Drew's Trouble with Cats and Roaches

To all,

Due to the interest in this series, here is part 16

This should be back to shorter and more defined chapters and hopefully more full character building.

Any aliens, real or imagined in this story are purely a construct of my twisted and warped mind.

I thank everyone so much for reading my stories and enjoying them.

Part 16

***

"Eddie, I know you and I are both hungover from last night's negotiations. I admit that my brain is fuzzy and not quite clicking. So, one more time please, slowly with small words, and answer why Little Cara now has breasts?"

"Lord, let me try this another way. When we heard she was 14 or so, we made assumptions. Her age is at question." Eddie paused trying to provide a clear path to understanding through the funk of the previous night's fun.

"We have taken internal readings, such as teeth and bone measurements. These give us different metrics. We believe she is somewhere between 18 and 19 Terran years old. The number of years we were using earlier, were based on her home planet, not Earth." Eddie explained.

"But she looked like a 14-year-old. And now she doesn't." Drew commented, sipping a stimulant brew.

"Correct. Severe starvation and the horrible mental treatment stunted her growth. The lesions were horrific." Eddie ended.

"So why does she now have breasts" asked Drew exasperated.

"The tanks just did a baseline reset. They did not have real historic data on her, so the tanks read her genetic code, measured her age, and then took her to that baseline. This is the Cara that should have been, if other environmental issues did not stunt her growth." Eddie presented.

"And when will the tank quit tinkering with her and let her out?" Drew asked.

"Two or three more days. She will need a day just to be calmed from her growth spurt. She has gained over 6 inches and other more female structural changes in her hips. Her pain would be formattable if she came out early."

Drew was sitting with his head down and running his hands through his hair, "OK, two more questions before my head explodes. Is she going to be ok, with the lesions gone? And will she still be able to talk to the spiders?"

"Lord, I am looking at her brain activity and it is doing amazingly well and highly active. As to your second question, I have no idea. Only time and patience will tell." Eddie stated.

"God, you are sounding like my Dad...time and patience," Drew took a huge breath and a slug of the stimulant drink, "You know I have a 3-foot spider emissary living with me, right? I do not really like spiders. But now I have a huge one living with me."

Drew started to chuckle and then laugh, "Things One and Two refuse to come anywhere near my quarters. Two of the greatest bad ass warriors I know, refuse to come to my quarters because of who I have living with me."

"I am aware lord. I am sure you will persevere." Eddie said holding back a laugh.

***

Drew entered the security area and surveyed the layout. With all the technology at their hands you still had security personnel looking at multiple screens, broken into quadrants. Cameras everywhere, cameras watching or cameras spying. It all depended on your point of view.

"We have our governor's meeting tomorrow and our council meeting this afternoon. Do you have the report I asked for?" Questioned Drew.

"Right here lord and you were right, sad to say, but you were right. But you would know the nature of humans better that I do," responded Dragon D32.

Drew stopped to look at the huge dragon. He could tell by the yellow colorization under his 'chin' and by the edging on his dorsal ridge plates that he was older than his fellow security members.

"Do you miss being onboard Artimes? Or do you enjoy being planet bound more?" asked Lord Drew.

D32 turned and looked at him in that expressionless way the Dragons had.

"I am honored either way my Lord. We are creatures of honor, duty, and service. Those things we feel most important can be carried out on-ship or based on a planet." D32 did not look away and asked for a favor.

"May I speak freely lord?"

"Always," answered Drew.

"I have served long and hard with the differing elder races. I am probably much older than you think I am. I was not sure what to think when we were told to come here to assist," he paused again giving no hint to where this discussion was going.

"For the first time in my life, I feel, and so does my clutch, that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. I have never been asked in my long career, how I 'felt' about my responsibilities or how I 'feel' about an issue. You are different my Lord, and it is our honor to serve you," and then D32 bowed as he would to another dragon.

Drew was taken aback by the situation, and stated honestly, "I do not know what to say."

"My apologies lord, it was not meant to embarrass you," sated D32 bowing again.

"I am not embarrassed in the least. I am honored that one such as you, with your seasoned lineage and experience feels that way. Again, I am honored," responded Drew.

Drew tried not to, but he could feel he touched something in the older Dragon. There was a moment's pause and then D32 spoke again.

"My lord, was this visit just to gather the report or were you looking in on our prisoner?"

D32 comment shook Drew out of his mental haze and back into reality.

"Yes, it's time to deal with the prisoner."

"Do you want me in the room my Lord?"

"No, you can be a bit intimidating. Just chain him to the desk as we discussed and let me have a private chat with him," Drew directed.

"As you wish Lord," D32 responded.

For a few minutes Drew just watched the monitors and the goings on at each of the separate colonies. He knew some of the reports he was receiving from the individual governors were just plain bullshit. He could see some of it on the monitors.

Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the oppressive way several of the colonies had already employed to gain and hold power. The bi-annual governor's meeting, tomorrow, would be a lively affair. The ad hoc council meeting this afternoon would be lively enough, but not compared to the morn.

D32 lumbered through the oversized doorway and just nodded to Drew and went back to his office to watch the 'discussion' from his desk.

Drew entered and viewed the man manacled through the bull ring mounted to the middle of the table. Drew could hear and feel the venom coming off Mr. Schober from outside this room. Inside, it was palatable.

"Hello Regie!" Drew knew he was being childish. Reginal hatted being called Regie had he knew it. But considering this man plotted to kill him and all of colonists, well childish was fine.

"So how shall we play this game? You will wax poetic on how you are being mistreated? Or shall you just continue to expound your innocence?" Drew paused to look at the man.

"Of course, I am innocent! You and your disgusting alien cohorts have made this all up!" Reginal responded.

"Well, it looks like we must do this formally and the long, hard way," Drew reached to the side table and pulled some very odd instruments to the table, headsets, vid controls and a cue-ball mounted on the pedestal. Drew put on the head band, clicked the vid controls. And the wall lit up creating a giant screen that seemed to fill the room.

Drew clicked the controls again and the room dimmed. He adjusted the headband and shifted the microphone near his lips. He placed his hand lightly on the white orb on the slim pedestal.

"Let's test this out, shall we?" Drew commented as the screen lit up and images randomly popped up and were shown on the screen. The images flickered then stabilized. Drew closed his eyes and went deeper.

The view on the wall was immediately from Reginal's perspective, through his eyes

Drew was there, in his head band. The cell where Reginal was kept with a lovely view of the garden outside of the ballistic rated glass. A plant smashed against the corner of the room. A conversation with one of the security officers regarding the plant. Reginal was informed that a plant was kept in all cells, because some species could not survive without being able to touch something alive. Reginal told her to fuck herself over a damn plant.

Images continued to flit across the wall. Images from Reginal's mind showing him sitting in the command chair, directing the ships to open fire on the small corvette. Discussions on how to destroy the small corvette. Emergency beacons blaring when the hidden mines exploded.

Farther back Drew went, meetings flashed past where Reginal was directing the creation of the invasion fleet. Words like 'freedom' and 'liberation' were used to justify the conquering of that parcel of space.

Drew finally reached far enough back to show the planning of the colony ships, and the exclusion of the NA due to their open corruption. The planning of the warning drone and its launch, with a message personally written by Reginal.

His thoughts were broadcast. His words...even his duplicity in having someone else record it so he would have plausible deniability if his plans were laid bare.

All were shown on the wall of that room.

Drew pulled himself out of Reginal's mind and gasped. He reached to the ground and pulled up the flavored drink Eddie had created to help with the effort it took to use his mind and project it at the same time.

"Anything to say for yourself?" Drew asked.

"I have nothing to say. None of this is admissible in a court of law," Reginal smiled and crossed his arms.

"But it is all true, correct? You planed the deaths of ten thousand beings with as little care as you were cracking an egg to make breakfast," Drew asked.

"A few human lives would have been lost, but the opportunity to obtain that parcel of space for the North Alliance would be worth every human life sacrificed. Your concern over alien life is not mine. They need to be made to leave or die. They are just competitors for what we want and need. Getting rid of competition is what I do best." Reginal just sat there with a smug look on his face.

"Heard enough?" Drew spun his chair and faced the wall full of images. It faded and then lit up with a group of people sitting in a room.

A light went on at the end of the table, a green light on a miniature podium. "Yes, we have heard enough," responded a tall thin man with close cut white hair wearing a uniform Drew recognized immediately, NA Admiralty.

"Admiral! I did it for us!" Reginal started to talk, and Drew reached in and mentally clamped down on his throat.

"Do you want this asshole back? Or am I left to deal with him?" Drew commented.

Another green light was seen, and the Admirals space went red. "Do you mean to kill him?" asked a woman he did not recognize, her name and title flashed. She was secretary to the provisional provost, but she was also Reginal's wife.

"No, I am not going to start formal capital punishment as part of our law system. He did try and kill me, most of my loved ones and over ten thousand of my people. So, he will not be allowed to go free in our society. He would not live long." Drew paused, not sure he should share what he was planning on, but then it was not like they could do anything about it.

"We have established a penal colony on one of the isolated islands. He will be dropped off with a starter kit of a tent, and supplies, plus food. He will be allowed to gather more food and limited medical supplies quarterly. He will live on the island, free for the rest of his natural life." Drew paused.

"The islands location is protected along with the space surrounding it. Reginal will be one of the islands first inhabitants, but there will be more soon. They will have to choose to live in harmony with each other, or not. The dragons will protect the island from outside forces. The spiders will protect the inner core of the island. The lower more temperate land is the prison." Drew finished and turned from the screen to look at Reginal.

"Or I could take Regie out right now and shoot him myself?" offered Lord Drew of the Pride.

***

Drew got to his quarters and no one was around. He found two of the monitors playing incredibly old vid movies. He called out to Kitten and got back a "Big Room" mental picture. He headed out through one of the supply corridors and through one of the 'secret doorways' into his old living quarters. There sitting on the sofa was his dad and laying on her side on the expensive looking rug was Goldie.

"Hi sonny, welcome home to our modest abode," Drew Sr. stated with lots of sarcasm.

Drew just rolled his eyes and took stock of the room he disliked so much.

Drew saw and heard the thump, thump, thump, of Goldie's big tail. She lifted her head but did not get up to greet him as she normally did. Silently behind him Kitten walked up and rubbed her large head on his hand until he started to massage around her head and neck. She pressed the side of her head to his hip and started to purr in satisfaction. He heard "papa home, papa home" more as a happy fulfillment than straight communication.

"So where is our little 8-legged friend?" Drew asked.

Above him heard a series of chirps and clicks. Then he heard the mechanized voice of the translator "Up here," Then as Drew looked up. A thing out of a primordial nightmare was coming for him.

Hoppy slid down a single strand of silk, inverted of course. All Drew could see was multiple red eyes and mandibles coming for his face.

Drew yelled, honestly, he shrieked. And fell over a pile of pillows to land flat on his back. The reality was, Hoppy was coming down a few feet in front of Drew. That was until Drew panicked, tripped, and fell, which put him now directly under Hoppy' s path of travel. Drew just lightly squealed and threw his arm over his eyes.

Both Kitten and Goldie bolted to his side, Kitten to see if he was ok, Goldie because she thought he was playing. He pushed them away, letting them know he was ok. Hs dad said nothing through this whole thing. Well his dad chuckled, then started to cough from holding in the laugh, then laughed and then teared up from the scene in front of hm.

When he could finally speak, Drew Sr coughed out, "seriously son, it's just a living creature. Your adopted alien spider daughter coming to say hi. Grow a set and man-up!' He ended by laughing , coughing and finally doing a fine manly giggle.

Hoppy stopped her descent, climbed back up a few feet and started to swing. When her arc was perfect for launch, she let loose and sailed over to more pillows and landed with no effort.

Drew just let out a sigh. He still heard the coughing giggling from his dad but also heard footsteps and was soon looking up the body of Target. She was in her full utilities and as he looked up her skirt, she was sans panties and freshly shaved.

"Good morning Lord Drew," she said somewhat formally, "Did the itty biddy spider emissary scare the great Lord Drew?" she said with dripping sarcasm.

"So, the man I flew with, that faced down a fully armed cruiser and 4 destroyers and then faced down 2 more destroyers, in a Cat version of a rowboat is afraid of his newly adopted daughter. You did promise to be Hoppy's mom for her stay correct?"

"Yes Dear," he commented and rolled on his side facing Hoppy. He put out his hand and Hoppy skittered forward to make the connection, "I apologize Hoppy. Some of us humans have our issues. I am sorry if I offended you."

Hoppy responded, "I was afraid I did something to offend you. Please tell me what I can do to ease other's feelings about being around me"

"Hoppy, I must admit that I do not know. Humanity and some of the avian species have a deep-seated fear of spiders. I know you are not a direct relationship to earth arachnids, but the parallel evolution of your species tells me we will have issues."

Drew sighed again, "please just remember, it's not you or what you have done. It's a million years of human evolution on Earth and it seems some of the avian home worlds."

"I will not take offense. I just wish there were something I could do to lessen the impact," Hoppy said very seriously.

Drew just chuckled, "maybe we can get you a funny hat."

***

The planetary council met to discuss the progress on the blending of the Cat clans and of the colonization. 'Planetary Council my ass' thought Drew. It was still just an ad-hoc committee he dreamed up, so he did not have to make all the decisions. NOT that it was working, mind you.

"Ok, ok let's call the formal part of this meeting to order and start some discussions." Drew commented. He looked over the participants and shook his head. He had the two other Cat heads of clan, the young lord from the Others and the Queen from the Clan. Thing One and Two on either side of him. Target showed up to represent the Kettle and that had been a huge argument between them. He did not want anyone to accuse him of stacking the deck on this committee, not like anyone had a say other than him. Eddie and his mate were there to represent the sciences. His dad showed up to represent earth, as a non-voting member and Hoppy as the newest addition.

"We have three main issues to discuss and I want to keep it clean and simple as possible, system security, combining of the Cat Clans, and the colonization effort." Drew paused and looked at their faces. He had sent this out for review days ago.

"The first is very simply the need for more security coverage between us and the Marauder space. The Drones are keeping the incidents of piracy at bay, but it is a stop gap measure for now. We have 4 destroyers to rebuild and limited engineering spaces to make that work." Drew paused again to sip his beer.

"My only request is to up the amount of human and Kettle engineers. I am going to go farther breaking my own rule and ask to set up an engineering colony, may be on the larger island," Drew showed a map on the 3D display of the home world "I am naming it Hawaii . It is somewhat isolated and has some flat landscape where we can establish a spaceport and repair areas. It has jungles but no spiders, so I will be asking if the spiders want to expand also." Drew stopped talking but he could see a lot of heads nodding in the affirmative.

"I will talk to our queen, but I can almost promise that there will be no issues with us," Hoppy stated, excited to be part of something so adventurous.

"I need ideas from you, the leaders of your species," Drew stated but then continued "that will go for the rest of the issues, too." Drew requested.

"Combining the clans is not an issue for this committee, but one I wanted to bring up. I am hearing rumors that these potentially rogue clans will affect the stability of some regions if not dealt with. What am I to do to reign in the outliers that want to return to the 'old ways'?" Drew asked.

The young lord and Queen looked at each other and shrugged. The young lord commented, "It is the way of our species my lord. As it has been from the days of old to now. They are challenging your rule. You will have to formally challenge them."

"So, kill them or they will kill me? This is so unbelievable when we are at a time in our new society where we need every Cat to build our civilization." Drew just shook his head.

"You know it is our way." The young lord commented.

"Let us go challenge," Thing One offered with her sister nodding her head in the affirmative beside her.

"No, because once you have won, you would be ground based, managing the local clan and I need you kicking ass, protecting our six against the Marauders." He just threw up his hands in frustration, "This is just stupid."

"OK. So, no answers for that, other than spilling more Cat blood. Just fucking perfect!" Drew spat out.