"Coming out of warp in three, two, one..."
"Gah! What the HELL?!?"
Alicia's shout froze Daium, her finger poised over the view screen controls. Maybe if they didn't look, whatever was out there would not, in fact, be there. Maybe if they didn't look, they wouldn't be seen. Wasn't that how the universe worked?
Sadly, no. She pressed down, the walls of the bridge vanishing, replaced by ...
The bulk of enormous engine pods ahead of them.
"AAAHHH!!!"
It was a collective cry of horror, impressive despite the looming death before them. The ship jerked, automatic systems trying to find safety for The Bells. Daium reached for the controls, wanting to do SOMETHING, but knowing her reflexes would never be enough. To her left and right, she also saw the gleaming white panels of spacecraft, so close she unconsciously squeezed her shoulders together.. Those panels shifted upwards, as The Bells dropped down. Perched above, Alicia yelled out again.
"Fifty spacecraft! Sixty! What the hell is this place?!"
The blackness of space exploded around them, signaling safety, at least for the moment, as they escaped their entrapment. Looking up past Alicia, Daium saw the bottoms of three craft. The ships were large, easily twice the size of The Bells. Before she could even contemplate the design, the rectangular bridge of one of them seemed to crumple, as if it was being sucked into itself. A moment later the body of the ship blew apart.
"Daium! Warp! Now!"
Anthony's cry cut through any confusion in her mind. Hands flashing over the console, she cut the visual feed, brought up a destination, and hit Enter.
****
Anthony was the first to speak.
"Well. That was different."
"What the hell was that?!?" Nona's curse, rare for her, seemed to break the ice. The others echoed the sentiment, if more profanely. Unbuckling, Anthony pushed off with his legs towards Alicia. The blonde seemed to still be shaking when he got there, eyes wide as they greeted him. He placed a comforting hand on her bare arm.
"What did you see?"
She took a raged breath, calming herself. As the other slowly joined them, she brought up the recorded readings.
"I swear, it looked like some kind of Star Wars battle. Like we came out in the middle of some invasion. What kind of planet were you sending us to, Daium?!"
Anthony saw Daium catch his eye. Obviously, Alicia knew it had been Anthony's idea, and exactly what the planet was. They had five days to plan and talk things out, after all. Still...
"Yeah, Daium, what's the big idea? You should know better!" He watched her four eyes widen, then narrow. A growl could be heard.
He'd pay, eventually, but it was worth it.
****
Five hours later, the Bells entered the atmosphere of Te with much less excitement.
From what Alicia and Daium were able to figure out, from the limited data the ship had absorbed, they had stumbled into the middle a punitive raid by the Daoine on their destination. The "pirate" planet had been putting up a spirited defense, to the point where Rinda's view of the tactical situation had the Daoine on the verge of getting their butt kicked.
Not that any of them wanted to go back to check.
Te, once they broke through the clouds, reminded the humans of home. Below them, a large city hugged the coast of a blue ocean. Beyond, green forest, broken up by roads and smaller towns. In the distance, a mountain range rose up on the horizon. The spaceport, like the last one, was on the ocean. A flattened island, possibly artificial, stood a few miles off shore. Half its twenty landing pads were occupied, mostly by smaller ships comparable to The Bells, although two huge vessels loomed over the others. Hannah looked over the peaceful scene, shaking her head.
"And we didn't come here first, because...?"
Daium sighed.
"They declared a trade embargo against Tanah."
"But we're not Tanah!" Nona looked at the Orang confused. "Why would they treat us like we represented your people?"
"Because that's often easier than giving the benefit of the doubt," Anthony told her. The ship banked, conversation pausing as the sun on the horizon passed across their view. Anthony squinted, holding his hand up to partially block it. The glare was so fleeting the screens didn't even bother adjusting. A moment later the ship slowed to a hover, paused, then slowly settled onto the ground.
"That's three alien planets!" Melinda unbuckled, standing. "Man, we're leaving those astronauts in the dust!"
"Naw, these are all fake landings," Alicia told her. "I mean, look at those shadows out there. Totally unrealistic. I sense conspiracy."
"Agreed," Justin said, coming up behind her with their pistol belts. "I blame the Jews."
"Hey!" Hannah popped her head around from the other side of the tree. "We only control the banks! You want the Freemasons!"
****
The days of them dividing up on an alien world were over.
The twelve sat together on the train car, watching the city approach through the blurred bridge trestles. While Daium and Rinda had gotten some looks from the Dockmaster ,and others, they had passed the two Orang off as employees of "Captain" Anthony. Given the makeup of the crew, this was not so much a fiction as a slight distortion.
Goldie sat with her paws on top of the seat back, looking out in wonder. If she had a tail, she'd be wagging it. It was so... so wonderful! The sun was almost on the horizon, the buildings of the city partly lit in the dusk. They seemed to sparkle in the twilight, a place of magic and wonder. She knew that, yes, once they were on the streets they'd find just boring reality. But, then again, you never knew...
A hand touched her head. Even without looking, she knew who it was. She could identify everyone's touch. For so long, after Mom and Aunt died, there had only been Danny. Now she was surrounded by people who loved her, who comforted her. At times this fact threatened to overwhelm her, but it was a GOOD problem. Too much love was good!
"Have you ever seen a city before, Honey?" Hannah's hand scratched her head. Goldie gently shook it.
"No... we were kept deep inside buildings, at home, and our owner didn't let us out much after we were sold. This... cities are beautiful!"
"They can be," Anthony said from next to her. He was tightening Danny's belt. The boy's new pants had started slipping down, and he had yet to get used to them. All the humans had new clothes, replacements for their one set of work outfits (as well as now having better 'around the ship' wear). The girls wore knee length skirts, varying in color, with loose fitting white blouses. The four males had black pants made from a jeans-like material, and white buttonless shirts. Nona had embroidered an orange Bells Supermarket logo in the right breast of each shirt and blouse, just because. The two Orang respectfully declined the offer of new outfits, not understanding the appeal of "shirts", but had asked Nona to put the Bells logo on their existing skirts. Someday, if the right plant material was found, new suspenders and bras would be woven with the design up in the right location.
Goldie wore nothing, but a leather necklace with a stuffed fabric bell hung from her neck. Turning her head, she looked at the man slowly becoming her Father.
"Some cities aren't beautiful?"
"It's never a case that ALL of something is beautiful," he said, letting go of Danny's belt and reaching up to muss the boy's hair. Danny playfully tried to knock the hand away, missing, a smile on his muzzle. "Even when there is beauty, there's usually also something ugly right around the corner. And, naturally, the opposite is true. Lots of beauty where you'd never expect it."
She nodded, eyes going back to the sparkling buildings, now looming over them as the train reached the shore. She had so much to learn...
****
The Moun were not exactly a nocturnal people, but like humans, activity did not stop with the setting sun. The lit streets were alive with locals, long snouted furry mammals with eight eyes. They walked on two legs, making it a world humans were well adapted to. Shopping list in hand, Tammy led the way down a wide busy street.
"I'm never going to get used to this," Nona said. Her eyes tried to stay on the back of Tammy, or on the buildings. Melinda looked at her questioningly.
"Really? I mean, yeah, it's weird, but I'm over it. My sense of awe got beaten out me on the last planet."
"I'm just never going to see this as normal." Nona sighed, running a hand through her long black hair. "Maybe it is just me. I never had much imagination."
"Nothing wrong with being practical."
"If I was practical, I'd just see this as normal and move on."
"Ah, don't beat yourself over the head with it. In a year, you won't even remember..."
Melinda trailed off, realizing what she was saying. Nona just nodded.
"I know." She paused, then glanced at her companion. "Melinda... do you still pray?"
"What?" The change in subject obviously shocked her. Nona persisted.
"I know you have, or had, the Bible on your iPhone. Do you still read it? Do you still pray?"
The two locked eyes for a moment. Melinda dropped her gaze.
"No," she said, embarrassed. "I mean, I did when this first happened. Half of them had to do with Chuck," she laughed, smiling as Chuck gave her one of his glances before returning his attention to Rinda. "The rest were about getting home, but yeah I prayed and read the gospels. But..."
"But what?"
"Why are you asking?"
They were stopped at an intersection, Tammy consulting a map. Nona gestured to the crowds of creatures walking past and around them. Melinda thought she saw tears in her eyes.
"Where do I find my God, in a world like this?"
"In your heart."
Hannah's words came from behind. The teens turned, Hannah nodding to them as she held Anthony's hand.
"We brought our Gods with us, in our hearts. So long as we do not abandon them, they will not abandon us."
Anthony cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, but you guys keep getting your Temple destroyed."
"That's how we learned God doesn't like Temples any more. See, we listen!"
****
Daium unrolled the papers, spreading them out on the table. Beside her, the white furred carpenter bent his head down for a better look. He towered over her by a good two feet, yet still she detected some fear in his stance. Damn it, what was being said about her kind? Behind them, his three apprentices stood back respectfully, while her companions wandered around the shop. Tammy was staying somewhat nearby, as she had ended up doing most of the design work. The humans were always surprising Daium...
"So," Daium said, pointing, "what we'd like to do is convert the inside of this into living space, with wood used wherever possible. Nice carvings, using some designs from our cultures. We'll also need furniture, again to fit our specialized needs." She indicated plans Chuck had made for cribs and high chairs. "If time is an issue, we can just buy the raw wood and do some of it ourselves, but we'd much rather have actual craftsmen do much of it." Some, Anthony and Chuck in particular, had been all for doing it themselves. Daium could understand that, but the sooner they moved the women into gravity the better. Nona had confided in her that she really didn't know how pregnancy had occurred at all in weightlessness, so Daium wanted her, Alicia and Justin's room done as soon as possible. It wasn't right her cousin was going to give birth first!
The craftsman looked over the drawings, using his fingers to make certain measurements. Holding a hand out behind him, one of his underlings quickly moved to place a thin calculator in his palm before moving back against the wall. He thought for a moment, fingers entering seemingly random figures.
"You have the money?"
Daium cocked her head, hand adjusting her glasses.
"We have money. How much we give you, naturally, will depend on many things."
The creature smiled, casting an appraising eye down at her.
"We do good work, and aren't cheap. How much time do you have?"
Looking down at the plans, she considered.
"Don't know, to be honest. Give us a price list and timetable for each part, and we'll do them in the order of importance. I'd say we could stay a week at the most, but something could come up sooner."
He nodded.
"Mennen m 'chez mwen an, ak diven!"
The apprentices scattered. One quickly brought a stool, placing it behind the master and sliding it forward once he was seated. A tall thin glass, holding a dark read liquid, found itself in his large hand. Taking a sip, he pulled a pen out of a pocket.
"So, this room here..."
****
It took an hour to hammer out all the details, and another hour for the woodcrafter to call his suppliers and secure their confirmation on what was needed. They walked out of the shop with signed contracts, and a wooden puzzle set Goldie had been fascinated by. Danny carried it for her. He too, had found the toy irresistible, but had been loath to make a fuss over it. He was fourteen, after all.
Looking at the prices on the papers Alicia now held as they walked, Justin whistled.
"Wow. Can we really afford this, Daium? Not that I'm really that familiar with intergalactic finances, but this has to be a lot."
A slightly guilty look crossed the Orang's face. Alicia sighed, handing the papers to Justin and moving next to her.
"OK, what haven't you told us now?"
"Nothing bad... this time."
"Well, that's something." Alicia put her arm around her, giving Daium a hug. "What is it?"
"Well... it seems Dad looted the treasury."
Alicia, and most of the others, stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Daium was stopped as well by her wife's arm, caught off guard by the sudden lack of movement. Chuck just shook his head, laughing.
"OK, do tell."
"I didn't know he had done it," Daium said, eyes flicking to Rinda for a moment. "I found the money a few days after we left Tanah. He must have taken it just as word reached us of what happened to the fleet. I don't know, maybe he felt it was just going to go to waste, and since we were going to leave the planet anyways..."
Rinda chuckled.
"Man, I wish I had known your dad. He sounds like he was something else!"
"That's one way to say it," Justin remarked. "How much did he take, Daium? He obviously couldn't wipe out an entire planet's wealth."
"No, no, nothing like that. And, really, what is wealth varies from system to system. There's a hidden room behind the bridge that's now full of platinum and gold. So, as long as we stay in systems that value those, we can support ourselves for quite some time."
Alicia broke into laughter.
"Oh, man, my mom would be so conflicted! On the one hand I'm a dyke, on the other I married a billionaire!"
****
Anthony decided, partly thanks to money not being much of an issue, to forgo a trip back to the ship. It was late, and Goldie in particular was tired. A local hotel was found, and five rooms rented. Nona didn't look all that comfortable with the idea of rooming with Tammy, but the fact Goldie would be there too probably stopped any objection. Danny seemed ecstatic about having a room to himself, as any teen boy would. With tired good nights, they retired to their rooms.
****
Anthony threw himself onto the bed, clothes already a heap on the floor.
"Mmmm, a soft bed in gravity... how long has it been?"
"I don't know... how long has it been since you've made love to me in gravity?"
Rolling onto his back, Anthony saw Hannah standing at the foot of the bed. Her clothes had also deserted her, leaving soft curves and smooth skin. He smiled.
"I don't know. Time stops whenever I see you."
"Oh, good answer..." Taking a step forward, Hannah leaned down and climbed onto the bed. She moved over him on all fours, eyes never leaving his. Her breasts hung down, swaying as she moved, a tempting target for his eyes. Anthony knew the danger, though, knew it was a trap she was setting. Once her face was over his, Anthony's hands ignored the obvious and drew her face down for a kiss. She whimpered, body melting against his. Now his hands roamed free, caressing at will. As they reached her breasts, Hannah pushed herself up, allowing easy access as she looked down at him.
"I hope you're well rested," she asked, voice husky.
"And why is that?" He flicked a finger across one of her nipples. She grinned an evil grin.
"I'm ovulating and we're in a gravity well. You're giving me a baby even if it kills you."
"Oh, woe is me…"