Tim sat in the lounge as he waited for DarkIce. They needed to know about the new Corvette and the 40 people coming on board. Tim wanted the Corvette completely gone over, and he didn't want any part of it to record, listen, or send signals.
DarkIce walked into the lounge and sat down with Tim. They talked about what was needed and what Tim wanted to be done with the corvette ship. Also, the 40 individuals. Twenty-five were soldiers, the other the crew of the ship.
Tim wanted to meet with the Commander of this group and the Commander of the Felines. DarkIce would set all this up and tell Tim when and where the meeting was to occur.
***
Tabitha had returned later that evening, along with Tammy. Tim was on the bridge, sat in his seat, and thought about the past day or two. They now had everyone from the two worlds settled in. The engineers worked on the Corvette ship, and soldiers started their training with the ship's new weapons.
As they sat in the lounge, Tammy asked, "Tim, not to be misunderstood, you were seen at the lake with Deniece in the naked section."
"Yes, we were there. Why?" Tim looked at Tammy with a smile, "So, you are checking up on me?"
"No, one of the new soldiers wanted to know, so she would not step on anyone's toes."
"Well, what did you say?" Tim had a smirk on his face.
"I told her that Tabitha and I didn't have any claim on you. You were at liberty to see anyone, just like we are."
"Thank you for that; Deniece is having a problem. Being with a boy, and I'll call him a boy. Because with a three-inch hard dick, he must be a boy. She was convinced that her womanhood is not of interest to any male."
"I have seen her, and she is beautiful, with or without clothes." Said Tabitha.
"I've talked to her, and she is taking lessons from that new machine Madlyn has."
"Well, with someone seeing her with me, some other male may be able to talk her into going out with him."
"That sounds reasonable." Said Tabitha.
"Tim, will you see her again?" asked Tammy.
"I don't know why."
"If she doesn't find anybody, why don't we ask her to join us in our bed?"
"Tammy, I think this is something we have to talk about a lot later, if at all." Said Tabitha.
"Tim, what do you think?"
"I don't think she would like that. Besides, she has two children."
"I can watch the children for you." Said Shanae.
"Hang on a minute, ladies. Why so concerned about who I see, now, you want somebody else to come to bed?
"Well, to be truthful, with Tabitha going on Diplomat missions and me and Shanae being the only ones left. We could use the help with your breakfast in bed and the nighttime activities.
"Now, wait a minute; I'm still here. And I don't plan on leaving Tim's bed." Tabitha said with a higher-pitched voice, not quite mad but close. She now looked at Tammy with her hands together and cracked her knuckles.
"Tabitha, I didn't mean it that way! If you are gone for a few days, Tim may need someone else to help relieve his load."
"So, if I am not here to take my share, you want someone else?"
"So, to keep the family together, I might have to cut my activities down slightly," Tim replied.
"Tim, she thought of nothing else but you." You and me, we'll outlive every one of them. If there is someone who can replace one of them, then you have to consider it." Shanae said.
"We'll discuss it when the time comes; we'll keep things the way they are. Now it's time to go to work." Tim got up and headed to the bridge with Shanae.
Tim walked over to his seat and pulled up a new viewscreen on a platform that swung around to his front.
"Sarha, I need to see all the department heads."
Each department head was now on the new screen in a few minutes. Each gave their report and answered any question that was brought up.
"Madlyn, how are the four individuals coming along?"
"The two men and the smaller female are coming along fine. The other female is taking a little longer, and she seems to have lost all will to live."
"The other three, when can I speak with them?"
"That will be approximately three days. They will be taken out of the diagnostic bed and then moved into a regular bed. The following day, you will be able to speak to them."
"Is there anything we could do for the other one?"
"No, the machine is doing everything that can be done."
"Please keep me informed," Tim replied.
***
Tabitha left just after the conversation about her replacement. She did not feel too good about it. It's only been two months since she and Tammy have joined Tim and Sarha. She'd been enjoying these months with so much excitement and fear.
Tabitha thought. '
To give it up for a diplomatic career. Sure, there was safety with that career, but where's the fun in that
.' She will have to talk to her mother, and there are so many questions.
She came out of MTS at her dad's castle. She wanted to know where her mom was, and the controller had no way of knowing. So, she went to the library to see her father. She wanted to know what he wanted her to do and why.
She entered the library, and her father sat in his usual seat. There was no one with him. "Father, may I speak with you, please." Tabitha walked towards him.
"Tabitha, you can speak with me anytime you want or need, now come and sit down here." He pointed to the seat where the Queen would have sat.
Tabitha took the seat her father pointed to. "Father, why do you want me to be a Diplomat?" Her face now had a serious look, and she just needed to understand why.
Her father turned to her and said, "Daughter, why are you asking this question now?" He was worried that something had happened with the young King.
"I don't know if I can do this; it felt good at first. Then my feelings started, and things seemed different."
"Is something going on with you and the King?"
"Oh, no, he was the perfect gentleman." But as I worked with him and the others, I felt as though I was building something. But once it was over, there was no sense of accomplishment."
"You have accomplished a lot. You brought two kingdoms together. There are now trades, where before there were none."
"Father, it's not the same. There is no adventure, and I need to feel like I'm needed."
"Tabitha, dear girl, there is always an adventure in everything; all you have to do is search for it."
Tabitha sat there and thought for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "Thanks, father. I will think about what you said." As she got up and started out the door. She stopped and turned to her father. "May I ask, Why do you always sit in the library?"
"If I sat in the throne room, I would be alone all the time; here I have books to read and people to talk to. If one of these people asks a question and I have no answer. We then go to the books and find the answer."
"So, as the king, you get lonely also?"
"Yes, as the King, I get lonely also. Your mother tries her best to keep me busy. But sometimes, being the King is a challenging and solitary job. He sat there with a sad face.
"Father, you could go to the ship and pretend not to be the King. Tim would allow that."
"I don't think your mother would like that, for me not being the King."
"Well, what if you both came up for a few hours."
"I'll talk to her about it. If you could do one small favor, I need you to stop at a world along your pathway and stop in to see how these people are doing.
They are called Undain, and their planet is Unphea in the Kheci system. They have been to the Space-station several times, and no one has heard from them in about one year.
***
"Tim, the Commanders, will meet with you. Can I tell them in about an hour?" DarkIce asked.
"Sure, that will be fine. I'll need Madlyn and Tawni there also.
DarkIce reached out to everyone that Tim wanted, and an hour later, they all entered the meeting room.
"Tim, I would like to introduce you to our newest member of the crew. This is Commander Yodson-Hatett; she oversees the twenty-five soldiers from Palugezon." DarkIce stood next to this soldier, who stood six inches tall.
"Hello, Please, to meet you, and how are you doing?" Tim shook her hand, and DarkIce showed her a seat to his left.
"Tim, I want to introduce you to my replacement; this is Commander Aimee Pearcee, Aimme, this is Captain Tim Bodge or Retired Colonel Tim Bodge," Anden-Aipas said.
"So, this is the now-famous Stadium fighter that cannot be killed. Please to meet you." At the same time, she held out her hand.
"Please to meet you too. Hope you'll enjoy your stay." Tim shook her hand and turned to Anden. "Has it been two weeks already?"
"Yes, and I'll try to return on the next rotation if I can."
Tim turned and introduced Commander Aimee Pearcee and Commander Yodson-Hatett to everyone. Then sat down and started the meeting.
"I will need all new soldiers in medical as soon as you can allow," Madlyn said. This is so that they would have a primary physical profile for each soldier.
"After you finish with the medical, have them go to the supply and get their new uniforms and the new weapon." Said Tawni.
The meeting took an hour, and everyone started to leave, heading back to their offices.
***
"Sarha, where do we stand with this sistership of yours?" Asked Tim from his seat.
"Tim, there is still a faint trail into the next system. But something puzzles me." Sarha appears on Tim's left side.
"And what is that?" Tim turned his head to look at Sarha, and Sarha frowned on her face.
"The fuel particles have a buildup, at or near one of the planets. Like it sat there for a time."
"Can you find the planet? We may stop by there and see what happened."
"Yes, I will check more and will let you know."
"Sarha, while we are talking, How's the four doing today?"
"The three are doing better than expected; they will be out and onto regular beds tomorrow."
***
Tabitha had a call from her mom, and she wanted Tabitha and Tammy to meet her at the MTS machine. She and her two maidens arrived ten minutes later.
Tabitha and Tammy stood next to the MTS machine as their mother appeared from the machine. Tabitha said, "What is so important?"
