“An absurd ritual. However, I did promise an Earth wedding. So, what is your wish?”
“Please, for the sake of our happiness, be certain that you can honor whatever I ask.”
“You silly woman, of course I can. Ask away.”
“Thank you. I wish . . . I wish you to allow Waldo, First Citizen of the Klat, to examine the damage that you sustained to your head. I simply cannot live in fear that something untoward will happen to you in the future because this was left unattended.”
By the look on Benny’s face, he was not pleased. “Did my mother and father put you up to this?” If looks could kill, Molly would have been toast.
“Certainly not. I have spoken with no one in your family.”
“You swear on all that you hold dear?”
“I do. However, I am offended that you asked me to do so.”
His face softened. “I am sorry. I see that you are only looking out for my well-being. Very well, I will allow the procedure.”
“And he can repair any damage that he finds?”
“Yes, yes. He can repair any damage that he can find. Now, no more talk of this. I wish to seal our arrangement with a kiss . . . possibly more,” and grinned unpleasantly.
“I am so, so sorry, Ben’Edikk. But all this talk of love and marriage . . . I feel so unworthy to be chosen by you. Truth be told, it has made my poor head spin. I must lie down or this headache will cause me to pass out. You do forgive me?”
The blue-footed booby wasn’t at all pleased. But his upbringing, despite his head injuries, forced him to accede to his betrothed. “Of course. I will walk you back to your rooms.”
“Thank you. You are very kind to understand.”
“Very true. But rest well, for tomorrow I will accept no excuses. Understand?” It was said as an angry father scolding his daughter. Yuk.
“Tomorrow I will be yours to command.”
Chapter 7 – Total Recall
On Board the Gracie
“Okay, everyone’s here. Who’s first?”
“If I may?” asked Aero.
“Shoot.”
“WHAT?”
“She means go ahead and talk,” explained Bl’azzz.
“Really? Well, okay then. As you know I have examined the propulsion system. I must say, Serenity, there are modifications for which I would love to get the technical specifications. Is that possible?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Thank you.”
“So you found no way to speed up this bucket of bolts?”
“Hey.”
“Sorry, Sparky.”
“Actually, I did find one thing.”
“No you didn’t,” snapped Serenity who was always very defensive of her engineering skills.
“I did. The anti-matter converter runs at ninety-seven percent efficiency. . .”
“Ninety seven point two.”
“Of course. That is an extraordinarily high number. However if you replace the xenon filaments with carbon nanotubes, that number can be increased to over ninety-eight. It will reduce our flight time by a third.”
To her credit, Serenity didn’t argue but went quiet as she analyzed the suggestion. Out of character, she glanced at Skotti for his opinion and he nodded yes. “Good idea. I’ll get right on it.”
“It would go quicker if the lieutenant helped.”
Now that was one suggestion the girl wasn’t going to argue with. However, Skotti said, “Sorry, I can’t. I have a project to finish onboard the Dazzle.” Serenity looked crestfallen.
“No worries. I’ll help,” offered Grex.
“Let’s make it a threesome,” suggested Jax’x. She looked at Grex and winked.
“Sounds like a plan,” Egg agreed. “You three go ahead and get started. Skotti, you can go finish your project. The rest of us will continue the discussion.”
*****
“So, I’za, this recall program – how does it work?” asked Egg.
“It’s actually incredibly simple to initiate. In the main control room, you can use any one of the more than two dozen control stations to bring up the program. The screen will display an icon for each habitat. Under it are two buttons. One says ‘eject’ and the other ‘recall’. On the bottom of the screen are two more buttons. One labeled Total Recall and the other Total Eject.”
“There must be a failsafe mechanism,” suggested Aero.
“Explain,” requested Egg.
“You wouldn’t want anyone to eject a habitat without proper approval. So there would need to be a password or some other mechanism to prevent accidental or malicious activation.”
“I’za?”
“He’s correct. Two Guardians must request the same action.”
“So everyone had their own login or password?”
“Not exactly. The computer uses brainwave scans since no two individuals are alike.”
“Obviously we need to hope at least one of your friends survived.” That was insensitive and Egg immediately realized it. “I’m sorry. That was a terrible thing to say.”
“That’s okay. I know what you meant.”
“That begs a couple of questions,” said Bree. “How was the Ark destroyed, and where would the Guardians have been when it happened?”
“I don’t think any of the habitats would have purposely initiated the destruction,” said I’za. “It was probably a systems failure or a collision with some space debris. As to my fellow Gek’a, some would have been in shuttles like I was. Some would have been visiting the habitats. The rest would have been at their monitoring stations, performing routine maintenance or off duty.”
“So we can assume many, if not most, of them survived,” suggested Egg.
“I hope so.”
Aero asked, “How many of your kind were on board the Ark?”
“Perhaps a couple of thousand.”
“That’s a problem. How are we going to account for all of them? I have no intention of leaving anyone behind just because we didn’t know they were there.”
I’za smiled at Egg. “Thank you for saying that. However, the task isn’t that great. Each Gek’a is monitored by the computer. It will tell us where they are as well as their vital signs. It can also issue a recall/call-in command to any or all of them.”
Bree smiled and asked, “So sister, how were you planning to greet your three boyfriends?”
“Warmly. Very warmly.”
“And if all three are there at once?” asked Egg.
“Hmmm. That could be a problem.”
*****
Q’umulus
Meggy greeted Waldo. “Thank you for coming, First Citizen.”
“I do what I must for my sister Egg. I would also do what I must to repay you for your help.”
“Your meeting with the ambassador went well?”
“The Klat have accepted his offer. The habitat is in route to Kallous.”
“Excellent. We look forward to having you as neighbors.”
“Agreed.”
“As to the matter at hand, my brother has given his permission for you to perform the procedure.”
The big, ugly man seemed to be struggling for the right words. “I . . . I am pleased for all concerned.”
Meggy smiled. “Thank you.” As planned, Rose and her husband entered the room. Z’kkk was holding his wife’s arm for support. As they approached, Meggy reintroduced them to her guest. “First Citizen, my parents Lord Z’kkk and Queen Mother Rose’Alynnia. Parents, this is First Citizen of the Klat, Waldo.”
Rose’s hand involuntarily went for Dazzle, her sword. It wasn’t there of course. Even Z’kkk felt the bile rise in his throat.
“An honor,” said Waldo and he bowed his head.
The next few seconds of silence were more than uncomfortable. Z’kkk finally regained control of his racing heart and queasy stomach. “First Citizen, my wife and I apologize for our demeanor. It is completely reflexive.”
“I have read your history books about this Mob
ius. My dearest Tee’ka joined the sisterhood much later so her memories were incomplete. Had I known of this individual’s deeds, I would have chosen a different form. You do not have to stay in my presence. My very being is offensive to you and I would not have it so.”
Mobius was a silver-tongued devil, so Waldo’s words, though honorable, didn’t completely assuage the couple’s horror. “Thank you for that offer. I believe my wife and I will avail ourselves to your suggestion and leave these proceedings to our daughter, the Queen.”
Waldo bowed again in acknowledgement.
As they turned to leave, Rose’s back stiffened both metaphorically and literally. “I am deeply sorry. You do not deserve such treatment. You are not Mobius.”
“I am not.”
The older woman looked so forlorn and sad. “He did such damage to all of us. And yet, in the end, a nine-year-old girl defeated him. Twice. Something that defies understanding.”
“My sister Egg is unique.”
“She is that. And if she trusts you, then I must. My husband and I will stay.”
“Unnecessary,” said the First Citizen.
“Oh, but it is. Sooner or later, we all must let go of our fears.”
*****
"Egg, incoming for you. It’s Molly.”
“I’ll take it in my room.” She walked out of the control room and willed herself not to break into a run. She closed the door and turned on her viewer. “Hi, Molly. It’s been too long.”
“Far too long. You look wonderful.”
“Thanks. You, too.” She took a breath and said, “So I hear our mutual friend has been to see you. That must be a bit uncomfortable?”
“I was shocked at first till Syl explained what was going on. The poor guy is literally out of his mind.”
“This version of Benny is a real jerk.”
Molly laughed. “I wanted to push him over the rail and off of Q’umulus. You cannot believe the stuff that comes out of his mouth. I would call him a chauvinistic pig but I would be doing pigs an injustice.”
Now it was Egg’s turn to laugh. “I want all the details. If and when we get him cured, I’m going to lord this over him for the rest of his life.”
“That’s the reason I called, actually.”
“I’m sorry, what reason?”
“He proposed to me.”
That got a surprised, “Oh.”
“And I accepted.”
Surprise just changed to incredulity. “You did?”
“I did. Then I told him I wanted a traditional Earth wedding and he agreed.”
And now, confusion. “I see.”
“Then I told him it was Earth custom for the groom to grant his bride-to-be any wish she chose.”
Up to this point Egg was feeling ill. Now, however, she grinned. “And that’s when you told him to go see Waldo.” She felt excited . . . then nervous. “Right?”
“I asked myself what the famous Egg of Earth would do. That’s when it came to me. I’m kind of proud of myself.”
“I kind of want to give you a ginormous hug.”
“It gets better. He wanted to seal the deal with another kiss.”
“Another kiss?”
“Sorry. He didn’t give me a choice on the first one.”
“No worries.”
“When he tried to kiss me the second time, I told him my head was spinning from the great honor he was giving me. My headache was so severe would he mind taking me home. He wasn’t happy but he did.”
“Good golly Miss Molly – well played. And now – and now we are absolutely even. The scales are balanced so don’t say or think that you owe Syl and me anything. Understand?”
“Yes . . . Princess,” and she curtsied. “How does that make you feel?”
“Very, very girlie.”
*****
Q’umulus
“Good grief, but you are an ugly fellow.”
Waldo took no insult. He had yet to learn all the cruelties of humans. “I chose poorly when I asked for this body.”
“That, my good man is an understatement. “Well, do let us get on with this. I have a young woman who is very eager for my attentions.”
“As you command . . .” and the PhoG formed and immediately entered the Prince’s body.
*****
Waldo left the Prince sleeping and exited the room. The young man’s parents and sister were waiting.
“I have done all that I could.”
Rose gasped involuntarily. “There was permanent impairment?”
“I repaired most of the damage. However, the area of his mind where his feelings for my sister Egg were stored is the most recent. Neural pathways are tenuous. ”
“He will not remember his feelings for her?” That was Meggy. She was near tears.
“That may be so.”
“Please. Be more precise. Will he or will he not remember?”
“That is up to Egg.”
“How can that be?”
“Only she knows what has transpired between the two. If she can find the right stimulus – the right recollection – it will clear the neural pathways by triggering a cascade of memories. Then all that was will be again.”
“The Myst Tree at Sighing Whorl once gave Egg the exact same message,” said Rose fiercely. “And that extraordinary girl found the answer. She will do so again.”
“Wife, we put too much responsibility on her shoulders,” admonished Z’kkk. “How many times can she do the impossible?”
No one had the answer.
*****
On Board the Gracie
With her parents standing to either side of her, Meggy told Egg what had transpired. “So, dear sister, you must come home. The more time you spend with my brother, the greater the chance that you will trigger the correct memory.”
Egg exhaled loudly. In two minutes she had gone from elation to apprehension. Benny was cured but not cured. Life just wasn’t easy. “You know I can’t return right now. There’s a wrecked Ark with untold thousands of people that might need our help. When this mission is over, I will head straight to Aerianna.”
“Egg,” said Rose. “You are the only one that can help him.”
“You’ve already told me that he’s back to being the same loveable goof that he always was. The only thing missing is his feelings for me. I can’t put my well-being above those of the people we need to rescue. If anyone in the universe knows that about me, it has to be you, Dazzle.”
“It is also my son’s happiness,” corrected his mother.
“And how many lives is that worth to you? How many people should we let die?” It was terribly harsh and somewhat unfair, but Egg was in no mood to be forgiving.
Everyone in the control room could see Rose and Z’kkk struggling with Egg’s challenge. “Waldo warned us again that time is our enemy in this,” advised the Queen Mother.
“Time is the enemy of all living things. It always wins in the end.” Syl would have been impressed with Egg’s philosophical (though fairly obvious) observation.
Rose knew she was not going to convince Egg to go against her convictions. It was one of the reasons she loved the girl so. “I wish you great success on your mission. We will see you when it is complete.” The woman’s eyes were moist.
“Dazzle. Thank you for understanding. However, maybe we can speed things along.”
“How so?”
“Tell Benny to call me every day. I probably don’t have to be in the same room with him to jar his memory. In fact, on Earth we say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ It’s worth a try.”
“When would you like the first communications?”
“I’ll be in bed in about two hours. Have him call me in two hours and one minute.”
Rose was forced to smile. She even teased, “Please remember that the two of you are not married. I expect you will be dressed appropriately.”
Egg teased right back. “Hah. Maybe a visual memory will stimulate his mind.”
“Now yo
u have done it. My husband is blushing.”
*****
The three guests happened to be on the bridge during this discussion – their presence forgotten. Each had followed the conversation with great interest. In their positions in life, none ever had the opportunity to see or hear the Royal family in such an intimate moment.
They each reacted the same way – shock and awe.
The shock was twofold – the Prince had been seriously injured, something that was not known to the general populace. And, Egg was in full command of this encounter. Her moral challenge to the Queen Mother was astonishing to witness. After all, if there had been a patron saint of Aerianna, it would have been Rose’Alynnia. The woman’s bravery and sacrifice was stuff of legends. Yet, she acquiesced to Egg.
The awe was that Egg considered her own happiness as irrelevant compared to the safety of people she had never met. Apparently the history books weren’t exaggerating the nature of Flying Girl.
The oddity of these last few minutes was that each of the guys looked from the screen, to Egg and then to the Sister they each most admired to see their reaction.
Skotti looked at Serenity who showed no surprise at how the conversation had gone.
Aero glanced at Bl’azzz who looked almost bored as in ‘heard this all before’.
And Grex glanced at Jax’x who showed pride in her leader – and not the least bit of disbelief at how the conversation played out.
Had each compared emotional notes – something men just never do – they would have been amused that they shared the exact same feelings . . . unbound admiration for the Sisterhood and a surge of desire in their respective Hameggattic sister.
Oh, and one more thing. The Queen Mother, a woman not known for her sense of humor, told an almost ‘off-colored’ joke. To a man, they each realized that story was worth at least one round of free drinks the next time they had shore leave.
Chapter 8 – Dear Diary
“Good evening, Eloise. Are you certain I am not disturbing you?”
“Not in the least. I usually need to read before I can sleep. Having a pleasant conversation with a . . . a friend is much more enjoyable.”
The young man smiled. “May I ask what book you are currently enjoying?”
Ark - Box Set #6, Part 1 of Ever After [an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel] Page 36
