Sholan Alliance - AU Bk 04 Ch. 05

Teo hissed at her when she realized just how Amanda had caught her out. Again, it was the expectation for Amanda resisting going to the mothership, "Just for that I might make a pass at your life mate while you are in the room!" She hissed again even as she returned the hug and held Amanda, "I figured as much and when will Ike be over? Dinner is going to be soon and was prepared just for the three, no four to include your bodyguard, of us."

Her door opened and Ike walked in and he grinned at the two, "Amanda ordered me to give you some time since she was going to get you back. As far as dinner I am starving and no need for another room. We will simply sleep here and relax. I doubt anything will happen but Amanda is going to need our comfort." He moved over and wrapped his arms around his wife. When he spoke, his voice was so very gentle, "She is terrified even if she won't admit it. It is taking everything she has, to do this and how I love her. My wife and my life."

As they held her Amanda felt so loved and protected. At the moment, nothing was going to happen and they all knew it. What mattered was both Ike and Teo were there for her and were willing to give her the strength to take this step. How she loved her husband and she was coming to care a great deal for Teo as well.

~~~

Amanda goes to the ship

Early the next morning the three of them rolled out of bed. Amanda had felt so safe and comfortable since Ike had been on one side and Teo on the other. Even having her hip bothering her hadn't diminished that feeling. The wonderful beds helped and she had been provided with one at Billy's insistence. With their help, she could do this. All of them dressed comfortable. Just to blend in Amanda had a tabard and over robe on. It was comfortable and she had worn one or two before. It felt right as the way to show respect to those trying to help her. Having the small knife on a belt was silly but Teo had given it to her.

Ike had considered what to wear and decided to go with something from his background. He had on a loose white silk shirt. The sleeves were loose and caught up in tight cuffs. Over the shirt was a dark vest with some light embroidery. The pants were similar though in a darker beige. The cuffs of the pants were drawn tight with strings and some soft ankle boots. Just because he had a wide leather belt and a Falcata. It was longer than the knives he had seen the Sholan Warriors carry but it was an ancient part of his culture.

Teo went with her normal robes though she had to carefully adjust Amanda's robes, "You look lovely Amanda and it is a good thing Ike has that silly short sword. If he didn't you would be hit on by most of the crew." With Teo there she wouldn't be. That and it had been made known to the commander of the Fijishi that Ike and Amanda were honored guests. She turned and grinned at Ike, "Then again I might need to loan your Life Mate a club as well. Both of you are looking very handsome and lovely. The bracelets Yilly gave you are the perfect touch. It is time for us to go. The shuttle just settled down and time is short." She wasn't giving Amanda any time to take back her decision.

Ike wrapped an arm around Amanda's shoulders, "Lead on Ambassador and we will follow. I want my wife healed as best possible. I am going to owe all of you a debt that can't be repaid when she is fixed." He encouraged Amanda to walk out of the room.

Amanda's bodyguard met them outside the Barque and gave all of them a pleased look. She didn't say anything and simply fell in behind them as they walked to the shuttle. When she glanced up and noticed a fighter there she couldn't help but approve. Nothing should happen but knowing they weren't taking chances meant a great deal. Once aboard she ensured that Amanda and then Ikarius was seated and secured. Once they were she settled down and buckled in as well.

It was only a few moments later before the shuttle took off. The flight went smoothly and it wasn't all that long before they arrived at the mothership. When they did arrive, everyone stood and the ramp to the shuttle lowered. When the four of them walked out Amanda had to flush slightly. There was a welcoming party which she hadn't expected.

The Sub-Commander who had originally greeted Billy was there and he had a small team of warriors there. He called a command to salute the Ambassador and her close assistants, "Welcome aboard Ambassador, Admiral Demopolus, Lady Demopolus. Please be welcome to the Fijishi, I have arranged for a float chair since it is a fair walk to medical. I hope this doesn't offend but we wish not to cause you any further pain Lady Demopolus." He saluted her as he was speaking.

Amanda had to resist the urge to sigh. She had seen the size of the ship as the shuttle approached and knew it was going to be a long walk, "Thank you. It is appreciated." When someone brought it forward she settled into it and was pleased at how comfortable it was. After a few more formalities, they started towards medical.

The Sub-Commander started talking, "Even though the scan doesn't take that long both Dr. Desjean and the specialist requested that you remain overnight. This is to give them time to evaluate the scan and come up with a treatment plan. The Doctor will discuss this with you later. The Commander of the Fijishi has requested that you join him and some of the officers for dinner. We have a small suite ready as well for you. Is this acceptable for you?"

Ike took it out of Amanda's hands again, "Thank you Sub-Commander and that was both expected and we accept. Let the Commander know we will be more than pleased to join him for dinner. I am sure this is going to be a long day for all of us and not going back is appreciated." Amanda might grumble later but he knew she would go with it.

"These warriors will be escorting you around the ship. This is simply to ensure you don't have a problem finding where you are going. They are going to escort you to medical first and then if you wish to go to the recreation deck or to your quarters either is fine. If you need anything let the warriors know and they will take care of it." He saluted again before leaving them.

The senior warrior stepped forward, "Greetings Ambassador, Admiral, Lady. I am J'honthon. My warriors are B'Gan and H'Loan. We are honored to escort you around the ship. We will show you to medical first. After that you might enjoy the central gardens aboard. It gives Sholan's a place to relax with nature. Shall we?" He turned and started off.

Teo lightly patted Amanda's shoulder, "Just remember we will be here with you the whole time." They headed off to medical.

That evening before the dinner someone buzzed the door for entrance. When one of the warriors opened it the commander of the ship was there, "May I please come in? I have a package for you from Ambassador Madlax. He wasn't able to get this to Warrior Ashkeron in time."

Ike could almost feel Teo glaring at the package and even he had to wonder. Amada gave both a slight face, "Don't be silly Teo, if he sent it to the Fijishi then it isn't one of his bad jokes. Please come in Commander. Did he leave a message with it?" To be honest there was a trace of chills going up her spine but he wouldn't do that.

He gave Ike and the Ambassador an understanding look, "He did Lady Demopolus, when Sholan's bond they signify it by the bracelets. For a life mating they use torque's. Since they weren't ready he sent some bracelets instead. This came in on the most recent courier." He handed the heavy wooden box over.

Ike carefully took it and examined it. When he looked at it he knew it wasn't a joke. On the top was an inlay of the two of them on their wedding day. Around it in both Sholan, English, and Greek was the date they were married, "The box alone is beautiful. He showed it to the two women before opening it. There were two torques which were beyond wonderful. Heavy with silver, gold, bronze, and inlaid with precious gems, it was lovely. It was obvious which was for Ike and which was for Amanda.

She promptly burst into tears as one hand stroked the torque's. Even with everything going on he took the time to have these made. It took a bit of time for Teo and Ike to get her to stop crying. When she did Teo had to help her and Ike get the torque's on.

"We had a feeling this might be emotional for you. I came early to ensure you had time to appreciate them. If you wish to wash your face we have about twenty minutes before the meal will be starting." He gave the three of them a warm smile as he waited.

Ike shook his head, "I'm in the wrong business. Wonder if Billy would like a silent partner?" It accomplished what he wanted since Amada poked him with her crutch and Teo hissed at him.

~~~

Pirate ship arrives

Billy, Kingie, and several of the Sholan guards for the Embassy were waiting at the landing port for the shuttles and smaller starships. Since the pirate ship would be considered a small boy by the Sholan's, it was going to be easily landed at the port. Eventually it would be moved to the estate but that landing area was still in the process of being built. It wasn't to have a ship handy but so he could tear the damn thing apart.

He trusted the techs on earth who had worked on the ship as they searched for information on the Organization. It was simply he had to have hands on the damn thing. Even if to an extent, he was a theoretical hyper physicist's he liked to get his hands dirty. The engine was going to need to be pulled so it could either be rebuilt or replaced. If it was replaced that would be better though it would take longer. It was something he had been thinking about and considering trying both, engines mods and engine replacement. He had been assured that if needed the Sholan's could manufacture the engine to his specs.

When the ship finally landed, Billy was impressed since it had a completely new paint job. Some of the mods had been removed to return it closer to the specs for the original plan's. It was older but it was still in good shape based on what the reports given.

When the passengers started to come off Billy moved forward, "Welcome to Shola, I have arranged for temporary housing at the telepath's guild until they verify the language transfer. You are going to have a more in depth indoc course. It is going to cover items which have come up since the original indoc's have been done. Once we get you processed you will be shown around town by other embassy staff. This will include the Sholan staff. If you have any questions or special needs, contact the Sholan assistant assigned to the accommodation house you will be living in. Once you are processed I will show you the estate I have purchased. If you wish to live there that is fine. If you would like to live in town that is fine as well. Shall we?"

One tall slender man, he was of some mixed Asian descent, spoke, "I would like to stop by the embassy and look at what you have done." He wasn't rude but he was brusk and abrupt.

"Colonel Jinjow it is part of the original treaty that all Terrans must have the language implant and indoc before they are allowed outside the telepath's guild. If you had come back on one of the Sholan's vessels it would have been done. With the speed of which you were sent to Shola it needs to be done here. All the indoc is, is an introduction to Sholan culture. Some aspects are similar while others are vastly different. This is especially true when it comes to telepathy. It does exist and if you treat a telepath the wrong way at the very least you can be sent back. At the worst personality modification. This will all be explained over the next few days. I already have permission and plans to have access to a small viewing table for tomorrow after your indoc."

When the officer went to grab Billy's arm Kingie caught his arm, "If I had allowed you to touch him you would have been arrested. See the purple and L on his tabard? It means he is a Leska. You would have been incarcerated, examined by a telepath of the judiciary, and a decision made on what to do. If it was a simply a misunderstanding, you would have been sent back. If there was intent for bodily harm personality modification and then returned. This is the type of misunderstandings the indoc is designed to avoid."

"You're not serious! This sounds like a way to simply eliminate those you don't wish to learn about your advances." He expected something like this and wasn't going to stand for it.

Kingie gave him a solid stare, "The Ambassador was run into by a telepathic student. They were running through the crowd and wasn't paying attention. When they did they re-injured his wound, and put both he and his Leska partner on the ground. If he had decided to press charges the student would have had his telepathic centers burned out. I will ensure you have all the documentation and possible results on your communicator in your room. I would strongly suggest you read it and study it. Now if you wouldn't mind sir?" He indicated for the man to move though he stood between him and Billy.

As he had been talking to the dozen or so staff, he watched pallets of luggage being pulled off and loaded onto a transport. It would be routed to the accommodation house. As he was talking a large transport for the staff pulled up, "Kingie would you ensure they are onboard and comfortable? I need to speak to the captain of the ship for a moment." He had seen the Sholan who had been acting captain twitch an ear at him. There was some murmuring about what had been said but he was ignoring it. This time if someone touched him he would have stunned them. Last time they almost had gray matter oozing out.

As Kingie took over Billy walked over and nodded towards the ship, "I would like to see the inside captain. Shall we? Did you bring any updated technical documents? I just want to ensure I have any last-minute changes are listed on the diagrams I currently have."

"Not a problem Ambassador, this way please." When he lightly touched Billy's hand in the greeting to a telepath he slipped him a data crystal.

~~~

Z'Marl's parents arrive

Billy, Satasha, and the others were at the Estate house. Z'Marl's family would be there shortly and she was almost fretting about how they would react. There was so much they simply didn't know about her life in the last few months. There had been meeting Billy, getting drawn into his intellectual world, going to Earth. When he almost died after he was shot it had terrified her. She hadn't considered falling for someone that fast but she had come to care a great deal for both in that short time. Then there was coming back, becoming part of Billy's design team, and then the third in the Triad. The temple wedding was going to take place after Satasha delivered and recovered.

That wasn't even mentioning she might end up as his Leska now that Satasha had lost her talents until after delivery. There was a greater draw to Billy since that had happened. Since they were the original human/Sholan Leskas nobody really knew. If it was going to happen it was going to happen soon. Oh, she had completely forgotten that she was going to be life mated to a very wealthy man. She didn't bother asking how much he was worth now since the number kept changing. When he came out with the new engines it was going to jump even more.

Crystal came over to Z'Marl and gave Z'Marl a good hug, "Relax, it will be fine. All of us are here for you." She turned while leaving an arm around Z'Marl's waist. She knew they should be here very shortly.

Billy was paying attention to Z'Marl's state of mind and she was starting to work herself up. He had been expecting this and had a plan. Without changing expression, he twitched, "Oh damn my brain, I just realized where I was going wrong with one of the engine changes." Everyone knew ideas tended to pop up at random times and he would get distracted. Looking rather distracted he pulled out his glasses and started scribbling in the air again. As he was doing that he was muttering to himself.

Sally groaned and almost considered smacking him to get his attention. She didn't though since this engine design was critical. Instead she sighed and covered her face for a moment. This was not the time for him to get a brilliant idea.

Z'Marl frowned at him and without even thinking she pulled her glasses out. She called up the screens and had to blink. The changes he was making looked like he had resolved the issue he had been butting his brain against. She moved so she could stand next to him. It wasn't necessary with VR glasses but she preferred facing what he was even if it was virtual, "I see what you are doing and it makes sense. What about...".

When Z'Marl's family was escorted in that was what they walked into. Billy and Z'Marl were talking math and changes which might be needed. Dani had been waiting to escort them in and she touched Z'Marl's fathers arm, "Give them a minute. My dad occasionally comes up with ideas at random times. He just figured out the solution to one problem with the new hyper engines he is designing. Z'Marl is checking and verifying what he is thinking. She helps to keep the rest of us sane."

Z'Marl's mother glanced at her and spoke quietly, "What do you mean keeps you sane?" They knew their daughter was smart but they hadn't wanted it known. It wasn't because they were ashamed but sometimes very smart people were teased and picked on.

Kingie had come over and listened. He gave a hissing laugh, "What she means is Billy tends to hand out headaches when he starts his geek speak stuff. He gave several of the senior brass on the NDB headaches and still does. That is how smart he is. Ignore Dani's or Sally's innocent fresh looks. They make the rest of us look just above morons." He grunted when Dani poked him, "Z'Marl actually understands what he is saying and can rephrase it in a way that doesn't give out headaches."

Her parents turned and stared at him and it was obvious they weren't sure if they were joking or not. Crystal came over and leaned against Kingie, "Believe me what they are saying is true. Z'Marl is a really cool girl but when they start speaking like they are now the rest of us tend to veg out and take naps, run screaming, or quiver in the corner." She gave Billy a really happy look, "He takes family very seriously as well. He is my guardian and he saved me and several others and was badly injured due to that. He and Satasha are almost the parents of our little group. Z'Marl is like a favorite sister to many of us."

Right about then Billy 'noticed' her family was there and jerked his VR glasses off, "Ah, sorry about that. A solution to an engine design just occurred to me. Z'Marl was helping me check my thoughts. Welcome to the Terran Estates." He wrapped an arm around Z'Marl as well as Satasha, "This is my Leska Satasha. She is also currently my bondmate but as I am sure you know the three of us have decided to register as a triad and become lifemates."

Z'Marl had looked up when Billy pulled her glasses off and she lowered her ears in embarrassment, "Hi mom, dad. Good to see you J'Leol and you as well P'Zon. Billy this is my father B'Heron, my mother La'Zual. This is Yilly, Satasha, Kingie, Dani, Sally..." She introduced everyone even as Billy was urging her over. She finally moved forward and gave her father a good hug before the others.

La'Zual gave her daughter a good hug before leaning back slightly, "You are looking so good. I think working for the Ambassador has been good for you. I am so proud of you." She gave her another hug before stepping back.

Billy snorted, "Please call me Billy. I prefer the title Captain and only hang on the Ambassador title when I want to browbeat people." Or when he was going to screw the shit out of someone who annoyed him.