'Inta does the Dallas': Part 4
"We now hold this Council Circle begun," Bi'candra declared, borrowing her mate Os'tryve's voice. The Brothers walked silently with slow, swaying steps into the circle of tree-like Mothers and sat on their heels, kneeling in front of their mates, facing the others in the circle.
Their mood was upbeat despite the serious conversation they were about to have, mainly due to having their months-long sexual dry spell wetted spectacularly by the topic of tonight's council circle, Inta. The Brothers and Pi'natha all wore the evidence of Inta's influence on their skin, the same silver markings Will, June, and Ben bore.
Typically, the eldest Mother would preside over the Council Circle. Since the rest of the Mothers were currently Seeding and their minds temporarily lost to ecstasy, Bi'candra was the only one coherent enough to handle the job.
Of those present in the circle of Toparians, only Larce and Ti'lame seemed haggard and drawn out. While the Brothers had spent the time blissed out and resting from Inta's ministrations, Larce and Ti'lame had spent the past two and a half days fucking each other silly, only pausing when thirst compelled them, or exhaustion took them. They kneeled beside each other, Larce resting her sleepy head on Ti'lame's shoulder.
The Nestia crew stood by Pi'natha slightly outside the inner circle. They were in attendance because Inta was the topic of discussion, and the Grove requested that she be present.
"We are here to talk about recent events and how they affect the future of this Grove, and specifically our options in light of Inta's recent involvement," Bi'candra said, setting the tone and highlighting the topic of discussion.
"May I start?" De'noke asked the Circle.
"You may," Bi'candra replied.
"Our Grove is now feeling the result of a string of events, some unfortunate, and some fortunate," De'noke paused and looked towards Inta, smiling.
"We left Topar with ten Mothers, ten Brothers, and ten Maidens, the time-tested, ideal core around which every new Grove builds a new colony. We planned our journey so that shortly after our arrival, our Sprouts would bloom, and the Mothers would be ready to Seed. When the deal we made with the government of Bedarius Four fell through, we were forced to scramble and select a new location much further away.
The need to travel longer and Ti'lame's unexpected transition put a member of the Grove, Pi'natha, at grave risk. But fate guided us, and our meeting with Inta was not a matter of chance. Not only has she saved Pi'natha, who is Seeding with her at this moment, but she has also offered us a path to reclaim our forgotten legacy. Ages ago, the Andranari were symbiotes with the Toparians, and Inta represents the opportunity to be as we once were."
When De'noke finished, Os'tryve straightened his spine and responded.
"Inta's arrival was fortunate," Os'tryve began, "But not without a steep cost. She has thrown everything into chaos; She could not control herself when she seeded with Pi'natha, and sent the entire population aboard the Dallas, including the Grove, into a sexual frenzy which we barely survived. Mothers and Maidens endure levels of ecstasy beyond measure in order to breathe life into the seeds, but Brothers are not usually capable of handling such intensity. The affected Brothers could have gone into cardiac arrest or suffered brain hemorrhages. Now we find half of our Grove Bonded to an almost complete stranger."
June's face screwed up with anger, and she was about to vigorously defend Inta's actions when De'noke turned and gestured for her to calm herself. When June had settled, he spoke.
"Yes, a cascade of unusual events has brought us to this predicament, but ask yourself: Do you feel less for it? I, for one, feel enhanced by the intervention. It has only been a few days, but I feel stronger than I have felt since I was a young Brother. She provides me with energy and a connection like none I have felt outside of the Grove itself, and I feel reconnected to our roots, one that our ancestors knew intimately.
It is common for a new Grove to adapt to the situations of a new colony. When faced with colder or hotter climates, a Grove will develop adaptations to cope with the adversity. In hotter climates, we grow more shady leaves; in cold weather climates, we might develop like conifers. This new adaptation, bonding with Inta, is in response to the challenges this Grove is facing, and I firmly believe that it is and will continue to be beneficial."
The Grove members murmured and spoke low to one another, discussing the points De'noke highlighted until Bi'candra spoke again, and then they quieted to listen.
"This Grove is on the cusp of a decision point, that I believe reduces to this: With half of us now carrying this new connection to Inta which I believe can not be reversed, and half of us unchanged, do we proceed as we were, and continue to create a new colony? How will this affect the colony with half of the members connected to Inta and half not? Would the colony be sustainable in this fashion? Or would we need to fully bond with this echo of the past for the Grove to maintain its identity as a whole? Would Inta need to come with us if we decided to? What place would there be for those who are now bonded?"
Inta stepped forward into the circle and addressed the Grove directly. "I acknowledge that the price for saving Pi'natha's life was extreme, and while I am sorry for how the course of events played out that brought us here, I am glad that it turned out the way it did. You are a beautiful species, and I am grateful to have been allowed to be part of your life.
In whatever course of action the Grove decides, please know that I am committed to helping you in whatever you choose, those Bonded and not alike. You all are the closest connection to who and where I came from, a living, breathing connection to my people. I have consulted with my family," she said, glancing at June, Will, and Ben, "we have agreed that in whichever direction you choose, we will help and support you."
The Grove murmured amongst themselves for a brief moment until Bi'candra spoke again. "We are grateful for your offer. We must carefully consider what to do next, so we will adjourn, meditate upon the choices before us, and reconvene in a few days to decide. May the spirit of the Great Forest be with us," Bi'candra said, concluding the council circle.
As the Toparians rose to their feet and went off in separate directions, De'noke walked over to where Inta and the crew were standing next to Pi'natha. "Well, that went about how I expected," he said in a non-committal tone. "It's a big decision and not one to make lightly."
He reached down and gently placed a hand on Inta's silver cheek. "As for me, now that I am assured that Pi'natha is in good health and our Seeds are well looked after, for which I owe you everything, my Dear," he said, stooping to give Inta a peck on the cheek, "I intend to do what I can to help you fully discover your past and where your people went to. I will travel with you to where your journey takes you."
"How does everyone else feel about that?" Will asked.
"They understand my predilections for History and my ties with you and support my decision. They also understand how important this is and genuinely want to help you. They have blessed my decision to go with you; it was an easy choice for them to make." De'noke said, smiling.
"But what about your Seeds? What will happen when Pi'natha and Inta birth them?" Ben asked, concerned.
"The Grove will care for them as they do all Seeds. Though a pair may conceive the Seeds, the Grove is their family and cares for all young ones together, Seed through Mother. Though we may be individuals, we are one Grove." June smiled at the heartwarming sentiment.
"And Pi'natha?" June asked, concerned.
"She and I talked long about Inta, who she was, where she came from, and we agreed, even before Inta volunteered to stand in as a Maiden, that our fates were intertwined with hers. She will stay with the Grove, though she will never be far away; our connection to each other is deep and distance will mean little to our psychic link." De'noke said, stroking Inta's pregnant form beneath Pi'natha's skin. "Come, let us go to the sitting room and discuss your next steps, and what arrangements need to be made," he said, leading them from the Grove.
****
Captain Ugaki accepted the tablet bearing the report from the Dallas hospitality crew's Passenger Health and Wellness Office. "Thank you, Amanda, erm, Lieutenant Billings," He said, forcing himself to return to established protocols.
"Yes... Captain," she replied with a groggy smile. Like the rest of the bridge crew and probably every other person on the Dallas, the lieutenant was exhausted from the two-and-a-half day bender. The Health and Wellness Office had spent the last day trying to find what caused forty thousand people to become sex-crazy nymphomanics during what they were calling 'The Incident.' Still, their thorough analysis of the ship's water, air, and food supply turned up nothing.
The fact that the effects were felt across all species aboard discounted the possibility of viral infection, but mass psychosis couldn't be ruled out; he and his bedraggled bridge crew were testaments to the delirium-soaked event. His mind drifted off, replaying the recent memories of what he and his bridge crew got up to, and an inappropriate smile crossed his face.
A voice calling, "Captain," snapped his mind back to the present. Command Cirrilo stood beside him, her ordinarily crisp uniform a bit sloppy, suffering from the same lack of sleep as the rest of the crew, evident from the bags under her eyes and a small dopey smile curling the corner of her lips. Not that he was in any better state; his droopy eyelids and a half-tucked uniform shirt spoke volumes.
"I thought I told you to get some rest with the other half of the bridge crew?" he asked her, half irritated that she had done as directed but also grateful she was here to help.
"I did. I caught a quick power nap. I can sleep properly once we're not running a skeleton crew on the bridge," Cirrilo answered tersely. And by the looks of the state you're in, you could also use a nap."
"That I could, Commander, but we have a lot to deal with," he said with a weary sigh. "Twelve hours into the incident, we missed a course correction and ran two days in the wrong direction. Now, there's a star cluster that we'll need to navigate around, which will delay us by three days. Also, Health and Wellness haven't found anything that could have instigated the Incident; here's their report," he said, handing her the tablet.
