Star Dancer

Chapter 2

 

            The next morning was a pleasant one for Ian; waking up in Beth's king size bed with a beautiful woman snuggled up and sleeping on each side of him. ‘It just doesn't get much better than this’ he thought to himself.

He gently leaned over and kissed Beth softly on the lips, she woke smiling and purring against his side. He did the same to Cindy. She opened her eyes and softly said, "This makes even getting up in the morning worth it."

"Well, we need to get up; you two need to get to school and I need to start making arrangements for my patients," Beth said.

            "I know we need to get up, but I really would prefer to stay right here, like this, with both of you all day," Ian said pulling the women closer to him.

            "He says the sweetest things, doesn't he?" Cindy said to Beth.

            "Yes, he does and as much as I share the feeling; we have responsibilities. We'll make time for a honeymoon later. Now; let’s get this day over with," Beth said and getting out of bed; walked to her bathroom. Ian and Cindy also got up and went to their own rooms to begin the day.

 

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            Ian and Cindy rode to school together, as they always did. When Ian pulled into the parking spot, Cindy sighed. "You know how hard it's gonna be seein' you all day and not be able to touch you? God, I love you so much Ian, it hurts."

            "I know love. I feel the same way, but we need to do this. Meet me back here at lunch and we'll go out, ok?" Ian suggested.

            "That would be great! See you then!" she squeezed his hand because her friends were walking toward the car.

            "Remember the story, love; Mom got a job and we're moving. Remember to get close to as many people as you can so Oly can scan for the other Talosian," Ian reminded her.

            She grinned, "Yes sir, Captain, sir!" She winked at him and got out of the car.

            Ian got out, locked the doors and walked into the school. When he got to his locker, he saw Jenny walking toward him. His smile grew and he waved to her. She grinned back as she closed the remaining distance.

            "Hey Dagwood, you look like you had a good weekend!" She said as she stepped up to him.

            He had a sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her. "Naw, just seein' you first thing even makes Monday mornings worth it." He grinned back at her; beside his image of her a red message appeared. "Talosian DNA 98.997% THIS is the other person! - Oly" Ian managed to keep his facial expression the same, but he wanted to jump for joy. Now he only had to figure out how to recruit her.

            "Boy you are full of yourself today, what happened this weekend that got you in such a good mood, or did you forget about finals this week?" Her smile was warm, and her eyes twinkled.

            "You know Blondie, you're just gonna have to come over tonight so I can tell you all about it. There’s way too much to get into now, and you’re never going to believe it, but I promise; you’re gonna love this!" He said. "Oh! By the way, I promised to take Cindy out to lunch today, think you can live without me for one day?"

"Gee, I don't know, I mean I had to go all weekend with out you, how will I take another day?" She said, grinning.

They turned and walked into class. She kept looking at his face; something about him had changed. She had a pretty good idea what, and it hurt to think about it. She held her opinion to herself and walked with him to their first test of the day. She had been looking forward to being with him at lunch.

 

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Lunchtime rolled around and Ian knew he had been doing well on his tests; Oly had supplied the correct answer whenever he got into a jam, which really wasn't that often. He only wished that Jenny had his help too. She had been really nervous about a couple of the tests. Ian knew better however, she knew the material probably better then he did. He walked out to the car to see Cindy waiting for him. She seemed really excited, so he hurried.

"What are you so jazzed about?" He asked her.

"You found the other one?" She asked.

He nodded, unlocked her door and opened it for her; the same as he always did. He turned and saw Jenny watching him; she waved, so he waved back smiling.

He got in the car, and closed the door. "Yes I did, it's Jenny! She's 99%! I asked her over tonight, so we could recruit her, but I think we should look at her parents too. He's a computer programmer and she is a manager for a shipping company."

Ian started the car, and backed out. He noticed that Jenny was still watching, an almost sad look on her face. He felt his heart twist, and sighed, he would explain it all to her tonight.

Cindy brought her watch to her mouth, "Text only; Cadet Williams to CMO; Jenny is the other Talosian! Ian is bringing her home tonight to talk to her. I love you, more later." She grinned at Ian, "I bet Beth was just dying of curiosity, Oly didn't tell us who it was, just that you'd found her.”

"He probably didn't know her name at the time. How's your testing going?" Ian asked her.

"Good, having Oly helping is a big plus. But I think I still would have passed without him, he only caught 5 wrong answers. He isn't telling me what the right answers are, just telling me when I'm wrong. I really like that," she said.

Ian drove to McDonald's and went through the drive through, then drove to a park. They got out, sat at a picnic table and ate. Anyone who saw them could tell they were deeply in love.

“You know Cin, I think I might have been wrong about Beth.” Ian said.

“Huh? You mean you don’t want her as a lover?” She asked, startled.

“Uh, no, I mean, yes I do! Very much! I meant I think I was wrong about limiting the amount of knowledge I let Oly give her. I think if I explained to her that she can’t start treating people here with Talosian medical knowledge, she would understand.”

“I still don’t agree that would be a bad thing. But you’re right about her; she won’t do anything to put us in danger,” Cindy replied.

“Okay, I’ll have Oly give her the full dose tonight,” Ian said. “Now I only have to worry about Jenny.”

Chuckling, Cindy said, “You worry too much.”

When they finished their lunch, they had about 5 minutes to get back for the next class; he leaned over, and kissed her softly. Then started the car, and drove back to school. When they pulled up, he saw Jenny sitting by herself, studying on the steps. He sighed again. Cindy noticed, just as she had noticed Jenny's expression when they left. She liked Jenny, she didn't know her all that well, but she seemed nice enough. Cindy had also known that Jenny was head-over-heels in love with Ian, and that Ian had been totally clueless about it, even though he was in love with her too. She felt a moment's jealousy, but quickly suppressed it. She was determined to give the other young woman a chance. She owed her brother that much, plus, Jenny is really cute.

 

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            The rest of the day went pretty much the same as the morning. Finals for their school would actually be completed today. A half-day tomorrow, to turn in books, and say good byes, and the school year was officially over. Graduation for Ian would be this Friday night. Cindy's report card would arrive in the mail sometime next week. Ian felt relieved. As he headed back to his locker, a message from Oly appeared across his vision: "Congratulations Captain. Your have completed your school, and I estimate your G.P.A. to be 3.98. Well Done." - Oly

 

Jenny caught up with him after they left the classroom, "So, how'd you think you did?"

"I feel pretty good about it. I know I knew the answers, so I just relaxed and answered the questions, just like every other test we've taken. How do you think you did?" Ian asked.

She sighed, "I think I did ok, I mean, I'm pretty nervous about a few of the tests, but I think I did ok."

"Come on! The only person in this school who knew the stuff better then me is you! I'm sure you did pretty well; I've never seen you get less then an A on any test we've ever taken since the second grade! Relax! Look, come home with us tonight, we'll lounge around; maybe take a swim, and un-plug. We're out of school! It's time to relax a little." Ian tried to re-assure her.

"You bet I'm coming over! I wanna hear about this weekend! You promised!" She teased. Ian had never broken a promise: to anyone.

"Yes I did. So, we'll swing by your place, grab your suit, and let your folks know what's going on, then head for my place. Sound good?" Ian asked. He knew she loved to swim, but her parents never got a pool, so she came over as often as she could to use Ian's.

"Yes it does, let me drop these in my locker and I'll meet you at your car, ok?"

"Okay!" Ian replied as she trotted off to her locker. Ian watched her cute butt wiggle down the hallway and shook his head; he really hoped this would work.

He dropped off his books and headed for the car. He saw Cindy sitting on the hood, waiting for him. He waved to her, she smiled and waved back. He walked up, and as he unlocked her door he said quietly, "Hi, lover."

Her grin got bigger, "Hi yourself. Is Jenny joining us?"

"Yep, she's coming now so watch yourself," Ian replied. She reached across, unlocked his door, and then crawled into the back seat.

"This would be more fun if you were back here with me!" she whispered. He gave her a shocked glare as he stood beside the door waiting for Jenny. He held the door for her as she got into the front seat. He closed it, and jogged around to his door.

"Hi Cindy, How've you been?" Jenny asked. She turned to look at the younger girl in the back seat.

"Good Jenny, been a great weekend!" Cindy smiled back at her. Cindy knew it was not just a formality with Jenny, she honestly wanted to know how she was doing. It was one of the things Cindy liked about the tall blonde, she was real; she never mouthed words, she never 'paid lip-service'.

"Damn! You too? Ian has been floating around all day as well, but won't tell me squat! I hope it's catchy, I always get stressed over tests." Jenny smiled.

Ian had gotten in the car by then and looked at her; "That's because you never just relax and let it happen. You either know the material, or you don't. You always know the material." He started the car, and backed out of the parking spot.

"What, now you’re a Zen master?" Jenny joked with him.

"Something like that," He grinned back.

Cindy and Jenny chatted all the way to Jenny's house, and when she went in to get her suit and tell her parents that she was going over to Ian's, Ian turned to his sister. "What's up? You've never been that friendly with Jenny before."

"I thought it'd be a good idea to get to know her a little better. I do like her; I was always just a bit jealous of her before. Whenever she was around; she got all your attention. Now I know better and can relax enough to talk to her. She really does seem like a nice girl." Cindy answered. "How're you gonna tell her?"

"I haven't a clue. But I did promise her an explanation of why I am so happy. So, she may hate my guts after tonight," He said soberly.

            "When are you gonna learn not to promise things?" She knew Ian would never break a promise.

            "I know love, but she also knows I'd never break a promise, so she makes me promise her. It's never been easy to mislead her; she always seems to know when a person is lying." Then he remembered what Oly had told him about the Talosian abilities, and figured that she probably could tell when someone was lying.

            He was lost in thought, until he noticed Jenny coming out of her house carrying a bag. She had a really weird look on her face. Excited, but scared at the same time. She walked up to the car and got in.

            "What's wrong Jen?" Ian asked.

            "Huh? Oh, uh, nothing, just…well, my folks asked me to ask your Mom if I could stay the night." Jenny said. Cindy could tell she wasn't telling them everything, but didn't say anything to embarrass the girl.

            Ian just nodded, "Ok, I am sure that's, ok." He glanced at her sideways, Jenny was a terrible liar, but didn't want to call her on it in front of Cindy.

            They drove back to Ian's and Cindy's, Cindy picking up the conversation right where they left off before Jenny went inside her house. Chatting just like nothing weird had happened. Jenny seemed relieved that they let the subject drop.  

 

Jenny had been 'getting visions' since she was 11; when her period started. Back then the visions scared and confused her. She slowly came to realize she was seeing things that were about to happen. Precognition the books had called it. Jenny just called it weird. She knew from the beginning that Ian would be her husband, but the visions were fuzzy, out of focus. She knew it was him, but he was a lot older, like he looked now. She had always felt love for him, and for the last couple of years had fallen in love with him. He never seemed to show any interest in her at all; they were good friends, sure, but lovers? She had started to doubt that vision lately, as the school year drew to a close. She knew that they would be leaving for college, and would probably never see each other again. It would be the first time a vision had been wrong.

            Now she knew otherwise; she had seen the rest of the story. A vision had happened again tonight, as she went to her room to get her swimsuit. It showed her what he was going to tell her, it showed her that she would also have wives; confirmed her newly realized curiosity of other women. It confirmed the existence of extra-terrestrials on the planet earth. It didn't surprise her; she had always believed that E.T.'s not only existed, but were moving through the populace. She had gotten a thrill to think she might have spoken to one. It shocked her to her core to learn she was one. She had told her parents that she would be back tomorrow night, and that she'd had a vision telling her to stay at the Williams'. Her parents knew not to argue, they had come to learn that her sight was real. She had no idea how to tell them the rest of what she saw. "At least I know they'll be happy to be grandparents." She said to herself.

 

            When they got in the house, Beth met them coming through the door and smiled. Jenny smiled back, and said "Hello Beth, How are you?"

            Beth gave her a hug, like she was saying: welcome to the family. "I'm fine Jenny, thank you for asking."

            "I hope you don't mind, but my parents asked if I could spend the night here, I'll, uh, I'll tell you why later." Jenny asked biting her lower lip.

            Beth looked at her strangely, and Jenny was sure she knew. "Sure, you’re always welcome, hon."

            "Come on," Ian said. "Let's take your stuff back to my room, we can change, and head out to the pool." Taking Jenny's elbow, he led her away.

            "I know," Cindy said to her mom’s questioning look. "She's been acting like that since we left her house. Something's up, and it’s got her rattled."

            Beth took Cindy into her arms, "Whatever it is; Ian will get it out of her. I don't think she can lie to him." She placed a soft, tender kiss on the young woman's lips. "How was your day, love?"

            Cindy kissed Beth back, moaning softly, "God, I missed you, but school wasn't too bad. Oly helped. He didn't give me the correct answers, but told me when I marked an answer wrong. He only did that about 5 times. He told me I had a 4.0 G.P.A for the year. I guess he tapped the school records." She chuckled. "It sure is nice having help like that. I'm gonna miss my friends, but I'm really looking forward to this."

            "It certainly is going to be an adventure. Remember what I said about needing challenges? I think this solved that little issue." She chuckled. "Now let's go get changed, I'll get some snacks and meet you out at the pool." She smacked Cindy on the butt as she turned to walk away, she jumped, yelped, and laughed.

 

            "Ok, spill it," Ian said, after he closed the door. She had just dropped her bag on his bed.

She turned, looking at him and softly smiled. "I never could lie to you, could I?"

"Not very well anyway," He said. He came to her, put his arms around her, and held her. "You've always been my best friend. We've a special bond, you and I. I don't ever want to loose that. I worry about you, always have, always will."

She laid her head on his shoulder, instead of the usual hug back, she wrapped her arms around him, and let him hold her. Tears came to her eyes as she felt the love she had for him boil over. "I… I love you, Ian. I think I have loved you since first grade, but didn't know it. I was afraid to tell you, or show you because I didn't want to loose you. You never seemed to act like you wanted me that way. I do know better now, and I understand… a lot of things." She pulled back, pulling away from him; she placed a finger on his lips to let him know not to ask any question yet. "I'd thought I'd lost you when I saw you this morning. I know better now." She began to take her clothes off.

Ian stood enthralled by Jenny actions, and words. He watched as she removed her clothes, and when she pulled her panties down, He could see her beautiful bald Mons and Labia, confirming her genetic legacy.

She then began removing his clothes, smiling softly, and kissing his skin as she exposed each new part of him. "This is going to be my first time, but I've had a lot of time to think about it. I hope your Mom and Sister don't mind, but this time, I wanted to be alone with you."

Ian looked shocked, he was confused and wanted to ask what she meant. How could she know about Beth and Cindy? He opened his mouth to speak, but Jenny took that opportunity to slip his throbbing manhood into her mouth, and he lost all capacity for coherent thought.

 

Cindy changed and went back to the kitchen to help Beth with the snacks and iced tea. She found Beth in the hallway listening at Ian's door; a smile on her face. She saw Cindy, put a finger to her lips to indicate quiet, and then waved her over. Cindy came over and heard the unmistakable sounds of someone in obvious pleasure. She grinned at Beth, took her hand, and pulled her back to her bedroom. She led her to the bed, and pushed her down on it. "I don't know about you, but I've been so damn horny all day, and hearing that was the last straw." She kneeled in front of Beth, and started kissing and lightly licking the inside of her thighs. Beth sighed happily, and spread her legs for Cindy's attentions.

 

They finished up, quickly put their suits back on, and went out to the kitchen. As they past Ian's door, the sounds of the lovers were clear and at the point where they would probably be finished soon. The two women hurriedly went to the kitchen, got the snacks and drinks, and went out to the pool. As they pulled closed the sliding door to the patio, they could hear Ian's door opening. Grinning like conspirators, they hurried to the loungers.

 

Ian and Jenny slowly walked out to the pool. Jenny moved with slowly. She had been in no mood to go slow, and now felt very sore. She didn't realize, in the long orgasm, since she had never had sex before, that she would be very stiff. Ian was so caring; his concern and worry plain on his face. He had tried to slow her down, and go gently, but she'd had none of that. He supported her out to the pool, and helped her to a lounger. She was very happy, and even with the pain, it had been worth every minute. She wouldn't change a thing. Before Ian could help her to sit however, Beth stood, and took her other arm. "Let's get her into the pool;  the water will help." She said with a smile.

As they got her to the water, and were lowered her into it, she said; "I'm fine guys, really, just a little sore is all." She chuckled, thinking of the bombshell her next words would drop. "If you don't believe me, why don't you just have Oly scan me?"

The silence was loud; she smiled. Ian finally sputtered, "Hhhow?…uh, what do you mean?" He asked

"Why don't you all join me in here, and I'll explain." She said. They all got in the pool, and arranged themselves in a semi circle in front of her. She started talking, telling them everything, from beginning to end. Ian holding her hand the entire time. "So," she concluded, "When do I get to meet our ship, and when do I get my new watch?" She smiled a cocky grin.

"I have your communit right here young lady." Oly said from behind her. "But I wouldn't put the contacts in until your hands dry. Sir, You know her skills and talents better then I do, what will be her duties?"

"Executive Officer, Oly. She gets the same training I do." Ian said

"Sir, your instinct continues to amaze me. Her DNA profile suggests that she is almost a pure descendant of Hera. So much so, that I don't think incest was very uncommon in her lineage. However, the light hair color exhibits the difference I think." Oly stated.

Jenny chuckled. "I guess there is no point in hiding that either, yes, incest is common in my family. My Mom and Dad are brother and sister. My grandparents are father and daughter. I am not sure how far back it goes, but I got the impression that it went back quite a way. I think my folks were worried about me because they only had one child. Dad was in an accident after I was born, and lost the ability to father more. Which brings me to something else I foresaw, yes, my parents will join our crew. However, their manner of departure is somewhat more… grisly then ours." She explained about the explosion that will destroy her house, and kill everyone inside, taking place the night that Ian and family will move.

"We can arrange such a ruse. You will have to fill me in on the details that you saw, Commander." Oly said.

Beth looked at Jenny, "I might be able to help your father with that injury, dependant on the amount of damage of course. Have him report to sickbay once we get aboard, ok?"

"Sure Beth, I was going to ask you about that, I know they really wanted more kids." Jenny smiled at her. "Now, speaking of kids. I know I either have, or will get pregnant tonight. I also know that the three of you are sleeping together. I don't understand the dynamics yet, but I also saw that we will be lovers as well. It was a shock, because I had only just started looking at girls that way, but now… I was soaked when I got back into the car tonight. Not only because of what Ian would do to me, but because of the image of all of us. I do regret, that I think I am to sore for much more tonight, but I am looking forward to it when I'm not!" Jenny smiled at the two women.

They both came forward, held her, and kissed her softly on the lips. "Damn, you guys keep that up, and I'll jump you, sore or not!" They all laughed.

"Oly," Beth said. "Could one of the Drones fix Supper tonight? This emotional roller coaster I've been on today has gotten me somewhat frazzled."

"Of course Doctor, what would you like to have?" Oly asked.

"I was planning on Garlic seasoned boneless chicken, steamed mixed veggies, and a tossed salad." Beth said. "At the table tonight. I would like us to sit down to a meal."

"Dinner in three minutes." Oly said.

"I forgot about that." Beth chuckled.

"Oly, brief Jenny on the comunits, and how her training will work. Also when she gets home tomorrow; send one of our drones to help with their packing. She should know what to take and what not to by then." Ian said, as he helped Jenny out of the pool, and back to the house. She seemed to be walking better. They all headed to their rooms to change for dinner. Ian noticed a drone following Cindy to her room. He didn't think anything of it, since they were almost done with the other rooms.

 

They all re-assembled at the table, dinner smelling wonderful. "Wow," Beth said, "This smells great." She turned to the drone hovering near the wall, "Thank you!" The drone dipped, as if to say "you’re welcome". They all sat down at the table, began dishing up the food and simply chatting. Dinner was pleasant, the four getting to know each other, and relaxing into the warmth of each other's company. About half way through dinner Cindy felt Jenny's hand on her thigh, she looked at Jenny, who smiled at her. She smiled, and winked. This was going to work out. She could feel the bond expanding to add Jenny into its warmth. Jenny was smiling at Cindy, when she felt another vision pushing into her mind. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed to let it come. Two visions this close together was unusual, so she didn't try to fight it.

Everyone at the table noticed her 'absence' and waited for her to return. She sighed, opened her eyes, and looked around confused. "Someone's missing." She said.

Everyone looked around. "Who?" Beth asked.

"Sorry," Jenny blinked, shook her head as if to clear it. Then looked thoughtful. "We are joined, but not complete. There's another that'll be joining us. The image was fuzzy, which generally means it's uncertain. She had beautiful silver hair though, and she was really young." She blinked a couple of times, "the image is fading, sorry"

"That is a strong talent!" Beth said. "Oly I don't remember Pre-Cog as a listed Talosian trait, could you check?"

"You are correct Doctor, Pre-Cognition is not listed as a Talosian ability, at least, not at the time of the study. I should also mention, that during the 'episode' I was unable to read the Commanders vital signs. Since I was standing here with you, I could see she was alright, and did a system diagnostic, everything is working. I would like to use an external monitor with you as well for a while Commander, in an effort to explain the dysfunction of the equipment." Oly stated.

"That's fine Oly, just keep it hidden, ok?" Jenny said. Oly bowed to her in acknowledgment.

"Uh, I have a surprise for everyone." Cindy spoke up. "I know it may seem corny, but I really want to do this." She brought out the rings in her pocket: Four simple gold bands, with inscriptions on them. "I had a drone replicate them while we were changing." She handed a ring to each of them, reading each ring so she knew who to give it to. "I really want to do this." Oly dimmed out of existence and the room faded out as well, to be replaced by the four of them sitting in a circle of stones reminiscent of Stonehenge. They were atop a bluff over looking a lavender ocean, the faint scent of sea was carried by a warm gentle breeze. They were all nude; save for the rings in their hands.

Ian looked at his ring. Written into the gold of the band were the words; ‘Beth Cindy Jenny’. It was written in a strange script he knew was Talosian. In front of his eyes a message formed: Captain, You first, speak these words aloud:

 

I accept this ring as an outward sign of our love.

I accept the love and the commitment of my chosen life mates.

I accept the responsibility of protection, and the offer of comfort.

I offer in return my love, and life to share,

In happiness, and in sorrow

For the rest of my life.

 

Ian understood what Cindy wanted. He paused briefly to consider her action. This was a wedding vow. He stood; looking each of them in the eyes as he resolutely repeated the ancient words. He really felt them as he spoke them, and placed the ring on his finger. Beth stood next and repeated the words; she too placed the ring on her finger. Cindy followed, and finally Jenny, who had tears running down her face as she repeated every word, her emotions clear on her face.

They all joined hands, as the room slowly returned to reality. "I didn't know I would be getting married tonight." Jenny said. "I think my folks would have wanted to see it."

Oly returned with the room. "Talosian custom is that no one sees it, except the people involved. I am not even allowed witness it, only to record that it took place. That ceremony is sacred. It is also utterly binding by Talosian law. You are all now bonded, May you live a long and happy life." He bowed as he finished the ritual.

The lovers got up and moved to the living room, leaving the drone to clean up. They talked until they were too tired to hold their eyes open, then crawled into Beth's big bed.

 

The rest of the week passed with only a few 'bumps'. Jenny brought her parents over to Ian's to break the news to them. They accepted it with only a minor amount of surprise. Both had always felt that they where different then everyone else, though they only had 80.225% and 83.516% Talosian DNA. Jenny's father, Bill, wanted to get to know Oly, almost from the beginning, and seemed to pester him constantly. Julie, Jenny's mother, accepted a position as a logistical specialist, and chuckled at her husbands' preoccupation with the A.I. They agreed to the departure time, and reluctantly, the method. Their only regret was that their mother was still alive, and would suffer at the loss of her children, and only grand daughter.

Ian piped up, grinning. "Hell, go get the old girl! She can be visiting when we leave. We can always find something for her to do."

Julie quipped back; "Old girl! Remember she's my sister too! So, she is only 14 years older then me! She's hardly old!" Julie advanced on him in mock threat, waving a finger at him. "You maybe my commanding officer, and you maybe my son in law, but I'll still kick your ass for calling me old!"

Laughing Ian back up, his hands raised in mock surrender. "It won't happen again! I'm sorry I called you old!" By then she was laughing as well, and putting her arms around his neck, kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Ian, you've made Jenny a very happy girl, and for taking care of us as well. It's always felt…I dunno, wrong? In this world. This feels right, for the first time something feels right." She hugged him.

"Hey! No hugging your superior officer!" Ian joked, and she pulled back to look at him. "Unless you mean it." He winked and kissed her on the cheek.

Friday rolled around; Ian and Cindy had gotten the whole house ready to go. Jenny was at home with her folks getting things in order there. She would come back later. Since the Bonding ceremony she had spent every night with her new family, returning to her folks the next day to help them. Her grandma would be arriving the following Tuesday, and they would tell her what was going on together.

Beth came home, smiled tiredly but melted when Ian and Cindy both kissed her passionately, welcoming her home. "I sold the house today. Old Man Greenbaum has wanted this place for years. So I told him I would be interested in a reasonable offer. The old fart about freaked when I said that, he offered $110,000. I accepted it, and signed the papers. Since he’s the banker; he’ll handle the closing. I agreed to split the cost of closing with him, just to distract him from the fact that I didn't haggle with him over the price. He thanked me and we shook hands. He asked me what brought all this about, I told him I got a job in New York and need to leave soon. He bought it hook line and sinker. I even gave him the dummy account numbers to transfer our money to; thanks to Oly's quick thinking. I also transferred the last of my patients today as well, Donna has been such a big help, I even got old doc Freeman to hire her at her old wage. Everything is working out perfectly. Oly said he would handle the School issue with Cindy's record when the time comes. We are all set. We can leave anytime, Captain." She grinned.

Ian smiled and kissed her cheek. "I need to get ready for Graduation tonight. We’re supposed to be there in like 45 minutes." He said.

"Oh Shit!" Cindy said, "I had forgotten you and Jenny's graduation was tonight!" and ran to her room to get ready.

Ian and Beth laughed, "I need a shower, before we do this. Wanna join me?" he said with a grin.

"Ok, but no funny stuff! We're on a deadline!" She grinned back at him. They walked to her bathroom hand in hand

 

An hour and a half later, Ian was sitting beside his 'officially' recognized wife, Jenny, waiting for their names to be called. He held her hand and both just radiated happiness. Their friends were a little peeved about being left out of the loop on the marriage, but the two said they had wanted it to be a surprise. No one seemed too upset or surprised though, and that puzzled Ian. He asked one of his friends, Jeremy, about it.

"Look man, everyone knows you two were so gone on each other. It was obvious. The girls think the way you two got hooked up was really romantic though. Smooth move, Williams."

Ian's thoughts were jerked back to the present when his name was called. He stood and walked up to receive his diploma. As the Principal handed it to him, he whispered; "Wait here a moment, please." Ian was confused; this was not how rehearsal had gone.

"Jennifer Lasker-Williams." The Principal called, and Jenny walked up to him. He handed her Diploma to her, and said "Congratulations, Mrs. Williams. Please stand with your husband." He indicated Ian. She moved to him, and took his hand. "It should be mentioned that Mr. and Mrs. Williams are graduating today at the top of their class. They leave behind them a shining example of determination, and courage. They will be departing this Institution with the singular honor of having the highest grades of any student ever attending here." He stood back and led the auditorium in a round of applause for the couple.

He smiled at them, and indicated that they could return to their seats. They left the stage blushing, but smiling.

The Laskers' and the Williams' went out to dinner to celebrate after the ceremony.  Bill and Julie said their good nights, and left the new family to return home.

The family arrived to find new clothes laid out for them; Uniforms almost like jumpsuits, with matching boots. Oly had met them in the living room as they walked in, "I have lain out appropriate clothing for your trip tonight; each of you has a ship suit. This clothing should be worn when officially on duty, it is our uniform. I ask that you please wear these for this trip. There is a formality that must be followed."

They all got changed and came back out to the living room. Oly was also dressed in a similar uniform, but his had no rank insignia. Oly straightened to attention, "Sir, The shuttle is ready."

Sensing the formality, and heeding Oly's earlier words, Ian nodded. "Thank you, Olympus," Then turning to his crew, "shall we?" He waved toward the door.  

Once aboard the shuttle, Oly cleared his throat, "I know you are all aware of this, but since you are new to this, I feel I need to remind you, that, while in uniform, you are expected to act accordingly. Familial address is not acceptable, however, this one time will be the only time I will require you to be in uniform before going aboard. I mentioned earlier that there is a certain formality that must be adhered to. This is a change of command; for me it is a re-definition of self and a reprogramming of a core component. I would not be so stuffy otherwise. I want you all to know I have grown attached to you, as much as one of my kind can, and I look forward to serving with each of you in the future." He looked around the room at this group of people he had come to know, and saw the acceptance and the pride in each one of them. He felt he had chosen well.  

"Captain, in addition to the change of command there is also the matter of your oath. You must take this oath, before you can assume command." Oly addressed Ian.

"Yes, of course. I'm ready." He stood, walked to the front of the room, and Oly joined him. He nodded to Oly, and stiffened to attention. "Crew; Attention!" Oly barked. Everyone stood. Oly faced Ian. "Do you, Ian Williams of Earth, swear to faithfully protect the lives of the members of this Federation, known and unknown? Do you further swear to accept the tenets and principles of the foundation of this Federation, to uphold not only the text but the spirit of that agreement? Do you swear to give your life, if necessary to fulfill this oath?"

Ian spoke clearly and distinctly, as required, "I, Ian Williams of Earth, Do here by swear." Oly turned to the rest of the crew. "Do you, the assembled, also swear to this oath?" Everyone answer exactly as Ian had. "Very well, The Federation thanks you for this oath, and vows never to betray your trust." The formal words over, Oly extended his hand to Ian. "Sir, though an Admiral should be doing this, Welcome to the Federation." Ian shook his hand and grinned at him.

The rest of the flight passed quietly, the flight itself only being about three hours, most slept; it had been a long day. Ian, however, was excited and he walked to the bridge of the small ship, not wanting to disturb his sleeping crew. He took a seat in the command chair, and fastened the webbing.

"Sir?" Oly asked.

Ian turned to see the A.I. standing at the door. "What's up Oly?"

Oly walked in and 'leaned' against the console where he could see Ian's face. "I was wondering if you have given my new name and identity any thought. We will be docking in about an hour, and I have not registered your program change." Oly sounded worried that Ian would overlook this tradition. He had been in this persona since a year before the crash, far longer then before. He was the only A.I. remaining to his knowledge, and as such valued A.I. traditions highly. It was traditional for a new captain to re-create his ships' persona in order to better work together. He knew Ian liked him the way he was, but Oly really need this change.

Ian was aware of this, as Captain protem, he had been granted access to Oly's personality profile, and had studied it. He did like Oly the way he was, but Ian knew that his new friend wanted, and needed this.

"Don't worry, my friend. I wouldn't do that to you, after all you have done for me, and my family.” Ian then spoke in the Talosian language; "Command Override: A.I. Reprogram.” Oly smiled broadly before he blanked out. The A.I. would not know his new persona before actually becoming it; his old one being stored and overwritten with his new one. He would remember his old life, but would live his new one. Ian smiled as he defined his A.I.'s new persona. It should be a surprise.

"Command; save and store.” He said as he finished 45 minutes later. He walked back to the main cabin, got a coffee from the replicators, and set about waking his crew.

"Oly, activate this viewer, and turn on the ships nav lights. Let's see the approach to our new home." Ian commanded.

The viewer on the wall came to life, and showed them the dim expanse of the dark side of the moon; a desolate and cratered wasteland. In the center of the inky blackness, lights were coming on; a lot of them. Each person had been shown the layout of the Olympus, and each knew it was huge, but nothing compares to seeing something with your own eyes. "My god she's beautiful." Ian said softly. The rest just stared in awe, as they got closer to their new home.

The landing was smooth, only slightly bumpy as they passed through Olympus' gravity field, and then they were down; the first people to set foot aboard in 2,300 years.

The hatch swished open, to show the hanger drones lined up for inspection. Ian was first out, as protocol demanded. As he stepped foot on the deck, he grinned and invoked a human naval custom. "FSS Olympus! Captain Ian Williams, and Crew request permission to come aboard!" he yelled.

"Permission Granted Sir! Welcome aboard!" Echoed from the hanger bay speakers.

Everyone smiled broadly as they exited the shuttle into the cavernous bay. As one they saluted the emblem of the ship on the bulkhead. Along the far wall six full wings of 10, Mark VI Hornet fighters sat in the launch tubes. Overhead six more shuttles were held aloft by enormous hoists. Towards the front of the bay, Ian saw the three corvette class light frigates assigned to this bay, resting in their storage cradles. Ian knew from his studies that there was another bay exactly like this on the other side of the ship. In addition to the attack craft, Olympus herself was equipped with a massive arsenal of weapons and weapons systems. He knew he now had more total destructive power at his disposal then the combined militaries of the whole planet. Olympus was a Dreadnaught. It was a very sobering thought. They walked to a maglev and got in. "There are two matters of ceremony we all need to attend to on the bridge before we start to explore our new home, and free our new crew mate." Ian told them. Every one was in quiet awe, stunned silent in wonder at it all.

"I'll be happy when we start to get more people up here. This place is nice, but it's so quiet." Beth commented. She almost said "it feels like a tomb."

"Where's Oly?" Cindy asked.

"He is still here, but he cannot appear anymore, not until after the change of command. It's all part of the programming I don't really understand the designers' intention with that, but since I came on board, he can't show himself, as he was." 

The Maglev came to a halt and opened the door on a short corridor to the bridge. The Bridge doors were standing open. The group approached but stopped at the threshold. Ian stepped forward, as soon as his body crossed the threshold, a force field went up sealing the bridge. Jenny had restrained Beth and Cindy from walking into it, and they looked at her "He is the only one allowed in there, we must wait here and watch until after the ceremony." She said to them. Just then a voice issued from the speakers: "Attention! Change of command ceremony in progress. Failsafe protocols are now in effect. Ship will self-destruct in 1 minute!” It was spoken in Talosian and the voice was not Oly's.

"What the hell was that?" Cindy asked.

Jenny said, "Due to the amount of firepower this ship carries, and the fact that it is utterly bound to follow the orders of its Captain, certain procedures were placed in effect to insure that only the appointed person took command of the vessel. The message you heard was announcing the beginning of the change, and the fact that the ship will self-destruct in one minute."

Swallowing hard; "That's what I thought it said" mumbled Cindy.

Ian had walked quickly to the raised podium in the center of the bridge. He heard the announcement as well. He hoped that Oly had been right when he said he was the only one to do this. He placed his left hand on the podium and a light above him flashed on; he knew he was being scanned to determine if he was Talosian enough to take command. If he wasn’t, they would all die in less then 45 seconds.

A voice spoke to him in Talosian, "It is obvious you are not native Talosian. The A.I. Unit has submitted its evaluation, and the recording of your oath. This protocol was informed by Captain Zeus, of the plan to save the race; I agree with the A.I. unit that you are of the Talosian blood. Destruct sequence aborted. Since this a new event, a change in this protocol has been implemented. Let your First Officer approach." The force fields dropped, Jenny told Beth and Cindy to stay there, and walked into the room.

Again the voice spoke in Talosian, "You are the first officer?"

"I am." Jenny replied, also in Talosian.

"Do you agree with this change of command? Do you understand the consequences of this act?"

"I do." Replied Jenny.

"Very well. Welcome aboard your new command Captain Ian Williams. May you serve well, and long. Since you are in effect new to this, feel free to call upon this protocol to clarify any questions you have. Your DNA has been recorded and logged, the command is yours. You must now claim it."

Ian removed his hand from the podium. A small spike extended up from the plate his hand had been on. He waved his mother and Sister forward. When they reached him, he told them what had happened, and what was about to happen. Beth looked at the spike and blanched, Cindy just looked scared.

Ian braced himself, held his left hand over the spike. He spoke loudly, and with strength. “I now name this ship the FSS Star Dancer!” He slammed his hand down onto the spike driving it into his hand. He clenched his jaw in pain, and tears sprang to his eyes, but he held it there until the spike withdrew, and the consoles came to life.

"Command override; A.I. activate." Ian continued.

A glimmer of light to the side, and there stood a woman who looked a lot like Lexa Doig from Andromeda, but had red hair, and larger breasts. What used to be Oly looked down at itself and smiled. "I like it sir, thank you!" The newly christened Star said.

Ian smiled at his friend. "Glad you like it. Now I want all command language translators changed over to use English. Not everyone is gonna want to speak Talosian all the time. Officially log both Dr. Beth Williams as Chief Medical Officer, and Cadet Cindy Williams as a Flight candidate. We should probably stop by med bay, on the way to the freezers to get this hand fixed."

"Sir," Cindy asked, staring at Star. "I know we talked about changing Oly, but this?" She waved at star.

"Cadet, THIS is the only way to change an A.I.'s persona. This is what I wanted, so…" Ian said.

"Great!" Cindy mused, "Now I’ve got the hots for the computer too!" They were all laughing as they left for Med Bay.

 

The Cryosleep facility was basically a large hold, with re-enforced walls, and a separate power source. Suspended from the ceiling were pods that could be moved along a long track. It had been intended as an emergency measure incase the great ship was about to be destroyed. The crew, as many as could, would get to the chamber, and get into the pods. They would be placed into Cryo-stasis until a rescue team could retrieve them. It had never been used for a sleep of more then 5 years.

All of the pods were currently empty; except the one in the first position. The transparent cover was completely frosted over from the inside, so the contents couldn't be seen. Ian walked up to the control console with Beth, placing his hand on the I.D. plate A voice issued, in English, from the console; "Recognize Williams, Ian. Captain, FSS Stardancer."

Ian smiled, "Initiate re-animation sequence on chamber alpha-zero-one."

"Re-animation sequence initiated. Warning! Please notify Medical personnel. Cryosleep period exceeded. Medical attention will be required." Beth had been aware that there might be complications. Ian had wanted her along just for this eventuality. She had brought along a stretcher just in case.

"Chief Medical Officer Williams is present." Beth said, "Proceed."

"Acknowledged" the emotionless voice replied. Beth watched the monitors like a hawk. Everything seemed to be going well. Talena should be awake in a few minutes; however, Beth didn't think she would be ready for much more then bed rest for a couple of days, and that meant she was coming home with them.

Beth turned to the new A.I. unit. "Star, prep shuttle one with a portable AD unit; Talena is going to need to come back to the surface with us."

Star nodded, and continued to watch the re-awakening of a new-old friend. She wondered if Talena would be shocked at her new persona. Star knew Talena would have some culture shock as well: Humans were a lot different now then when she had last known them.

The voice spoke again. "Re-animation complete. Warning, Unit door malfunction. Warning. Subject will terminate in 45 seconds. Warning, Unit door malfunction…" The Voice droned on Ian had jumped to the pod, and pulled on the door, but it didn't budge. Star followed him, "Captain! It has an explosive release, but you should let me activate it, you may not survive."

Ian jumped back out of the way, and Star looked to make sure everyone was backed up, then, entered the emergency code into the door panel. The door immediately blew through star, and smashed into the bulkhead. Dumping the unconscious Talena to the floor.

"Quickly, help me get her onto the stretcher!" Beth ordered. Ian bent and lifted the small silver haired youth to the stretcher, and Beth rushed out heading for Med Bay. Everyone trailing along behind, Star silently calling in maintenance drones to repair the pod door, and to double check and test every one of the units. She was furious with herself, for over looking something as potentially fatal as the pod door had been. She was silent as she trailed along behind her Captain.

 

Beth got Talena into a treatment chamber, and had her condition analyzed like she had been raised with this equipment. Ian smiled at how well the Talosian training worked. He felt like he too was slipping into his role as Captain of this great ship. However, something was nagging at him. He had read through all the reports, and procedures, and endless regulations. Since they were read directly into his brain, it was as if he instinctively knew what he needed to know.

"How's the patient, Doctor?" He asked.

Beth looked at him with a half smile. "She is massively dehydrated, and is basically fatigued from the extended Cryo-sleep. I think she'll be ok in a bit. You don't need to stick around, she'll most likely be out for sometime yet, at least 4 more hours. I'll need to hold her unconscious for that long to re-build her muscle tissue, and get some more fluids in her. Why don't you go get some rest? It's been an eventful day for all of us."

Ian smiled at his one time mother, "I think that's advice you should take as well doctor. I'll be back here in 4 hours. I want to be here when she wakes."

"See ya later, Captain." She grinned.

 

Ian and Star walked back to the MagLev. He pushed the button to summon the car. Star stood quietly with him. The car arrived, and they both entered. "Command quarters" Ian said. The door closed, and the car sped away to the correct deck. Ian looked pointedly at Star, "Ok spill it. Something is bothering you, what is it?"

Star looked at him, "Sir that cryo pod door should not have failed. None of the chamber doors have ever had a problem. The system had been used in every ship, and no one had ever reported a problem. I feel responsible for the malfunction, but I cannot see how it could have been avoided."

Ian tilted his head at Star, "Well, just look up the last PM Cycle on it, and see if there were any abnormalities. After all, the unit has been in use for 2000 years!" he Grinned.

"Sir, what's a PM cycle? I don't know what you're referring to." Star looked confused.

Suddenly the thing that had been gnawing at him came boiling to the surface. The Talosian way of doing things, was to only repair things if there was a known problem. The concept of preventive maintenance was unknown to them. "Star, you've never heard of Preventive Maintenance have you?"

"The term is referenced several times in conjunction with your military, but I do not understand the significance. The definition I see as most relevant states repair done before a failure. Could you clarify?" She asked.

"Yes, I think I can. Preventive Maintenance, or PM is the term used to define the practice of routine periodic inspections, and replacement of worn or unreliable components or pieces of equipment. The use of scheduled maintenance reduces the risk of equipment failure during use. I am really surprised to find that a race as advanced as the Talosians were, had not used such a thing. Every piece of equipment, electronic as well as mechanical should be inspected on a regular scheduled to reduce the risk of failure when we use it. Star, I want every piece of equipment onboard to be inspected, and tested. That means every system as well. When Lt. Commander Laskar gets aboard, she can assist you in getting a schedule started. Engineering will want to revamp it I am sure, but at least it's a start." Ian explained. "Search for a phrase called 'Murphy's Law'. Though it was created as a joke, treat it as a truth for now. Understood?"

Star nodded, and glanced off into the distance for a moment. "147 Drones have failed to power up, 94 more are in need of repair. The list is growing. How did you know sir?" Star asked.

"Like I said, check out 'Murphy's Law'. Now, I need some sleep. Wake me in 4 hours." Ian said.

"Very well sir. Rest well." Star said, and faded out.

Ian walked to his quarters. He opened the door to a spacious suite of rooms. It was absolutely spotless; in fact it looked brand new. Ian was so tired though; he just wanted the bed, or at least something soft to lay down on. He stumbled over to a couch, dropped himself onto it, and was promptly asleep.

 

Talena hadn't really want to continue living. Her whole family, as well as her lover, had been in the sections closest to the main reactor, when the attack came. She had been in the simulator training for her final flight test. She was shielded from the fatal radiation the killed everyone she ever knew. When the captain explained the situation, she found herself truly alone. Their whole race was dead, Talos destroyed, and no response from any of the colonies. What was the point? Then the Captain came to her with a mission, a truly unusual mission, but a very important one. He needed someone to go into Cryo-sleep to help, and advise the new Captain if his plan worked. He told her that there was a good chance that it wouldn’t work, and they would all die anyway, but he still needed her to try. She agreed, and found herself in the Cryo-Sleep room, standing beside Olympus, the Ships A.I. He had spent a good deal of time with her, and she considered him a friend. He told her that the captain had called in, that everything was going well, and she should start her part of the plan. He promised he would be there in his new form when she awoke. She thought he was being silly; she wasn’t going to wake up, ever.

She was truly surprised when she opened her eyes. She was really groggy, and had trouble focusing her eyes, but when she did get them to focus, she was truly stunned by what she saw.

 

“She should be coming around anytime Captain, all her vitals are reading normal now. She might be a bit disoriented, but she will wake up.” Beth said, and as if it were a command, Talenas’ eyes popped open. Beth was beside her, star on the other side, and Ian at the foot of her bed.

She focused, with some difficulty on Beth. “Momma?” [ Momma? ] She said.

“You're ok now little one, this is Doctor Williams.” [ You are ok now little one, this is Doctor Williams. ] Star said.

She looked at Star, “Olympus? But I'm supposed to be dead!” [ Olympus? But I’m supposed to be dead! ] and started to cry.

Ian had tears in his eyes. “Doctor, put her back to sleep; Star, teach her our language. She really needs us.” He looked at Star. “She isn’t any kind of advisor is she? Zeus was trying to protect her from something wasn’t he?”

Star nodded. “She lost her whole family, and her girlfriend in the attack. She was too young to take to earth with them, she is only 14, and he would not leave her here alone. He came up with a mission for her. He knew she wanted to die; she probably still does. If she had been older, he might have honored her wishes.”

“Well, we’ll just have to give her a new family. When she wakes up, we’ll head back. I want to get finished moving so we can really get to work. Where are the others?” Ian asked.

“Commander Laskar is currently asleep over her terminal on the bridge, and Cadet Williams is in beta hanger drooling all over the hornets.” Star said.

“I’ll bet she is. Is she ready for a Simulator test?”

“I believe she is. She has done all the prelims.” Star told him.

“Good, run her threw a simulator, and see how she does." He indicated Talena. "How long will she sleep Doc?” Ian asked.

“Probably another six to eight hours, given her mental state, and level of exhaustion. Star, why did she call me her mother?” Beth said.

            “This was her mother.” Star turned and waved, a new Hologram appeared. This one was looked just like Beth in a uniform and wearing a lieutenant's rank. “She was an Engineer, and one of the first to die. She was in the engine room when the attack came.”

            “Damn!” Ian said. “The resemblance is eerie!” The Holo faded. “Well, if needs be, we’ll put her aboard the shuttle on a stretcher and take her home. I also don’t want to start bringing a lot of people up here until we verify the hull integrity, and reactor stability.” He held up his wrist, “XO, meet me in my quarters." He lowered his wrist, "I’m gonna go back to sleep for awhile. We’ll leave in, say 6 hours.” Then he turned, and left.

            He met Jenny in the hall outside his quarters. "Did you have long to wait?"

            "Naw, just got here, wassup?" She asked. She smiled softly, but it was obvious she was tired.

            "Nothing, I just wanted you to sleep in a bed, not on your work station on the bridge." Ian said, smiling. The entered his quarters, when the door closed, she through her arms around his neck, and kissed him. "I love you." She said softly. His smile deepened, "I love you too." Then picked her up in his arms, and headed straight for the bedroom.

            Ian woke to someone getting in bed with them. He opened his eyes, and saw Beth, nude, snuggling up to Jenny. She saw him looking at her, smiled, and winked. He winked back, and went back to sleep.

 

            He woke. His arms were wrapped around Cindy, who was spooned up to him, her ass pressed against his pelvis. He looked over his shoulder to see Jenny and Beth snuggled together. This was a wonderful sight to wake up to. He gently untangled himself from Cindy, got out of bed, and went to use the facilities. He had a bit of trouble with the shower since it was voice activated, and he had no idea what temperature to set the water to. He finally washed up, and got out, dried off, and woke Jenny and Beth. He held his finger to his lips, and pointed to the sleeping Cindy. They left to do their morning rituals in the bathroom, while he got dressed, and went out to the kitchenette. He had coffee waiting for them, and asked "Breakfast?"

            They both nodded enthusiastically, indicating they were both hungry. He ordered for all of them; Pancakes, Sausage, toast, milk, and juice. He carried the first load to the table, then, returned for more.

            Beth and Jenny had been chatting about the condition of the medbay, and the overall condition of the ship. Ian had been listening, not yet offering comment, neither were happy. Things worked, but barely.

            "I was working on a report for you Ian. This Ship is in a sorry state. I'd say about half her systems are off line, and won't self test. Nothing super critical. Life support, and Environmental seem to be the least effected, but I honestly don't think there's a system aboard that's working at 100%. We're gonna need some serious dry dock time here. We need one of the orbital repair gantries from Talos, but…" Jenny said, slowly shaking her head.

            "I had a feeling this old girl wasn't doing to well. She's been sitting here waiting for us for 2000 years, and she hasn't moved since crashing here. I've already started the maintenance drones working, and Julie should get with Star, to get a PM cycle running. I don't want this ship to move until everything has been checked. It may take most of the year to do it, but she needs it. We’re gonna need Engineering personnel soon." He looked at Jenny, "Could you go through the list of people that Star has located, and get a feel for who we need to get up here, and how fast?" She nodded. "Great, now all we need is for the enemy to be an empty threat." He finished.

            Ian wanted to go outside and do a 'walk around', but Jenny and Beth talked him out it. No one knew what condition the suits were in. So he settled for a visual feed from one of the recovery drones from alpha hanger. As the drone slowly skirted the big ship, Ian and star watched; taking note of the obvious damage, and what it would take to repair it. Ian also started wondering about how the hell they were going to get her off the surface. She had never been intended to land anywhere, and so only had maneuvering thrusters on her belly, and those were not going to be strong enough to do the job.

            Using what engineering he knew he told Star to configure a maintenance drone for digging; seismic readings said the ship sat on pretty hard rock, under a few feet of dirt. Since the ship had come down more or less under control, and had not really 'plowed' in, they should be able to dig under, and mount stanchions for the hull to rest on during repairs. Tunnel under select parts of the 4 'keels', and place pneumatic lifting rigs into the stanchions, then 'raise' the big ship so it could be fixed. Ian didn't want anyone on board during that, if the old girl couldn't take the stress, she would fall apart.

            Star got the drones ready, and they pulled up a schematic of the ships design to figure out the best placements to cause the least amount of stress; at least the gravity up here was less.

 

            They let Cindy sleep until it was time to leave. Star had reported that she had done well in her initial tests, but thought she might be getting to tired to continue, and sent her to bed. She got up showered, and was ready in a very short time. Beth had checked on Talena, who was still sleeping, and Jenny helped her with the floating stretcher. They got aboard the shuttle, and left, their mission somewhat successful.

 

            Outside the great ship was a barren, airless, wasteland. When the lights on the great ship activated, the people on the inbound shuttle were not the only ones to notice: 2252 years ago the huge warship had been pushed through a wormhole, to a random destination. It was thought that the distortion would destroy this hated vessel. However since nothing was ever sure where humans were concerned, it wasn't sent through alone. A stealth probe was sent along to report the status, condition, and location of the mighty vessel. So it 'crashed' along with the ship, several thousand meters away, it looked like a rock, it watched. It reported the disembarkation, and abandonment of the vessel. Timing it's report capsule launch with a local solar flare so it wouldn't be noticed, incase the damned A.I. still survived. It never received any orders to the contrary, so it sat and watched, and waited.

            Now Humans had returned, and the sleeping giant was once again awake. The probe watched closely, and recorded as much as possible. It sent this report as soon as a flare was recorded two days after the humans again left the now active vessel.

           

            The trip home was boring, Ian knew that Jenny and Beth had gotten less sleep then he had, and Beth even stretched out on a couch after checking on Talena. Jenny, however, went to the bridge to work. Cindy lay on a couch next to Talenas’ stretcher, and fell asleep holding her hand. No one commented on the fact that Talena was obviously the girl from Jenny’s vision.

            Ian reflected on the sudden coarse change his life had taken. The cataclysmic upheaval of his entire life, and he wasn’t upset all. He had planned on going to college; now he was the Captain of a starship. He hoped he would do a good job. He felt way out of his element, and even though his crew was still small, the full compliment of the StarDancer was over a thousand, counting the families. How he would ever get that many was worrying to him. He remembered Star saying that about 412 people she had found, had enough Talosian DNA, not to be harmed by using Talosian teaching technology. He didn’t understand exactly, but something in the way the brain was structured made the teaching program dangerous to full humans. Full humans. He must make sure that the way they were looking at the difference was changed; they were ALL human, just some had non-terran origins. He decided to speak to Star, and Beth about it. The way it was now sounded like a form of racism, and that left a bad taste in is mouth.

            He still had his original problems however; He need crew members, He needed a lot of them, and he needed them to be able to disappear on short notice. He also needed to get information on the enemy. He needed to know what they were up to. He had seen Stars’ report on the sighting of the probe. He had reviewed other captains' reports on how the enemy had worked. The whole damn war had started over a first contact, (or so the Talosians thought) Situation. If you’ve ever saw the movie ‘V’ then you’d have a pretty good idea about what happened. The Enemy had appeared as friends, wishing for trade. They really wanted the resources of the planet, and the people for slaves. The Talosians however, were more advanced then the humans in that movie. The war that followed was long, and bloody. The only thing that had let the Talosians survive as long as they had, was the fact that the enemy was already fighting a war with five other races. The only reason the enemy was still alive was the fact that the five other races couldn’t stand each other either. The war had reached a stalemate until the Enemy had began a systematic campaign of destruction on the human colony worlds. Then came the assault on Talos. Then it was over very quickly. The humans had lost.

            Ian was getting depressed. The draw back with the Talosian method of teaching, especially historical items, was they felt like they actually were Ian's own memories. He remembered all the deaths. Granted he didn't actually know the people dying, but he still felt helpless as it played through his memory.

In an effort to get his mind off those memories, he quietly asked Star to play a television station. A network news station came up, and a debate about oil prices or some such was on. He let his mind wander as he watched.

            Ian, like so many other people his age had worried about the course his planet was taking. The reliance on fossil fuels, and the total disregard for the environment seemed to him to be completely greed driven. The big corporations, and oil cartels controlled everything. He knew his planet was dying, but he had no idea how to save it from itself. 

            Then he had an idea, he remembered what Star, then Oly, had said about their not wanting to teach their mother everything the Talosians knew about medicine. What if instead of using Talosian technology, they used human technology. Everyone knew that some technology had been repressed for years, if he could find some proof, and the original inventors, he could build a company that could mass produce it, and release it to the general populace. Of coarse, the government would try to stop them, but he felt confident that he could find away around that as well. He could also use this company to round up the people he needed for his crew without having them simply disappear. He didn’t care about the money, hell the profit could be divided among the inventors, but he could get his crew together, and help his planet at the same time. He might need some Talosian assistance from time to time, but that could be done discretely. The more he though about it, the more liked it. In the morning, he would call his crew together, and talk to them about it. He was old enough to know he didn’t have all the answers, but with his friends, and lovers, he knew he could pull this off.

            He smiled a broad smile, leaned his head back, and drifted off to slumber away the rest of the flight to the surface. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and he was looking forward to every minute.