by Ben Winston
Ian met Jenny and Cindy for lunch. Cindy was having a blast, and Jenny was still scared to death. Oly told Ian privately that, of the four tests she had taken she had made a total of five mistakes, which she corrected when he pointed them out. Ian had actually made seven mistakes, two of which he didn’t honestly know the answers to. Either way it was still an ‘A’ so Ian was happy. Two more hours and high school would be over. It was actually three, but both Ian and Jenny had study hall for seventh period.
Cindy was having fun, she always enjoyed tests; an attitude that Jenny found annoying. Oly reported that Cindy had not actually missed any answers yet, even though she tended to finish well before the rest of her class. She had only taken three of her finals so far, since her study hall was in the mornings.
They ate lunch and chatted; agreeing to meet at the car after Cindy finished her geography test, and headed off to class.
Two hours later, Ian met Jenny at her locker. She was a nervous wreck. “Oly can you hack into the school computers?” Ian asked.
“Yes sir,” Oly replied.
“Good, adding in the final test scores of the Colonel, calculate her final grade and display it for her only, will you?” Ian asked.
Jenny inhaled sharply and looked worriedly at Ian. Suddenly she closed her eyes, and seemed to relax a little bit. She stood there for a full minute, and by the time she opened her eyes, she was smiling. “Thank you, Oly. That really sets my mind at ease.”
“You are welcome, Colonel. May I be the first to congratulate you on receiving such high marks?”
“Well, thank you again, Oly,” Jenny said.
“Jen, could you ask your folks to take tomorrow off, at least the second half, and possibly Wednesday as well?” Ian asked.
“Sure, what do I give them for a reason?” She replied.
Ian grinned. “I’d kinda like that to remain a surprise. But if they really need to know, I’ll tell them privately,” Ian said grinning.
“Okay, I’ll give them a call when we get home. I should be able to catch both of them still at their offices.”
Ian leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. “I love you, you know.”
She squinted at him. “Okay Williams, what do you got up your sleeve this time?”
“I think you’ll like it, but I’m not going to let you in on it yet,” Ian replied.
“Okay, just one question; is it ‘family’ business or...” She left the rest unsaid because there were a few other students around and didn’t want to be overheard.
“Family business, definitely family business,” Ian replied.
Ian and Jenny were openly holding hands and walking slowly toward the parking lot. They were both stopped many times and asked to sign someone’s year book. Jenny got a strange look in her eyes when she signed one. Jon Weist had asked her to sign his book, and she did, Ian noticed she added a phone number, one he didn’t recognize.
When the young man left, Ian looked at her. “What was that all about?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Jenny replied.
“The faraway look, and adding a phone number to your signature. It looked like you were having another premonition.”
Jenny looked thoughtful. “I think I did, but I don’t actually remember it. It felt a little different from the others.”
“Well, I imagine we’ll eventually figure it out,” Ian said.
When they got out to the parking lot, Cindy was already there, waiting.
“Sorry,” Ian said. “We had to sign some yearbooks on the way out here.”
“No problem, I just got here myself,” She replied. ”I got to thinking about a couple of things today. I was thinking how much I’m going to miss my friends here. It led me to asking Oly how many of the kids here could use the teaching machines. You know, if we included their families, we could almost get our full crew right here?” Cindy said.
“I don’t doubt we could. So, how would you explain the better part of an entire school, and their families, just up and disappearing?” Ian asked.
Cindy, who had thought she was on to something, got a thoughtful look on her face. “I guess I didn’t think of that. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, please, keep thinking up stuff. Just because I’ll try to shoot it down doesn’t mean I’ll always be able too. We’re all in this together; your ideas are every bit as important as mine,” Ian explained to her. “However, I do like your idea, so, I’d like you to put a list of the names of all your friends that you think would not only make good crew members, but might also be open minded enough to accept the Talosian way of life. You too, Jenny. That way, when we do get to the point that we can selectively recruit people, we can come back for them.”
Chapter Seven
Jenny had called her parents and they’d agreed to Ian’s request. Beth was harder to convince, but eventually agreed to take the time off.
Ian went into his room for a while to speak to Oly while the girls were occupied at the pool.
“Oly, can you have the shuttle meet us somewhere for a flight to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon?” Ian asked.
“Yes sir, but do you think that is wise during daylight hours?” Oly replied.
“For what I have in mind, it won’t really matter much. My grandparents had a farm just outside of town. It’s pretty rural, so there’s a slim chance anyone would see us there. Plus, there’s a big enough clearing for you to easily land without retracting the wings,” Ian explained. “Display a map of our area, and I’ll show you where to land.”
Once that was done, Ian asked for the drone to replicate some very specific items for his surprise the next night.
Oly grinned. “I am sure they will all be pleasantly surprised, Commander.”
“I hope so,” Ian said a bit nervously. “Now to official business,” Ian switched to Talosian. “Olympus; Command Override. Access Command protocols. Authorization; Williams, Ian, omicron-theta-seven-five-theta-zero-two.”
Oly immediately disappeared with the words ‘Command Override’. However, Ian noticed the voice that answered him was not that of his AI.
“Access granted. What can we do for you, Commander?”
Ian sighed, he hadn’t been sure he could get access to these. “A situation has developed that prompts me to request special circumstances. Olympus has been stranded in its current position for over four thousand cycles. Olympus claimed to have repaired everything, but I would like to make sure of this before I take command and begin moving crew aboard.”
“Stand-by, accessing recent AI records...” The baritone voice replied. The program, for lack of a better term, was essentially another AI like Olympus, except its sole function was to ensure the ship did not fall into the wrong hands. It was normally dormant unless called upon. Ian waited patiently while it got caught up on ‘recent’ events. Finally after about five minutes, it replied. “Assimilation complete. It would appear you have begun to issue orders already to affect these ends. No Defense Force bases are located in the vicinity; explain your ‘special circumstances’.”
“I have issued orders for a level three check on all ship’s systems. However, Olympus reported it took over nine hundred cycles to repair the main reactor and decontaminate the affected areas of the ship. Prolonged exposure to that type of radiation can cause the molecular structure of certain alloys to begin breaking down. I have noted the presence of those alloys in the hull and superstructure of the ship. I would like to request dry dock authority to check these areas as well as devise a plan to lift the ship off the moon. To accomplish this, I would need to be allowed on board without taking command. Protocol dictates that I cannot assume command while the ship is not space-worthy,” Ian said.
“Dry dock access granted, Weapons access granted for defensive purposes only. This protocol will remain active until change of command is complete. Commander Zeus informed this protocol of the plan he had before abandoning this ship. This protocol agrees with the ship’s AI about your suitability for the genetic require
ments of command. You are obviously intelligent enough to learn what is required to command this ship. Proceed with repairs. Returning control to ship’s AI.”
Ian was a little taken aback at the abruptness of the protocol, but figured since it had such a small job; they didn’t spend a lot of time on its personality. Oly reappeared looking a little nervous.
“Oly, how many maintenance drones do you have on board the ship?” Ian asked.
“Two hundred, sir. Currently thirty of them are involved in the level three diagnostic.”
“Good, power up the rest of them, and have them do a level one check on the hull and superstructure, especially the areas that were exposed to the radiation from the reactor. Upgrade the previous order for a level three diagnostic to a level one, except for the main reactor. Once we have the rest of the ship cleared for duty, we’ll do a level one of the reactor as well. Hopefully, by that time, we’ll have some engineers aboard,” Ian said.
“Sir, level two and above diagnostics require the use of the specialized AI aboard dry dock facilities. We cannot run those tests outside of a dry dock facility.”
“Don’t you have the same knowledge as the AI’s on the stations?” Ian asked.
“Yes sir, but...”
“When docked, doesn’t the base AI have to connect through you to get to those systems?”
“Yes sir, but...”
“So take the place of the base AI to run the tests. The equipment sure won’t know the difference.
“Sir, I do not have access to the correct protocols to perform those tests,” Oly said.
“Do not have access, or do not have, period?” Ian asked.
“Do not have access. Of necessity, the protocols are stored in the computer systems of the ship in which the equipment is installed,” Oly replied.
“Olympus; command override. Access subroutine protocols.” Ian said and Oly disappeared again.
“Access granted.” A voice replied.
“Status of authorization for local AI access to level two and above maintenance protocols?” Ian asked.
“Local AI blocked for level two and above. Dry Dock access only.”
“Execute command override for local AI access to level two and above maintenance protocols. Access to remain in place until next change of command.” Ian ordered.
“Access for local AI to level two and above maintenance protocols granted. Access to be suspended upon next change of command event.”
“Exit to normal control,” Ian said as Oly reappeared.
Oly blinked a couple of times. “I now have access to all diagnostic protocols except those for my core unit. I will change your orders as mentioned earlier.”
Ian nodded. “Good, I think I’ll go out and spend some time with my ladies. Let me know if anything comes up in those diagnostics.”
“Sir, one hundred and sixteen maintenance drones have failed during power-up. Fifteen more have needed to reinitialize themselves. Three are stuck in an endless loop trying to initialize,” Oly reported.
“I kinda thought that might happen. Of that batch of one hundred seventy, have the ones that are functional repair the rest before beginning their diagnostics. We’ll need as many of them functioning as we can get.”
“Sir, you are acting like you knew there would be problems, yet my own tests tell me there are none,” Oly said.
Ian looked thoughtful. “I was thinking about what Jenny said last night. Zeus was a good and smart person, but the one thing I don’t think he thought of was how much time his plan would actually take. He should have issued orders to flood all compartments with an inert gas, and seal them.
“Still, I don’t know if that would have helped all that much. None of that equipment, except the drones, has been used since the ship crashed. Hell, even most of the drones have been parked for three thousand years. Time affects everything. I just want to make damn sure of every system before we risk anyone’s life. Assumptions of this size get people killed.”
Oly nodded and faded out as Ian walked out to be with the girls.
School the next day was a breeze; they cleaned out their lockers, and turned in their books. They said good-bye to their teachers and friends and, after graduation rehearsal, headed for home.
Bill and Julie Laskar arrived shortly after twelve-thirty, and Ian had the drone make sub sandwiches for everyone. Because of their works schedules, it was the first time Bill and Julie Laskar would be meeting Oly.
Bill was immediately fascinated with Oly and Julie was a bit leery of the drone.
“Ian, Jenny told us some of the things that were happening, but she never mentioned... that,” Julie said pointing to the drone.
“Relax Julie, it’s a domestic drone. Aboard ship it does all the household chores and some minor maintenance around the living quarters. They’re harmless,” Ian explained. “Not to mention damn handy to have around.”
Ian got Oly’s attention away from Bill. “Oly, why don’t you tell the tale of how and why we met. The drone can replicate lenses and communicators for Bill and Julie, and then I think it would be time for my surprise.”
Oly nodded and began speaking. The drone gave Ian the requested items and Ian helped the older couple put them on.
When Oly had finished, Bill and Julie looked at each other, and smiled. Bill looked up to Ian. “Where do we sign up, Captain?”
Ian chuckled. “Actually, it’s Commander, and I think you already have. Oly, Bill should be in computer science, and Julie would make a great logistics officer.” Ian looked around at the rest of the group. “Now, is everyone ready for the beginning of my surprise?”
“I’d say we were a bit past the ‘ready’ part!” Cindy quipped.
“Okay everybody, follow me,” Ian said and headed for the garage. Inside, Ian walked over to the driver’s door of a brand new Hummer H2. “Pile in everyone, there should be plenty of room.”
“Wow! This is so neat!” Cindy said.
“So this is why you had me park on the street last night, I was wondering,” Beth said. “This is a great surprise, Ian. But where did you get it?”
“This is only the beginning of the surprises, love. I had Oly replicate it yesterday, and he brought it down in the shuttle last night. Come on, we’ve got a lot more to do before the night’s over.”
Everyone climbed in, and Ian drove them out to his grandparent’s farm. He got out, opened the gate, and drove though.
When he got back in after closing it, Beth asked, “I know you won’t tell me, but what are we doing out here?”
“You’re right, I won’t tell you yet,” Ian said grinning. “Trust me; I think you’ll all like this.”
Instead of parking in front of the house, Ian drove around the big machine shed, and they all saw the opening for the cloaked shuttle. Ian simply drove the big truck up the ramp and parked inside. “We’ll need the truck when we get to where we’re going. But let’s go to the lounge and relax. I’ll explain what I have planned for tonight.”
“I thought the ship was on the moon?” Bill asked. “Not to mention I thought it would be a lot bigger.”
Ian chuckled. “This is only a shuttle, Bill. The ship itself is still on the moon. We won’t be going up until after graduation. Beth needs the time to learn more about Talosian medicine before we get there.”
“Actually, Ian, we can go anytime. Oly says I know enough to take care of Talena if she needs it. I might need to bring a portable autodoc back with us, and I have no clue how we’d get one in our house without anyone seeing it,” Beth said.
“Hmm, we might just make a trip up to get her tomorrow then. I’ll give it some thought,” Ian said.
When they entered the lounge, Oly greeted them. “Cadet, would you please report to the bridge for a ‘hands on’ lesson?” Cindy grinned and nodded as she headed for the small bridge. Oly turned back to the group and looked at Ian. “Your orders, Commander?”
“Please display side views on each wall as if there were large windows. Yo
u may lift when you’re ready,” Ian said.
Oly nodded, and two large bay windows appeared on each outside wall, as the group took seats. The shuttle lifted, and rose into the sky. Ian noticed everyone staring out the windows in rapt attention. The view was rather spectacular, especially when they entered space.
Once in orbit, Cindy returned to the lounge. “That was such a trip! I loved it!” She hugged Ian.
“Okay, I suppose you’re all wondering why I dragged you up here. Mostly, it’s for that,” he pointed out the window at the view of Earth. “But I also wanted the right... atmosphere for what I want to say next.” Ian had been guiding the girls to sit next to each other on one couch.
“Beth Hayes, Cindy Swift and Jennifer Laskar; I love you all more than I can express with words. My love for each of you is different, but equal. Later tonight, I would like us all to drop down to Las Vegas where we have reservations at a wedding chapel where I will ‘officially’ marry Jenny, however, before we get there...” he knelt on one knee before the girls.
“Ladies, would all of you do me the honor of becoming my bond-mates under Talosian law?” he pulled the four rings he’d had replicated from his pocket and showed them to the women.
All three had tears in their eyes as Ian sat, waiting for their answer. Beth spoke first. “Ian, over the last few years I have gotten to know you. When I first brought you into my home, it was as a favor to my friends; your parents. However, since that time, I have gotten to know you more, and I fell in love with you. You have been the only man in my life since college. It is my fondest wish to become your bond-mate and wife.”
Jenny went next. “Ian, I have known you and your family since the second grade. I think I’ve loved you that long as well; though in the beginning it was the love for a friend. What I feel for you now cannot be quantified in words. I will be your bond-mate, and wife.”
Finally it was Cindy’s turn. “Ian, I don’t know how to say what I feel. You are, and have been, the only man I’ve ever actually loved. I’ve been bonded to you for as long as I can remember. I love Jenny and Beth too, so I understand what you mean when you said ‘different, but equal’. In my heart and mind, I am already your bond-mate as well as the bond-mate to my sister-wives. I always have been. So yes; I’ll be your bond-mate and wife.”