Sholan Alliance - AU Bk 04 Ch. 13

Heavy troop shuttle

The crew was secured in some rooms on the transport. Some of the troops were going to remain onboard while the rest returned to the heavy shuttle. The heavy box was going to be left secured on the asteroid. Once they were far enough away they were going to blow it in the hopes the other ship would assume the ship exploded and the crew were killed. It would also make them think that Earth would assume the probe was the cause of the explosion.

Once they were ready the shuttle took them in tow and slowly accelerated to get away from the explosion. Once they were far enough away they triggered the secondary bomb. It went off with a satisfactory flash of light and flare of secondary radiation. They weren't sure if the second bomb had exploded as well but it would be destroyed which was good. They didn't need someone to pick it up and have it go off near a habitat.

After the bomb had been triggered a message was sent to the Fijishi letting them know. It was going to take some time to get back since they were towing the piece of junk but that wasn't a problem. They would get back and turn the crew over to the Swiss. As far as the ship? Might as well have it junked, it was in that bad of shape. To honest the pilot of the shuttle didn't have any idea how it was even space worthy. Chances were good it occasionally leaked air based on the number of hull patches he could see.

It was only an intersystem ship and he doubted it could get over.1c. Maybe .15c at the very most. At a guess the thing was a good fifty or more years old and hadn't been well maintained. What it might have originally started life as he didn't have the faintest idea. How many modifications it had over its life he didn't know but he could see at least five additions. With a shake of his head he turned and started working on his report of the action. What they were going to do with the five he didn't know and didn't really care.

~~~

Col. Jinjow arrives home

For the entire flight back to Earth, he tried to remember what he had learned but nothing had come back. He had very carefully sorted through his luggage for the encrypted files he had hidden as well. None were to be found and they had been very carefully hidden. When he was done with digging through his stuff, everything was piled on the bunk he had. All of his electronics were there, just none of the data crystals. Even more frustrating the electronics had been carefully wiped as well.

It almost looked like they had been reformatted and reloaded before being placed in his luggage. Everything was there other than the data crystals. What almost burned was a neat and tidy inventory list of everything he owned and had brought with. As far as he could tell, when they packed him up they had generated it. It had been signed by the two warriors and the Ambassador. If he managed to remain alive he was going to be lucky. His command took a very dim view of not completing your missions.

The flight back had been very uncomfortable since nobody would talk to him. From what he could tell this was a regular trip to Earth and it looked like they had replacement warriors and crew. Other than during meals when he asked for something to be passed nobody said anything to him. For the two weeks, he was almost completely isolated. When they arrived at Earth he was actually relieved even knowing what he did about his command's likely reaction.

Once the transport had landed on the Fijishi he didn't get a chance to look around. He was escorted to a shuttle and dropped to the surface. As he had expected it was down to Switzerland. What Jinjow hadn't expected was to be escorted onto the Barque which was the Sholan Embassy. Once on board he was taken to a small waiting area and told to sit. There were two warriors with him and they remained. He was slightly insulted by that. He wasn't going to try anything. If that stupid woman had just done her job he wouldn't have screamed at her. As far as he was concerned the entire telepath thing was just a way to hold onto power. The thing with one in every five days off for the three was their way of getting more time off while others worked.

Assuming he was still alive in a week or two he was going to file a complaint about his treatment. They had physically assaulted him, did something to his memory, and tossed him on some random ship back. He couldn't complain about the data crystals since they weren't authorized. His neck had been sore for a good week after that one warrior had almost sunk his claws into it. Being tossed across the room had caused a few bruises which some were still there.

He was still fuming when a door opened and he was told to go in. The warriors escorted him in and he almost twitched since the Sholan Ambassador was waiting for him. When she pointed at a chair and told him to sit he did as she ordered. It irritated him since most females in his department were support. They did all the secretarial stuff, got coffee, and meals as needed. Very few were of a higher rank than he was. Of those they had earned it working their way up the chain.

Teo looked at the man and lightly sensed his emotions and surface thoughts. After several moments she finally spoke, "Col. Jinjow, I have a report here of your actions on Shola. Not just what caused you to be sent back but from the moment you arrived. Before you say anything, it is from several different sources and not just the embassy. We are not pleased with your actions and have filed a complaint with your government. I'm going to try one last time to get you to understand what you managed to avoid." She took a sip of the coffchar mix Billy had created, "First and foremost is the expected treatment for anyone with purple. Don't touch unless asked or they initiate it. That is for any rank of telepath from the weakest talent to the strongest normal talent. It is both our culture and our laws."

"When it comes to Leska's like Yilly, Lt. Cmdr Verzilon, and Z'Marl you just don't touch. For Leska's an unwarranted touch is, by law, equivalent to grievous assault. For a simple touch, you would be facing a jail sentence of five plus years. When you cornered Z'Marl it would have been within Ambassador Madlax's rights to have fried your brain. That isn't a joke in case you think it is. It would have left you with the mentality of a child, in a coma, or even dead. Since he didn't he could have called the police and had you arrested. You would have been locked up for fifteen years to life. It would also have been an option to have you personality programmed."

She took another sip of the drink, "When he decided to send you back you seriously lucked out. You are being returned to your country along with a report of your actions from arrival to what caused your departure. We have filed a complaint with your government about your actions. We have also informed them before anyone from your country goes to Shola they are going to be heavily mentally examined. They are going to be examined by medical for a psychological evaluation and by the telepaths for additional evaluation. Anyone who isn't passed by both won't go. For your information, Ambassador Madlax has recommended we don't allow anyone from your country be allowed to go to Shola."

Each sip of the drink was to make a point. He wasn't a welcome guest and wasn't wanted aboard the ship, "We are going to make the decision on, if, or when, anyone from your country goes back to Shola. After considering the Ambassador's report it is going to take a great deal of convincing. Chances are good it won't be anyone from your military. If you have a problem with Ambassador Madlax's actions file a complaint with his state department. If you have an issue with my actions file a report with the Sholan Government. I will ensure it is sent up the chain to the senior Alien Relations staff for review. Admiral Demopolus is waiting to speak to you. Dismissed." She flicked an ear at the warriors and turned back to what she had been working on.

When the Colonel tried to say something, she looked back up, "I didn't ask for any comment or reply. I had you in here to inform you of what your actions could have caused and have caused. Leave my office or I will have you forcibly removed. Goodbye." She watched one of the warriors pull him out of the chair and almost drag him out of the office. Now came Ike's chance to rip him an asshole.

They had finally managed to organize an office for Ike next to Teo's. It was small but he didn't care since he had smaller offices before. When he was alerted Jinjow was outside he opened the door and pointed at a chair, "Sit down and shut up. I know Ambassador Teolura has spoken to you and now it's my turn. She is far nicer than I am so I'm going to be blunt. You fucked up and barely managed to walk out alive. Billy might come across as a nice guy but he has a mean streak a mile wide when pissed and you pissed him off. The only reason you are alive and not in jail is because he is making a point to your government. If it wasn't for that he would have killed you, kicked some dirt on your body, and walked away whistling."

He took a drink of his coffee before speaking again, "I've received the report he generated for my government as well as a copy to his company. To my government, he has strongly recommended you don't get the engines or you pay full price plus for them. He is currently selling the engines to most governments for a million dollars or just over. That barely covers the cost of manufacture plus a bit for his company. For civilian use, they are going for just under two million for the small engines. You irritated him slightly since he wants three and a half million, cash before delivery. The engines your country will be getting are going to be what he called black box units. Certain proprietary aspects will be sealed and if something breaks you will need to order a new box and send the old one back. He has talked to the Sholan's to ensure the boxes aren't accessible by our technology. If you try to open one of the boxes it will cause the entire engine to slag down. The first time this happens the cost for a replacement engine will be five million. Each time it happens the cost of the engines will go up by two million."

Ike had to take a breath and glared when Jinjow started to speak, "I said keep your fucking trap shut. Teo explained one aspect of life to you. I'm explaining the next aspect. If you open your mouth again, I'll have you dragged from the ship, tossed on the first shuttle back to your country and file formal charges." He had half come out of his seat before he settled back down. When he was yelling, his heavy thick beard seemed to double in size, "For the moment your country isn't receiving any engines or re-crystallized tubes. They are in negotiations with my government and Billy's company to start the flow of parts and engines going again. Knowing your section of the military I doubt I'll be seeing you again. Once you leave the Barque you will be taken to a room, you will remain there until a flight is organized, and then you will be escorted to it. Get out of my sight." He flicked his beard at the warriors and watched them almost drag the man out of the room. When he had received the report from Billy he had been forced to take several days to calm down.

~~~

Jinjow arrives home

Thankfully the flight back home was civilian. Since he didn't expect to be alive all that much longer he decided to get drunk. As the plane was angling down to land he looked out the window and knew there were unhappy people waiting for him. Having his command unhappy with him was going to bring him some serious pain in the near future. It wasn't something he wanted or was looking for. As he was thinking he pulled out his blood pressure medicine and pulled a pill out since he needed it.

After neatly putting the top back on the bottle and tucking it into a pocket he tossed the pill in the back of his throat. With a cheap whiskey chaser, he swallowed it down before leaning back in his chair and waiting. It wasn't much longer before his eyes drooped and was asleep, or looked asleep. When the flight landed and people were leaving one of the attendants checked on him. After checking she started calling for help since he wasn't waking. It only took a short time for a physician to be called and Jinjow was declared dead.

It wasn't much later when several military officers were on the plane and took possession of the body. They had it taken off the plane and placed in the back of a vehicle before they left. After searching the body for any potential hidden data crystals, the body would be disposed of. Considering the mess he had caused, his records would be classified and then buried in some archive to never been seen again.

~~~

Ike, Grand Marshal, Commander

Ike leaned back and took a drink of the coffchar and gave the Commander a good look, "How did you come across this base?" He glanced at the Grand Marshall, "I'm going to assume it is related to the call you needed to make the other day. Catch me up as soon as possible. I'm assuming this is important or you wouldn't have made the call."

The Grand Marshall shrugged, "I will say yes but I'll need to get permission to read you into what caused it. Hopefully it'll be in the next day or two." He wasn't happy since there were only a few people on his side who had known about this. It was possible the captain of the scow had contacted someone but he didn't think so. It meant someone in the know had told someone. He had an idea he knew who but it was going to take time to prove it. Considering the size of the installation it wasn't new and with the use of the stealth it indicated it wasn't authorized. It could be government run by one of the other hegemony's but he didn't think so.

The Commander leaned back in his chair as he looked at the holotable. His fighter had used passive sensors to scan as much as possible but it wasn't what they were designed for. He hadn't mentioned it but he had dispatched a ship designed for this type of work. The electronics' scout ship was designed to probe locations like this and had even heavier stealth. They weren't fast but they did a good impression of a dark spot in the darkness of space.

"Get with your governments and let me know how you want to deal with this. If you want to deal with it, I'll pull my ships back and let you handle them. If you want our support then I'll do that as well." He had a fair amount of leeway with what he could do. He could also contact Teo or the Clan Lord as well. Before they considered attacking the location they needed to know who it might belong to. It would also chance voiding the treaty as well which he had to consider.

Ike sipped on his drink, "Before I can say anything I need to be read in by the Grand Marshall. Until then I can't do much. We'll get back with you as soon as possible." He stood and gave the commander a nod and left with the Grand Marshall.

The two were silent as they headed down to the surface. There simply wasn't much to say and both knew better. If one started talking then it was possible something might come out which shouldn't. After landing Ike gave the Marshall a good look, "Try not to delay, we need whatever caused this. Not a stupid man and you know that. Later." It was late enough he headed towards his house. Both women were going to be there.

The Grand Marshall had been thinking on the way down. He had to consider how to deal with this and several ideas finally came to him, "Do my best Admiral. Until later." There was a vehicle waiting for him and he left the area.

~~~

Kingie and Crystal

The cruise had been a great deal of fun. Crystal had enjoyed it a great deal though she had ended up with a shirt over her swimsuit while swimming. Having Kingie, his family, or some of the others see her scars was one thing. For everyone on the cruise? That wasn't going to happen. Thankfully Kingie and the others understood.

Even though she and Kingie had been working on intimacy certain aspects had been very limited. When he had asked her to be his bondmate she had almost died in shock. It had come out of nowhere and completely blindsided her. It had been such a shock for the rest of the day she had been operating out of habit. Not much had really impacted on her as she was trying to deal with knowing someone actually wanted her. It wasn't wanting her as just a quick lay or anything like that. That someone wanted her as their wife. One thing she knew hands down was he meant it when he had asked. He wasn't doing this just to make her feel better. It simply wasn't who he was to do something like that.

She understood it wasn't quite the way they looked at it but it was how she was. He hadn't asked her to be his companion since the therapist though it might be somewhat soon for that. To be his wife though? Crystal almost wanted to call her therapist to see what she had to say about it but didn't. She was going to take this step and let the warm glow of being loved surround her. As they were heading to the ship she didn't notice the looks being traded between everyone.

Kingie was giving Billy a look which was both concerned but also pleased. He had talked to their therapists and both felt it wouldn't be a problem and would be good for her. By now they knew both well enough to know Kingie wasn't that type. He genuinely loved Crystal and wanted to be with her. It had been proved when he had come to them about asking her to bond with him. They had talked to him and come up with the plan.

When they finally reached the room assigned to them, he found their bags on an unpacking rack. It would only take a short time to unpack when they decided to. Once they were inside he wrapped his arms around Crystal and purred as he rubbed his muzzle against her hair and cheek, "Think someone isn't all here right now. Should I tickle to try and bring her back?"

Crystal leaned against him and closed her eyes as he worked on her hair and face with his muzzle. At the teasing, she didn't know if she should laugh, collapse, or have some other reaction, "Um, not sure that would work. Maybe ice water but not sure that would work either." She buried her face in his chest and held on tight, "Not sure what to do Kingie, totally shocked right now."

He laughed lightly, "Not sure what to say Crystal. I've been wanting to ask for a while. Why don't we change into something comfortable and then relax on the balcony?" They had a very nice room aboard the ship. Kingie nibbled on her face and ears even as he was purring. He wasn't trying to seduce her so much as to show her affection.

Crystal snorted, "Never even expected it Kingie. You caught me off guard and I feel... I can't explain just how I feel." The nipping and nuzzling was feeling damn good and she finally caught his lips in her teeth and returned the nibbling, "Sods the balcony, I want to test the bad. As long as we are slow and careful I think we can have a great deal of fun."

He started purring even more at that and they slowly started removing their clothing and eventually made it to the bed.

Crystal ended up laying there panting with his arms around her. It had been terrifying to actually go all the way but Kingie had taken his time and ensured she was ready. Once done he had gently wrapped his arms around her and held her as she had started crying. It wasn't for any reason other than a release of tension and stress. She had never expected to do that again or to feel the way she did once they had finished. It didn't mean she was healed but it meant someone actually loved her and cared for her, "Thank you Kingie. Thank you so much."

He had held her until she was ready to talk. When she had started crying for a moment he had been worried they had rushed but when she didn't try and get away or push him away he relaxed. When she finally spoke, he nuzzled her hair as he was purring, "And thank you as well. That was very enjoyable with a beautiful woman. My bondmate and how proud I am to say that. We can relax for a little while before a shower and then it'll be time for dinner."