by L M Lacee
It amused him that the young liked them and had named them grasshoppers, after Netta had told them she thought they looked like grasshoppers, of course then she had to explain to him and the Warriors with pics, what a grasshopper was. Although when Peyton had pointed out to her that grasshoppers had been a graceful kind of delicate insect and the shuttles were anything but, Netta had informed her, it was what she and anyone with an eye to detail and imagination saw when seeing the shuttles for the first time. She had then suggested sweetly, maybe Peyton should find either of those two things and then she would see what her and the young ones saw. Of course as he knew it would, this started a fight about imaginations and insects that raged throughout the eve-meal, no one was sure of the winner. Esther called it a draw which she then had to explain to him.
Sometimes Hawk worried there were explanations for terms from the Earth language that were incorrect, but he was getting better at learning when to question the explanation and when not to. Helen had told him in passing, that if the explanation did not come from her or her sisters, then check with them for accuracy but she had said this with a laugh in her voice. When he mentioned his worry to Dinas, he had said, that he always researched the terms on the data stream because unlike Coalition, the Earth language had many meanings for one word, which was very irritating. Hawk agreed with his brother, the language was confusing.
A few days later when he had stood looking at the shuttles arriving, he had asked a little girl the reason for the name grasshopper. She had told him, when Netta and Jorge had taken them for a look around the Warship, they had been allowed to look inside the shuttles and see how they worked. So after Netta had mentioned the insect, they had researched them on the data steam and then named them grasshoppers, because they were just so ugly and they felt sorry for them. This had amused him and he knew his Warriors did not approve, but the name had stuck and even he had been known to call them by that name on occasion. The comp in the office brought him back to his surroundings, warning him of an incoming transmission.
Commander Hawk, transmission from the Battle Cruiser, Terra 1.
‘Connect please.’
Connecting…
Dinas’s face appeared on screen. ‘Greetings Hawk.’
‘Greetings Dinas, are you well?’
‘I am, and you?’
‘Yes, when will you return?’
Dinas smirked as he asked. ‘Are you missing me?’
Hawk raised an eyebrow. ‘I am missing sanity.’
‘I see, are the females uniting against you?’
Hawk grinned as he assured him. ‘They are trying, but I have Esther and Melody on my side. Still to have you here would be helpful.’
Dinas knew he meant, with Kerol now living with Penny he was feeling very much the lone male. At times Hawk wrestled with his duties and his strong protective streak, which stopped him calling a halt to the games, the females in their lives could play.
Dinas laughed and said. ‘Good for you, I will be back in two days, no longer. Earlier, if I can hurry this up.’
‘How are they?’
Dinas was on board a Battle Cruiser they were using for quarantine, there were Warriors who were not recovering from stasis very well. Some of them had their immune systems compromised, others were physically incapable of coping with normal training or just coping with the demands of normal life. Dinas had been on board for the last two wekens assisting the healers.
‘They will all recover, it will just take time. All the test results look better, than the last time I was here.’
‘Good, do they need anything?’
‘No, they are enjoying the entertainment vids and games Madam and Netta provided, and I have reinstated limited training, also Amelia and the therapists have sent them what they call craft therapy. Darby has constructed lessons on whatever they are interested in, and Nina has a group researching new plants for the hydroponic sections, so they are busy and healing.’
Hawk nodded. ‘That is all we can ask of them.’
His link signaled that there was someone wanting to speak to him. ‘I must go, see you when you return brother.’
‘You to brother.’
Hawk blanked the screen as he answered his link. ‘Speak.’
‘Hawk, please come home.’
‘Esther, is this about telling Peyton you are leaving?’
‘Yes and no.’
‘I did say I would do it for you.’
‘I am not frightened of telling her, dearle.’
‘I know Esther. I just do not want you upset.’
‘Oh my dearle, I will not be upset. She, of course, will be. That is not why I want you here, Darby has indicated she will be making her speech.’
Hawk grinned. ‘I see, I will be there in mins.’
‘I will hold a meal for you.’
‘I am on my way.’
ELEVEN:
Peyton and Darby left her apartment with the girls who squealed their delight at being officially part of Heather’s family. Because unlike the females with them, they actually understood what being recognized as the family to the Star Daughter would mean, to them and their family.
The twins ran into the lift taking it down to the kitchen, as she and Darby followed. Peyton narrowed her eyes and asked Darby. ‘The door, scary girl, how, where, and why did, I not know about it?’
Darby ignored her questions, instead she said with false cheer. ‘Isn’t it great Heather has met her mate?’
When there was no comment from Peyton, she harrumphed as they got off the lift and stated. ‘There is no talking to you in this mood.’
Peyton slammed her hands on her hips and demanded to know. ‘What mood, and no speech.’
‘See, no talking!’ Darby moved into the kitchen where it seemed like the whole planet was trying to eat at once. Willian and Lukkas both greeted her with a smile and a nod as they shoveled food into their mouths. Hawk nodded at Darby and asked Peyton.
‘Greetings Peyton, what has upset you now?’
‘Seriously, tone!’ Peyton snarled at him, he raised a mocking brow and before he could dissuade her of that fact, she snarled again. ‘I know that is a mocking look.’ And pointed to his eyebrow stomping off to where the coffee was.
Darby told him as they watched her greet Brenda. ‘She is going to make the speech this morn, and it is annoying her.’
Hawk sighed gustily. ‘Thank all that is holy! I am tired of everyone asking when it was to occur.’
Darby nodded then asked. ‘As am I. Do you know what that saying actually means?’
‘Not a clue, but I have heard females say it often, so I assume it is a blessing or a curse, as they usually say it when they have finished talking to one of you five sisters.’ At her disgruntled look he said. ‘Either way it rolls of the tongue well, I like it.’ He nodded to her satisfied he had said something that caught her off guard which seldom happened and walked over to receive another plate of food from Helen.
Esther placed plates on the table and announced in a loud voice for all to hear. ‘I am leaving!’
Peyton spun around from the coffee dispenser and almost screeched. ‘What… You are what?’
Esther gave her a plate of food and growled. ‘Do not screech at me. Karen and Amelia need my help on Halcyon for a few wekens, so I said I would go and help them out, Helen and Brenda said it was fine, what do you say?’
Peyton gulped at the definite grouchy tone and said. ‘Umm! Nothing, not a thing, sounds good to me. If you want to do it?’
Esther eyed her. ‘Thought you would see it my way, it is not forever.’
Peyton nodded. ‘Okay, cause we would miss you, if you were not here and all.’
‘When are you leaving?’ Darby asked as she helped herself to tea.
‘Later in the weken, why?’
‘Heather has found her mate and I am figuring we will be taking her to meet him.’
They looked a Peyton who had food in her mouth, she waved her fork around as she mum
bled. ‘mftumfmtmuu?’
Esther sighed and shook her head then smiled at Darby. ‘A mate, that is wonderful. I am happy for her, I will say goodbye before I go.’
‘That’s good.’ Peyton said as she finally finished her food. She placed another forkful in her mouth before she said anything she really did not want to say. She knew Darby did not realize that Heather would be leaving, possibly forever and did not want to tell her.
Esther bent down and whispered close to her ear as Darby turned away to talk to Helen. ‘You will have to tell her!’
She swallowed fast and whispered back. ‘No, I don’t.’
Esther eyed the distraught young female before her thinking, so young, so much weight on her shoulders. ‘Would you like me to talk to her?’
‘Yes.’ Whispered Peyton fervently. ‘You have no idea how much I want you to do it!’
‘It’s okay girly, you do not have to do everything yourself, that is what we are all here for. So let me do this for you.’
‘Thank you, she will be angry and upset.’
‘Of course she will be, she does not do change well, we all know that.’ Esther smoothed her hand down Peyton’s long white hair and smiled. ‘It will be fine, I have this sweet girl. I will take care of it.’
A lump of sadness formed in Peyton’s throat, she drank some of her coffee to try to dislodge it to no avail as Esther hugged her shoulders and whispered. ‘It will not be for long, she will come back, but Peyton dearle, you knew this was a possibility.’
Peyton dipped her head. ‘I did, but it hurts.’
‘Of course it does, it always hurts when family leaves. We can all attest to that!’
Peyton buried her head in Esther’s stomach as she hugged her, in a gentle voice Esther tried to comfort her.
‘Hush girly, it will be okay, we cannot let her see us like this or she will not go and that would be so sad for her. Never to have time with her mate, to miss the love she is destined for. You know this to be true and would never want her not to have that experience, would you?’
Sighing Peyton shook her head and pulled away from her. ‘No I would not, she needs this and I know he will be a good mate for her.’ She changed the subject quickly. ‘I will miss you?’
Esther laughed as she stated. ‘You better, but I will be back within a short time, and you will have Melody and Netta, moving back in to take your mind off everything. Plus there are the speeches.’
‘What now?’
‘What?’
‘What... What?’
‘Girly, are you feeling well?’
‘I have no idea.’
Esther gave her back a pat. ‘Well, figure it out; you have a speech to make in a few mins, so hurry it up.’
That seemed to be the signal for everyone because within seconds they fled from the kitchen as though they were on fire. Leaving Peyton alone with Darby, who had come back from her comm` with the other planets, letting them know Peyton was going to give her speech within mins. Dispirited she pushed her plate away as Darby sat in a chair opposite her, she took in the light glow around her sister and asked. ‘What’s up?’
Sighing Peyton ran her hands through her hair and asked. ‘How can I ask people to leave? We have only just got here, we are not even settled in completely and now I am going to force them to accompany me off world.’
‘Who is going off world?’
‘I am.’
‘Since when; what the hayda happened when I left you with Esther?’
‘Oh sorry, the Star Child is sending me off world.’
‘Us off world. Remember you go nowhere without us. We discussed this!’
Peyton grinned. ‘Sorry again. We are going off world.’
‘Can we delay for a few wekens? We can drop the twins off then too.’
Peyton shook her head. ‘Nah! We really can’t. Heather would kill us, and we have a rescue to do. That is the request from the Star Child.’
‘We are rescuing who?’
‘You remember the Turqualls we picked up?’
‘Oh sure, nice but reserved, a bit snooty.’
Peyton grinned. ‘Yeah, well, it appears that some of their pride have to be rescued. They contacted the Star Child who seemed to think I would want to help. So we have to go get them and the Star Child told me they have a lead on a planet where some sleepers could be. Then the twins will leave and Heather…’
Darby nodded and stood up quickly. ‘Peyton, you don’t force people, no one is going to complain about leaving for a rescue. This is one of those reasons we are here. I imagine we are going to be doing lots of rescues, it comes with the territory. Which is why we need speeches?’
‘What?’
Hurriedly Darby asked. ‘Why do the Turquall have to be rescued?’
Diverted from her thoughts Peyton moved her plate around. ‘No idea, maybe they are Castque Turqualls or something, also remember I did say I would accept them on our worlds. So we are obliged.’
‘Cheer up hon, you have amazing people here to look after the worlds. That is why they were chosen, so we could go without worrying. We may as well find out now how everyone copes without us at home, before we are too long down the track so to speak. Now with Melody and Netta moving in…’
Peyton looked at Darby. ‘They are what now?’
Darby again said hurriedly. ‘Speech… Star Girl, hurry up. Esther will get irritated, and that is never good.’
Peyton opened her mouth to demand a trade off, if Darby would talk to Commander Kolin, she would consider a speech, but before she could even suggest it she found herself alone.
TWELVE:
Jean Harding walked into the dining room and looked around, sadness snuggled around her like a blanket. Not since she had been in New Zealand, had she felt this alone, she was thirty-five years old intelligent, inventive and was the best systems specialist that Earth had ever produced. She knew this because Darby and many others had said so. Problems for Jean were just obstacles to overcome as she had overcome most things in her life, they just took another way of thinking and usually a different way to approach the situation.
Thinking outside the box, her father who had taught her computers told her. Jean had lived with her father and uncles in a small agriculture community called Kaiwaka. When the virus finally found purchase in New Zealand, it killed ninety percent of the population with the first outbreak, leaving those behind to survive anyway they could. She and her father were the only survivors of her small family, her father who at one time in his illustrious career had been a computer analyst for a branch of the New Zealand spy agency, intensified her education. They moved to the city where every day was filled with staying alive and gathering intelligence, Jean spent her time learning anything and everything about computers, how they worked, how they processed information, how to build them and install every component, hardware and software. It was a well-rounded education that lasted until her father contracted the virus in the second outbreak.
Without him, life became harder, with no one to rely on other than herself, Jean became suspicious and reclusive. Hiding and keeping one step ahead of the government agents who by the time she was an adult were tasked with scouring countries, seeking out people with education and skills in all forms of technology or the sciences. Her skills were always needed, which made traveling easy, whenever she needed a place to stay she just hired herself out to communities, keeping them connected to the larger world and teaching her skills to others. While constantly staying out of reach of the government hunters. Eventually, she found herself in America where she met up with Penny, and they formed the group to rescue women being sent unwillingly from Earth. Sighing off the memories of her past, she saw Darby and hesitantly greeted her.
‘Greetings Darby… what’s up?’
Darby dragged her to a corner of the room and quickly filled her in on what was taking place. When Netta and Melody arrived, she once more recited what she had just told Jean, causing Melody and Netta to scrunch up their shoul
ders.
Netta asked Darby. ‘So she knows we are moving in?’
She shrugged. ‘Well, we all mentioned it, so we will see.’
‘Speaking of that?’ Jean said as they all looked at her, she grimaced as she asked. ‘Could I, like share a place with one of you or something, maybe?’
Darby asked. ‘You want to move in, I thought you were happy at the Hex?’
‘Well yeah, I was... I am... sort of, they are just not.’ She sighed and finally admitted. ‘It is just not the same... I am lonely, with Penny together with Kerol and Trina and Janet with their mates, you know?’
Darby grinned. ‘We have spare apartments on this floor.’ She snagged Brenda as she was walking past. ‘Hey Brenda, can Jean move in?’
Surprised Brenda’s soft gaze slid to the uncomfortable female. ‘Of course she can, Darby luv, this is your home, if you want Jean to live here, she will be very welcomed. You do not like where you are.’ She asked Jean, who brushed the moisture quickly from her eyes. ‘It is okay, and the others are real nice and considerate but…’
Brenda hugged her. ‘I understand, home is where you want to be, not where you think you should be.’ She gave a stern look to the other two females who shuffled their feet knowing she was talking about them. When they had first arrived on Prime, Melody and Netta had decided as Warriors they should move into the Hexes that we designated for the army. It was a dismal failure the Commanders had a separate Hex to the Captains so Netta and Melody were forced to live apart. Once they stopped being so busy and had time to look around at where they were living, they realized they were lonely and missed their family but neither of them wanted to admit they had made a mistake, especially as Heather seemed happy where she was.
It had only taken Brenda a weken of people telling her how Melody was yelling almost daily, and how often Netta’s knives came out, for her to work out what was happening. She had then visited each female and demanded in Brenda’s own sweet way, that they return home to their family. They had both hugged her and stated that they had no idea how lonely they would be without Brenda, Helen and Esther, never mind Darby and Peyton. Brenda had kindly refrained from telling them, I told you so!