Drews Troubles - Aya Ch. 03

Her bishop took his queen.

The Emperor growled. She slid her queen out, he moved a horse.

Her rook slid horizontally across the board "check" she stated, "...and mate."

If he moved another piece to block the rook, her queen was there on one side and her horse on another.

He stood slowly moved to open space beside the table. He bowed to her and slowly handed her, his King. She moved to the space in front of the king and bowed back and then took the offered piece.

There was silence for a short moment until she shot forward and wrapped her arms around the Emperor. He froze somewhat stiff from the unexpected embrace. She started to giggle and then looked up his body at his down turned face. His arms had slowly come around her to hold the hug.

'That was so much fun! Let's play some more!' Aya asked.

The Prince and Princess noticeably relaxed. Biani missing most of the dialog, got the drift and began to breathe again.

"Do you plan on trying to win my Empire from me?" he stated with a cat version of a smile.

"No, your Majesty, I just want to talk chess. Well, plus I want to talk about some ideas about beings emigrating here."

***

"You little shit, how did you do all of this so quick? Biani commented while looking up at the destroyer hanging motionless in the gigantic work bay. Some of the burn marks still showed, but the armament was back in place and enhanced. It had a bit of a 'improvised' look to it but was fully functional.

"Well, if you tell a group of Kettle slaves that if they get it working, they can leave with us and be free? Well, anything is possible." Aya finished with her hands on her hips looking up like a proud momma.

"How many did you promise to take? Biani questioned looking at the little twerp.

"As many as will fit," she commented, "Oh plus one, can the Prince ship out with you?"

Biani thought for only a moment, when she imagined the handsome prince in her little ship, "Sure when do we leave?"

***

Two ships exited into Cat space, one large, one small. They exited from an unknown node in Pride Cat space.

"You damn little shit. Did you ever think of letting me know you were going to tether my ass to that huge derelict you call a ship?" Biani screamed over the comm once they exited into normal space.

"You came through Ok, didn't you? And please refer to me Captain Aya of the newly christened destroyer Osiris," Aya commented while swinging her feet off the edge of the captain's chair.

"Oh, little girl I am so going to paddle your ass when we get back to anyplace that has room." Biani was beside herself. Her and the Prince had spent their entire time in transition acting like the tail of a kite in a storm. Gratefully the time was short compared to normal.

The Scout ship received comm the same time the Osiris did.

A huge Cruiser popped into being directly in front of their heading and both ships received a warning.

"To unknown ships stand down and prepare to be boarded."

Aya was the first to react and comm back. It included a link for the scout ship.

"Hi Auntie! Oh my, Hi Aunties! I did not expect to find both of you on Harmonia. It's been a while."

Biani could see both old warriors were flabbergasted and did not know how to respond. She had a special relationship with one of the Sisters. They had become lovers when Biani was being taken out for one of her clandestine missions.

"Niece, what the hell are you doing on that rust bucket and what are all those people doing behind you on the bridge? Who the hell is the Captain?" questioned Thing One.

"Now play NICE Auntie. Do not talk about my ship that way. You are talking to Captain Aya Scott of the Cat Destroyer Osiris. Late of what we call the Marauder navy. I won it in a chess game." Aya sat there smiling and just beaming in her captain's chair. Her feet could not reach the ground, but she figured she could have a foot stool built.

"The folks you see behind me are freed slaves from all of those ships that have gone missing before the Dragons showed up. They would very much like to go home or be new citizens of Cat space if room could be made for them." Aya stated bouncing in her chair.

"And your little tail? Is the scout ship maned?" Asked Thing Two, finally speaking.

'Aye' Bini keyed-in and became part of the discussion. There was a gasp from Thing Two, groaning as she slid her very pregnant body forward in the chair.

"Biani what are you doing out here?" Thing Two whispered.

"Hello, my beautiful sister. It has been a few years. May I please dock? I need a drink, a shower and then I can tell you what this little shit niece of yours has put me through."

"Coordinates on the way," Biani heard, and she saw her lover signal toward the navigation consol.

Biani watched the two sisters whisper, she assumed it was about her.

"This is not over Aya, I am still going to turn you over my knee and tan that backside of yours." Biani commented to Aya over very public ship comm.

Thing One punched in the comm and replied, "You DO know you are threatening the daughter of Lord Drew and our Niece."

"Yes, I am. And she knows I mean it too!" Biani commented as Aya smiled and swung her legs in her captain's chair.

From Osiris came the comment. "Aunties, Ill race you home!"

The Cat Destroyer Osiris then blinked out of known space leaving Biani and the Prince slowing moving towards the bigger ship.

***

The Osiris, hopped quickly to its new location, smack in the middle of the parking lanes for all space commerce for the Pride Cat world. It took only moments, with Aya's assistance, to negate their existing velocity and flow with the rest of traffic already in their parking orbits.

As for space control on the space station and the other space control engineers, a fully armed UNKNOWN Cat destroyer popping into their space inside the orbit of the space station gave everybody the proverbial heart attack.

Comm lit up, threats were made, and a giggle was the response. Swarms of smaller craft immediately surrounded the new ship. After much dialog, and a boarding, things settled down.

Aya made sure the ship was in good hands, locked out control and tactical, and grabbed the shuttle they had re-built. It was a remora style shuttle, attached to the side of the destroyer and meant to release and play wingman in case of battle.

She politely informed space control and those on the ship, that she was going to "see her Poppa." She made sure all knew it was her ship. She was the Captain and there was not a discussion on the subject. She loaded up the Princess and her cohort, plus as many ex-slaves that could fit. The rest would follow by normal shuttle under normal procedures.

The shuttle detached and she slammed the controls down and warned everyone to hold onto something or each other. Instead of the castle, she had 'felt' her father at his cabin in the cold top of the mountain. She felt him ping back. She was excited to see him, but afraid too. She had gone well above and beyond with her stunt and was worried about his reaction.

But what was done, was done and she had this flight to enjoy. Comm kicked in again and in-atmosphere flight control began to question her trajectory. She gave them her heading and then slammed off the control interface not wanting to get into a long discussion of protocol.

She shifted slightly when she remembered the caldera lake. She settled down to provide a show for all in the back of the shuttle. She skimmed the calm blue water of the caldera lake throwing a huge rooster tail behind her due the shuttles high speed and air displacement.

She saw something in the rear monitor but thought it must have been an air disturbance. She banked hard and quickly gained altitude causing everyone in the back to scream and then a few to laugh as they banked back over. She roared a hundred meters over the same location and looked to see her 'disturbance' was a lake creature shaped like a torpedo and twice the size of the shuttle. It made her gulp a bit and remember this planet has water creatures that liked to eat things.

Aya spun the shuttle towards the ridge and hugged the surface. The shuttle arched over the Ridge. As she raced down the wide ravine on the other side, she could not quit smiling as she saw her dad's compound. To show off she hugged the ground, rattled the windows, and then went vertical.

A thousand meters in the sky, she screamed to her passengers 'Hold on" and did a hammerhead stall and then flipped the shuttle over and started to slowly spiral in. Some of the passengers enjoyed the flight, some had their faces planted in vomit bags. All the passengers of the shuttle were looking forward to having their feet planted firmly on the ground.

She landed the shuttle gracefully with weapons pointed away from the habitats, just like her Popa taught her. She arranged the Princess and entourage by the rear portal, lowered the ramp and slide the folding door open.

There stood her poppa, and her Grandad! Beer in hand. The two humans were on the front porch of the smallest of the three buildings of the compound. They did not move, so she straightened her hat, made sure the sword hung correctly and walked to meet her doom.

Aya knelt, pulled her sword, and shoved it towards him in both hands, all while looking at the ground. Drew stood stoically on the porch looming over his daughter. He sent her a personal message.

'So, did we have an adventure?' his mental message reached her and started her to giggle but she held it in. He got back a personal message, 'YES!' but she stayed kneeling, head bowed.

'Were you piloting the shuttle on the way in?' he sent, and she could feel his tone. 'Yyyeess' she replied. 'Do NOT show off like that again in my presence. This is not a sim and things can go wrong.' Drew paused and then sent 'Please my daughter, I don't want to lose you over a simple mechanical failure.'

'Yes papa' was her demure reply.

"Up" Drew verbally commanded. She sprung up with a leap and a smile.

"Captain Aya Scott, reporting back. My mission accomplished." Aya stated for those around her. She sent a mental message to the Marauder cat emissaries now walking down the ramp. She raised her head and then stood and sheathed her sword. She spun and stood in front of her father and waiting on the Marauder delegation. When they stood a couple of meters in front of Aya, they all went down to one knee, unsheathed their swords, and performed the same ritual.

"Please stand, formality in such a county setting, ruins the ambiance." Lord Drew commented the assembled Cats rose as one and with amazing fluidity.

"Lord Drew may I introduce, Emissary Queen Ama and her co-hort Bella, Camila, and Dahlia."

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to my casual abode. I was not expecting guests, especially Royalty such as yourselves. May I please introduce my father, Drew Senior," Drew paused as they bowed to his father and Sr. clumsily returned it, causing a few in the back to giggle.

You seem to know my daughter..." he faltered when he heard Aya send him a message 'PRINCESS AYA'

"My daughter Princess Aya. Again, this visit and its significance are important to me. I do wish to spend a few short minutes with the Princess." He looked down at Aya and her smile, but she lost it when she saw how he looked.

"If you will follow me to warmer accommodations, I am sure others will be joining us shortly," he pointed to the larger of the buildings and led the way. At the doorway and after the emissaries entered there was a slight commotion. The freed slaves did not want to go in.

Drew turned to his father and gave him a questioning look. "Dad, can you please go in and keep the emissaries entertained? I want a few minutes with the PRINCESS to find out what is going on."

"Sure son. Go deal with the PRINCESS and I'll keep them busy. I'll get some grub started for our guests. It looks like they have not eaten in a while. If you need help spanking the Princess, I'll help after diner!" he said with less jest than Aya was hoping for.

"Why does everyone want to spank me?" Aya said out loud.

Lord Drew ignored Aya's comment but stopped and looked at the freed slaves, "Any who wish to be by yourselves or together please follow me to the third building. There is a large dining area in the back, individual rooms on both floors and a view deck over the kitchen on the second floor. I warn you it gets cold when the sun sets. Food is in the freezer. It's a bit old school, but I am sure we can all make do."

Aya was immensely proud to see all the ex-slaves showing thanks and affection to her father.

Her father took Aya's adorned elbow and pulled her into the first room that could be locked. She was shocked at the grip and then control her father now had over her. She had gone from being the Captain of an armed Destroyer to being her father's underage daughter again. She did not like the feeling.

"So, PRINCESS, I need the real short version of what you have been up to for the past couple of weeks. You can leave out all of computer hacking and subterfuge, that has been uncovered, just start when you got to their home planet."

"Well, we arrived in system and found ourselves immediately targeted by 6 missiles. Biani ordered us to fire missiles back and try and run for it. The math in my head and as confirmed by my AI showed only a 40% success rate. So, I came up with another solution," Aya stated, but Lord Drew held up a hand for her to pause.

"What AI? And so, you are telling me you disobeyed your captain's orders?" Drew asked.

"Well...yes, but there was a better solution to the problem poppa!" she stated as she reached into her satchel and handed him a thin pad. She saw what was on the screen but grimaced, not knowing how her father would react. On the screen was written, "Good morning Lord Drew, I can explain!"

Her father read the message stone faced, and placed it face down on the adjacent table...with a deep exhale. He motioned for her to continue.

"So, using the solution to similar problems I solved in my Sims, we short hopped to the other side of the planet and then came back to try and tried to make peace, while cloaked of course." Aya continued to explain, but her father stopped her again.

"You short hopped...a transition and did it through a gravity well? That's impossible my little girl." He stated while looking into her eyes.

"No poppa it's not. If you give me my pad back, I can show you the math. It's a bit...unorthodox, I admit, but we did it...twice! I did it again to get us close to the destroyer. That is when Biani made me promise not to do it again It frightened her when I brought us in within a couple of meters of the destroyer."

"Biani, your mean Commander Biani, Captain of the ship, made you promise not to do anymore theoretically impossible short hops in transition through a gravity well...that Biani?" Her father asked.

"Poppa, if you want to hear my story then you need to let me finish. I assume Biani has already filed hers, or at least her version of it." Aya pleaded.

Her father threw up his hand's palms forward in placation and then slowly took a seat in the divan across from her.

"So, where was I? Oh yes so, we offered peace. The destroyer shot at us. We then disabled all its weapon's systems, its targeting arrays, and trim-out thrusters. I had already disabled the main engines. So, it was disabled but survivable. It turns out we also disabled its comm." Aya paused for a second and then continued.

"We mapped their home plant and found it...backwards in many ways. One step above building a fire to keep warm in large swaths of the planet. We were just mapping the Capital city when I received a call for help from the destroyer. Someone had made a mistake and vented atmosphere. It started the destroyed tumbling, and their orbit was decaying rapidly. So, after some discussion we saved the destroyer and took it to a maintenance area." Her father held up his hand for her to stop, and then let out a new sigh.

"You are leaving out some facts my daughter. Like risking your life and Biani's life in a foolhardy adventure of strapping your scout ship to the side of the destroyer and guiding it down? Did you really do that? "her father asked. She knew, he already knew the answer.

"But it worked! And they have the most interesting maintenance building to work on zero G ships planet side. I have all of the schematics and energy readings in my pad," as she reached over to retrieve her pad, her father put his hand on it and shook his head.

"First in your own words my daughter. This little AI will be spilling its proverbial guts soon enough. I want to hear your side of it." Her father, Lord Drew, paused and then issued a command, "Continue."

"So, we saved the destroyer and its crew and then were offered a meeting with the Emperor as ambassadors. They had me get all dressed up, like I am now. Biani stayed in her tacticals which annoyed some of the royals." Aya saw her father look her over again for the 100^th time.

"While we waited for the audience with the Emperor, I saw a chess set over in a corner alcove. I went to investigate and then became in mental contact with the Prince and later the Princess. She can be a bit stuck-up when you first meet her. But I know you will win her over Poppa." She ended with a smile and bounce.

She paused again, not sure how much to spill right away.

"So, anyway, the Emperor challenged me to chess match. Which I accepted. He said I could not let him win just because her was Emperor, as if I would. I asked if we could bet, and then I won the destroyer and as many slaves as I could carry." She ended seeming pleased with herself.

"And that's it? You just came home, Captain of your own destroyer, peace envoy, dragging a royal in your shuttle. That same shuttle you flew in the most haphazard way?" He paused frustrated.

"Well, the Princess is not the only Royal that came. The Prince is on Harmonia with both aunties. Plus, another creature that called herself a 'consort' or something. I had never seen her species before. She said she is a Naga. I told her she could live at the castle and help organize the areas that have not been touched yet." She finished with more of a run-on thought, and paused.

"Oh, and I did offer peace, medical help and the potential for free beings of all types to immigrate to their home world, that type of stuff," she paused again.

Her father Lord Drew just sat blinking into space, not sure what to say to his little girl.

"I'm sure I will remember more later Poppa. I am just so glad to be home and with you." as she launched herself across the coffee table into his arms and rolled him back on the Divan.

"I am glad you are home safe my little one, but you will be answering lots of questions for a bit. You know that don't you?" Her poppa stated holding her close.

"Yes Poppa, I know. But it was so worth the adventure!" Aya ended, face buried in his chest.

"No more Princess stuff, OK?" her father smiled and then ran his hand over her mane and the fur that had grown back.

"I told you, the whole 'princess thing'...it was only to fit into their way of thinking. They are very patriarchal. Sort of like you had to deal with in the original Pride. Some did not take well to the human or mixed species part of me." Aya commented remembering all his old stories about becoming Lord Drew.

"There will be some of the females and some of the warriors that will not bend a knee. The switch to you, is going to be difficult for some. That is why you need to set the tone with your mating duties and then meet the old Lord on his home planet before he dies." Aya paused again.

"Sorry papa, I know it's weird talking to me about this, but...It's just an idea, but you may want to have Alexander and the rogue clans shift to that planet. It is a nice Class M planet with oceans where you can walk to the water. Not everything in the ocean wants to eat you." she commented casually, "and there are large islands or small continents covering the surface, so the clans can split up...it's just an idea."