Drew's Troubles - Omega Colony #06

Colony Omega Chapter 6

To all,

I am striving to diverge this series from the original Drews Troubles with Roaches stories. While there will always be the interweaving (as in this story), I am hoping to keep this series ground based, while the other will look back into space.

Both the, planet bound, and space bound have issues. I want to strive to gain an understanding of what it's like to be on cusp of creating a new society.

I hope all of you have stayed safe in 2021. To those of us in the USA, things have started out in quite the 'special' way. I hope, no matter the political affiliation, that we can play nice and move forward to a pleasant future together as one USA. I hope COVID-19 goes away and we can hug again as a natural way of saying hello.

Any aliens, real or imagined in this story are purely a construct of my twisted and warped mind.

I thank everyone so much for reading my stories and hope you continue enjoying them.

***

It was around this time and the spiraling out of conflicting issues, that his head began to hurt again.

DB escaped to his beloved patio and watched the bees swarm to their new abode. It was a beautifully crafted beehive made locally by a new carpentry shop. As far as he could tell, it was the first in all the colonies. It was huge compared to Earth standard, but the carpentry shop just sized it to the bees. It was a bit disconcerting to have a huge bee settle on your table and wait for you to offer a bit of fruit. But, then they would be off and back to the hive to share. It was equal to having the birds on Earth beg for french-fries, while eating outdoors.

Cara came up to him, with Nalia following. She put her arms around him and then did a hip check forcing his small table away from him. She sat in his lap and slowly kissed him. He looked at Nalia with a questioning look. He was glad to have them back but these two females, he called mates, had bonded and he always felt like he was being played.

"We are pregnant my Mate," Cara stated and slowly kissed him again. There was a ruckus in the house and then Goldie darted out and went directly to Cara. She had been kept inside because of her inability to act calmly in a crowd. Too many foreign peoples, not from this area, were coming and she did not understand their immediate fear of the timber wolf sized lap dog. But now she was free and overjoyed to see the return of Cara and Kitten.

Kitten was laying in the shade relaxing after all the excitement and commotion over her return. She fluidly rose and padded over the whining and yipping Goldie. Goldie spun from burying her nose in the laps of DB and Cara and turned on her best friend only to falter. 'She smelled like kitten, sort of looked like Kitten,' but in Goldies simpler mind 'this large Cat was kitten?' the female wolf wondered.

Kitten ended the confusion and torment and just pushed her muzzle into Goldie's neck and purred. All was forgiven, all was content, at least with the two fur friends and they went to the patch of sun and laid down together.

"I love you my mate," DB whispered to Cara.

"And I you, DB. You have two playful pregnant mates wanting some alone time with you. What do you say?" Cara asked.

"To the bath my loves and then to bed." DB responded to Cara with a light swat on her rump.

From the sunspot on the patio came the sound of a snort and a comment 'harrumph, water play again," stated a disdaining Kitten from her warm supine position.

***

Nalia walked into a room full of frightened and confused creatures. They came from every species and some were downright exotic. She had been reading their bios on the flight over from Omega and one name made her heart skip a beat, 'Alainn is here!' she thought.

She had spent the past months finding homes for all the freed slaves that had been transported from Earth before the latest potential invasion of some alien race trying to take over the planet. She was Earth borne but then shipped in a cattle box to here to be a slave-whore on the border of the wilderness. It had changed her perceptions about her mother planet.

This was to be the last shipment of freed slaves. These were the ones secreted away on earth by their 'owners' and not freed earlier with the rest. Lord Drew had warned what the consequences would be and only one paid that price. One middle eastern prince had killed his twin male slaves rather than let them free. His death by sea monster was broadcast via drone as the mountain sized creature swallowed him and his life raft whole.

The Princes family, distraught over the death, put a bounty on Lord Drews head. Lord Drew formally requested they come through the portal and try and recoup their loss...no takers were found.

So here she was giving the same speech, from the same podium about the colonies, to a group of freed slaves. She talked about the flavor of each of the locations and the jobs that were available. She could feel herself start to fall into the 'blah, blah, blah' she had found herself doing after the last batch of a hundred transported and indigenous freed slaves.

She already knew that this group of slaves was going to be more difficult to place. They were kept as trophies by their 'masters' for a reason, sex. The exotic strains of each of the species could be seen in the smaller crowd in front of her. All were immaculately groomed, even as they stood, they started to preen and match their status with the others in this decidedly beautiful group.

She followed her Mate's and decidedly her Lord's habit of breaking protocol and just 'telling it like it is.' She stepped around the podium. She stood there, belly extended. She was at the end of her gestation period, plus the end of her nerves and patience.

"Would you all quit preening and trying to show each other who is the fairest in the kingdom?" she paused hands on her hips and there was some smatter of laughter. "So, as you know, I was once a slave and brought here in a little rougher fashion than you were transported. It was a cattle crate with two others without drugs for transition. I should say with three others, but the human did not survive the trip. He was a nice young human male, but he drowned in his own vomit in transport. I had to watch him die while chained to a wall." She paused again and started to tear up. 'Fucking hormones' she thought.

"Why should you care? Because your options here are limited. You are no longer a slave, but employment and opportunities in the colonies are limited to need. But your limitations may be temporary. You have agreed to be on the frontier. And while some of you may have read or been told, I want to provide the truth." She paused again letting her nerves cool. In the back of the hall, she saw a new figure come in, Lady target, who leaned against the wall in full flight utilities. Both women found strength in shared smiles and it gave her energy to tell her story. Some turned to see the Kettle in ugly military garb. They shrugged her presence off, she meant nothing to them.

"I was shipped here in payment for a debt. To pay off the 'masters' debt. I was given the 'opportunity' to be a prostitute. Yes, I was told it was my 'opportunity.' For two years, I was fucked, beaten, raped and half starved. Then a shuttle crashed changed my life." She smiled again looking at Targets eyes.

"My official title is Lady Nalia, mate to Lord Drew of the Omega Colony. If you ever meet him call him DB for short. The female you all so easily ignored in the back of the hall is Lady Target, mate to Lord Drew of all Cat space. She is off on one of her humanitarian missions."

Everyone broke into murmuring as Lady Target walked around the assembled ex-slaves and mounted the raised platform to stand by her niece. She stayed silent and let her Niece do the talking.

"This is no place and time for coddling, preening and 'spa days.' If you have special training in flying shuttles, raise your hand." Several shot up. "Come talk to Lady Target before she leaves."

"Specialty training in childcare, nursing, banking, carpentry, security and weapons can grant you instant employment. If not, there is always lots to do on the frontier." Nalia paused because she wanted to get through the most pompous of them.

"Your beauty is your own. I was bred to be a 'beautiful one' in my species, so was my Aunt. She lost her eye and gained her scars fighting the Roach invasion. I lost my beauty because of my 'opportunity.' But I would not want anything else. My mate dropped from the sky in a burning shuttle. Hers, well I'll let her tell her story later."

"I carry the first hybrid children to be born in Omega. But I have spent much time with my hands in dirt planting and then harvesting vegetables for our own table. I have learned to protect my own. I have learned to love and thrive with other species." She stopped and smiled a at Target again.

"So, dump your fancy clothes and fancy ways. You have now become part of the frontier and it has its own ways of teaching newbies the ways of the wilds."

Nalia finally locked eyes with Alainn and nodded towards the edge of the raised dais.

***

DB looked at the work happening on the dam. The Odessa had tried to create a hydroelectric project, but it was only a way to divert money into their own pockets. The earthen dam was unsafe, and the sluice gates had to be opened to take the pressure of the side walls.

It was the idea by a young Kettle engineer Abeje to use the spider compounds that were being used to stabilize the roads, to stabilize the dam. They were experimenting with boring down and then slurry mixing earth and the compounds together, to create 'columns' that would be tied together at the top with a type of cast beam. If it worked, this whole sector of Omega could have electricity by fall.

DB climbed back into his shuttle with the rest of the mayors he had volunteered to take to the winter meeting. This larger transport was not as graceful as his refurbished shuttle, but it was large and steady. Regretfully it did not have the same armament as his personal shuttle. He was hoping they were past that part of their combined growth trouble, trying to blow each other up.

Cara sat up front in the VIP seats where she had laid out her tabulation of export goods. She had forgone the look at the dam. She had been pulled there before but it had nothing to do with the immediate need of getting goods from the Atlantis continent to the Capital or Earth. She felt she was becoming obsessive regarding her responsibilities, but she knew no other way.

The spider silk trade made the old silk trade look like a joke. The demand was voracious since she had talked two fledgling fashion designers to use spider fabric in their designs. The weaving companies had a bit of a problem at first with the spider silk thread, it did not break nor stretch. But with the co-weaving of old school lycra, they had solved one problem and then discovered another benefit. With a certain thread count, the cloth would stop a projectile from a weapon up to military grade. It was also discovered to dissipate the energy of a single plasma shot, at least to a certain spectrum intensity. Fashionable body armor, a new niche trade market.

The cat colonies were not ready to set up weaving mills, but there were fledgling weavers starting their own shops all over the varying colonies. Home spun was still needed for the populace. The spider silk, at least those flowing through the hands of Cara, headed for Earth and Mars.

Beef, their most popular export was a dwindling supply. Commitments had been made to take the beef away and not replace it in the future, at least in quantity. The ecological impact of raising beef far outweighed the financial recoupment. The colonies would learn to survive on pork, goat, sheep, and fowl meats where the animals provided multiple sources of product.

The Boars that were imported by the Odessa and then escaped, found their way to the Spider kingdom, and vanished without a trace. The spiders had already requested more for breeding stock as payment for their spider silk.

Cara sat up front of the transport, talking to herself and flipping through page after page of requests and items for trade. DB sat down and watched her for a bit. He could see she was overwrought when she went to chew her nails. Her slightly distended belly starting to show her pregnancy.

"My love, what has you so wound up?" DB asked.

"Too much, it's all too much" She tensed and slammed her open palmed hand down on the table. She lifted one hand and pointed at the pad in its holder and puffed out a breath, "Then Aya goes missing. 'out on an adventure' and I don't know...my pregnancy...just too much."

"Ok, let's start with the easy things. Let us get you help back to the Capital where you can set up shop. You do not need to be in Omega. You are handling the export for the whole damn home world. Set up a group and deligate. Lord Drew or Target will provide all the authority you need." DB leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "There was a group of ex-slaves brought from Earth just before they had that tussle with the Dragons. Seems some of them are quite special and may be able to help you out."

DB paused, "I can change flight plans if you want. I can drop you off before the Omega mayors meeting."

"As for Aya, let me go find her and make sure she is not doing anything really stupid. That way I can put everyone's concerns to rest, OK?"

She just nodded her head as he went to get tea for her. "Don't change plans. I may be needed to answer questions about trade for next year in Omega." She commented as he walked away. She was always emotional, and he knew she would be more so with the hormones wafting through her body, but she did look completely frazzled.

*

He brought her tea. And then settled himself in to go look for Aya. He knew it would only take a few minutes. He closed his eyes and slipped into transition.

He was in the wooded dell again. He was a bit disoriented as he started to walk through the trees, he came to that same open glade and found the elder scholar sitting in a lotus pose with his long legs twisted about one another.

"Hello star child! How has your time been since last we talked?"

"Fine elder scholar." DB knew that the Elder knew already all the issues that he had faced. DB had to assume that in the great scheme of the world, what he had faced was nothing. "I was on a trip to find one of my family. Why have you brought me here?"

"I wish to talk to you about your 'lost cousin.' Please come sit and let us discuss."

DB, not understanding what was going on, but when a mythic being asks you to sit...you sit. After all the Elder handed out the powers DB had been given. One does not spend that much time arguing.

"We are speaking of Aya correct?" DB asked somewhat confused how this distant cousin could be involved with the Spiritual Elder.

"Yes, such a lovely inquisitive soul. She is like you, my first human star child. She is one of the new chosen."

"I do not quite understand, there are more like me?" DB questioned.

'Yes, there will be. She is quite young, but so strong already, she will need understanding, patience, and guidance. I wish you to take over this task. She will need lots of patience." He ended with a chuckle and a smile.

DB was taken back, seeing him smile, completely overturned his feelings about the Elder. He had seen his lips curl before, but this was an all-out smile regarding Aya.

"Of course, I will be what I can to help her in her learning. You sound as if there will be a lot of others?"

"Yes, at one time, my race was chosen as the ones to bring peace and enlightenment into the universe. My race finally chose a different path. That is why I left them. Then I saw this group of new beings, a series of species all intertwined. I knew that there was a chance, a seed could be planted, nurtured and set on a path that could spread enlightenment." The spiritual leader smiled and remained still.

"But I have killed with the gifts you have given me. How do you reconcile that?" DB asked, afraid of the response.

The ancient Grell pondered the question for a bit and then tilted his head to the side.

"You have not done what you have done out of pride. Nor have you done it out of spite or hate. You did what you did out of your desire to love and protect those around you." the Elder stated sedately.

He paused for a second, "You star child, must continue to question yourself. It is the only way one learns and grows. But be forewarned that as you have already experienced, your actions have consequences. You will have to live with those consequences for the rest of your life." He smiled again, "you must teach this lesson to your little cousin, she must learn this quickly. She will be...difficult at first, but you will win in the end if you use patience." The elder paused and looked out at the glade like he was looking for something.

"You must let her experience her adventure and let her experience danger and the excitement of triumph or the pain of loss. Then bring her here and we can begin our lessons. Now go back to your time and space and practice your patience," he paused again and chuckled, "you are going to need it."

And with that last comment he was back on the transport next to Cara.

"Did you find Aya?" Cara asked.

"No, I was 'waived off' by the Spiritual Elder," DB commented almost as a whisper. He was deep in thought about more like him over time, working together...for something.

"What do you mean 'waived off', what does that mean?" Cara questioned.

I am sorry my mate. It's an earther military term meant to used when an old, fixed wing plane was trying to land on a ship on the water. If they were not in the right position they were 'waived off' to try again or later. The Elder told me to let Aya have her adventure and then I am to take her to him."

"Why? Why does he want to see her? She is still a child." Cara asked.

"Because she is to be like me. He has chosen her and wants me to help her grow into powers she might not know she has. Target is going to have a fit." He just moaned and watched the transport make its arrival into Sofia. This town used to be Rostov, but a small contingent of Greek merchants wanted to call it Wisdom, in their old language, so Sofia was born.

He knew had less than one day to finish his speech, talk to the province leaders, and keep whatever new disaster that befell him at bay. And all of this, before he sat with all the provincial mayors for the first time in one place.

***

Nalia was quickly typing out messages for DB and Cara, she had just finished the first round of reviews and interviews with the last batch of freed slaves in the capital. She had taken an automated shuttle to the castle where she would spend the night and take her shuttle back to Omega, along with a group of freed slaves she thought would fit in to the rough and tumble societies at the fledgling colonies.

She was tired and all she wanted was a glass of rose wine and a deep tub soak. She had literally walked into a room at the castle at the same time as the new ambassador. Its one thing to be told, and then hear rumors and its another to walk in and see a two-meter golden cockroach in a cowboy hat. She had gotten so used to Hoppy, she thought she would handle it better. But it took all she could not to just scream. She did squeak a bit and reach for her knife.

The human gesture of throwing your hands up to show you do not have weapons, does not have the same affect when you can see the naturally armored front legs come up of a giant golden cockroach.

Time froze and the creatures in room did not move. Nalia slowly withdrew her hand from her knife and straightened a bit. She did not realize she had dropped into a fighting pose when she was startled. She saw the creature shift slightly and knew it was looking behind her.