by Ben Winston
Bill did a double take. “Wait, did you say starship?”
Jenny nodded. “Yes Daddy, that’s what I said. The thing is, it’s for real. There really is a huge ship crashed on the dark side of the moon, and Ian is its Commander. I will be living with Him, Beth and Cindy there. The three of you will be there too, you’re going to join us as crew.”
“Honey, I know your visions are always right, but this is a little hard to wrap my head around.” Julie said.
“Wait,” Bill said. “Did you say three of us?”
Jenny chuckled. “Is your needle stuck? You’re repeating yourself.”
“You know what I meant, now, what did you mean? Who’s number three?” Bill replied.
“Janet of course!” Jenny said. “I’m a precog, you really think I didn’t know?”
“Well, we hoped,” Julie said blushing. “But, since you know about it, I guess we don’t have to hide it anymore.”
“I appreciate you trying to make sure I had as normal a childhood as I could considering, but I’m an adult now, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore,” Jenny said. “But like I was saying, all of you will be there as well. However, we will be moving to a small community in New Mexico before we go up to the ship, I’m not sure why, I didn’t see that part.”
“When will you be moving in with Beth and Ian?” Julie asked.
“Graduation day. I won’t need to take everything, just some clothes and such. We can get the rest later. It’s not like I’m moving to another state or anything!” Jenny said grinning.
“What about college, dear?” Bill asked. “I thought you were excited about going?”
“You’re kidding, right? College or a chance like this? I don’t think I could turn this down if I had to!” Jenny said smiling. “Besides, Ian will be there, so you know I’ll be there too.”
“So, why did you cry out in your sleep? Does something go wrong?” Bill asked.
It was Jenny’s turn to blush. “Uh, no Daddy, nothing goes wrong as far as I can see.”
“So why did you scream?” Bill asked, cluelessly.
“I don’t think she was screaming in fear, Dear,” Julie replied and patted Bill’s hand.
“If it wasn’t in fear, then why else would she...” he paused and blushed himself. “Oh! Uh, never mind, sweetie, forget I asked.”
Jenny had never told her friends about her ability, she thought it made her a freak, so she hide it from everyone except her parents. So, when she got to Beth’s she had a very hard time not treating the others differently or acting differently around them.
When they all got out to the pool, Jenny had to fight herself not to jump in the pool and kiss Ian passionately. One thing was sure; Ian Williams was going to be a very happy man.
Watching the three women seemed to give Ian courage. He decided to just go over and tell all of them what was going on, and exactly how he felt about all of them. Put everything out there, and let the chips fall where they may. He felt he knew all three of them pretty well, which was one of the reasons he cared about them so much. He believed that no matter what, they would always be friends and that they would at least seriously consider going with him on this adventure.
He got out of the pool and walked over to where the girls had gathered. Picking up his towel, he dried off before getting some tea and sitting down.
“So, how is everyone’s weekend going?” Ian asked.
“Same ol’, same ol’,” Cindy said. “The parents are still nagging me to pick a college. Dad wants me to go to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and Mom wants me to go to UCLA. I’ve been considering applying to the Air Force Academy though, maybe I can get into the Astronaut program that way.”
Ian already knew that, but he thought her mentioning it would be a good lead in to what he wanted to ask them.
“Okay, Ladies, there is something I need to ask all of you. Well, not Beth since she already knows, but I need to ask both of you,” Ian said looking at Jenny and Cindy.
“Should we go inside for this? Will anyone over hear us out here?” Beth asked.
“I doubt it, even if they did, they would only think I was telling you all a story. You have to admit, this sounds more like a Science Fiction story than anything else,” Ian replied.
“That’s true, I know I wouldn’t have believed you if it hadn’t been for the images Oly showed me,” Beth agreed.
“Who’s Oly?” Cindy asked.
“He’s the holographic avatar of an ancient alien AI aboard a starship that crashed landed on our moon a long time ago,” Jenny answered, shocking Ian and Beth.
“Whoa, how did you know that?” Beth asked.
“What? You mean she’s right?” Cindy asked.
“Yeah, she is, but I don’t think she knows the whole story,” Ian said looking at Jenny with a raised eyebrow.
“No, I don’t think I do either. Look, you go ahead and tell the tale, and I’ll tell you guys how I knew this afterwards. Will that be okay?” Jenny asked.
“Okay, but don’t think you getting out of here without an explanation, Beautiful!” Cindy said.
Ian shook his head, but began the story just like he did for Beth earlier that day. Once again, Oly projected the images he was talking about, but they looked more solid due to the bright sunlight in the backyard.
It was clear both girls wanted to ask how the images were appearing, but Beth held a finger up to her lips to tell them to be quiet, and wait. This time, Ian gave more detail, and even Beth was paying attention. When he finished, he introduced Olympus to his friends.
“Finally, I would like to introduce you to the ship’s AI avatar, Olympus, whom I call Oly for short,” Ian finished.
“That’s one hell of a story, Ian. Since you’re telling us, and have proved it, I assume you want us to go with you?” Cindy asked. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
“Well, I was going to ask Jenny and Beth, I had reservations about asking you,” Ian teased. “Everyone knows you’re insane!”
“Uh huh, you need a pilot, and I’d love to do it. If you don’t take me with you, I’ll stow away in the luggage!” Cindy replied.
“Sir, assuming they agree, what positions did you have in mind for them?” Oly asked.
“Well, Beth has already agreed to become the Chief Medical Officer, I was considering Jenny as my second in command. If Cindy wants to be helmsman, I’m sure we can accommodate her, although once she sees the fighters, I’m sure she’ll change...”
“You have fighters on the ship?” Cindy asked excitedly. “I thought you said it was a cruiser?”
“It is a heavy cruiser, Cadet,” Oly replied. “However, Talosian ship sizes are different than what would be the norm here on Earth. You see, the Cruisers were multi-role ships. Capable of defending an entire colony, both in space as well as on the ground, without support. Because of that, Heavy Cruisers are actually larger than what was classified as a ‘Battleship’ which had only one purpose. The Heavy Cruiser class would be what you would consider an Aircraft Carrier, although it has far more space to ground and space to space weaponry than a carrier would be equipped with.”
“How many fighters are you equipped with?” Cindy asked.
“At the time the ship crashed, we had taken a few losses, and as such, were not up to full strength. I have since corrected that. The current fighter compliment stand at one-hundred twenty, mark-three Hornet Light attack craft, six long-range Centurion fighter/bombers and six medium cargo shuttles,” Oly explained. “That does not include the four marine assault shuttles as they are considered ground equipment.” As Oly named each of the craft, a small image of them was projected for the viewers.
“Holy shit!” Cindy said.
“Indeed,” Oly replied without missing a beat.
“Ian, I know I’ll be joining you, so will my parents and their friend, Janet,” Jenny said. “I also know all three of us will be your, uh, wives.”
“Say what?” Beth asked, looking at Jenny in surpri
se.
Jenny grinned. “All of us will be bonded to Ian. I know how I feel about him, and I’m pretty sure both of you feel the same way. I know the reason Ian hasn’t gotten with me was because he has feelings for all three of us.”
“Okay, this is getting just freaky. How do you know all this, Jen?” Ian asked.
Cindy looked at Jenny through squinted eyes. “She’s a precog. She can see events before they happen. I’ve always thought it was simply that she was really good a reading people, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. Look, I would have told you guys before, but I was afraid you would think I was some kind of freak or something!” Jenny admitted. “The only people that knew are my parents, and they helped me hide it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have thought any different of you, but it sure would have been nice to know it for certain!” Cindy said.
“That is amazing! Psionic gifts were only just beginning to surface among the populations of the Talosian Alliance when the war broke out. Unfortunately, research into these gifts had to be put on hold for the war effort. Precognition as well as Clairvoyance were two of the gifts that had been verified and measured,” Oly said. “It is truly amazing that those gifts survived to be revived in this population.”
“It may be that we already had the propensity for that trait Oly, and the mixing of the bloodlines only aided in its development. Be that as it may, it’s a subject we can explore later. For now, I’d like to hear more about how the three of us end up married to Ian.” Beth replied.
Before anyone else could speak up, Oly once again explained about multiple partner relationships, and the need for more children to perpetuate the species. “While there is love and other very powerful emotions involved in the bonding that is not all they are about. There is strength in numbers. This is true even for the family unit. It not only allows for a much wider breeding pool, it also helps to solidify alliances between other Families, Houses and Clans.”
“But, Oly, the Talosian people are gone. There are no more Houses and Clans, there’s just us.” Jenny said.
Oly nodded. “That is true, but if we are to rebuild the Talosian way of life, then should we not follow the Talosian model for their society?”
Ian shook his head. “Again, this is a subject we can resolve later. The problem before us right now, is that Jenny is absolutely correct. I have strong feeling for all of you. I simply couldn’t commit to one of you without feeling like I’ve betrayed the other two.”
Beth looked thoughtful. “I’m older than the three of you by a few years. In our society, a relationship between us would be frowned on until all of us were a lot older. For those reasons, I’ve fought to keep my emotions in the realm of friendship. I could very easily fall in love with you Ian. The three of you are pretty much the only real friends I have. So I guess the question then becomes could I share a lover with Jenny and Cindy?” She paused for a moment, and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll need to think on it for a while.”
Cindy blushed, and was a little hesitant to speak, which was very unlike the self-assured young woman. “I wouldn’t have a problem sharing Ian, as long as it was with the two of you. I think the only reason I haven’t tried to get Ian myself was because of you, Jenny.”
“I’ll share, Cindy. I’ve already seen this, I know we’ll be able to do it, and it’ll work great for us,” Jenny explained. “I agree it’s very different than what any of us expected, but it will work.”
“Really? So neither of you would mind if I drug Ian into my bedroom tonight after you go home?” Beth asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jenny laughed. “I’ve been wondering how you’ve kept from doing that since he moved in with you!”
“Gods! Isn’t that the truth! If he lived with us, I’d have been sneaking into his room as much as I could!” Cindy confessed.
Alright!” Ian said blushing. “I guess we can just not worry about the relationship thing either. According to Jenny, it’ll all work itself out. Personally, I think it’s going to make for an interesting few dates!”
“We can just go out as a group of friends, pretty much like we do now, only we bring Beth along from now on,” Cindy suggested.
Beth shook her head. “I think I better abstain until we get away from this town. You know how the people here are.”
“It won’t really matter,” Ian explained. “We won’t be here long enough for the rumors to really get flying. I want to get this rolling right after graduation. So basically, we’ll be here maybe another week.”
“More like three weeks, Ian,” Jenny said.
“Why?” Ian asked.
“There are things that we’ll need to do first. We’ll need to create a corporation as a cover for hiring people. There will be a town out in the New Mexico desert, and the ship will need to be fixed before we can move there,’ Jenny said.
“Pardon me, but the ship is fully repaired already.” Oly said. “What do you believe is wrong with it?”
Jenny shrugged. “I didn’t see that part, or I would have told you already.”
“Hold on,” Ian said. “This is getting way too mixed up for me to follow. Jenny, do you want to join me and Beth as a part of the crew for Olympus?”
Jenny grinned and nodded. “Yes, Ian.”
“Okay, great! Now, Cindy, do you want to join the rest of us, as a member of the crew of the Olympus?” Ian asked turning to her.
“Yes, Ian,” Cindy said, rolling her eyes.
“Okay, again, Great! Oly, I would like Jenny to receive the same training I get, and list her as First Officer. Cindy, would you rather fly the ship or a fighter?” Ian asked.
“I can’t do both?” Cindy asked.
“They are completely different, Miss Swift. Yes, you could do both, but the training for each is only remotely similar. I would not recommend doing them concurrently,” Oly replied.
“Oh, then I’ll do the fighters first,” Cindy replied.
“Okay, put her down as a Flight Candidate and start her training for that,” Ian ordered.
“Yes sir,” Oly replied.
“Okay, now, the relationship thing will work itself out, and Beth can look into the abilities thing when she has time. Now, Jenny, what did you mean about this corporation? I don’t think we have the money we’re going to need to do the things you’re talking about,” Ian said.
“Actually sir, we have all the money you should need. You see, over the course of history, I have had need to influence certain things, and to do so required money. I used a certain percentage of funds taken from a wide selection of criminal organizations. Those money taps are still in place. We have access to in excess of ten billion American dollars, although not all of it is actually in that currency,” Oly replied.
“What in the world did you need that much money for?” Cindy asked.
“I did not. However, certain bribes had to be made to ensure the Apollo program, as well as other space related programs stayed well away from the crash site. I’ve also used some of the money to fund small research projects to improve the technology of the planet. Nothing on a large scale though, I did not want to change the society, only assist it. The remainder of the money I kept in the case it would be needed once my commander was located,” Oly explained. “I was simply attempting to plan ahead.”
Recovering from the shock, Ian shook his head. “Uh, right, so we have money. Jenny, you said something about your folks joining us too? What about Cindy’s parents?”
“I don’t know anything about Cindy’s folks. But yes, my parents will be joining us,” Jenny said. “I’ll ask them to come over tomorrow and we can talk to them about it if you would like?”
“I think that would most likely be a good idea,” Ian said.
“You know, we have all had a lot of stuff dumped on us for one day,” Beth said. “Ian, why don’t you start the grill, and we’ll get lunch ready. Let’s take the rest of the day to absorb all of this, and ask questions if we think
of them?”
“That’s a great idea, Beth!” Cindy said. “I feel like my head’s going to explode.”
Jenny stood with Ian, she took his hand and pulled him in for a brief kiss on the lips. “I love you, Ian. Everything will work out as long as we’re all together.”
Beth followed Jenny’s example, and gave Ian a kiss. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now. I hope Jenny’s right.”
“Me too,” Ian said.
Not to be outdone, Cindy put a lip-lock on Ian, and showed no signs of letting up until Jenny cleared her throat. “He’s supposed to cook our lunch, Cindy.”
Cindy broke the kiss and sighed. “Right! Sorry, I forgot for a minute.”
Chapter Five
The remainder of the day the four friends talked and played together. As the sun settled and darkness began to fall, they had all grown much more comfortable with each other. Ian was sitting on the ground leaning up against a tree by the small fire place Beth had in her backyard. Jenny was sitting very close to him, with his arm around her shoulders.
On his other side, Beth was sitting close to him as well, and Cindy was cuddled up to her.
Ian realized something about Jenny that had been nagging him. “Oly, would you please display a hologram of Hera?”
Without comment, a new image took the place of Oly’s. The woman shown was very beautiful, with long, dark-chocolate hair, bright green eyes, olive complexion, and an almost perfect body. She was also a slightly older-looking version of Jenny as a brunette.
The girls looked at the image with startled expressions. “She looks just like Jenny!” Cindy said, stating the obvious.
“As well she should, Cadet. Her DNA signature is an almost exact duplicate of Commander Zeus’ mate. However, I think you will all be interested in this image as well,” Oly said as he displayed the image of his former commander.
“Ian, that’s you!” Beth said.
“Doctor, in the case of the Commander, there is only a point-one-zero-five disparity between himself and Commander Zeus. For all intents he could be considered a clone, although we know that is not the case,” Oly said. “The Colonel and her ancestor have a disparity of one-point-zero-nine.”