as the Ambassador said that is your decision. Will you please allow me to just do a regular scan?"

Amanda sighed. "Fine, one scan and what does that consist of?" When the doctor offered her an arm to hold onto she took it since she was going to need the help.

"It is simple, painless, and only takes about fifteen minutes. I have you lay down on a table, have the scanner hood come over you and then scan. It will produce a 3D image of what is being scanned. In this case I am assuming it is something either bone or nerve related so would scan for both of those. The scans can be adjusted for specifics such as cancer, disease, telepathic issues, and more." She was making sure that her pace was matching Amanda's. "This is pretty much what we had to do for Yilly both when he was ill and when he was shot."

Amanda listened carefully and had to admit the procedure didn't sound to bad and once done she would be done with the nagging. Ike had been suggesting it as well though he was very subtle about it. "Fine, do the scan and let's get this overwith. I am sorry I am being so grumpy but I have been dealing with this for a number of years and am sick and tired of people wanting to poke and prod me."

Dr. Desjean couldn't help but twitch her ears in amusement. "I can understand that and believe me the ladies have said much the same. In this case once we have the basic scan I should be able to quickly tell if we can be of help to you or not. If so then where we go with it will be up to you." She showed her into medical and the scan room. "Let me lower the table so you can get on it easier. The bed is self molding so you should be comfortable while the scan is happening."

Amanda settled down on the bed and had to wiggle a bit. "Oh my, I might have Ike see what we need to do to get one of these." As it warmed up she relaxed even more and settled for watching the cover come down over the bed.

It wasn't much later when the doctor came back over. "All done and I will review this today and send you the results tomorrow. After that if you wish to discuss my findings just contact me aboard ship." She showed her out of medical and to the Ambassador's suite.