“TeBron, TeZaron, I did not expect to hear
from you so soon.”
“We have uncovered two problems that require
the attention of the full council, but we would like to discuss
them with you first.” Bron stared straight into the holo. “First we
have good news, but it comes with a caveat.”
“I’m always happy to hear good news.” TeAllen
smiled.
“Both our Triad and that of TeJonal and
TeTonas are expecting femprings.”
“What marvelous news! How do you know so
soon?”
Bron said with pride, “Our offspring, Naffie
has the talent to hear life.” He smiled. “It seems the fem of Earth
are very fertile to Sarran sperm. We spoke to TaAnya and she said
that all of the fem who bonded may get pregnant at once. The
Earthen gestation period is twenty-seven tides; ours is fifteen
tides, as you know. TaAnya said that we should expect the births
anytime from fifteen to twenty-seven tides.”
TeAllen face screwed up in concern.
“We no longer have fem with the knowledge of
how to deliver offspring,” he replied. Worry was apparent in his
stance.
“TaSyn has a suggestion. There are at least
two medical professionals that were on board the
Brightstar
,
The Earthen Prince, Dr. Stern and TaAnya. There may be more—nurses,
midwives, or physician’s assistants. We need to search the
manifest. She thinks that the medical personnel from aboard the
ship, using visual aids brought in the libraries from Earth, can
teach the WarriorPairs how to help their fem give birth.”
TeAllen said, “That might work; the birth of
offspring is, after all, a natural process. The Warriors may be
nervous, but they have faced worse.” TeWell chuckled and joined
TeAllen on the com.
TeWell asked, “You said there was more…” You
could see on the holo that there was a hard line to TeWell’s
countenance as if he expected bad news.
“You know?” Zaron asked.
“About the traitor? Yes we know, but we don’t
know who it is.”
“TaSyn has an idea.” Zaron put his arm around
his bonded.
“I’m open to suggestions. We have tried in
council to ferret out this Warrior but he eludes us at every turn.
This meeting would best be had in person,” TeWell said. “Should I
call a full meeting of the council? As the heads of the council,
TeZaron and TeBron, it is within your rights to call a meeting out
of session.” Syn gave her Warriors a look that said they had some
explaining to do.
“Not at this time, not a full session. Can
you come to us this moontine? We will host, if our fem
permits.”
“Of course,” Syn answered. “If you don’t mind
spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Spaghetti and meatballs?” Zaron asked.
“You’ll find out. Shall we say nineteen
tines?”
“Nineteen tines is good for us. We shall see
you then.”
* * * *
“Is this too much for you, Pa Syn?” Her
Warriors looked at her in concern.
“A casual dinner for five is not a problem;
oh bother, invite Anya and company as well. Is it okay for us to do
it informally?” Syn asked.
“Of course it is. TeAllen and TeWell know
that this is last mot. They will expect replicated food, not fresh.
TeJonal and TeTonas won’t care,” Zaron pointed out as he caressed
Syn’s shoulders.
Bron kissed Syn’s nose. “The chefs can take
care of all of this; you do not have to do anything.”
“But I want to, my loves. And I have a bone
to pick with you.” Syn put her hands on her hips.
“What does this phrase mean, ‘bone to pick,’
is it slang again?” Bron asked, his face quizzical.
“Plainly, it means that you mislead me. You
did not tell me the two of you are the head of the council of
Elders.” Syn stood tapping her foot on the carpet her arms crossed
over her chest.
“We thought you knew. Jonal and Tonas told
you we ran the war.”
“Knowing nothing about Sarran politics; how
could I discern what that meant?” Syn asked.
“We’ll give you that.” Her Warriors embraced
her; relieved that she wasn’t angry. “Now it is up to you to tell
us what to do.”
“Call Jonal, Tonas, and Anya, as I suggested;
we may need moral support. I have enough sausage and meatballs in
homemade sauce stored in the freezer to feed an army. I used to
make it for the girls at the shelter once a week.” Syn started to
head to the kitchen.”
::Pa Chette, I think that in Philadelphia,
you are sorely missed,::
Zaron thought as he brought her close
for a kiss.
* * * *
Syn had platters of spaghetti, meatballs,
sausage and garlic bread on the table along with a Caesar salad and
brownies with ice cream for dessert by nineteen tines. The brownies
came from six boxes of mix, but the boys wouldn’t know the
difference. Neither would Anya for that matter; but she would share
the info with her just for the giggle.
Syn reflected that it was nice to have a best
friend, for that is what Anya had become to her in their few days
of acquaintance. Because of the way she looked; that had never
happened before. It was a good feeling.
* * * *
TeAllen and TeWell were impressed by the
cook, and her meal. “This spaghetti is Italian food? What is
Italian?” they asked.
“Italy is a country on Earth in the
geographical location designated as Europe, many of their people
immigrated to our country, the United States, and brought along
their cuisine, so now the dish is widely served in the U.S.,” Anya
answered as she grabbed another piece of garlic bread.
“Immigrants?” TeAllen questioned. He cut a
piece of sweet sausage.
“The United States once served and in some
places, still does, as a land of opportunity for people from other
countries. For the last two hundred years, people have flocked to
the United States for freedom and economic opportunity, bringing
with them their cuisine, customs, religious beliefs, arts, and
crafts. And they pass all these things to the general population of
their new home just as I have passed spaghetti and meatballs on to
the Warriors of Sarran. It makes for great diversity,” Syn
explained, passing the platter of meatballs. “The new Earthen fem
could be considered immigrants to Sarran.”
“Maybe we should get an Italian fem,” TeAllen
laughed as he took some more meatballs.
“But Syn isn’t Italian; yet she can cook
their food. You missed last night’s turkey and ham,” Jonal said,
smacking his lips.
“To say nothing of chocolate chip cookies…”
Bron, who sat across from Syn, blew her a kiss.
Zaron stood, “I have heard of another Earthen
custom, one I’ve seen on their vids. Congratulations are in order,
to use the Earthen term, we toast both of our fem for the joy they
have bestowed on us.”
The group lifted their glasses but the fem
drank Tierest juice.
“Syn has several things to tell us. Proceed,
Pa Chette.”
“We should retreat to the study.” Syn
stood.
“Concierge,” Bron said, “Tell Garlance we
will take our coffee and dessert in the study.”
The group stood and without wasting any time
teleported to the study.
* * * *
Syn sat in the overstuffed chair, “You know
about the births, they are a matter that must be discussed by the
full council. We should run two other matters by you. First, the
matter of the PTSD we discussed in council—we need to find some
psychologists and/or a psychiatrist among the fem. The Warriors who
are suffering from PTSD need help immediately, or more may die.
They may become violent and be an unconscious danger to those
around them.”
“They could endanger the fem?” TeAllen asked,
alarmed.
Syn considered her answer, “Not deliberately;
but in a rage, anything is possible. I propose we set up a clinic.
Anya, you know the basics of psychiatry from your residency. If you
read up on the disorder, could you put in a few days a week?”
“That’s an excellent idea. Hopefully we will
have help from a few medical personnel we find on the manifest.
Physician’s assistants, nurses, anyone with a background in
medicine would, with training, be able to help.
“What about pharmacists? They know the
compounds for Earthen drugs used on our soldiers for PTSD. Maybe
they can work with the Sarrans toward finding equivalencies,” Anya
suggested. She turned and looked at Tonas. “Didn’t Bane work on the
antidote to the virus? The team that did that may be able to put
something together quickly to stop the suicides and out of control
tempers. This must have a high priority. Big men with hair trigger
tempers don’t go well together.
“Jonal, you did say there was more fighting
that forced you to send Warriors to the Brig during the trip out.”
Anya looked at him and Tonas with a question in her eyes.
“Yes, we did have some discipline problems on
the way out, more than the usual scuffles. There is definitely
something to what you and Syn say, and Mark agreed when I spoke to
him this afternoon. We need to set up these clinics soon.” Jonal
looked to TeAllen and TeWell who were strangely silent during the
discussion.
TeWell began to speak, “I had no idea when we
sent
Brightstar
to Earth what treasures it would bring home.
I think my bonded and I will seriously start looking for a fem
among the women. You have made a lie of all that was said about
Earthen humanoids being inferior. I think if it wasn’t for the
unfortunate geography of your planet and the extinction events, you
could have been in space before us.”
Anya stood and looked at those assembled, “We
are no better or worse than you are. We have the same kinds of
faults as you do. What separates our people is the guidance of the
Codex and the Goddess Ulna. She doesn’t interfere; yet she watches
over her people; which is more than any of our so-called Earthen
gods have done in a long time.”
Garlance arrived and brought coffee, then
quietly withdrew. “TeWell, TeAllen, will you help us to supplement
the wards around the room?”
“Yes, of course.” TeWell frowned. “I don’t
think I’m going to like where this is going.”
“Syn, call for the cats and see if they will
come to speak with us.”
Duchess and Tigger popped into the room. “The
cats can teleport?” TeWell and TeAllen asked in amazement.
Zaron stood. “Please say nothing at all until
I give the signal.”
Duchess and Tigger sniffed about the room and
began to dig at another loose tile. Bron went over to help and held
up a listening device, he then crushed with his boot. “Any more?”
he asked the cats.
::No more bugs. Someone close to this
household planted this while we were at council.::
“And they also detect listening devices and
explosives. They say it sounds like a buzz in their head. The
ability first manifested itself aboard the
Brightstar
. That
is in an addendum to the report which we will pass on to you
now.”
Bron took out crystal cubes and set them on
the table. “It would be best to look at these and destroy them. We
know we can trust everyone who sat in council today because Syn and
Duchess couldn’t detect any black
miasma
around the
council’s auras.”
“TaSyn, the little beauty, and the Beast see
auras? Only those with very advanced psy power can do that,”
TeAllen said with amazement.
“Exactly, that is why the information must
remain in this room,” Bron said gravely.
“Who else knows about this?” TeWell
barked.
“Only the most trustworthy: Juraens and Mark
Stern,” Tonas answered.
“Now, to business,” Syn said firmly. “I have
a question. Has anyone seen the actual dead body of TeZuff?”
“No, no one has, usually an Elder will lie in
state, but TeAngle refused the honor,” said TeWell. “He intimated
that with the loss of both his fem from the Zyptz and now TeZuff
with his war wounds, he was too debilitated by grief to attend a
state function. He went into seclusion.”
“Doesn’t that strike you as strange?” Zaron
asked, passing around the Asta.
“It did, but with the landing of the
Brightstar
and the fems, no one thought anything of it,”
TeAllen said, his face showing the dawn of a revelation.
“They are the traitors. Fuck, they are
probably off planet by now,” Jonal said in terrible anger.
“Yes, Syn did something called profiling. She
said she wasn’t really good at it, but from her description of the
type of man who would do such a thing, they were the only ones on
council that fit the parameters,” Bron told them.
“What were these parameters?” TeAllen was
bristling at the thought of a WarriorPair on the council betraying
the planet.
“Someone who is very proud, too interested in
the formalities of his position, easily slighted, and who raised
strenuous objections to the mission. There is more, but it is not
necessary to go into it now,” Zaron said.
“Should we call PsyOps to arrest them for
treason?” TeWell asked.
“We have no proof unless we see TeZuff alive
and kicking,” Syn said with some sarcasm.
“We can send someone to the estate under the
guise of bringing the condolences of the council tomorrow morning,”
TeAllen suggested, getting up to pace.
“By tomorrow morning they will be long gone.
I suspect they left this morning while the council was debriefing.
They had help from the Galactic Federation. Septis reported to
someone before he took off in the Zyptz ship. That someone was also
responsible for all of the supply screw-ups during the war and
sabotaging the
Brightstar
mission by murdering the
WarriorPair who were responsible for security. If not for Mark
Stern and Juraens, Jonal and I would not have known who to trust
besides our bonded and the cats who had no agenda other than
keeping Anya and Syn safe.” Tonas poured himself another Asta.
“TeZuff and TeAngle were responsible for
supplies. This explains many things. What do we do now?” TeWell
asked.