“Actually tonight it was this . . .” and she held up the journal.
“Does that say Egg’s Diary?”
“It does. I’ve been keeping it since before I was Flying Girl.”
“How interesting. Were you rereading it or making a new entry?”
“Both. At the end of the day, if I get the chance, I jot down anything interesting that happened since my last entry. Then, I can never resist going back and reading a random old entry.”
“Make I ask if you have ever shared the diary with anyone?”
“Bits and pieces. Mostly with Sylvia and Ashley. Do you remember who they are?”
He smiled. “The doctors have assured me that my injuries have all healed. I am told there may be some memory loss of the most recent events before the accident. Meeting your best friend and sister certainly predates that. But, I do thank you for asking.”
“Just trying to be helpful.”
“I believe Egg of Earth and her Hameggattic Sisters have proven to be more than helpful. Even now you are on a mission of mercy. That is one of the reasons I have always admired you so.”
“It’s nice to be admired.”
“May I confess something personal?”
“Sure.”
“Like any young man, I have always found you more than admirable. I asked my sister for the proper Earth term and she said crush. Am I using that correctly?”
“Crush? Oh, you have a crush on me, is that it?”
“Yes. Does that embarrass you?”
“No. It’s very flattering. And, just for the record, ever since I learned that your engagement to Molly had ended, I’ve had the occasional dream about you.”
“Now you are just . . .” he struggled to remember a phrase. “You are just egging me on.” He smiled charmingly.
“Well done. I’m very impressed, your Royal Highness.”
“Please. Since we are having a pleasant and personal conversation, and you are after all lying in bed, I will allow you to call me something less formal.”
“Like what?”
“Hmmm. How about Sire?”
She smiled at his tomfoolery. “How about Benny?”
He involuntarily made a face like he just tasted bad fish. “Can we settle on Ben’Edikk?”
“As you command . . . Sire.”
“Your wit is as legendary as your heroism.”
“Well that’s a downer.”
“A downer?”
“Depressing thought. I don’t want to be legendary for anything but my beauty.”
“Hmmm. Is there a different definition of beauty on Earth?”
She couldn’t keep a straight face and broke into gales of laughter. He joined in.
“I’m glad to see you feeling so much better. Would you call me again tomorrow?”
“Only if you read an entry or two from your diary.”
“Well, if you were really handsome I would say yes in a heartbeat. But I guess since you’re Meggy’s brother, okay.” She stuck out her tongue.
“I look forward to tomorrow. Good night and good dreams.”
“It has already been a good night. And there’s no doubt the dreams are going to be very, very bad – in a good way.”
“Sorry?”
“Don’t be. Sleep tight, Sire.”
*****
She awoke feeling just wonderful. Her dreams of Benny were . . . well, never mind. Let’s just say they were satisfactory on so many levels. She yawned and jumped out of bed just as her communicator buzzed. “Yo” she said to whoever was calling.
“Sounds like you’re in a good mood,” came the voice of Jax’x.
“And a top-of-the-morning to you too. What’s up?”
“Molly’s on the line for you.”
“Thanks.” She pressed the appropriate buttons and Molly’s face appeared. “Morning.”
“Why is it morning there?” the girl asked.
“Arbitrary. We just try to keep the same hours as Aerianna. It’s more convenient that way. So what’s up?”
“Oh, right. The Prince came by last night bearing gifts - flowers and ice cream of all things.”
“Engagement gifts?” she teased.
“An apology. He realized that his behavior the night before was beyond unacceptable and begged my forgiveness. He assured me that if I was still upset, the ice cream would make me feel better.”
“Did it have hot fudge?”
“No.”
“The cad.”
“So he stayed for a few minutes to make polite but amusing small talk and to be certain that he had been forgiven. It’s so wonderful to have the old Ben’Edikk back.”
“I didn’t much like the obnoxious version either.”
“Well, that’s it. Just thought you should know.”
“Thanks Molly. I appreciate everything you’ve done.” She hesitated then asked, “Does it bother you – you know – me and him?”
“Absolutely not. I was never comfortable in the role of high royalty. All that pomp and circumstance was never me. I was always afraid I would do something that would bring shame to him or his family. Don’t get me wrong; he’s a great guy, and at first I was so flattered. But it became obvious that we were two different people.”
“Well, I am glad that I wasn’t the reason it didn’t work out.”
“It wasn’t you and my life right now is wonderful. In fact, your sister and I have another double date tonight.”
“Same guys?”
“Good grief, no. There are so many eligible bachelors and it’s our solemn duty, sworn over a pitcher of margaritas, to give all of them the opportunity to win our hearts,” and she laughed at herself.
“Ashley is a bad influence on you.”
“Actually, it’s the other way around.”
*****
With the modifications to the engines speeding up the transit time significantly, the Gracie was now approaching the star system with the derelict Ark. “Anything on long range sensors?”
“Egg, this is one crowded solar system. I count eight planets and at least a dozen inhabitable moons,” called Jax’x.
“And the Ark is in orbit about a million miles from this star,” added Serenity.
“Life signs?”
“Too far to tell?”
“How about extra-habitat activity? See any of the maintenance vehicles buzzing around?”
“Checking?”
The three passengers were amazed. Without any formal training, these women were professional in their duties, logical in their approach and incredibly disciplined when need be. Even better, they were a joy to be around when off-duty. Individually, they felt incredibly lucky to be on board and to experience the sisterhood first hand.
Each also came to the same conclusion. They would all be darned proud to serve under the command of Flying Girl. She could be the Admiral of the entire navy. Belay that – she should be the Admiral of the entire navy.
“We’re getting a lot of interference from that star. Can’t make out anything as small as a shuttle.”
“Can you launch a probe?”
“I can . . . and I just did. We’ll get telemetry in about an hour.
“Okay. Let’s finalize our plans. Gentlemen, this includes you too. And don’t raise your hand or ask for permission to speak. For now, you are equal members of this crew.” She paused then added, “We do have one rule. Don’t think through your comments or questions before you ask. If it turns out to be a dumb one, it may still stimulate other more useful conversation.” The three men grinned in appreciation. Seeing their silly smiles, Egg said, “Doesn’t mean we won’t laugh at you.”
“Egg,” said I’za. “I need to get on board the Ark and make my way to the control center. Assuming that it’s still functioning, we can get a full status report on the ship’s damage including the remaining habitats.”
“Should we send the recall command for the missing ones?” asked Bree.
“I’za, can you delete habitats from this ro
utine? I don’t want the Klat or the Nauti to get a recall command by accident.”
“It’s possible. Again, I will need a second Gek’a to confirm my actions for both the recall and the modification.”
“Once we find that person, do it.”
“What about the habitats that were destroyed – both the ones previously and any new ones from the explosion?” asked Skotti.
Serenity looked at her man. “Why do you ask?”
“If we plan to send the Ark back to its point of origin, it’s best to make it as light as possible. Also, with the damaged habitats ejected, it will eliminate the small chance that they will somehow burden the ship’s systems. It will just be a less complicated vessel.”
“That’s easily done,” answered I’za. “We can direct them to fall into the sun so that they can’t cause problems for anyone we might relocate to this system.”
“No.”
“Egg?”
“Even these dead habitats will retain a lot of artifacts that document the cultures that they once supported. The inhabitants may be gone but their memory shouldn’t be lost. I’ll have Soar’elle organize his team of anthropologists to explore and document what once was. They can add that knowledge to our own, and we’ll be richer for it. In this way we get to honor the dead . . . they deserve that much.”
None of the rest would have ever considered Egg’s arguments. Now that they were voiced, they felt ashamed that they would have acted far differently. The men, too, felt the sting of what would have been a callous act. As for this woman who was leading the sisterhood – she had that rare quality to look beyond the present situation and to see a much bigger picture. If she ever ran to be the next Queen of Aerianna, they would vote for her in a heartbeat.
“There’s a large moon orbiting the planet furthest from the sun. It looks inhospitable to life. Probably make a good place to land these habitats if their engines and guidance systems are still functioning. If not, we can insert them into unique orbits.”
“Thanks Sparky. Okay, what else?”
“May I ask . . .” but Bl’azzz growled to cut him off. Aero looked at her then realized his mistake. “Thanks”. To the others, he asked, “Does the Gek’a have a hierarchy of command?”
“No. Everything is done by consensus or tradition. There is one individual assigned to be arbiter in cases where a disagreement can’t be satisfactorily resolved.”
“Impressive.”
“When you’re going to be cooped up in an enclosed space for eternity, it’s best to work together voluntarily as opposed to being told what to do,” explained I’za. That received nods of approval.
Egg said to the girl, “Once you get onboard, you’ll need to identify the remaining species that are the most likely to cause problems so we can deal with them first.”
“Will do.”
Grex went to raise his hand but Jax’x slapped it down. “Ouch”.
“Man up,” she teased.
“Don’t let her flick your ears,” warned Serenity.
“What?”
“Never mind. Just say what’s on your mind,” said Jax’x.
“There must be species onboard whose life forms are incompatible with this section of space. We should identify them and their unique requirements.”
“Good thinking. Just one last thing – again for you I’za. What will your people want to do? Find a world of their own? Or, since their number was small to begin with, pair up with another habitat or one of the worlds in this part of the galaxy?”
“Since our reproduction process is so unique, if the majority of them don’t colonize as a unit, they will go extinct.”
The men didn’t know what that meant – about the unique reproduction process. But, there was no way they were going to ask seven women to describe it to them.
“Okay. Enough for now. If anyone gets any ideas or questions, we can reconvene. Until then, you all have about a day to do whatever you want?” She turned to the men. “But only if the other person consents? Got it?”
They all looked at their feet and mumbled a yes.
*****
“Serenity, can you come with me to the Dazzle?”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously. In truth, whatever his intentions, she would have gone.
“I have something to show you?”
She scrunched her face. “Oh, really?”
Her response confused him until he realized what she was alluding to. “No. No, no” he blurted. “Shame on you.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re cute when you blush?”
He regained his composure and his sense of humor. “Did you want their names or just an approximate number?”
“Shut up and lead the way.”
“As you command.” They reached the other ship in short order and he led his guest on board. “Wait here.” He ran off and came back in less than a minute. “Here you go,” and he handed her a suit of some sort.
She took it and examined the garment. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I’ve been working on it every free minute. Try it on.”
She looked from his face to the suit and back again. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Why?”
“I’m afraid.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Please.” He pointed to a door that led to a storage closet.
Exhaling loudly she rolled away and closed the door behind her. It was a struggle as usual for her to get dressed and undressed . . . and the minutes tick by.
“Need some help?”
“No. Almost done.” A moment later she came back out wearing the black exoskeleton. “Fits well.”
“You’re supposed to stand up.”
The gruff girl looked so vulnerable. “I don’t think I can.”
He walked over and took her hand. “Come on. I’ll help you.”
“How does it work?”
“Oh, right.” He reached down and took a wire with a small plate attached. “This goes on the back of your neck.” He pressed it in place. “Then press this button on your chest,” and he pointed to it.
“Now what?”
“Now you stand.”
“Okay. Here goes nothing,” and she gave her body the command to stand – something the rest of us never think about.
And she gasped as she stood up on her own for the first time in many years . . .
Skotti backed up a few feet. “Come on, walk to me,” and he held out his hand.
“If I fall, you better catch me.”
“Sparky, you won’t fall. Trust me.”
She did trust him . . . and she took her first, hesitant steps.
*****
“Jax’x, I really want to apologize again. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful but I was and you certainly don’t deserve such adolescent behavior.”
“The truth is than an insult from a stranger has no meaning.”
“Hmmm. I have two responses to that statement. First, very true. Second, ouch.”
Jax’x smiled. “Listen, I like you. I like intelligent men with a sense of humor and a sense of honor. On the other hand, a few months ago I was deeply in love with someone else. He’s gone and I’m still trying to sort through my feelings.”
“When you say he’s gone, you don’t mean ‘as in dead’, I hope.”
“No. He’s very much alive and doing wonderful work on my home world of Spell ‘Bound. In fact, he was recently wed and is expecting his first child. And, just to make the story a bit more interesting, his new wife was my best friend.”
All the man could do was gape in astonishment. “That’s horrifying,” he finally managed to say.
“It gets even more fascinating.”
“Are you sure you want to tell me? After all, I am a stranger,” and he smiled wryly.
“I figure it’s the least you can do to make up for your rude behavior.” She was grinning when she said it. “After all, I’m boring you to tears with a story about my ex-lover.”
“So I’m nothing special - just one of seven fascinating females?” She wanted to see if he would squirm or come back with something witty. Another test, as it were.
The young man was up to the challenge. “First of all, the eligibility pool is not seven. No offense, but I don’t date dragons. Serenity seems to have found Skotti interesting though I can’t imagine why. After all, he’s just a glorified mechanic.”
“That’s not nice.”
“Are you kidding? To him that’s a compliment.”
“So the . . . eligibility pool is now five. Continue.”
“It’s now common knowledge that Egg and the Prince seem to have a relationship – something that up to now was only a rumor.
“Three down, four to go.”
“I’za is from another galaxy and apparently has different . . . um . . . well, that is she apparently isn’t quite human in all aspects of . . . um . . . womanly . . . um . . .” His face was now red and he stopped digging this particular hole. “Come on, help me out,” he begged.
“A different reproductive system. By the way, it is very different.”
That perked his interest and he forgot for a moment he was talking to a woman. “How so?”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Men! You are all so weird.”
“But loveable.”
“Maybe. Finish your calculations.”
“Okay. So we have you, BreeZee and Tee’ka left. I ruled out Tee’ka because she has a relationship with that Klat guy.”
“The First Citizen Waldo.”
“That’s him. So, I’m left to choose between you and BreeZee.”
“And how did you make your final choice?” This should be good.
“She turned me down.”
Chapter 9 – We the People
“Good evening, Eloise.” This was the fourth call in as many days by the Prince.
“Hi. Any old memories to share?” It was the same question each night.
“I am fine. Thank you for asking,” he teased. “And no, nothing old comes to mind.”
“That’s okay. We’ll get there.”
The Prince cleared his throat. “I had been wondering why my parents insisted I call you each evening; and why you keep asking about shared memories. Though it has been enjoyable, there is obviously an ulterior motive. I discussed this with my sister and, at first, she was uncertain as to whether I should learn the answer. However, I insisted in a most diabolic fashion.”
Ark - Box Set #6, Part 1 of Ever After [an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel] Page 37
