Even as the Valtegan ship did everything it could to slow down in time to turn around and escape it hadn't escaped notice. The Swiss ships that were always patrolling the treaty tunnel had already sent messages to Earth even as they turned towards the alien vessel.

Aboard the Sholan mother ship their advanced sensors picked up the entrance of the vessel and the moment it was identified as the Others they went to battle stations. The Commander was calling orders out as he hurried to his chair on the bridge. Even as the ship was turning towards the enemy's ship fighters were launching and streaking out. For the moment they were going for speed and would drop into stealth once they were much closer. An alert went out over the link with the Barque and fighters on earth.

A number of Terran vessels had reacted as well and the Captain of the Valtegan cruiser was frankly shitting fear pheromones. Then again so was the rest of the crew so it wouldn't be noticed for the moment. Based on the response of the system it was a high tech system as well based on the power readings scattered around not to mention the number of n-drives that suddenly showed up. This was not going to be pretty.

The commander aboard the Mother Ship made one order clear. "Do not destroy the ship. We need information on the others. If needed stand back and pound her till her shields are destroyed and her drives are dead but ensure the ship itself isn't destroyed." Even if the entire crew died they would be able to get a fair amount of information from the bodies. What they really needed was to identify where they had come from.

~~~

Back on the Barque Teolura, Ike, and Amanda were in her suite starting to eat when the alarms went off and all three froze. Moments later the assistant came in and murmured something in Teolura's ear which had her entire attention. "Thank you and keep me updated. If the Commander needs either Ike or me we will be here in my suite." He left to man the comm. terminal so he could keep updated on what was going on.

Ike's eyes hardened as he heard the alerts. "Ambassador what seems to be the issue and please ensure that my comm's aren't blocked. I need to be in constant contact with the authorities." He had already been contacted and was getting his updates as well. Since Amanda was starting to look concerned he wrapped his arm around her and held her as he was talking.

Teolura nodded as she settled down next to Amanda on the other side. She was coming to respect Amanda a great deal and wanted to comfort her. "It appears an enemy ship has appeared in your system. Our Mother Ship has launched fighters and other light combat craft to intercept. They have also shifted orbit and are heading in that direction. Our sensors indicate that several Swiss ships as well as at least a dozen other combatants have also shifted orbit or patrol's to intercept. The alert we received is simply a precaution."

Amanda nodded as she was talking and wrapped an arm around Teolura's as Ike was comforting her. "Thank you for letting me know Teo. I would say isn't this exciting but I would prefer to be at home worrying instead of on a ship that is prepared to leave." For now she was as safe as she could feel between the two. She leaned a bit more against Teolura and closed her eyes and tried to relax now that the alarm had turned off.

~~~

Once they reached their suite and Billy had checked the messages he gave Tasha a good kiss. "Love you and you have no idea how pleased I truly am that you accepted. I will see you tomorrow." *If you want after we are asleep feel free to come in and curl up with us.* She was part of their soon to be marriage as well and deserved to share this evening with them.

Tasha lowered her ears as she returned the kiss. *Thank you Yilly and I will. I want to know what your secret is, all you have to do is something as small as asking me to join you and I feel like a blushing school girl again.* Once she leaned back from the kiss she gave Z'Marl a good kiss and hug as well. "Go enjoy your evening though I might sneak in once your bond has formed. I want to be with the people I love so much."

Z'Marl lowered her ears as well as she returned the kiss. "If we don't find you curled up with us in the morning I am going to be rather upset with you." One last stroke of her hair she turned and walked over to Billy and they walked to the room he and Tasha had taken as theirs. "Good night love."

Once inside Billy turned to her and being careful with his right arm drew her to him and worked his hands under her tabard and stroked the fur on her back. When she tilted her head down for a kiss he met her half way and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the contact. He gently sucked her lip between his and nibbled on it as he kept stroking her fur. Between them he could feel a slight tingle forming similar to what he and Tasha felt on link days but not as strong. He finally opened the catches on her tabard and helped her out of it.

She could feel some of what he wanted and when she felt him want to kiss her she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. When he sucked her lower lip into his mouth and started nibbling small mewls of contentment and pleasure escaped from her. His hands were gently working their way through her fur to all the places on her back that she liked being stroked. Her hands were cupped around his neck and the back of his head as they were kissing.

Billy couldn't help but smile slightly when she resisted moving back to remove the tabard. *Silly woman, can't have more fun if you don't take your cloths off.* Once her tabard was off she returned the favor and helped him out of his.

Now that his skin was exposed her fingers started stroking across his back and shoulders as well. Both simply stood there for some time getting used to the new sensations. For Billy it wasn't near as intense since he was used to it but he knew that for Z'Marl it was going to be very intense. He was going to do his best to take his time before they actually mated to get used to the feelings. Her eyes were already getting heavy with lust and desire from the link. *This drive to mate will be intense but I will give you as much time as possible.*

As he was talking to her mentally a smile crossed his face as she was stroking his back. *It is also going to be strange to you since you will be feeling my reactions as well as yours.* He was working his teeth along her jaw to one ear and lightly nibbled on the lower edge and her mewls were getting stronger. He could feel the surge of desire low in her belly and knew that she would be getting wet by now.

Z'Marl was definitely feeling some serious arousal by now and it seemed like they had barely gotten started. Her eyes were closed as he started working his way to her ear and nibbled. His hands were stroking her lower back though he wasn't touching the base of her tail. She could feel small zings of energy between his fingers, her skin, and the base of her tail. When he actually nibbled on her ear she felt a release of fluid from her tunnel and god she was getting worked up. *Oh damn but I want you between my legs now. This is almost too much but I don't want it over with anytime soon.*

Billy grinned as she sent to him since he was sure she didn't realize it. Instead of responding he slowly moved backwards towards the bed till his legs bumped into it. When they did he deliberately dropped back and pulled her on top of him. "Now I have a kitty where I wanted her. I am going to do my best to drive you to new heights before bringing you down and holding you."

She let out a low growl of desire at his teasing. In revenge she grasped the back of his neck. "Do you remember this? It is my turn now." As he felt his body respond he pulled his head back. She smiled down at him and started licking and nipping the sides of his neck before clamping her jaws around it and applying some pressure.

When she grabbed the back of his neck Billy knew what she was doing as did his Sholan half. He postured for her and had to close his eyes again as she started nipping and licking the delicate skin of his neck. While she was doing this he could feel his body responding even more. When she bit down his erection became even harder if that was possible. Deep in his throat a low growl sounded as well. It was human sounding but it was close enough.

*Now you are mine as I am yours. I have wanted to do this for a while. When you asked me to become one of your life mates I knew I had to do this before we actually had the ceremony.* She started licking his neck where she had bit down before sitting up and damn it she simply couldn't wait anymore. *We have plenty of time later Yilly. Take me now and make us one.* She rolled off him and onto her hands and knees.

Billy didn't need any encouragement beyond that since both were flooding with feelings from the other. When he took her he felt the bond really forming and then they became 'US' and the memories started flowing. When they were done he collapsed on his side and wrapped his arms around her. *And now we are three. I love you my beautiful young lady. Thank you for allowing me into your life Z'Marl.*

She lay there panting as well and rested her arm over one of his that was wrapped around her waist. *By Vartra that was frigging intense. I think I should be the one who should be thanking you Yilly but why don't we both settle for we done good letting each other into our lives. Both you and Satasha make me feel so special. I have never felt this way before and I don't ever want to let it go.* A huge yawn hit her out of nowhere. *I think I need to fall asleep for a while. My brain feels like it was scrambled and then poured back into my head.*

Billy snorted in amusement at that. *Believe me I know the feeling and now I have two sets of female memories to deal with. Sleep well and I will be here when you wake.* He snuggled closer to her and had to smile as the tip of her tail was flicking against the side of one leg. She definitely smelled and felt like one contented female. He quickly drifted off to sleep with her.

~~~

At some point during the night Satasha had come into the room and crawled in with them. Billy was on one side of Z'Marl and Satasha was on the other. Both had their arms curled around her and they were sleeping quite contentedly and it showed. If anyone looked they would see looks of complete relaxation on their faces.

~~~

Dani watched her father and his ladies leave the suite and almost wished she could go with just so she could watch. This was their time though and he had talked to both her and Sally about his intentions. She was pleased but also confused by his actions since in some ways he seemed to be a different person. He had mentioned at one point it had to do with the link but hadn't said much else. At some point she was going to need to sit him down and make him talk to her.

Once they were gone she went to the room she and Z'Marl shared and quickly changed into some nicer cloths. One thing she kept meaning to do was get some clothing made for her. The tabards were fine for summer use but the winter was getting closer and from what she could find it was normally bitter. She had no intentions of freezing her legs off in anyway and needed to look at even leggings for under the tabards if nothing else.

After changing and making sure her hair was nicely styled she called one of her new friends and then left the suite. She was going to be meeting her new friends at the gate of the Telepaths Guild since they weren't telepaths. For some reason she thought that was rather odd but since it was their culture she simply went with it. Walking to the gate she was greeted by a number of the students and she returned the greetings.

In a way the attention was awkward since some of the ones calling greetings were simply because she was one of the Ambassador's daughters. Others were because she was human and they were interested in her for that reason. A tiny slice simply wanted to get to know her. Trying to decide which category they fell into was the hard part so she had pretty much decided to simply not be more than an acquaintance.

When she reached the gate she had to smile since all of them were looking good. The male who had offered her dinner was a tawny color and had been brushed till he gleamed. "My, isn't someone looking his best this evening? Must be meeting a special lady." She couldn't resist teasing him some.

He knew she was teasing him and returned the favor. "She is and I can't wait to get her to dinner and then..." He wiggled his ears at her just because.

The other two Sholan's grinned at the two and Shayo lightly bumped the much smaller Human. "I haven't seen him look this good for a while. I hope you brought a club with to keep the admirers away." The others snickered as well.

Misaki grinned back at Shayo. "Hah, I am the one that will need a club silly female." He moved over to Dani and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "If this or anything we do make you uncomfortable please tell me. You have been starting to fit in and sometimes I forget and simply react."

Dani had to grin at him and leaned against him. "I will and thanks for checking. So where are we going? The Green Goddess is off limits since my daddy is taking his bondmate and companion there for a meal out." She had to roll her eyes when she said that.

Misaki let a slow smile cross his face. "I am glad they are getting a chance to get out though I am sure they are going to get a fair amount of attention." When she rolled her eyes he tilted his head and flicked an ear at her. "Why the eye thing?"

Dani snorted at his question. "Because they keep acting like kids our age, well Z'Marl is but Tasha is older. It is just disturbing walking into the living area finding them necking and making out." She grumbled as she was saying that.

Shayo started snickering at her expressions as she talked about her father and his ladies. "That is too cute and it would be fun to see." Just for good measure she made a cute face and pretended to squee.

The third guy laughed and bumped Shayo before wrapping an arm around Shayo. "You are just jealous since your parents are horribly stuffy and old fashioned." He liked her parents and was teasing her though they were rather reserved.

She laughed back before answering Dani. "There is a small eatery that we really enjoy. Instead of the normal meals of things like Parnon fried fish or something Chidoe based with some sort of grain it is finger foods. Meat on sticks, fried cheeses, fresh fruits. It is really good and has some great dipping sauces. It is called Kitty Picken's."

Dani was making appreciative sounds till the name came up and she narrowed her eyes and looked rather suspicious. "I am not sure I am buying the name. The food sounds good but the name? I think I will wait till we get there."

Mizaki couldn't help but snicker. "That is fairly close to your language. The complete interpretation is Feline Frenzy." He had to shrug since the name was rather odd but what could you say.

She shook her head and eventually they did arrive and she had to chuckle at the name. Both were close and it was really amusing. When a young male came out he froze for a moment when he noticed Dani and his eyes widened and his ears twitched. "Good evening Dajana and Dajan if you will follow me please?" He grabbed some menus and scurried off to a table off to one side and waited for them to sit down. "Would you like anything to drink?" Once he had the order he scurried off again.

Dani sighed. "In fifteen seconds or less there will be the manager, and then soon after the owner if he isn't the manager." Sometimes being the new 'aliens' was a pain in the ass. She shrugged. "At least I don't have the crowds daddy has. So far he has managed to dodge the new services due to 'medical issues' but he won't be able to do that for much longer."

As she had expected within just a few moments a rather ruffled looking male and a rather chubby female came out. They were carrying the drinks out with them. "Good evening and we are very pleased that you have chosen our little establishment for dinner. If you don't mind our asking how is your father doing? He is looking so much better than when all of you arrived."

Dani couldn't resist and leaned slightly against Mizaki. "Mizaki invited me out for a meal and recommended this place." She smiled up at him as he wrapped his arm around her. When they asked how her father was she couldn't help but grin. "Well considering how active he has been he is doing much better. I think he is making up for all the time he lost being in the bed." She reached over and lightly rested her hand on the woman's. "Thank you for asking. He had all of us worried till he came out of the initial surgery."

Mizaki gave her a good hug and smiled at the couple. "We decided to drag her out and show her how we party and relax. I figured it would be good for her to get out for an evening and blow off some steam. That and since her father and his ladies are out for the evening as well we could play and have fun without his worrying." He had to tease her a bit.

The woman couldn't help but give her a warm look. "Well we will make sure the meal he offered you is the best." Just for good measure she gave Dani a knowing wink.

The male gave her a pleasant nod as well as he was passing the drinks out. "We are pleased that he is doing well. The news has been so erratic that it has been hard to know what is true or not. In any case I am sure you have had your ears talked off by curious people like my mate. Enjoy your meal and if you need anything please just ask."

The female laughed at him as he teased her. "Please enjoy and we will do our best to keep the attention off of you." They left and the next server was a young female.

Dani settled for leaning against Mizaki and let him order. Once everything was ordered she took a sip of her drink and started asking questions about his family. It was rather obvious that she was keeping from talking about her father or the two ladies in his life. When one of them asked about it she shrugged. "I am not sure just how much information I can give out and especially in relation to Satasha and Z'Marl. I can tell you about Earth and where I grew up but I just don't know what I can say from when Daddy was shot." She had to shiver when she said that.

Mizaki leaned over and stroked her cheek with the back of a finger. "Say what you feel you can and tell us if you aren't comfortable." He leaned over and lightly nuzzled her cheek as well. "Would you like to curl up in my lap? Relax and cuddle for comfort. I can't imagine the worry you felt." He held his arms out.

Dani lightly rubbed against his finger and the nuzzle and gave him a shy smile. "I have grown to enjoy cuddling with you warm and furry kitties." She slid over to his lap and leaned back against his chest. "Thank you Mizaki I appreciate it. I can get cuddles at home but most of the males are claimed or just a wee bit too young. Kingie's little brother is a cutie but just a bit small to sit in his lap."

Everyone snickered at that and they were talking about the classes they were taking when the food came out. All of them lifted their noses and sniffed. As far as Dani was concerned everything smelled and looked good. Both had filled up some plates of the finger foods and little dabs of the sauces.

When he offered her a piece of something with a purple sauce she took it and puckered for a moment. The purple sauce was definitely sour but the bite dipped into the sauce was sweet. "That was good, the pucker almost got me you beast." Just for good measure she pretended to hit him in the chest.
The others laughed at both of them and settled back to eat. Dani didn't talk a great deal and mostly listened to the others. She was definitely comfortable in his lap and he smelled good. Dani was also learning about them and subjects they found interesting. She would occasionally ask questions and add her opinion just so they knew she was still awake.

Once they were done and paid she was getting ready to get up when a breaking news report caught her attention and she groaned. "Can you turn that up please?" She called out to one of the staff.

On the viewer was a well dressed Sholan female. "Thanks for tuning into InfoNet news. We have a breaking story that the Terran Ambassador was at the Green Goddess eatery this evening. He confirmed that he has asked his current bondmate to be his life mate and another lady to be their Third as a triad partner. We have known about the bonding contract between the two but one thing that hadn't been announce is they are Leska's. He confirmed this with a brief comment as the three left the eatery. Here is another replay of the brief comment he made."

The screen cut to the brief moment that Billy was speaking and it also showed Tasha and Z'Marl. Z'Marl was looking very shy and absolutely darling. The male and female who had talked to them were standing there looking at the viewer as well and the lady couldn't help it. "The young lady is very pretty and looks so happy." She leaned against her mate.

Dani couldn't help but grin slightly. "She is a lovely person but don't let that shy innocent look distract you. It hides a brain that is incredible. Z'Marl can actually understand my father when he talks math and the physics of hyper space. Tasha calls it 'geek foreplay'." She had to giggle when she said it since Tasha tended to grumble at them about being too damn smart for their own good.

Mizaki nibbled her ear just to tease her. "You are forgetting that you make all of us look rather normal yourself. Maybe we can have some medical geek speak foreplay tonight." His voice was a low murmur as well.

Dani twitched from his nibble and growled at him. "You are definitely a beast." She winked at him. "I will consider it. Now I want to go dancing and pretend my daddy didn't just play the new services." She knew he was still very angry at Tasha's pregnancy getting out even if it was to a very select group. Dani didn't blame him either. She would have been pissed as well.

With a number of compliments they left the place and headed towards the club section. "One drink for me and then non-alcoholic drinks." She wasn't worried about his taking advantage of her but she wanted to have a clear mind when she made the decision.

Mizaki tried to look dejected. "Well shoot, that means I will actually have to work to seduce you into my bed." He heaved a huge sigh of annoyance.

All of them laughed at him as they were walking down the street and finally found a club that looked interesting and headed in. They didn't stay to long since as Dani attracted attention they moved on. Eventually it was getting late and Dani was getting tired of the attention. "I think I am about done with all this mess. I would enjoy going to your place and relax." The longer the night had gone on the closer she had been drawn to him.

By now most of them were sweating slightly and his scent was stronger than it had been. There was a definite maleness to the scent and she found it very interesting. Though slightly damp his fur was very soft as well. "You might even be able to convince me for a bit of fun as well big boy."

He looked down at her and his eyes appeared to be glowing slightly and there was definite interest. "I rather like the sounds of that Dani. As I said earlier I will stop if you want when you want." Her scent was more intense as well and it was attractive and arousing. He nodded at the other two and headed towards a public air car location. In the bar district they were scattered around so people didn't have to wait.

The two of them slowly walked to the air car spot and finally found one that was free. Since Mizaki knew where they were going he gave the address. While he was doing that Dani called and left a message for her father that she was spending the night with her friend. She had already provided the contact info earlier so her father didn't have to worry. Once they climbed into the air car and lifted off she snuggled up against him. She was enjoying the warmth low in her abdomen since she had already made up her mind on what was going to happen.

From a shadow a figure was watching the two youngsters as they were walking along and obviously enjoying their company. Once they climbed into the air car the person flicked something towards the air car and turned and faded into the shadows.

~~~ The Valtagen's

In the Earth system the enemy ship was still slowing as much as possible but they could already tell it was going to be a losing case. "General Quarters now. Man all weapons and prepare for battle." It probably should have been done sooner but to be honest it was a moot point. The sound of the alert could be heard throughout the ship. Since they were already at a modified security level it didn't take very long to get to full GQ.

One of the ships that had been approaching vanished into hyper and appeared on the far side of them. Several of the craft from the enemy ship kept sliding out of sensor lock. To be honest he had never seen stealth this good before and until they approached close active scanner range they weren't going to be able to track them.

"Sssir we are approaching range of one of the light warships. What are your orders?" The nav tech called out. This war ship came from behind one of the planets they were passing.

"Fire at will. We have virtually no chance of getting out of here alive so fire on anything that might have value." If they were going to go down they might as well destroy as much as possible. "Prepare the data drone and download as much information as possible on this system. Launch it prior to destruction and set it for silent running for two days and then to translate out."

"Already in progress sir, updating programming now." The non-retractile claws could be heard tapping away on the keyboard. The gunnery officer had told the weapons stations that they were free to fire on any target available but to focus on installations and enemy warships. Once he had freed the weapons the feel of missiles and energy weapons being fired could be felt.

The missiles on the side of the ship closest to the other combatant were aimed at them as well as the energy weapons. The missiles on the far side were aimed at installations. Once fired they accelerated to high speed and then the drive would shut down only to activate for the final run. The energy weapons were much shorter range but were easier to deploy and use. At close range the beams were hard to deflect for similar sized warships.

As soon as they started firing the other warship did as well though it did a maneuver they hadn't seen before. It started spinning on its axis. "Sir, not sure what they are doing with that. Presumptive guess is that it is a way to protect their shields." The tech was updating the plot when suddenly a number of missiles appeared. "Ssir I stand corrected. It allows them to throw a heavier missile strength. Based on readings the missiles are not as capable as ours are."

"Good. Continue firing on whatever is..." The ship shuddered as a beam struck the shield. "Where did that come from and try firing a missile or beam along its path." The ship shuddered again as a warhead detonated from a standoff range of less than twenty thousand kilometers. The missile detonated behind the ship and bomb pumped x-rays impacted on the shields.

"Damage control reports aft shields heavily damaged and damage to one engine. Speed dropping." Another crew member called out.

~~~ Terran and Sholan ships

The Sholan fighters had streaked off the Mother Ship even as it was starting to shift orbit. They had contacted the local sky control for a path out even as they had started moving. The fighters were moving at high speed till their stealth was borderline functional. As they approached the vessel they would slow down to improve the stealth.

As they were moving out their sensors already started picking up weapons fire. They were also picking up the missiles fired and the commander had to frown at the plot for a few moments before he started swearing. "Fighters three through seven target the missiles on heading... They are aimed at a civilian population habitat. If even one of them hits the destruction will be massive. Do anything needed to protect all noncom habitats targeted. Launch all fighters and heavy assault craft."

The ship turned into a massive hive of activity as ship after ship was launched. It wasn't a carrier craft in anyway but considering the size as a forward capitol ship she had a large capacity. As the ships were arching out the commander moved forward to a large open space at the front of the bridge. "Activate the holo projectors." This was where the Sholan tech was at its best. As the projectors came up the system linked with his implant and data started scrolling past his eyes.

As his eyes flicked back and forth the implant was picking up the movement of all the muscles around his eyes. Targets were being assigned, prioritized; ships were detailed to attack parts of the enemy's vessel and other ships to provide protection. This was what he had been trained for and excelled at. There was a feral glow to his eyes and his tail was twitching as if he was hunting and almost ready to pounce.

One of the medium sized warships from the Swiss intercepted the freighter which had come in screaming they were being attacked. They had been given specific instructions on their flight path and where to park. At the moment nobody was going to take any chances on anyone getting close to earth. For all they knew the ship had been taken over and was filled with explosives that could damage a good portion of the Earth.

The Terran vessel that was attempting to intercept the alien vessel was having a hard time of it. They were only somewhat larger than a system patrol boat. They had been ordered in and that was what they were going to be doing. The OIC of that ship was doing everything he could but he knew that chances were very good they weren't going to make it. He was going to do his best.

~~~

"Now dog remember that you are dead and I have authorization to do anything to you I wish. I could have you castrated with a dull knife if I want to. You belong to me. The only thing I have been told not to do is to damage that pretty face and the perverted brain behind it. We are going to be picking every last bit of information from you." The officer had a very contented expression on his face. "Time for his bath gentlemen."

Two men next to him turned the fire hose on and gave him a good shower of cold water. Just for good measure they were careful not to hurt him but they did alternate the pressure and rolled him around the cell. Down the hall all of dead pirates were getting similar treatments. When the officer gestured they turned the water off. "Now dog you are going to put on these nice pretty paper uniform pants and shirt. Before you get any wild ideas of hanging yourself these will tear if you fart to hard."

The pirate stood up and screamed at him. "Stop calling me dog you mange ridden fleabag." Even though he was on meds he was still pretty much certifiable. It would take time to break him even with the very carefully orchestrated efforts.

"I will call you what I want and I have decided to call you dog because that is what you are." The pirate had been punished by being left in a nasty filthy dog kennel when he had been a child. He had started killing dogs in revenge and had an almost pathological rage against them. One thing that he valued was loyalty and that would be undermined by having one or two of his most 'loyal' crew appear to give up critical information. He hated having to do this but he was capable of doing virtually anything to protect his country and still sleep like a baby at night.

~~~

Dr. Desjean had finished reviewing the scans done on Amanda and had settled back in the new chair in her office. With the scan showing in her HUD she was manipulating the images to see what was showing as wrong. As she zoomed in and out she was making mental notes of the problems and how they could resolve the issue. She had sent the scans to the surgeon on the ship that had done the initial work on Billy for his opinion as well.

Since they were going to be at an alert status she decided to see if Amanda wanted to talk. She grabbed a portable 3D viewer and headed out. Before she went to the Ambassador's quarters she headed to the rooms the four humans were in. She signaled before entering. All four ladies were curled up on two beds and were looking very concerned which was why she came by.

Dr. Desjean gave them a comforting smile. "Relax ladies this doesn't have anything to do with you. I can't really say what it is about since I don't have all the details. I can say that it doesn't have anything to do with the pirates or a threat to the four of you. I can understand how this might scare you but right now we have two fighters hovering over us to protect us. I need to go and talk to the Ambassador but I wanted to stop and make sure you didn't worry."

Bitty stood and came over and gave Desjean a good hug. "Thanks for that and we will be fine. If all else fails we will have our token warrior brush our hair. He isn't as good as Kingie but does an adequate job." They both got a snort from the male sitting at a small table.

Dr. Desjean grinned and returned the hug. "Try not to drive them to crazy. I would hate to have to give them, what do you call it, a hug you coat?" She had heard of it from someone but wasn't totally sure what it mean.

Savanna snickered. "The term is a hug me jacket and is from many years ago when they used them on violent mental patients till they calmed down." The warrior rolled his eyes again and the other women giggled.

Dr. Desjean snickered and then left the rooms and headed towards the Ambassador's suite. As she was heading there she was receiving updates from her staff. Even though they most likely weren't going to have to fight or run they were double checking medical. They were also setting it up for injuries as well but again chances were good they wouldn't need it.

She stepped into the assistant's entrance and smiled. "Good afternoon, I do believe the Ambassador is in her rooms with Amanda and Ike. Can you please check and see if they have some time? I have some information for Amanda." She settled down when he told her he needed a few moments.

He finished sending the message he had to the queue to be uploaded to mother ship when she came back. Right now there was a communication blackout during the battle. Once he had finished that he sent a brief message to Teolura and waited for her to reply.

Inside her suite she received the message and reviewed it and nibbled on a claw before doing anything. She finally turned to Amanda and Ike. "Dr. Desjean would like to speak with the two of you if you have some time. She has some preliminary results for you."

Ike turned to Amanda. "Do it Hun, if she can help let her." He took her hands in his and pressed his lips to them. "I know how much your hip bothers you even during your good times. Please babydoll let her tell us what she found." He put as much emotion in his eyes as he could as he was talking to her.

She had tensed up till he took her hands. Amanda turned to him and could see how much he wanted her to do it. "This will be the last time Ike. I will listen to her and do my best to keep an open mind but I simply can't keep hoping someone has some fix." She nodded at Teolura.

She let her assistant know to let the doctor in. When she came in she smiled at everyone. "Thank you for seeing me ma'am." She settled down and set out the display unit. "I do have some positive information for you. The question I have is do you want a detailed explanation or a simple description?"

Amanda settled against her husband and considered the question. She had a fairly good knowledge of what was wrong and had seen all the various x-rays and scans. "A middle ground please. Not to basic but not to detailed either."

Dr. Desjean nodded and activated the imager she had set up. "First I am going to call up a skeletal view of your injury. This is based on what I scanned this morning. Once I have done that and explained what I am seeing I will superimpose what the skeletal structure of a female of a similar size and age." As she was doing that she pulled the scan up.

"I am sure you have seen this before and probably with a close degree of detail. I have filtered out a fair amount of details that you simply don't need and would only distract from what I am going to show you. I do have to say based on my knowledge of your level of medical technology the surgeons that did the work on you were very good. Having said that we have access to medical procedures and knowledge you don't yet. As of right now your right pelvic girdle is damaged here, here, and shifted here. The hip socket has been damaged and your femur was severely damaged and has both a artificial hip joint as well as more metal than bone."

"Here is a normalized pelvic girdle and femur that is within two point five percent of similarity to you. This is something I downloaded from a medical database we have been given access to. The pelvic girdle is an amalgamation of several thousand scans to come up with a good standard. I am going to superimpose it and you can see how even with the reconstruction it is not lining up correctly..." She went on to describe the differences. "Do you have any questions?"

Amanda couldn't help but be impressed with details and leaned forward as best possible as Dr. Desjean explained what they were seeing. Once it was done she leaned back. "You said that you felt you could help me. In what way and how much? What sort of improvement might I be looking at?"

Dr. Desjean held her hand out and waggled it slightly. "Please keep in mind that I am what you would call a general practitioner and not a specialist. Right now you are approximate what I would call sixty percent of normal and most likely have some sort of chronic pain. Without having you seen by a specialist I would say we could probably get you to somewhere around eighty percent normal. By correcting some of the tilts and other alignment issues a goodly portion of the chronic pain would be relieved as well. We do have a specialist aboard the mother ship and I would need to refer you to see him for further information."

Ike listened as well since he had been to a number of her doctor appointments. He did his best to keep his face neutral and composed. The more he listened the more hope he had that something could be done. It had been many years since she had been injured and it had been very hard on him watching the love of his life in pain. Moving was hard and she needed to be on some strong pain meds at times for the pain. Once the doctor was done he turned and pressed one hand against her cheek. "Amanda please listen to her and go. Go to the mother ship, see the specialist, and take a chance. Please love do that and for both of us."

Amanda looked at him and met his eyes. She knew that she had been extremely lucky that he had stayed with her. It had caused a number of side effects that impacted on the marriage and especially in bed. Many times it was hard for her to be physically comfortable with taking care of both of their needs. That was one reason why she had really gotten into the charity circuit. She was well known for organizing charity balls, parties, and dinners. "I would like to talk to you in private Ike before I say anything. I will consider this and I am not using this to say no but I need to talk to you first."
He leaned forward and gave her one of the rare public kisses. Granted he was only in front of the two Sholan's but that was simply the way he was. More than holding hands or walking arm in arm simply didn't happen unless they were doing something like a romantic meal.

~~~ Aboard the Sholan Mother ship

The commander was tapped into the holoprojectors and there were only two others as well. The navigator and tactical officers, they took the information from the commander and passed the orders. As the ship was surging out of orbit and accelerating the system boat was destroyed. Orders were immediately sent to some of the heavy transports for a SAR mission.

It was going to take some time for the mother ship to arrive simply due to the size and mass of the ship. Granted she was able to move much faster than an equivalent Terran ship but compared to the fighters and fast attack shuttles it was still slow. In the holo pit icon's indicating the fighters and other vessels were streaking forward at the highest safe speed possible.

As additional information was coming in from the fighters the display was being updated on all the other ship traffic in system. As far as the combatants he wasn't nearly as concerned as he was for the civilians. He might be in the space arm but he had started as a warrior and found it suited him. They were trained as fighters and protectors. He would do his best to protect his crew but they knew and understood he would send them in to save civilians. That was their job and they trusted him to spend their lives wisely if he was forced to.

The commander moved around the entire holo pit and looked at the action from all angles. He contemplated the trajectories of all the ships to see if this might be in a trap. The terran's didn't know of this aspect of the tech and they wouldn't till the Sholan's felt they could trust them. The only other member of the Alliance that knew was the Toubians since they were the Alliance electronics and computer specialists. They had helped design the system as well as the implants that interfaced with it.

~~~ The Valtegan ship

When the light combatant was destroyed the captain of the Valtegan ship didn't even think twice as he kept issuing orders. Shortly after that they focused on the next ship that was approaching. Now he was just trying to cause as much widespread damage as possible. He was trying to balance using his missiles to cause the most damage while keeping enough for protection.

"Bring us another three degree's to solar north and program in a random jump away from here. If all else fails we will distract them enough to get the drones off." He called for another slew of missiles to be fired off at the civilian habitats before they turned to the next warship. This was going to be a more difficult kill since it was larger though not nearly as large as they were.

Another strike hit home and the ship shuddered. For a brief moment the lights flickered and the ship slowed before the power came back on. "Captain strike on the port power room, the fusion bottle is still functioning but the compartment is exposed to space. Half the crew in the compartment have been killed or wounded. Damage Control is responding."

"Good, send all further updates to my console unless urgent. I need to focus." He called out several more commands and both energy weapons and missiles flashed out towards the next warship. All the data gathered was being entered into the drone the ship shuddered again. "What the hell was that?" The officer screamed.

Right as he screamed out the demand for answers the power flickered again and then as a surge went through panels started exploding. "Unknown vessel fired from a close distance, the energy beam impacted on a drive pylon and the engine is offline and there is severe structural damage." The office was trying to clear a number of alarms to see if he could narrow down the actual damage. Before he could do that the ship shuddered again.

This time the power went off and emergency power came on. Thankfully the circuit breakers had stopped much of the surge but the damage to the systems was extensive. Several of the crew on the bridge was dead while others were incapacitated. "Launch the drones and set them to remain inactive till such time as there aren't any drive signatures close by."

As he was screaming out additional orders there was a flurry of energy beams that came in and all power was lost. "Activate the scuttling charges and..." The officer looked around the bridge and he and one other crewmember was left moving. At this point he knew all was lost and he wasn't going to be able to do much else.

He struggled out his chair and staggered to a hidden panel and tried to open it. It was jammed so he pulled his pistol and started pounding on the panel to try and open it. He was finally able to get it open and started stabbing in the destruct code. There weren't any power indicators but that didn't mean anything. Now he was going to have to try and make it to engineering just in case this panel was dead.

~~~

Once the battle was over the entire system was in shock. One habitat had been destroyed at the cost of millions of lives. Out of approximately three million workers, tourists, and families less than two hundred and fifty thousand had made it to the shelters in time. The rest had died from the warhead explosion, exposure to vacuum, or power and life support systems failing.

The mother ship was one of the first major ships on site and Earth had a front row seat on how they responded. Even though there wasn't a formal treaty in place they went all out to help with rescue and recovery. Their small craft were busy with carrying troops, medics, doctors, SAR staff, and anyone else needed from other habitats and Earth.

In the command suite the commander was listening to the After Action Report and it was grim. They had lost a fair number of troops when they boarded the enemy ship. For some reason the enemy seemed to go nuts after being captured. For some reason when exposed to the Sholan's they went crazy. Nothing stopped them from trying to kill as many as possible. As of now there were only a very few left alive and most of those were going to die. The ship was badly damaged and had severe damage internally but chances were good they some information from it.

Any information would be good since it would be more than they currently had. Even the corpses of enemy would give them good information. They had lost several fighters as well and the total loss and injured between the Sholan's and Terran's was somewhat over two hundred soldiers and warriors. Compared to the number of civilians it was barely a blip.

~~~

Dani and Mizaki climbed out of the air car and slowly wandered into the small apartment he rented. He had his arm around her and her arm was around his waist as they talked and giggled at each other. From a distance they looked like any other young couple coming home after an enjoyable evening. Before they walked into his apartment she turned and pulled him into a kiss and it wasn't chaste.

"I think I might just do more than cuddle with you." She rubbed her nose against his chest. "And you smell yummy and your fur is so soft and warm." Having his strong arms wrapped around her made her feel safe for the first time in a long time.

"We will take it one step at a time Dani." His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close and rested his head on hers. "Well depending on which way you meant yummy that might be either a compliment or a concern." Mizaki gave her a light squeeze. "You are soft and warm yourself, shall we go in and relax?"

He pressed his hand against the lock and the door opened and he stepped back slightly and let her in. "It is small but it works for me. The bed is really comfortable..." He had stepped up behind her and nuzzled her hair before nibbling on her neck.

Dani started giggling as he was nibbling. "That tickles you silly boy." She leaned back against him and could feel the fire starting. Small moans started as well and when she turned around in his arms she opened his tabard and started running her hands through his fur. "I think I would like to see your bedroom." She stepped back and unsealed her tabard and let it drop. Underneath all she had on were her panties.

Mizaki nibbled up her neck before licking her ear. He could smell her arousal and it fascinated him. As they touched he was starting to feel slight zings and tingles traveling between the two of them. "As you wish milady." When she dropped her tabard on the floor he couldn't help but start getting aroused himself.

They moved towards his bedroom and stood there touching and kissing for some time, how long neither knew. The longer they touched and stroked the higher they went. Eventually he laid her down on the bed and started nibbling and licking his way up her body. The two of them were lost in the sensations that were flowing between them. When they finally coupled the memories started flowing between them.

~~~

The shadow checked the transponder he had flicked at the public aircar and found it was working. He moved further back into the shadows. Once he was sure he hadn't been noticed he slipped away and headed towards a public parking area. The vehicle he climbed into was a public rental vehicle and had been paid for with an alternate ID. Once inside he slid the activation card into the slot and pulled away. The small tracking pad went into a fitting on the dash and he pulled away.

For the moment he wasn't concerned about losing the two since he had been following all four youngsters. They had been talking about possibly having a bit of fun and he already had the young male's address. Once he was in the air he followed the tracker and after verifying they weren't moving he settled down at a nearby diner. For the moment his instructions were simply to follow the human and nothing else. When he settled down at the counter he called for a cshar and some stew.

Everything was going fine till he, as well as a number of others, felt the surge of power. His eyes almost bugged out and he could feel all the fur on his body stand up. It was as if a static charge had hit his body and he knew something had happened. After tossing a number of coins on the counter he stood and walked out of the diner. The moment he was in the shadows he started running as if ice demons were on his tail.

By the time he arrived he knew what had happened since the raw sex was pouring out of the small place. "Vartra's Bones this isn't good." He swore under his breath. He pulled his comm. out and placed a call. "Zulu three cshar Vartra Vartra eight, connect me to the guild leader stat. This is an emergency."

It only took a moment before the line was picked up. "What are you reporting Brother? Do you need back up?" The voice was calm and collected.

"Telepathic emergency at my location, it was the human daughter and Sholan male. It appears we have another Leska link." He was trying to smooth his fur down and he might have to go and find a willing female when done. "I can feel the surge of power and they will be impacting on anyone nearby. Get support here stat." He disconnected and moved further into the shadows. His comm. was indicating that there were already vehicles enroute to this location.

~~~

Both the Telepathic Guild Master and the Leska Tutor were awakened at the same time by one of the Sholan Leska partners. *There has been a Leska bonding and based on the signature it is another mixed Leska bonding. We have contacted the accommodation house as well as the guild security to identify who this might be. The location appears to be... We are trying to place some shielding around the pair till you can get a team on sight.*

Billy and Vangie had come up with a good date for them to meet the boy who was being hunted by Signey. It was two days after Billy's

Plots to continue

-Ike and Amanda - their relationship with the Ambassador as well as Amanda getting some repairs

-The ladies request for treatment on Shola

-What happens with the pirate commander and remains of his ships that escaped

-What happens with the light cruiser that ended up in the terran system

-Something about the enemy picking up survivors for interrogation

-Billy and Vangie meet boy interested in Signey

-Kingie and Crystal's date night

-Billy talks to priest of Vartra about the announcement

-Dani and her evening out?

-report on Amanda

-start planning temple wedding

-Need to do something with Satasha and her family as well as Z'Marl's family

-Sholan board of Naval Design asks Billy to help improve the engines and tech for the terran fleet