To you BillSong I offer the pouch that MoonCloud brought to me from the local guild office. I've arranged for a guild trade ship to deliver those new TreeCrawlers we spoke of. This contains everything you will need to claim them. As well as a collection of pre-certified offers you can use to insure the personal wealth I promised you...
Shall we go get cleaned up now?”
Both of his companions were staring in near disbelief at the gifts he had just bestowed upon them. BillSong spoke up as MoonCloud casually slipped into her poncho.
“Well I thank you Questor,” he said. “But I haven't earned it yet.”
“Perhaps not,” Questor replied. “But you will. You see I'm already quite certain that you didn't seed the site with those coin like artifacts you once showed to a guild employee. And I've decided to honor our bargain even if it turns out that someone else did. Now shall we go?”
MoonCloud was the first out the door. She felt more happy to be alive and free in the forest then she ever had. Somehow it seemed that when she absolved Questor of his misplaced guilt, she had also finally let go of a great sadness that had tormented most of her young life. As they followed MoonCloud outside BillSong turned to look Questor in the eyes.
“Wait a cyclet,” he said. “I just realized something. How could anybody, even a fleet footed WildRunner, possibly get all the way here from NesterVille's guild office overnight?”
“Well now ‘that’ would have been quite a feat,” Questor admitted with a grin. “It was no small feat for her to get all the way here from there, in only the five overcycles you were unconscious. The toxin's contained in a StingRats sting are more potent than anything I've ever encountered. Lucky for you the nano-meds you got from the asulrod we smoked are also quite potent.”
When the boys caught up to her MoonCloud was already sitting inside the outer ridges around the spot on the TreeWell where the BranchCritter was attached to it. Her poncho was sitting at her side. Along with a larger pile of things than BillSong would have believed she'd had concealed in it's pockets.
“I hope you boys brought the SpongeFruit,” she said. “Should we bath ourselves? Or avail ourselves of the privacy of the deep forest. And bath each other?”
Before BillSong could tell her that he favored the second plan. Questor spoke authoritatively.
“No! None of that,” he said. “We start down that road and we'll need another sponge bath. For which we'd have to go get more SpongeFruit.
BillSong and I intend to actually set off while there's still enough of the night left for us to walk far enough to be worth the effort.”
With that he reached into BillSong's bag plucked out two of the four remaining SpongeFruit. He tossed one to MoonCloud before tossing his garments, which now greatly resembled the kind of poncho that was traditionally worn by a WildRunner, on top of hers. Then he began lathering himself up.
Then after they both watched MoonCloud lather up BillSong peeled off his clothes and soon followed suit. By the time they were all sudsed up Questor had briefly immersed himself in the small pool of water that formed at the junction between the TreeWell and the BranchCritter. One at a time the other two also rinsed off.
No sooner had BillSong climbed out of the pool. Than Questor tossed all of their clothes into the slightly sudsy water the TreeWell now contained.
“While they soak for a bit,” he said. “I'll avail myself of the privacy of the deep forest. And fetch us some drinking water from one of the unattached TreeWells above us.”
Then, still naked enough to cause a scandal in NesterVille, he left the sanctity of the communal sponge bath. Neither BillSong nor MoonCloud were offended however. They watched him climb up the side of the tree's trunk without even using the stick he carried as a grappling hook. Somehow his fingernails had transformed into strange metallic claws. That could grip the rock hard bark as securely as even a FlingAt could.
As they looked up to watch him climb up over their heads neither MoonCloud nor BillSong could help but notice. The way his nearly erect member slapped against the tree every now and again.
“You'd think that would hurt,” BillSong said. “When it hits the rough bark like that. Wouldn't you?”
MoonCloud just chuckled, as she had been thinking the same thing. All she said was, “Ouch!”
Questor had always found public nudity natural and quite comfortable as well. He considered that clothing was for optional decoration and when needed, as protection from the environment. Including local customs and regulations on the subject as a part of the environment of course.
He also had no doubt that when he returned with the drinking water. He'd find those two entwined in another round of ‘fare thee well’ coupling. The very thought of which was why his tool was protruding enough to occasionally slap against the tree.
Questor wasn't really so opposed to their spending a little more time on their lovemaking as he had made himself sound. In fact, it was really part of his plan that they should. He felt a little guilty about the fact that he had done something he rarely lowered himself to do.
He had used his nano-pheromones to manipulate the emotional focus of others. He had taken care to look closely enough. To be quite sure that they'd be compatible as a couple before he let himself meddle but meddle he did.
He had wanted the best for his old friend's daughter. Would have even if she hadn't forgiven him but he knew he wouldn't be staying on XenDar. He'd also realized that she would never be happy anywhere else. So she would need someone who was going to stay here looking out for her.
He had already decided to set up BillSong with a lifestyle. That, as it happens, would give him the power to offer her some protection. He had also decided that he would try to ensure both of them as much happiness as he could. So all night and nearly all of the following day he had used his nano-pheromones to train their brains. Strengthening their natural tendency toward bonding with each other. He could also see however, that both of them loved their freedom too much to be happy feeling tied down. So he had also done everything he could do. To insure that they would really accept each others raw sexuality. So that neither would feel betrayed when the other chose to bed someone else.
He was out of sight of the couple below when he reached an unattached TreeWell where the water would be pure enough to drink. Though he was not out of the range of his enhanced hearing. The sound of their coupling was unmistakable. He could also hear MoonCloud whispering to BillSong.
“Tell me that your not going to get so hung up on me that you'll stop bedding all those other women,” she whispered. “I simply can't belong to any one man and I'd hate to see anyone I like in that kind of agony. Especially over me.”
Questor commanded his stick to form a water tight pouch around it's middle and to suck in clear water from the smaller, purer pool deep inside the crevice of the unattached TreeWell.
“Besides that,” he heard MoonCloud adding, as he gently attached a line to the TreeWell's edge and began to rappel down to them. “Sometime I'd like to get to watch... I saw you enjoying the show when I tackled Questor's monster. And I think I'd enjoy watching you just as much.”
As he approached, Questor could hear that their breathing was becoming a little irregular. He was just 3 arms above them when he heard BillSong answer.
“Alright! If that's what you want,” he said. “But if you really want to watch me bed some nester girl, you'll probably have to come in to town. Because it's almost impossible to entice any of them to take so much as a single step into the deep woods.”
“Then may we be friends... forever!” MoonCloud replied.
Then their breathing became very irregular and full of gasping sounds. Questor patiently waited until their breathing began to return to normal before he reached down and picked up MoonCloud's waterskin.
They were still looking into each other's eyes and so hadn't noticed his return until they heard the slight gurgling sound as he poured nearly half of the water into her water skin just above them. He
smiled at their startled faces and handed MoonCloud her waterskin, while managing to spill a single drop of the cold water on one of her nipples. Then he lightly brushed the waterskin itself across the other nipple as he handed it to her.
As soon as he was standing next to the TreeWell Questor reached into his pack, which no longer resembled a belt, from which he took two water bottles and quickly split the rest of the water between them. He handed one bottle to BillSong. As he reached into BillSong's sack and tossed the last SpongeFruit to MoonCloud.
“I'm thinking you'll be wanting this,” Questor said. “BillSong on the other hand will have to wait till we make our next camp. Before he can wash off the evidence of why we got off to such a late start.” Then he faced BillSong.
“You'll be much more comfortable,” he added. “If you wait till your cloths dry before getting dressed. So since we are in the ‘deep forest’ lets ‘avail our selves of it's privacy’ and start walking.”
He then stuffed his damp poncho into his pack and began to walk along the BranchCritter's shell twirling his stick like a baton.
“Come along BillSong,” Questor called over his shoulder. “It's time you earned them TreeCrawlers. Your stuff should all fit into that sack of yours.”
Chapter 15 Something About Cindy's Makeover
“I think we should do this at my lab Cindy,” Sandra said after the boys left the bar. “We can talk on the way.”
“OK by me Sandra,” Cindy replied.
Sandra led the way to the elevator. When they got there she pushed the ‘up’ call button. Cindy frowned slightly.
“Umn you do know the transit pod is downstairs right Sandra?” she asked as the elevator door opened.
“Sure do,” Sandra replied, as they stepped inside. “But there is also a twice daily shuttle flight between here and the Micronic's R & D facility where my lab is.” As she spoke she pressed the third floor button. “I make a point of using it often enough to keep anyone from wondering how I go back and forth so often. The helipad is in the back yard, just behind the hilltop from Steve's cabin.”
The elevator opened and Sandra led Cindy through the screened in section of the main roof deck and out to the so called back yard by way of the rear access ramp way.
As she walked across the metal ramp. Cindy looked over the hand rail and saw that the side of the hill sloped down only a few feet before it touched the back of the building. At least that's how it was in the middle. To either side she saw a well like opening, into one of which a small trickle of water flowed from the side of the hill. She couldn't quite hear it gurgling it's way over the edge however because there was the unmistakable sound of a larger, though unseen, waterfall coming from the well like opening on other side.
The path beyond the ramp continued up the short distance to the crest of the hill where there was an iron gate set in a stone archway. On either side of which a tall chain link fence ran along the edge of the hill. Just inside the arch there was a slight recession where a pair of identi-screens were somewhat protected from the weather, one on each side of the gate. Sandra palmed the one on their side. There was a click, and the gate swung open.
The area was heavily wooded but the forest wasn't so thick that she couldn't see that this side of the hill was almost level for a considerable distance. Nor did she miss the fact that there wasn't much of a downhill before the landscape began climbing a somewhat taller hill. It was actually the start of a series of rolling hills. Which Cindy thought might explain how there was enough water in the underground streams to feed the great hall's impressive waterfall display.
To the left there was a parking lot with one of those company jeeps in it. Cindy could see a gravel roadway on the other side of the lot. To the right was a flat grassy clearing. In the middle of which Cindy saw a helicopter of a design she hadn't seen before. Though it reminded her of a jet copter she had seen in some action movie.
With some trepidation she followed Sandra into the open door in it's side. There were four airline style seats in the main passenger area. Behind them was a small cargo or baggage area. In front of them there was a transparent partition where she could see the pilot sitting. His seat was turned halfway towards them. He waved, then his voice came though an intercom.
“Welcome to my trans-Micronic's shuttle service ladies,” the pilot's voice was clear but slightly distorted by the intercom. “Please be seated and buckle up. We are scheduled to take off in a minute.”
As the pilot spoke he pressed a button and the outer door slid shut. As soon as they were strapped in, the pilot's seat turned forward. There was a soft whine from above them as the rotor began to spin. Thirty seconds later the sleek looking helicopter lifted off the hill.
“We are now en route to our local Micronic Enterprises Research and Development Center,” the pilot's voice said. “Our ETA is 20 minutes.”
Sandra took a small palm sized device out of her pocket. She pressed a button which almost immediately began glowing brightly with a green light.
“Now we can talk,” she began. “I don't know how much you really know about the security procedures at Hillside and/or my lab Cindy. But even though I mostly trust the eavesdroppers at both places. I'm more sure of complete privacy here. That is, as long as I have this green light. But 20 minutes isn't very long so if you don't mind there are a few things I need to tell you while I'm sure we aren't being overheard.”
Cindy was puzzled what kind of secret would make Sandra act so mysteriously.
“OK, you have my attention,” she replied with a nod.
“First you might not realize,” Sandra continued. “That many of the people you've met at Hillside so far, are not exactly from our planet. Most of the local staff have been on an extended vacation to protect them from Jake's ahh, lets call it nano-adolescence.
By the way Cindy, you should be aware that Steve is actually one of the very first questor's. He had been a spacer of the old guild, when their central command authority became corrupt. The spacer's all had specialized devices implanted in their bodies. That, among other things, let them directly interface with their ship's computers. There came a time when their central command authority was requiring upgrades that would make it possible for the implants to override the spacer's will. They wanted to turn them into an army. Fortunately for Steve, the technological genius who was supposed to perform many of the upgrades, had just invented a way to embed a nanite control system inside a cluster of a new kind of networked nanites. Thanks to which those Spacer's he upgraded were immune to any such overrides.
The professor's original design had one very big flaw however, the nanites started becoming self aware. Steve's were the first to become sentient. Fortunately they liked the emotions that Steve's natural brain enabled them to feel. They also recognized the danger that they themselves represented. It was Steve's nanites that negotiated the original nanosymbiotic pact with the rest of the new nanites. They helped Steve rewrite their own firmware to ensure that they would serve, obey and protect their host-mind. Then they proceeded to impose the changes on the rest of the new nanites.
That was how the first true nanosymbionts came to be. It's also why the guild is so testy about allowing anyone else to create anything like their kind of nanites. They don't generally interfere with other nanite systems. Just as long as the nanites involved aren't any form of networked nanites, that can also reconfigure and/or replenish themselves. Even so, Steve is the only one out of all the guilds questors, as they call their nanosymbionts, that I trust completely.
What that all leads up to is the fact that so far, I'm the only non-nanosymbiont ‘Earthling’, to ever have full access to most of the technical details of guild nano-science. Steve entrusted me with it several years ago.
I'm careful not to actually violate the guild's restrictions. But I've been developing certain aspects of nano-science that would still make the guild council rather uncomfortable. With enough time, I can do almost anything with nanites that Steve can. Though mine ar
e more task specific and can't self replicate.
You wanted a way to keep up with Jake. Well if you'll trust me and can keep a secret, I can just about do that for you.
Part of it would involve a special kind of medical nanite that can enhance your strength and reflexes almost as much as Stephanie's category 2 augmentation does hers. At least for short periods. Another part would be yet another kind of special medical nanite that can provide a nano-link between your mind and a special computer control system. It's not as effective as Jess's Category 1 augmentation. And unlike his it will only give you a link with a very special personal computer that I'll have to build for you.
But I'm not going to do either of those things unless you agree right here and now, to keep them a secret from everybody, including Jake. That would of course mean you couldn't use these abilities very much. Except during a secure private training session.”
“Wait a minute!” Cindy interrupted. “I'm not so sure I want those things in me Sandra.”
“Of course your not sure,” Sandra agreed. “But if you'll swear secrecy, I'll teach you enough about it for you to really make up your own mind about it. And in the mean time I'll also be teaching you how to make lots of little nano-toys. Everything from beauty aids to space weapons.”
Cindy really wasn't all that sure but she did want to be able to keep up with Jake.
“Well I'll promise to ‘try’ to keep the secret,” Cindy said. “But I'm not so sure I can keep Jake from figuring it out. He might even use his nanites to scan my thoughts or some such thing.”
“Actually Cindy, you seem to understand part of the problem,” Sandra said. “But there is a limit to how much detail even a questor can pull from someones mind. Their not quite telepathic. And their nanites are specifically programmed not to rip a brain apart to get at the info inside it. What they can do though is to watch everything you do and say, while they scan you with very accurate emotion and lie detection methods.
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