Sholan Alliance Ch. 04

Billy nodded and rattled off some of the dishes Satasha had made for them and a general quantity they would need. "I am also familiar with how to use the basic fundamentals of the living quarters. I moved into the scout ship about a month ago and Satasha made sure I knew how to use all the features in the living room and bedroom."

Vangie nodded. "I am not sure when they will do the debriefing but I will see about getting some food up here for you." He closed the door and went to order something for them to eat. He also dumped his recording crystal data into the system for the command to review what had been said.

~~~

Billy sighed and after looking around decided the couch looked reasonably comfortable and walked over and after testing it laid down. "Wake me when the food arrives. I am tired and getting at least some sleep before whatever happens happens." Moments later to the disgust of his daughter he fell asleep.

She had been aboard the scout ship as well and there was a drink dispenser though it looked very basic. Sally dialed up a c'shar and wandered into one of the rooms and checked it out and it was fairly basic as well. The bathroom was divided into the actual bathroom with a partition that could be closed and the shower section. The shower section sort of bothered her since it was open and could be accessed from either end.

With a sigh she finished the drink and tossed the cup in the recycler and settled back in a chair and leaned back and fell asleep herself. She was a light sleeper herself and wasn't worried about the doors being opened without waking her.

How long they were asleep she wasn't sure when the door opened. On the other side was a different warrior as well as someone with a large tray of food. She stood up and waved towards the built in table. "Pappa wake up food is here." When he didn't respond she ran her fingernail up his foot which definitely woke him.

He jerked away from her and almost fell on the floor. "Damn girl don't do that or you might get spanked." Billy hated having his foot tickled even though it was a very good way to wake him. Satasha had learned that the hard way when she ran a claw up his foot. He had impaled his foot on her claw and limped for several days as a side effect.

Billy stood up and stretched. "Thank you for the food." He told the one Sholan and then looked at the warrior. "Do you have any idea when we might be debriefed?" That was not something he was looking forward to.

"It will start tomorrow morning. Tonight after you eat one of the telepaths is going to come down and make sure your language implant is correct and to give your child the language." He stepped back in the hall with the other Sholan. "Press the button above the palm reader when you are done eating please." The door closed and Billy walked over to the table and settled down.

Sally followed suit and started eating. "What was the language transfer like?" She was sort of concerned since Satasha had indicated that she had some talent.

Billy contemplated her question for a few minutes. "Well to be honest it made my brain itch which was a very odd feeling. It didn't hurt or anything like that but I did worry about having Satasha fiddling with my brain. I like it the way it is and didn't want any changes." He continued eating till done.

Sally sort of tossed that around in her mind while she was eating and then smiled. "Oh goody, that means I can actually talk to the Sholans and know what they are talking about. I can also ask questions and get to know them and how they are both similar and not similar to us." She looked happy with that idea.

Billy snorted at her. "What you really mean is you want to be able to flirt with the males so don't pull that dissertation flag out and wave it around." She definitely seemed interested in the senior warrior and it didn't really bother him other than not wanting her to be hurt.

He stood up as Sally smirked at him. Billy hit the button he had been told to and moved back to the table and sipped on the c'shar. "I wonder if I could get some of the instant coffee from the ship. This stuff is boring. Give me a good cup of battery acid any day of the week over this."

Before Sally could say anything the door opened and the same warrior was there along with an older Sholan. She had some gray in her hair and he wondered how old she was but banished that thought from his mind. "Good evening or whatever time it is here. Since you have purple on your tabard I assume you are the telepath that is going to implant the language?"

She nodded and gave him a polite smile. "I am and if you don't mind I am going to check your implanted language first since you are pronouncing some of the words oddly and some of the grammar is off a bit as well." She slowly moved towards him and smiled a bit more. "As you did with Lt. Verzilon simply relax and let me into your mind."

Billy sighed. "Probably some of it is a carryover on how I normally speak but do what you need." He rested his arms on the table and took a deep slow breath and did his best to relax as she placed her hands on his temples and started working.

He felt her make a few changes and adjustments to what Satasha had done and by the time she was done he was rubbing his temples. "God that makes my brain itch. Now I am going to have to deal with that for the next hour or so." He looked a bit twitchy at the moment.

"You have some sort of talent that is causing that reaction. I will have to look into it since it is not a talent I am familiar with." She frowned slightly when she said that. They primarily looked for telepaths to the point they excluded what they considered minor talents.

She moved around the table and looked at his daughter and gave her another gentle smile. "I have been informed you have an empathic talent which is good but you need training. Right now I am simply going to implant the language and we will evaluate you later and see what training you need. Relax like your father did and this will be done reasonably quickly."

She placed her fingers on Sally's temples and gently worked her way to the section of the brain she needed and started giving her the language. It was a bit harder than her father since she did have some very basic shields. Eventually she was done. "If you have a headache contact medical and they might have something you can take. If not then talk to the warrior and get an escort to your ship for a pain killer. Right now the best thing you could do is go to sleep and let everything settle in."

Moments later she left the suite and Sally was looking sort of confused and Billy didn't blame her. "Go lay down sweetie and try to sleep. If that doesn't work let me know and we will do as suggested and contact medical."

Billy helped her up since she seemed a bit wobbly and to the room she was going to be using. He made sure she was comfortable before he left the room. Since all they had was the cloths they had on Billy hit the button to get the warriors attention.

The door opened and the male looked in and then at Billy. "What do you need?" His tone was rather brusque since he was not all that pleased with having to guard and help the aliens. Rumor had it that they might have some sort of contact with the enemy.

Billy managed not to frown or growl back at the male. "I would like to see about getting an escort to my ship so I can get some clean cloths, maybe a medical kit, and some toiletries." The last thing he wanted to do was to offend whoever debriefed him with smelly clothes.

The warrior nodded at the request. "I will check and see. I will let you know what their decision is." He closed the door and then Billy growled.

Since there wasn't anything to do at the moment he pulled out his VR glasses and started reviewing his modification to the ship to see what might have provided more power than expected. Since he was fiddling with his equations he decided to redesign the hyper engines themselves. It was to give him something to do as much as anything else.

It was about two hours later when the warrior opened the door to find him apparently writing in the air. He knew what the man was doing but it still looked odd watching him. Curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask. "What are you doing? I understand you are using some VR glasses but what are you working on?"

Billy hit the save button and then waved a hand and the screens he had open vanished. He finally pulled the glasses off and looked at the warrior. "I am working on redesigning the engine on my ship to take advantage of the modifications I have already made. I would show you the math and designs but for some reason every time I do it seems to give people headaches." He shrugged as if to say he didn't know why.

The warrior spoke. "You have received approve for your request and two warriors will be here shortly to escort you to your Ship." He stepped back and closed the door.

Billy put the glasses back on and continued with what he was working on till the warriors showed up. The trip to the ship and back didn't take all that much time. Most of it was packing up several days of clothing for the two of them. He felt really guilty for going through his daughters things to find some clothing but he had to do it. Billy also grabbed one of the medical kits after showing the warriors what was in it. The last thing he grabbed was a canister of instant coffee.

Eventually they made it back to the secure room and after walking in he quietly checked on Sally and she was asleep. He set her bag inside her room and closed the door. He grabbed his stuff and walked into his room. He really had no idea what time it was but he was tired and a bit grumpy. He understood their being careful with them but the attitude of some of the warriors was irritating him.

Billy stripped down and lay down in the bed but was having a hard time getting to sleep. He had gotten used to having Satasha in bed with him. Eventually he did fall into a sort of sleep. In his dreams he kept seeing her being taken away for associating with him and being locked up. It definitely wasn't a comfortable sleep.

Approval had finally come down for Satasha to stay with the two. They had taken into consideration that they were companions. More importantly it was because she was familiar with them. They also hoped that they might talk and see if what they said to each other matched up with what the debriefing had revealed.

Satasha nodded at the warrior and walked into the room when the door was opened. She checked the two rooms to see which Billy was in. Once she figured that out she set a small bag of clothing down next to his and quietly pulled her uniform off and slid into bed next to him. She had really been hoping the request would be approved and was rather startled when it was.

She had noticed him sort of tossing and turning while she was getting ready for bed. Satasha had a feeling that it was because she wasn't there. Once she crawled in bed she curled up next to him and wrapped an arm around him. "Good night Yilly. I hope you sleep better now that I am here." She lightly licked his nose before starting to fall asleep herself.

Billy felt her crawl into bed and woke somewhat. He gave her a kiss before returning the lick. It still seemed a bit odd to do that but it was a sign of affection with the Sholans. "Night love and now that you are here I will sleep better." He curled up close to her and was quickly asleep.

The next morning Billy woke and enjoyed the feel of her soft hair against his skin. He had really gotten used to the feel of her fur as they were curled up. Billy also had gotten very used to having someone in his bed and it really helped him sleep. "Morning love and I am going to use the bathroom and then grab a shower."

Satasha rolled on her back and had a good stretch before standing up. She pulled him close and simply held him for a few minutes. She felt Billy rest his head on her shoulder and she started purring. "It feels so good to be in your arms again Yilly. Also just so you know I have been ordered to not discuss the debriefing with you."

He shrugged. "I rather expected that and I am honestly a bit surprised they let you come down before we were debriefed. On to the shower and hopefully breakfast will be here when we are done." Billy grabbed some clean cloths and his shower kit before walking into the bathroom area. After taking care of business he stripped his shorts off and turned the shower on and adjusted it to the temp that both liked. When he stepped into the shower he tilted his head back and let the water flow through his hair and down his back.

Satasha followed him and once she had used the bathroom joined him and let out a groan of pleasure. "This feels really good and is relaxing my muscles." She felt like she had knots in her back and shoulders from stress.

"Tell me about it. Make you a deal, tonight assuming they allow you in again I will trade massages with you." His back was pretty tense as well but in his case it was worry about what was going to happen to him and Sally. He had no idea of what sort of training Sally might need or how long it would take. For all he knew they might be held here for a while as the Sholans sent a contact team to earth.

As they were talking Sally walked in and blushed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't hear the water running through the door. I am going to use the bathroom and take a shower when you are done." She had found the bag and had a clean set of cloths in her hand.

Satasha smiled at her. "Go ahead and hop in the shower there is plenty of room and we, Sholans that is, tend towards communal bathing since it is much easier to get clean." As she was talking Billy was working shampoo into her hair and started working with her hair.

"Um, maybe, it feels a bit weird to take a shower while my father is in here." She gave a sort of shrug when she said that. If it had been only Satasha she wouldn't have minded and would have jumped in and showered with her. At the college she had gone to the showers were sort of communal as well so she was used to showering with females.

Billy shrugged as well. "It is up to you but it feels really good getting your back washed and since Satasha's hands are a bit rough it feels really good. I promise not to look if you do hop in." He felt a bit odd about that idea as well but Satasha did do communal showers and it was normal for them.

She considered it and finally decided she might as well join them. Satasha would be between the two and that she could deal with. She stripped down and climbed in and the next shower head turned on and she started getting her hair wet. As she was doing that she felt hands in her hair and for a moment almost freaked out before she realized it was Satasha.

"Relax Sally and try and enjoy getting some attention paid to you." She carefully soaped down her hair and then rinsed it out before putting conditioner in it and pinning it up. Next she got some of the body wash they used and started on her back and shoulders. She gave her a light massage since she felt tense and then worked her way down her back. "I am sure you will want to clean your private areas but I will get the back of your legs for you."

Sally had to admit that it really did feel good having her hair done since Satasha had lightly massaged her scalp as well. When Satasha started working on her hair she had to groan slightly since it felt good. "Okay maybe I could get used to this. It will teach me how to help you get clean so if I do get to see the warrior I am interested in if we do a shower I will do it correctly." She said part of that just to tease her father.

Billy had been working soap into Satasha's back when Sally said that and in revenge he reached around Satasha and thumped her on the back of her head. "Your father doesn't need to know details like that or he might get revenge by talking about the first time or two I showered with Tasha."

This time it was Satasha who turned and smacked Billy. "No telling secrets and things like that. Both of you behave or I will have to separate you."

Both laughed at her and her reaction. Eventually they were done and when they came into the living area breakfast was on the table. "Smells edible though it isn't something I have had before." There was something that looked sort of like scrambled eggs, toast, some sort of meat, and some fruit drink. It was edible but not something he would eat daily since the taste was a bit off.

Once they were done the door opened and there were two warriors and they stepped in. "Mr. Madlax if you will come with us we will take you to the debriefing room." The other warrior did much the same with Satasha. "We will debrief your daughter once you have been debriefed or to a certain extent and yes you can sit in with as long as you remain quiet."

Billy nodded. "Sally give me your glasses since I will probably need them." He took them from her and turned to the warrior. "Let's go and get my brain picked over or whatever you are going to do with it."

The warrior had to smile slightly at that. "I promise we will put it back together the way we got it." He was obviously teasing and when Billy grinned the warrior smiled even more. "I am glad you have a sense of humor sir. It will make the day go by better than if you were grumpy."

He led Billy out of the room and down the hall. They didn't go very far to get to the briefing room. He watched Satasha being led into the one next to the one he was led into. Once inside he found several Sholans in there. He was waved to a fairly comfortable chair.

"I am Commander Z'shon, this is truthsayer G'Houl, and engineer Lt. H'Zalon. We are here to debrief you on how you met Lt. Verzilon and what if anything she might have told you that might be considered classified or might impact on your civilization. Once we have that done or at certain points the engineer is going to want to see the equations you worked up. This is to ensure that Lt. Verzilon didn't just give them to you. Do you understand everything I said?" He wanted to make sure that the alien did understand what he was saying as well as checking his Sholan language implant.

Billy nodded. "I understand and from what Tasha told me there would be a truthsayer in the room which I assume is you since you have purple on your robes." He nodded towards G'Houl and got a nod back.

"I need to touch your forehead to create a link with you since you are an alien. If you were Sholan I could just create the bond without having to touch you." He leaned over and pressed a finger between Billy's eyes and just above his nose. It took a bit of time before he sat down. "I now have the link and can only sense your surface thoughts and if what you say is true or true to the best of your knowledge."

Once Billy nodded the officer got started. "Please tell me how you first met Lt. Verzilon and what happened in the first few days."

"Well I was hung over from a night on the town and was sitting outside..." Billy went on to describe his reaction and the next few days. The Lt. had a number of questions till they got to the part with the re-crystallization of the warp tubes. At that point the engineer stepped in so to speak.

"I would like to see the equations you in theory worked out so I can compare them to ours." When Billy pulled out the VR glasses and handed them over the engineer to put on which he did.

Once he linked the glasses together he waved a hand and a number of VR screens appeared. "Well she did mention or I should say asked why I didn't just re-crystallize the tubes. She didn't give me any further information on how the process worked. What I ended up with was..." He explained how the equations worked and the process he had used to re-crystallize the tubes. "While I was at it some potential design changes to the hyper engines occurred to me and..." He described both the hardware, firmware, and software changes he had made.