Drews Troubles - Aya Ch. 03

Her father was taken aback. He could see she was thinking much deeper than many three times her age.

Aya heard and felt the arrival of more shuttles. She and her father gathered their things and exited to meet the new arrivals. She slid and hid behind him. Just peeking around knowing that she was in trouble with a few of them.

"Aw, Intelligence officer Osiris, I have yet to see your report of your mission. I assume you hurried home in a confiscated ship to give it verbally?" Alexander was standing just off Aya's side and El had suddenly appeared behind her.

"Oh, look Alexander, she has dressed up for the occasion, something demure and incognito. I am sure it's so no one would know she is an agent that should not be seen?" stated El as she put her hand on Aya's shoulder.

Aya was miffed that she was not being treated better. She is the one that brought peace with the Marauders after all.

"Play nice you two," Lord Drew commented to Alexander and El. Aya was feeling very vulnerable suddenly.

Lord Drew turned to the two newcomers, "She gave me a short version of her adventure, and I am astounded. So, are you going to arrest her now or wait until this is all over?"

"Papa! You wouldn't let them arrest me?" Aya spun with shock, and faced her father.

"Humm, let me see. Illegal hacking of governmental systems. Impersonating a government agent. Forging official documents. Illegal contact with a hostile government..."

'Papa, this is not funny, I brought us peace with the Marauders!"

"Oh yes, I forgot disobeying a direct order from your captain...Are there more charges Alexander?"

Alexander shrugged and then looked at El. She stood a bit straighter and ruffled her wings a bit. "Yes, Lord Drew, in total 15 major violations and a half dozen minor ones."

"Papa this is not funny!" Aya stated and stomped her foot like a petulant 14 ½ year old.

"Neither is hijacking a mission for an adventure!" stated Alexander, "Niece or not, you put people's lives in danger." Aya knew that he was using all his will just to be semi-polite.

Drew just looked at her and nodded.

"We will go greet the emissaries and you are going to be explaining yourself for quite a while young lady. And I do not even know how Target and the aunties are going to deal with you. You may be changing diapers in the nursery for years, depending on how they feel." Her father commented.

'Oh, dear god' she thought. 'That would be worse that being in permanent Transition and wanting to barf all hours of the day'.

Aya suddenly felt a presence by her shoulder, "Come little one, let's go talk about the security flaws you found in our system, those fascinating Sims you programed, and this new way of short hop transition." El commented

El continued, "Maybe, just maybe after the adults talk and play, things might be forgotten. Not all mind you." El paused and smiled.

"The mission report that was provided, by others, left out parts regarding Biani and how you gifted her to the Lord of the planet. I want those holes filled in. Also, Biani still wants to 'talk' to you about one thing or another." El stated still smiling.

"She was not a gift. She was part of a wager, bait...but I won though. She was the only thing of value I had to bet!" explained Aya.

Aya felt El direct her down the corridor in the Admin building. "Come little sister, let us get something to eat and talk of the future. Yours could be spent changing diapers and cleaning up baby vomit." El paused for effect and to let it sink in

"Or maybe, just maybe, a life in one of the clandestine groups. Not in that costume of course." El ended her speech by lifting her sash and sword from her small body and tucking it under her arm and wing. She then gently took the tricorn hat and placed it under the other arm and wing.

They grabbed a table in the back of the large eating area and then were served food by one of the freed Kettle. After a couple of hours of talk and detail, El and Aya were joined by her Father and Alexander.

"Well, my darling Niece, you do make life interesting. The shuttles have been downloading freed slaves at the capital for hours. How many did you think you rescued?" asked Alexander.

"As many as would fit. One of the older Kettle aunties worked it out. I only asked for room for the princess and her ladies and another special friend. The Prince was riding with Biani in the scout shuttle.

Her father was sitting beside her shaking his head in wonderment.

"Well 224 freed slaves made it in the Destroyer and shuttle. The Destroyer is only rated at 58 crew, to be efficient. So, it was lucky you had such a short trip. How did you do that by the way?" Alexander asked with and odd bewildered look. He was looking behind her at incoming grown male cat.

"Yes niece, please tell us how you short hopped all over the universe? I can't figure it out, my team can't figure it out and your math does not fit what we are seeing." Eddie stated exasperated. All could see the confused look on his face. No one had seen Eddie this way before.

"Eddie calm down, her story checks out. Biani saw her do the same things she has been explaining." Her father commented backing up her story.

"Lord Drew, we just tore apart the scout ship and destroyer..." Eddie commented and had to stop

"YOU DID WHAT? That is my ship, and you had no right! You put it back together NOW!" she shouted. She was on her feet, canines exposed, and claws unsheathed.

"Aya! Do not talk to him that way! This is your uncle Eddie," stated her father, now using his command voice as Lord Drew.

"IT IS MY SHIP. I WON IT," she paused seeing she was getting nowhere with her theatrics, she shifted tactics.

"I saved 224 feed slaves and brought peace to the galaxy." She stated as she calmed herself." She paused to breathe, "I want my ship put back together. I sailed it out of Marauder space, and I want my ship back...whole." She stated with an adult command inflection in her voice, "You had no right!"

And the adults in the room knew she was right in her own way.

"Eddie, fill me in what is wrong with your research," Lord Drew commented trying to defect the frustration of his young daughter.

"While her math is brilliant and we think will lead to some interesting results," he paused to acknowledge his Niece and give her a slight bow, "there is no way those two ships made the jumps. Even the onboard computers and logs make no sense. It is like they went insane for a few minutes and then came back online. The engines, controls and guidance show no ability to shift the ships as described."

They all paused and became quiet trying to understand what they had just heard from Eddie.

"That's because the ships did not create the shifting, Aya did." Commented DB suddenly appearing at the end of the table. Many jumped at the sudden appearance. Lord Drew had received an informal notice from DB that he was coming, but it was still disquieting to have a human pop into your midst.

"My apologies for my tardiness and being so late to the party. I am so happy my niece has survived her little adventure. But she is the one that did it" Answered DB.

"What do you mean she created the shifting?" Her father Lord Drew stated in confusion. Everyone was looking at her, back to DB and then to Lord Drew in a giant circle of confusion.

"Yes, it was Aya, I could feel each time she pulled that stunt." and then DB paused again, "She may be your daughter, but somehow she has been given the same powers I have. But based on what I have heard and seen, more powerful than me." DB responded.

Eddie finally spoke up again, 'You are telling us, that Aya, my niece, caused a fully loaded Destroyer, plus scout ship to blink through space 450 million light years, and land perfectly in orbit at the Cat Home planet? By herself...just her?"

"Well, yes and maybe some navigation assistance from her AI? But the physicality of moving the ships she has been in? It was all Aya." DB responded, "I know this is and will be hard for everyone to understand, but in transition, there is no mass, no time, no...a lot of things I do not understand."

"But I am here for another reason. Her presence has been requested by the Mystic Elder and I have been asked to fetch her. I am here to take her to the Elder and will report back. I do not believe we will be gone long and then I will bring her to the Capital." DB promised.

"Do I have a say in any of this? She is my daughter!" asked her Father.

'Of course, cousin, but please trust me and let me borrow her for a bit. She needs to get trained. I have done somethings, without thinking. I have sent men to their deaths out of fear and reaction. I never want her to carry the burdens I carry now." DB looked down and all could see regret on his face.

Lord Drew acknowledged the need with a nod of his head but then added "only if she wants to go."

"It would be horrible if she accidently sent...let's say an Uncle, to go swimming because she got mad about something," DB smile and looked at Eddie and saw him blanche and understand the meaning.

DB stood and held out a hand and she stood. She was not sure she wanted to go but knew in her core it was right. She stood and took DB's hand. She let go for a moment and ran and wrapped herself around her father.

"Be good my lovely daughter, be safe." And then her Poppa Lord Drew of Pride softly kissed the top of her head. She let loose and went to DB.

"I am afraid, but I trust DB. Ill go and hear what the Elder has to say." Aya stated quietly.

"Uncle, I would never hurt you, but you had better put my ship back together..." Aya was talking and then there was just silence and empty space at the end of the table.

Lord Drew stood, not knowing what to do.

He knew he had committed to meet with the Marauder emissaries in the Capital. They had been sent there when he headed over to talk to Aya. He would meet everyone at the Capital, the newly freed slaves, the Marauder emissaries, Target. So, he guessed his little vacation was at an end.

But he wanted his precocious little girl too.

"Lord Drew, I am getting some odd messages from the Capital. Something to do with a freed slave and her desire to live in the Castle."

"Yes, Aya mentioned a 'special friend', one of the freed slaves she said could organize the castle storerooms...why?"

"Target is screaming something about a giant snake in the castle and that you are ignoring her calls," answered Alexander.

Lord Drew just closed his eyes and let out a long breath, "What is a 'Naga' Alexander?"

Alexander played with pad and then looked up, "In Earther religious and historical texts it's a snake like creature with the head of some other creature."

Lord Drew just took a deep breath, "Target hates snakes..."

End of Chapter 3