Astra Pt. 04

He is putting that money to work. These new patents will generate more. That he will push into the stations and buying engines for the new ship designs he is submitting. Then who knows what he will do."

Jack smiled, "We have a couple of weeks before everything will be formalized with this management and support contract for the shipyards. I want to look at number 4 while I am thinking about it and put it under contract with people building the battleships and destroyers.

At least the dock section. A subcontractor to have them manage that section as they will want to prioritize their ship build schedules; this will become important as some others come in for retrofitting in Dock 1.

Then the cruisers and military Concept vessels at the 5th one controlling the dock only again. The 6^th will be under you and a catch-all when other docks are busy you can work overflow into that dock."

James wrote a bunch of notes, "You want these stations completed in this order?" He looked at him, "The docks need to be completed, the security and sensor arrays. The retail space and the rest can be slowly rolled for all I care. Business-wise it makes sense to do them one and then the next. From a needs perspective; we need the first 3 docks.

Don't start at number 4 until the first is completed. We need those docks. We finish each station in that order. But we get those docks working quickly."

James nodded, "The Air Frame designers are waiting on the president to approve the new designs."

Jack nodded, "I know I got the cost specs and modeling designs to go through in order to give the feedback to the president on those. I will get that knocked out in 2 to 3 hours."

Gloria looked at Jack, "That is a lot of data to go through."

Francine chuckled, "He works on 12 display with 3 keyboards and every display is running something different. Not counting what he is doing on those pads he carries around."

Jack smiled, "Lots of interesting things. Like the new station designs, the new ship designs for commercial and civilian travel to colonies. Construction ships and alien technology. Stuff for hybrids to use."

Francine shook her head, "How did you get so smart?"

He pointed at the two of them, "Plus several others who are very talented in their fields who were relativities. The uncle I lived with was very talented and encouraged my academics with my sword work and piloting activities. He was amazed at how my mind worked.

I was 7 and he was going over some advanced accounting sheet and I pointed out some errors I saw, just in passing. Come to find out I found someone in his company who was embezzling. He took credit for the find; he received a nice bonus and he asked what I wanted to do.

I told him and he spent some of that to encourage me. My Mother's Brother. He was the one who had my IQ tested when I was 8. He had all the family history books on the engineering legacy and I just absorbed it like a sponge. Now I see all these problems and I am formulating the solutions one on top of the other.

I had to shut myself off to get a lot of that detail into blueprints and plans of action. Locking myself in the lab for a week to get it all going. Like this meeting. Also, the 4,000+ patents Grace is filing into the patent office. All came out of this one week of solitude. That is the other thing, hybrids do not require sleep. They can and should, but when the need arises, they are ever vigilant guardians."

Jack shook everyone's hands so they could be on their way. He went to the freight elevator and went to the lab. He had shadows. He looked back at Grace and tossed her something. She smiled, "A new belt for my pants. You made it out of your new metal."

He nodded and put one on. He looked at her, "Strike me." She sighed and went to do a playful slap and her hand bounded away. She looked at his belt, "You built a shield belt!"

Jack shook his head, "No." He summoned up both blades and went through swinging at her and passing the blades through her. She went to smack his arm away and got stopped again. He looked at her, "Psi belts. Telekinesis. Like the sword is a focus the belt is one for a telekinetic shield. Hybrids only or those with telekinesis. Now focus your telekinetic energy at your belt buckle."

She did and he swung and the blades bounced off her until she lost focus. He smiled, "Exercise the mind."

He pointed, "Sit." She sat down. "Focus on your mind and ask how the swords are built." She sighed and did what he asked. He was gone when she came out of it and she was a bit shaken.

She knew the location and what he was bringing. She went to the other wives and asked if they had done it. Sprits and Aiko did it on the spot. They were out for almost an hour. Aiko looked over, "That was strange. But I now know what he meant. He said Jack was right. We need to work on our mental abilities more.

He said Jack is picking up enormous amounts of weight, even in gravity. Said he picked up a couple of fighters one day because he was pissed at their Wing Commander. Just to show her not to fuck with him. They are surprised at how he has progressed. Things that have taken decades or centuries for some species and members of their own species have never advanced this fast.

They are studying him remotely. Figuring out how his mind works. They like his solutions and they said he was right. He had to shut off outside contact to move all those answers into actions. He is glad to see him using his wives more to handle some of these tasks. I spent a lot of my time asking about him and if he was alright?"

Sprits smiled, "We had some overlap. He said we all serve multiple roles in his plans. He has a place in his heart for each of us. He relates to different wives for different reasons but they said that is because he is multifaceted. He said we were too. We just had to accept that and challenge ourselves. He said we need to remember he needs us much more than we need him.

He would not survive or thrive without us. That both pleases them and worries them because everyone dies eventually. We, the survivors, would have to work to get him through those times and fill in the missing holes to keep him moving forward."

---

Jack was on the bridge reading through some of the messages he got while he was out of it. Sarah walked over to him from the lift. "I am curious about something."

He nodded, "Go ahead."

She sighed, "We, Lisa and I, heard Carol and a couple of others talking about the fact you had selected someone who is not on the ship to become a hybrid. I was told if I had questions to ask you."

He nodded, "Go ahead."

She sighed, "Why him and not Tim?"

Jack looked at her, "Is this you talking or Tim talking?"

She sighed, "He has thought about it and talked with us about it. He figured if you wanted him to be one you would let him know."

Jack sat back, "Those are all good questions. But they are questions for Tim to ask if he is curious about that. I have my thoughts on the matter and would like to hear his thoughts on the matter."

Sarah sighed, "You are not going to tell me?"

He smiled, "The man is a distant relative who is not a part of my direct bloodline. His line ends in three generations. Most in conflicts on Terra. He is an engineer and businessman. He had a few job options I offered him one and his two ladies plan to marry. All fill roles that are vital for the crew and colonies. If he wants to know why I have not talked to him about it. He must ask that question. Thank you for bringing me dinner."

She nodded, "Thanks for telling me that much at least."

He nodded, "I will be in my office if he wants to talk. You and Lisa are encouraged to attend if you wish to hear the answers."

Sarah nodded, "Thank you. I will pass the word."

He nodded and ate in his office and finished his dinner. Tim came in and Jack held up a hand, "Ladies have a seat on the couch. Tim pull up a chair."

Tim looked across, "I wanted to say I did not send Sarah to ask you about it. I just assumed if you thought I was right you would approach me."

Jack sat back, "Let us discuss the issue a bit. A hybrid is a warrior of the sword to defend humanity. Now I know of your past with gang activity. I know Linda was key is getting you out of it. What opinion has she expressed about you picking up weapons again?"

Tim looked over and then back, "She figured if I had a better guide in life, I would make better choices when it came to combat. She does not object."

Jack nodded, "How many of my wives did I ask. Non-committal request if you will. If that was something they would be interested in?"

He looked over, "All of them except Ash because she already was one."

Jack nodded, "Those who made themselves known to want to undergo it we took care of or we set it aside for Carol until the children are born."

He nodded, "I got that and it made sense."

He looked at Tim, "They had to want it and to let me know that they wanted the option. You saw this. Some did and some did not. Then you were shocked at the amputations."

Tim nodded, "Yes that caught me off guard and then hearing what Grace did."

Jack nodded, "I had not heard 3 things from you. One, that you were interested in this. Two, your wives were accepting of it. Lastly, your wives are pregnant."

Tim looked over, "They are on birth control."

Jack sighed, "Hybrids can bypass that making implanted birth control a hazard to the unborn children. You are also committed to fucking them like mad and reproducing. That is the first commitment by you if you do this. One by your wives, by supporting and one as a group because of the family implications. I have considered you. I have for a long while.

I knew with your past; Linda might have reservations. I would do nothing to jeopardize your family. When you can answer all three of those in the affirmative. Then you are ready. I have not asked you yet because you are not ready yet. You have not answered those three questions.

If you need help getting them to ovulate talk to Astra about what she implanted into me. She can also remove birth control. There is a contract that goes with it that has a serious death clause in it. Ask Grace to review that and have her explain it to you before you do anything. With one held for Paul and one for Carol that leaves 1 until we resolve the issues with the Drakor.

We have a few months before we will be leaving here. I am moving you up by the way to an engineer tier 2. All of the engines and cores you have been working on I want that reflected on your license before we leave here."

Tim nodded, "Thank you for explaining that to all of us. I can see how you were simply being respectful and waiting to see if it was something I was interested in. Something my wives supported."

Jack nodded, "Yes. Talk with them, Grace and Astra before you get back with me again. At least a week because I have no idea what Grace has planned with this wedding scheming."

He nodded, "Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled, "Dinner was excellent by the way. Coordinate with Grace on what her plans are regarding the wedding and your cooking schedule."

She nodded, "I will talk with her. She did ask Sarah if she was comfortable on the bridge watching over things. She likes Astra to have human company up here."

He nodded and watched them exit and talk excitedly amongst themselves. He sat back and thought out to Grace, * Did you finish your conversation? *

She responded, *We all did. I made sure. They liked how you did not tell us what to ask them beyond that. To let our own hearts and minds on the matter dictate the course of the conversation. We all asked some different questions. We got an idea of just how connected you are to all of us. *

He thought back, * Who is leaving tonight? The wives and I or the brides to be? *

She thought back, * What are you...oh God. I know what you are talking about. Damn it we had not considered that aspect. We were all supposed to go in the scout. Now we are talking about the shuttle and the scout. *

He replied, *General ideal yes. As I have no location to go to, I cannot be sure I will make it. I might get hung up in my lab. *

He heard her, *You will make it buster! I am ready to get this part done before we have more than a small bump. Damned, the location has no accommodations. Small area to get into. Damned, I will have to check a couple of things but I will send Sprits, Aiko, and Ash with you. That fills the shuttle. We will just have to make it fit. *

He thought, *We could stay in the shuttle wherever this fictitious location is located. Then when you are on your way have Astra recall the shuttle and you put the scout down. We all go back together. *

She sighed, *That will have to work. But you must stay in the shuttle and Aiko and Ash flies you there. *

He thought, *No sense getting out on the edge of space. I will be sure to have us all in EVA suits. Get with Linda about the menu. *

He heard her groan as this was the hundredth or thousandth time, he had given her crap about this fictitious wedding she had schemed.

He went to his lab and pulled up a stack of pads and put them into a bag and several bottles of lube. He threw in a stack of standard rations and went to the dining area and stocked his bag with mead. Linda gave him a bunch of sandwiches to take as well. He nodded to her and went to the shuttle and grabbed a seat.

He thought to Sprits, * I am awaiting 3 wives in the shuttle. I could just have the ladies bring you tomorrow. *

He heard from Sprits, *Astra will keep you in place. *

Jack thought back, *Astra takes orders from the Captain. Hurry your asses. *

They showed up a few minutes later and he was going through messages. Sprits looked over, "Grace said no technology."

He looked at Sprits, "We will be in for one heck of a landing then without a shuttle. She does not want me looking outside. I will look at my messages and work. Else end up locking myself away again for another week far too soon."

She sighed, "Grace is not happy about that."

Jack looked over, "Then she should not be so secretive and expect me to behave the way she wants. One or the other. Choose."

She laughed at him as Ash and Aiko took over the flight controls. He handed each lady a new belt before they took off, "Telekinetic, focus on the buckle and it will give you a personal shield." They looked back and Ash smiled, "You started figuring out some Alien technology."

He nodded and showed her a pad. She looked at it, "This is a psionic to electronic converter?"

He shook his head, "This allows us to establish a wormhole about the size of a grain of sand between two mentally aligned satellites. The focus crystals must be matched and attuned by the same creator. Once active it opens a communication corridor.

A small one but a corridor. This is what I have been working on printing off in the lab. They can then attempt to communicate with any ship or planet in range. Once one is turned on it will remain that way until it loses power or is damaged. You turn the other on and it is affixed to that location until the end of time; it is damaged or loses power. Same rules.

Both are locked out of the star's gravitational pull so they must be placed on the edge of known space within the system. Very limited and no idea if it will work or not. Or if I am powerful enough to attune the two crystals. Very early stages. Something that will take years to look at and then perfect. You run a ship into a wormhole and you could rip it open. Even a small one. That means making it immovable, and impervious to being picked up and moved.

Now you are getting into extraordinary countermeasures like the hard shields on the ship. I have those scanned and do not plan to patent them. I might have to use them on this. It uses the wormhole to anchor it and a reactor that is perpetually recharging off particles that might travel between the two points inside of the shields. You know what you are talking about then?"

She shook her head. "Meltora. It can consume particles through a hard shield, has the telepathic power to sync the focus crystals. The question remains and I know he can hear us as we have not left yet. Even if Meltora understood his own anatomy well enough to do this. Would he and is there a way we could synthesize what his body is doing naturally. Hurting Meltora in any way is out of the question."

He heard from Meltora, * Physically tuning crystals is something I could probably do. The wormhole is beyond my understanding as we never looked at technology that way. As to making a synthetic means to do what I do naturally; that would be a question for Carol. Odds are they would want samples that I am not ready to give. It would be all theoretical. *

Jack thought back, * Not if they tuned the external sensors to monitor your biological functions. A large biomonitor might answer part of that without needing samples. Something for another day. *

The ladies launched and that ended that conversation as Jack got absorbed into another long-term project on this tablet. He paused and asked Astra, "In your time did they have long-range communication between Terra and Tau Ceti?

Astra responded to his mind, "Kind of. It was more of a message dropbox with a tachyon relay. Very unreliable but they learned of Terra's fall through it."

He nodded, "You said very few ships had 6x drives. Can I assume that is because humans were not on those ships?" Astra was quiet for several seconds, "Why did you say that?"

He sighed, "The modeling. The multiplicative approach would mean 6x is 720. You did not have Titanium-H. My designs for inertial dampeners were totally new to you. That meant the system stress on the ship made them extremely thick and human bodies would have been crushed by 6x speeds. Even 5x speeds."

She sighed in his head, "We never got 5x or 6x working with humans before the mission launched. That I know of. AI and robotic ships could do it because we were not as fragile."

Jack looked at Sprits, "We are heading toward the end of the line on FTL drives. One of the next drives to look at is a wormhole drive in order to move a ship across space instantaneously. Potentially centuries away. The Drakor have that."

She looked at Jack, "How do you know?"

He sighed, "That image on the backup server had the image of a scout ship that was there and then simply swooshed away into nothing near an asteroid field after rising from the moon we need to travel too. Too close for an FTL drive, standard engines with a cloaking device would still disrupt an asteroid field.

Most likely technology that I can think of at this time is a wormhole drive. Would require massive amounts of power. Not something they would share. Too prone to abuse. We are infants in space travel compared to them. Our society as a whole is not ready for that."

He grabbed a sandwich and a mead and continued reading until the ship came to a stop and the other ladies came and joined him to see what he was doing. Ash asked, "Not interested in sex at the moment?"

He smiled, "I do not know what the ladies have planned, but I might be inclined to throw a wrench into their plans. They wanted something big and elaborate then they go into secretive and scheming. I must decide if I am going to behave.

Like a 'normal' wedding or do something more over the top as I did for your weddings. Just unique to the situation. Then again it might be what they want, but then do I give it to them or do I deny them for leading me on with nothing for months; even the location."

Ash sighed, "You are overthinking the situation."

He nodded, "I spent a week locked away because I was overthinking situations. You can see where this level of deception gets you with me."

Sprits looked up, "Deception? They have not deceived you."