Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 01

Billy nuzzled Satasha's neck and lightly nibbled on an ear. "My love and my life. How I love thee. Maybe now we can start looking into the bonding contract." He released her as the food was placed on the table and he smiled.

M'Zalon had to blink when Billy said that and tilted his head and smiled slightly. "Good luck with that both of you. Maybe when we get to earth you can introduce me to some of your friends." He was grinning when he said it and everyone laughed.

They started eating and Billy was pleased that his stomach wasn't complaining about it. Eventually everyone was done and he belched and sighed. "Excuse me and that was darn good. Thank you for cooking this hun." He knew she had cooked it just for them.

Everyone moved over to the couches and settled down and Billy couldn't help but looked pleased since Satasha was on one side and Z'Marl was on the other. They were both leaning against him and M'Zalon sighed. "How did an old man like you get so lucky? Two very attractive young ladies curled up next to you." He had to smile at him when he said that.

Z'Marl laughed and stood up and walked over and settled down next to him and curled up. "There, now you don't have to be jealous." She leaned against M'Zalon with a slight grin as he twitched and flicked his ears.

Billy grinned at him and then became more serious. "So what questions do you have for me?" He asked as he pulled on the glasses. He noticed that Z'Marl did as well and a slight smile crossed his face. He was going to make her do much of the speaking.

M'Zalon placed an arm around her shoulders and lightly touched her cheek. "Such a pretty lady. I hope that one of these days I have someone like you to bond with." He knew her since he spent a moderate deal of time in the dining area she worked at. "Well Yilly after reviewing what we discussed this morning..." He went on to ask several questions.

With a slight smile he looked at Z'Marl. "Would you like to answer him? You can explain it as well as I can till it gets to my ship and her systems." Satasha blinked at him and then her eyes narrowed slightly at the two of them.

Satasha didn't say anything but had to wonder why he was asking her friend to present some of the information. She did notice that Z'Marl looked a bit uncomfortable and had to wonder why. Something was going on though she had no idea what it might be. As she was contemplating this everyone started putting their VR glasses on. Satasha decided not to and settled for curling up and placing her head in his lap and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to fall asleep but she was going to relax and simply listen.

Z'Marl glared at Billy and then sighed. "Yes Yilly I will start off though you might have to correct me." She flipped the screens out and started talking. She definitely wasn't comfortable talking about it but since Billy had asked her she was going to. He was still recovering and was still looking sort of pale and tired. "Well starting off with..." Z'Marl started talking and that got everyone's attention.

Sally rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "Oh god, another brainiac... " Vangie snickered at her reaction and settled back to listen. She leaned against him and listened carefully and was impressed. "Z'Marl that is really good though I am shocked you didn't end up with a headache."

Billy snickered. "Can you say geek foreplay? When I spent the night with her we talked math for quite some time." He gave Z'Marl a warm smile and then waved her to continue talking.

The engineer was looking rather startled and impressed. He gave her another hug and had to smile as well. "That is very impressive since I am still trying to wrap my mind around some of the concepts." He glanced at Billy and shook his head. "Only you could find someone aboard the ship who can understand your mind."

They talked well into the evening till Billy was starting to get tired. "See you for breakfast." He looked down and noticed that Satasha had fallen asleep. "She looks so young when she is sleeping. I almost feel bad for robbing the cradle." His fingers were gently stroking her cheek as he was talking.

M'Zalon couldn't help but smile. "She does look comfortable and you can't be that much older than she is." He really had no idea of how old the humans were or how long they lived. Since Billy had two adult daughters he had to be older but just how much again he didn't know.

Billy just shook his head and waved at him as he left. "Time to get her to bed." He gently lifted her head and slid out from under her. "Can you give me a hand Z'Marl?" He smiled when she came over and helped him pick Satasha up and take her to the bed room.

Z'Marl carefully started taking Satasha's clothing off and set it on a chair. While she was doing that Billy was pulling the covers back and helped get her tucked in. "She is so lovely and has come to mean so much to me." He looked up at Z'Marl and there was a gentle expression on his face and the love could be seen in his eyes.

"She is a lovely person as well. I am very pleased that the two of you found each other." As she was talking she pulled her clothing off much to his surprise.

"Um, what are you doing?" This was most definitely not something he had expected. Even if he had felt up to it there wouldn't be any bed play with Satasha there. Yes he did appreciate her body and the color of her fur but all he wanted to do was go to sleep.

She smiled at him. "Just going to curl up with the two of you and sleep. I was very concerned when you became sick and just want to make sure you are getting well." She looked down at the floor and then back at Billy. "I have really been enjoying the conversations and letting you teach me." It had been fun this evening since she knew that at least two of the people understood her.

Billy tilted his head and smiled. "Then curl up you shall and I hope you sleep well." He stripped down and crawled in and curled around Satasha. When Z'Marl joined them he couldn't help but smile a bit. "I feel like the two of you are making a Yilly sandwich." He smiled as she slipped an arm around him and snuggled up close.

They fell asleep and he slept well during the night. When he finally woke up he found that he was now curled around Z'Marl and Satasha was curled around him. Darn it but he was feeling comfortable. "Mmmm, I could get used to this occasionally." He felt Satasha's arm tighten around his waist.

"Hmm? Oh, so Z'Marl curled up with as well. We tend to do this fairly often unless you are a telepath. Then you tend to sleep alone or only with other telepaths. It is because touch carries so much information." She ran her hand along Z'Marl's side and smiled. "I was totally shocked last night when she started explaining your equations. I knew she was smart but not that smart."

He grinned and tickled Z'Marl till she woke up. "I don't know about you two but I have to use the bathroom and then a good shower." He crawled out and eventually they ended up in the shower. Sally and Vangie walked in and joined them.

Sally gave him a look and raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Instead she turned to Vangie and started working on him. God the Sholans were changing him as much as he might be changing them. How far was it going to go? Hell how much were they going to change her? For a brief moment she leaned against Vangie's back and sighed. It would be nice to get back to earth but she was really loving what she was learning.

They finally made it to the living room and Billy had to grin. M'Zalon had brought breakfast and had set the table. Billy had given him access to the main room when they were there. "Thank you for breakfast and it smells good. I feel sort of bad that you have been spending money on us though."

M'Zalon grinned at him. "Nah, I have been given a budget for things like this." He winked at Billy. "It is a bribe to get you to give us more of your secrets from that headache causing brain of yours." He smiled at Z'Marl. "You young lady are going to have a talk with me later. You managed to take what Yilly had done and explain it in a way that was more understandable. I am going to ask to have you assigned to work with him."

She lowered her ears and shook her head. "Sir I would prefer not to, or not in an official position. I like my job and what I do." Z'Marl was looking upset and Billy went over to hug her but she tried to resist.

Billy ignored her slight struggling and pulled her close. "Hun you have so much to give. I understand your loving your job. I love being a tramp freighter captain and don't want to give it up. The secret is that I can do both. You can as well. Come with us and you can serve the first contact team and work with me on the equations." He was stroking her ears and hair for all he was worth as she tucked her head into his neck.

"I don't know Yilly. It scares me to let people know what I can do." She tucked her head into his neck and held on for dear life. What he was asking of her really did scare her since being different where she came from was frowned on. "I don't want to be different than everyone else."

Satasha was letting Billy deal with her since she was sure he had gone through much the same. Instead she went and dialed up some drinks and fixed Billy's the way he liked it. They went on the table and she settled down and waited.

Billy had to smile slightly at Z'Marl. "I can sort of understand that though in my case as I got older I decided I didn't care. Sticking out where I came from was a good way to be picked on and pushed around." He held up one hand and grinned. "Not all the scars came from banging my knuckles on the engines." Billy kept the stroking up and listened to what she was saying with both his ears and his mind.

"Hun you are different but not in a bad way. It doesn't make you a different person than you are now. You are a lovely young woman who is bubbly, vivacious, and outgoing. Being smart, or I should say showing your intelligence and using it won't change who you are." He rested his hands on her hips and looked down at her. "The other night in your room was very enjoyable. It was nice to actually have a conversation without causing headaches."

Z'Marl leaned back and looked at him with searching eyes. They were vulnerable looking when she met his eyes. Both his scent and body said the same thing, he wasn't lying and was telling the truth. To be honest she had greatly enjoyed talking to him as well. The next morning had been rather nice as well but being able to actually use her brain and have someone else understand was nice. "Yilly I really am scared of exposing that side of me to random people." One hand came up and cupped his cheek. "Will you, with Satasha's permission, stand next to me and help me?"

Satasha stood up and came over and rested her hands on Z'Marl's shoulders and nuzzled her cheek. "Of course he would stand next to you and he doesn't need my permission." Satasha finally ended up with her head resting on Z'Marl's shoulder. "I guess this is sort of saying welcome to the family. Just don't give me any headaches though."

Sally shook her head and looked at Vangie. "I wonder if pappa is starting a harem..." She started laughing when she said that since Billy had glared at her. "Oh my such a look daddy, did I hit a nerve?" When Vangie covered his face with one hand she really started laughing. "Maybe I will start one as well."

Billy smiled at her. "Of course I will stand next to you just like I did with both of my daughters. Being smart runs in the family and there were a few occasions I had to deal with petulant children. They thought they should have gotten better grades and reviews since their parents were wealthy. I know of at least three that are flipping burgers currently." He tilted her head up and lightly licked her nose. "I will say the same thing, welcome to the family. Now I am hungry and I am going to chow down."

When he let go of Z'Marl Sally came over and gave her a good hug. "Pappa is really good at standing next to people and supporting them. The problem he has is being able to lean on others and ask for help. Satasha has started teaching him to lean on others but he is pretty stubborn." She gave her another squeeze before letting go. "If it helps you are amongst several really smart people and when you meet my sister..." She rolled her eyes.

Billy snorted but started eating. "I think now would be a good time to go down to my ship and really let you take a look at it. This will give you an idea of what might be done to it." As they were eating they changed the subject and simply chatted. By the time they were done Billy stretched and yawned. "A couple of hours of work and looking around and I am going to need to crash. If nothing else Satasha and I can use the bed in my room for a nap while you are looking."

Once they were done eating they headed down to the ship and started working on it. During the day both he and Satasha napped off and on as needed.

~~~

Over the following week or so the two of them finally recovered and work was progressing. The rooms had been completed and the ship stocked with the Sholan meal pouches. He had his own food as well which he was looking forward to. The Sholan food was good and he was enjoying it but he wanted something from home.

The hardest part was integrating the new sensors and communication equipment into his ship. It ended up they simply installed some totally new sensors and communication equipment. They were stand alone units that he would have to take the information from and punch it into his systems. It was a jury rigged affair but it should work till he had time to upgrade his sensors with his technology.

As the various techs were working on his ship Billy and the others spent a great deal of time with the first contact team. That was fascinating in a way but also seemed to give him headaches as well. Every morning he was working with the tutor to learn to build the shields and controlling his talent. Both he and Satasha were getting stronger which greatly confused both the tutor and mentor aboard the ship.

Eventually the ship was ready to go and he was going to be taking most of the warriors so they had more room aboard the barque that would be carrying the rest of the contact team. They were going to be escorted by a stealth fighter for good measure as well. Z'Marl had been spending a great deal of time in their quarters and spent a number of nights curled up with the two of them as well.

The night before they were going to be leaving the three of them were curled up in bed. Z'Marl had fallen asleep a few minutes before and her body was relaxing as was her face. "She almost makes me think of one of my girls." His fingers gently stroked her cheek. "Well not including the fun and excitement occasionally." He looked at Satasha. "She looks so young when she is asleep. You look younger as well but not nearly as young as she does."

Satasha smiled back at him. "I had noticed that some time ago. I had to wonder about the mask she puts on and why she does." Her hand was resting on Z'Marl's hip since she was between the two of them this evening. "I am starting to think she is falling for you Yilly. You are giving her something she has never had before. I understand her position and why and it doesn't bother me." She reached over and stroked his cheek. "I do have a surprise for you before we leave tomorrow. I am going to let you wonder though."

Billy closed his eyes and leaned into the stroking and simply smiled. "Yes my love and thank you for understanding. For some reason I just feel a need to take her under my wing and help her." He closed his eyes and sent a surge of love to Satasha. He didn't realize it but some of it washed over Z'Marl and a smile crossed her face as she slept.

~~~

The next morning when Billy awoke he was rather startled to find Satasha dressed up nicely. She smiled at him. "Good morning and get a quick shower while I pull out some cloths for you two." Satasha had secretly been working on the surprise. She had made sure that the others knew to dress up as well.

Billy frowned at her and stalked towards the bathroom. Behind him he could hear Z'Marl rolling out of bed and padding after him. Sally and Vangie were in there and he yawned a greeting before stepping in and started working on Z'Marl's back and hair.

Before he started she turned around and wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you Yilly for everything." She rubbed her head on his chest for a moment and then stepped back and turned so he could work on her back.

"Silly cat, of course I would help you. Satasha said you are part of the family and family means a great deal to me." Once they were done he walked into their room and let Satasha help him get dressed. She even made a neat pony tail for him. It wasn't very long but was still tidy. As they were dressing Z'Marl was as well and all three of them looked good when they were done.

Billy really had no clue what was going on and had finally decided they were dressing up to meet the contact team. It was silly since they all knew each other now but figured they were going to film the meeting and take off. He settled his tabard and over robe a bit more on his shoulders and walked out. Vangie was dressed smartly in his uniform and Sally really looked good in the Sholan clothing that had been tailored for her. "Okay Satasha lead the way."

She smiled and took his hand in hers and headed towards the elevators. When they got off the elevators they were on a level he hadn't seen before and was feeling confused. "Where are we going?" He asked.

Satasha smiled. "It is only a bit further Yilly and then you will see." She refused to comment any further and even blocked off the mental connection they had. That had been harder than she had expected and she was going to have to think about it. Eventually they reached the temple and with a smile she opened the door and led them in.

Billy looked around and his eyes found the statue and his eyes widened. He recognized the statue as Vartra who was one of the major deities on Shola. "It is a fascinating statue but what does it have to do with us?"

At that time a Sholan came out of another doorway and smiled. He was dressed in a gray robe with purple trim. "Good morning Satasha and I take it this is Yilly correct?" Nordan smiled at Billy and held his hand out palm up. "I am pleased to meet you Yilly. Welcome to the temple of Vartra."

Billy smiled at the Sholan and lightly touched his finger tips before moving his hand back to his side. "I am feeling really confused. Why am I here?" Satasha leaned against Billy and she had a pleased smile on her face.

The priest waved him over to a table. It had a book, paper, and some incense. "Welcome to the temple of Vartra and Satasha talked to me a few days ago. She indicated that she wanted to take out a three year bonding contract with you." He smiled at her. "After talking to her I agreed that I would do the ceremony for the two of you. I can feel her love for you and when I touched you I could feel your love for her."

Billy looked stunned as he turned to Satasha. His mouth was moving but he just couldn't talk at the moment. Tears started to trickle down his cheeks as he was trying to gather his wits. Satasha stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him and lightly licked the tears off.

"I do love you deeply Yilly and when I saw the chance I reached for it and took it. I told you I wanted a bonding contract with you and you accepted." She relaxed when he rested with his head against her chest and felt him take several shuddering breaths.

"I accept Tasha. I want this contract with you as well." He took one last deep breath and turned to face the priest. "I am not sure what I need to do but I also wish a bonding contract with Satasha." He was trying hard not to crush her hand as he held it.