One Giant Leap

by Keith Martin

  Her orders kept flowing from her as she exited the lift and the girls spread out and went to work. “I want you two to go down and distract them long enough to give us time to do our thing up here.” She ordered Otto. “That’s one sneaky woman Otto, caught me completely off guard.”

  The lift headed down again and Otto could feel his daughters moving close. “I think the distraction is on their way up.” He said with a smile. “We could use a beer though.” He nodded at Terry with a wink.

  * * *

  Shianne and Ashley exited at the dig. They found the girls exploring what was soon to be the Chisholm home. “Chair May, it is so nice to meet you.” Shianne offered her hand.

  May gave both her and her sister a hug. “So you’re the famous Chisholm girls. I have big plans for you two.”

  Her words surprised everyone, and they all took a seat on the folding chairs the workers used when taking their breaks to have a little private chat. “I want to be open and honest with everyone from the start. I am here for more than just a visit. I am here as a representative of China. I am the only Chair that governs over one third of the population of Earth. I control one eighth of Earths land mass. I must think of my people at all times. I am here to answer questions my advisers have voiced concerns over.”

  Shianne took her hand and she pulled from her all she could find. She found so much more then she could have ever expected. “I want you to know you can trust our father May. He has no use for power. It is not what he is working toward. It’s not what he wants.”

  May felt goose bumps fly out over her body from head to toe. She didn’t understand how this girl could know why she was here.

  “Stop that Shi.” Linda scolded her stepdaughter. She understood that Shianne couldn’t help herself. It was just a part of being around her.

  “What?” She said innocently.

  “How could you know this?” May asked trying to understand what had just happened.

  Linda fielded the question with an even soft voice. “Our Shianne is a little powerhouse. She can read peoples thoughts with a touch of her hand. She can turn it off when she wants to, but at times she is taken over by it.”

  “I don’t use it to do harm. It’s just a easy way to reach the truth, and to cut through the clutter of trying to find the right way to say something.” Shianne added.

  “Just don’t go holding hands with her for a long time if she’s turned on.” Ashley warned her. “You won’t have any secrets left after she’s done downloading your emotions.”

  “She told us both we were pregnant before our own bodies had given us a sign.” Jill put in her two cents.

  * * *

  May just sat back wondering what she had gotten into. In China a power such as Shianne’s would have been revered as magical. She would have spent her life in the service of the country. But this young lady just wanted to build space ships and to be a part of her family. May had read her folder. She knew all about Shianne’s advanced drive systems and her ship designs. She knew all the Chisholm children were simply brilliant. Now she was finding out that the fruit had not fallen far from the tree.

  * * *

  “Daddy has it too. We get it from him!” Shianne broke May’s silence trying to distract from the attention she was receiving.

  “Do you mean that Otto could read my thoughts when he took my hand?” She felt the goose bumps rising again. She knew her heart had skipped a beat when she first laid eyes on him at the door. He had taken her hand in his and in that touch she felt safer than she had ever felt in her life. She had been wondering about this nonstop. Part of her mind was working on this but she couldn’t grasp it.

  Shianne slowly reached for May’s hand. She knew May might pull away from her out of fear. But she drew a deep breath, and reached for Shianne. “You’re safe with us Chisholm’s May. We will always give you our love and trust. Your family now May. Deal with it because that is the way it is and will always be.”

  May burst into tears at her declaration. She never had anyone accept her as a person into their family unit. These people just treated her like a woman, like a friend, like family. Her mind wondered how Otto would treat her if she could spend more time with him.

  Shianne caught it all, but kept it to herself. She didn’t want to push this situation in any direction it would not go in naturally. She knew that at times it was best to just sit back and watch it happen.

  * * *

  Terry came down to see what was taking the girls so long. She walked into witness a scene of the five women holding each other and all were in tears. It stopped her in her tracks. “Ok, what happened?” She asked confused looking sternly at the men. Whatever was going on she knew it had to be their fault. All of them were standing around acting as if they had just been dropped from their mother’s bellies.

  * * *

  May spent a week discovering S.M.B. with Otto and his wives. At no time was she left to herself to just wander the halls. She was constantly in the company of those who loved her. And she was enjoying it completely. In all of her life, she did not remember a time when she felt like it was so right to be escorted everywhere she went.

  She did find herself with Otto every day for many hours.

  He always gave her his arm to escort her and she gladly took it. He treated her with the utmost respect at all times. He never let a hint of his growing feelings for her slip out for even a second. They were world leaders and they had duties that were bigger than their personal needs. He didn’t plan to mix his personal feelings into the need to save the race.

  * * *

  Her last day at S.M.B. was spent exclusively with Otto. He woke her with a tap on her bedroom door. She slept nude and she was half out of her sheets when he knocked. She so wanted him to just come in and take her. She had spent a restless night trying to decide if it was right to just go to their bed and join them. But her upbringing would not let her even try. She was frozen in her bed trembling with her needs. She was a full-grown woman with a full-grown woman’s desires. She too wanted to be a wife and mother and she was falling in love with Otto and his wives. She wanted a strong man that could not only care for and protect her and her family, she wanted a leader of men with the genes her children would need to help them rule China when their time came.

  All of her upbringing had prepared her to choose her mate judiciously. Weighing all his faults and abilities so that when she mothered the next generation of leaders for her country, she would provide the best leaders she could breed. In her eyes this was the most significant thing she would do with her life. Her goal was to mother an Emperor to guide China as it grew from the ashes of the destruction the virus had done to her country. She was going to provide China with a man as strong and as fair as her father had been. A man who stayed with his people knowing the virus would kill him once it reached the palace. He gladly gave his vary last second of life for his people. She would give an Emperor to her people that would be all he had been and more.

  “OK sleepy head. Get out of the rack, or I’m coming in there to pull you out of it.” He growled teasingly through a crack of the door. He had a transport waiting for them in the hall; he had been at work for hours arranging this day to be a day to be remembered.

  May bolted up fully wakened by the sound of his voice. More than anything she wanted him to do just as he said, come to her in her bed. She simply responded she’d be right out.

  He kissed both his wives awake, getting drawn into their arms as they pulled him in with them. He let them start to undress him, when he jumped to his feet smiling from ear to ear with mischief on his mind. “We don’t have time, shower, and its time for breakfast. May is up already. MOVE IT WOMEN, YOUR MAN IS HUNGRY.” He growled as he gave his orders and bid a hasty retreat. He knew to stay there for one more second would mean at least an hours delay in his plans.

  * * *

  He waited in the transport for them. He was too tempted to stay in the quarters with three-half nude women he wanted walking aro
und. So he retreated to the transport for his own peace of mind.

  They came out as one and May took the seat next to him and took his hand with both of hers. He could feel the flow of her emotions streaming through her being. It was all he could do to be a good man.

  She knew what she was doing. She knew he would be reading her every thought and need. She in her way was declaring her love for him without saying it outright. She let him have her heart and soul as she held on for dear life and prayed it took her to where she needed to be.

  Terry had a table set with flowers and candles when they walked in. She seated them right away, pouring their coffees as they liked. They gave her their orders as she poured. She knew what they would want, and it was half finished by the time they ordered it.

  They had their meal on their table in just a few minutes, and she made sure no one bothered them as they enjoyed each other’s time.

  After breakfast was finished, Otto and May kissed Jill and Linda before departing to inspect the Blue Thunder Cave.

  They both noticed he was holding her hand as they walked away towards the ramp to the main chamber. “I want her. She is so stunning, and she is so nice. I vote we keep her.” Jill stated with conviction.

  “I do too. She’s easy to fall for.” Linda had to admit.

  They watched until the two were out of sight.

  * * *

  Otto had her space suit waiting for her in the transport he had parked at the mining shack. He helped her into her suit first. He enjoyed the way it felt putting her into it. It really fit her like a second skin.

  She helped him into his suit and she liked serving his needs. They rode hand in hand to the airlock blast door; he helped her from her seat by lifting her to the floor. “We walk from here.” Two of his men were on hand, waiting to help with the massive door. As soon as they were in the tunnel the blast door was closed and locked behind them.

  Otto explained how they thought they were digging into a water cavern when the gas almost killed Steve. It took both of them to swing the second blast door open and they walked the short distance to the wall of frozen gas. Otto clicked on a light switch and the wall of gas glowed a bright liquid blue. “We need a sample of this so that we can do some testing Otto. This must be explored completely and we must know what its true potential is.” May stated as she reached out and touched the frozen wall.

  “Will a ton do? I think we have plenty of it. The geo-engineers tell me there is over a million tons of it in this chamber.” He placed his arm around her waist and they started to stroll back out the tunnel talking of little things locked together.

  His wives found them as they re-entered the main chamber. They helped to get them both out of their suits and took May in tow to go see how much work had been done on their home over the week. They were pleased the porch was finished and all the rooms were totally roughed out. The smoothing of the floors would soon be started. The halls and porch floors where finished already. They would be moving in long before their babies came.

  * * *

  Ton found them at the dig and told them that he was having a little party for May and that all would be gathering in a couple of hours. May complained that there was no need for a gathering but thanked him for arranging it.

  Ton bowed out, and left the Chisholm’s alone with their Empress. “So May, your fears gone?” Otto just blurted out.

  She took his arm in both hands and pulled herself close to him feeling his power. “Don’t be silly Otto. I never feared you. It was my people who needed to be reassured. I just wonder how you seem to know everything I think, before I even think it.”

  Otto just smiled and said. “You think too loud my little China Doll. It’s a sure sign.”

  “A sign of what?” May asked as Jill and Linda pulled her away before he gave her an answer she was not really ready to hear yet.

  “It is time for us girls to go get cleaned up for the party May. Lets not go asking questions you don’t want answered.”

  They left Otto standing there; wondering what life would be like with three wives. He could see nothing wrong with the idea.

  * * *

  Otto got cleaned up at Ton’s place and had a fresh set of clothes brought down from the laundry. What arrived were his white suit and his dress black shoes.

  He was not sure how they got ordered for him, but willingly dressed as they wished.

  Terry showed up in a fantastic red dress and smelling of flowers. She had a crew of ten servers to take care of the parties needs. On this night, she planned to be one of those being served for once. She attached herself to Otto’s arm while they greeted arriving guests. They both got a good laugh as the lift doors opened and Chief stepped out in a massive cloud of sweet smoke with his three wives. “What?” He asked naively as he walked out of the fog.

  The porch was filling up before his wives arrived with May. All wore ball gowns that matched in color and style, like sisters of the old south. Terry joined the trio as they floated around the room visiting with everyone.

  Otto Stood with Fred, Vic and Chris for most of the evening watching his girls having a great time as they visited with everyone. Linda and Jill didn’t drink any alcohol, their conditions called for fresh fruit drinks. May was having the time of her life, and everyone was serving her little shots of everything and she was feeling it as the evening wore on.

  Chief stopped her as she was walking by and introduced his wives. They all chatted for a few minutes before Chief sparked a big pipe full of his homegrown. He inhaled deeply and handed the pipe to May.

  Otto was leaning up against the porch rail when he spotted this and came to his feet.

  May took a drag and coughed for a few seconds. “WOW Chief. That is smooth.” She had her back to Otto, and Chief decided to tease her.

  “I’m telling Otto you were smoking pot!”

  “Well I’ll tell him you forced me to do it.” She told him with a little wiggle of her finger in his direction.

  Chief handed his pipe to one of his wives and scooped May up and threw her over his shoulder. He raised his hand to give her a friendly spanking when he spotted Otto. It took just one look to know spanking her would have put him in Dutch with his friend. “Oh you are lucky young lady.” He placed her squirming body back down to the porch floor. “You just got saved big time.”

  She punched him and ran to Otto for his protection giggling like mad. She was a little drunk, and loving it. She fell into Otto’s arms and stuck her tongue out at Chief. She was then away to visit with her friends again as quickly as she had arrived.

  She didn’t know she had been cut off the alcohol so that she would not over-do her celebrating. Terry started to watch her intake and converted her drinks to just fresh fruit juice. After a couple of hours she was feeling a lot less light headed and was spent from all the fun she was having. This had been her first party with people who treated her as a woman.

  The party broke up slowly, soon those still in attendance were the Commanders of the base. Everyone was sitting around talking of base business when May took a seat on the couch with Otto and his wives. She waited for a break in the conversation and then took up the lead. “So what can we do for your people Otto?” Everyone went silent to hear this exchange.

  “Well… We will need to put a labor force together on Earth to finish the construction of the G-Class shuttles at Grumman while updating the fleet for B.T. fuel. We only have the three working shuttles and we need at least ten to pull off all were doing. Joshua thinks we could use as many as twenty. That’s the biggest thing right now. Trained engineers don’t grow on trees; the training takes a long time. No one wants to take a ride in a crew’s first rocket. We have to have quality ships to get this work done. Work horses to haul the loads and the personnel. Shianne will be redesigning thrusters and propulsion systems as fast as her little mind can think of them to make this all go faster.”

  “I will be doing test flights and speed tests in less than two months.” Shianne cut i
n.

  “We picked up a satellite that we plan to send out on new missions just as soon as Shianne is finished retrofitting it. The information we retrieved from its main frame was extremely valuable. Its mission was very successful. In fact, I will share this with you now. I would like it if we could keep this information strictly confidential until we have a chance to do more research to confirm what we think we are seeing. A ship named The Seeker...”

  26 Let the Truth be Known

  May interrupted him. “You have THE SEEKER?” May was shocked. “We thought it had crashed or gone off course.”

  “No… It’s in the hanger here on the Moon right now. That is what Ashley and I worked on for the past week. We have taken the thrusters off, and will start replacing them in the morning.” Shianne informed her.

  “You have THE SEEKER here on the Moon?” May asked again trying to comprehend this news.

  “Yes May, we have it here.” Shianne assured her.

  “What do you know about it?” Fred asked. “We searched everywhere and can’t find anything more than a design.”

  Everyone was on the edge of their seats now.

  “Tell me what you’ve found. We can talk of history later.” May demanded.

  Hackett turned a laptop’s screen to face her. “I down loaded this from The Seeker’s main frame.” A green planet was centered on the screen. It was not Earth. “It is out past Pluto. Too far off to reach for with the ships we have now.”

  “I’ll fix that soon!” Shianne said, certain of her abilities to reach that goal.

  May just couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She completely trusted those who were telling her these things. “This is real?” She asked, but she knew the answer.