Drew's Trouble with Cats and Roaches Pt. 13

To all,

Due to the interest in this series, here is part 13.

Welcome to a new beginning for the Pride. We will see how humanity tries or is forced to blend with other races. Some not well, some exceptional. We will get back to a bit more of the sexual part of the story now that things should settle down. This chapter deals with trying to handle the responsibility of a combined set of species, all with their own spin and shade on the issues. The sad part is that humans are the worst of the lot.

Any aliens, real or imagined in this story are purely a construct of my twisted and warped mind. My attempts to enter a realm (writing), that has always eluded me, has been exciting. I hope you enjoy my continued tale of Drew Jr.

I am going to try and branch off and tell other character stories. I am going to try and do this for me. This whole adventure of writing has been to help my growth from a solid 'C grade' writer in HS and College to hopefully something better. I enjoy the story telling.

PS. If anyone wants to volunteer to be my editor, please give a shout. I have struck out with the volunteers listed within this website.

Part 13

***

'How did you know?" she asked with a much harder edge than he had heard from her so far and that was saying something.

"Queen, please let us eat. After that, let us relax a bit and you and I will take a walk through the ship. I will promise to answer anything I can," Drew paused looking into her hollowed eyes that flowed from her hollowed cheeks, "Please."

"Tell me about this thing you make called lasagna,' she nodded and questioned.

"It's a food stuff that is made of ground grain. Original concept from one part of earth called China and then imported in concert to another part of world called Europe. Made into an artform of culinary delight in a country within the continent of Europe. called Italy." He had taken her arm and led her over to the one tray in the food line that was empty.

"Seems it is all gone?" she commented with a hint of sadness

"They are bringing out another tray." Drew smiled and looked long at the gaunt cat Queen, "Like I promised your warriors, we will always provide food, water, and other sustenance. When people are no longer thirsty, hungry, or sick, they then have a chance to think and dream of bigger things than themselves. We must always strive for this, for all of us." Drew ended what he felt like was a sermon.

"Your people are quite different Lord. I hope we can find common ground to 'dream of better things."

The command table slowly completed their meal, the Clan queen was fascinated regarding the pregnancy of the young queen of the Others. The truth came out by accident when she mentioned that she could now wear her earring with two crystals for her two pending cubs.

The Clan Queen snapped up her head when she heard the flapping of ears and tinkling of jewels from the other Pride females. When she realized the count of the young it meant, she sat flabbergasted and silent.

She finally stated, "very different indeed."

She turned to Drew and the Young lord "May we take that walk now? I would love to see the children if it is permitted."

"I think that can be arranged" Drew said with a smile

He sent a mental blast to certain members of the Pride to create a logistics plan to tow the disabled Clan craft to the Others home world. All the Bug tech they had secreted away from Earth, would come in handy sooner than they thought.

***

Back on earth at the Northern Alliance headquarters.

"What do you mean it's all gone? How is that possible? I can still see the damn big ship through my home telescope." The rotund man with goatee demanded.

It's just the shell. All control surfaces, all weapons, shield controls, optics, really anything of value is just gone." Quoted the bird colonel.

"what about all the little ships we saved, the ones that did not burn up?" goatee asked.

"Gone" said the officer in his starched uniform.

'Well fuck, fuck and double fuck. We will still get there. We will take our place among the stars. That asshole cannot squeeze us out," shouted the rotund man with the goatee.

***

The Clan Queen screamed. Two furred creatures bolted from attacking the children in their play area, ran out through the automatic doors and raced directly at Lord Drew. Luckily, all projectile and energy weapons had been 'held' by Pride security. This did not stop sheathed blades from being pulled and displayed.

Drew mentally yelled "No!" as Goldie and Kitten slid to a halt with their noses pushed into Drews crotch. Purring, yipping as two large animals stomped and cuddled their 'dad'. The clan queens swore she heard a word "papa" whatever that meant from one of the creatures.

The Other's Lord and queen started to chuff regarding the Clan queen's reaction. The Clan queen turned to the laughing Cat royalty with a raised eyebrow.

'My apologies. We have just gotten used to the oddities of humankind. These two creatures are 'pets'. Think of them literally as an extension of Lord Drews family. It is a norm in humanity to have other creatures as part of their households. Pets began as wild animals trained for hunting and security and became a type of family member." Goldie was already moving between the group looking for affection. Kitten traveled too but shied away from the New Clan members. She could feel and 'hear' their fear.

Drew led them into the school and nursery area and released Goldie and Kitten to go back to play with the children. Goldie bolted, especially when she noted that the kids had been given their morning snack. She loved to beg for food.

Kitten stayed plastered to Drews leg and would not leave him.

The Queen was in shock at all the young energetic children of all different species, here together. They seemed everywhere, in all sizes and age groups. They came over to introduce themselves and the older ones brought the younger ones to say hello to a queen. None of the children even seemed to notice that Cats were mixed with bird and other furred species, they just seemed to ignore the differences.

"This is not all of them, there are more on the other two ships. We have had a terribly busy time birthing a lot of new Pride members. We are just now moving to a period where the Other males have produced several cubs with surviving Pride members." Drew paused and smiled for a second, "Would you like to meet the newest Pride members?"

"Also, the mother is a doctor and can answer delicate questions regarding your curiosity?" Drew offered.

She could tell there was a difference in his stance and odd inflection when he asked the question. She nodded.

They entered the recovery area in the next bay and found the room set aside for Elsa. She was being treated as a queen and had two nurses looking after the three hybrid cubs and the exhausted mother.

Elsa had one cub feeding on one breast, while a nurse was just putting down another sleeping cub next to his sister. Else smiled and held up her arm for a hug. They briefly kissed and exchanged a hug and Drew bent to kiss the top of the head of the nursing cub.

The Clan queen did not know what to make of the scene in the room. Two humans showing affection, a cat cub nursing on the human female, a human baby in a holder with another cat cub.

She stood speechless and was introduced to Elsa of the Pride. After the introduction and astonished questions, Elsa started to explain what she could about Drews transformation. She admitted that there were many missing pieces to the puzzle, but that Drew was unique. He had been transformed starting with the use of Cat meds to heal his wounds caused by Pride members. Drew's transformation took on new levels when he was given the mixture of meds to create a psychic link to the Pride. His body seemed to keep making changes, now more subtle.

The last transformation came with the injection of the old Lord's genetic material and Drew becoming a breeding machine for the Pride.

The clan queen sat stunned at the revelations. She quietly looked at the cubs and human baby wrapped and sleeping in the nearby cribs.

Elsa explained the inadvertent pregnancy, and the birth the previous day. All the babies were healthy, and genetically alike. The female baby's features had tended towards the human side and the two males looked more cat. They were the first hybrid children of two races that anyone knew of.

Again, the Clan Queen was shocked.

"How, how do you deal with this with such calmness? You act like this is...normal?"

"Well, in a way, it is for us," respond Lord Drew.

"Now it is time for me to ask one question I hope you will answer honestly," Drew requested.

"I will if I can," stated the Clan Queen after straightening her shoulders and peering deep into his eyes.

"How did you know we were coming? How did you know to set a trap for us there, in that exact location, at that exact time?" Drew asked.

The Queen was quiet and then looked down.

"A drone came through that transfer point from that place you keep calling earth," She answered, "It was broadcasting in many languages that an invasion force was coming in the several time cycles."

"Do you have the drone? Or did you look at it," Drew asked excitedly

"The drone was on our Lords private destroyer, the one he blew up once he knew he had lost the battle," she paused, "But yes, I was shown the object." She sent him the mental pictures of a partially dismantled drone.

Drew just seethed when he saw the drone. "They will pay for this, I swear to god, they will pay,"

"My love, what did she show you that upset you so much?" asked Elsa.

"The interior of the Drone had instructions for dismantling certain delicate parts, both in French and English...Northern Alliance. They tried to get us all killed. "Drew seethed.

***

Drew was hailed to the bridge by Artemis.

"Lord, we have a situation here on Artemis" Thing One commented.

"Go ahead" Drew responded.

"The Chinese 'head man' has refused to board the shuttle with his group for colonization of LZ-12 unless all three Chinese groups on Artemis can settle together. We currently have a standoff with all three groups and the colonization team," Thing One finished.

"And does Aphrodite have the same issue?" Drew questioned knowing the twins would have spoken.

"Two does not know yet but assumes the worse. Aphrodite does not begin demarcation until end of week with your ship following that date" One finished.

Drew looked at the ship schematic to see where the insurrection was taking place. He then decided on something drastic.

"I am coming over from Harmonia, please transfer me to security that is handling the issue." Drew directed.

A series of deep grunts and clicks were heard over comm and then the translator kicked in "This is D32, head of Artemis security. We are waiting on direction."

'This is Admiral Scott. The following are explicit directions from the Admiral of the Fleet. Take the leader of this rebellion under arrest, place him in airlock A-32 and hold him until my arrival. Please have the leader of the other two 'villages' meet the group in rebellion in this staging area. If they do not wish to come, bring them by whatever force is required, including but not limited to, bringing the dead body."

Drew paused. He had this opened to a ship wide broadcast and was sure there were many discussions being held by many different species in many different languages.

Drew jumped into the corvette. He was bright enough to grab a pilot and not try and land with his anger currently unchecked.

He was silent as he stalked down the gangway and into the hanger. Two of the dragons fell in behind him as he stalked down the passageways. Everyone fled him and his entourage that had gained additional Dragons.

He entered another hanger that was being used as staging area for the colonization. As he strode toward air lock A-32, he was accosted by the older Chinese delegate he had met during negotiations.

In mandarin, Drew heard the phrases, but he was still so angry that it was not making sense. He calmed himself and let his mind translate before he could answer in the same language. He asked the elder to restate his comments.

"You cannot do this. We have the right to live the way we want. We must keep our civilization alive. You have no right!" the elder stated for the second time.

"Did you see and read what you signed? I have all the rights and you have none. Once you are on the surface, the new rules and laws apply." Drew paused trying to get his anger in check.

'Why is it always the humans?' he wondered. Drew spun to the two 'leaders' of their villages.

"You two, did you put him up to this or has it been your plan all along to do this?" Drew questioned pointing at the first 'head man' in Lock A-32.

"We will not answer your insolent questions. Do you know who we are?" the eldest stated, all puffed up with self-importance.

"Yes, I know who you are. Mutineers and worse yet, mutineers that have been planning and lying to get aboard my ships under false pretenses." Drew started to lose his poise.

Drew turned to the Dragon with the most 'decorations' and bowed. He knew they were a proud race, who thrived on order and discipline.

"D-32, please place these two mutineers with their friend in the airlock" Drew ordered. He saw the drones flying above filming.

There was not much of a struggle. When Godzilla grabs you and lifts you off your feet. There was some screeching, that is until the airlock closed, and lock cycled. Drew calmly walked to the airlock, punched in his override code.

Everyone watched the blast window covers snick into place. Drew lifted the cover of the emergency evac. button to the screams of many, and then slammed his palm down on it. Everyone in the room could hear the air rushing out to space. Included in the expulsion, were the bodies of the three leaders.

Amongst the crying and some angry voices, Drew stepped up on a lift and raised himself so he could see the faces of all the 'village.'

"Choose another leader," Drew demanded and paused, "Choose another leader in the next 10 seconds or I will do it for you." Drew again paused but he had already seen a known face so he knew who he would choose.

"OK times up," he stated in mandarin and pointed at the female interpreter he had met at the refuge. "Come forward and present yourself." She wiggled her way through the crowd and stood below the platform Drew stood on.

"She is your new leader until you make landfall. Once there you can vote another person in. I will be visiting the other 'villages' after I am done with you. Now, you have two hours to move you and your possessions onto the shuttle," Drew paused, "Anyone still here when the shuttle leaves will follow your leaders," he paused again and pointed at the airlock.

No one moved, it was like they were glued to the deck. Drew raised his voice and shifted to command speak, "Now! move it! You have two hours, or you need to learn to breath in vacuum."

Everyone scrambled, there were some screams, but everyone was motivated. After brief stops around the ship to check on the other two 'Chinese villages', he headed back to the Corvette and a trip back to his own ship.

Thing One was leaning on the hatchway frame of the corvette smiling as he strolled up.

"Nice show today Admiral. I think you got the point across on shipboard discipline." She stopped to rub her paws across his chin and down his chest, "You taking the prisoners or leaving them with me?" she asked pointing to the three elder Chinese men all trussed up and gagged in the back of the corvette.

"Oh, they are coming with me. I have need for several waste treatment engineers. When they learn a bit of civility and discipline, I may put them in another colony. Right now, they will bunk with the Dragons on duty at the Cat capital."

"Lord, I have to ask. Was your original plan to use the flexible docking collar of the corvette to catch them? Or..." One asked while still leaning of the hatch frame.

"I knew they were going out the airlock. The collar idea came to me on the way over. Isn't karma grand?" responded Lord Drew.

She just shook her head, caressed his cheek, and lightly swatted his ass as she passed and went back to her bridge

***

The first three colonies touched down on the Other Cat home world on the continent Drew had named Atlantis. It was the smaller of three habitable contents but consisted of one medium sized land mass and a series of large and small islands. Studies in the area had shown a past of high volcanic and tectonic activity, but no activity could be found for the past several hundred years.

They would be spaced out along the perimeter of the medium sized continent with property divided between the colonies from the center of the huge inactive caldera in the center of continent, out to the ocean and two miles beyond. The map looked like the spokes of a wheel, or as Drew thought, the Buddhist wheel of life.

As soon as Artemis had purged itself of its living and storage cargo, it peeled off and began to patrol the boundary of the Other Cat space. Immediately it began to see shadows at the edge of its sensor range. This was in the section directly adjacent to the Clan queen's old territory.

Another Clan, Drew nicknamed the 'Marauders', had devastated the Queens clan and taken their territory. That is why Drew had sent Artemis and its entourage of shuttles and refurbished Bug bombers out patrolling.

From what Drew had gleaned from the Queen and others from her clan, the Marauders tended to play guerrilla tactics at first and then strike suddenly with larger overwhelming forces. The space between the two clan territories, Other and Marauder, was too vast to set up the same security screens of drones like they had set up at the earth transfer nexus.

While Artemis was out patrolling, Aphrodite moved into position and was getting ready for its portion of the colonization.

Back on the original main continent, the Other Cat capital was rebuilding and infilling with the surviving members of the Others clan, the Pride and Queens clan.

***

She was trapped, trapped in this locked room. She wanted her surrogate mother back. She wanted to go home. The evil clan had come and killed so many of her family. Her clan was going to take territory from another weaker clan when they went to war with these folk.

These odd beings were all so different, they had plenty of food, even for a slave like herself. They would not even let her see Aiden, her teacher, and the only other human she had ever known.

She heard footfall outside her room an pushed herself into the corner.

The door opened and a soft female voice called out, "Hello? Hello, may I come in?" and a human female stepped deeper into the room.

"I understand your name is Cara, can you understand me?" the nurse asked in English, 'If you will just say something, this translator will know what language to translate to." The nurse stated and then placed an odd object on the ground between them.

Cara had heard her name with an odd accent but knew nothing else the woman said. Cara was astonished that she was face to face with only the second other human she had ever interacted with.

"What do you want with me? Where is my clan and where is Aiden?"

The odd thing on the ground made odd sounds and the woman rattled her odd thing showing how it hung from her neck, she kept pointing at it and then at her.

Her only thought was fear. The woman picked it up and pantomimed putting it over her neck. Cara finally got that the strange woman want her to put the other odd object around her neck

She carefully took it from the woman's hand and then put I over her head and let it drape between her small breasts.