by Jay Toney
We weren't challenged. We were given an invitation to dock at the space station. The Persephone, the Falcon, and the Griffon docked with the space station, and the Vengeance, the Carpacia, and the Sequoia anchored at mooring points nearby. The Keshian pilots, instead of landing inside of the space station's hangers, landed in the Persephone's port side shuttle bay. Nugget, Amber, Jewel and I headed to the dock. We were greeted by the stations security forces.
"These humans, Iniguar, and Vorg are to be treated as my guests, with no restrictions."
"Understood Chancellor Nugget."
Nugget made some notes in his comp. "I am going to be very busy for the time being. May I assume that you will be transferring to the Carpacia?"
"Yes, I have planned on it since I first saw it. It is a beautiful ship."
"Who will command the Persephone?"
"I only have one person with the experience needed to command her, Beverly. She will need a strong bridge crew to support her though."
"The Sequoia?"
"I think Mike will make a good captain for it."
Nugget made some more notes, then left us to get started. Within hours, teams of specialists were working on the Carpacia and the Sequoia. Our Vipers and Marauders were ferried to one of the space stations hangar bays to be refitted. Shuttles were loaded with the goods from the Carpacia and flown to the space station. Everything was cataloged and given a price, even the gold and gems I had safely hidden in the smuggling holds aboard the Persephone were removed from the ship. They were transported to the Carpacia and locked in the ship's vault.
The three of us were escorted to guest quarters and given a suite to use. The furnishings were smaller than what we were used to but luxurious by Keshian standards. We were free to leave and explore wherever we wanted. A group of bodyguards was assigned to us to ensure no one troubled us. They were also seen as a symbol of status amongst the Kesh.
They were unsure of what our status was, but Nugget made it clear we were to be treated as his guests. That meant we were expected to be treated as if we were royalty.
My wives and I were invited to several parties and political functions. They weren't very fun, but we couldn't refuse our hosts. Occasionally Nugget would make an appearance to ask a question or two, get my signature on a work order, and then vanish. He wasn't seen at any of the parties we attended. For some reason, he could refuse, but we could not.
Time aboard the Persephone was less tiring than the constant hand shaking, socializing, and photo sessions we had with the Keshian elite. I was looking forward to the day when we could take a break, and get back to our ship.
"Getting tired of Keshian politics already?" Nugget asked.
"Is this what it is really like to be in the royal line?"
"It gets much worse. You're beginning to understand why I left, I think."
"I can't imagine how you put up with the constant parties and social events as long as you did."
"It is simple. I found someone, such as the three of you, to take my place as often as possible."
"So, this is your doing."
"Of course. If I was to attend all of the mandatory gatherings, I would never be able to get any work done. As it is, your ships are nearly ready. Tomorrow we will see what changes have been made."
"I couldn't help noticing the lack of females amongst your people. In fact, I haven't seen any."
"You have seen more than you realize. Most of our people are able to change their form. It is most commonly done when we are compelled to mate. Some of us are able to change form at will." He changed his form to demonstrate. He took on the appearance of Persephone; then changed to Jewel, Amber, Red, Mike, then back to himself. "This form is what we refer to as the neutral form. We can either be male or female, choosing whatever sex we desire."
First, we were taken to the Sequoia. Its engines, shields, and hyperdrive had been upgraded. It could keep up with the rest of the fleet now, and jump to hyperspace without the need to reach a jump point first. The biggest change was in the biodomes. They had been overgrown from 20 years of neglect. Now the undergrowth and debris had been cleaned up. There were gardeners and droids still working on planting the bushes and shrubs that needed replacing. One of the six biodomes was dedicated to being a botanical garden. It was in the process of being completely replanted. Two biodomes were dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables. They were cleaned up. Rows of new crops were being planted. Care would have to be taken to ensure that the biodomes weren't infected with niffids.
The other three biodomes were used for woodlands. The woods were host to several small animal, insect, and aquatic species, making up an ecosystem. The researcher's were surprised by the return of their seed bank and DNA sequencer. They took a more active role by working alongside the gardeners. Selecting a wide variety of crops to grow, and planting them.
We took a shuttle to the Persephone next. The name Persephone was removed from her hull. The ship had been renamed the Valkyrie. Beverly and Sultan were on the bridge. Beverly was busy configuring the ships new AI to her preferences, using the neurolink headset. The Anteroom had been set up as a nursery for her twins. The Iniguar women were inside with her twins caring and playing with them. The only other real change was with Beverly and Sultan moving into my cabin, as soon as it was emptied.
We took a shuttle to the Carpacia next. The ship had been renamed too. The name Persephone now adorned her bow. Her engines, shields, and hyperdrive had also been upgraded. Holographic emitters were placed throughout the ship, like they had been on the Valkyrie, allowing Persephone the run of the ship.
Doc and Miranda were in the sickbay, busy installing the new autodoc units. With our population growing, they were going to be busy here full time with the injuries that were bound to happen.
Replicators were placed in engineering and in officers country, near the bridge. Lauren was on the bridge, wearing a new white uniform with Persephone's logo embroidered over her heart. I didn't like uniforms, but I had to admit, it looked good on her. The bridge looked unchanged, but there was one I surprise I couldn't see. Nugget was saving it for last.
I was shown my cabin. All of my belongings were here. Inside of my closet were white dress uniforms, tailored to fit me, along with the rest of my clothing. The galley and pantry had been removed, and a formal dining room was put in its place. A personal replicator was installed to replace the kitchen and pantry. A droid was assigned to my suite to act as our steward, cleaning up after us, and replicating our meals.
Nugget sprang the last surprise. "It's time to get you chipped." He injected me with a hypo, he kept carefully hidden. Everything went black. I woke up in sickbay. There was a bandage on the back of my neck. My neck was still sore from the surgery that had been performed on me.
The chip that Nugget had implanted in me gave me a direct link to Persephone and the ship's systems. Data from the ships diagnostic systems and instruments flooded my mind. It was too much information for me to absorb. I was being overloaded with all of the information that was flowing to me.
I could hear Persephone's voice calling to me. I concentrated on her voice. Her image came into my mind, and the flow of information faded to background noise. "Nathaniel, you must learn to control what you see and hear, through the neurochip. Concentrate on only what you want to know, and shut the rest out."
I tried doing what she said. I concentrated on only seeing Persephone and hearing her voice. The flow of information to me faded, then vanished altogether.
"You learn fast. You must learn to control your neurolink quickly, or chance losing your sanity. If you become lost in the information flow again, just concentrate on me. I'll do what I can to help you adjust."
"Thank you, Persephone.
"
Her image vanished, and I was back in the real world. I woke to see Doc leaning over me, checking my vital signs.
"I see you are back in the real world now. How do you feel?"
"Confused."
"Your vital signs are normal, and the surgery was a success. Take some time off to learn how to control the chip. It is new technology from Kesh. You are the first person ever to be chipped. If it malfunctions, or you are unable to control it, the chip can be removed."
I joined Jewel, Amber, and Persephone in my cabin. They were all delighted to see me on my feet again.
"I was worried that the chip that was implanted in your neck, would change you into a machine," Jewel said.
"I told you it would work," Amber remarked.
"Are you ready for another lesson?" Persephone asked.
"I think I am."
"Just concentrate on something that you want."
I concentrated on the data in our navigation computer. Star systems filled our suite. I sent a command to show our location. The holographic images faded, replaced by the Laterus solar system. The planet Xalos was enlarged, with its orbiting space station flashing, our location.
More information flowed to me. I could see every planet, their orbits, the orbits of their moons, and every cataloged asteroid. Every satellite's position joined the image, then every ship, starship, patrol craft, or system ship. It was too much. I couldn't stop the flow.
"That is enough for today, time to rest." Persephone stopped the information flow. I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted.
Anniversary Surprise
Amber and Jewel looked great, dressed in their new white dress uniforms. I sat admiring them, dressed in khaki shorts and a dark green shirt. Earlier, the girls laid out a uniform for me to wear. Even the thought of wearing a uniform was repulsive to me.
"Why aren't you getting dressed?"
"I am dressed."
"You are not going to the bridge dressed like that."
"I am not going to wear a uniform." That did it. I could tell I pushed Jewel to far again. That made it three in the last two weeks. The first time, I forgot her birthday, the next was when I forgot the anniversary of our first meeting. Amber suggested that I had best not forget the upcoming anniversary of our joining together. She never told me when her birthday was, and I never asked, not really caring about such things.
It was explained to me, in great detail why I should care, by both Jewel and Amber. I remembered every detail of Jewels and my first meeting. I'll never forget it. We had a great time together, and we had only just met. I didn't even know her name then. I even remembered the white blouse and short skirt she was wearing, dressed as a masseuse. When I thought about our first meeting I could still smell the fragrance of her perfume. She gave me her comm code and an open indentation to return, anytime. If I wasn't in love with Tanya at the time, I could have easily fallen for her. But what was the date, or even the day of the week? She knew the answer to both and thought I should too.
Jewel was angry with me again. I could see it in her eyes, and in the slight reddening of her color. If I didn't want to be the target of her rage, and I didn't, I had best do something fast to stop it.
Normally she was the kindest person you could possibly ever meet. But when she lost her temper, she turned into a real monster. I wasn't about to chance a third time. I summoned Persephone with my neurolink, "Persephone, don't let me forget Amber's, Jewels, and my joining anniversary. Give me a daily reminder a week in advance."
"I won't let you forget. My sensors are still burning from Jewels last two temper tantrums."
I removed the clothes I was wearing and put on the dress white uniform. I even put on the polished dress shoes she put out to go with my new uniform. This seemed to calm her and avert the coming crisis, at least temporally.
One advantage of being the Captain was the location of our quarters. We didn't have to walk far, only across the room to where a private elevator was ready to take us up to the bridge. Our cabin was huge, even by my standards. It was plush and comfortably furnished. The bed was smaller than what I was used to but more than large enough for the three of us. The shower was much smaller too. It was barely large enough for the three of us to crowd into it, and it left no room for the fun and games Jewel liked to play in the shower. However, the view out our viewport was priceless. We had an unobstructed view out into space that could only be beaten by the view from the observation deck. We also had every modern convenience imaginable, including a droid programmed for domestic duties.
We stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the bridge. This was the first time I was going to step onto the bridge since being chipped. Red, Doc, and Nugget were there to greet us. Nugget moved aboard the Persephone, abandoning his quarters on the Vengeance for the more luxurious accommodations that came with the position of the second officer on my ship. He was also wearing a dress white uniform that had been tailored to fit him.
Doc burst out laughing, "How in the world did you get Nathaniel to wear a uniform."
"It was simple. All I had to do was remind him how angry I got when he forgot my birthday and the anniversary of our first meeting. He didn't even take the time to argue or think about it, immediately changing into his uniform."
Doc stopped laughing when she looked him straight in his eyes. That look could stop a ravenous thranx in its tracks. I've seen it three times and suffered the consequences of ignoring it twice, and pushing Jewel further.
Some of the key positions in our fleet were made of volunteers from the people we rescued. Most of them, though eager to serve, simply were not qualified for the positions. The shortages were made up by Keshian volunteers from Xalos. Jane now had a full engineering staff to help keep up with servicing and repairs.
Our defensive guns were largely automated. Nugget didn't like it. He had some of the Keshian crew training our refugees and performing simulated combat practice. Our Marauders were transferred to this ship, making room aboard the Persephone for the Keshian squadron, pledged to me.
Surprisingly, the Vorg and Keshians got along without any problems. I thought there might be issues between them. They had been at war with each other, only recently agreeing to a truce. Nugget explained that they went to war with the Vorg periodically to test their technology and the skills of their warriors.
They didn't have any personal feelings against the Vorg. They were just conveniently located and had a well-trained military. In fact, they helped to rebuild the Vorg infrastructure and shared some of their new developments. Both the Vorg and Keshians gained from their skirmishes.
After our introduction to the bridge, it was time to get back to the business of heading to Antares and searching for the Star Bridge.
"Jewel, inform the fleet, its time to get underway. Nugget, set course for Alpha Romadian System."
Red excused himself from the bridge, heading back to the shuttle bay. He needed to get back to the Vengeance before we jumped to hyperspace. When the fleet signaled its readiness, we jumped.
The girls and I left the bridge. We wouldn't be needed on the bridge until it was time to come out of hyperspace. That didn't mean that my duties were over. The crew still needed to see its captain. That was another reason I was forced to wear a uniform. It signified my status, to all aboard.
When we were docked on a space station, I was used to being waited and served by humans, or humanoids. Aboard my ship, I usually served myself from the variety of dishes Doc and Rosie prepared. Aboard my new ship, a waiter took our orders and brought the meals to our table. I picked up a slab of meat and was just about to bite into it when I was interrupted by a couple of jabs to my ribs. I looked towards both Amber and Jewel. They pointed to my
utensils. I got the hint. I had to change the way I ate too.
Nugget seated himself at my table. He took one look at us and started laughing hysterically. "I see your lady friends are teaching you good and proper manners. I wouldn't want to see you embarrass yourself in front of the crew." He continued laughing throughout our meal. One of the new unwritten rules was that I couldn't excuse myself until everyone at the table finished their meals and desert. Nugget took his time, relishing my suffering.
I was wakened by Persephone, early in the morning. I didn't need to be on the bridge for another two hours and could have slept longer, "Nathaniel, get up. I know how you are in the morning."
"I'm awake."
"Remember, your anniversary is only 4 days away. You need to get something special for Amber and Jewel."
"That soon? I thought I had at least a month or two, yet."
"It's that soon. You best not forget this time. Jewel will not be as forgiving as Amber."
I didn't need to be reminded about that. I could go through my gems and jewelry, but that wouldn't be good enough, nor would replicating their presents. It had to be something special. I would have to find something in the next system we visited.
I was already dressed in a clean uniform, and replicating our breakfast when the girls got up. It was a nice change for them. Usually, they were the ones who got me up and going in the morning. When we were all ready, we took the elevator to the bridge. I didn't need to look at the countdown time, displayed on the main viewscreen. Persephone was feeding the information to me through my neurochip. I could see the time counting down in my mind and a visual representation of our relative location in hyperspace.
"Persephone, why haven't Jewel and Amber been chipped too?"
"Jewels mind has several problems, that she can function at the level she is, is amazing. There is no cure or treatment for her. You suffered from one the major symptoms of her condition, and needed help to regain function."
