Drew's Trouble with Cats and Roaches

To all,

Due to the interest in this series, here is Chapter 18. I have started the Omega series as an off shoot of the basic Drews Troubles stories. My intent is to diverge the storylines as much as I can. There will be occasional interweaving, but I want to get one story back in space and leave Omega ground based.

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

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

Part 18

***

Drew's morning started out like he preferred, up early, cup of Earth Earl Grey tea and local honey. Yes, the similarities kept cropping up. The local honey was a bit more 'pungent' but then the bees were too. The size of small hummingbirds but stingless. The spiders' cohabitated with them...as pets, sort of like some of the indigenous amazon tribes did on earth.

He sat on the veranda overlooking the City and waited for sun to peak above the far hillocks. While Target was a 'sort-of' morning person, she would sleep in until the first morning light hit the edge of the bed.

With all the chaos of past weeks he was hoping to have a day or two of low drama. He was a realist, but he did have his hopes.

None of it mattered when he turned on his pad and saw the two top dispatches for this morning. The Marauder quadrant was showing signs of distress. And the Elder Ambassador's shuttle had gone missing yesterday somewhere in the Gamma colony.

The dispatches provided secondary notes of what was being done and contact information, but he knew he needed to focus on the adjacent space and hope his distant cousin would turn up. It's not like the kid did not have some serious defensive powers on his own, so he knew it could be ok or real bad news.

He kept scanning his pad, and mentally prioritizing what needed to be investigated this morning and what could be delegated. He continued to skim and then had to go back to one specific item. A prisoner was found dead at 'the rock'. Reginal had been killed by the Odessa inmates. It had been done in full view of the spiders and the story forwarded through the new connection portals.

Drew was split on his feelings of Reginal's death. And to be honest with himself, he was not sure why. Drew had personally killed before and knew the feelings afterwards. This asshole tried to kill him, his friends, and all the colonists, just to line his pockets with gold and false glory. He had to think about why the death of this one human meant something to him.

He must be getting old.

But this day was not a total disaster, as some had been. The elder space junk was a space station, and they were bringing it in. They had found two older Elder destroyers with it, so they came along. After refit they could be very handy for the fledgling navy they were trying to expand.

He heard the ruckus of critters that could only mean Cara was up, which means they would be waking Target...

"Damn it! I told you not to wake me! Stay out of my bed until I say to come in," he heard Target's voice from their shared room.

Cara had already come out the door onto the veranda when the drama broke, and she scurried as fast as she could with her cup and tea pot.

"Oops," Cara said with a grimace.

Goldie shot out of the door to the veranda like it her life was at stake, and if he allowed Target to be armed, it may have been. Goldie raced over and hid behind Cara's chair.

"Young lady, we have had this talk how many times? Keep Goldie away from my bedroom until the missus of the house wakes up."

"I was just grabbing some tea bags and Goldie vanished, it wasn't my fault." Cara protested.

"Well, if the banging I am hearing is any indication, you will be explaining yourself."

Target wrapped in her robe and Kitten reached the door to the veranda at the same time. Target looked down at Kitten and Kitten looked up. Whatever they exchanged was in evident agreement. Target reached down and scratched behind her ears and a purring could be heard across the concrete balcony. The two non-morning creatures walked together to the table.

Kitten just strutted up to the cowering she-wolf, stood over her and snorted. She walked over to the place that always got the first morning sun and settled down to clean herself.

"Good morning darling," Drew stated with false cheer.

"Grrr, we may need to re-think this no weapons in bed agreement," responded Target.

"No dear, no weapons, your claws do enough damage," he reached over and poured her tea. He then reached to one of the jars he kept for her and opened it while picking up a spoon. The smell of the jar brought her whiskers out and had her eyebrows up instead of in a scowl.

"One or two my mate?" asked Drew.

"Just one. The long haired furry one is not getting on my good side just yet." Target watched her mate spoon fresh ginger into her tea. By accident it was discovered that Ginger reacted with the Kettle metabolism like Caffeine for humans. It was in great demand. Drew always kept a large fresh steady supply for his mate.

He turned his pad over to Target as she sipped her morning brew. Her ears went up and her whiskers folded forward. She looked at Drew then at Cara. Cara met her eyes and knew something was amiss.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Neither Drew nor Target wanted to tell her that her love interest was missing and presumed dead.

"Um...DB 's shuttle is missing in the Gamma colony," responded Drew.

'Oh no papa he is fine. Well, banged up quite a bit, but alive," She responded sipping her tea.

Drews face must have scrunched up and he shook his head, "And you know this how?"

"He talked to me last night, like he does, from far away. He is sort of hiding out." She stated so nonchalantly that Drew was ready to scream.

Target had gasped at the understanding that the young Elder Ambassador and scholar was hiding out in a Colony not yet fully under their control. Before Target could vocalize words, Drew jumped in.

"Please put down your fucking tea and focus young lady. Tell us all of it, or do I need to take your hand and look myself?" Drew had made promises not to poke inside her mind if it was not a life-or-death situation.

In this case, she really did not want Drew looking at the interaction between her, DB and DB's new friend last night. Not one little bit. They had shared intimate moments that she did not wish to share with anyone. She sat her tea down and focused on what he had told her and then looked up into the eyes of Lord Drew of the Pride. It was not her Papa looking at her, it was Lord Drew, and it shook her. She looked to her left and there was Target, Warrior Queen of the Kettle, and mate to Lord Drew, no misunderstanding the seriousness of their request.

And they wanted answers...NOW!

"He contacted me as I was reading in bed. He did not want me to worry when the news broke. His shuttle was hit by what he called RPG's? He said they did not have a chance to avoid them because they do not lock on or give warning. And the shuttle did not have avoidance sensors? Or something like that." She paused trying to remember it all, but she was flustered when DB contacted her. She could only think how brave he was.

"They were flying low, looking at the same things you were looking at when you were shot at. He made some comment about the stupid blue and white UN symbol painted on the side of the shuttle was 'one stupid big target'.

"He was in the back of shuttle when the explosions hit. The second one killed the avian pilot. Before the shuttle crashed, his friend got him and saved him. You know the one, the one that gave him his powers."

She was trying to remember more and the correct order. "So, some locals found him hurt, lying next to the wreckage and took him to a village and hid him. That is where he is now. But he said he is safe and 'studying the situation."

Both Drew and Target looked at each other and then back at their adopted daughter.

"Anything else?" asked Target.

Cara hesitated, not wanting to tell them all the things they did and talked about, considering how private and naughty they were, "No not really, we talked about things we could do together when he gets back...that sort of thing."

Target was well beyond her frustration level, but with Drew nearby she held it together.

"Cara, did he happen to mention where he was exactly, in Gamma?" she asked calmly with her last nerve stretched.

"Oh, Oh yes. He is in Kolochava in...in...what did he call it? Oh yes, the local 'Gentlemen's Club'. He can be so cute. He is in the house of Ill repute, Papa. The ladies that work there saved him and are hiding him. Its next to a bar called Zenyk Mytnyk, I think."

"Grr, Ahhhh," Target screamed as she jumped up from the table knocking the cast iron seat and plush cushion to the ground.

"I'll go get him. The Royal Cat is just out of repair." Target stomped towards the door, "the casualness of you humans, is beyond me." Kitten stretched and padded after her.

"Target, my mate, please be calm. It's not good for the baby," Drew commented sort of knowing it would just inflame her.

Target just spun at the door, "Our daughters will do just fine. They come from a long line of warrior stock," she spun and just before she disappeared, she turned again, "Oh yes, forgot to tell you, I am carrying triplets, all daughters," She stopped to smile at him then vanished behind the drapes.

"Always the one to deliver good news in a cavalier fashion...I do love her though," Drew commented to really no one.

***

Alexander did not like the readings he was getting. Too many plasma signatures at long distances. Too many pieces of debris floating past the border. Too much movement, and too much activity in short time spans.

After the cruiser Artemis had towed the elder space station into orbit around the home planet, he had set up a section of the antiquated station as a 'research and investigation' nodule.

The reality was, he was running the Cat spy groups out of the clandestine location. He had established a series of closed off sections to watch the colonies, the rogue cat factions, and the Marauder section of space.

Surprisingly, one species of alien had taken to this surveillance like they were bred for it. The 'Ravens' as they were called by humans for their lustrous dark feathers and keen eyes, were now in high demand by him. They tended to be more loaners than the 'finch' and 'sparrow' avian species. They would group together, but they did not have the tendency to flock in time of high stress like the other two species. Ravens' could keep a secret too.

While the rest of the station was being retrofitted, the 'Information' group stayed by themselves, played by themselves, and traveled by themselves. It was the first section retrofitted and even Lord Drew had no idea how extensive it had become.

Alexander sent his latest dispatches with a personal note of concern. The Marauder section of space was becoming increasingly unstable. He did not know why, but this was his second attempt to have Lord Drew change from a passive use of the Drones on the border to allowing him to use them in a more offensive way. He needed to get past the border and deep into Marauder space to find out why that space was in upheaval.

***

Thing One and Two strode into the large ornate meeting room at the castle. They were quite pregnant, but it did not seem to unsettle them in the slightest. Alexander, Drew, and Target were waiting for them. This was the 'War Counsel' of the Pride.

While Drew had originally been squeamish about being so formal, he was changing his mind because he could already see a potential fight on three fronts, the earth portal, Marauder space and overall local space control.

"Our UN ambassador seems to be late again...", they then heard a ruckus coming from the general direction of the landing pads. Female screams had everyone headed out the main entrance when Goldie, ridden by Hoppy, bolted through the entry portal.

Hoppy swung off Goldie's back in a very graceful move and landed rather gently on an adjacent table.

"My apologies, I was going to greet the ambassador when they became agitated and screamed. I am not sure what I did wrong, but can we talk about it after everything calms down?" Hoppy answered doing her little dance Drew recognized from when she was nervous.

Drew was trying everything not to laugh. Alexander had headed directly out to survey the damage and try and settle what was going on. He returned shortly with UN ambassador Ms. Pamila Easterbrook and Deputy Ambassador Ms. Adrian Booker.

Everyone calmed down and did their formal greetings. They finally seated themselves to start the meeting.

"Well now that we are all here let us get down to business. I have asked you Ambassadors here, not as part of any authority, but as another set of eyes. We will always listen to differing points of view, but we ask that what is said in this room stays in this room."

Arian raised her hand and Drew smiled and nodded his head. "I was hoping the Elder Ambassador was going to be here?"

"He is well but is involved with something. He'll inform us when he needs us." Drew responded. If the UN's intel was that bad, he did not want to worry DB's mother about the crash, the injuries, or of him living in constant peril.

"Again, let's get down to discussing the ongoing problems, internal and external, and discuss how to eradicate what we can and control what we can't. To those of you not versed in the way of the Cats, this is the 'War Counsel.' On earth it would be called the Department of Defense to sound more magnanimous ", Drew finished.

"Internally, we have the rouge cat factions under control due to the sacrifices of our two brave warriors, Thing One and Thing Two." Drew paused as the two stood up for mock applause due to their Pregnancies. Thing Two then leaned over to whisper in his ear. He knew something was wrong when he felt her claws unsheathe and just prick his neck.

"My sister and I wish to have a private conversation regarding our naming so many years ago. It seems Cara was teaching Hoppy and showed her a book containing the mythical mischief characters created by a Doctor from Earth? We wish to see this book and discuss why our Dear Loving Lord would consider us full of mischief?"

"Well at the time, as I remember it, you two had just returned from slaughtering a ship load of Roaches, by hand. And then when we mated, we kept the whole ship up from the emanations of you two orgasming. Oh, let me see, then you started a competition between the two of you, on who could have the most cubs, and cheated to do so..." Drew finished louder than he wanted.

When they had finished, they were nose to nose and smiling. Thing One's smile, a bit more feral than it should have been. She then kissed his nose and turned back to the table.

"We still need to talk, and we want to see the book," she finished always needing to have the last word.

"I'll get it," stated Hoppy starting to skitter across the conference table.

"Freeze! Ms. Ambassador to the Spiders. The warriors and I will have our talk after we finish our discussion." Drew smiled at the confused spider, now bouncing nervously.

"Hoppy, there is nothing wrong. It is just some interesting social interplay between beings that love each other. Now go back to your seat," and Hoppy skittered back, bright bow and mouse ears flopping about.

"Again, back to our more serious issues. We have three distinct zones of concern regarding control of our borders and space in general. None of my concerns have an exact solution, but let's go with the easiest, the near-earth transition point. The sensors we have planted on both sides of the transition seem to be working as a deterrent, so for the time being, let's call that good. The only issue we are having is apparent smuggling but that will be discussed during our last meeting item." Drew paused and then went to get a stimulant drink. He sipped, watching the interactions of Hoppy and the UN Ambassador Easterbrook. He had placed Hoppy adjacent to her.

Well...he did it to sort of be a prick. He was pleased that Ms. Easterbrook was doing a fine job of covering her fear of the three-foot furry talking spider. But he knew it was fraying her around the edges.

"The Marauder space is one of two things we need to figure out during our session today. Alexander will be providing a written and verbal presentation," Drew finished and sat down.

"We have been watching the border for the past several years. We have been following a protocol of strict non-aggression due to our limited resources being driven into the establishment of the combined Pride and combining of the three clans. Also, we have been throwing our local resources on planet into the colonial effort which has turned into a larger draw on available resources than anticipated. I will talk about this more, later."

"I believe that our greatest caution must be placed in the Marauder parcel of space. As is included in the information already on your pad. We have been receiving disturbing actions going on in the section of space. Either they are fighting amongst themselves or they are fighting against something. Without more information we are making just blind supposition." Alexander continued to provide his presentation in a professional and concise method. Drew was proud of the young Cat he had taken under his wing so many years ago.

"We must have more real time and direct information to protect ourselves. So, I am recommending that we send our new version of stealth drones deep into their territory. We will use relay drones at the border to gather messages so they cannot trace comm strings directly back to this planet. I am also recommending that the next step, in short order, is the sending of live assets to better define the problems they are facing." Alexander paused when he heard a muffled grumble from Ms. Easterbrook. Alexander turned to look at her and the rest of the table followed suit.

Drew turned to the emissary of the UN and acknowledged her informal request to talk.

"I do not understand why we do not just send in a diplomatic team, with proper notification mind you, to meet with these beings and offer help?" Ms. Easterbrook finished and sat back with a smug look on her face. Drew could see the agitation in Ms. Adrian Bookers eyes.

'Ahh' thought Drew, 'Adrian actually read the pro-forma that Alexander created and distributed'

"That would be lovely Ms. Easterbrook. I presume that you would lead the delegation?" Drew paused and looked at the smug woman nodding her head in affirmation, "I would recommend that you select your staff on a volunteer basis only." Drew paused again, "I presume that you have understood from the presented materials that it is a potential suicide mission? Since no delegation from any race has returned from Marauder controlled space or been heard from again in any fashion? But feel free to ask for earth transport and venture forth. We will not lend transport from the Pride space because we need every single ship we have." Drew was wrapping up his comments but could feel the smugness gone, replaced by embarrassment.

"But thank you for our offer. Please let us know when you will be heading up this venture and we will throw you a Bon Voyage party," Drew finished, starting to lose his control. He never had the patience for shortsighted fools.

"I am asking the war counsel to vote on the primary and secondary action steps of Alexanders proposal. One, a proactive approach with the drones in their space for information gathering. I only ask that the lethal capability of the drones be self-destruct capability, no offensive weapons. I would rather have to explain about espionage verses trying to do potential harm. And second, that the concept of living assets be fleshed out and then later brought back for final approval." Drew saw that Alexander was going to argue the second part, but he gave a hand signal and waived him off.