Book 2
New Neighbors

Chapter 7

It had been two months since all the excitement, now everything was ready for the expedition to the Alpha system. Carol had been upgraded to carry two squadrons of fighters. Kate was now the main flight officer for Carol, this had been Kate's request as she really wanted to see Alpha Centauri. Ted had once again recruited a naval captain to take command of the ship, and Carol was the First Officer in addition to being the AI. Amy had gotten one more cruiser built and another was half finished. Captains Jones and Turrini would accompany the colony ships to the Alpha system just in case there was a problem. All of the volunteers had been placed aboard the ships and tomorrow was the big day.

That night Amy, Jake, and Kate had a very private dinner together. They had been through quiet a lot together and now Kate was going off on her own to the Alpha system. The mood was very subdued during the meal. After they had finished eating, Amy suggested that the three of them have a nice night together to hold them until Kate returned. The three of them undressed and got into the shower together. Amy and Jake took turns washing Kate, and then each other until all three were clean and excited. After drying off, they all crawled into the bed. Kate was placed in the middle, Jake and Amy each started working on the breast and nipple closest to them. Whether it was soft feather-like strokes or gentile tongue action it didn't take Kate long to have two very stiff nipples. While Jake continued to focus on Kate's upper body and neck, Amy headed south  Amy kissed and licked her way down one leg and back up the other before probing Kate in the middle. As Amy licked and sucked on Kate's pussy and gently stroke her backdoor, all Kate could do was try to wiggle because Jake had a firm grip on one nipple and a stimulating chewing action on the other. Only after Kate had a killer orgasm did Jake and Amy trade ends. Now Jake attacked Kate's nether regions with his tongue and Amy played with Kate's tits and sat on her face. As Kate got more and more excited again Jake pushed her legs up and Amy took hold of them. Jake very gently entered his sister and using very long, slow strokes. This was driving Kate even wilder. Just when Kate thought she couldn't take much more, Jake popped a finger in her backdoor and started a slow in out motion.

Kate pulled her mouth from Amy and told Jake to do her harder, faster, and deeper. When Jake started pounding into her Kate buried her face in Amy's pussy and screamed as she bucked and thrashed about. Jake thought he had himself in a vise when Kate clamped down on his dick, and finger at the same time. Jake took this for a few seconds before filling Kate with his seed. Between watching Jake do Kate and Kate's mouth action on her, Amy came loudly just as Jake kissed her. They all three collapsed and tried to catch their breath. After resting, in each other's arms, Amy was pushed in the middle and everything started again. None of them got more than four hours sleep that night, but it was three very sated people that sat down to eat breakfast the next morning.

The launch was to take place just after lunch, but everyone was busy getting the last minute items done that morning. Jake double checked the engines and the engineering boards, Kate double checked the pilots and craft they would fly when the time came, and Amy and Ted went over the trip once more with the captain of the ships going to the Alpha system.

Amy and Ted had lunch twice, once on each of the colony ships with both crew and passengers. Amy made the same speech on each ship, wishing them good luck and thanking them for their bravery. Finally it was time. The ships formed up, Turrini in front, with Carol and Cal side by side in the middle, and Jones in the rear to make a diamond. The formation was escorted to the system boundary by Amy, a majority of the base fighters, and the newest cruiser. Once outside the orbit of Pluto, Amy bid farewell to them again as they lit their FTL drives and vanished into hyperspace.

As the escorts returned to Mars orbit, they received a transmission from the Protectorate. This time it was directed to Amy. They said they were sorry about the delay in contacting her but they had been involved with several battles with the Iberians and that had taken precedence. They wanted to know if the offer to share resources was still valid. Amy told them that her request for a representative with official documents was still unanswered. They replied that they knew of no such request but that was the way they preferred to do business. Amy was then told that an Admiral TuLak was enroute and should arrive in system in about 4 days.

After the transmission ended, Amy asked when the newest cruiser would be ready. She was informed that it could be rushed out in 48 hours; Amy told them to do that. Amy mentioned to Ted and Jake that the next admiral's name sounded too close to SuLak for her comfort and that this time they would be prepared. Ted informed her that they did not have a captain for the cruiser yet. After thinking for a few seconds, Amy said that in that case Ted would assume command until a captain could be recruited and trained. Jake would take over as XO until Ted returned. Both of the guys had a shocked look on their faces at these announcements. Amy just smiled and told them "Welcome to the service".

Amy contacted Cmdr Thomas and told him about the arrival and asked that he have enough men on board to handle any emergency that came up. Then she asked about the status of the defensive measures, and was told that all drones were up and functional. All of them had been serviced within the past week. Amy next checked to see if any way had been found to detect the implants at a longer range, say at 2km, and was informed that they could detect them from 100 meters but that was about it at that time. Satisfied that she had done all she could for the time being, Amy retired to her Ready Room to do some deep thinking.

As promised, the newest cruiser was ready for it's first test flight 42 hours later. Ted had transferred to the cruiser last night and Jake had assumed his XO duties. Amy monitored the flight with interest, she wanted both cruisers ready in case this was another attempt at deception. The new cruiser preformed well, only a few minor problems were found and those would be fixed within about six hours. The biggest and funniest problem was that the plumbing had been left incomplete and dumped a small load of waste on Ted's bed. Ted wasn't happy but Amy and Jake laughed so hard they were crying. Amy had received another transmission from Admiral TuLak saying that he might be a day late due to some Iberian interference.

On the day that the admiral was originally to arrive Amy had the perimeter drones put on yellow alert and had one of the cruisers on station just inside the perimeter. The second cruiser was "parked" at Saturn using the planet to hide behind. This would provide a nasty surprise for anyone entering the system that wasn't wanted. This day pasted without the admiral arriving or any other problems.

Just after lunch the next day a report came in that there were three ships on long range scanners on an inbound course. Amy made sure that both cruisers were made aware of this. The cruiser furthest away set course for the outer boundary of the system. About an hour later Admiral TuLak called and requested assistance as he was being pursued by two Iberian destroyers. Amy told him to increase speed and make for the ringed planet inside the system and that help was on the way. As the lead ship pasted Saturn all hell broke loose as the defenses went into action and fired on the pursuing ships in addition to the cloaked fighters and cruisers. Both destroyers were dead in space within minutes. As happened the last time, the Iberian ships exploded shortly thereafter due to a power buildup. The admiral's ship was instructed to identify itself and to proceed towards Mars with shields down to minimal, they complied. Ted's cruiser escorted the Protectorate ship.

It was about an hour later when Admiral TuLak boarded Amy's ship via shuttle and was greeted by Amy and Jake. As the admiral, Amy, and party left the landing area, all members were scanned and no implants or weapons were found. Amy took everyone to the same conference room as before. Once there Amy offered refreshments to her guests and they sat down to discuss what had happened.

"Well Admiral TuLak, it seems you had an interesting journey. I hope your ship isn't too damaged." Amy said.

"Interesting it was. Usually we could have handled one destroyer but between the two of them they had the advantage. They were targeting our engines first, but also took out our long range array so we couldn't call for help sooner. I must say your defenses are impressive. I only saw one ship before the Iberians were dead in space. Then a second one just appeared, and all of those small fighters. I am glad we were able to announce ourselves before you took us out also." the admiral replied.

"We have had a few dealings with the Iberians before, in fact the last time was when Captain Turrini came to visit. Now I don't mean to be abrupt but you have some documents for me I believe." Amy replied.

"Straight to the point. I like that, I don't believe in playing around either" Admiral TuLak responded. Then he handed Amy a small stack of papers.

Amy took a few minutes to look over the papers, which included the admiral's identification. Afterwards, she handed the admiral his ID back. Then she explained some of what had gone on prior to the admiral's arrival. About "Admiral" SuLak, and the different ensigns SuLak that they knew about and such. After hearing all this the admiral nodded and said he could understand her caution and was surprised that they had not been subjected to intensive scans. Amy told him everyone who came aboard was scanned before being allowed to exit the landing area, even him. The admiral asked about Turrini and was informed that Turrini was not currently in system but was escorting some settlers to the Alpha system.

"I am glad you found a use for him instead of him just sitting around. Turrini is a good officer and I think highly of his abilities." Admiral TuLak said.

"I've found that he is a good captain, and he has become a friend since coming to this system. I must apologize for his absence, but your message came after he had departed for the Alpha system. May I also extend the use of our shipyard for repairs to your ship." Amy replied.

TuLak accepted the offer quickly and then asked if he could meet this "Admiral" SuLak. Amy told him that it would be arranged for tomorrow. Amy and the admiral discussed several items, including her accepting the rank of Admiral, over the next few hours before TuLak returned to his ship.

After TuLak had left, Amy asked Jake and AL their opinion of him and what they thought about the offers presented. Both agreed that the offers sounded good and honest, but urged caution until the admiral proved himself, and the Protectorate. Amy mentioned that she was getting tired of "visitors" bringing Iberian ships to the system. She said that maybe it was time to contact the Iberians and warn them off of the system. Neither Jake or AL thought much of this idea. That action could cause them to increase their attempts at invading the system. Jake suggested they keep a low profile and just "remove" any Iberian ships that came calling. Jake also asked if they were going to offer to upgrade the admiral's ship in respect to the power source. Amy told him to go ahead and authorize that upgrade as a surprise for the admiral. Amy asked AL to arrange a formal dinner for the admiral for tomorrow evening and to set it up on the planet with Cmdr Thomas.

The next morning Amy gave Admiral TuLak, and his captain, the grand tour of her ship and the ground facilities. They ended the tour with a visit to the brig so that TuLak could meet SuLak, and his pilot. The admiral was impressed with the ship and the facilities. But he was even more interested in SuLak, since that represented a threat to the Protectorate directly. When the admiral asked why SuLak was still alive Amy explained that they hoped to gain more information from him about operations he knew about and maybe people not to trust within the Protectorate. TuLak saw the wisdom in this type of thinking and said so.

After they left the brig, Amy, Jake, and Cmdr Thomas escorted the admiral to the arranged dinner. There was only a little shop talk during dinner, most of the time was devoted to tales from the admiral and his captain about battles with the Iberians. Amy and Jake told the admiral about the history of AL and what had happened within this system since his discovery. The next day, in a formal ceremony, Amy received her commission as an Admiral in the Protectorate forces. She was in charge of and responsible for both Sol and Alpha systems.