Drews Troubles - Aya

To all,

I decided, to do a two-chapter story on Lord Drew's Daughter Aya. Of course, all my plans went to hell and its now a Three-chapter story. I am working on chapter three next so there should be only a week or so wait.

She is below age, therefore there will be NO SEX with her in the room, but the adults will play, maybe in the third chapter.

I also must apologize if you are not familiar with the other strings I am running. This is not a stand-alone story.

Chapter 1 has focused on her growth in Cat culture and the beginnings of her adventure. Chapter two will deal with the repercussions of that adventure and chapter three will be her escape from her own adventure and into another one.

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.

As we enter and play in this year of 2021, please stay safe and sane.

* * * * *

"Where the fuck are we, navigator?" Biani stated with lots of sarcasm. "And how much time do you have behind the boards?"

"Oh, I have a thousand hours behind the boards Commander, but mostly through Sims," Bani groaned but Aya continued, "I have taken sims from all of the know races, with all of their weapon's systems and created blended sims that you cannot believe."

"I assume you win them all?" Biani asked continuing with the sarcasm. "When did you last pilot out of system?" Biani commented, losing the sarcasm because the youngster was a top-notch navigator through the three transitions to get here, even with the puking.

"I have never really been out of system, not in control of a real ship. But the sims I designed make this look easy, well except for wanting to barf all the time." Aya Paused and checked her instruments.

"And no, of course I don't win all of the time, that would be stupid. I only win about 50% of the time. If I won all the time, I wouldn't learn a thing. So, I programed many non-win scenarios through my AI."

"And to answer your original question, we are on the other side of the planet from the ship that tried to kill us. I only did a real short hop. I assumed you preferred to cloak and sneak up on them to see if we can make peace once they are under our guns?" Aya commented.

Biani sat stewing I her chair. She twisted and turned and could find no fault in her navigators reasoning. But the young, little shit just shot them through the gravity well of this planet, and she was still alive to talk about it! Lord Drew or not, she was so going to spank Aya's ass when this little episode was over, and she was back on safe terra-firma.

* * * * *

"Navigator, engage cloaking device and plot a course behind that ship." Biani demanded.

"Aye Commander," Aya responded while phasing in the cloaking device. It was as bad as she thought and tried to throw up again.

"What's wrong now?" commented Biani, replying to the dry heaves coming from behind her.

"You really don't feel that? Fuck, I wish I didn't. We are partially in transition Commander, so I am as screwed up as when we bebop between nodes."

"What do you mean 'In Transition' I thought we were just cloaked?" Biani asked.

"Same... math? Same thing, sort of. But we just don't go as far as folding space... just enough to make me nauseous... Commander," responded Aya with an air of confusion.

'Do these people just use this dangerous crap and no know how it works?' she wondered. She knew she over-studied things. But it seemed crazy to be alone in space, in a small metal box, and not know how all the pieces work.

"Plot a course to intercept the other ship. Is it still the only one in-system?" Biani ordered and then asked.

"Aye Commander, intercept course laid in. Cloaking device operational. There are no other ships that are out of atmosphere or seem to be in trajectory to escape atmosphere." Aya commented.

"Engage and close with the other ship." Biani directed.

"Engaging now." Aya replied.

There was a 'distortion' and then a 'shift' like the flicking of lights.

"Fuck! What the hell did you just do? Again?" Biani screamed as she was looking at the other ship. Close enough to count the bolts on the exposed flange of the water connection valve.

"Um... yes Commander, it seemed easier to hop over, than trail around the planet hoping not to be exposed by something." Aya replied, trying to be flat voiced.

"From now on, can we stick to tried and true space travel, not your experiments... please?" Biani was at the point of begging.

"Aye Commander, I will try." Aya replied with a smile.

"Comm drones ready for deployment. I am placing them on either side to provide redundant messaging." Aya stated.

"Deploy. Let me know when they reach station." Biani requested while monitoring known space around the planet.

"Aye Commander, they are drifting now and should reach preferred station in 30 seconds." Aya replied.

There was a quiet pause while they waited for the seconds to tick by.

"On station," stated Aya.

"We are broadcasting our peaceful intentions to the unknown spacecraft that attacked us, unprovoked. We are on a peaceful contact mission and do not want to react with aggressive reaction to future provocation." Biani ended and then commented to Aya, "What do you think?"

"Um... to be honest Commander, a bit wordy. Could cause problems with translation." Aya commented as space was lit up by one of the drones being blown out of space.

"OK youngster," Biani paused, "how old ARE you by the way?"

"Um 14 and a half," replied Aya.

"And a half," Biani replied with a huge exhale of frustration.

"Go ahead. You try and a give a short and simple answer," ordered Biani.

Aya thought for a moment, assumed they were talking to Cats. She decided to go the full monty.

"Cat destroyer, we come in peace." That is for the politicians Aya thought, "Stand down your weapons, or we will be forced to return fire."

Mentally the message was more direct, "Stand down or die."

The destroyer let loose a barrage in all directions at one time. Beam weapons, rail guns and even missiles were fired at nothing. Aya was afraid something like this would happen so she had drifted their small craft to a dead zone in their fire pattern.

"Permission to selectively burn out hostile weapons." Aya requested.

"We can do that? Sure, permission granted." Biani questioned and ordered.

Aya worked the controls and her reprograming of the single bug weapon on the gimble below her chair. She heard the gun rotating and she used the narrowest beam and used a selective spectrum. She spun the small ship along the surface of the older, much larger ship, in a spiral. As she found weapons, she silenced them.

About two thirds of the way through the weapons destruction, the Marauder crew saw the pattern. They tried to counter spin and then ignite the main engines. She had killed the main engines when they first arrived, without orders. She was sure she would hear about that later from Biani.

She cut her AI loose on keeping the little ship in the correct location. Again, if Biani knew a home-built AI was running the ship, there would be rude words directed at Aya. But what Biani didn't know, was good for Aya, at the moment.

The small scout ship, still cloaked, finished burning out the ordinance, what Aya presumed were comm antenna and most of the control thrusters. That left the destroyer spinning along its axis dead mass in space.

She then plotted a course to the planet.

"Captain, the enemy ship is neutralized. Shall we continue with the mission and observe the planet?" Aya stated, requesting orders.

'Yes, plot a course and take us, the normal way, to the extremes of the upper atmosphere and circle the planet." Biani directed.

"Plotted and engaged... the normal way Commander," Aya commented trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum.

The small Pride craft eased down into a low orbit. They did not want to go lower because the upper reached of atmosphere would give them away, cloaked or not. Physics were physics and friction was friction.

From their distance to the surface, their sensors could scan anything within their line of sight and energy signatures half around the globe. So, they started their sweep. Her AI was programed to look for anomalies and they started to be counted and categorized.

As they focused on the southern sector of the globe, they saw large swaths of buildings without power. The main energy signatures in the southern region were fossil fuels, antique low output solar arrays with a few older fusion reactors. But these were spread out in a pattern reminiscent of a village or small-town economy, not the size and complexity of what they were expecting.

They started their northern latitude sweep and found the same issue. That was till they came to a city that had to be a focus of the Marauder Cat 'empire'. It was powered by a series of Hydro and fusion plants. The bleed off, low output and inefficiency, spoke to lack of maintenance or knowledge.

As they passed the city, still in low orbit, Aya could feel and hear a cry for help. It came from the disabled destroyer. She shifted her sensors and could see it was now wobbling and veering into a decaying orbit.

"Commander, we have a problem with the destroyer," commented Aya.

"Explain please, I am trying to get these readings... " responded a frustrated Biani.

"Someone did something stupid and their orbit is decaying. Its decaying in an accelerating rate," Informed Aya.

'Not our issue. We told them we came in peace, they tried to kill us. They did something stupid, they killed themselves," Biani responded.

"They have called for help. Based on the Spatial and Maritime laws of 2146, we are obligated to help them. We are also here on a peaceful mission. While we were attacked first, we have been asked to provide aid," stated Aya.

"So, along with being stuck with a 14-year-old runaway," Biani began.

"14 ½ commander," Aya interjected.

"Oh, so sorry about the 'half', a 14 ¼ year old runaway. You have now turned into a space lawyer?" ending with lots of sarcasm.

Biani sat in her chair steaming. She knew the young, little shit was correct. She just did not want to admit it.

"Well so much for a secret mission. How are we supposed to help the exceptionally large destroyer with this little craft?" Biani questioned.

"Well, I can fix their main engine with our drones, tether us to them for control and slowly take both crafts into atmosphere." Aya stated knowing there would be blow back.

"Take us into atmosphere? Are you insane?" We would be under every gun, and targeted by every missile they have," stated Biani wrenching herself around in her flight chair. What she wanted to do was smack the child on top of her head and then drag her up to her chair and paddle her ass.

"Commander, they are all calling to me to help. They are out of control and afraid of dying. What you have us do, walk away from our responsibilities?" Aya asked. She knew the answer already, but she wanted it on record.

"No, I can't see another way except putting us in the middle of a whole bunch of crosshairs. I am so going to paddle you later. I swear to god." Biani just crossed her arms.

"Open hailing frequencies on all bands, and de-cloak our ass," Biani ordered fuming, "To all that receive this message, we are a Pride Cat scout ship that is forwarding a mayday. I repeat Mayday, mayday. Your destroyer in orbit has a decaying orbit and cannot maneuver. We are requesting assistance of a larger shuttle class ship to assist with repairs. I repeat, mayday."

Finally, a reply was sent from the space port near the City. "We have no operational spacecraft to assist at the moment," there was a pause, "or in the near future. If you are in contact with the destroyer, tell them to die with honor for the Emperor... .out."

"What the fuck was that?" stated Biani for just the two in the scout craft.

"Commander, awaiting your orders,"

"Oh, fukity, fuck, fuck. Forward the schematic of what you proposed. I know you already have them, correct?" Biani noted. She was then shoved sideways in her seat and then spun.

"What the hell was that?" Biani yelled.

"Avoiding space debris Commander, this whole landscape is littered. I am not sure what happened out here, but this place is a junk heap. The AI just moved us away as a piece of debris shot into atmosphere." Aya clamped her mouth shut when she realized what she had said.

"What AI? This ship is not big enough for an AI!" Biani yelled almost to point of screaming.

"It's mine, I built it and programed it. I am actually rather good at it... I promise," Aya commented ready for Biani to unstrap.

"Fuck, this just keeps getting better." She paused, "So I assume that the AI proposed this little adventure?" Biani asked.

"Yes and no. It was the only option where all of the crew reaches the ground safely." She said quietly.

"Do your fucking Cat magic and let the crew of the destroyer know we are coming to save their asses. No more shooting and if they can help, they had better help."

"Aye, aye Commander," stated Aya with a bounce in her voice.

* * * * *

The tethering of the ships by drone and spacewalk had been a nightmare. Balancing the two ships was only handled because of Aya's AI. They looked like the worst half-assed configuration that Aya or Biani had ever seen, but it was their one chance.

The trip down made a nightmare look like fun. The little cat craft did things that day, it was never meant to do. Part way down it started to come apart. A hatch way here, a cover plate there, streamed off both ships as they fought each other, mother nature and the gravity well of the planet below.

The little ship and its reactor started to shake from the constant strain.

It was not supposed to do that.

The small fusion reactor was at 130% for the whole trip. Which if you actually read the maintenance manuals, the reactor was supposed to explode somewhere between point A and B if it was kept at that output.

The space port was laid out like all others. Maintenance areas to the rear where no one noticed them. Aya was fascinated when she saw the granitic sling structure. They were to drive the destroyer into it, with them still attached. It was gigantic and had a geodesic tube that would support the normally zero gravity craft in a metaphorical wrapping of non-gravity to help support the weight of the ship. She took pictures, and had her AI do meticulous measurements and energy readings.

Aya immediately thought of a couple of islands off Atlantis where a space repair port could be constructed. Well after they built the force walls, so the sea creatures did not keep trying to eat the workers.

As soon as the destroyer was supported, they released tether and streaked out of the structure, shields up and weapons hot.

There was no reaction of any kind.

She looked down at the structure and saw the hatches come open and the cats and other species come out, hugging, and then waiving at their little craft. She wiggled the craft in an age-old symbol of acknowledgment. She then noticed that the other species waived then hunched their shoulders and trundled off at the pointing of the cats.

The cats were different too. They looked like an entirely different species of feline than she had seen before. Tall even compared to the cats she knew so well. Slender, but svelte musculature with rounded faces and large round eyes. They had a grey base coloring with darker spots that sometimes blended into a stripe pattern. Their fur seems denser. She could hear their thanks as they filed off the gangway and headed to the ground.

They just sat and looked at the maintenance yard and then started to see a different story. It was a junk heap. Nothing was being worked on. It had that feel of a dusty, dank basement, sealed off with layers of dust over everything. She could not smell it over the air filtration systems, but she imagined that it had the same dank smell she had found in off-the-way places when they were given the old space station to fix up.

They continued to hover.

Both were at a loss on what to do next.

Aya got that itch she recognized as a powerful Cat tried to 'look' at her from a distance. It was an old teacher's trick and they soon learned that she could shield herself off, even at a young age.

Aya got miffed at the rudeness of the action. It was considered very rude in her Cat culture to secretly poke around without permission.

'If you have questions... ask. But do not try and play games with me,' she mentally sent back to the inquisitor.

Aya could feel and odd reaction to her message and then there was silence. For a moment.

"You will be allowed to present yourselves as ambassadors." Aya received mentally from a female cat with an interesting accent. Aya then received a mental map on how to find the location.

"Commander, we have been contacted and directed to a defined location. We are to be considered 'ambassadors' for the introductory meeting," Aya commented.

"So, it's all going to be by Cat Mind trick stuff, damn," Biani replied.

"I assume so, until we get past this first meeting. They are being very formal. I hope our appearance does not put them off." Aya commented.

"What, my flight tacticals will offend them?" Biani commented with entirely too much rude sarcasm.

Aya knew that Biani was not a typical Foxy. They were a more reserved species and not at all like Biani. But it was hard to imagine that the being sitting in front of her was being so dense.

"No, I am concerned that I do not look Cat, and the fuzz on my ears will not help. They could take great offense at my being in the room." Aya responded.

"Well, they will need to get over it. We are here to make peace and help them," Biani paused and then shifter her view screen as they came closer to their destination," Look at this place, its... its, what is the old human phase I am looking for... Ticky-tacky. That is, it! It looks like one of those human girls after three days of partying. Someone threw too much make up on this place to cover the bags under its eyes."

"Humm," was Aya's only response. Something about this place and even Biani's crude description rang a small bell in her head. She could not put it all together, but it was there, tickling the back of her skull.

"Put her down on the bullseye and let's see what we can do to bring peace to the galaxy. Or at least come out of this alive," Bani ordered, "Oh and let me do the talking, please. This was supposed to be clandestine mission and the next thing I know we start a shooting war, rescue mission and diplomatic first contact."

Aya kept her comments to herself but rolled her eyes regarding the 'old' person sitting in front of her.

Upon landing at the huge landing station right outside the 'castle' they were met by a robot. Aya was fascinated. She had seen this level of robot in her history lessons. Tracked, with limited payload rate. No true AI, it clanked and screeched its way to them asked, in several languages, if they had luggage and then told them to follow.

She thought of the Kettle engineers and how they would have this poor... thing torn down and lubed in a minute. Just to make it stop making all those horrible grinding noises. They followed it into the castle and into an anteroom with couches. It asked them to sit if they wanted while waiting. It then shrieked and clattered its way into a corner and was silent.

Aya had spent many hours wandering through museums not to recognize the horrible attempt she was wandering around in. That nag in the back of her skull was trying to dig its way out. In an odd way, this scattered attempt to look pompous was familiar. She was staring at a thin slab of rock that some artist from somewhere had turned into an art piece when she heard movement at one of the Portal frames in the room.