《Saving Earth for Dummies》


 01

    I was sitting in my cell staring at the wall when the pain started in my chest.


    Two months ago I ended up in Edmonton Remand for being an idiot as usual.


    The pain turned into a pressure throbbing in my shoulder and I debated calling for help but why bother? I felt the pain start to radiate down my left arm and I knew what was happening to me. Finally,a way out of this world that I can''t screw up. I just have to lay here for now, how long can it take?


    Two hours later I''m still here and the pain is excruciating but now I can''t move. I''ve seen dozens of heart attacks in my life and figured I would be gone by now. I tried to take a deep breath and let out a groan that alerted my cell mate who looked down at me.


    The look he put on his face clued me into my condition, he bolted to get the guards. When he got back he looked at me with a look that I recognized. My first code blue threw me for a loop and I can see it doing it to him.


    He knelt beside me "Brad can you hear me" he said as he shook me, I groaned.


    I hope this doesn''t screw him up I thought. I met him 3 weeks ago when a guard asked me to watch over him, he seems like just a screwed-up kid. I managed to turn my head and look at him and cracked a crooked smile.


    With that little smile, he must have thought I was going to be ok and he smiled back. I was just glad to be at the finish line, 53 years of suffering is finally at an end.


    SLAM BANG the cell door hit the wall and 2 guards rushed into the cell carrying an AED and an oxygen tank.


    "What side do the pads go on?"  said the younger of the 2 guards. Perfect, they don''t know what they are doing and won''t be able to help me. I always thought stupidity would kill me but this is the first time I hoped it actually happened.


    My shirt was cut away and they got pads on my chest with a minimum of effort. "Analyzing rhythm" chirped from the AED while a crowd gathered at the door watching the excitement. "Shockable rhythm detected" came from the AED as I opened my eyes to see panicked faces.


    "All persons clear"


    FUCK was my only thought as 200 joules of electricity shot through my chest contracting every muscle. I didn''t think that would hurt that much but that explains the looks I''ve gotten when I was the one pushing the buttons.


    "Start CPR" came from the AED and I felt my body sliding off the bed to the hard floor. I landed with a thud as my cellmate crouched over me and started chest compressions. I felt ribs break on the third compression but my thoughts weren''t on that. I was hoping James could live with my death and I hope this doesn''t screw him up.


    This went on for what felt like hours, I felt like a rag doll being thrown around by a child.


    "Analyzing rhythm"


    James bolted upright trying not to touch me. I knew he knew what he was doing because I taught the class 2 weeks ago.


    "Shockable rhythm detected - All Clear" my chest contorted once again with just as much pain as the first one. "Resume compressions" James once again began.


    "STOP" a medic from the infirmary behind the crowd grabbed everyone''s attention.  "He has a DNR" he yelled "what the hell is that" James yelled. One of the guards put his hand on James'' shoulder "it means we aren''t allowed to help."  He looked at me with tears in his eyes  "you stupid fuck". I felt bad for him, losing a patient is rough for a seasoned medic and he is just a bystander.


    Finally, my view started to close to tunnel vision and it felt like there were tubes over my ears scrambling sound. My fingers instantly went numb then my feet, and quickly chunks of my body disappeared from my knowledge. The light I could see through the slits grew dark and noise came to silence.


    Shaking - why is someone shaking me "Brad are you with me" came a voice to my left that I didn''t recognize. I opened my eyes and saw a pair of emerald green eyes looking back at me. "Where am I?" I croaked out as I sat up abruptly.


    She jumped back at my movement "your safe" as she looked down at me with a smile. I looked at this woman who seemed to be concerned for me and all I could think was why they brought me back. "They didn''t bring you back" she said. I just looked at her with a confused expression "I can hear your thoughts" she said while cocking her head to the side with a huge smile.


    Standing up I realized where I was, my childhood home. I was sitting on a sofa that probably no longer existed looking at a floor model TV. She took a seat on the sway rocker with the same smile on her face. I got up and looked around and it was all there. I went to the kitchen and even the squeaks in the floor were the same.


    I looked out the kitchen window and saw nothing but white but the interior was spot on. She came to the door to the kitchen as I was looking in the cupboard at a plastic sugar dish.


    "I created this place to make you relax but it seems to be causing you stress". I was in front of the sink when she came over and put her hands on my face and looked into my eyes. Her stare seemed to hypnotize "who are you" I thought. "I''m Vicky" I heard in my head and all I could do is blink. "I''m I dead?"


    "Yup" she giggled, flicking her hair over her shoulder.


    "So my choice of being an atheist was a wrong one?" She giggles again "no that was the right choice most religions are scams". My eyebrows went up "OK let''s pretend I''m an idiot no I am an idiot at the moment so spell it out for me slowly".


    She looked at me sternly "you know I hate the way you have always talked about yourself like that. You have done that since you were a kid, I really hate your sisters." My eyebrows came together and I scowled "how do you know so much about me" my turn to cock my head to the side.


    She turned towards me, put her hands on her hips and said "let''s start from the beginning. First my name is Vicky and I''m the one who brought back from the dead. Well sort of" I just blinked. "I found you when you were 3 years old and have kept an eye on you ever since. When your mom and dad adopted you I was so happy for you. Your tipping point at the age of 7 when your dad died and you were stuck in that house with all women, that''s where your bipolar came from as well as some of the PTSD."


    "Ok stop there - How have you been keeping track of me and know so much about me".


    "well I found you because of your DNA and I''ve been watching you from Mare Tranquillitatis on the moon since then. I have seen every step of your life, all your ups and downs and stepping in when I had to to keep you safe when I was permitted".


    "So I have a stalker on the moon, are you sure this isn''t just my dying brain." She started laughing "tell me how you feel right now like relax and let your mind wander"


    I did as she asked and thought about things that were happening to me and for some reason I was calm. I mean seriously I could hold my own with the best of them in a crisis but this was different.  I was able to organize my thoughts too quickly, it was offsetting at first but easy to get the hang of. I was able to access my entire life at a thought, every feeling good or bad was there.


    I looked at her "that''s your new norm Brad" she smiled at me. "No more brain fog because of the meds, no more intrusive thoughts from your PTSD and no more depression from your bipolar. You can never go through that again because you can''t now". I looked at her "so what am I now". She smiled again "we will get into that soon enough "


    I looked at her "oookkk"


    "When I came to this planet and started scanning for the DNA sequence that you contain you weren''t even thought of yet". I put a questioning look on my face "how long ago was that and what and who are you" she smiled "now you are getting it and asking the right questions. I have been here for about 13 thousand years"


    "how old are you" she smiled again "I was brought online in a distant galaxy over 100 thousand years ago"


    With that I sat on moms sofa and was reduced to blinking


    "So how do I factor in these plans"? Your DNA has a unique layout that allows me to interface with you" my eyes shot open "interface with me "


    "I''m getting there, my maker gave me instructions to find and intelligent race to monitor and wait till one presents the right conditions for me to fulfill my mission". "And that would be?"


    "Geeze your inpatient" she giggled "the interface between us will give you access and the ability to control all the technology I bring. You will be able to bring this technology to advance your race into the future. My maker understood what your race call''s filters"


    "And you chose me for this task?"


    "Fate chose you not me"


    "fate chose me to advance my race"


    "In a nutshell yes"


    That caused me to lay back and put my hands over my face, I pulled them away to see the hole from an old pipe, is this place really from my memory?  "So what is this place"


    "It''s a construct taken directly from your memory, I thought you might like it".


    I stood and walked around, and it was all there right to the butter dish in the cupboard. I noticed it even smelled the same, it truly was the home I grew up in.


    "Are we able to go somewhere else I don''t have a lot of good memories here". She shook her head "I was going for memories of your mom, they are a few of your good memories. Do you have anywhere in mind?"  I looked at her "where are we physically right now".


    "We are on the moon". I shook my head "let''s go there".


    My childhood home disappeared and in its place was a room right out of a sci-fi movie. There were beds along the walls so I thought maybe a medbay. Vickey smiled and looked at me "your right this is one of your medbays". My eyebrows came together "how can you read my thoughts". She smiled "let''s just say for now I''m part of you"


    "Ok I can live with that for now" I said while I looked around. The room we were in was 20 meters by 20 meters and I counted 10 beds. Lots of displays that meant nothing to me and a big tank in the center of the room. Something was floating in the fluid but it was opaque so I couldn''t make any details out. "This is one of the medbays on the ship and this is the first time I''ve used it " said a very happy Vicky as she spun and circles with her arms outstretched "it''s so nice to have company".


    I pointed at the tank "can I ask about that" as I approached it and looked in. She came beside me and looked in as well "we will get to that in a bit" my eyebrows went up "is this a good that or a bad that" she started to chuckle "it better be a good that I''ve been working on it for a month. Trust me you will like it I built it from scratch just for you. Don''t forget I know everything about you" the quizzical look returned to my face with a little concern as thing in the tank moved "is it alive " another giggle "I certainly hope so" she said as I stepped back.


    Vicky turned halfway so she could lean on the tank and gave me a smile that made me relax. "You said you intervened in my life to keep me safe, what did you mean by that". Another smile " I was permitted to intervene if you put your life in harm''s way to help another. If you got into a car accident that was out of your control I just had to watch, if say you were performing a rescue and put yourself in harms way I could. Do you remember the day that minivan hit you when you were walking to work" I nodded. "That''s one of the times I just had to watch and do nothing and hope you were ok".


    "I wasn''t" was my reply. "I know you limped for 4 months from that one. Do you remember when your airline disconnected when you were under supplied breathing air?"  I thought for a moment "I never had that happen once in my career." Another smile "actually you did have one, I reconnected it before anyone even noticed. Basically I was permitted to protect you from yourself when you were protecting others. Other than that you were to live your life as it unfolded before you. My creator gave me strict instructions in that matter. When I was commissioned I awoke to a list of commands and a list of planets that were seeded with yours being 96th on the list"


    "Seeded"


    "Yes there were 147 worlds that were seeded with genetic information in this galaxy. Your scientists call it Panspermia and they got it fairly close to accurate. Your history refers to the event as the Cambrian explosion. My creator understood life needs help and guidance otherwise they implode eventually in what you call filters. One of which your species is facing right now. With all the advances your race has right now isn''t enough to fix the planet and according to my scans the chemical damage alone is happening at an exponential rate. Without your help mankind is doomed to become another race that has wiped themselves out".


    "So the climate change talk was right" she nodded "Your scientists all talk of the CO2 in the air, Its the chemical damage that is the bulk of it. There are a lot of gullible people in your race and too many have taken advantage of that fact. Throughout history there have been many who could have helped and even advanced your race but they didn''t have the loudest voice so they were ignored. This is not rare, it''s more of a common occurrence. I have the info on 1047 space faring races that may or may not still be around. According to my files only 20 percent were still active and all of them had intervention like this. There were a few that were on the cusp of becoming a dominant force in their galaxy but for bad management and greed corrupting everything".


    She spun to look at me and smiled "at least until you died and started the process, now your species has a fighting chance. A damn good one in my opinion" I looked at her "the process" she smiled the same smile again that put me at ease. "The process of taking control of the ship and the technology onboard" I just blinked. "I have the utmost faith in your ability to achieve this task. It''s my personal opinion that you are the best and only chance mankind has. I will be there every step of the way and you will have information that people couldn''t even dream of. I have over one thousand civilizations that survived for thousands of years to work with so we won''t be doing it blind."


    "What one works the most" she got an evil smile "a single leader that is benevolent and kind". My eyes shot open "you want me to take over the planet" I said with shock in my voice. She just looked at me "taking over by force works well but getting them to join you works the best" I started to laugh "have you met humans, I think teaching cats to use the toilet would be easier".


    "Well I can give you the tools to need to accomplish your task. On that note that''s a good segway to what''s in the tank"


    Once again I presented to her my questioning look. "I love the way you get that little kid look when you get stressed and don''t know what to do next, I hope you keep that in your new body". I don''t think my eyes could get wider "WHAT NEW BODY". She started laughing "well you can''t do too much in your old body except decompose" she said with a giggle that I was growing to enjoy and fear at the same time.


    That''s when the fluid in the tank became crystal clear revealing the new me. The body in the tank was male and a lot bigger than I was by at least a factor of 2. Full head of hair, that will take a bit getting used to that again. Not gonna lie the muscle definition was impressive, I was gonna be ripped I thought to myself.


    "Yes you are" I heard from Vickey. "What did you base this on?" I said while staring at the face. "I''ve looked at every successful leader in your society for the last 1000 years. This is a compilation of all of them. You will be over 2 meters tall and weigh just shy of 136 kilograms"


    "Holy crap why so big?"


    "I needed room for all your upgrades " I looked at her "how many upgrades do I need?"  "Lots and you will learn to use them over time because that''s one thing you will have more of as well. My scans say once online this body will last at least 300 years"  I was again  reduced to blinking "300 years I didn''t think that is possible outside of sci-fi channel". She started laughing again "get used to using references from sci-fi you''re gonna need them."


    She waved her arm and hologram of my body appeared before us. "As you can see you are much bigger but the real magic is on the inside" another wave exposing muscle and tendons "your muscles fibers are now reinforced at the molecular level quadrupling your strength and stamina" another swipe exposing bones and internal organs. My bones had what looked like zebra stripes, she caught my look. "Your bones are strong enough to allow gaps so the nanobots occupy the rest. The nanobots are at your control so you can form objects from them and they self regenerate. They will repair damage almost instantly and will maintain your system perfectly. You could regenerate an arm or leg but it would be faster in the tank."


    Another wave


    "You have a second heart and increased lung capacity for stamina beyond anything you can imagine right now. Those combined with your nanobots you could run flat out for 20km and not be winded. Your nanobots can make anything your body needs and have stores so going without oxygen for an hour or two would be fine. My calculations right now are that you could do without food for 6 months if necessary.  Even the vacuum of space shouldn''t be too much of an issue if it''s under an hour of exposure."


    Another swipe of her hand and my body disappeared leaving my head and she zoomed in on a cutaway of my skull showing my new brain. "This is the real magic, your skull is nearly indestructible and your brain is split into 4 hemispheres each capable of independent function and the crystal in the middle is for ME"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "You"


    "Yup your going to have an onboard AI"


    "holy crap" was all I could muster to that revelation. "I took the design from the dolphin brain so you could rest independent parts of your brain so you can work for about 2 months straight with no interruptions and be fully functional".


    "I think I need to sit down this is too much" I walked to one of the beds and sat on the edge putting my face in my hands. Vickey walked in front of me, squatted down and took my hands away and lifted my face to meet hers.


    "Are you ok"


    "Are you sure I deserve this" she smiled "of course you do, you have spent most of your life taking care of others and protecting them even at your own expense. You were dying and worried about your cellmate having to live with your death. No matter how bad your mind got your first thought is for others. I have seen you give your meal to a child so they were happy and full while you sat hungry and alone. That part of you never wavered your entire life. That is in part because of your DNA but most of it comes from your love to help people any way you could. You have a part of you that remained unbroken your entire life and your life was screwed up at times. This was my creator''s plan, live a life so you know both sides of the coin. You have lived 53 years of hardship and pain and now you have the ability to make sure others don''t. Now that you are free of that  you have the tools to become a great leader. Men will want to be you and women will want to be with you. I made sure of that" she smirked.


    " it''s hard to get past who I was, I guess it will take time" she shook her head "nope when you move in it will be instant. Right now you are living in the crystal as a kind of image. Once you move into your brain you will feel different I promise. I built this body with top shelf equipment and spared no expense, there are no flaws like your old body. You will gain the confidence that held you back so many times in the past but I know you can remain humble. Trust me this is your grand adventure that people will talk about for a very long time to come. I know the women will" she giggled the last part pulling me out of shock "what"


    She shook her head and gave me an evil smile " you can''t tell me you didn''t look" she said with an evil grin "tell me you didn''t notice the equipment I gave you. I have lived every minute of your life and I was given free reign to design the perfect body including your junk. What do you expect me to do?" She laughed again.


    "Lived every minute of my life" I was back to my quizzical look


    "when I took tissue samples and downloaded your mind I saw the whole thing in fast forward. I know what you would have wanted and I gave you extra" another wave of he hand and my body reappeared except this time instead of wearing shorts I got the full Monty. Ok I looked and I have to admit I would have done the same I chuckled to myself. "That''s not the best part, it changes size. You could be the perfect size for a virgin or a small pony" she started laughing so hard she held her sides.


    "Why are you female when I''m male" I asked out of curiosity "my creator set it up so I would be the opposite sex if there were 2 or the dominant one of there were more."


    "More?" I must have had a look on my face because she laughed. "Yes there can be more anyway I''m assuming me being female is a perspective thing" I nodded


    "How did you watch over me from the moon". She smiled "I''ve had a drone on you since I found you just before your 4th birthday. I ran a shunt of myself to run the drone while the rest was in hibernation waiting for you to kick the bucket" she giggled " I was all business till I watched your life, I just did it in about 5 minutes. I got to see your life through a 3rd person view free from what held you back your entire life. I got to see all your struggles and failures and I see the man that was created from them. Your home life was horrible and you still don''t blame them, I don''t know how but you don''t. The special section of your DNA amplifies your abilities whatever they may be. I know you have noticed that you can master a task in no time flat" I nodded "if you had a good or at least normal upbringing you would have been a doctor instead of rescue. You got talked down to so much you adapted to that growing up and it stuck with you your entire life. Your DNA will produce 2 possible personalities, one who suffers and is kind or one who succeeds in life and hopefully has the same traits. I think you got the better of the 2 options, I have seen you hit rock bottom and just keep going. Most would be dead right now and I mean really dead not your dead" she laughed and I joined in "oh great you have my humor"


    "What do you expect" I just shook my head.


    I stood and walked over to the tank to inspect the new me, I thought to myself that it won''t be that bad.  "No it won''t" I heard over my shoulder which caused a chuckle from me.  "How long does the transfer take?" "About 5 minutes, I''m still on the ship right now and I''m linked to you though the crystal but when I move you to your new brain that frees up the crystal for me"


    "is the crystal a computer" I asked and she giggled "in loose terms yes, imagine 100 of your supercomputers and enough storage to store the entire internet 20 times over. You will have access to that and your own storage as well". How much room do you take in the crystal?"  She smiled "I will occupy about 42% so we have lots to play with" I smiled "better to have it and not need it I suppose"


    "Exactly I can run 25 shunts of myself on top of my core programming just like the shunt I had watching over you"


    "How powerful is each shunt?"  Another smile "each shunt is a duplicate of me and can run independently. Each one can run the ship easily including 100 drones on use each doing a different job.


    "Do you want to see the ship, it''s your new home now" she looked at me with a slight look of longing on her face "lead on chickie" I said as I waved my arm for her to take the lead. "I''m at your disposal" she started walking to the door and glanced over her shoulder.


    "I simulated the entire ship in here. We can work here and interact with the outside world. We can use drones to be your eyes and ears when you need input from outside. You will learn to create your own environments as you need them, or use the scanning feature of the drones to build one for you. Say you wanted to do some work on the moon or in a hazardous environment, send in a drone scan it then use the bot as your interface. With the VR interface it''s like you''re really there. You can do this for each hemisphere of your brain so you can be in 4 places at once. That should come in handy when you get busy"


    We walked down a corridor on the outside of the ship, windows on the right and doors to my left. Looking out the window I saw rocks and dust so not much to see there. The doors were open so I could see quarters for the eventual crew. Each one was a duplicate of the next but they were roomy and were like a large hotel room.


    "I scanned a bunch of different styles and came up with this basic one. They can be changed by the occupants. I was going to model it after the camps you used to stay in but I figured you wanted your crew to be happy" she giggled.


    "How many quarters do we have right now?".


    "I set up 1000 for now, I wasn''t sure how fast you would fill it" my eyes got wide "1000 how big is this ship?" She smiled again "1.7 km long 700 meters at the stern and 50 meters at the bow. It''s a big wedge shape and yes I look like a star destroyer from Star Wars minus the tower at the stern. I had to laugh when I came across that in your memories, it''s a logical design for all my weapons along the sides. We are in the stern now so these windows look out the back of the ship. I looked out the window again "don''t the rocks damage the hull that''s got to be a lot of weight to be pressed against it".


    "They aren''t up against the hull, they are up against the shields, there is about 10 meters of gap there "oh" was my only reply as I tried to comprehend the vast size of this ship when a hologram of the ship appeared in front of me.


    I stumbled trying to avoid it "wow you can really bring those up fast". She turned to look at me "I didn''t do that, that was you. The environment is adapting to your needs and wants. I''m surprised actually, it usually takes a few days before you should be able to control things based on my files. Try interacting with it and try to strip away layers" I looked at the hologram and concentrated and I saw it expand like a part''s breakdown showing the decks interiors. There were no rooms, just swaths of open space. "That''s weird you pulled the info for the exterior but not the internals. That will come with time." She waved it away then hologram and we continued down the corridor to a lift.


    "Let''s go see your personal quarters and the bridge they are on the same level". We stepped onto the lift and the doors shut and instantly reopened revealing the bridge. "The nice thing in here is travel is instant, you will learn to jump around and not even need the lifts". The bridge was once again straight out sci-fi, one central chair surrounded by workstations. I counted ten in total leading to a huge view screen that was presently showing the earth.


    "What part of the ship is the bridge located on?"


    "We are in the central core of the ship. I will never understand why your movies put the captain on the outside of the ship where someone could poke out a window and take him out. Like you protect your captain not put him in a shooting gallery". She said this while shaking her head "yes I guess that does make sense" I said while shrugging my shoulders.


    The captain''s chair was huge then I realized it''s for my new body. I walked up to it and it shrunk to fit me so I sat to get the feel. I looked at Vicky and smiled but she looked confused.


    "Once again I didn''t do that, you are adapting the environment on the fly and your connection to this is basic at best. If you are adapting and catching on this quick this is going to get interesting"


    "Is that a bad thing" I questioned "not at all, my files show that the faster adaptation in here the faster you will adapt in the real world" I smiled "maybe all that sci-fi I watched as a kid is paying off" I laughed. I looked at the stations on my left and right, they all look the same. "They are the same they change according to who is sitting there" I looked at her "having you being able to read my thoughts is going to take some getting used to" I said in my head.


    She turned to look at me and stuck out her tongue at me, that brought a smile to my face that she met with her own. "So what kind of technology do we have on this ancient ship" that got me a punch in the arm "hey I''m young compared to the moon" another slap on the arm


    She sat on my lap "here we go" the room around me flashed to a walkway over a huge empty space below "this is the central core of the ship that acts as a hangar and manufacturing area for ships and larger items like that. We can make a shuttle or a fighter in a few hours, faster if we had to. Putting a few drones with the assemblers speeds them up. All you need is base materials, we should send drones to the asteroid belt eventually to do some mining. Our stockpile of base materials is full which is 50 tons each." She stood beside me at the railing and pointed at huge blocks and tanks off to the side.


    I could see a block of gold the size of 4 shipping containers "well that takes care of seed money" I laughed. She looked at me "you will never need for anything again. I can mine a ton of gold in about 6 hours so no problem there. The rare earth metals I have on board are worth about 200 billion" I shook my head at that when I saw something that opened my eyes wide. "What is that" she giggled


    "it''s a diamond like crystal, I found it coming out of a planet that was being ripped apart by a tiny black hole. That was about 20 thousand years ago on the other side of the galaxy while I was searching. I''m not sure what to do with it" I looked at her "well a diamond the size of a pickup truck will turn a few heads" I laughed. She smiled "one of the reasons I kept it was it has no flaws anywhere. It''s kind of redundant as I can make them" she shrugged. "It  was just so unique to let it fall into a black hole. It''s yours now so I''m sure you will find a use for it" another smile "it would be neat to cut it and see it in the sun someday".


    I''m beginning to think this is doable if I can others to join me, like actually join me in advocating for me while I advance mankind. Moving up a level on the Kardashev scale is no small task, that''s a lot of energy.


    "Yup" I heard beside me "let''s just say one of my engines could power North America and have 9 of them. I also have the plans and ability to build more. I can make them small enough to integrate into a house or scale them up to power a country."


    "I don''t even want to imagine the level of people I''m going to piss off" I said laughing, I may as well see the humor in it. "Hey we might have to play hardball to get this done. I''ve designed a few plans that would get a lot of people on our side but yes we will step on toes. One is to make a global communication network and make it free or could take over all mining or fuel alternatives that don''t pollute so they can keep their gas guzzlers."  Now I''m looking at her in utter shock "seriously". She nodded her head "do you think you are the first species to go through this kind of thing. I have terraforming tech that will clean the oceans and the air while repairing it from the damage you have done. I''m not to guide you, I''m to be your conscience with a lot of roadmaps that have worked in the past".


    "We are going to do what you love and help people and make things equal for everyone, not the horrible way it is now. Yes that means we need to create a new society and the fates have chosen you to be the big Kahuna. What a gut punch"


    "oooo that''s all". She giggled. It was during this moment the realization of everything hit me. It''s weird in the past I never could have handled this without folding.


    "Hey how long have I been dead?" She looked at me "About a month"


    "Who knows about it" she giggled "nobody" I look at her eyebrows scrunched together "how?"


    She smiled "I stole your body when I took my scans". I just shook my head and joined her giggle. "Am I allowed to tell people who I am?"


    "That is up to you I have information on both"


    "If I keep it a secret how often does it get out" she looked away for a second "26% of the time" I looked at her and made an easy decision "I don''t like those odds so I need to protect my daughter Jaden and her kids before I do reveal who I was". She nodded "I will put drones on them right now" I nodded at that "thank you"


    "So what works best, free will or brute force".  She looked at me "it''s actually about 50/50, the best is a combination of the two and you WILL step on some powerful toes. I''m guessing a lot of attempts on your life that''s why I made you damn near indrustable. My bets on getting used to getting shot" she laughed.


    "How much damage can I take" her eyebrows went up "as long as your head survives you can rebuild your body"


    "Holy shit" she nodded


    "You will be able to seal wounds almost instantly and your nanobots handle the internal damage" she got a serious look on her face "I do need to tell you of another protocol for me. All of my data could be used to end civilization, if you go evil I''m to remove you from power"


    "No now that I can think clearly I understand what I need to do, I just have no idea how to do it" I laughed


    "The drones are in place sir there is one on Jaden and one on each of her girls." I smiled "what can they do?"


    "They are the size of a baseball, here look" a squarish baseball sized drone appeared.


    "They have shield emitters so they can manipulate objects, they cloak so you don''t even know they are there. They can have many options there''s lasers - decompilers - assemblers pretty much anything you can think of. You could easily use one to drive a car remotely".


    "That''s cool"


    She nodded "you haven''t grasped how much power you control now. You are the most powerful person to have ever lived and you were destined to help your race. I have all the tech you need to accomplish this task."


    "Oh I''m in, I realize this as much as you do we just need to pick a path and stick with it. We need to do the least damage to society and the most benefit for all. What does your files say about time frames?"


    "Anywhere from 6 months to 100 years. The 6 month one is where the leader took over and the 100 years was a society that just wouldn''t change and perished." I looked at her "how long does the earth have?" she put a serious look on her face "another 50 years and we have to terraform from scratch".


    "So 50 years till we are a write off, we can use that as a gauge adding time as we fix things". She smiled again "people like visual so was can use that at a selling point when we show people the difference we can make"


    "Well on to the rest of the tour" I said and she smiled "that''s basically it, I was waiting for you to wake up to start the rest of it. I can change the ship on the fly. If you wanted to subtract 10 cm from all the rooms to make more rooms it would take a few hours. The ship is never static, only main support beams can''t be touched for obvious reasons. Time to change is dependent on how many drones you assign".


    "How fast can you make drones?"


    "The big assemblers can spit out 4 a minute and they can build each other in about 15 min. And before you ask, the Grey Goo hypothesis can''t happen unless intentional. They are smart enough to recognize it and stop it before it gets out of hand". I started to laugh "I guarantee that will come up in conversation"


    "Humans have a fantastic imagination. I''m amazed how much your scifi got right. Oh my I forgot to show you your quarters". The view changed again to what looked like a luxury apartment complete with kitchen, food replicator, 5 extra bedrooms, huge bathroom and a nice office. The whole thing was circular and in the Center a circular sunken sofa. The main bedroom had a bed bigger than a king with its own bathroom. The smaller bedrooms had what I guessed was a double bed.


    Making my way to the bathroom I saw the usual toilet and bidet but in addition was a squat toilet, well all bases covered there. Next was the shower or should I say showers. On the left was a normal shower that could make it easy for more than one occupant complete with body jets and a huge rain head. The one on the right was a different matter. It looked like a tanning booth with vertical tubes along all walls.


    "It''s a refresher, imagine a shower you can use with your clothes on. You step in and 30 seconds later your clean, clothes and all". I smiles at that "parents will love that" I giggled "it''s definitely a time saver the only problem is it can''t do creases and folds".


    I walked into the kitchen and looked at the food replicator, an opening in the wall the size of a mid sized microwave with no door and a screen at eye level


    "You choose your selection and wait 30 seconds and poof you have your meal. A force field covers the opening while it''s working, fingers inside would be a very bad thing" she goggled.


    "Good to know"


    "When you make your selection the replicator talk to your nanobots and adjust the calorie content to what you need including vitamins and minerals. You can eat whatever you want and you won''t get fat"


    "North America will love that" she said laughing and I joined in "yea there are a few portly people out there that this could help. Hey I used to be one of them to remember"


    "That''s a polite way of saying you got lazy depressed and fat". I looked at her "yea pretty much" I lowered my head


    "Well that''s pretty much it for now. I figured you would make lots of changes on the fly"


    "Yea I have some thoughts about the crew quarters". She giggled "I know". I shook my head and smiled


    "That''s going to take a lot to get used to. I''ve talked to myself before but now someone will answer" I chuckled. "Well get used to it Bub. You''re stuck with me from now on, I promise not to be too intrusive into your thoughts" I shook my head no "feel free to jump in if I''m wondering something I would appreciate it".


    She nodded "consider it done. Remember you have 3 other brain cores to work with as well. You can have research going all the time, they will rest when needed but they pass off projects to complete them. I think I will call them your baby shunts". She started giggling trying to hold it back.


    I smiled "remind me to dial back your humor settings". That got me a punch in the arm, at least she switched sides. I wonder if constructs get bruises "they don''t so I can abuse you all I want in here" she said with a smile then slugged me in the chest and yes it hurt. "We can do anything here, it''s perfect for simulation in real time. Also how long have you been awake?" I looked at her questioning "I would guess an hour or so"


    She smiled "it''s been 5 seconds in the real world, in here you run at the speed of thought sort of like a dream" my eyes shot open as the view changed again and we were back in medbay looking at my new body. "Well, do you think you''re ready to wake up and start this grand adventure?" I smiled.


    "Yup just tell me what to do"

 02

    Suddenly there was a flash and I was laying down. I looked at hands that weren''t mine then I realized I was taller. I looked at Vicky "wow that was instant "


    "It was for you it''s been 2 hours for me. You mind had a bit of a freak out when it found the 4 hemispheres and tried to occupy all 4. It took me a while to isolate you to one of them,  you tried to access everything. Once I got you into the right one you calmed down. You were like a kid in a candy store exploring everything. My transfer went as predicted and I''m now in the crystal. Can you feel the memory module and the crystal"


    I relaxed and kind of dug around in my head "I think so". "Imagine them as external storage for you laptop"


    I nodded and did what she said and there it was "that worked, thank you. If you think of other things like that feel free to point them out" she nodded


    I felt around in my mind with my eyes closed. I made an office in my mind, I made it comfortable with lots of wood accents. Off my office there are 3 doors and 3 chairs in front of me. On my desk was a crystal so I touched it and I had full access to its contents. There was my life stored for me, every second was there, every memory stored for my perusal.  I looked at the chairs and 3 of the old me appeared.


    "These offices are yours, feel free to do what you will to them" they nodded and went into them.


    Vicky appeared "wow you are adapting fast, I expected a few arguments before you got this level of control. I guess I have to do some testing" she smiled


    "I''m glad I meet your approval" I said with my own grin. That''s when I felt it and looked at Vickey "holy crap I''m hungry"  I opened my eyes and that made it worse.


    "Your digestive system is completely empty, I think it''s time to fix that" I nodded. I got up and walked to the replicator in the med bay, how did I know where that was I thought.


    Vicky giggled "you now have access to the ship''s schematics so you know where everything is."  I smiled "well that is a time saver for sure".


    I touched the screen to wake it up. I touched the food section and scrolled through the selections. It was like the self-serve kiosk at a fast food joint so it was easy to navigate. I noticed I had a favorite stored so I had to check it out. There was only one selection labeled Moms Spaghetti. I looked at Vickey "is that what I think it is".


    She smiled and nodded "yup that''s from me. I scanned your memories and duplicated it. I know how much you love it and you need the calories so dig in". That brought a smile to my face and I pushed the button and watched the blue force field appear. Sure enough 30 seconds later the field dropped and the aroma hit me. It was truly moms spaghetti and meatballs, it even had the right amount of parmesan cheese. I felt a wave of memories of mom come over me and brought another smile to my face.  I took the tray to the table and dug in and I haven''t had anything like this in many years. Every morsel was from my memories and I devoured it short of licking the plate.


    Vicky sat across from me with her hands under her chin smiling at me. "I''m glad you like it. It took a while for me to work it out. The woman didn''t have a recipe so I had to dig into your memories of you and her and look at the labels on the bottles of spices." She said with a frustrated look "well it means a lot to me".


    I got up and got another plate and an ice tea, when I took the first bite she started talking in my head


    "you need to remember that I''m a product of you and your memories so I have the same traits, I like to make people smile and happy"


    I looked at her with my mouth full "it''s weird talking while chewing" she smiled "your multitasking skills and beyond anything others can imagine so get used to it"  I finished and took the tray to the recycler and just dropped it in and hit the button. I walked to the door in the medbay and turned left with Vicky in tow. I stopped at the lift and went to push the button.


    "You don''t have to do that sir, the lift will always be waiting for you as captain" I smiled as the door opened and I stepped in. "Command quarters" I spoke almost out of reflex. The door opened and presented me with a wide hallway with a door on either side. Mine is on the right and the one on the left is a duplicate. I thought to myself if Jaden would stay here


    "I think it will take her a while to adjust but I''m confident she will" I nodded at that and went into my quarters and went straight for the shower.


    The rain head came in and it was the perfect temp and flow, thinking of the body jets caused them to come on. I took a very long and relaxing shower taking full benefits of the jets. I heard in my head "all the controls of the ship respond to your needs, everyone else has to choose their temp. One of the perks of your interface". I looked at the wall and found shampoo, I chucked out loud and thought I have washed my hair in 20 years hell I haven''t had hair in 20 years. I grabbed the washcloth and lathered up enjoying the mild smell from the soap.


    I looked down at my new equipment and concentrated. Sure enough I could make it dramatically change the size, I heard laughter in my head "that didn''t take you long".


    I laughed out loud "don''t give me a new toy and expect not to play with it". I got out and dried myself realizing all of my aches and pains were gone so I stretched naked in front of the mirror. This is going to take time to get used to, I thought as I looked at my body. Vicky appeared as I was flexing "So do you like my design" she giggled "I''m going to introduce myself to your shunts" she said "ask them if they want names?" she disappeared.


    I walked into the closet and dropped my towel in the recycler and looked on the rack. A Shirt and jeans were there on a hanger so I put them on, They fit perfectly.


    Vickie appeared "they said they will go by A,B and C. They will pick names later" I nodded at that "we were talking for a few hours and they all agreed that they want their names to have meaning. I smiled "I can be patient till they choose, wait a few hours".


    "Speed of thought remember" "oh yea" she shook her head at me. "I''m going to let you be the go between for now, that''s one adjustment I have to get used to. Multitasking is one thing, parallel thinking is a different matter" she smiles "gotcha I''m your traffic cop" she giggled "exactly I like having a buffer there and it keeps you up on everything. Tell the others that they can contact me anytime, I in no way want to exclude them". She smiled "they understand" "cool now what would you like me to do"


    "Let''s do a diagnostic, go into your office and have a seat. These will be a regular thing for a bit till I''m sure everything is stable"


    I did what I was told and found a very funky but extremely comfortable chair. I leaned back and closed my eyes and went into my mind office.


    I appeared and looked at my 4 companions. "Are we able to meet on the outside" Vicky looked at me and nodded "you go out and we will be there in a sec". I opened my eyes and seconds later they joined me. I looked at the shunts "you are never relegated to the back of my mind, you are all welcome to contact me at any time. We are all equals here in my opinion so if you have a point to add please verbalize it" they thanked me one at a time. Vickey looked at them "each of you will have your own specialties of your own, you will have a lot of your own decisions to make". They nodded at that.


    "Ok let''s get started I need the 4 of you to kind of sync your thoughts and think of a person and see how long it takes to bring up a hologram of that". The 4 of us looked at each other then at the desk. I thought of a day and pushed the thought to the trio. It was fuzzy at first then over a few min it cleared to crystal clear. It was my 2 older grandchildren playing in and running around an above ground pool.


    "Crap that was fast and you did a whole scene, I''m going to have to make some new tests" she giggled "the files say your adapting faster than most to your new abilities, Try to access your storage crystal".


    The 4 of us looked at each other and shared a thought. We agreed to visualize it as crystals in our right hands so we held them up palm up. The crystals appeared and we agreed to have the info flow visually as streams of light. The storage capacity was insane, each crystal held my life and they showed 5%. I estimated my crystal alone to be 50 yottabytes


    "That doesn''t even include my crystal" Vickey said with a smirk. She came to stand in the center of us and held up her hand mimicking us. Our crystals were white and Vicky''s appeared pink and a different cut gem. Once the beams formed I instantly had access to her crystal and all the info. Star charts started to flow to A , B got past tech and C got both.


    A smiled "I wanted navigation and exploration"


    B smiled "I want to build and design"


    C smiles "I can be backup until I decide"


    Vicky looked at us wide eyed with a shocked look on her face "that transfer was instantaneous" my eyebrows went up "should it not have been?"


    She shook her head "that amount of data should have been 40 seconds at least, there is something going on that I''m not aware of. I think that is enough for right now".


    "Ok I guess playtime is over B could you make me a shuttle to go earthside and I will need ground transportation while I''m there so make an SUV that the shuttle can pick up like a drop ship I don''t mind riding in the vehicle if necessary. They all nodded and disappeared. That''s when Vickey got serious.


    "That should not have happened"


    "What do you mean?" She looked stressed. "The crystals didn''t just interface, they merged" my eyebrows went up "is that a bad thing?"


    "I don''t know, I have no data on this like nada zilch. Everything I have talks in times not instant transfer. I really didn''t expect to be on virgin ground when it comes to these things. I guess we have a lot to learn" she giggled.


    "I say just go with it and document things we just have some growing to do. No need to fuss if it''s for the better".


    "I suppose, anyway, do you want to see the ship B designed for you".


    "Already" she smiled and nodded "trust me you will like it". My attention was drawn to the desktop where my drop ship appeared. It looked like a small space shuttle just shorter. It was animated and I saw an SUV resembling a Mercedes drive out of the back. I picked it up and expanded the view noting it was perfect for what I wanted. It was 2 floors just a little wider than the suv so you could get out climb the stairs where there was seating for 6. There was still enough room for another small car if I needed called for it. "He has a second model that has a limo that can seat 10 comfortably".


    "Where are the engines?"  She smiled "they are the wings themselves, this ship uses antigravity engines to travel". I smiled "it''s perfect, elegant and simple". She nodded, " Do you want me to start construction?"


    "Yes please, the 2 vehicle model first".


    With that I sat back and stretched, I needed to know more about the drones. "How fast can they move?" she turned to me "this model can travel 50 km per hour for 500 km then they need to refuel themselves. They are also smart enough to catch rides by holding on to the vehicle their charge is in. Once again a baseball sized rounded dice appeared in front of me. I reached out and grabbed the hologram and it followed my movements. That''s when I realized the hologram had weight and was warm. Realizing it was real I let go and it floated in place.


    Vickey was in stitches watching my realization "it''s real you goof, you thought about it and one came to you. Your subconscious realized you wanted a real one not a hologram. You need to be careful in mixed company, no wondering what women are wearing under their dress". She was laughing holding her sides when a gust of wind blew her skirt up. If looks could kill, popped into my head when she looked at me.


    "You shouldn''t be able to do that like ever" she said with a stern look and voice. "I didn''t mean to do it, I just thought it would be funny and it happened". She still looked stern.


    "Are you able to back yourself up" she nodded "do it and keep it updated until I get control. I would rather be paranoid and safe" she nodded and looked away for a sec.


    "I don''t want to accidentally mess with your core programming". She looked at me "I have C working on it now he will design a backup device for all of us. For now I have a few firewalls between us". I nodded at that.


    "It was weird, that subroutine you created just came out of nowhere" she said with a questioning look. I threw my arms in the air "don''t look at me until I died I couldn''t spell subroutine" he face returned to a smile.


    "What is the ETA of the drop ship?" another smile "about an hour left, why don''t you lay down for a bit and relax. I want to make sure you can shut down and sleep properly".


    "Ok" I followed behind her to the bedroom and layed on the huge bed. It was sooo comfortable as I laid my head on the pillow.


    "Just think of the about of time you want to sleep for, just think one hour and close your eyes"


    I did what I was told and it felt like an instant I was awake again feeling super refreshed with Vicky yelling at me.


    "We need to work on that one, you were out for 5 hours Even the others couldn''t wake you"


    "Wow I feel great" was my reply "if I wake up like that from now on I might like to sleep again no more nightmares".


    She shook her head "yea I forgot to mention that, you won''t have them anymore they are gone for good. This has me concerned about you being out for 5 hours instead of the 1 you requested. Your crystal has changed colour slightly and it''s showing a tiny increase in capacity. I want you to lay down and think one hour again". I did what I was told and what was an instant for me was just shy of 5 hours for Vickey.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I looked at her "I can work with that for now, I will chart it and figure out the pattern" she nodded with concern in her face "yea keep them short, I don''t like you out like that and for that long not expecting it. How do you feel?"


    "I feel like last time, great"


    "Your crystal has changed again the same tiny shade, it''s so slight I have trouble picking up up but it''s there. Well that can go on the back burner for now, didn''t you want to go earthside?"


    I smiled and nodded "I''m assuming the ship is done by now" she smiled "it''s been done for a while now while you were comatose" she chuckled. I got up and stretched "let''s go take a look"


    "B made some changes you will like"


    "Vicky, what are the capabilities of the medbeds" I asked as I walked towards the door. "You know you can access all that data yourself" she said with a questioning look.


    I smiled "I know I like the conversation" she smiled "ok I like that too. The medbeds use nanobots to fix people based on their DNA. They scan and get a picture of you based on your original parameters. They can find all mutant DNA like cancer and eliminate them. If it''s not supposed to be there it gets rid of it and it was supposed to be there it rebuilds it, Essie peasie. It was designed for a different race but the testing I did proves my modifications will work for humans."


    "You experimented on people" my eyes shot open. She started to laugh "no I didn''t, I used your body. I put it all back together when I was done" she said with a giggle.


    The door opened showing me a huge hangar made even bigger by my little ship, It was jet black with red pinstripes. "Oooooo I do like it and I love the colour".


    "Your welcome" I head B in my head. I followed Vickey to mid ship on top of the wing that was about 30 cm off the floor. The door opened for me and I went inside, looking around I saw my new ride. The paint job on the vehicle matched the ship and that made me smile. There was a ladder and a one man lift gave me access to the passenger compartment. The seating was increased to 12 and they reclined. Vicky piped up "the medbed can possibly take hours so the seats recline for naps". I nodded at that


    "So from where we are, how long will it take to get to earth?"  She smiles "15 minutes on average to anywhere on the planet".


    "Cool, your flying by the way" she turned to look at me "until I''m sure that I''m in complete control I shouldn''t fly. Too much of a chance for an accident that could get someone hurt"


    "Gotcha makes sense". What do we have onboard this ship to work with tech wise". She smiled "the norm shields, cloak, weapons and tractor beams."


    "Weapons?" She nodded "they are mostly defensive but that can pack a wallop if you need them to" I nodded as well  "Good to know and all the more reason for you to be in control right now. Lock me out of things that go boom please." She nodded "ok good point, so where are we going?"  My turn to smile "let''s take a trip around the moon  and do some sightseeing". I took a seat in the copilot''s seat as we started to move.


    I didn''t feel anything at all. It was like watching something on a kickass tv. The ship spun in place and took off for a tunnel that was against the far wall. The tunnel wasn''t that long, I''m guessing 50 meters but by the time we exited the display was showing we were traveling over 250 kph. "She is a peppy little thing" I heard from my right as she shot into space. All I could see was stars and I don''t remember ever seeing them this clear.


    "How bout that view huh" she said while looking at me. All I could do was look and nod my head. She then turned the ship and the earth came into view. I was awestruck, The blue marble speech from Carl Sagan popped into my head, I understand it now.


    "How bout we swing by the ISS" she said as she sped up and the earth grew in the window. "We are cloaked on so they can''t detect us at all" I looked at her "sure". I just stared out the window in silence while we flew. As we approached the ISS I could see they were doing a space walk working on one thing or another.


    "I wonder where to start" I muttered to myself and Vicky looked at me "I''m not sure exactly, I can offer insight based on my files"


    "Has a gift to the world worked in the past" she nodded "yes I have 145 examples of it to gain favor" my turn to nod "how many fails" she scrunched up her face "3" that brought a smile to my face "I like those odds but now to pick the right one" I looked out the window at the person in front of me and realized I couldent even tell if this is a man or woman, all I can see is a gold coloured face shield. Whoever it was they were looking right at us and they saw nothing.


    "How bout some terrestrial sight seeing now". She turned the ship and went into a dive into the atmosphere.


    "Head to Cape Breton I haven''t been there in a long while". I figured why not go back to old haunts first.


    I watched the island grow larger as Vickey dove straight down. "How fast are we going?" She laughed at my nervous look "about Mach 5 right now I can slow down if you want" I chuckled "no I''m good".


    "The shields have to be engaged at anything above Mach 1". She came to a hover over the community I grew up in. I looked at the home I grew up in and it didn''t stir anything like it used to when I looked in the past.


    Vickey took her hands off the controls and turned to me "you will feel a disconnect, that''s normal. It was your old life, now you have a new one. Your mind will look for connections that aren''t there anymore, the memories are there but they are on your crystal. You can put ones back that will allow you to keep the connection you are looking for. It''s different with people from your old life, you will keep those connections but places seem to fade. I''ve wondered if that was intentional as to not to tie you to one spot". She shrugged her shoulders.


    "No I''m good with the way it is and I agree with your train of thought."


    "Yea it makes sense, ok where to now boss". I grinned "it''s summer time but what time is it?". Another smile "it''s 23:00 in Halifax, 19:00 Vancouver" I smiled "that makes it 20:00 in Calgary perfect for an evening out".


    She looked at me "and it''s Friday" she giggled


    "If you are planning on drinking your wasting your time your body will detoxify anything". I laughed "I didn''t drink before I can do without now, I just want to go out and try the new body".


    She looked at me with an evil grin "you want to find out if women like the new bod". I smiled and sheepishly hung my head.


    "Don''t worry about it, I want to know the answer as well. Let''s go give it a whirl, go get in the SUV". I did what I was told and the doors opened in front of me presenting me with a rooftop parking. When the door opened the lower half formed a ramp. I put it in drive and drove to the concrete below. Vickey appeared on the screen on the dash "go for it I have the cameras jammed for the next 20 seconds" I did what I was told and stepped on the accelerator.


    It was odd not hearing the engine but it had no lack of power. "Slow down on the next corner" I came to a crawl


    "That''s good I got it. We needed a parking pass to get out. Always plan ahead" she giggled and I smiled "yes sensei" I snickered knowing she can''t hit me here. "Ouch" she looked at me "don''t forget I have drones"


    "How many do you have in here right now".


    "4"


    "Why 4?"


    She looked at me "I don''t want to lose you, I just unwrapped you and I didn''t get the extended warranty. I''m sorry but until I know you are ok by yourself you will have to deal with it".


    I smiled "no I understand you''re just being cautious, have you locked me out of them?"  She nodded "I made sure you can''t access them but you should still be able to feel them." I thought for a second and thought I could feel something but I couldn''t tell what they were. It was almost like a little clouds around me. I approached the gate and the card that Vicky made must have worked because it opened. I turned left and drove into the city enjoying the evening breeze.


    For the next 50 minutes we drove around, I always liked this city. We approached the downtown core and traffic was horrendous and instantly came to a standstill "mabey the vehicle idea in a city was a bad idea, I think this might be a wash". I looked at the screen


    "Not at all. Watch, turn down the next alley to your left." I did what I was told and came to a stop.


    "Open the console" I did "Where did all this money come from?" she smiled an evil smile "I made it. Not to worry it''s yours, I drained your bank accounts before I closed them. Now take the money and get out" she laughed.


    I opened the door and got shoved out by me. I turned and looked and sure enough I was behind the steering wheel. He looked at me and smiled "ok now that is creepy",


    "yes it is" he said back then he shut the door.


    "2 of the drones can handle this, they will go back to the garage and load". So I''m standing in a Calgary alley watching myself drive away "how was your day " I mumbled in my head as I gave it a shake.


    I shoved the money in my pocket and started walking, getting to the sidewalk resulted in me getting swept up in the flow. I started to relax as I walked and laughed in my head about being taller, I can get used to seeing over the top of people''s heads. I walked with the crowd until it thinned and I found a nice restaurant.


    I decided to have a real meal and possibly a conversation so I went in. The waitress waved at me "sit anywhere you want" I chose the corner booth and sat with my back to the wall facing the other patrons.


    The waitress came over and said "Hello there my name is Tracey" she handed me the menu.  I smiled "could I have a coffee please". She nodded and spun on her heels and left. She was about my age, well my old age.


    "Your biological age for this body is 25". I thought "well at least I won''t get carded if I order a drink" I chuckled in my head.


    "Left cheek pocket" she said as Tracey returned with my coffee and a smile. "Have you decided yet sweetie".  I smiled and ordered a club and fries and she retreated again to the kitchen.


    "Now that I have you in public I need to do some testing". My eyes shot open when she said that. That in itself would be ok but I looked up with eyes wide I was staring into the eyes of a woman about my age. She smiled and looked down then whispers something to her friend. I became very interested in my coffee.


    "What do you mean testing?" I said sternly in my head and  all I heard was laughter. "Will you relax and let me explain, it''s not bad at all and I need you to relax". My food came and I smiled at Tracey "let me know if you need anything sugar". I nodded and started to eat, "now tell me what''s going on" another giggle


    "your body has let''s say an Aura that can affect the moods of others around you". I swallowed hard "please tell me it''s not mind reading, I don''t think I could handle another one in here".


    That got me more laughter. "It''s not like that at all. You can project emotions and feelings to people when you can control it. As it sits now you''re not actively controlling it so it will be at your default. Your default state is the one you emit all the time like when you are sleeping. Now I can map the process but I need your default as a baseline to go off of. If I told you ahead of time you would have been thinking about it too much to get good data. Now look at that woman that caught your eye".


    I finished chewing and swallowed, raising my head resulted in me looking at both of them. They were both looking at me and smiling so I smiled back. "Well we know it''s not discussed, let''s see if we can get them to come over" "How the hell am I going to do that" I looked down again and took another bite. I raised my head again to see them gone.


    "Oh well maybe it was discussed" I heard in my head then from my right both women appeared and approached me


    "I''m sorry but do I know you from somewhere" came from the younger of the two. I smiled "I''m not sure from where I''m new in town" I replied. The older of the 2 "we both feel we know you from somewhere but we can''t place it".


    "Well you''re welcome to join me if you wish, I would appreciate the company" I figured that would bait them or scare them off. They looked at each other then back to me.


    "Sure," they said at the same time and sat with their drinks.


    I had sat in a corner booth and they sat on either side of me pinning me in. Tracey returned with the girls'' meals and smiled an evil grin at me as she put them down.


    They started eating, sneaking glances at me "my name is Kate and this is Kelly we are in town for the Stampede". I smiled "I''m Brad, that explains the traffic out there. Where are you from?". I took another bite as Kelly spoke up " we are from Olds. Where are you from"


    I smiled "I grew up on the east coast but I''ve been out of touch for a while" they both nodded at that and took a bite.


    "Ask them how they feel," I heard in my ear. "How in hell do I do that"


    "I don''t know improvise"


    I looked at them "so how do you feel about the big city" the both smiled and Kelly started "it''s fun but the crowds make me nervous" her sister nodded at that.


    "I hope I don''t make you feel like that" they smiled again and Kate this time "not at all we are comfortable around you for some reason".


    "That''s it " I heard in my ear as I smiled "are you going to the stampede after this" they both nodded "are you going" asked Kate


    "You should" I heard in my head "no I''m just in town for the evening I have a flight to catch soon" they nodded and I heard "Chicken" I heard in my head making me grin.


    "Have you ever been to it?" I nodded "a long time ago". They started to laugh "you sound like an old man and you are no older than us". I laughed "I''m an old soul, recycled I guess". We all laughed at that.


    "So what do you do for a living?" Kelly asked. "I''ve been out of touch for a while and I''m thinking of opening my own company" that got a nod. "And yourself "  Kate finished her bite "we are both in nursing. We are taking after mom and dad,"Kelly nodded.


    "That''s an excellent trade, you will love it. It can be rough but there are days that make the rough ones tolerable" they looked at me weird. "Our professor said the same thing," I smiled. "Someone said it to me and I know it''s true" they smiled "I certainly hope so I love what I do" Katie said.


    We talked for about an hour where I found out both parents were nurses. I saw pictures on their phones and they were shocked I didn''t have one.


    "I''m in touch so much at work. It''s nice to get away" I heard snickers in my head. "Well phones are a scam" Katie said "it costs a fortune and they know we need it so they have you by the short and curlys". I started to laugh and Kelly joined in.


    "Well I''ve never heard it put like that and I agree they have a monopoly and we are under their thumb but not forever, times change".


    "I hope so someday but I won''t hold my breath" came from Kelly.


    "Well ladies I''m sorry but I do have to go". They looked disappointed "it''s work not the company, I have a flight to catch" I said and waved Tracey over. She took the hint and brought the checks. I paid for our meals and left.


    "You made a quick exit, they were into you". I giggled as I walked "I sucked with women in the past, what did you expect".


    "I expect you to realize you''re not working with the same equipment". I thought about it and she was right, I looked at myself in the window beside me catching my reflection. "Trust me women like what they see".


    "I will take your word for it. I think single is just simple and I like simple".


    I winded my way through the crowd noticing people got out of my way, I figured it was my size.


    "You know what I''m good with this for now, let''s go home" I said in my head. "Ok you big party pooper" she giggled "go 2 more blocks to a parking structure. Do you want to walk up or should I send the car". I laughed out loud "I''m a big boy I can walk" I picked up my pace.


    The crowd thinned as I walked and there was nobody on guard at the parking booth.


    "There on break, come on skoot" I hear in my head. I smiled "are there cameras?". "I''m not picking up any but I found the attendant, he is on his way back so pick up the pace and get around the corner. I broke into a run taking the corner and just kept jogging.


    As I came around the second corner I almost tripped over someone sitting there.  He was clearly homeless but looked in good shape.


    "When was the last time you ate". He put a stern look on his face "yesterday what''s it to you".


    "Just trying to help dude".


    His face softened "sorry most people just hassle me" I nodded "this sounds bad but are you alone or is there others here that need help". He yelled something and a woman came out from behind a car and came to sit beside the man. "How long have you been on the streets?"


    "Couple months, I lost my job because of Covid and couldn''t find another".


    "Vicky, how much money is in my pocket?" I said in my head. "2135 dollars" I heard so I reached in my pocket and gave it to him. "You can stretch this out, it should last you all summer". His eyes nearly came out of his head "thanks man, are you sure?"


    "I''m sure. I wish I had more" is all I said while I was thinking about my past and remembering a time in my life when I to was homeless.


    I waved and made my way to the roof where I saw nothing. All of a sudden the side door on the ship opened and I got in. After being in the city I wanted to go back on the ship. With my new senses the sound was almost intolerable and the smell was nasty.

 03

    I got back to my office and sat in my comfy chair as Vicky appeared "you will adjust to the new you" she smiled. I looked at her and was about to say something when A appeared "sir I think I found a distress signal. It''s weak and a bit garbled but after I translated it they were asking for help. They are 19 AU past Pluto, we could jump there in minutes. The translation isn''t complete and I need more input but I did get there 3 onboard".


    I looked at Vickey "how fast can the new shuttle get there". She smiled "we have better than that sir. Go to the flight deck, I will take care of the rest". I nodded and left.


    Getting to the bay I saw a ship landing. It looked like a drop ship type of design 4 big engines that independently rotate at the end of long struts. "Sir this is what I use to gather in the solar system. It''s big enough to envelop the other ship, it''s only tiny".


    I sat in the pilot''s seat and just watched as she took us there. "A is there any more contact". He appeared and nodded "yes sir they are transmitting every few min. I''ve made out that there are 3 onboard and they have limited life support"


    "Thank you A for the report and bringing this to me" he nodded then disappeared. I looked out the window and saw a little craft appear as we got there.


    "What can you tell me Vicky?" She played the message and I heard clicks and growling "to who can hear my message we have a fuel containment issue that has growl loss of power. Growl support is functional for now". She looked at me "that message repeats". I''ve scanned them and I have no data on them. The oxygen level is a little lower but comparable to ours. As far as first contact this should be an easy one" she said with a grin.


    "As long as they aren''t slimy, I''m not looking forward to one of those". My nose crinkled "ewwww that sounds gross" she nodded "yea one of the ones I have on file are like walking jello only slimy and you can see inside them and that''s just as nasty"


    "let''s say we ignore those calls or let those calls go to voicemail" she rolled her eyes at me.


    "I will bring it into the cargo bay" I nodded. "How do the translator bots work?" She smirked "all language has key words for things. They listen and work them out. The more they hear the language the better they get. They share data as well, if someone else has nanobots they get the translation as well". My eyebrows went up "that''s cool".


    "Anyway back to the matter at hand. We have 3 onboard, are they male or female" she smiled a weird half smile." There are 2 females and one male plus 6 babies" I don''t think my eyebrows could go any wider or my eyes bigger "6 babies, who the hell travels with 6 babies?"


    "Well 6 to be babies I''m showing the older female is in labor"


    "Oh, that doesn''t complicate things at all, where are they from?" She shook her head "no idea, I have no info on them at all. All I can tell you is that they are the same seeding as you so they are from the Milky Way".


    I looked at her "so all 147 is seeded the same". She nodded again "same basic genetic material was used for all of them, yes. It will be interesting to see what each planet comes up with". I nodded and left the cockpit, I walked past the medbed and folded up seats on my way to the cargo bay. I saw the ship for the first time and it''s tiny, like a small car tiny. It was squarish with large hooks welded all over, it didn''t even look like it had a propulsion system.


    The ship silently floated to a stop and the door closed. "They are requesting we don''t shut off the antigravity yet" I looked at her and shrugged and she smiled "they need the zero gravity to give birth".


    "Ok, makes sense I guess do they need assistance". She shook her head "no I offered and they said it''s straight forward" a smile "they said I could have the afterbirth for testing in the medbed". I pinched my brow "that''s more than a little gross". She shrugged "maybe so but it''s necessary"


    All of a sudden the force field disengaged and the room was filled with atmosphere replacing the vacuum. It made a weird thump when the air hit the ship.


    With air touching the craft sound could be heard from the ship. 2 female voices were yelling at a male who was trying to calm them down


    "We told you not this ship" they said in unison and I almost started laughing "I guess some things are universal" Vicky said.


    I was looking at the ship when the hatch opened and out flew a body, ass first and bent at the waist. His head was touching his knees as he hit the wall and floated there. I looked at Vicky "get him to the medbed and flood the interior of that ship with nanobots so I will be understood". she nodded.


    I waited a minute then stepped into the gravity free zone and floated to the door/hatch and looked in. And this is when my day got weird, I looked in and saw 2 cats. Not full on cats just about 15% cat. They had the ears and the whiskers but looked like women. They looked at me and screamed, so I did it back to break the tension. An old trick I used to use and it worked.


    They just sat there with an odd look on their face.


    "Can I be of assistance, your third member is unconscious" they both looked shy and said no. I lowered myself to the floor and went to the medbed with Vickey. "How is he?"


    She shrugged "the bed is analyzing him now. He seems to have the same bits and bobs you do but the whole cat thing is interesting" I nodded as I looked at him. Like the females he looked about 15% cat and he was about 5"2 very muscular and I couldn''t tell his age. "It''s weird his DNA is like yours but there is a third helix. He will be out for a bit he took a pretty good shot to the head".


    "Did the door suck him out when it opened" she shook her head "no I think he was thrown".


    "Nice people"


    Vicky and I left out patient and went back to the bay. That''s when I heard it, multiple little cry''s hit my ears and it made me smile. A crying baby is a breathing baby.


    Looking up at the door the cries started to quiet and I grew nervous.


    Then a face appeared and enquired about the male in a quiet and shy voice. I told her he was unconscious and in our medbed. She nodded then looked back in the ship "mom you hurt dad" that''s when a second face appeared then exited both females carried 3 little ones each.


    "Hello there, thank you for helping us" said the older looking one in a dignified voice as they floated to the ground. "It''s my pleasure to meet you and it''s my pleasure to help you when you are in need".


    "Well on behalf of my daughter, my husband and myself, thank you". They walked to me and handed 6 little ones like I was supposed to take them.


    I fumbled and almost dropped 2 and my eyes got wide. Luckily I didn''t have an accident and followed behind them going to the medbed. I looked at 6 tiny faces looking back and me, one was yawning. I found out later the one yawning was male and the rest were female. Poor little guy, 5 sisters will be rough.


    The younger of the 2 women came to me "you look confused don''t your maternal instincts take hold" she cocked her head and looked around "you must have many children, the males of your species must be wonderful. I was the only one of my litter to survive". That made me look at her "that explains why I''m holding these little ones" she looked at me with a questionable look.


    "In my world the females are the main caregiver".


    She started to apologize and went to take the babies. I put her at ease saying that males can be caregivers as well. I had arranged all 6 little ones in my left arm and they were instantly drawn to their sister''s voice and she ducked away.


    "First female has to be their mom". She said then got a look of shock on her face, her beautiful eyes widened. I cocked my brow


    "Did they look at you?"


    "I think so, I don''t mind they are super cute"


    "males in my species are trained to keep them looking away, they imprint".


    "Oh crap" was all I mustered as I reviewed in my head everything I knew on imprinting and my eyes got wide.


    I saw mom coming towards me and the daughter met her mom halfway. "He looked at them" she got a look on her face then said gruffly "how do you feel about adoption". The looks on their faces clued me into my situation.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t know they imprint" I said with an apologetic expression


    "It might not take because you are a different species. You might become their favorite uncle. I''m sorry I don''t even know your name and you saved our lives".


    I smiled "my name is Brad and we are on the way back to my ship"


    "this is not your ship?" I smiled "this is a shuttle, my ship is bigger".


    "Wow a powerful man" she nudged her daughter and that''s when I discovered they blush.


    "It''s kind of a long story, we can get into that later. May Vickey access your computer to see if I can figure out if I can get you home" she nodded.


    "Feel free, I would like to know how we got here. We were in orbit getting ready to become parents again and poof we are here. Vicky appeared scaring both women so they jumped.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t mean to startle you" Vicky said politely "my name is Vickey and I''m an artificial intelligence" they looked confused "I''m a thinking machine".


    Both got wide eyed and at one they said "that''s not possible" mom spoke up "those are from the old writings". I looked at Vicky and she just shrugged. Mom continued "the old writings span 10 thousand years and spoke of a woman with a thinking machine in her head". Vicky got wide eyed "I live inside Brads head"


    Both women squeaked in shock as 2 of the babies sneezed. We all just stood there looking at one another till the babies started to fuss, they must have sensed the lull in the conversation.


    My turn to apologize "I''m sorry I didn''t even ask your names". They both smiled. Kim and Lisa are the closest to the transition I got. Mom was Kim and the daughter was Lisa. I also found out the husband was Gar.


    "Is he going to be ok?" asked Kim. Vicky nodded "I took the tissue samples and calibrated the medbed for your species. It will be a few hours till he is awake." Kim shook her head "he did the same thing when Lisa was born. He grabbed my legs in the wrong spot again causing me to spasm" she lower her head "last time involved medical as well"


    Lisa looked at me and went to take 3 of the babies and Kim took 3. Then went to sit when I hear 6 little wails.


    "Oh crap" was my only response. They walked back to me and the crying stopped,once again they looked at me.


    Kim spoke up "you have the reaching feelings?" She said as a question. I cocked my head to the side "I''m not sure what you mean" Lisa spoke up "can you reach out and affect other''s emotions". Vicky spoke up "your aura sir". My eyes shot open "I guess the answer is yes".


    "You''re 2 out 3 for a holy man in my culture" Kim retorted. "What is the third?" I said, trying not to sound rattled. She looked at me "many more of thee". I had to sit "Vickie could you call the triplets". They appeared and introduced themselves.


    Lisa started to cry and Lisa dropped to one knee. "No no no, I''m just a man that was grown in a tank like everyone else" I said trying to make a joke and making it worse.


    Kim looked up at me "the holy one will be spawned from silence to lead"


    Vickey looked at me "Brad I think you need to stop talking". "I agree" was my only reply as a sound came from the cockpit.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Vickey broke the silence "we are home"


    "You will have to tell me what you need for your stay, I have no idea how to get you home but I will do my best. For now you are my guests so you can relax during your stay" they nodded and we exited the ship into the vast empty bay towards the lift.


    They looked around wide eyed, Lisa spoke up "is this all yours?" I hung my head "yes" I said trying not to dig myself deeper. They stepped into the lift Lisa said "ok no more lying, are you the holy one, are we being judged?"


    I shook my head "no I am just a man with a lot of technology available to me. I''m not a holy man, I was just chosen myself a short time ago. I''m new to all this, I can''t even fly the ship yet" I smiled.


    "There are just so many parallels in the storys" Kim said. "Vicky, could you come here" she appeared a few meters away and walked to me "could you go over our time together" we went to the second quarters and sat.


    Vicky laid it all out and dismantled their religion. They seemed ok with it with a lot of head nodding and a few questions. I got them drinks of water not knowing what else to get them. They sat in silence for a few minutes when Vicky added "I should be able to make food based on the food in your vessel and info from the nanobots. It''s fairly close to the food we have here but I have no idea on flavor".


    The girls nodded and we went to the replicator Vicky asked a few questions and they wanted to try steak. I took the kids so they could eat while they described some utensils that they were using. "May we use one of the bedrooms for us" I smiled "no this entire quarters are yours including the bedrooms. Just let me know what you need changed to make your stay more comfortable. You are my first guests so please relax and just enjoy. Feel free to call for Vickey if you have questions"


    They looked around then at one another then me, Lisa spoke up "this area you have given us is more than I have ever seen. Our planet is so crowded, this would be an apartment block on our home". I smiled at her "well it''s yours while your here"


    Vicky''s turn "I scanned your ship and it has no engines, just thrusters and life support". Kim took this one "it''s not a ship in the traditional sense, we get lifted into orbit in groups. We give birth and call for a pickup. My mate rented a prototype pod as a gimmick and poof we are here. Not that I''m complaining short of being scared for my life I''m comfortable here and I''m in no hurry to go home" Lisa nodded at that "out home isn''t much bigger than one of the bedrooms" Lisa said with Kim nodding.


    Vickey added "I can make milk for the babies" just as she finished the replicator started up. Kim smiled and went to get the tray as well as bring the other to the recycler.


    She came back with bottles and looked at them weirdly. "I scanned the babies and the nipples will fit their mouths perfectly" she nodded at that and took 2 of the babies and expertly held 2 and fed them. Lisa did the same and I fumbled with my 2 but I managed watching them. They giggled at the lack of skills


    "Do you have children?" Asked Lisa "I have a daughter and she is an adult now. Our kids are bigger and there is usually only one."


    "How odd?" Lisa said as Vickie approached "Lisa your mate is healed and I will keep him asleep until you are there"


    "thank you these two are done and they will sleep for a bit". I looked at her "I think you both should go down with the kids and Vickey to answer questions. Let him see his kids and adjust, I just hope he is not mad at me for the whole bonding thing."


    Kim looked at me "as long as the kits are loved he will be ok with it, the holy man thing might take a bit. They will be out till we are back"


    "Just introduce me as the kits rich uncle" I giggled and they joined me. "I promise they will have a good life".


    Lisa smiled "I believe you I''m not sure why I just do" she flew at me faster than I could react wrapping her arms around my neck.


    "You have saved me" she wept hysterically.


    I wrapped my arms around her and held her and let her cry it out.


    She was trying to say something but I couldn''t make it out through the sobs. I started to rock her like a child till she calmed down. It was then I realized she passed out "I think she is out".


    Kim giggled "it''s not every day you get rescued by a god" I rolled my eyes. "She was to marry another she didn''t love, you saved her from that." "please tell your mate that I''m not a god, I''m going to put this one on the bed".


    Kim nodded and arranged the kits on the sofa. I walked into the bedroom careful not to disturb her and leaned over the bed with intentions of lowering her onto it. I was bent over at 90 degrees when I noticed her grip start to tighten.


    "Please don''t put me down yet, this is the best I''ve felt in a long time and I don''t want it to end". I tried to look at her as I stood back up but she had her head tucked into my neck. "Turn your head so you can see" is all I said then took her on a tour of her new home while rocking and walking.


    She asked over and over if I was sure and if this was real, every time I assured her it was. I joked and told her she has the pick of bedrooms "I chose what one I want" I smiled and gave her a cloth to wipe her eyes.


    That''s when Kim and Gar walked in and saw their daughter in my arms wiping tears away. I saw the look on Gar''s face and Kim took him to see his kids on the sofa. Lisa jumped down and went to her father and hugged him.


    They were talking as Vickey appeared "he took it well" I nodded at that then joined them on the sofa looking at the kits.


    Gar turned to look at me "I don''t know what to say but thank you for saving everything precious to me".


    "Not to worry I was glad to help, I''m just glad I found your signal".


    We were all sitting around talking when B came through the door with something in tow.


    "I couldn''t help myself sir, these things will be necessary with this many little ones". I walked over and looked at this egg shaped thing. It was when I touched it and it opened I realized what it was and smiled. I looked at B "where did you get the design". He started to laugh. The show The Mandelorian you know Star Wars. I saw it in your memory and thought it would be perfect. Think of it as a robonanny". I looked inside and saw something, well a bunch of somethings so I pulled one out. It was a little chair with a holder in front for feeding the babies. I looked at Kim "should work" I looked at B. "Thank you". He nodded and disappeared.


    I walked over to the sofa and it followed me so Vickey jumped in "you''re the only one with nanobots so I only recolonized you". Kim got another look on her face "nanobots?" She questioned "yes Brad has microscopic machines in his body to keep him healthy and safe. They are the ones translating for you, I can modify the more permanent ones as well, that''s how I was able to help your mate".


    They were all smiling and Kim spoke "are they in us?". Vicky shook her head "you don''t have permanent ones just temporary so we could speak. The others have to be voluntary" she smiled. They all looked at one another and shared a look and a smile. Kim answered "we are in, what do we do". Vicky giggled "you just have to spend some time in the medbed" more smiles.


    Lisa walked over and once again sat on my lap and layered her head on my chest. She whispered in my ear "would you ever say no to a hug like this". I looked into her eyes "from you, never" she laid her head down "this might sting a bit but it is necessary ok". I nodded not knowing what this was.


    She leaned back and looked at her mom and dad. "Mother Father I have chosen". With that she came at me so fast she was a blur. She sank her teeth into my shoulder and drew blood. She sat back up wiping the blood from her lips, looked at her parents, said goodnight and stood walking to one of the bedrooms.


    As soon as she disappeared I looked at Kim and Gar "what was that, is that going to be a regular thing?"


    I looked at my shoulder and it was already healing, that little girl has some sharp chompers.


    "I didn''t think I would get to meet a god and get him as a son-in-law," said Gar. My eyes shot open and my eyebrows were on the top of my head


    "WHAT". Kim started to giggle "in our culture it''s the females that pursue and claim their future mates. You my dear sir have just been claimed by my daughter. I''m assuming it is not the same way here?" I shook my head "in my world the man courts the female for the most part".


    She smiled "well you just got claimed, maybe not right away but she wishes for you to be mates".


    "Brad" I heard over my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder at Lisa "I feel it in my life being that you are the one" with that she disappeared.


    I looked at Kim and Gar "You''re ok with this?" I asked. Gar giggled "I have the most powerful person I have heard of as a son-in-law, yea I''m ok with it". His eyes shot open


    "Does this mean all of my babies will survive?" I looked at him "I don''t know what you mean".


    "Lisa is the only kit that survived out of 21. There are parasites on our world that prey on our offspring, do you have anything here like that".


    I shook my head "not unless you brought it with you. Vicky scan that ship and let me know of anything living" she nodded "there is a blue slug like creature under the floorboards".


    "That''s it" Kim yelled. "Do you have any attachment to that ship?". They both shook their heads confirming no. "Vickey scan every square millimeter of this ship and get rid of that pod. Launch it into the sun if you have to" Another nod then she looked away. A video of the ship containing it taking off at high speed then she looked at me "I detect nothing on this ship sir". What are you going to do with it" she smiled." Launch it into the sun. I''m scanning the creature and gathering data before I do". I looked at Gar and Kim. "There is nothing here that will harm them like that. I promise to keep them safe"


    They both broke down crying. Kim looked at me "a brood of 6 hasn''t survived in 1000 years" her eyes got wide and she sat up and started to laugh. Gar and I both looked at her strangely. "According to my now defunct religion you have 12 kids" she said between giggles. Time for my eyes to go wide and I became interested in the babies.


    One by one 6 little beings discovered their voice and told us that feeding should commence. We got the new feeding chairs and bottles and they were a hit right off the bat, I grabbed two and within seconds there were sucking noises.


    "If you decide to have your children have nanobots the replicator will tailor the milk for them". That got smiles from both parents. I was shocked to hear the babies start to babble when they are done. I looked at Kim "our young don''t do that for months" she smiled "they will be self sufficient in a week or so. They learn quickly to stay alive".


    "That''s amazing" was my only reply.


    Lisa reappeared and came to sit, she looked at me and blushed "I hope mom explained things like I hoped". I just smiled and nodded as one of the kits twisted herself till she fell on the floor. We all looked as she tried to crawl immediately.


    Kim looked at me "Brad, Gar sit on the floor on either side of them". I did what I was told and looked at Gar "we will find out about the imprinting" he said and I nodded. We watched over the next few minutes as each kit got out of the chair and picked a direction.


    5 came to me and one went to dad. I looked at him "I''m so sorry" he held up his hand "just promise to protect them and I''m good ok". I smiled and nodded "I promise to protect them with the same drive to protect my own children" I said in a stern voice getting smiles in return.


    With all 5 of them crawling on me when Lisa came to me, picked up the little ones and sat in my lap. "I''m sorry if I hurt you" she looked for the bite mark seeing none I got a weird look "I don''t see a mark"


    The second she spoke the kits stopped and looked at her. "That was a bit creepy" I giggled and Lisa joined. "We have amazing hearing, they could probably hear me in the womb".


    Vickey walked up to me "Brad could I talk to you for a few min" I smiled and excused myself and closed my eyes. Vicky and the triplets were there "what''s up".


    "You''re not freaking out about this holy man thing"


    "Most religions have so many different stories just because I match a few criteria I''m not going to freak out". She got a stern look on her face


    "You''re not seeing the big picture. If her religion is to believed there was a person like you there. You and them have the same markers that put them from this galaxy so it should have been me who interacted with that planet."


    "Oh crap I didn''t look at it like that. Well that isn''t a mystery we can solve now but keep track of the similarities and we can readdress it later. B thank you again for the baby stuff I think mom wasn''t prepared for all 6 to be underfoot" I giggled "Vickey I think you will have to resize a few things for them" realizing the kitchen table was way too high for them and the countertop needed to be lowered as well. "Did you get anything from their ship? You actually threw it into the sun didn''t you". She grinned "yup it was the safest way" I laughed "I suppose so"


    "I didn''t get anything from the ship" I nodded at that "ok if there is nothing else I will get back to it".


    I opened my eyes and looked at Lisa "there now where were we" she looked at me "all you did is say excuse me and blinked". I smiled "when I talk to the others it''s at the speed of thought so I was In there for 15 minutes" she looked at me like I was nuts then shrugged.


    I looked at the kits and they were perfectly formed little cat people. I examined one of their hands taking care as it was so tiny. Perfectly little digits gripped my finger and the owner looked at me pulling a smile from me.


    I saw a flash of a claw that I didn''t notice on the adults. Lisa saw what I was looking at and smiled as she raised her hand. Out of little dimples on the tips of her fingers she produced her claws.


    They were metal and shiny "in the womb our species seeks out the strongest material to build our claws. Once that takes they will build them out of that material for the rest of your life. Mom took pills containing the metal during pregnancy and it took. I had to take more as I aged now I only need them if I lose a nail. Mom took the same for the kits."


    "Vicky make sure it''s added" she nodded. That''s when I realized something "where is the male, I can''t tell them apart" Gar smiled and held up his kit "you get all the females and I get the male"


    "I can live with this but you get them at the first sign of boys" he started to laugh and he looked at his daughter who blushed.


    "They will come to you for support and help during trying times" he smiled "I know they will get it". I nodded at that "I promise to be there"


    With that worked out I asked anyone who would answer "where do they sleep". Kim looked at me and replied "they usually sleep in a box beside the bed".


    "Vickey could you make a bassinet for beside the main bed please"


    "I will use the replicator in the cargo bay, it should be done in a few min". I got up and got a coffee offering to get anyone something. Lisa came over and looked at the screen.


    "Vickey is it all safe for me to eat" she nodded and Lisa looked at me "I want something to drink" I smiled "let''s try something simple" I got her an iced tea. She tried it through the straw swirling it around her mouth producing a smile.


    She got 3 of them and went back to the sofa with mom and dad. Just as she sat the door opened and in came a beautiful bassinet for my new nieces and nephew.


    "This will be better than a box". Kim started to tear up "royalty on my planet have things like this" I smiled. "You will have to get used to it I guess" I laughed and she joined in. We moved all the babies to the bassinet as they fell asleep. They would fuss and roll around till they found another to cuddle with. I stood there staring at them squirming to find a comfortable position, some of which looked uncomfortable to me.


    I looked at the new family I just acquired "is there anything else you need" Lisa looked at me "you mean there''s more". I laughed "I mean before I bid you a good evening and go to bed". She looked at me and laughed "I know my love I''m just teasing".


    My love, I think I''m screwed. I bid them a good night and went to my quarters, I wanted a shower. I stripped and let the body jets beat on me for about 20 min before crawling into bed. I laid my head on the pillow and I was out.

 04

    I awoke with a warm feeling on my chest and my right arm as I looked down. I saw 5 little bodies on my chest and stomach and one big body that turned out to be Lisa. She was cuddled into me clutching my arm and purring, yes she was purring and the vibration reverberated through my chest.


    I put my head back down as all were silent and sleeping.


    I wondered how long they had been there and worried about  rolling over "you don''t move in your sleep, I told them when they asked me" I heard Vicky in my head. I just smiled and enjoyed just being there, you know if this is part of my grand adventure I could handle life this time. Then I thought if 5 teen girls and started to panic a little, oh shit what am I into I kidded myself.


    After about 15 min the original reason I woke up was worse and now I really needed to pee. I tried squirming and Lisa raised her head. She looked at me and sensed my discomfort and grabbed the kits. They let out a little squeak while being woken and as soon as the last one was moved I bolted.


    I heard laughter over my shoulder as I ran to the bathroom. As I emptied my bladder I asked Vicky how long I was asleep "7 hours 22 minutes" was my answer. "I thought of 1.5 hours so I can work with that". Like previous times I woke up feeling great, I pulled on some clothes and stepped into the refresher. I felt a tingling in my fingers and toes that crawled to the core or my body then over my head then nothing. "Is that it?" I asked "yup the process is a bit longer if you''re filthy"


    "Can this sanitize?"


    "Yes the tech was invented for surgery but it made it into the home". I smiled "every mother on the planet will want one of these''''. I started to laugh. "How are our guests?"  She giggled "lots of questions and thank yous" my turn to giggle.


    "They are getting the swing of things, Kim has questions when you have time. I resized the furniture and the kitchen while they slept and they liked it. I redid the bathroom as well so you might make sure your bladder is empty, your aim isn''t that good" she laughed "yea yea yea".


    I left the bathroom to see Lisa with 5 little squirming bodies, who were mewing loudly. "They are hungry," she chuckled. I took 2 of them and we made our way to the door. When I said they were squirming that was an understatement, I had to catch one as she flipped and flopped. We entered the other quarters to find Kim and Gar sitting on the sofa feeding the male.


    "Good morning, how did you sleep?" I got smiles as I sat and Lisa went to get bottles. "So you think you can be comfortable here?"  I got enthusiastic head nods. "I''m still in shock a little bit but it''s sinking in'''' Gar smiled and Lisa came  to sit with the tray. "The girls woke up and fed and then wanted you so I checked with Vicky and she said you don''t move in your sleep so it was safe. I feel better after one hour with you than 8 at home, it''s weird but I''m not complaining". She said with a shy smile.


    I smiled at her then looked at mom and dad "and how did the parents sleep?"


    They both looked at me and answered at once "we didn''t". They looked at each other and giggled. Kim spoke up "we were just talking and exploring and lost track of time, we are both excited to be here". That made me smile.


    I thought if people are this easy to make happy it might work. Kim came to me "if it''s ok I would like to make some cages in one of the bedrooms". I looked at her "like actual cages" she nodded. "These little ones will be mobile soon so the cages are to keep them safe and for punishment. They will start to explore and trust me they will be needed" her expression was serious so I took it that way.


    "Just tell Vicky the dimensions you want and she will make it happen." Gar smiled "we were talking last night about what we will do with our lives now" I smiled "well whatever you do choose something that will make you happy so take your time and decide" that got smiles all around and Lisa came to me "what are you doing today". I looked at her "I feel like I should be doing something but as of now I have no plans" I drank the last of my coffee and went to get another when I noticed the kitchen.


    Everything was reduced in size by about 30% and it looked perfect for them. "I''m glad you''re settling in here."  I looked at Gar and he started to laugh "this is like getting hit with a happy train" getting laughs all around.


    Vicky appeared and said good morning then turned to Kim "May we speak".


    "Of course is something wrong?" Vicky smiles " not at all, I''m going to do scans on your entire family. Gar was done when he was injured and your next. We can do it here or in med bay if it''s easier it should be under an hour".


    Kim smiled "I get to hide by myself and take a nap, lead on" she giggled and left the room. Lisa came to me and asked about my family "I have a daughter and 3 granddaughters, I have 9 siblings and a boatload of nieces and nephews. She looked at me "why aren''t they here?"


    That question hit me like a gut punch but I smiled " your right they do need to be here I will probably start with my daughter". Lisa smiled and hugged me. She pulled back and looked at me then licked the end of my nose. I took this as a good thing as she cuddled into me right after. "If there is nothing to do today I will be right here" she whispered then started to purr.


    I looked over at Gar who was covered in kits with an evil smile on his face shaking his head. "Just like her mother," I heard him say. I stood with her clinging to me and I walked and rocked out of habit. I went to see the cages being built in one of the bedrooms. There were 6 small cages and one big one. All I could think is I hope they don''t get used much, Vicky appeared with my answer.


    "We talked last night and Yes it is to keep them safe mostly from themselves. She described the kits as super curious and will get into everything if not watched."


    "I understand I just find it creepy," I laughed.


    Lisa''s purring got louder and her embrace around my neck tightened slightly. "Don''t you ever think of putting me down" she giggled "no matter how many wives you have this is my spot".


    My eyes shoot open


    "WIVES" I sputtered. She leaned back to look at me "of course, do you think a man of your power and such love to give should be reduced to a single mate." She looked serious. "We normally don''t have multiple wives, it''s mostly monogamous on my planet" another stern look.


    "I know Vicky told us and we don''t agree with that." All of them nodded their heads. Another stern look "you will see in time that we are right."


    I just looked at her "yes dear" I said giggling. She gave me an odd look "I will explain it later" a shrug then back to cuddles.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I walked into the hallway and noticed the blank wall between our quarters. "Vickey you may as well create a third quarters here" a hologram dissolved and revealed it was already done. "Thought that might happen" I heard in my head, making me laugh. Just a Quick Look proved that it was the same as mine.


    I returned to see Gar covered in kits as he tried to sort them out. I made my way over and had a seat beside the kits on the cushion. He looked at me " I want to personally thank you for this opportunity for my family" I smiled "no need to thank me, just think if we find your planet we can help them too".


    "I don''t care if you ever find it" the grin he had on his face let me know he was being honest.


    At that moment Kim and Vicky walked in laughing announcing that her scans were done, now it''s Lisa''s turn. With a groan she squeezed tighter in her spot. Kim walked up and pinched the tip of her tail resulting in a yip and a very awake little kitty.


    I burst out laughing "do what your mom wants or we are both in trouble". She nuzzled my cheek "ok ok I''m getting up" she stood and stretched. Vickey was waiting by the door so she went to her and then left for the med bay.


    Kim looked at me and the look kind of scared me. "You don''t realize how much you have saved her from." she said with a smile "We are middle class in our world and she wouldn''t be allowed around a person like you. She was to be mated with a man who is in no way as nice as you and she knew it. In one motion you saved her life and gave her a better one. If my mate was lost you would have my live bites as well" she laughed and I blushed.


    "Is that what they are called?" I retorted. She nodded "yup, they are meant to be loving. I guess my daughter wanted to get her point across" she laughed as I rubbed my shoulder and smiled. "So you are ok with this" she nodded and Gar spoke up "Brad you have taken that weight off of our hearts, the one that worries about your children''s future. I know she will be taken care of and loved. I see you with her and you have already made up your mind in this situation in my mind anyway" I put on a shy smile and both of them did too.


    We talked till Lisa and Vickey walked in laughing and saved me. It seems I have a bunch of women in my life and I''m so glad they get along I thought and got a look from Vickey.


    "All of your scans are done and it will take a day or two for the nanobots to finish everything at a genetic level. Kim was the only one with anomalous cells, I think it was your form of cancer but they are gone now. Your in perfect health now that all of the viruses are gone as well. They should all live to your full lifespan of 200 years".


    Lisa fainted to the floor and Gar just looked at me blankly, the kits were holding on because he stopped. I reached out and took them as Kim started crying. I took her kits, giving me all 6 as they sat with the same blank look on their faces. I looked at Vicky "is she ok?"  She nodded. I put the kits down on the cushion and went to Lisa and picked her up.


    "200 years" belted Kim out loud enough to wake everyone. I just sat there looking at my new adopted family and there wasn''t a dry eye among them. I let them cry it out and Lisa went to hug her parents so I picked up the kits and looked at them.


    "What was that?" I asked in a calm voice. Lisa sat between her parents and looked at me "Brad in my world I''m a spinster, I spent half my life alone. I was getting mated because if I didn''t there was nobody who would look at me because of my age."


    "I''m confused, you look no older than my daughter and she is 25" she smiled that evil grin "I am now" she said.


    "That doesn''t help me"


    "Well before the bed I was 7 years old, my dad retired at 14" Kim blurted out "20 years was a good life".


    Vickey looked at me wide eyed and saying nothing "please tell me these are all happy tears?" Kim spoke up Gar still looked a little rattled "oh dear yes, except for the babies I think they are hungry. You just gave us 20 lifetimes and in the lap of luxury to boot. I don''t even argue it now you are the holy man. I know it''s all tech but you can''t deny the parallels". I nodded my head and looked at Gar who looked like he was coming around "think you will come out of retirement". He burst out laughing and we all joined him.


    Vickey started again "I took a shocking amount of virus from your systems and added permanent nanobots to keep it that way. Well I added it to mom and dad Lisa doesn''t need any" I looked at her "why?"


    She giggled and smiled. "You gave them to her, well actually she took one from you. When she bit you the nanobot found itself in a new home it tried to figure out where it was and contacted the others.  When it figured out that it was Lisa, they decided as a collective to protect her based on your feelings for her. They are smart little buggers. And on that note the ones in Lisa won''t talk to me but they want to talk to Lisa while she sleeps".


    Lisa looked at me "the bugs in me want to talk to me?"  I shrugged and Vickey jumped in again "they have been migrating from Brad to you while you have skin contact. Brad''s body is making them specifically for you and they ask a sleep cycle together to complete the process. They have to hit a critical mass before they can self replicate. She just looked at me and blinked like she was thinking "I want you to make your decisions for you not me". She started to laugh "it''s not that I was wondering if I should just go to sleep right here". She said with that evil grin.


    Everyone laughed at that then she looked at me "shall we go make up my spot". I looked at Vickie "how long do they need" "3 hours if there is enough skin contact so loose the shirt both of you". I stood with her hugging tight and her face in my neck. It felt weird with her parents looking at me.


    I went to the bedroom and she got down and went to the bathroom and got a towel to wrap around herself. I took my shirt off and layed on my back and she lay on top of me pulling the towel from between us but kept us covered. She squirmed for a second then relaxed.  We both fell into a deep sleep in this position.


    6 hours later we awoke in the spooning position, my body enveloping hers and we weren''t alone. I heard Lisa''s voice beside me "we apologize for the length of the transfer, we had to run simulations till the error rate for transformation was zero".


    "Transformation" I heard from under my arm. I looked down at Lisa still in my arms and she sat up with no modesty this time "I''m getting transformed?"


    "Enhanced," said the standing Lisa. "The prime, your mate will require heirs. Currently you are not quite compatible but we can change that if you wish"


    "Do it" she answered without hesitation "but what if" my lips got pinched shut.


    "My decision right" I nodded as far as my lips would allow. She looked at her doppelg?nger "do it". She leaned in to me whispering in my ear "I will bear your children" she then licked my nose and sat back up for her shirt. The standing Lisa bowed and smiled "we have many things to discuss in regards to your new body." I looked at Vickey "at least she gets a choice" I was promptly told to shut up.


    Nano Lisa continued "we won''t be building you from scratch like prime was. Your body will change to be a perfect mate physically. We can speak more during your sleep cycles if that is permissible" Lisa smiled and nodded and her second smiled and disappeared.


    I looked at Vickey "what the hell was that" she just looked at me and shrugged "I don''t know but it has the creator''s signature. You have all the access to the files, try doing a search." I sat up and nodded. Lisa went to help her mom with the kits so I went to the sofa and concentrated for a few min till C appeared "sir try this" and he transferred a procedure for me to follow that worked perfectly the first time for me. "I couldn''t watch you flounder anymore" he smiled then disappeared. I did a search and found the subroutine that was added and it was labeled Cross Species Breeding with a note attached to the file. My nanobots translated it for me so I read it aloud.


    "If you''re reading this your feelings have strayed from your species don''t let it stop your goal". I looked at Vicky "any other notes I should know of" she shook her head. "Look through that subroutine and see if it poses any problems". She looked away for a second then back to me "none at all sir, it''s set up in a way that she has full control over the process. All I can see as an outcome is super healthy kids" She smiled at me.


    "This week is getting too much to take" I kidded. I looked at Lisa "I want you to promise me something. This is all about you, don''t make changes for me" she smiled and sat in my lap.


    "I understand what you are asking and I promise I will. The thoughts of having your litter makes me happy. The reason I claimed you is I see in you what you don''t yet. You will be the holy man to your world and I will be there beside you. Plus I''m never giving up my spot" she giggled then licked my nose, she seems to always know what I need. With that I let the family talk and retreated to my quarters. I took a shower and went back to bed.

 05

    I awoke got breakfast and went to my office. "B do you have a minute" he appeared "good morning sir how can I help you" I smiled "could you design a ship that can blend in with regular traffic, the size of a cargo van would do. What can we pack into that?"


    Another smile "that''s not a problem sir cloak and shields will fit in that vehicle easily. The cloak is the size of a suitcase, it''s the shields that need the room. It depends if you want to go supersonic in the atmosphere". I shook my head "no nothing like that for now I just want to be able to slip in and out undetected. Is that a common problem with the shield generators?" He nodded. "Yes they are bulky and they scale up exponentially". I wonder if C wants a problem".


    He appeared "absolutely sir" I smiled "B has been telling me about the shield generator size needs and I wonder if you wanted to give it a shot. Many in the past have probably tackled it so maybe there is research you can build on or combine to get results" another smile "thank you sir this will be fun". And he vanished.


    I looked at B "he was bored so he is happy now". I chuckled as 2 vehicles appeared in front of me. One was a cube van that was plane Jane and wouldn''t be noticed at all. The second was a RV with the same colors and pinstripes as my other ships. "They are the same but the RV is way more comfortable, it has shields, cloak and AC" he laughed "that is perfect for what I want could you start constructing one please" he nodded and blinked out "thank you" I said into the air and I got a few "your welcomes" in my head.


    I giggled and got up and went to visit my new neighbors.


    As soon as the door opened Lisa looked at me"I just got a weird feeling and I know it was you. Oh well it must be your bugs" she giggled "this day is already starting to get weird" I laughed and went to get a coffee. I sat on the sofa and Lisa sat in my lap and licked my nose, I begging to enjoy that.


    "I had a long talk with the nanobots about what will happen to me and for how long, so I''ve decided to wait a bit. I will be in the tank for a week and mom needs help with the kits. Now that they will all live it''s way more work so I''m thinking about a month from now." I was smiling at that "I can work with that" she smiled and licked my nose again.


    "Does anyone have any plans today?". Gar spoke up "if it''s ok we would like to explore the ship".


    "Absolutely this is your home and you should know where everything is. You know how to get a hold of Vicky if you get lost". We all giggled at that "that means I''m on baby duty" Lisa said "what are you doing today".


    "I''m working on a project with Vickey so I will be in my office if you need me".


    I locked her nose and she looked at me in shock then blushed.


    I got a drink in my office and called for Vicky. "Good morning sir".


    "Good morning Vicky. How are you at hacking" she giggled "pretty good according to me".


    "Nothing bad. I want you to look at Jaden''s schedule and see if she has a long weekend coming. I want to go get her but I want to make sure she has an alibi." She looked at me "I can''t decide if she will want this or not" I nodded "I know we don''t have the best relationship I just hope she will accept what I want to give her. Now I just have to figure out how to do this". She nodded "well I don''t recommend a like it or lump it philosophy, that won''t work" I looked at her and gave her an evil smile "ok I''m staying out of your head for this, explain".


    "We will go together. We can go to deliver a message from the old me asking her to come. Hopefully she trusts me enough to come. I just need to record a message".


    She smiled "you don''t have to record it, you can just control the message on the fly". I smiled and nodded "so back to the hacking, could you get into her work schedule"


    "it shouldn''t be hard I''m thinking 3 days should be enough".


    "I got it, she is off Wednesday and Friday and today is Tuesday. I''m hacking the hr department and putting in a request for a day off for a dr appointment that was approved. I also included an email chain confirming it as well". I smiled "what time is it there" "15:00" another smile "let''s go"


    We landed on the outskirts of the city, this vehicle handles like a dream on the ground as well as in the air. Vicky was the perfect navigator taking me to her apartment.


    Vickey was in a sundress and I was in a suit trying not to look too official. I knocked and heard "mooooom" from a female voice, thump thump, thump, woosh.


    The door flew open and there was my daughter. "Yes can I help you"


    Vicky jumped in sensing my hesitation "we are looking for Jaden" hey eyebrows came together in a bit of a scowl "that''s me, what is this about". Vickey smiled "we have a message from your father". I cut in "We aren''t bill collectors or anything like that. We have a recorded message to play for you and your family, may we come in and show you". She hesitated for a second then her face softened a little "ok" she stepped to the side and granted us entry then led us to the living room.


    There I saw the youngest of my granddaughters playing on the floor and I had to fight not to tear up. Just over a year and it looked like there was no stopping her as she walked around. She was pushing a cart mowing down everything in site. This was my the first time seeing her and she looked like her sisters at that age, she was beautiful.


    Jaden yelled and 2 young girls came running and once again I fought tears. "May I sit?" I asked". She nodded. I sat and pulled out a holodisk and placed it on the coffee table in front of me. Instantly a lamp sized image appeared of the old me "Hello Jaden"


    That earned me a what the fuck and 2 holy shits the baby barely noticed. I took over the hologram at this point


    "I don''t want you to freak out ok. I want to see you and treat you to a free vacation. The next 3 days are on dad, all you need is the clothes on your back.". She looked at me "I can''t, I have work. The hologram spoke up "No I did some work and you have three days off. I''m being serious with you Jaden, we have things we need to talk to one another face to face and it''s way easier for you to come to me right now. This isn''t prerecorded your live with dad".


    I got to see the confused face I get in situations like this. She went to say something then stopped "dad are you sure about this" she said questionly and the hologram smiled. "I am sure about this, this is important sweetie. I need you to make any calls you need to and just tell people the truth. Your dad is going to occupy your time for a few days and the girls are coming with you. You won''t be out of touch. Your phone will work here. All you need to do is get ready for a trip to the mall and everything else will be taken care of ".


    Her face softened and I could see her thinking, she looked at the girls and all she did was nod and they were off like a bullet. "Please don''t make me regret this dad".


    "You won''t now go get ready". She rolled her eyes at me and went to what I assumed was the bedroom. That''s when the baby took notice of my hologram. She stood at the table and giggled as her hand passed through my legs over and over. She continued this till the fun factor had diminished.


    She then looked at me and her almost steady legs took her to me. Her smile increased as she walked towards me stopping at my knees. She put her hands up for me to pick her up and the fight I was having with my tear ducts leaned to the ducts favorite and she got blurry.


    I picked her up and quickly pinched the excess moisture blurring my vision and sat Autumn on my lap. She reached up and touched my face and then smiled, crap she looked like her mom did at this age.


    Jaden walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her daughter in a stranger''s arms "I''m sorry she wanted up I hope you don''t mind"


    "No it''s not that she normally doesn''t go to people, is this ok". She said to the hologram "lose the diaper bag you won''t need it, when I said everything I meant it".


    She just shrugged and put it down as the girls came around the corner "do you have to make any phone calls". She shook her head "none right now" she looked at the girls "ready" they nodded. "I will have to call the schools in the morning".


    "Ok I will see you when you get here" I closed the hologram and looked at Jaden "anything you need just let me know ok" they all nodded.


    I stood with Autumn in my arms and went to pass her to her mom. She was having none of it and clung to my arm "I don''t mind carrying her". Jaden gave me a look and squinted for a sec and said nothing then walked ahead of me.


    We went to the parking lot. "Is your car ok here for a few days". She nodded, "Do we need her car seat?" I looked at Vicky and she shook her head "nope we are good". We all got onboard and Jaden put Autumn in a car seat that wasn''t there before. Lexi and Jessica took the seats behind them and buckled up.


    We all got comfortable and I started to drive out of the city. I was just about to the highway when lexi spoke up "do you know papa" it was such an innocent question with such a huge impact. "I''ve known your papa my whole life". I said over my shoulder. "Is it far " Jess added "17 minutes" said Vickey.


    I was on the highway heading east when Jaden finally spoke "where are we going" she blurted out. "I was waiting for that" Vicky said "what" Jaden shot back with a look. I giggled "I was wondering how long it would be till you just asked" Vicky giggles and turned the seat around "we know everything about your dad and you so you can relax. He knew you couldn''t be patient" she giggled "my dad can be an ass" she laughed and Vickey nodded "yes he can"


    I glanced at Jaden "I need a stretch of road where people won''t see us. Wow that sounded better in my head".


    "I''m sure it did" Jaden retorted "turn right here" I took the off-ramp into a wooded area and then turned down a road she told me then stopped.


    Putting it in park I turned to look at them. "You can get up and move around. Everything is functional so you can get a drink". Lexi and Jess went to get a drink from the fridge and Jaden looked at me with a not good look. "What''s going on" I smiled "you have been taking it well so far so here goes, Vickey will you take us home". She nodded then pushed a button on the dash and the steering wheel disappeared and the navigation holograms appeared. "You have seen some things today but they are the tip of the iceberg, are you ready for more?" They all nodded with a blank expression.


    My mother taught me how to drive and I could tell how bad I was doing by the amount of air she was sucking through her teeth. Jaden was doing just that as we lifted off and more as we rose into the atmosphere "the bathroom works if this is too much".


    They looked in shock "are you ok" they nodded as the view in the windshield went from blue to black. Their eyes got wide and their mouths hung open, the baby just laughed.


    I looked at Jaden "I know this is a shock to the system but just go with it, you''re in no danger ok". she looked at me "who are you".


    I smiled "I work with your father on many projects, this is just one of them". Lexi went to sit beside Vicky and touch her shoulder and get her attention. She screamed when her hand went through her. I giggled "I''m sorry, Vicky is a hologram but she is fully aware. She is an AI and she is the reason for all this" I waved my arm. Jaden was frozen and looked at me with a bit of a scowl. She stared at me for about 10 seconds then cocked her head to the side.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    One of the girls asked about the weird bed in the back "that we will get into that later ok sweetie". She nodded and her eyes got wide again so I looked out the front seeing the moon. I looked back "that''s our destination".


    I squatted down and looked at Autumn and played with her, she is taking this the best I thought. As I played with her the girls were looking out the windows and Jaden was staring at me playing with the baby. "You sound just like him when he played with the girls"


    I thought for a millisecond and made a decision, may as well rip off the bandage. "Jaden I didn''t know how you would take this. It''s me, dad". She backed away from me "HOW, WHY".


    "Please relax and sit. Let Vicky explain ok. You will understand".


    Vickey stood and laid it out for the ladies while I played with the baby. "So we are the first to know'''' Lexi asked, I nodded "why" asked Jessica "I need to protect my family above anything." Vickey cut in "Jessica do you remember the header you took 3 days ago on your skateboard and you couldn''t figure out how you didn''t hit your head". Jessica nodded and turned red. "That was me, wear your helmet"


    Jaden looked at Jess and she looked out the window. "That kind of protection, that goes for all of you and people you choose to protect". That got me looks of shock and a bit of fear. "This weekend is all about fun. I forgot to ask do you like cats" all three of them nodded "good the aliens onboard are part cat, They are a nice family". The look didn''t change. "You need to trust me". Jaden nodded her head "this is just, holy shit dad" she smiled "it''s a lot to take in".


    "Just relax and go with it, it''s been working for me" she giggled and nodded "what do they look like" Vicky brought up a video of all of us feeding the babies".


    "They have babies" came from both the girls "yes they have a litter of 6 and they are cute". I was standing with Autumn and she laid her head down. "That''s odd you know, she doesn''t go to strangers". I stuck my tongue out "I''m not a stranger and you''re just jealous she figured it out before you did". She laughed "yea ok I will give her that".


    "The kits are looking forward to meeting you".


    "Is that their name?". I nodded "they are cats and their species are called kits. I know it sounds like lazy writing but it''s true." She just shook her head. I was rocking holding Autumn and she was out occupying someone''s spot. We exited the RV with eyes going everywhere and went to the lift. We got to her quarters and I put the baby in one of the bedrooms. I took them on a tour of the kitchen and the bathroom explaining things as I go. Lexi was brave enough to jump into the refresher. With a shocked look "it''s so tingly" she giggled.


    When they saw the clothes closet there were questions "you choose what you want on the screen and it makes it easy peasie".


    The squeals started when the first outfit appeared. I looked at Jaden "they can play all they want, it''s unlimited". She shrugged and shook her head. We walked to the sofa with a detour to check on Autumn. "I knew something was up when Autumn went to you she never does that". I looked at her with a serious look "you and your children will want for nothing from now on you realize that" she nodded "there is a downside to this though".


    She gave me a concerned look "and that would be?"


    "When I go public with all this I will make enemies and it will eventually get out who I was". "I can take care of myself dad" she said smugly. I huffed "sweetheart I''m going to be putting an end to fossil fuel and there will be countries that will be pissed at me".


    "Oh, ok I didn''t think that big". "Yea I''m still adjusting as well".


    "Have you been following me?"


    "Sort of the drones are automated so they don''t report back or anything. The only thing I did was change your schedule. I don''t monitor you at all, that would be rude". She smiled "ok I believe you" was her reply.


    "The girls are in heaven, you will be lucky if you ever see them in the same clothes twice".


    "Dad, what have you done?" she said sarcastically. I smiled watching the fashion show I was getting, I waited until they were all there "are you ready to meet some aliens?"


    They all looked at me and nodded. "Vickey could you tell the kits to come over please". Jaden looked at me and smiled a nervous smile.


    Kim and Gar came through the door with Lisa in tow. They instantly went to Jaden and hugged her saying hello. Jaden backed up "what are they saying".


    "Oh my god I forgot" I looked at the kits "she doesn''t have nanobots yet she can''t understand you". They all nodded as Vickey came to me with 3 small disks. "Jaden nanobots are part of what I have to give you and I want to do it now. Just put this on your palm and push the button".


    She looked at me then the girls, they were all for it so Jaden gave in. They put the disk on their hand and pushed the buttons and it melted into their hand. "The translation bots take few a minute to get to your ear" Vickey said and they nodded "do you have these papa" I got from Lexi "mine are different but yes".


    Lisa looked at the girls "I see you found the clothes replicator" they put a shocked look on their face "I understood that" Jess said with eyes wide open. "Dad, I''m hearing a voice over them, is that normal?" I nodded "you now understand every language on earth". Back to blank stares.


    Kim saved me "now that you can understand, welcome we have been waiting to meet you". She hugged a shocked Jaden "um yea thank you". Kim went for hugs from the girls and got them. "This is Kim and Gar and Lisa". I think that''s when Jaden noticed their tails and her eyes got wider. I looked at Jaden and said "they are just good people". That''s when Lisa came to me and licked my nose.


    Little miss observant Jaden caught that cocked her head and gave me a look I couldn''t identify. "That little girl doesn''t miss much" Vicky chirped in my head. I don''t know how Lisa saw as well but her back was to Jaden.With a little smirk on her face she spun around and almost bowed to her.


    "I am honored to meet you Jaden, it is important to me that we be friends for the sake of my claimed" Jaden looked at me with daggers in her eyes.


    "Your father had no choice in this matter; the females in my culture choose and claim their men," Gar said. Jaden looked at Lisa and me "so your not his, your hers" she giggled while pointing at me.


    "I''m sorry dad I just had bad thoughts there for a minute but I get it now. Hey, how old are you now". Vickey jumped in "I designed his body to be 25". "That''s the same as you mom" came from Lexi. She thought for a second and shook her head.


    Lisa looked at Jaden again "do I have your approval to be with your father " Jaden smiled. "You don''t need my approval" she spoke to Lisa like she would her own daughter. "I don''t need it but would like to have it" Lisa said sheepishly. Jaden smiled "you absolutely have it Lisa". I don''t know if she is giving her what she wants or does she mean it, I hope it''s the latter of the 2.


    "Where are the babies?" I blurted out to ease the tension. Gar looked at me and smiled and he was off like a flash. I guess the cages are in use today. I looked at Jaden and explained the gender reversal on their planet. Gar returned with 6 little bodies who were quite vocal. As soon as the girls saw them they went to Gar to see them and ended up with two each. I went and got bottles and the babies were fed by all of us, no chairs required this time.


    "What are their names?" Jessica asked and Kim jumped in. "We don''t name our children until they are 6 months old." "Why" came from Lexi. "Most don''t survive on our planet because of a parasite. Brad has gotten rid of it for us so they will all live, I guess names might be in order sooner than later."


    We all sat on the sofa and just watched the babies eat. They finished and got fussy so we put them down in the cushions. They were crawling with a little difficulty and could pull themselves up to a seated position. "How old are they" Jaden asked,


    "3 days". Her eyes got wide. I laughed at her expression "Kim was in labor when I found them. I will let her explain that". Kim smiled "we were in orbit for our zero G birth and poof we were here. Your father rescued us and adopted us".


    "That doesn''t surprise me, he had a big heart" said Jaden. Vickie jumped in "he has 2 of them now" she giggled. Jaden looked at me "is she serious" I just nodded "that was part of my upgrades. You will choose the ones you want". She shook her head "I''m sure there are ones I will want but we will see."


    "Some are to keep you safe, some are just fun to have. We will go over them in private" Vickey added.


    A cry from the bedroom announced Autumn''s arrival to the party. I went to get her and saw her sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She smiled and put her arms out for me to pick her up so I did and went to the sofa and sat with her in my lap. She could see her mom and sisters so she was happy.


    I fielded a load of questions from Lexi and Jessica, some of which Vicky had to answer. Autumn moved to her mom and put her arms up then something happened. Each of the kits crawled to me and mimicked the arms up gesture that Autumn did. They would get into a seated position and put their arms up for me to pick them up, so of course I did. All the girls came to me and the male went to Gar.


    Autumn came to me wanting up as well I made room and one of the kits crawled onto her lap. All 6 of them were on my lap as the adults talked only interrupted by the odd fashion show from Lexi and Jess.


    "Are you hungry Jaden" she nodded "actually yes" I smiled "Lisa could you show Jaden and the girls how the food replicator works" she got up and licked my nose and led them to the kitchen. That got a few giggles and squeals when the food appeared. The smell produced smiles and wide eyes when the force field dropped. Jaden got a sandwich and the girls came with a tray each with 5 items each. "Well at least I know you won''t starve when you''re with papa" I joked to the girls and I got chipmunk smiles complete with full cheeks.


    Jaden sat beside me and Autumn stole a fry as fast as her little hand could move. "If there is food around she is awake" Jaden laughed. It was nice seeing her happy and starting to relax. "Do you want one of these in your house?" She giggled "sure if you want fat grandkids". I smiled "the nanobots won''t let you get fat". Her eyes shot open "are you serious".


    "Yup. The nanobots talk to the replicators and you get the nutrients you need and you pass the rest. They can also adjust the caloric content of the food". She shook her head and cocked an eyebrow, so that''s what I look like when I do that. "You mean I can eat what I want". I nodded. "Cool" and she got up and got a greasy burger instead of the sandwich and dug in.


    "I want you to remember that these quarters are yours from now on. You can actually say you have a pad on the moon" I laughed.


    "Are you serious dad?" I nodded. "You can be here in 30 min from anywhere on the planet and you can go anywhere on the planet" that produced shocked looks. "How much street cred does papa get for giving you a pad in the moon" I said to Lexi and Jess getting smiles. "We can come here whenever we want" Lexi asked "that decision is up to mom not me".


    "Ok enough of that for right now" Jaden said taking control of the conversation, yup all moms can do that. "What about the nanobots, are they safe? Vickey jumped in "the nanobots are perfectly safe, they have been in use for hundreds of years in many civilizations. They are programmed to protect and until Lisa I''ve never had a problem with them". She turned to look at Lisa "Brad''s nanobots chose to protect me before I decided". She looked at me "hey she stole them". That got a questionable look and Lisa described how she claimed me "when I claimed him I don''t want any doubt" Lisa said while trying a pancake from Lexi''s tray. Kim spoke up "I''ve never bitten dad like that". Lisa blushed


    "What about the medbeds?" Jaden asked and I smiled "you will sleep in the beds tonight and every medical problem you have will be gone" her eyes shot open. "You will be in perfect health in a manner of hours. There is a lot of tech on this ship and I will use every piece of it to protect you and keep you safe".


    Her face softened and she smiled. "That''s my primary goal right now, after that our family''s". She cocked her head to the side "what do you mean".


    "Like Vickey said in the RV, I''m bringing this technology to the people and I''m going to step on toes. I need to assure that they can''t get to us through them, trust me they will be happy". "Ok I get it now" she nodded.


    "How do you think people will react?" Kim said I looked at her "I have no idea" I shrugged "it will come out eventually who I am so we need to prepare". Lisa spoke up "why not just come out at the beginning?" I started to giggle "I want to make a game of it. No one knows I''m dead yet and I wasn''t close to anyone so nobody''s looking".


    "Why not?" asked the girls. "I wasn''t a nice guy" I winked at them. I looked at Jaden "it''s all fixed now" she smiled "good" she retorted. "I''m sorry for who I was".


    "Don''t be" she smiled at that. "Thank you" I received another smile.


    "I was going to put the girls in the medbed tonight and tomorrow you can go if they survive" she shook her head "your an ass dad, does Autumn go to" I nodded. "The beds have a sleep function so she will be out the minute you lay her down".


    The girls had a million questions so Lisa and Vicky took them to see the bed. Lisa looked over her shoulder at me and Jaden caught it "leave it to my father to have an alien bride" she laughed and picked up Autumn, 2 of the kits went along for the ride. "So this is us now huh"


    "Guess so chickie" I replied. We could see the girls asking questions "they will never get sick again". She smiled "I know but it won''t stop them from trying the little shits" she laughed. "The nanobots are with you for life so over time you will get more and more control".


    Vicky jumped in "speaking of the rest of your life your life spans will change to about 200 years" she almost spit out her drink "are you fucking serious". Vickey just nodded "your dad is even longer" she looked at me "how long for you". I shrugged "it hasn''t stabilized yet" I looked at Vicky "what was the last scan" she smiled "last night was 368 years".


    I looked back to Jaden and she had a blank look on her face staring at the girls. "You ok?" She nodded "it''s just sinking in". I smiled "don''t worry right now about everything, just one step at a time".


    I looked at the girls "are you girls all changed out?" Both were shaking their heads no but their eyes said otherwise. "Let''s say you 2 go get some sleep in the medbeds. There are more than one in medical so why don''t you go with Vickey. We can pick this up in the morning ok".


    They both nodded and went with Vicky. The 2 on Autumn were getting fussy so I reached over and took them and Kim took them from me for feeding. Vickey walked back in "ok the sleep function must work if they are out that fast" Jaden giggled "kids with an off switch, can I get one of those for home" we all laughed. Kim and Gar took the kits home and I looked at Jaden. "Is there anything else before I turn in?" She shook her head "no I''m good dad". And with that I went to my quarters and fell on the bed.

 06

    The next morning I awoke refreshed and ready to go. I went to my bathroom and found it occupied "sorry papa moms in ours" I heard Lexi''s voice through the door. Well that''s one change I need to make in their quarters, another shower stall. I went to the second bathroom laughing the whole way. I went to my office and Vicky appeared "we are going to need seed money, any thoughts?"


    "3 actually, I could mine crypto, sell metals or steal from drug lords" my eyebrows went up. "Drug lords?" She smiled "they deal pain and death so I have no problem taking from them" I nodded "look into all 3 and get back to me".


    "We may just want to open a bank to handle all of our needs".


    "Do it if you can," she nodded. "Is there anything I need to deal with today?"


    "Nothing pressing "but be aware Lisa is having fun with her nanobots designing her body." I smiled "it''s not that I don''t trust them but I want you to double check their work." She nodded. I grabbed a coffee and went into the hall, finding all the doors open and noises coming from the kit''s household.


    Jessica breezed past me in a housecoat that was so fluffy I couldn''t tell where she left off and the coat began. She sat beside mom and Lisa "Vickey showed us materials from other planets and it''s soooo comfy" Jess said as Lexi came in and joined her mom. That''s when I saw a blur across the floor with Kim in chase. "Get back here" she yelled "they can run before they can walk?" Kim nodded.


    "If they pull themselves up to a standing position they launch themselves. I don''t expect this till a few more days" she said as the little one squirmed in her arms "they are learning from one another so they are figuring out things fast". I saw another blur then pin pricks up my left leg then my back. She appeared on my shoulder and looked at me. "I see they have figured out their claws as well".


    Lexi and Jess came over and gave me a hug. Lisa coming last with my nose lick. "We will have to watch them around Autumn, speaking of which where is she?"


    "look in the cage bedroom" came from Jaden. I went to the bedroom and looked in. There was Autumn flat on her back with 4 kits laying on her like a kitty comforter "we think she went in to free them and decided to join them and they just welcomed her" Kim said.


    Vickey appeared "your bank is done. It was easy, I just found a shelf company and bought it for 10 million and registered it in the appropriate places with a bit of hacking. Everything is in their system says we have been open for 6 months". "Where did you get 10 million dollars?" she smiled "I mined some crypto and I''m selling metals. By this time tomorrow you should be sitting on over a 500 million dollars".


    I looked at Jaden and the girls and they were blank faced. A bot came in with a box for me and it was full of envelopes and one with Jaden''s name so I gave it to her. She ripped it open and a bank card fell out. She looked at Vicky "you have the first account of the 6Kit bank. Just use it like a normal card and don''t worry about the balance. I put 5 million in the account and I will keep an eye on it and top it up when you use it".


    Jaden inspected the black card with raised white letters. There are times in life you want a camera to catch an expression, finding out you have 5 million dollars is one of them. She looked at me and just shrugged "the other is yours Brad, You can actually use your bots to tap'''' she giggled. I looked at Jaden "this is yours, no accounting for what you spend and if you need more you have just ask."


    "More, I will never go through this amount". I smiled "once you realize you can help your friends and the ones close to you. I''m expecting it actually".


    She smiled "your serous" and I nodded. "I do want you to buy a house with a security system please and maybe a landing pad for me" I giggled. She jumped up and hugged me and her daughter''s joined in. I looked at Jaden "I know you are going to help your mom and sister and I know they dislike me so I just don''t need to know about it ok". She nodded.


    We all went to sit on the sofa and the kit that was on my shoulder the whole time jumped into the housecoats almost disappearing. Kim and Gar looked stressed "what''s wrong" I asked out of concern. Gar looked at me "they are learning so fast, it''s like they are talking to one another". "Well is that a bad thing". He shook his head no "it''s just going to happen at a faster rate". Kim looked at me "I wonder what yours will look like?" My eyes shot open "I didn''t think of that".


    Vickey cut it "May I sir?" I nodded, Lisa perked up and wanted to see. Within seconds 2 figures appeared, one male and one female. The male was half feline, full of fur and muscular. Think Tony the Tiger just ripped. The female was only slightly feline but all women, think Jessica Rabbit with cat ears.


    "These are the extremes but until Lisa comes out of the tank I won''t know for sure" Lisa started to cry and Jaden and the girls moved in to comfort her. I heard a noise in the bedroom and went to check it out. There was Autumn and 4 kits rubbing their eyes, the minute they saw me all arms came up so I grabbed Autumn and the kits came for the ride.


    I went to the replicator and got bottles for my crew and sat on the sofa. "What''s on the agenda today".


    "Where can we go" asked Jessica. I looked at her and smiled "anywhere in the solar system".


    "Very funny dad" Jaden laughed and I didn''t blink "you realize you''re sitting on the moon right now" I said laughing and everyone joined in.


    Jaden and I went over her list for a few min and her number is 45. "Is a million each enough for each of them? " he eyes shot open "yes dad that will be enough".


    "They will have drones assigned to them as well". "What do the drones look like?" Lexi asked "I concentrated for a sec and one decloaked in front of her "hold out your hands" she did as I asked and landed in her hands and she hefted the weight "it weighs about 10 kilograms". I made it levitate up again and I picked up her cup and handed it to her.


    In unison I heard "hold shit" from the girls, the baby was indifferent.


    Jaden spun to look at the girls with a not so good look for cursing. They became interested in their drinks avoiding eye contact. I started to laugh and got the same look "you look like my mom when you do that" I giggled.


    When they raised their heads the girls asked "will we be able to do that" Vickey appeared "Brad''s connection with the tech is second nature to him. It would take training but you probably could in time" they were happy with that.


    "Have they met the triplets?" I smiled "could you see if they are busy" she nodded and a second later they appeared. 3 former me''s all dressed differently "A is our explorer, B is our designer and C is project manager for now". Vickey jumped in with a cutaway of my head showing the 4 hemispheres and the crystal. Jaden looked at me "who are they".


    "We are all your father" they answered in unison "each of us occupy a separate spot in my brain. We all live together in here". I pointed at my head. She looked at Vicky "is he safe" she smiled "I assure you he is safe".


    That comment shocked me, up until now I wasn''t sure if she cared. I will have to check my memory files later if she showed this in the past and my bipolar brain couldn''t recognize them.


    "Vickey can access all the tech and most things around her through me, the same goes for the triplets".


    Lisa spoke up "can you control the ship or ships? I looked at Vickey "I have files on one leader that commanded and controlled an entire squadron of ships and won many battles". I looked at her "I guess so all in good time".


    "How many square thingies can you control" back to Vicky "eventually he will easily control 100, more if they combine tasks."


    "Anyway that''s all of us in one body with one goal to fix this planet. I looked at them "you in". I got lots of nods "cool any idea how I''m supposed to do that" that got giggles. "You mean you don''t know how" Jess asked. "There are lots of ways to do it. I just have to pick one and go for it."


    "Enough serious stuff, what are we doing today?" Lexi answered "could you show us around the ship".


    "You are free to explore the entire ship, Vickey is available to answer any questions you may have". Lisa, Lexi and Jess started to whisper, oh crap. Vickey appeared beside them and added to the huddle. My grandkids stopped dead and looked at Vicky and took off running for the closet.


    Vickey giggled and looked at me "I finished an antigravity gym on the flight deck". We all went to get dressed and see the new toy minus the babies, they all seemed to get tired at the same time.


    It was a box, a really big box with a door. It was dimly lit as we filed in, I looked around and estimated it to be about 20 meters on all sides with lines painted on the floor.


    Vickey lit up the room "the room only has gravity for the first 30 centimeters so you can walk normally, but if you jump that''s a different matter". Most of us jumped right away and started to float to the ceiling. Lots of laughter and screaming and one "dad" from my offspring. "Like I can do anything" I yelled back.


    Vicky jumped in "Jaden I want to yell, Come get me". Jaden yelled the words and a drone appeared and guided her to the ground. This one was round and it was blue, it grabbed her by the hips, righted her and lowered her to the floor. "Each of you has one assigned when you entered".


    We all spoke the commands and went to the floor, the girls wasted no time and jumped again. All of a sudden shapes like pyramids and cubes came into the room "you can have them static or floating around to make games, you set the parameters at the control planet at the door".


    The girls were flying around using the shapes and launching pads. After about 45 minutes of just doing stupid stuff and having a ball doing it. Vickey came to me "all the little ones are waking up" that ended the fun for some of the adults.


    The girls stayed to play and I don''t blame them, it''s not too often you get to play in zero g. I wonder if they would go on a space walk? I reached the cage and they were all in the big cage waking up. All their arms went up as soon as they saw me and I think I saw a smile.


    I could swear I could feel their hunger when I picked up Autumn. Her arms went up as soon as she saw me with a definite smile. My heart melts every time she looks at me.


    I went to the replicator and got bottles for the kits and a sippy cup for Autumn. I picked her up to eye level "and what do I feed you, how bout some KD". I think she recognized that because she smiled, what Canadian kid doesn''t know KD.


    "KD and hot dogs". Another smile. "We have a winner". I got 2 plates and went to the table to sit and eat with her on my lap. That went well and she devoured her food then looked at me. She smiled and picked up my whole hotdog and wanted down.


    She walked over to the kits who had finished their bottles and plunked on her bum. She proceeded to break the hotdog into pieces and put them in front of the kits. Kim and I just watched as this went down. Each of the kits sniffed the hotdog but it was the male that licked it. His little eyes opened and he tried a bite. Well that was it for his piece and the others followed suit.


    Kim looked at me "that''s ahead of schedule, I''m not sure I like this" she giggled "they will probably want solid food from now on and this will start a growth cycle".


    Jaden and Lisa walked in laughing with her girls in tow. Jaden sat and Autumn went to her and the kits came to me. They were sniffing my empty plate "Kim I think they want more". She got up and went to the replicator "what were those things".


    "Just look in the history for hot dogs". She found them and made 6 and brought them to the table.


    The kits were like a well oiled machine as they walked around them and picked one. They proceeded to devour them and this time I was sure I got a smile. Autumn sat on the floor again with them and I watched as a few of them broke off pieces for her. I was watching this bond form when Jaden shook me "where were you just them".


    I smiled "kids make it so easy to share and get along, adults not so much. What''s up".


    "The girls want to talk to you" Lexi and Jessica stepped up in front of me and gave me a hug. "We love you Papa old and new, thank you for the upgrades we both feel wonderful".


    "That made my week girls". I smiled and hugged them again. "Does that give papa street cred" I giggled "dad" I looked at Jaden "I''m serious all 3 of you, you have a pad on the moon. You can all cure your loved ones of all their diseases. You will live to be 200 and be in perfect health for all of your lives."


    She looked at me shocked "and this way I won''t have ugly grandchildren" I giggled and held up Autumn expecting an attack and got it. They just took her for me and attacked me.


    "Papa" yelled Autumn, stopping everyone in their tracks. She did it to protect me and I was touched by that. "Give me the one woman that doesn''t abuse me". I grabbed Autumn and tickled her on my lap.


    "You''re going to spoil her dad". "Yes I am, I don''t get to see them much so get used to it" I stuck my tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes at me.


    "Have you talked to Vicky about your upgrades yet?" She shook her head "not yet, what ones are you going to make me get". I looked at her "medical, tracking and communication are the ones kind of mandatory to keep us all safe. All the features are there so you can change your mind later. Just think about it if Jessica has a bad fall and broke a bone. You will know within seconds and you will have directions to her." "Ok true" she retorted. "You can track them and contact them anywhere on the planet. I''m going to be putting in a global communications network for everyone, you and the girls will have them built in." That got wide eyes from the girls.


    Seeing Kim and Gar handling 6 overstuffed kids made me laugh. Each had a distended midsection and a blissful look on their face. Lexi and Jess called them food babies, getting a laugh from all of us. They all wanted me so Kim passed them over. "Why do they do that to you?" Jaden asked. I explained my lack of training during their birth and how they are imprinted on me.


    She laughed "dad if anyone else said what you said I would call BS. With you it''s Thursday".


    "I''m sorry I wasn''t a good daughter".


    "I''m sorry I was a bad dad. We tried sweetie but we were at the wrong point in our lives to make it work. No harm no foul and we can go forward from here. My circle will be small and I want you to be part of it" she smiled. "We will be," I chuckled, "you can say my dad will squash you like a bug and mean every syllable". I got a pinch this time. I flinched and disturbed my brood but not enough to elicit a response.


    Lisa came up to me and gave me a nose lick and I returned the gesture, she glanced at Jaden and then was off.


    "You have no idea how much she is in love with you". I looked at her and smiled "oh I think I do" she looked at me wide eyed "really" I nodded. "I don''t know where it came from but it''s here and I like it. Things just seem easier with her around" she smiled at me "she got a look on her face like a bad realization. "You were really fucked up before weren''t you". I nodded "yea my bipolar and PTSD was rough to deal with. I can''t imagine too many people have anything good to say about me, I was pretty screwed up. I was effective but not nice. I had a lot of anger and hate and no way to control them".


    Lisa came back to us "just think no shaving anymore". The girls perked up "really". Lisa nodded "there are lots you can do with them" then she got a wicked smile and stood "come with me" she grabbed Jaden wrist and then grabbed the girls on the way to the office.  I just shrugged and looked at the kits, they haven''t moved.


    I looked at Kim "so how much ahead of the curve are they?". She put an exacerbated look on her face "they are weeks ahead of the curve. They learn from one another so it might be scary how intelligent they get. The faster they learn the better off they are on our world".


    The male was awake and sitting up, he looked at me and smiled. Then I heard it, it was quiet but he called me papa. Kim looked at me "that should be months". I just shrugged "I wonder if it could be the lack of stress?"


    "Possibly". I heard another papa as Autumn entered the room and ran to me. She instantly hugged the kits and they all smiled. "I think this helps as well" as she pointed to Autumn.


    Jaden and Lisa walked in with a blushing Lexi and Jessica. "What did you do to them?". Jaden brushed me off and giggled "you''re in so much trouble" she giggled. "What did I do now?" She smiled "nothing dad, I thought I knew how she felt before. Now I know how she really feels. She looked at your life and designed the perfect woman for you".


    Lisa came to me and licked my nose and picked up the brood and headed for the cages.


    "Do you know what the licks mean?" Jaden asked. "No not yet, I think it''s cute and I like it."


    "They call it the kick of life, you do it to people you share your life force to" I smiled at that.


    Vickey appeared and looked at Jaden and myself "have you decided on your plans for the day?" I shook my head "nothing that I know of".


    "Well I need to borrow your dad for some testing". Jaden looked at Vickey "are you going to beat him" she chuckled. "I can if you wish," Vicky retorted. "Take him then," Jaden said. "I feel so used" I joked and got up "where am I going?"


    "I made a gym next to the zero g cube".


    "Gym" I questioned. She nodded "it''s time to test your strength. You have had time to adapt now I need some numbers". I went to go to the door and found everyone else coming. Kim looked at me "we are curious holyman". I just shook my head and led the crowd. "I''m guessing I already know the answers" Lisa slid in beside me and grabbed my arm.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    We got to the gym and it was another cube beside the zero g gym. Vickey was kind enough to add seating so people took seats to watch. "Ok let''s start with a run" Vickey chimed. I went to the treadmill and it looked heavy duty and it was round surrounded by a net. "Is the net necessary?" she nodded. I started to walk and the treadmill kept up with me perfectly.


    A walking path appeared as soon as I took my first step. It was a full 360, even the birds were there all it was missing was the smells. After about 5 minutes of a warmup the speed increased and I was on a track with others mid race.


    I pushed harder and I pulled in front of them. Realizing I wasn''t even winded I started to push harder and the scene changed again.


    I was on a dirt road with traffic and I pushed farther and kept up with traffic. I realized there was no dust and thought this was cool. I took off and was able to get past the car looking at the driver. I looked as I passed and the driver looked at me with a shocked expression.


    I caught flashes of light and looked down and saw flames surrounding my feet and panicked, Bad Move.


    I stopped running too fast for the treadmill to stop and I was thrown into the net at about 40 kph.


    "What the hell Vicky" when the hologram dropped they were in hysterical laughter "blame your daughter, we were trying to get your attention and she said to light your shoes on fire so I did". I looked at Jaden and she was in hysterics "Vickey can the med beds make people shorter". Oooo I got a dagger eyed look from her with a smile.


    "Ok I want you to try to try flat out and access your nanobots when you do". I got back in and pointed at my daughter "no flames". She pointed at herself fainting innocence.


    I turned around and the hologram showed the salt flats. I started as a jog pushing myself in chunks, checking if I was ok and moving up. After I thought I kind of maxed out I thought of my nanobots and I could feel them throughout my body. It felt almost like a tank, It was centered on my chest but it flowed to my extremities.


    I could feel it lowering so I slowed down and felt the flow lower and the tank drained slower. I slowly came to a stop and I was barely winder.


    I heard cheers as I got out and Vicky came to me "did you connect with them" I nodded "yea it''s cool I have a fuel tank". She chuckled at that "you can get about 50 kilometers before you have to slow down so the nanobots can refresh. You maxed out at 52 kph so be careful what you wear, nothing that melts". I shook my head and winced at the thought of that.


    Bench press, I just went till I failed 207 kg. I can live with that. We cycled through the machines, all the results were matched with my bench press. I lost my audience by the time I was done and probably a good thing because I needed a shower.


    The gym had a refresher so I jumped in feeling the tingle then went to the quarters deck and found everyone at the kits.


    I walked in and got a drink "open plate today any ideas" Lexi and Jess raised their hand "how hard is it to fly the ships?" Lexi asked with Jess nodding. I looked at Jaden "it''s your call" she smiled "as long as they are safe".


    "Vickey could you check with the triplets and see who would like this".


    I barely had the words out of my mouth and B appeared. "I''ve got this sir, I will build simulators for the girls". He went to the girls to talk with them and I looked at Jaden. "Your daughters want to be pilots. If they are serious I will make it happen". She smiled "let''s just see if it last past the weekend" she said and I nodded.


    I looked at the kits and laughed, they had discovered pudding and they were covered. I picked up the 2 that had crawled on me and they smelled like butterscotch. I followed Kim to the bathroom and got into the refresher. They ended up clean but they wanted mom afterwards.


    I needed to eat after the workout so I got a big plate of my mom''s spaghetti and sat at the table. They laughed at me sitting in the small chairs "what I''m hungry". I looked at the girls "so what''s happening with your training?" Jessica spoke up "B is working on the simulators now" Lexi was nodding enthusiastically.


    "Dad can I ask Vicky questions about you" I cocked my head to the side "you know I can answer questions as well".


    "I know dad but for this I think this is the best way" she smiled. "Vickey has all my memories just stay away from my rescues, there are things there I don''t even like to remember" she nodded


    "Thank you dad" was all she got out when 2 drones came into the rooms carrying flight suits.


    They giggled and put them on. They are so frigging cute and I know I''m biased. They both stood in front of us as B appeared "ready to go" they nodded and followed him out the door. I looked at Jaden "think it will last long?" she rolled her eyes "I''m not sure, those 2 are all over the map somedays". I giggled as she got up and we walked to her quarters "as long as they have fun that''s what this is all about" she smiled "thank you for all this it''s nice to be able to relax and not worry about everything".


    I started laughing and she gave me a dirty look "That''s your new norm sweetie you''re rich so you don''t have worries anymore" I said laughing as Vicky appeared. My daughter looked at Vicky and then me "dad I know it''s your ship but get out for a little bit".


    "Fine" then I stomped out the door like a little kid laughing. I went back to the kit quarters.


    There I was greeted with 3 adult faces and 6 baby faces all stained red from spaghetti sauce. "I found it in your history and it''s so good," said Lisa.


    I smiled thinking how many times I''ve seen nieces and nephews in the same state. I love the fact that my moms cooking is still bringing smiles.


    Kim asked "what is the smelly stuff on top".


    "That''s parmesan cheese". Gar spoke up "Vickey showed us how to eat it". He proceeded to spin his fork and try to get it in his mouth with it falling off and he was unsuccessful resulting in more on his face. I guess that is a learned art, the kits had no problem digging into a meatball each.


    I saw a look on Kim''s face "are you ok" she smiled. "It''s amazing how fast they are learning. There hasn''t been a brood this big in over 1000 years. Royalty can manage 3 with all their protections but 6. I''m afraid I won''t be able to keep them learning and what they will become. Our intelligence is formed in the brood so these little ones may, no will be a handful". I just sat and smiled at 6 little bodies eating way more than I thought possible.


    Lisa finished and leaned back with her hand on her stomach and her face covered in sauce. She got up and gave me a tomato flavored lick and went to get cleaned up. In sets of 2 they came out of the bathroom and came to me and settled into a post meal coma. The door opened and in walked Jaden with Autumn "she wanted papa".


    She joined my little brood and settled into my chest. When has she napped last". "It''s been a while," she said. Well I''m going to shut down for an hour and enjoy this. They all shook their heads and I closed my eyes.


    I awoke to laughter and couldn''t breathe through my nose. I pulled my head back realizing it was kit feet in my face as Jaden took a pic. "Well at least I''m good for comic value" I chuckled and sat up. Lisa came in for a nose lick and when the kits saw it they wanted one as well. I got up and Autumn was in Kim''s arms and the kits were looking for a bottle.


    Jaden came in for a hug and I sensed it was different, not the stand-offish ones I usually get. This was a bear hug. I looked down at her "what wrong little one". She looked at me with wet eyes. "Vickey helped me understand what you went through and I''m sorry".


    "You have nothing to be sorry for, you didn''t know".


    "I treated you as badly as mom did".


    "You treated me the way everyone did, it''s not your fault".


    She wiped a tear away and slugged me in the arm. "37 times I could have lost you if not for Vicky. Seriously dad she had to stop a crane from falling on you because you were running with the driver. And don''t get me started on the car crashes near misses." I looked at her then to Vickey "how much access did you give her?" She smiled "all of it, she needed to understand".


    "Ok enough dwelling on the past, we have the rest of our lives to discuss such things, I wonder how the girls are doing?" I closed my eyes and checked with B, a second later I opened my eyes and looked at Jaden. "We are to go to the flight deck". She got a quizzical look on her face and we bid our farewells.


    Next to the new gym there was another new addition with B between them. We walked towards him when I caught motion out of the corner of my eye. I spun instantly pushing Jaden behind me and I came face to face with a little ship. It was the size of a large beach ball and it looked like one of the fighters. It was joined by a second and B spoke up "these are the trainers I built and say hello to your pilot granddaughters." I looked at the ships again and they did a flip. They took off at great speed circling around one another. We went to the new devices and looked at them.


    The ship''s came to rest above the devices and they opened. Both of the girls were laying down on a type of gel "it''s a grav couch. It''s like a sensory deprivation tank so there are no distractions." B added smiling.


    Both girls shot out of the couches talking 100 km an hour. "We were exploring the moon" was the bulk of what they were trying to get out. They were jumping around yelling how cool it was to see the moon and it''s cool learning how to fly.


    Jaden stepped in and in one sentence calmed them down, another mom thing. Once the adrenaline wore off they were describing being in the ship pushing the buttons and flying. "We started out in a fake one, then the little trainer, next is real ships" Lexi was almost vibrating in excitement. B came to me "your offspring seem to have some of your abilities so they picked it up fast. Their nanobots have brought out such latent abilities that were dormant".


    "Is there anything bad to these abilities" he shook his head "no they have the section of your DNA that helps learning so they can master tasks like you could".


    "Are there any side effects from the grav couch" he shook his head "maybe some wobbly legs if you''re in there for a long time".


    I looked at the girls and they were bouncing from leg to leg. I laughed "well no problem there".


    Jaden looked at me and smiled "you started this you know" she giggled. "Hey you agreed to it" I snickered and hid behind the girls.


    With the girls calmed down and in their quarters, Jaden talked to them, well listened mostly. They continued their descriptions of how it felt to be in control of the ship "and B said we could go on missions" they said together. Jaden''s eyebrows came together and she looked at me. I didn''t say anything and Jess jumped in "he was talking about resupply missions and junk like that".


    Lisa showed up and saved me with 2 holodisks for the girls of their flying adventures. They were ecstatic having footage of their training. I got a nose lick and returned it.


    I posed a question to everyone "what about disaster relief? Jaden nodded "that would show people that you are here to help". I looked at Vickey "could you ask B and C to join us please" they appeared instantly. I noticed that they were dressed differently, I smiled thinking they were developing their own personalities.


    "I want to start a division so to speak for search and rescue and emergency. I want you to look into fire suppression, medbed ships and search and rescue bots. Do we have any bots on file?" B shook his head "nothing specific to humans but adapting them isn''t an issue".


    C jumped in "for fire suppression we have drones that can produce the water from the atmosphere and are shielded so they can attack the fire from within the flames."


    "Now for the med ships. I''m giving you free reign to design multiple ships to accommodate different needs with a few caveats. I want the ship overpowered in the sense of being able to power a large building. I''m thinking of using these to power the local hospital keeping them operational. People know where the hospitals are and I think keeping the doors open will keep up morale.


    Finally supply ships with mass fabricators to supply food and water. We would have to adjust what we make based on location but that''s not a problem. Next shelter, Design scalable housing that will make people secure with communal cooking areas and rest areas that people can support each other.


    B and C were both smiling looking forward to the tasks put forth. They checked if there was anything else specific and excused themselves. I smiled thinking about what they are going to come up with, I know I will be pleased.


    Vickey came to Jaden letting her know that there were 2 people in her parking lot. "Can you see them?" Vickey brought up a video of 2 teens sitting beside the dumpster, one male one female. Jaden spoke up "I''ve seen them in my neighborhood for a few weeks now they seem harmless".


    "Vicky do a scan on them and see if we can shed some light on this". She nodded "they are malnourished and the male has many unhealed bruises and cuts, they are twins".


    "Twins and homeless" I looked at Jaden "feel up to a rescue mission". She looked at me shocked, "are you serious dad?" I nodded my head "yup I''m thinking we have to start somewhere". She smiled "let''s go then". She kissed the girls who were eating and we went to the flight deck.


    "What are you thinking dad" Jaden asked me. "I''m thinking brother and sister runaways, I don''t know their whole situation but I know I can make it better." We landed and I took over and drove to the parking lot. I saw them at the dumpster so I pulled in beside Jaden''s car. We got out and went directly to them "first of all I''m not a cop or a social worker but I do want to help you".


    The boy stood between me and his sister, he was ready for a fight "we have heard that before, what do you want from us" he stood with fists raised. Jaden stepped out from behind me "this is my daughter, she lives here and she tells me she has seen you around and I just want to help". The girl spoke up "you have 2 daughters" Jaden smiled "3 actually".


    "It''s quiet here and the cops don''t come around much," she added, stepping beside her brother. I noticed it was starting to rain and none of us, especially them, were dressed for it. "Listen it''s starting to rain so let''s move this inside the RV. If it makes you feel better you can keep the door open so you can bolt, I won''t pursue you"


    They looked at one another and I got the impression that they have been in bad situations before. "I will make you a deal, when we get inside I will give you the keys till you are comfortable". That broke the ice and they agreed to see what we had to offer.


    We all entered the RV, Jaden first then the girl followed by the boy and me. Judging by the odor they haven''t seen a shower in a while. I told them to sit at the table and I went to grab the keys. My plan failed there realizing there were no keys. I looked at them "I just realized this vehicle doesn''t have keys" I started to laugh "you will have to just trust me". They looked at one another then back to me nodding.


    "First of all let''s start with names, I''m Brad and you are?" The girls spoke up "I''m Emma and this is my brother Ryan".


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you" as I shook their hands "first of all how hungry are you" the glance they shared gave me all the info I needed "how about sandwiches they will be easy on your stomach".


    They both nodded at that "the bathroom is fully functional so if you want to get cleaned up if you want". They both got up and went to the bathroom and I took this opportunity to use the replicator. 2 big roast beef and 2 turkey sandwiches appeared and Jaden looked at me as I put them on the table. She rolled her eyes and got them a drink as well. I replicated some tracksuits and Jaden put them outside the door and let them know they were there. They disappeared in short order.


    When they emerged about 10 min later they looked like normal teens. "We didn''t know what to do with the other clothes so we put them in the corner of the shower" Ryan said "that''s perfect we can deal with them later, come sit and eat".


    They both looked at the food then each other as they sat then they dug in. I waited until they got through the first sandwich before I asked "why don''t you tell me your story and let''s see what kind of help I can give you".


    Emma started "we have been in the system since our parents died 6 years ago. We have cycled through 4 different homes because we refuse to be split up. The last one was nice but Ryan caught the guy spying on me in the bathroom so we were out of there that night, that was 4 months ago".


    She stopped and took a bite. Ryan just followed along and nodded his head as he ate. "Do you have any friends close by that need help". They both shook their heads "we have been keeping to ourselves" Ryan said. I smiled "do you feel comfortable enough to come with us?'''' They looked at one another and had a conversation with a glance then looked at Jaden and myself


    "Where are we going" she asked sheepishly. "Let''s just say you''re getting an upgrade in life. All you need is an open mind". They both looked quizzical. "I do have a request, if you don''t have any attachment to the clothes in the bathroom, stuff them in the slot labeled recycler. I''m sorry but they have an odor". They both started to apologize "it''s no worse than camping" I said and they seemed to relax. Ryan went to do just that and I looked at Emma "anything stashed anywhere" she nodded "I will be back in a min ok" I nodded and she took off out the door.


    I wasn''t finished cleaning up with Jaden when they both returned, Emma held a bag. Ryan saw it and smiled. "Have a seat" I got behind the wheel and started to drive. The twins pointed out places they stayed and others where they could get food.


    Once I found a dark road and engaged the cloak and stopped. I stood and Vickey appeared and scared the shit out of them. Their eyes were huge "good evening" then she sat in the driver''s seat and we lifted off.


    They looked scared at this point so I looked at them "first of all I''m human" that didn''t seem to relax them. "Where are we going" Ryan shot out "I have a place on the moon where I''m going to help you further". Emma was squeezing Ryan''s hand and I could see the discomfort on his face. "Emma stop" he yelled, snapping her out of her trance. "Oh shit sorry" she retorted and let go.


    She looked at me then out the window and huffed a deep breath. "Are you ok" I said to both and got nods back. "I assure you that you are safe and you can leave whenever you wish. I do have some explaining to do for most things but first things first" I looked at them "do you like cats".


    They both got an odd look "we love cats, unless they bite" Emma said and Jaden was shaking her head. "You will understand soon and I promise they don''t". The trip consisted of a lot of questions and Vickey jumped in to give a quick rundown of me and our mission. They got more and more excited the closer we got to the moon.


    Vicky looked at me "that was an easy sell" she giggled. We landed and went to my quarters. "You''re going to stay with me, pick a bedroom and it''s yours. They lock from the inside in case you don''t feel safe" they both smiled still devoid of words. I went to the replicator and got two nanobot disks for them. You''re going to need these, they are nanobots and they will translate for you".


    They did as I asked and pushed the button and flinched when it melted into their hands. "Soon everyone will have these you getting a sneak peek. Are you ready to meet aliens, they are really nice". Their eyes shot open and they both nodded and smiled. "Vicky could you check with our neighbors please". She smiled "they are looking forward to it". We went to their quarters and I thought their eyes were big before. I chuckled and noticed that the kits could sense the NEW in the vicinity.


    The male shot up and got between the new and his sisters. Gar had a huge smile on his face as he watched the same events. "I didn''t think he would be the dominant one" he said as I picked him up to introduce him to our guests. I went to Emma and Ryan so the male could give his approval. He sniffed them and recoiled but went to Emma then Ryan and back to me.


    I picked him up and said "go get your sisters to meet our guests" I know he got the message when he smiled and jumped down and ran to his sisters. Within a minute all 6 were all over the twins checking them out. Lisa came to me and turned up her nose a little, Emma saw this and blushed "Lisa could you help Emma with the shower". She nodded and took Emma by the arm welcoming her as they walked. I looked at Ryan "she is in safe hands, you can wait or go use the shower in my quarters".


    "No I''m good waiting thank you" he replied. "Let''s sit and talk" We moved to the sofa. While he was getting accosted by the kits he told me about how the system tried but failed with him and his sister. Understaffed, underfunded and overwhelmed seems the causes. We talked of others he knew or had met who were in his situation, too many cracks to slip through.


    "I feel like I''m in a movie" he said with a chuckle "I feel the same way and I''m in the middle of it" I laughed. I saw Jaden go to the washroom with housecoats and asked to enter, I looked at Ryan and shrugged "I try not to ask" he nodded a very positive nod.


    Emma emerged from the bathroom with Jaden wearing one of those super fluffy housecoats the girls wore. She had a hot chocolate and a smile on her face as she approached Ryan and I.


    She sat and the kits instantly jumped on her "Showers all yours, I do recommend the body jets" she laughed and she looked happy for the first time."there is a housecoat for you in there" Emma said and Ryan nodded and made his way to the bathroom. The kits swarmed Emma getting to know her and her hot chocolate.


    Emma and I had the same conversation as Ryan describing people that need help. Lisa came over and gave me a nose lick and slid into my lap. We continued the chit chat until Ryan appeared "I don''t think I''ve ever been this clean" he joked and sat beside Emma.


    I smiled "you''re only stuck with me until tomorrow, we''ll make some quarters for you nearby". They both smiled at that "it''s a big ship so I don''t want you off in the middle of nowhere".


    "I don''t know what to say but thank you" Ryan said and I nodded. "Tonight you will sleep in a medbed to make sure you are healthy. Jaden and her youngest are taking their turn this evening as well".


    They got a concerned look on their face so I assured them and explained the beds and their functioning. They seemed ok with it after the explanation.


    "You are the first to be helped and possibly you can help me help others. If you''re up for it I need help navigating the system you were part of." They both smiled Emma spoke up "why did you choose us"


    I looked at her and smiled "you needed help and I found you. That''s it, it''s the right time right place kind of situation. You can be our poster children for a better life or settle into the background, the choice is yours."


    Both smiled and nodded. "Do either of you suffer from mental health issues"? Emma lowered her head and showed me scars on her arm. "Those feelings will be gone and so will those scars." Emma looked shocked and relieved at the same time.


    Jaden walked to me with Autumn and I enquired about the girls " they are flying right now but will be done soon". I looked at her and smiled "I''m thinking I might have pilots". She shrugged "we will see".


    We continued the conversation until the girls showed up in their flight suits looking dapper. "Let''s get all of you settled into a medbed and get some sleep" we all made our way to the closest med bay and Jaden got Autumn settled and layed in the one next to her. Ryan looked apprehensive so I assured him it will just be a good night''s sleep. After they were asleep I headed to my quarters and passed out.

 07

    I awoke to 6 little and one big body cuddled to me. I just lay there enjoying the sensations of closeness. I looked down at Lisa and saw her eyes darting around lost in her dreamscape. After 10 min my bladder decided it''s time to move so I tried to move bodies without waking them, I failed miserably.


    Emerging from the bathroom I was greeted with smiles and a nose lick. "Everyone is at our place, I came to wake you 20 min ago and couldn''t resist".


    "Finally up eh" yelled Jaden as I walked in carrying kits. "You don''t have to be here to get into trouble" my eyebrows came together "now what did I do?" I retorted in my defense. Jaden got me a coffee and cane over and sat "not you, your bugs" she laughed "I had an odd dream last night from your nanobots. They asked me if they could take care of us as well" she hugged me "they said it''s based on your emotional attachment to your offspring". She giggled "I know you love us so I said yes. We have your nanobots instead of the stock ones".


    "As long as you are ok with it" she smiled "I am". I looked at Vickey "scan everyone and let me know how far this is going". She laughed "I did and the kits have yours as well. They are acting as your conscience and protecting the ones you love."


    "We have all talked about it this morning and we understand why it''s happening. Oh look at your wrist and think of the time."  I did what she said as the time and date appeared in a hologram on my wrist.


    "That''s new".


    "They integrated your comms protocol of the comms network you were thinking about, smart little buggers" Vicky smiled. I looked at Gar and Kim. "are you ok with this". Kim started to laugh "I have no problem with it at all, this just proves you''re the favorite uncle". She giggled. Gar stepped in "all you have done is protect them more than you already have" Kim nodded.


    "Ok" was my reply as Lisa came to me for a nose lick. "I''m having fun designing my new body". That made me smile and I looked at Jaden who was talking to the girls through a hologram in her hand, they were in the bedroom.


    She looked at me "just hold out your hand and think of the person you want to talk to". I did as she said and thought of my contact list and everyone was there.


    Ryan and Emma looked out of place "Vickey can the comms work with their generation of bots". She nodded" they are the same as yours, just less powerful". I smiled "please activate them in Emma and Ryan please". I watched them jump when they appeared. I laughed and went to them. They were wide eyed by the time I got there. "I''m sorry but that was funny, I''m sorry they weren''t done sooner".


    That got smiles and they dove in playing with the holograms. I saw Autumn playing with toys on the sofa and laughing with the kits. Their laugh was so cute it made anyone smile. I got a coffee and decided to play with my new toy.


    I thought of Autumn and her face appeared in the palm of my hand. I looked at the real her and realized it was in real time. I thought about her health and it came up. It showed everything from her body temp to her blood pH and everything in between. I looked at Jaden "have you found this yet". She looked at me and nodded "the nanobots gave me a lesson last night of the benefits". I just shrugged "always the last to know" I giggled.


    I looked at the twins "how are you adjusting to the situation". Emma smiled "everything is excellent, it''s easier to just go with the flow and see where we end up" Ryan nodded. "Let me know if it gets to be too much". That got laughter from both. "Emma and myself have talked and we can''t wait to see what''s next. This is scary, fun and exciting all at once. I never thought once in my life I would have holograms in my hands, but hey it''s only mid week". That got laughs from all.


    I leaned over to Jaden "think you''re ok going back to civilization?" She smiled "once I get everything paid I will look for a house for us".


    "Just pick it and tell Vicky, she will take care of the rest" she nodded. "Are you bringing your mom up here for the treatment". She nodded "probably there are a few people I want to help if that''s ok". I smiled "you have options there. There is a medbed in the RV so feel free to use it. Remember that work can go away for you now." She smiled "I know I put in my notice" that made me smile. "I need to open up another part of the ship for all these people. Actually nothing like the present.


    Vickie stepped up "way ahead of you bub" she brought up a hologram of the command quarters deck and a few below. The 2 floors below changed from crew quarters to a large communal area.  A tree grew out of the main floor and traveled to the second floor ceiling. The entire thing had 35 quarters, some one bedroom to three. There was a communal meal area around the tree in the grassy area. That made me smile and Jaden gave her approval "it will be done in a few hours" Vickey said.


    I looked at Jaden "Lexi can go get her dad today if you want or you can just chill till later". She smiled "no time like the present, Lexi call your dad and see if he is free for the day"


    "ok mom" came from her wrist, scaring her slightly. "What are you going to give them?" Jaden asked. "A run through the medbed and nanobots. I want to keep them safe for Lexi''s sake. Vickey can make cards with 500k on them, their life might get complicated. Jessica''s dad can come as well the next time your talking to him". She nodded and Lexi came out of the bedroom "it''s just dad, his mom and girlfriend". I smiled "wanna have some fun?" I said with an evil smile.


    Everyone got a nervous smile "oh nothing bad, I''m giving my granddaughters their first mission. Jessica you fly down, mom can handle the driving and Lexi can show off for her dad and fly back. Vickey will help if you need it". Lexi was practically jumping "that will be fun". I looked at Jaden "go get your mom and her dads crew, Autumn is fine here". She nodded "don''t be evil to mom, well not to evil" she laughed "I promise" I retorted. They left for the flight deck and I went to check progress on the new area.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I was impressed by the speed of the transformation. It had the feel of an open air hotel, maybe I should consider a pool. I walked around and decided to change one of the 4 bedroom units to a medbay with 6 beds. It needed something so I put in a playground for the kids. The common area had a full kitchen for communal meals and lots of seating. Lots of light came from an inverted dome on the ceiling but you could look right at it with no discomfort. Vickey appeared and told me Jaden needs lessons driving the RV according to her offspring . I laughed at that "she will get used to it, it all takes time". I laughed out loud and got an echo and that wasn''t right.  I looked at Vickey "can you get rid of the echo. It makes it feel so empty".


    "I can change the shape slightly so there is no echo".


    I went back to the quarters and got mobbed at the door. First was a nose lick and a hug from Lisa. Then I got scaled by the 6 kits, they haven''t quite learned to use their claws to just hook the material and not scratch me. I told everyone about the new quarters and the guests incoming. I went to Emma and Ryan "go check them out and see if you like them and the area. Remember if you wish to be alone it''s a big ship". They went to look well ran mostly. I chuckled and went to sit and the kits shot up on high alert.


    Vickey let me know they just landed. "That''s 3 decks away, how did they know". I looked at Kim and Gar and got blank stares and open mouths. I collected the kits and let them know it''s ok and they seemed to relax.


    I messaged Jaden and asked if my presence was required and was told "not yet but soon". The male kit came to me as if to check on me, he was followed by his sisters. I looked at Gar and Kim "don''t look at me I''m lost at this point" Gar said.


    The message from Jaden came faster than I thought, I replied and asked about aliens and got a "bring them" as my answer. When the lift opened all the kits jumped to the ground and formed a semicircle around the opening. They let others pass and kept the circle around me. I bent down and picked up the male and the others climbed on.We made the rounds and I met Lexi dad, mom and girlfriend.


    They seemed like nice people. Then came Patti, Jaden''s mom, the kits took a dislike to her right away, I think I heard a hiss but wasn''t sure.


    Patti was staring at me so I looked at her "come on out with it".


    "That is really you isn''t it?"  I nodded "this is the new me, the old me is dead''''. With that she seemed to accept it for now, after what she did she isn''t my favourite person. They all sat in the communal area where Jaden and I answered questions. One of the first had to do with my grandchildren being pilots.


    "They wanted to learn, I just gave them the opportunity". Lexi started laughing "I can fly but I can''t drive" this got a laugh from all. I told them there are no assigned apartments so just choose wherever "this is new so if you see something you think would help speak up ok" that got all nodded. That''s when the size of the ship came up and they were shocked at the answer.


    The kits wouldn''t leave my side just interacting with who was in front of me. Jaden came over and asked about Patti and the kits.


    "I have no answer to give you, hold on a sec. Vicky is there any information being transferred from me and the kits". She looked at me for a second "yes there are snippets of information being passed back and forth"


    "could feelings be part of the info?"  She nodded. "Well that answers that, the kits are picking up on my feelings about your mom".


    She giggled "that could be good and bad at the same time". I just nodded and shook my head. "Vicky how is the bank coming along" she smiled "as of this morning your up to 2 billion and the harvesters have reached the asteroid belt so supplies will be unlimited soon. Lexi''s dad came to me and thanked me personally, I have a lot of respect for that and he seems to be a nice guy. I did ask him to keep it quiet for a bit and he agreed. "If it''s ok I''m going to have drones in your home for safety if that is ok" he smiled and nodded.


    We spent a few min going over what they were and he was happy with it. I looked at Lisa holding Autumn and she yawned, within seconds the kits followed suit. I took this as my cue, I collected little people for their nap.


    I went to my quarters and all of them were out the minute their head hit the bed. I guess being at high alert takes a lot out of you. They were all cuddled together at the head of the bed making the bed look huge. I stood and watched for a few min then went to my office. As soon as I sat down, my entire brain crew appeared.


    B and C brought me up to speed on the medical and supply ships they designed. They were more than I could imagine. The hologram showed a mid-sized ship that was white with a Red Cross on the side. The back opened, forming a ramp to a huge cargo bay lined with medbeds and robotic assistants, one per bed.  "These ships can power half a city if they have to" that made me smile.


    Next were the supply ships. The hologram showed the square ship land then split into 3 areas. One for food, one for waste and one for water. "We can make baskets that we can change depending on where we are and the water can fill anything from a water bottle to a tanker". The hologram changed again to a square ship that was packed to the brim with drones and bots. "Here is your ground crew and fire suppression".


    "Tell me about the bots on the med ship" I looked at them and I liked them. They have almost metal muscles under a light blue exterior that is flexible.


    "These are in use in many civilizations. All I had to do was make them bipedal. They have 10 times the strength of the fittest human and can work independently or with humans to help rescue. I will make sure they don''t have the uncanny valley that creeps people out" I laughed at that.


    It was A next "Sir May I start mapping the solar system" I looked at him "absolutely, how far can we scan at present". "We can see about 40 AU from the sun but I''m working on relays that will push that further." He smiled.


    I looked at Vickie "tell me about the recycling tech like how fast can you decompile a house".


    "About 25 min but that is one of the big units, the handhelds are slower but great for search and rescue. It uses the same recycling tech as in your kitchen. The big ones produce radiation that''s why the replicators are shielded during operation. The handheld units don''t produce enough to hurt you because of the  low power".


    B stepped up next "we finished the accommodations section of your request" he brought up what looked like a tent city. "If we go with tents we can have 200 an hour, 100 if we go with solid walls. They all have washrooms, replicators and wifi" he chuckled


    "I love it and I have one more task for you. I am not revealing myself so I''m going to need an avatar. Make it like the rest just a bit taller so people can find me, mabey a different colour". He smiled "consider it done sir". I smiled "I''ve never had a support system like this and I want you to know that".


    With that I looked at the time, 22:00. Time to pack it in so I went to bed.

 08

    I awoke to a feeling I was getting used to. One big kitty and 6 little ones littered my body. I hugged Lisa a little tighter and got rewarded with a purr. Yup I''m happy here, at least till I have to pee. I rolled towards Lisa, deposited the kits on her then made my escape.


    I returned to find Lisa had claimed my warm spot and the kits were sitting and yawning. I snuck in for a nose lick and she clung to me and dragged me down. "One last cuddle" I heard in my ear. Who can say no to that and I gave in. The kits just sat on my chest and were staring at me. They realized what was happening and curled up purring.


    Ok 30 min later we got vertical and on with the day. Checking in with Jaden her crew were happy after the medbeds. I let her know I would be down in a bit and went for a coffee and delivered kits to their parents. Kim and Gar were cuddling on the couch talking and I imagined Lisa and I like that and I smiled.


    Lexi''s dad was sitting in Jaden''s quarters looking bored while the girls were at the clothes replicator trying on whatever tickles their fancy. I looked at him and said "it gets no better when you are older" I laughed. He just shrugged his shoulders in mock defeat.


    "Good morning dad" I heard over my shoulder. "You know Vicky can make some luggage for you" I saw a bunch of female faces. "You''re ok with that". I nodded and got murmuring with a few little screams. Oh god what have I done I thought to myself but that did get me kisses from my granddaughters. "Don''t forget you''re going to have one of these at home". Wide eyes "seriously" said Lexi, I nodded. They were off like a shot.


    Vickey saved me with a request for more testing so I beat feet and got out of there.


    I made my way to the gym and spent the next 2 hours getting beaten up by Vicky. I was pushing myself to my limits when I called enough. Vicky huffed "fine but I want a scan before you shower". I nodded "how long".


    "I need an hour for this one". I layed down and the bed put me to sleep.


    Waking up I saw Jaden with Autumn "she wanted to lay with you but you stink dad". I giggled "fair enough" I got up and got in the refresher. "Anything new with the scans Vickey". "Your strength and control over the nanobots have gone up by 9%. You''re now up to 360 years as a lifespan. I''m installing a medbed in your bedroom to do regular scans to keep an eye on you".


    "Probably a good idea".


    I got out of the refresher and now that I was defunked Autumn came to me. I will never tire of hearing her call me papa.


    We met the others in the zero g playroom. I didn''t even make it to the door and I could hear squeals of laughter and a few screams. I entered and saw everyone there, even the kits. I stood and watched the kits use adults as launching pads. Every time they launched themselves they would leave the people spinning out of control.


    I decided to join in and jumped with Autumn in my arms. I kept her close but let her feel zero g, She smiled and held on to me. I think her insides decided she wasn''t having fun and she got sick. I had a drone come get me and luckily it all hit me so it didn''t float in the air. I took her to the refresher in the gym, "mabey mom should try that next time". She was wiggling her fingers when the tingling started and that seems to cheer her up after getting sick.


    I went back and asked an open question "any plans today?" Jessica spoke up "sightseeing on the moon then heading home". I smiled "cool I got the place to myself" I giggled and got eye rolls.


    I bid my guests farewell and made my way to my office. Sitting at my desk I looked at Vicky "is there anything I need to address?" She nodded "we need to address where to reveal the search and rescue packages". "Yea I''ve been thinking about that and I''m not sure how big to go". She looked at me "can I suggest a tornado, it''s small, localized and controllable. Great for a trial run and we won''t have to wait long. I''m tracking 4 storms right now over the US and Brazil".


    "Ok I''m going to take a nap in my new bed, I''m guessing it''s going to be a busy night". With that I went to my bedroom and discovered my bed has changed to a large 4 poster bed with scanners in the corners. I layed down and found it was softer than my old one. This will be comfortable with kids, where the hell did that come from.


    It was odd waking up alone, instead it was Vickey yelling at me. "I''m up, I''m up. What''s going on?". She stood with her hands on her hips "there was an F4 that hit a small town 12 minutes ago and we can help. Get your ass in gear. I jumped out of bed as she continued "ships are launching ETA 23 minutes". I got to my office and got a drink "I''m going in my avatar so get ready to be the face for a while". I know she has got this and she will have my back.


    We circled the town and surveyed the damage, that tornado was on the ground for 4 min and downtown was smashed. We found the hospital and I deployed a few drones to clear the parking lot of debris and move the cars to make room.


    I booted up my VR and took control of my bot, exited the ship and walked to the ER entrance. I opened the door to a few screams then walked to the counter and stopped a few feet shy and projected Vickie in front of me.


    "Good evening, could I talk to the main person in charge?" she said in a calm, clear voice. "That would be me" a nurse said and came forward and I saw the RN on her tag. Vickey smiled "we are here to help in any way we can. First of all this facility has no power, may we tie into the generator to rectify that". She blinked "um yea". She looked half scared and half intrigued.


    "My name is Vickey, how May I address you" she smiled. "Sandy," she said in a calm voice. That''s when the power came on "that''s better" Vicky said. "Now we can start helping people" Vickey was jumping and clapping. "Sandy, are you in radio contact with all emergency services".


    "Yes we are" she shot back. "If you could call all of them and have them converge on the hospital. If they need search and rescue we need to know where". She started issuing orders to a guy who was by radios mounted on the wall. All this time there were at least a dozen people taking video of me and Vicky and that''s exactly what we want.


    "Sandy is there anybody critically hurt right now" she snapped together "bed 2 and 3 are from a car crash, we were waiting on power to operate". Vickey sent 2 bots to collect the patients, they took them bed and all to the ship. "Sandy, we can help them better than you can will someone accompany us to witness it?"


    "Oh I''m not missing this" she barked orders to 5 people and went into RN mode for a minute. Vickey waited till she was done "shall we" and started to walk so I followed. We exited the ER and found one of the 3 ramps open and I could see the robot using a tractor beam to move the patient.


    I felt like a walking camera for Vickie at this point but it was fun. The parents looked almost scared of me but the children had no problem walking up and touching me. One brave little girl took my hand and smiled "are you here to help" I nodded.


    We went to the 2 patients and looked at the scans that popped up instantly. I hear a whispered "what the fuck" as she reached out to touch the display. When it reacted to her touch she pulled her hand away. Vicky jumped in right away "he is your patient, please continue".


    Sandy nodded and reached out and touched the left wrist. She fumbled for a sec but she managed to enlarge it. She gasped and looked at Vicky "he broke that wrist when he was 16. This is real". I had to giggle at that one.


    Now getting giggled at by a robot I guess isn''t cool because I got a dirty look from Sandy. "Remember you wanted to be the tin man" Vicky giggled in my ear.


    "Well it''s showtime" Vicky initiated the nanobots and we watched them flow over the 2. "The nanobots will heal them and even the bone scar will be gone". The display came up as 37 minutes and the second patient was 26, Sandy saw this. "Am I reading this right, those are the times to heal them" Vicky and I nodded "they won''t require physiotherapy short of a good walk". She looked like she was going to fall down so I grabbed a chair for her. She didn''t sit but she leaned on it "I just watched my career dissolve".Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Vickey jumped in "not at all these bots are meant to be replaced by nurses and doctors, we are bringing you the tech to do your job better." She smiled at that.


    I noticed a few people coming in to investigate and they were greeted by the bots. Then in walked the sheriff and a deputy, they came straight towards Vicky.


    "Good evening missus, is it you I speak to about all of this?" Vicky smiled "yes I am sir, is it possible to get all the higher ups so we don''t have to repeat ourselves". The sheriff nodded and left to get someone, the deputy looked at Vickey "he is gone to get the mayor, he is in the hospital".


    "Could we get the fire department as well please" Vicky asked and he went for his radio. That''s when the first drone reported a collapsed building had life signs. Vickey got the report the same time as I did and she looked at me "you need to go sir". I nodded and left as a drone took over Vicky''s hologram. I got the location as I got outside, 3 blocks away.


    I took off running and jumped over debris on the road. Within minutes I was in front of what looked like an old hotel that has seen better days, especially today. The life signs were strong so I took my time digging into the pile. My heads up display shows the beams with the least stress so I knew what ones to grab. Trying not to shift anything the scans showed me he was in a bathtub so I could get a little more aggressive at the end. The final object in my way was a flat section of the floor above and was cracked in a way that I couldn''t just lift it. I reconfigured my arm into a decompiler and shot the beam.


    Lumber turned to dust exposing the tub and its occupant, still strong life signs. I scanned him and found no injuries short of a blow to the head so I picked him up with a tractor beam and put him in a comfortable position.


    I yelled to the firemen that were pulling up that I had got him and there were no more life signs. When I got to the ground I levitated him in front of me and took off running. I had to raise him above me level as I dodged obstacles below as I ran.


    I entered and saw a crowd around Vickie, she enquired about my patient as I put him on a bed. "He was a smart man, he jumped into the tub". "That''s Jim from the hotel on main. We all told him that place would be a horrible shelter for a twister. Is he going to be ok?" Asked the sheriff. I nodded and went to Vickey, she had all the big players in front of her. The fireman got a radio call and let us know of a fire on the edge of town. Vickey spoke up "I''m dispatching a drone now your men can stand down". She looked at the sheriff "May we monitor your radio traffic to be more effective?" He nodded.


    "Gentleman, we also have food, water and emergency accommodation. May we discuss that now". Everyone nodded "we can have our bots do the distribution but I think people would be better". The mayor nodded and got on the sheriff''s radio. "How much of the town was damaged" I asked the sheriff. He took off his hat" it looks like 20% of the town is just gone and another 20% is non liveable". I looked around and found Sandy talking to some of her staff "I apologize for interrupting but I need a little info". She nodded at the man she was talking to and turned to me "what can I help you with".


    "Do you know how many people lost their homes tonight" she thought for a sec "it ran through the residential area of town so I''m guessing 200 homes and just as many families". I thought in my head "Vickey how fast can you make an apartment building?"


    "About 6 hours" was my answer. I did a quick scan then went to the administrator who was talking to Vickey "who owns the land across the street".


    That got me an odd look from her "it belongs to the city but it''s all swamp" I smiled then realized she couldn''t see it "that''s not a problem, people are going to need housing so I''m going to build it there. Vicky would you please". She nodded at me "200 units will be 6 stories and will be done in 6.2 hours". I nodded and Sandy gave me an odd look.


    That''s when people started showing up. Lots of cuts and gashes from glass and flying debris. Vickey finished scanning and told me the swamp posed no problem.


    I went to Sandy who was now talking to her brother, they were seated and smiled as I approached. I did notice that Sandy was taking this in stride, her brother not so much. A girl joined them and judging by the hand holding it was his gf.


    I looked at Sandy "so what do you think about all of this?" She smiled "it''s all so amazing but I can''t help but think I''m going to be out of a job very soon".


    "On the contrary, all of these bots are here because I don''t have people yet. This is our first run of this system and I will be looking for people like you to be part of this".


    She gave me an odd look "I thought Vicky was in charge?" Vickey leaned in "nope just the face for now" she giggled "I promise to explain in detail later but if you''re interested we can talk later". I noticed a few beds empty so I suggested Sandy get in and get a checkup. "Why would I do that? I''m feeling fine".


    "These beds fix a lot more than injuries. Just lay down for a scan and let''s see what we find".


    She agreed and layed in an empty bed and I started the scan. 4 seconds later the results popped up. She sat up "well first of all you''re in good health but there are a few fixes you should get. You contain the Huntington gene but that is easily fixed. You also have a small lump on your left breast that should be addressed and you have a fractured right pinky toe". She just looked at me and blinked "I did that yesterday getting ready for work, I kicked the leg on the bed. How did this know" she stammered. "The scan goes down to the genetic level and can read your DNA like a book. It''s easy to find what''s not supposed to be there when you can read the blueprints. Now lay back and let the bed take care of you, it''s only 20 minutes". She nodded and laid back.


    At this time a fireman came up to us "we were gearing up for a fire and this huge square thing took flight over the house. It surrounded the house in a blue shimmer and the fire went out". Vickey took this one "the drone scanned the structure and determined there was nobody inside. When it surrounded the structure it removed the oxygen and injected steam to put out hotspots."


    "It was one hell of a thing to see it happen. The whole process took 2 minutes" the firefighter said.


    There were a few people starting to gather around "where is all this coming from" was the main question. After the 4th time they asked Vicky she looked at me with a look I didn''t recognize. That''s when she threw me under the bus so to speak.


    Vicky gatherd everyone''s attention "the person responsible for all of this is sort of here" She pointed at me. I just waved "first of all I''m human I''m just controlling this bot from my office". Why was the most asked question "I''m not ready to reveal myself yet but I couldn''t wait and you needed the help. This is a dry run of this system so if you see things I missed please speak up".


    "Where did you get all this" came from the group. "This tech came into my possession a few weeks ago and this is my first endeavor to share it. So far I''m happy with the results" That got me nodds. "Who gave you this tech". I looked "aliens" that got gasps "I will get into that at a later date but yes this was gifted by aliens for all people. This is just the way things will be from now on" I waved my arm. "When" came from the crowd "if it were up to me tomorrow but I have to be careful and keep people working". That''s when Vicky whispered in my ear and I turned to everyone "the first level of the housing we are building is almost done. I would like to go see it if you wish to join me".


    We went outside and could see the first floor of an apartment complex. "We took the swamp land and firmed it up and made it safe. The building is all built to code and we will be leaving it behind when we leave". I looked and saw the mayor "this building does not need services, it''s self sufficient" his eyes shot open "That''s not possible". I laughed "it is now" I heard murmuring when just on que the lights came on. "We have free food and water for all as well I don''t care if you take a bunch home after this mess". The mayor laughed "it was a mess before you got here now it''s organized chaos" we all laughed.


    Sandy was due out of the bed in 60 seconds so I excused myself. She was just opening her eyes as I got to her. "Now that wasn''t so bad, how do you feel?" She smiled "I feel fantastic". I looked at her "I''m smiling by the way" knowing all she saw was a purple head.


    Getting up she had a bounce in her step, she looked at me "I knew there had to be stuff out there like this. I''ve been watching science fiction all my life and now I''m seeing it for real." She giggled "well this is some of what I''m bringing to humanity if you want to help" she looked at me shocked "are you offering me a job?"


    "Possibly yes, I saw who you were in a situation that was way outside your wheelhouse and you didn''t crack. Seems like a good prospect to me". She smiled and it was a genuine smile. "Listen for now why don''t you take over things here and be my go between for the hospital. Cycle every one through the beds, you know how good they work. Get the staff through as well gotta keep the protectors safe. Any ideas?"


    She cocked her head and smiled "floor by floor and we will be done in no time. The general public goes through when they come for supplies''''. "That sounds like a fantastic plan" I waved to Vicky and she came over "Vicky can you program the bots to respond to Sandy" she smiled and nodded then looked at Sandy "all robots will listen to your commands".


    Sandy calmly nodded "I need nto get to work" she smiled "well I''m going to leave this in yours and Vicky''s hands. I have real life things to do". That got me head nods and smiles so I put my avatar in its case and powered down.


    I found an audience when I looked around. "hi" was my only reply. Lisa, Kim and Gar were sitting there. "It was like watching a one man play, you were so into it" Gar said. "Well I was working" I said in my defense. Lisa spoke up "we know it''s fun, are you going to hire Sandy?"


    "Possibly" that''s when I realized they are using me as a reality tv show and bust out laughing getting weird looks. "I will explain later" got me out of that one.


    I walked over to Lisa and picked her up for a nose lick. "Sorry but that will be work for the foreseeable future" she nodded "the kits made a game of attacking anyone in a hat without getting stepped on by you" she giggled. I sat with her "how long have you been here". She smiled "we got here just just before you saved that man in the tub" she blushed "I came here for a cuddle but when I saw you in action I couldn''t resist watching". I held her to me "I think it''s time for a nap" she said to me. I smiled "I think that is a fantastic idea"


    I stood with her in my arms "your spot has been empty for too long" I said to her and looked at her parents "I''ve been told to take a nap". They laughed at me and the kits saw us leaving and wanted in on that action. They were on the bed before I got there and as soon as Lisa was settled they picked their spot.

 09

    I will never figure out how a little body that doesn''t come to my knee can occupy so much of a bed. There were feet and hands everywhere when I tried to get up and was pulled back down. "not yet" I heard in my ear and I gave in and layed back down. 10 min later Vicky appeared next to the bed "sir you need to make an appearance".


    I nodded and got up. Refresher first then coffee in hand as I entered my office. I thought about it and the VR booted up. I guess my bot woke up and stood scaring some people. The first thing I noticed is that I was covered in post it notes. I looked and discovered they were thank yous from the residents. That''s an interesting way to wake up covered in thank yous.


    I looked at Vickey "what is the emergency". She got a frustrated look on her face "things were going fine till the state troopers showed up and demanded to talk to you. They caused a stink so I made them wait" she said with an evil grin. "How long have they been waiting?".


    "A little over an hour" I shook my head and laughed. "Where are they?" she pointed at a group of men in uniforms" so I went to them.


    "Good morning gentlemen, how can I be of service" they stood and the one with the more stripes spoke. "We are here to organize clean up and rebuilding efforts. We were told by that little girl you were indisposed so here we are". "Well from where I''m sitting your official services aren''t needed for now".


    "We can see that but the question is Who are you?" I put my hand on his shoulder "I''m a friend, I''m human but don''t want my identity out yet. This is the first time I''ve run this system but I want this to be the norm". The one with less stripes spoke up "for the entire state?"


    "Think bigger" his eyes got big. "But who are you" the stripes asked again "my identity will come out eventually for now just refer to me as a friend. If you need a name to tag me with you can call me Brad".


    "Well Brad, why are you doing all of this?"


    I looked at him "these people needed help and I can help them, that''s it. All of this tech is private and safe for use and I''m footing the entire bill".


    "But where did it all come from" asked the less stripey man "I have a private manufacturing facility of course. Now gentleman I have to check on construction of the apartment building across the street. You can join me if you wish". I walked to the door with them in tow. I could see the building done and that made me smile as we could see people in the windows. That''s when Sandy came to me with a smile "we should have everyone through the beds by tomorrow". I nodded "excellent, is someone looking after the apartments'''' she nodded "the mayor''s wife took that job. They will be on the first floor, they lost their house". I looked at her "is anybody giving you grief".


    "Just one of the administrators but she changed her tune when she saw a video of you putting me in charge, thank you for that by the way". I nodded "I saw your leadership skills under pressure and I was impressed. Think you want to turn this into a full time gig?" She looked at me and smiled "I''ve been thinking about that and YES".


    That made me smile "excellent, we can work out the details later. Do you rent or own?" A quizzical look "I rent why?" "Well accommodation, food, clothing and travel are included". That got me wide eyes "there are other perks as well". I had to laugh at the look on her face "what about my brother, I''m all he has".


    "Well if he is part of it I look at it as a package deal. Think he will take convincing". She laughed "not in the slightest''''.


    "Good, is there anything I need to be aware of". She shook her head "not really, those military guys were a pain but other than that its good. all you need is to let the person getting out of the bed to talk to the next patient and it sells itself" she giggled. "Word of mouth is a powerful thing" I giggled. Another military guy came to me "I need something to put in the report".


    "I understand that sir, don''t lie. Tell the truth because this is the first of many times I''m going to help. Just be honest about why we are here, which is just to help. Don''t forget to try the beds, all of you. After you get out you will understand". He stammered "I''m not sure if I''m allowed".


    "Well that''s up to you". He nodded and then decided to do it so I took him to a bed. I hope he feels good enough to relay good things to his higher ups, he seems like he needs a win.


    Just as I looked at Sandy my vision hazed and I felt a lick on my nose. Seeing Lisa''s face come out of nowhere caused me to step back in both settings. Lisa jumped back and I heard the squeal of a tail being stepped on.


    Vickey took notice but said nothing. It was weird experiencing both reality''s at once so I shook my head and heard Vickey whisper in my ear "we need to talk".


    I excused myself and went back to my seat. I shut down the VR and looked at Vickey. "Nanobots, it must have been them that caused that glitch" were her first words "a little more context is necessary''''. She had an exacerbated look on her face "I have no files on someone breaching someone''s connection to the VR. It''s not bad but it''s another new thing we are dealing with". I smiled "I can ask them the next time I talk to them, until then I will just go with it".


    "I walked to the door of my office and Lisa flew at me and latched on "I''m sorry I just felt you needed one". I looked at her and licked her nose "never apologize for that little one", I hugged her tight. Vicky appeared "they said it wasn''t them and they are just perplexed".


    "Well it''s a mystery that will solve itself. Tell them thank you, it was actually kind of neat". She threw up her hands "break ground on new science and you call it neat". I laughed and looked down at Lisa "I''m not quite done ok". She looked at me and smiled "I promise just to watch". I went back earthside to find military dude was getting out of the bed.


    "OMG guys get in there when you can" he said to his companions. "Just be honest in your report and tell them how you feel. How do you feel?"


    "I feel fantastic, like better than ever"


    "that''s excellent, the scans said you were a smoker. The physical cravings should be reduced or gone". His eyes shot open "I''ve been trying to quit for years and no I don''t have the cravings". He reached into his cargo pockets and took out a pack of cigarettes and crushed them.


    "Take the win, I''m seeing you in a lot of meetings for a while" we both laughed at that "don''t forget to take video to prove your point faster".


    "You don''t mind?" I nodded "not a problem but remember patient privacy is in effect here. As long as you respect that we are good".


    I saw a hand on my shoulder so I turned to see a man who was unconscious the last time I saw him. "People tell me I owe you my life". I shook my head "not at all sir I was just the one that got to you first. How are you feeling?" She smiled and ran his hands through his hair " I feel fine now, great actually. Those beds are quite the things" he said rubbing his head. "Yea they are new and they will be the norm soon it''s just a matter of time. Did you lose your place in the storm?" He smiled "no I''m good. The apartment I was in I was using for storage, I have a place outside of town. It''s a shame, it''s going to take forever to rebuild Main Street". I looked at him and shook my head "not as long as you think. I''m thinking a day or two at most".


    "What" he retorted with wide eyes. "Vickey, how many bots do we have available right now". She smiled "500 ready to go" and she rocked on her heels. "Have them ready to go at first light with recycling tech that B designed" I looked back to the man "that should take a dent out of the mess". He just nodded still wide eyed. I looked around and asked if there is anything else I need to address. I got no''s all around so I went back to my cubby hole and powered down.


    I looked around and everyone was there including the twins, all watching me. The kits were attacking random people in my hologram making a game of it. Lisa and Kim were having hot chocolate and Gar was having coffee.


    The twins looked off so I went to them "are you ok" in unison they said "we want to help". I smiled "do you want to learn more or do you want a project?" They looked at one another then back to me. "Project" another smile from me


    "Ok start working on ways to help the homeless and orphans like yourself. I want you to start in Vancouver". That got me looks of shock. "I''m serious, you know the system and where it''s broken. We can fill the cracks or at least catch the ones falling through. I''m not talking tomorrow but put your heads together and work on a plan. We need to get them to the ship safely and our medical tech will take care of the rest. You both have a choice as well. You can be their voice or do it silently in the background". The shocked looks I was getting turned to smiles so I took this as my answer.


    That dealt with I made my way to Lisa for my nose lick which of course I returned. I sat in my chair and Lisa sat on my lap and Vicky spoke up "nope all cuddles are to be done in the bed I want scans on both of you". I looked at Lisa and shrugged "I guess we have been told" I giggled. "I want 10 hours to do my work, I will get you up if you are needed". I nodded and stood with Lisa and said goodnight to mom and dad the twins disappeared. The minute I went to leave the kits figured it out and were right behind me. 8 bodies down for the count.


    I awoke with a tail in my face and it turned out to be Lisa''s. She was cuddled to me and her tail was just long enough to reach my face. I sneezed and woke everyone, I got a good morning from my right and papa from the kits.


    After 10 hours of sleep the kits were hungry. Mom went straight to the replicator and got bottles and breakfast. The kits weren''t polite about it at all, I just giggled. Gar looked at me "so holy man when are you going to give in and admit it" he laughed and I did to "ok ok I will admit there are parallels so far in the storys".


    Kim jumped in "parallels hell it''s almost word for word. I''m catching views of your aura". My turn to look surprised "you can see my aura" all of them nodded. Lisa spoke "it''s like ribbons that flow from you. I don''t see it all the time, just glimpses out of the corner of my eye". "Have you learned to control it yet". I lowered my head "no I''ve been busy".Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "You will" Vickey shot in. "Another thing with your scans, your nanobots are talking to their mates in the others almost steady. I can''t tell what it is because they have developed their own protocol and it''s super efficient. I will have to schedule a talk with them later".


    "How are things planet side?" She smiled "first thing this morning we sent 500 bots on cleanup, they will be left with clean lots. We have a large scale replactor on the ground so Main Street will get a facelift. I''m using photos to rebuild, we need to do better than google earth, I''m thinking two days till completion. Sandy stepped up her game after she got some rest, she has a van bringing people who need the beds. She is making sure nobody gets forgotten" she giggled "she had bots walk to the nursing home and carry back the patients, the people gladly walked home".


    I smiled "she will make a fine addition to our group, as long as she likes cats" I laughed and got a pinch. I asked my new family about a new addition and got yes all around. I went to my office and booted up my VR and my avatar came to life.


    A woman was pinning a note to me and screamed "I''m sorry" I said to her and she started to cry. She explained that her husband is now cancer free because of his time in the bed. I gave her a hug with notes falling to the ground. "Vickey scan these so I can read them later".


    I saw Sandy and she was in her element. She was like a traffic cop in a medical setting. I went to her "have many people been taking advantage of the food hampers?" She smiled "oh yes, I had bots out delivering them to everyone who had a kitchen". Then her eyes opened wide. "That was ok wasn''t it?" I nodded "it''s things like that that make me think you''re even better for the position I''m offering you" she relaxed "are you up for a face to face meeting with me and others?" I could see her thinking then smiling "of course things are running smoothly here".


    "I will make sure of it" Vickey added.


    "Vickey could you escort Sandy to our headquarters and activate her translator protocol please" neglecting to say where it was, this should be good. Vickey nodded and I disconnected to see the kits jumping around and Lisa there with a coffee. WOW perfect timing "you get to meet some new" I said to the kits.


    The shuttle door opened to a very excited nurse saying things like holy shit and holy fucks. She looked at me and smiled "we are on the fucking moon". I laughed "yes you are and welcome to my home". Her brother and girlfriend were surprisingly chill. I shook Sandy''s hand "it''s really you this time" I chuckled "yup it''s me".


    "I forgot to ask, do you like cats?" I got 3 questioning looks and nodds. "This way please" I waved my arms towards the lift.


    On the lift I looked at them "we have plenty of quarters so no problem there. Oh let me introduce you to the kits before you reach for them, they have been uptight lately". I looked at shocked nodding heads. We got off the lift and the NEW was sensed and I was met at the door by the male. I reached down and grabbed him and he met our guests and he determined they were ok. He jumped down and returned with his sisters smiling.


    They scaled me and climbed on our new guests. The looks I was getting were priceless "they are harmless mostly except for their claws". Lisa came over for a nose lick "can I get anyone anything to eat or drink".


    "A drink please" came from Jim, her brother. We went to the replicator and he had a no way look on his face. He went through the list and ordered an outrageous coconut drink. His face dropped when the shield dropped, I let him sweat it out for a few seconds then showed him the recycling slot. His girlfriend shook her head and got an ice tea for both of them.


    We went to the sofa and relaxed and Kim and Gar joined us and introduced themselves. I could see the looks on my new guests'' faces "the voice you hear over their voice is the nanobots in your system" that got unsteady nods. "How many languages?" Asked Jim. "All of them" blank stares.


    "Remember the perks I talked about" I laughed. Sandy shook her head "let me get this straight. I just took a job that has me living on the moon with aliens and has me helping people with Star Trek gizmos" my eyebrows went up "actually this is a ship so we might be in orbit" I said trying to be funny. Where do women learn that look from, I got it from a few faces.


    "It gets better"


    "like"


    "you will live longer"


    "I''m listening"


    "About 200 years"


    I was wearing ice tea for that one. "I''m going to live to be 200" yelled the girlfriend. "Yup" I quipped "we will get into that throughout the evening. Please sit and relax so we can talk. First of all" I looked at the girlfriend "I don''t know your name". "Molly" she said shakley. "Well Molly and the rest of you, welcome to my home. This is my extended family and yes I will explain that comment" I laughed. I got blank stares "I want you to relax and be comfortable, your quarters will be the same, just a bit smaller".


    Lisa leaned in "wait till you try the shower"she giggled. Still blank stares "Vicky could you bring them up to speed please." Vicky appeared and did just that, By the time she was done they were onboard. The kits spent this time investigating each of them even giving a smile. They still seemed in shock but were relaxing.


    "Tell me about yourself Sandy". She huffed "there isn''t much to tell, I grew up in town and my parents had a diner. The only time I left was to go to the military then back here to work. I haven''t traveled much but I''m guessing that is about to change". I nodded and laughed as Lisa stood and looked at Molly "May I show you something". She took Molly and Sandy to the clothing replicator. I heard "no freaking way" from both of them, The giggling started shortly after.


    That''s when Molly appeared with the loved housecoats followed by the other two. The bathroom was next and I heard a few squeals, Jim just looked at me wondering what was going on.


    "Vickey, how are things on the planet?"


    "Good the bots are making short work of the debris. We have volunteers working with them to sort out possessions and leaving them behind on each lot. Over half of the apartments have been claimed by residents."


    "How many of the citizens have been through the beds"


    "Over 90%. There are a crew of 5 bots and 5 med beds on a shuttle with a guide to people on the outskirts or where travel would suck. That should be done by tomorrow, in fact we should be done completely by tomorrow." I smiled "that''s excellent. As for a trial run I think I will call this a success, everyone seems to be happy in the end. I''m hoping to be out of there before the media or the military shows up and complicates things.


    "Brad" Vickey piped up "there is a news crew at the site". I hung my head "oh well I was hoping to not do this.


    I went to my office with everyone in tow. I booted up my bot and scared 2 little boys. I stood up to a chorus of "coooool". I found the news crew looking around not knowing where to start. I walked up and introduced myself "welcome can I help you". A man stepped up "we were documenting damage from the storm and came to find none, I knew this needed to be filmed."


    "Well you can''t film patients without their permission but you can document anything you want. That started the impromptu interview.


    Yes, I''m just a friend.


    No, I''m not charging anything.


    Yes I''m human.


    Yes, this will happen again.


    Yes, beds can cure almost anything.


    No, I don''t represent a government.


    Yes, the water and food are free.


    Yes, my full story will be told soon.


    I''m doing this because I can


    No, I''m not sponsored by a company.


    I cut the interview short there figuring they have enough clues to play with. I did ask that they post a full and unedited version online and they agreed. They told me the views alone on b roll video will get their documentary back on track. "Win win" I said then took their info and parted ways.


    I looked at all the empty beds and figured most people have been through. Vicky chirped in my ear "only 75 left".


    "Excellent" I replied as she appeared "the cleanup is ahead of schedule. All the rubble is cleaned up so those bots are on the rebuild of Main Street. That puts that project ahead as well. We are recording everything for future reference".


    "Excellent. I do have one change I want to make. Dispatch drones as we land to search for survivors sooner, that needs to take president over anything. The guy I saved could have needed more serious medical care, I got lucky this time" she nodded. "Ok when you''re all wrapped up here you know where the base is" I chuckled. Then I saw the news crew beside me who just heard everything.


    Back to base. Such a simple term when you know there is a base. But when you are finding out there is a base for the first time, it produces some funny looks.


    "Should we have heard that" a girl said with fear in her voice. I looked at her "Of course we have a base. Where do you think we park all of this stuff". I kidded. "And no I won''t tell you where it is" They chuckled at that.


    Vicky mentally kicked me "now they know about me" still in my head "I know I want to see how hard they will dig. It''s obvious we have a base somewhere".


    "Ok I will give you that" she answered. "Anyway, I have a town to finish" I went and put my bot away.


    Back to reality gets me some "hi papas" and a certain nose lick I have grown to enjoy. Lisa handed me a cup of coffee "hello little one" I hugged her to me. Kim looked at me "I saw what you did there, you want to see who keeps their mouth shut". I smiled "I need a PR agent and I want to see who says what. Most people who can keep secrets are loyal at least in my finding with people". She smiled "I get what you''re doing. Her ears perked up "a new family member" I cocked an eyebrow "possibly, we will see".


    I looked at Kim "question, you said I had 12 kids. How many of each?" She smiled "it varies from story to story but it''s usually even. My my are we planning ahead?" She caught me off guard with that one and I blushed and she caught it. "I was looking at the kits and they are nothing like human babies. It was just a stray thought".


    "Fair question. All of the texts I''ve read say your children will be beautiful and brilliant, they all agree with that. Hey are you coming around to being a holy man?"


    "Just looking at all angles so I''m still on the fence, one of my kids could be ugly". That got me a dirty look including claws.


    "Have you seen yourself and not to mention look at my daughter. What did she say, oh yea your being a shithead. I had to ask Jaden what it meant but it''s applicable right now" she started to laugh "I''ve been sitting on that for a few days waiting for you to give me an opportunity to use it" she said hands on her sides.


    I lowered my head in shame looking at Lisa realizing I was being an idiot. "Trust me we will have glorious children" I heard from my chest. I kissed the top of her head, I''ve been slipping them in. Kim caught it and smiled "if you have 12 that will be the biggest brood ever. Our holy man had 10 but that was thousands of years ago before the plague that ravaged our children" I nodded at that.


    "Where are the newcomers?" I asked Kim, she just pointed at the door so I checked. There on the sofa were 3 housecoats and I could barely see the people.


    Sandy looked at Vicky "is there anything I need to address on the planet. That even sounded weird to say" she giggled. "No, all is running smoothly outside of some lookie loos. The town should be done for inspection tomorrow at noon" smiles all around. "Are you with me tonight?" I said to Lisa and she just hugged me tighter as my answer. I picked her up and went to bed, the kits joined us after we were out.

 10

    The morning came with a stretch, I mean a really good stretch that you feel in your toes and hair at the same time. That got one big and 6 little duplicates to my move. I felt great this morning and I knew I had a long day ahead of me as I got up.


    I think this run of emergency services went well and it will be nice to dust off today. The town is back on grid power and everyone''s foundations are ready to build. I got a coffee and went to my office "Vickey, does the film crew have their footage online yet". She smiled "they uploaded the raw footage they had and it''s sitting at 1000 views". "Can you do some hacking and help that along. "Sure I will mass post it to all the ufo sites and that should do it".


    "That will give us time to get out of dodge". She nodded "don''t you want the PR?" "There is time for that later, how are we on the town?"


    "We are at 99% completion, I''ve been waiting for you to get up to put the finishing touches on it".


    I booted up my VR and found myself covered in stick it notes again. I laughed and reminded Vicky I want scans of them. I emerged from the office I was in to find a bunch of government officials milling around. They made a beeline to me when they saw me. The first question was how I managed to prep the land for the apartment building. I assured him it''s perfectly safe and the pillings are good and deep. I got the usual questions about my tech and I gave vague answers. I walked outside and saw the town before the tornado hit. This is what I want, these people are getting their life back together already and that made me smile. I looked at Vicky "what is left".


    "The flagpole in front of city hall and there are a few people waiting". I made my way there and found the mayor, the chief of police and the fire chief. There were a bunch of kids and photographers as well. The mayor looked at me and said, "Would you do us the honor of raising the flagpole, it''s the final piece". I nodded "thank you for this honor". I grabbed the flagpole and stood it upright and put it into place amongst cheers and flashes.


    I looked at kids clapping and there were even a few hugs. We did the photo ops and everyone there had cameras filming. I bid my farewells as a van pulled up and a lot of military striped shirts jumped out. All they got is to watch us fly away and cloak. We hovered for a few minutes and saw 10 more military vehicles stopping behind the van.


    I disconnected from the VR and looked around. It was just Lisa and she came to me. "The kits were hungry so moms got them". I got my nose lick and then I kissed her. She drew back not sure at first then she smiled. She essentially has no real lips so I''m assuming kissing is new.


    We went in search of the others finding Sandy and her crew at the railing looking down and at the tree. They were wearing the infamous housecoats again. Maybe I should try one sometime. The kits were sitting at a little table and chairs eating.


    Kim spoke up "it makes sense for them to learn to act in your culture". I asked the twins who were enjoying watching and having a hot chocolate. "Any plans for the day". Emma spoke up "no just working on plans" I looked at Sandy crew "and you" I got head shakes. "Well there is the zero g arena and the gym". Vicky cut in "speaking of which you have been in some time. All ships docking now"


    The kits gave me some "hi papas". The twins and Molly wanted to know why they call me papa so I told the story. Amongst laughter and them shaking their heads at me Vickey stood straight up and shushed everyone.


    "Brad they are having trouble on the ISS, an uncharted piece of space junk the size of a bolt. It impacted on the corner of a window producing a crack that is leaking air. I looked at her "do we have anything big enough to go grab them". She smiled "just me". I smiled "we''ll get your show dress on it''s your coming out day. Launch some drones to film your takeoff, we may as well make this good".


    The ship shuttered and displays popped up showing the ship and the shields. I looked at the live video from the drones and the triangle shape in a flat area started to vibrate. The shape started to grow and 13000 years of moon dust and rocks were sloughed off to the side revealing the ship.


    I don''t think my smile couldn''t grow any bigger as I watched and everyone caught it. "Hack their communications please". She nodded then I heard ground control. I listened for 30 seconds before I realized they were getting ready to bail.


    "Huston, can you copy me?". I waited and repeated my call. "Huston here we have an emergency happening we can''t deal with amateur radio foolish"


    "Sir, I''m here to help you with your situation. Tell the astronauts not to start emergency evacuation" no later I said the words the emergency capsule detached.


    "Vicky grab them. Huston before you freak out, did you hear about the robots helping people "


    "yes sir".


    "Well this is the same guy and I have a space ship, I''m about to pick up the ISS and the crew. They will be safe and you can contact them at any time".


    "This isn''t funny we have" it trailed off as the ship approached behind the ISS. "You should be able to see me now". "Um yes sir we see you. Who are you?"


    "A friend. I will be in touch shortly".


    "Vickey what is the status of the escape module". She smiled "both are in the hanger sir, they are in an unused section". "Ok, are there quarters near there?" She nodded "ok get some medbeds down there they will need them". Another nodd "can you patch me through to the crew". My ears were assaulted with people yelling about where they are.


    "I may be able to clear up the situation" I said in a clear voice. 2 seconds of silence "to whom am I referring to".


    "I''m the guy that just scrubbed your launch and will have you back and functional in a few hours". More silence "I will have you out of your ship and we can get to work on the ISS"


    "um yes sir, where are we right now". You''re in one of my hangar bays and I will be there shortly". I cut the connection and booted up my VR to get my avatar.


    I got to the capsule and I thought crap they must be cramped. I knocked on the capsule door and waited. About a minute later I heard the door being opened. The capsule was still in zero g and I was standing on the floor. I looked in and saw 4 astronauts and I couldn''t tell who was who, I heard a few voices. "You can exit the craft, I will keep you in zero g till you''re ready". I watched them open their helmets and detach all their buckles. They each floated out the door forming a line of very wide eyed people.


    "I would like to welcome you. Would you like to try some light gravity".


    "You can control gravity" said one of the women, I just nodded. "I have a drone on each of you to keep you comfortable. Let''s start with 0.2 G". They floated to the floor slowly then jumped a few times with smiles on their faces. "If you''ve heard about me, I''m going to assume you have heard of the beds". They all nodded "there are 4 available over there to make you a lot more comfortable for your stay".


    "Sir I am the commander in this crew. I will go first and if I''m ok my crew will follow me" said one of the men. "That makes perfect sense, if you will follow me or I can float you" I said to him. "No this is good". We went the 5 meters to the bed and I had to catch him gently. I guided him to the bed and started the scan. "It looks like it will be 30 min and you will be up and walking around". He laughed "we will see". I hit the button and he was out. I went back to the others "you are free to move around, your partner will be done in 30 min".


    They bounced around looking around for the half hour. I stood next to the bed as it finished and he sat up "how am I sitting up, I''ve been in space for over 200 days?" I looked at him "you are now in perfect health as well". He shook his head and swung his legs over and practically jumped to the floor.


    We walked to his workmates and they were shocked to see him walking "come on I have 3 more beds for you". I grabbed 2 and the commander grabbed one and we guided them to the beds. As soon as they were out the questions started. "Who are you"


    "let''s just wait till the others are awake. I have quarters you can use to shower and I have some fresh clothes for you" he looked excited at that so we headed that way. Entering the quarters "please stand here" he did as I asked as I pushed the button and 30 seconds later a track suit in his size appeared. His eyes shot open. "The shower is there, the control panel is straightforward and there are no limits on the water so relax".


    He nodded with a blank expression, he walked to the shower. I laughed and went back to the beds to check on the rest of the crew. They slept comfortably as I examined their suits. They were clunky compared to my tech, maybe I should do some upgrades for them. I went to look at the ISS floating there and saw the bots repairing a window, the drones bringing in the replicated parts.


    I turned to see the commander coming out of the quarters drying his hair and stretching. I walked to him "I bet that feels better" he started to laugh"you have no idea that''s the first real shower I''ve had in almost a year".


    "Your crew mates should be up soon", We walked to the beds and it was not lost on him that the ISS was hovering above us like a painting. I saw the look and resisted telling him this is one of the little bays. "The bots and drones are replacing the window". He was watching them work when he looked at me "I know you said to wait but you said you were human" I nodded "how long have you been here?"


    "About a month" he looked shocked "you did all this in a month". "The ship is much older but trust me I''m under no influence" he laughed at that one.


    A ping from a bed we both looked "this is saying she needs to be in for an hour. She has the beginning of ovarian cancer and it takes a bit longer for that. She probably didn''t even know" she shook his head "just like that" I nodded "yup just like that. Just like your tennis elbow". His eyes came together and he flexed his arm, his eyes widening "that''s been there since my 20s". He slumped into a chair as another ping went off. I let him know it was a good noise and there was 60 seconds left. Then another ping announced the other bed had the same countdown.


    Well 3 out of 4 isn''t bad I may as well get under way. "There are showers and fresh clothes for you so please relax and enjoy". The look on the new faces told me they were stressed "Vicky a little help here" I asked in my head. She appeared and stole the show. "Hello my name is Vicky I''m an AI and here to help".


    "It must be the face" I quipped at her. "What my big partner is trying to say is we have all you need to be comfortable here for your stay. We have food replicators that can make anything you want, yes it''s just like sci-fi". She steals a room like shooting fish in a barrel.


    "So why the getup" asked the Canadian "I want to hold on to the last bit of normality in my life, it will get complicated when I come out". He smiled "ok I get that, after looking around here I''m thinking I''m out of a job".


    "Not at all we can just go further now, I still need men like you to break the boundaries with my tech. We just have to switch from trying to get to the moon again to building bases there. I need men and women like yourselves for exploration to other planets. This is just a taste of what I''m bringing" they all had smiles enjoying a coffee.


    They enjoyed a meal after they got out of the showers. I answered questions and I made sure to give them no more info than I gave in the interview. "How big is the ship?" asked one of the women. Vickey jumped in "it''s 1.7 km long". They all stopped eating "this is one of 6 bays I have on board". They looked around in shock "and this is all under your control". Vicky again said "well he is the captain". They looked at me "I will be bringing this tech to earth in a controlled manner. You should contact the ground and make sure they aren''t freaking out too much".If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The commander agreed and went to the ISS and jumped to the door and climbed inside.


    "What''s next for us?" asked one of the women. I cocked my head "what do you mean"."Well is our mission over?"


    "Not that I know of, when your colleague wakes up and we are all fed and happy we will work that out. Until then you are my guests so please enjoy".


    A drone signaled me that it was done "I just got a notification that your ride is done. If you''re finished eating we can go take a look". We all got up and went to the ISS just as the commander exited "wait till you see what he did" he giggled.


    We walked around to look at the new window. The one that was hit was part of a dome like structure for viewing. "I thought I would upgrade your view". The 6 sided dome with flat windows was replaced with a bubble window. "Is it safe?" one of the men asked. "Perfectly safe I assure you. All of your tanks are being topped off and I''m replacing your toilet with one you will be a little more comfortable using". That brought smiles. The commander looked at me "everything is good with Huston and putting us back in the same place would be appreciated". I nodded "consider it done".


    The timer went off on the 4th bed so we all approached. She was sitting up by the time we got there. She was brought up to speed on everything and she went for her shower. We all chatted while she enjoyed her meal.


    "Your telling me I had cancer" I looked at her "yes and it''s gone now. All of you, the nanobots are still in your system and when they finish their tasks you will pass them". That got head nodds and more questions "yes they are safe". After another hour we decided it was time for them to go back, after a bunch of thank yous and reconnecting the escape craft.


    "Commander, can you hear me?"


    "loud and clear sir".


    "Check your systems I''m going to drop to a vacuum and check for leaks for a few minutes ok".


    "Copy that checking now".


    "Huston are you there?"


    "Huston here"


    "Is there any course correction you need done?"


    "No sir where they were would suffice"


    "Copy that Huston. Commander are you showing anything indicating a leak"


    "No sir all is good across the board"


    "Moving you back into orbit, hold on".


    I saw the door open and the ISS float out into space "safe travels my friends, oh be aware Huston I topped off all food and supplies so do an inventory before you send more".


    "Umm thank you"


    "your welcome" and I closed the line.


    I looked around and saw the entire kit family, Lisa came to me and guess what I got. "I like watching you work and the kits love attacking the holograms" she giggled "when you walk around they seem to know and never get in your way". I kissed the top of her head "Vickey how is the video of the town". She smiled "it''s pushing 5 million views and not slowing" that made me smile.


    "What are the comments like" another smile "there are the typical naysayers but they are the minority, people are freaking out thinking this is an invasion. The bulk of the people believe it''s real and they want answers. This incident with the ISS should lean in our favor. Do you have a plan or are you winging it?"


    I looked at her "I''m winging it", She shook her head. "A plan will come out of it eventually. For now let''s keep the PR looking good in our favor". That got nodds from everyone.


    We turned on the news and we were on every channel. They had closeups of the ship and video of the ISS emerging from the ship. They jumped back to the town that we rebuilt and I could see faces that I recognized. They looked happy and the apartment building looks to be a hit.


    "Vickey, is there any way to make sure people can''t get to the power sources? Like a self destruct if it''s breached". She looked from the kits to me "they are already like that, if the fusion cells are breached they shut down so fast there is no fallout". I smiled "what about the bots, I can see someone swiping one". She laughed "I can remotely activate a melt down process. They will be left with a pile of elemental carbon and some other trace elements". I started to laugh "I would love to see the look on their face for that one" my eyes shot open "I wonder if an interview would help".


    "It certainly wouldn''t hurt, what are you thinking?" "Nothing concrete just a idea"


    That''s when I thought about the TV crew. "Vickey do some hacking and keep an eye on the film crew. It might get a bit hectic for them and I want to know"


    "Gotcha" I heard over my shoulder. "You know this might make a career for someone if they play their cards right" Vicky added then came to me "it''s not going well for 2 of them, one male one female. The male just seems to be a dick and that is his problem. The girl who was working behind the scenes isn''t getting any recognition. I saw her and she was busting her hump behind the scenes getting nothing but a pat on the back".


    "Let me guess, I know you have a plan".


    "Damn skippy I do. I dug into her career and she is really talented, just overlooked. We can be her break". My eyebrow went up "ok I''m listening" she smiled "when I get you two in the same room I will explain". Both eyebrows now "fair enough I trust you. Just tell me when to nod" I giggled "don''t worry you will know. The director and the camera guy are killing it, they both signed deals for interviews already". I smiled "I see the void you want to fill". She nodded "she is also the only one that didn''t talk about the base".


    "How did you" then I stopped myself "Oh never mind". She will fill me in later how she got access and where. She brought up a hologram of her and I recognized her as the one who asked if they should have heard that conversation about the base.


    "She looks perfect if my say has anything to do with it". "She is getting grief getting recognition because her name wasn''t on the call sheet".


    "So what is the plan".


    "This one is simple. She lives alone with her cat, how complicated can it be". I started to giggle "I wonder if she is bringing the cat".


    "Ok when are we doing this". She smiled "we leave in 18 minutes and we are going to Dallas, hmph I figured you would be a harder sell" I stuck my tongue out at her. "Is it me or the bot?"


    "Both actually I need a driver for the RV". I threw my hands in the air in mock distress "I''ve been downgraded to driver" I joked. "This might be the norm for a bit to show you as security for the bot. I think being there will help". I nodded and she got an evil grin "come on driver we have to go" I just shook my head and laughed.


    We pulled up in the RV realizing the streets were narrow and stopped a block away. I got a large hoodie for both me and my doppelg?nger for the walk. You could barely tell it was a robot except for the feet. Within minutes we approached the apartment of one Becky Harmon.


    I knocked instead of the bot I figured metal on metal wouldn''t sound good. She answered and her eyes shot open " I didn''t say anything about the base". I stood there and let the bot answer "we know but that is not why we are here". Vickey jumped in "we want to talk to you about a position with us. We have looked at your work and think you should be leading a crew not in the background". She lowered her head slightly "I get pulled in so many directions that I lose focus".


    "That means you need a job with a single focus like a PR agent" she perked up "I would love that but you have to know someone famous for that". Vicky this time "do you think you can do a job like that?"


    She nodded so hard I worried she was going to hurt her neck. We all smiled at that, well they smiled I need to change that before the interview. "I want you to do an interview, just me and you and you can ask almost anything you want". Back to wide eyes "that would make my career" she started to jump "do you have any plans for a few days?" She shook her head "good how is your cat around other cats". She looked at me strangely, "she is just a kitten so she should be good, why".


    "Just a thought, are you able to leave now?" Another nodd "yea I have no life". She picked up the cat carrier by the door and went inside to grab it and returned. We started to walk "this job may require relocation are you ok with that".


    "Oh yea my lease is month to month, where would I be moving to". The real me giggled "let''s say you will be on the move a lot for a bit". That got me a worried look.


    We were walking when a woman came up to Becky, I was in the lead and my bot was taking up the rear. She pushed past me and looked Becky in the face "are you still saying you were there, you know the paperwork tells the truth". My bot pulled back his hood "of course she was there. She did such an excellent job that we have come to get her and offer her a job. Now if you will excuse us we are actually busy". I gently moved her to the side and she just stared at me mumbling something.


    We got to the RV and got onboard "thank you for that, the look on her face made the crap they put me through worth it. I do have one question, am I being abducted".


    We all laughed except her, Vicky stepped in "you''re not being abducted and you can go home at any time I promise". She nodded at that.


    I yelled from the driver''s seat "consider it an upgrade". She leaned in to Vicky "who is he". Vickey smiled "that''s the big guy". Back to the shocked look "like big guy, big guy?" Vicky nodded and I heard a "holy shit" under her breath.


    I found a parking lot with no power lines so we could take off and let Vickey take over. I went back to Becky "I''m sorry about the cloak and dagger". She smiled and stood and shook my hand "have a seat we will be in transit for about 15 minutes". I sat across from her "transit to where" she asked. "Our base" she smiled "I am being abducted".


    I laughed "well sort of but it''s all for the good, I''m offering you a job helping me change the world for the better. Let me put some on the table. I was chosen to have this tech and help mankind. Before this I was 53 and not on social media but I see the benefits of it. You know the systems and can help me". She looked flustered but nodded then realized we had taken off and was staring out the window so I went to sit by Vicky. "She seems like she needs a few min'''' Vickey nodded.


    I noticed where we were going. Just north of where she was hibernating. "Are you sentimental about this spot?" She looked at me "yes I was here for so long". My turn to smile " well maybe we have the spot for a moon base".


    "Really I like the idea of a city on the moon"


    "have the triplets help you, nothing too phallic there is too much of that on the ground. We can dedicate it to your resting spot". She was very pleased with that. "It will be fun fighting with B, he is very territorial over his designs".


    "Well I will leave it in your hands and you can get back to me. Just make it people friendly ok" she nodded.


    I heard over my shoulder "is that the moon?" Both Vickey and I turned and said at the same time "yes". The frankness of the answer seemed to give her grips on the moment. I looked at Becky "we are the big ship that saved the ISS and we are currently parked on the moon".


    She was silent till we exited the ship. She pointed at the zero g playroom and I explained what it was, at least she was talking. We got to the quarters deck and she looked down "your quarters will be down there if that''s ok with you". She nodded "now for the real test" . I looked at the cat. "Oh you need something first" and left her alone for a minute. I ran to the empty quarters and replicated a disk of nanobots. I returned to her "these are nanobots and they will translate for you, you just have to put it on your hand and push the button".


    She took it with shaking hands and wide eyes. She examined it and read the word on the button, PUSH. She did it and it melted into her skin and she went to brush it off. There was no brushing it off. "Without them you won''t be able to understand my extended family. You will hear your own voice over the people talking when the bots are working so relax".


    She nodded and the door opened. Instantly the kits were in attack formation so I picked up the male to meet Becky and mittens. Once the male nodded ok to the others they descended on Becky. She just took it in with wide eyes as Lisa came to me "hello there it''s nice to meet you" she said. I saw Becky''s eyes squinting for a sec then a smile. "It''s weird but it works, hi there".


    I heard a hiss and looked down and the kits were sniffing mittens. We all sat and she opened the cage. The kits approached the door and mittens came right out and ran to Becky. They followed her over and sat on the floor watching. Kim spoke up "these are cats in your world" I nodded expecting a verbal lashing "alright monkey boy" she giggled and sat.


    The kits during this time were watching Becky pet mittens. It was the male that stood and did the same, after he got a positive response the others joined him. I looked at Lisa "do I even ask" she shrugged "I gave up on that a long time ago". I looked at Becky "these little guys are not much older than mittens". Another shocked look "are you shitting me, they act like toddlers". Kim spoke up "we develop fast, I''m Kim by the way".


    Mittens was comfortable enough to explore and the kits followed her around sniffing one another. They got more and more comfortable over minutes and became friends. Becky was looking freaked out especially when the kits called me papa.


    I looked at Becky "you have the choice of working on earth or up here".


    "Um I guess up here if that is ok" I smiled "how are you feeling" she took a deep breath "part of me wants to run and don''t look back and the rest of me can''t wait for what''s next" she smiled. "That''s the right attitude are you hungry or thirsty?" She nodded "a drink would be nice thank you". I took her to the replicator and showed her how it worked. She got a cup of tea and took a sip, her smile told the rest of the story.


    We talked about what I wanted to happen and she was all over the social media presence. She knows the ins and outs of that system, something I never was part of and still wanted to avoid. She said the interview will be the big one people will look at. I told her there are some points I want covered but she has free reign to ask the real people questions.


    I got Vicky to bring her up to speed with everything and she soaked it up like a sponge. While Vickey brought her up to speed and I went to get mittens some food and water. I put it on the floor and mittens took right to it. I laughed out loud when the male tried it and spit it out then ran to mom wiping his tongue. By the time Becky was done she was sitting on her seat excited.


    Lisa and Kim took her to show her the quarters and amenities, there were squeals at the clothes replicator. Becky emerged with a housecoat of the poofy material "I was told to ask about the shower" then started to laugh. I stood "ok where is everyone sleeping and they all pointed at bedrooms including Becky which shocked me. I collected Lisa and bid my farewells. One nose lick and kiss later we were out.

 11

    The next morning I came to find everyone settling in nicely. Becky dove in and created my social media accounts. Even mittens were in on the action by chasing around the kits and playing. I looked at Kim "I hope you don''t find mittens offensive". She shook her head "no I''m not offended but I keep talking to her expecting an answer and all I get is a meow that sounds like a random word" she smiled.


    "Does anyone have plans today?" I asked as an open question. Molly''s hand went up "can we go somewhere". I thought for a sec " why not, Lisa could you round up the twins and Vickey find us a beach".


    "I got one that is isolated in Indonesia that should work," Vickey replied as we all started to get ready. I asked Kim, "Do they need sunscreen?".


    "From what I''ve read your atmosphere is like ours, just cleaner. I will keep an eye on them just in case". The twins met us at the flight deck and we took the biggest ship we had. It looked like the delta flyer from Star Trek Voyager. Vickey flew us to this island in the middle of dozens. Not another person within 100 KM in any direction.


    The kits hit the sand and took off running and I used a replicator to make towels and parasols. My turn to take off running and dove into the water. I dove into a wave then down to the sand pushing off and surfacing. I could hear the family yelling to me so I looked and started walking to shore.


    By the time I got out Lisa ,Kim and Gar were at the water''s edge "aren''t you afraid of the fish?" Kim asked me "no the fish leave you alone actually they run from you for the most part". they looked at each other "we have fish that will hunt you and kill you. They are responsible for many deaths" said Gar. "There is nothing here like that except for one Vicky scan for sharks".


    "nothing" I heard In my head. "Vickey said none around".


    With that everyone tried to get in the water and we were having fun till a kit got water in their ears.


    I layed on the beach under an umbrella and enjoyed the heat and laughter around me. The kits are in high energy mode running in every direction stopping to grab a bite of food then off again. Lisa and Kim were with me while Gar was trying the surf.


    Lisa gave me a nose lick "I needed this, thank you". I smiled "you can do this anytime you want. All you have to do is tell me where you want to go and I will make it happen. I just have to keep you safe from the locals" I giggled. "We will only have to hide for a bit longer then it will get fun".


    We spend the next 4 hours doing nothing but enjoy the beach. The kits slowed down and looked tired so we decided to call it a day. I flew back and we started the lineup for the showers, it''s a good thing we have plenty. Kim was extra clean from a long shower that involved 6 kits. I finished and sat on the sofa and watched the kits come out of the bathroom. Their hair is fine so it dries fast but mom used a towel so there were a few funky hairstyles. A good day was had by all and it showed. "Vickey is there anything I need to attend to".


    "No there is nothing you are off for the evening". I smiled and hugged Lisa. One of the kits went running by then stopped dead, she found a grain of sand that missed inspection. "We need to do that more often," Kim said and we all agreed. I had a flash of 12 of them running around the beach and shook my head. Where did that come from?


    We sat and snuggled and watched as the kits'' springs wind down and they walked to me. One by one they came and picked a spot. "What is the ratio of boys to girls born in your species?" Kim smiled "it''s about 80/20 for the girls and I know why you''re asking". I smiled "I''m just thinking my species is about 50/50". She rolled her eyes at me "with your DNA added who knows how it will turn out". I laughed "you''re not helping".


    That''s when mittens came over and joined the kits on my lap, I guess she wanted in on the action. "You officially wore them out, that''s not easy to do" Gar said and added "I''m almost ready for bed as well" he laughed, nipping his wife on the neck. "Ok let''s call it a night". I stretched and the kits and kitten repeated the action. I gathered my brood and Lisa grabbed a few including mittens.


    I awoke to a tail in my face and it was mittens. How can a kitten occupy an entire pillow? I got up to relieve myself and found Sandy in my shower. "Yours had the best body jets". I heard over the water. It brought back memories of growing up in a house with one bathroom and 2 sisters. I went to the second washroom then back to bed. Arms enveloped me and I got a nose lick which I returned.


    The kits woke up hungry and I could swear I could feel their hunger. Bottles and food acquired we settled on the sofa. "Vicky, is there anything I should be aware of?"


    "I''m monitoring a few storms in Texas but that''s about it."


    I decided to bring myself up to speed "how fast are the FTL drives". She smiled a huge smile "we have 2 different kinds long range and short range. Long range can have you to Alpha Centauri in lest than a week and short range is for inside the system. Essentially the bigger the ship the faster the drives are".


    "What about armaments?"


    "I have 50 of what you would call a rail gun that launches projectiles at up to 80%the speed of light. We have 3 types of missiles on hand but we have plans for dozens more types. I can produce a fighter every 90 min and have room for 1000 of them. Why do you ask?"


    "I didn''t before because we were buried but we are in the open now".


    "Fair point". I was just getting another coffee as B appeared "good morning sir I have something for you. You need a communication network for your needs so I tweaked it and made a global communication network. It will consist of 12 satellites to cover the planet and moon. The entire network will have a ping of 3 nanoseconds anywhere on the planet with insane bandwidth".


    I smiled "how many users can it handle?". He smiled "I didn''t want to scale it up later so at the moment it''s 10 billion." Now that made me smile. "You will have to design some comms devices for people". He nodded at that. "Has A found anything interesting yet?" He appeared "there is life on Europa and that is not a seeded planet so that needs investigation. I''ve picked 12 spots in the Sol system that are prospects for bases". I thought wow 12 spots here alone. I looked at Vickey "any thoughts on your moon base?" She smiled "I like the idea of a kilometer high building but it''s still in the works".


    "Are you going to hide it during construction?". She nodded "yea keep the lookie loos out of it, It''s just easier that way".I nodded.


    "How about those storms" she looked away for a sec "there are a few funnel clouds but nothing near towns".


    "Better get Sandy in here". I brought up the storms and in no time they entered "we may have a repeat of your town if your up for it" she looked at the screen "I''m up for it if your in my corner" I looked at her and smiled "always chickie"


    "We can make more ships if you need them" she smiled "it all depends on if they have multiple hospitals, I suggest playing it by ear" I nodded. "I would suggest a meeting room on board the ship though"


    "consider it done, just let B know what you need and he will make it happen" I got a quizzical look.


    "who?"


    "Oh crap sorry, B could you come here please. He appeared and smiled "Sandy this is B you can call him from any terminal or Vickie can get him for you. B designed most of the ships we use and a lot of other things. He can help you in probably anything you need in regards to the ships". They introduced themselves and started a conversation.


    Becky came in wearing one of those housecoats. I just shook my head when I saw her "Becky you might be able to do your job sooner than later, we are tracking some nasty storms," She nodded "where are the twins?"


    "they are working with C on something." I nodded.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    We all were talking when Vickey yelled out "we have a winner, medium town 30k population. And F4 just took out a swath through town affecting a large residential area and part of downtown". Sandy sat up "I guess we are up" and we all went to the office.


    "Ok 2 med ships and 2 supply ships should do it for now but start on a 3rd supply ship as backup". I watched Sandy go into nurse mode and smiled. "What is the ETA of the ships to ground?". 23 minutes was her answer. I looked at her then Vickey "take the ship to an orbit above the town" she nodded at me. "ETA is now 10 min" Vickey smiled. My turn to ask "are the new scanning bots and fire suppression on board?" Another nodd "they will be deployed as we land".


    I looked at Sandy "this is where I will back off and let you go for it. Just rely on your gut and training, it''s just repetition, just new faces".


    She smiled and took a deep breath "I will be down there as soon as I can to deal with the non medical stuff like the military striped shirts". She went off to get ready and Molly came to me "what do we do". I smiled "that''s up to Sandy I''m stepping back and letting her shine".


    We entered a geocentric orbit above Texas and released the med and supply ships. There was one hospital and that was her target.


    Lisa came to me "why aren''t you going down?" I smiled "I need to make sure Sandy is up to the task. I think she is more than capable and this will show it". I watched as drones moved the cars to make room for the ship then took off in different directions. She took a 50 bed model for this mission and within 15 minutes the power was back on. I resisted the urge to check in on her and let her be. I looked at Vicky "how many bots do we have on hand"


    "there are 200 on the ground and I have a backup of 300 and growing". I smiled "good plan I think cleanup is going to be bad on this one".


    As the drones fanned out I was getting a map being built on my desk. The town appeared in front of me showing the swath of destruction. I could see the bots start to fan out and head straight to the red dots that appeared over the injured or trapped. One by one they turned green as a bot took control and started rescue. I looked at Vicky "do we have anything in the files on stopping things like this from happening in the first place". She shook her head "a lot of papers but nothing concrete for earth".


    I couldn''t help myself and checked in on Sandy. She had all the department heads and they were listening to every word she said. That''s when I knew I made the right choice and I relaxed inside a little. Becky caught a ride and was quite active with her phone and a floating camera I''ve never seen before.


    Ok next "where are the twins?" Vickie looked at me "I let them use the office in Jaden''s quarters". I made my way there finding them at the desk with C. "Hello there I was just touching base with everyone". They both smiled and Ryan started "we are working on a plan, come see". I looked at the table and saw a ship that had the door open with multiple cars inside. Emma looked at me "we saw a lot of people and families living in their cars and thought we would start there". Ryan added "it''s easy actually everything they are trying to save is in one spot and mobile". C''s turn "we can break down the vehicles after they take out what they want".


    I smiled "this is a fantastic idea but you''re missing one part". All eyebrows went up "you need a place to put all these people first". C smiled "I can have an area of the ship ready when you need it". Everyone smiled and I looked at the twins "get everything ready to go and we can run a test run. How are you doing with all of this?" They Both smiled and Emma said "you make it easy to help people so we are having fun".


    Vicky appeared "you need to make an appearance". I made my way to my office. "What''s going on" as the VR booted up. "The military is there I guess they were close by".


    I opened the bots eyes and realized why does this bot have eyes not just a camera. "I gave you a face. You keep smiling like it means something in VR, now it does". I giggled out loud and looked around. I was in a conference room with a lot of people who were talking amongst themselves.


    I spoke and made 3 jump "Hello there, how can I help you?" They all spoke at one so I raised my hand "one at a time please". A man in a hat and a lot of stripes started "we want to know who you represent" I looked at him "I represent myself I have no affiliation to anyone".


    "Where did you get all this equipment?" he asked. "I made it myself on my spaceship" I shot back at him. "Is it all safe" came from a female voice. "All of the technology is perfectly safe I assure you. There are zero side effects from the beds".


    "What gives you the right to do this" a male voice said. I glared at him and the look on his face let me know my facial expressions are coming through loud and clear. "The right to do what, help people when they need it. Give your head a shake man". He got interested in his coffee. "I am doing this because I can and nothing more. I do not expect payment in any kind, just possibly a thank you when I''m done. That''s it".


    Sandy entered the room "let me guess you all got the same answers from him right" a few people nodded. "Now will you let me do my job?" Nobody answered, "go do your thing, I will deal with this," she nodded and left. I looked at my desk mates "do you want me to leave or can I help these people". Nobody said anything "we are done here and stay out of my peoples way and be amazed of what I bring".


    I caught up with Sandy for an update "the damage was strictly residential so we will need 2 buildings this time". I smiled at her "whatever you think you need go for it. One thing though, keep your eyes open for people we can poach". She giggled "I''m serious if you see someone you think is a fit grab them, we can work out the details later" she smiled and nodded "how are the new rescue bots?"


    "They are awesome. All rescues were done within minutes of us being on the ground, It''s the same with the fires."


    That made me smile and I looked at her "how are you doing with all this". A deep breath "I get overwhelmed but just realize I''m having the time of my life" she smiled. "Good but I don''t want you burned out either, take time for yourself". Another smile "I will".


    "Well there is little for me do here so I will get out of your hair. Call when more stripes show up".


    I was on my way to the conference room when I saw a woman crying so I went to her "are you alright". The woman was shocked by being addressed by a bot "no I''m sorry these are happy tears. Your bed just saved my mom and I guess it just all came out". I smiled "no need to apologize, tears like yours are welcome here". I made my way to my parking spot for my avatar and returned to my office. It was odd there was nobody there.


    Kim looked at me when I entered "your bugs have done it again" she looked at the kits "go show papa your nails". All 6 came to me and bared their nails. They were clear and glistened in the light. I looked at kim "I''m sorry I don''t know what I''m looking at?"


    "They were metal last week, now they are diamond or something like it. Come see this".


    She walked to the replicator and got a drinking glass. As if on cue the male walked over to it and traced his nail around the edge and it fell away. Kim looked at me "this is something completely new, none of the writings mentioned this"


    "Can it hurt them" she shrugged "I would worry about who goes up against them" she giggled. Vicky appeared "sir your needed planetside". I waved at the kits and they waved back.


    I opened my avatar''s eyes to see Sandy arguing with a contractor. "The wires you used to supply power are too small to handle the load" he yelled. I took this as my cue "hello sir I think I can shed some light on this situation, let''s go take a look and you can show me your concerns".


    He jumped when I addressed him but composed himself as we made our way to the ramp and then to the back of the hospital. The wire leading from the ship to the transfer box was the size of a garden hose. The transfer box was the size of a backup generator and was tied into that system.


    He pointed at the cable on the ground "this gauge of wire is too small to supply this facility". I smiled "that would be true if that was transferring electricity" I went to our transfer unit and he followed. I opened the side and showed him. "The cable provides plasma to this unit and this unit makes the power" I pointed to the large gauge wires that led out. "Those are plenty thick but I can make them bigger if you want". He shook his head "no I think I get it. How much power can that unit produce?" I smiled again "that unit can power this town with plenty to spare". He just blinked "um I''m sorry sir I was just doing what the city asked".


    "Not at all you are just doing your job. Have you tried the beds?" I thought if I can get him in one he will go back singing praises about it. "No, I''m not injured," he replied. "Nonsense the beds are for everyone, we call it a tune up and it only takes a few min". By this time we were back on the ship and I was losing him so I enlisted help. Sandy has this way with people and she had him in the bed in 5 min and will be out in 24.


    Sandy asked me about him "if the city sent this guy because they have doubts this should change their mind". We talked till he opened his eyes and just blinked "well that was a nice nap" he said. "Sit up" said Sandy. He did what was asked of him and he got a shocked look on his face. "There is no pain in my shoulder, it''s been bugging me for months".


    "It''s repaired along with your knee" replied the bot. He looked at me wide eyed "who are you" I smiled "just a friend who cares". I turned around and saw Sandy talking to a nurse and doctor so I went to my cubby and noticed someone wrote BOSS in marker. I giggled as I sat.


    Instantly the kits appeared in my vision attacking the holograms. Lisa was there with a nose lick and a coffee "how long have you been here" she smiled "about a min I just kind of know when you are about to be done, it''s weird but I just go with it".


    I was just us and the kits and they were hungry. I wanted pizza and thought what the hell so I made 2 large cheese and pepperoni. I hope Kim doesn''t get mad at this but all kids need pizza. I made one just above room temp for the kits and put it in front of them. They sniffed and picked at them but changed their tune when they saw me pick up a slice. They were covered in sauce in no time. They ate their fill and before they slipped into their post meal coma we got them cleaned up. We went straight to bed and were out in no time.

 12

    I awoke to Vickey poking me and whispering in my ear "we need you planetside". I detached from my pile and cleaned up quickly. My VR booted up and I opened my eyes. I found myself surrounded by 4 men with insignia on their shirts that I didn''t care about. I stood and they all jumped.


    "What is powering this facility". Straight to business I guess "it''s fusion power and it''s safe". Another spoke up "you flew here with no transponders". I looked at him "well the tornado hit while the application was in the mail". They didn''t find that funny.


    The rest of the meeting was like the others, why am I here blah blah blah. "So your privately funded" I nodded "yea, by me" another miss.


    "Listen gentlemen all you need to know is all you get from me is help ok" They nodded.


    I saw Sandy at the window so I made my escape. "Well that was unpleasant" I said to her and she laughed "well that is why you are here I''m just here for the sick" she laughed. "How are things flowing here?"  She smiled "a good chunk of the town has been through the beds. And except for the crew in the conference room people have been good. There were a few times we almost needed a backup ship but people were patient. I might design an overflow ship" she shook her head. "There is time for that later. Thank you for dealing with them".


    I smiled "no problem that''s what I''m here for". I chuckled. I stood and returned to the group in the conference room and sat in my chair "is there anything else?"  Getting nothing I disconnected.


    There was my coffee and nose lick. I realized I didn''t check in with Becky but that can wait. The kits were huddled around a tray on the floor finishing their breakfast. "Vickey I had a thought about the moon base".


    She appeared with a smile "how about half city half small town feel?"  Her smile broadened. "That same idea can be used on earth as well. We can make islands" I looked at her "fixed to an existing island or independent"


    "both are easy to do".


    "Well it''s nice to know we have options. How is the bank going?"  An evil smile "I''ve been selling metals and I can beat most bots so trading is fun, you''re up to 3.7 billion" I shook my head as that "ok is that it for me for now?" I got a yes and hit the shower complete with body jets.


    It took a bit of looking but I found the infamous housecoats and made one. Ok I relent, it was like sitting on a cloud. Lisa and Kim saw me and started laughing hysterically so I just stuck out my tongue and relaxed.


    My armband went off and it was Lexi "hi papa" she said with a smile. "Hey sweetie how are things"


    "Good papa I have a question" I smiled. "one of my friends little brother is really sick and I was wondering if maybe if you''re not busy".


    I smiled "do you know what is wrong with him?" She looked offscreen for a sec nodded then looked back "she says MS can we help him" I got a nod from Vicky "yes we can are you there now?"  She nodded "your coming now" she sounded excited "ask if they have any plans for a few hours". She nodded then looked away then back "nope".


    "Ok I will be there in about 20 min, I will home in on your signal". I got a huge smile and a nod.


    I got dressed and went to the RV, we were still above Texas so it was a scenic trip.


    I pulled up in front of the address and Lexi and another girl came running out. The young girl politely introduced herself "can you really help my brother?"


    "Of course little one" Lexi nudged her "see told ya".


    "Let''s go meet your parents and your brother". She looked at me "it''s just mom she is feeding my brother". She took off for the door and Lexi gave me a hug "thank you papa". "Anytime sweetie".


    I mussed her hair and she hit me for it. Inside I saw a nice home and well maintained just the odd toy. Mom was in the kitchen feeding my patient. I extended my hand "hello there I''m Brad I''m lexis papa".


    She smiled and shook my hand "I''ve seen what you have done on the news, can you really help my baby". I nodded "why don''t you and him come with me and let''s get started". By the time we got to the RV the girls were already at the replicator. She put him on the bed and I started the scan, he was out instantly. It showed 2 hours, he must be in bad shape for that much work.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "So your Jaden''s dad" she said laying back on the sofa. "I see where she gets it now". I looked at her "gets what" she smiled "her looks, I know her mom and she must get it from you". I brought up a picture of the old me and she examined it and nodded her head. "I like the new look as well" she caught me off guard when she got up and brushed my arm.


    "Are you hungry or thirsty?" I got up and went to the replicator and she followed.


    "Girls are you hungry" seeing them drinking hot chocolate at the table.


    Ok this is nuts I''m over 2 meters tall and she is half my size and she has me pinned in the galley kitchen. She grabbed my arm as she looked at the menu. "Vickey a little help here" I thought in my head and got back laughter.


    She appeared and informed me of a non emergency I needed to address so I excused myself and went back to the medbed. "What the hell was that" more laughter. "That was you handsome. You need to really look in a mirror, I made you to be wanted by women. You will attract them with not just your looks, you have your aura. She set her sights on you the minute she saw you. If she is having naughty thoughts your aura might be escalating the situation".


    "Oh great. I have 2 hours to kill" more laughter. Dealing with aggressive women is something I have no training in, especially in my former life.


    I turned and she was still at the replicator so I went to help. "It can make any food you want".


    "Oh I can think of a lot of things" she put her hand on my chest. I smiled and got a sandwich and sat at the table, the girls were now missing. She got a sandwich also and sat across from me. At least her attention will be on the food for a while. I was just about to take a bite when her foot touched my leg. She was looking at her food the entire time.


    My comm went off and I excused myself and answered the call from Jaden "dad I want to let you know Lexi''s friend" I cut her off "I''m there now and your friend is let''s say aggressive" more laughter this time hysterical. "I need a little help please". She said ok between laughing fits.


    I took a second before I turned around. I heard the triplets "you got this" I''m doomed.


    I went back to the table and she was eating part of my sandwich. I let her know that it was Jaden and she is coming for some business. She looked disappointed but not deterred. I could see her working out how much time she had before Jaden would show up. It was 12 minutes, I had a countdown on my wrist.


    I took a seat and thought I just have to drag eating out for that long. I ate and asked about her son and daughter. That worked, she gushed about her kids and how nice it would be to have her son again. She started to cry and like most men, I panicked.


    I stood and within seconds she was in my arms. She hit me so hard I stumbled back onto the sofa and she followed me down. She ended up seated in my lap with her arms around me. She was in someone''s spot and was making no attempt to move.


    Jaden pulled up, she didn''t move.


    Jaden came in, she didn''t move.


    Jaden just looked at her then me and shrugged, she went to touch her when she spoke. "I know you''re there Jaden. I''m sorry but I have never felt safer than I do right now". Jaden looked at me and stifled a laugh.  "Dad we need to go over the plans at least if you can".


    My eyebrows came together but relaxed when mom moved. "I will let you get to it" she jumped up and went to her son. I looked at Jaden with an expression that showed stress. "Help me" she shook her head and went back to mom. I went to the driver''s seat and brought up a display to distract myself.


    I was looking at some videos about me being there to abduct people and giggled when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Jaden looked down at me "she will calm down now I told her your married well not yet but close enough". I nodded at that and went back to my video till I heard the ping from the medbed.


    By the time I got back there he was in her arms laughing and mom was crying, I just stood and smiled. She passed off her son to Jaden and was plastered to my chest again thanking me.  That when she looked up at me, grabbed me by the shirt and kissed me, and there was nothing held back. She pulled away and blushed and I think I did too. She picked up her son, asked Jaden if she was coming over later and left.


    "Dad" giggle "I should have warned you but that was too funny". I looked at her and shook my head "I''m going back into space where I know my what''s going on". I got a hug and left.


    Back on the ship I got stopped by Lisa who looked at me sternly "who was in my spot" I put my hands in the air "it was a friend of Jaden''s I cured her son". Her face softened "your mine first but don''t rule her out, I like her scent". She walked away leaving me speechless. Like what the hell do you say to that.


    "You will have many mates my love" she came in for a hug. "How many are we talking about here?" I looked down and she looked at me "half a dozen would be ok with me". My eyes shot open "let''s keep that on the back burner for now ok" she nodded. Kim cut in "12 kits could be from 12 wives" I looked at her "you''re not helping" she laughed "if we are going by the writings you have a lot more".


    "We need to train you on that aura" Vicky cut in. "I will come up with some training regiments".


    I nodded at that and decided to check in with Sandy but found she was taking a nap , good she is taking care of herself. Sleep sounded good so I went to my bedroom finding Lisa right behind me. She reasserted dominance of her spot and we were out.

 13

    I awoke the next morning with 3 kits asleep on me and 3 were playing with mittens. I layed there and enjoyed life for a few minutes before nature called.


    I returned to the bedroom and saw Lisa asleep in my warm spot so I let her sleep and went to my office. I booted up my VR to meet with Sandy finding her sitting right there as I opened my eyes. "Well hello there I was just about to send you a message. Someone swiped one of the bots".


    "Vickie, do you have its location?" She appeared "yes sir, it''s in transit".


    "Send me the bots ID and I will take it from here" she nodded. I felt a rush and then found myself handcuffed in the back of an SUV with military men. "Where are you taking me?" I asked. I guess my voice was alarming because the one beside me spun and put his back to the door. "May I ask where we are going" nothing but road noise "gentleman do we not have a final destination?"


    "Fort Bragg" yelled the driver. "Thank you" I said and disconnected. "Let them get there then melt it down just before they go to move it".


    I looked at Sandy "next" and I giggled.


    She looked at me and shook her head. "You have a fix for everything". I smiled "not everything but I try. I do know now that the military isn''t above stealing. They will get the same treatment until they realize it won''t work. Just keep me up to date on how often it happens."


    "Yes captain". That caught me off guard "you have your own starship".


    "How many people refer to me like that". She giggled "most actually. They are chomping at the bit trying to get info on you". I laughed "soon enough. Have you found any good people yet". She nodded her head "there is a nurse and doctor I''m looking at. They are essentially homeless so I think they will jump at it". I smiled at that "I need to check in with Becky. Do you know where she is?"


    "She is always on the floor helping and talking to people". I left the room and found her exactly where I was told. I caught up for a few min and asked about the captain title "it got used by a couple of news crews and it stuck, captain". She grinned "I guess it will stick then I will have to get used to it". She looked at me "people will form their own opinions but I think you will live up to the captain''s moniker". I nodded and made sure she didn''t need anything and made my exit.


    I awoke to a lick and a coffee and scampering kits. Kim walked in at that moment looking for the kits for feeding and they never said no to that. "I was just waiting for him to finish," Lisa said to her mom. Kim looked at me and shook her head "what did I do". "Nothing your guilty by association, my daughters to cute to be guilty." She giggled then looked at her daughter "how do you know when he is going to be done".


    Lisa shrugged. I feel like a little tug like a ribbon is tied to me". Kim got an evil smile "come on spill it" I let out. "She is feeling your aura and that''s subconsciously, imagine what you can do with it when you''re trained". I thought about it for a sec and realized I need to get training or I''m going to end up in some embarrassing situations. We sat and got a drink. I looked at Lisa "Do you see them or just feel them?"


    She smiled "both I always feel a connection to you but out of the corner of my eye I see them". Kim smiled "there are writings of a holy man that was connected to his wives. That one you only have 3 kids'''' she giggled. I looked back at Lisa "them? You mean you see more than one?" She nodded. "You have the same connection to the kits. I''m guessing that''s how they know what holograms they can attack without interfering with your work". I shook my head and looked at Kim who was smiling "on my world men who dedicated their lives to producing aura ribbons can produce one maybe two a year that last for minutes. You have 7 ribbons going 24/7 and you''re not even trying".


    I just huffed "I will get a hang on them eventually". Vicky appeared and said "now works".


    Well let me tell you 10 hours of training and that''s your time, trust me time runs much slower in my mind. I had it all worked out and I could assign feelings to the ribbons and reach out to people. This seems deceiving to me so I''m not sure I like it.


    I could see the ribbons now without even trying. Imagine a ribbon that flows from me to them hugging the floor. Watching the kits play is weird now, I keep waiting for the ribbons to tangle. I still haven''t figured out why they have ribbons, I hope they don''t mind as they get older.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    My head hurt and I was going to check in with Sandy but Vickey said it was ok she had it under control. They tried to take 3 more bots before they gave up. I went to the bedroom and saw all the ribbons and sighed and smiled. I lay beside Lisa and realized how connected we were and it felt like a warm blanket as I drifted off.


    Well with the whole aura thing worked out, well for the most part anyway. What''s next, am I going to get stingers or something, I chuckled to myself. "You won''t get them for years" Vickey laughed in my ear and appeared. "You''re rotten" I retorted and she just smiled. "But seriously is there anything else" she shook her head so I got in the shower.


    By the time I got out Lisa was getting up so we went to see the kits. They were eating pizza of various types. Kim saw me "YOU" she looked at me with malice and walked up to me with a Utensil in hand. "Do you know how many types of pizza your species has? I had to get Vickey to check your history to find the right one. All I got from the kits is pizza". She said and huffed "oh and pineapple does belong on pizza" she giggled. I laughed through her rant that made her madder.


    "Why didn''t you just ask me ". "You were asleep and I think the kits were letting you sleep". I just shrugged and got a coffee and Lisa got a tea. She drinks this sweet tea so her licks were flavored. I kissed her and she smiled, I''ve been slipping them in more often.


    I asked Vickie if there is anything I need to address. "No everything is running well. There was a group of military that tried to take over and Sandy walked all over them and used the bots to physically remove them from the ship". I smiled "wow I really lucked out with her"


    "your right you did, she was a medic in Afghanistan and was even under fire a few times. You just went with your gut on her didn''t you?"


    "yup" was my only reply.


    "Well what about today then" I asked the room.  Everyone looked around not saying anything. It was the male who stood up and said in his little pixie voice "beach". I smiled "well that is decided, Vickey find us a beach". We all got ready, not that we needed much.


    Arriving on the beach the kits bolted and were loving the sand. I headed for a dip and saw the kits trying as well finding a tide pool. I got back to the sand and went to a blanket and just relaxed.


    "Sir you are needed on site" I hear in my ear so I get a lick and go to the RV. I opened my avatar''s eyes and found 3 men in front of me waiting. The first one wanted to know about my power sources and are they safety. The second asked about the medbeds and their safety. The third just hung back.


    "The power source is fusion based and is perfectly safe. The medbeds use nanobots to fix the body and have been in use for hundreds of years on many worlds". The third spoke "why are you hiding behind that robot?" I looked at him "I''m not hiding. I''m on the other side of the planet and this is my version of long distance. I will reveal myself when I''m ready and not before then. Are we done here?" I got nothing so I left to find Sandy.


    She was in good spirits after just getting up from a nap. Things were going well and the 2 apartment buildings were done and they loved them. Some people preferred them to their old homes, that made me feel good. She has been shuffling as many people as possible through the beds. "Seems word got to the next towns hospital and they got in touch with me. They shipped their terminal and just about everyone else and we fixed them up" she smiled.


    I looked at her "I have to say thank you. I gave you this task and you hit the ground running and haven''t stopped. You have exceeded my expectations at every turn".


    She smiled "I''m loving this to be honest with you, I love to organize and I fit right into this role". We both smiled "you definitely made it your own. Just promise me something, You will always take care of yourself and that goes for your crew as well" another smile "I know when to step back and make time and I will show others".


    We walked around and most of the beds were in use and people were milling about. "How are kids around the bots?" she turned to me. "They seem to be fine, they walk right up to them and touch them to make sure they are real. Even the babies take to them they are a good design". My turn to smile "yea I have a good design crew. Is there anything else you need me for?" She shook her head "those shitheads were the bulk of it, I can handle their cronies".


    "I heard" I laughed and she smiled "what is your eta on this site?" She squinted thinking "I''m thinking 36 hours" I just nodded and left.


    I got my lick and coffee the instant the VR stopped. Lisa just smiled at me and went to the door of the RV. I came behind her and looked out seeing a kit tear by at top speed leaving flying sand in their wake. The others were doing the same at the water''s edge playing a game they invented. I decided to eat something and before I knew it we were all inside eating and talking.


    Now that they aren''t moving the kits look tired. I asked if going home is an option, getting nodds all around. "Vickey, could you please take us home". We finished eating as we flew.


    Back on the ship we went straight to the shower to desand.


    The kits have taken to checking between their toes and around their ears.


    "I feel guilty they are cooped up all the time". Kim started to laugh "they have more room than royalty on my planet, they will be fine". Everyone looked tired as I left for my shower and sand inspection. I got back and we settled on the sofa for the evening. We started watching programs and talking as the kits came to me one at a time and put their arms up. The adults were not far behind them so we called it a night.

 14

    I woke up dreading what I had to do today, but realized I have to do it. I have to deal with my family.


    I got up without disturbing my brood and made my way to my office where Vickey was waiting. "I think the same way we got Jaden will work. Both of us and a message from the old me, we can get them here and answer questions all at once". Vickey nodded "we can go east to west moving the ship as we go".


    I took the RV and set the ship to follow us across Canada. "Can you make it feel like we are driving while we are flying?" another nodd "I can tint the windows and turn off the damper so they won''t know they are flying it should provide enough feedback. I can make a landing area that will fool them into thinking they are at a hotel".


    "Do it please"


    Nova Scotia first, I landed not far from my sister Barb''s place and pulled up in front. I got the holodisk and followed Vickey to the door, I knocked. My sister answered the door "May I help you". Vicky spoke up "we have a message from your brother Brad may we show it to you". She stepped back and let us enter and I pulled out the holodisk.


    The old me appeared "hello Barb" she just blinked "Barb are you ok".


    "Um yea, Brad what is going on?"


    "I''m collecting the entire family today for a meeting we need to have. I need you to come with me for a few days, the offer is for your whole family. All you need to do is get ready like you''re going to the mall". Barb looked at me and Vicky "then who are you". I smiled "we work for your brother" she got a shocked look on her face. "Don''t make me regret this Brad".


    My hologram laughed "Barb for once in your life shut up and do what you''re told". That made her huff but she went to get ready making phone calls along the way. This stop resulted in 11 of my family in the RV and on our way. My hologram popped up again "Barb start making phone calls and warn the rest of the family. I would like to have them ready to go when I get there". She nodded and went for her phone again.


    For the rest of the day Vickey and I picked up my family. 11 stops across Canada to collect as many as I could. I got all my living siblings and lots of their kids and some of theirs. Vicky did an awesome job with the landing area making it look like a hotel entrance and she shuffled everyone off to the living area.


    Everyone was milling around hugging the family members enjoying the family reunion. I appeared as a full size hologram "hello everyone" that started the questions. "Ok I will give you a choice. It''s late so we can get some sleep and go over this in the morning or now".


    Now was the answer I got. I got up from my seat and stood by my hologram and Vicky joined me "no more hiding" I made the hologram disappear "I need you to sit quietly and listen for a few min ok". Everyone nodded "Vicky bring them up to speed".


    I looked at their faces with blank expressions until they found out I died. She got into my new body and back to blank faces"


    My turn "you may recognize the other face I''ve been using" I brought up a hologram of my avatar. "No way" I heard from one of the kids. "I don''t get it," said my sister Angie. "Watch the news mom," said her daughter. "So you are the one doing all the rescues?"


    "Yes I am," I replied. "What about the ship?" asked Luke''s son. "You mean the one you''re on right now" I winked at him and his eyes got big.


    "Where are we now" came from one of the kids. I brought up a hologram of the ship over BC. "Cooool is this the ship that ate the space station" I heard from a young female voice. We all laughed "I didn''t eat it I took it into one of my hangar bays and fixed it"


    "Why are we here?" asked my brother Earl. I looked at him "you''re here so I can guarantee you safety. I need to make sure that they can''t get to me through you. I''m going to step on a lot of powerful toes and we know how people act. I''m going to make sure you''re taken care of and safe from this day forth".


    "Let''s start with this, Darrell come up here please". He got a worried look on his face and came to stand in front of me. "You''re first in the bed". Another worried look "what bed" I pointed at medical that was clearly marked. "This will get rid of your diabetes and make you feel great. Vickey could you please". She led him to the medbed. That''s one down, 2 dozen more to go.


    "What''s happening to my dad" Amanda asked "he is having everything that can be fixed repaired, he will come out good as new" Vickey came to me and whispered in my ear "he will be out in an hour" she seemed ok with that answer. "Are we all going in the beds?" I heard from the crowd. I nodded "this is the beginning of me keeping you safe and healthy". Vickey went on a spiel that lasted for the most part of an hour. She went over how the nanobots work and what they will be able to do. The fact that they will be immune to all viruses and the talk of their lifespan drew shocked looks.


    She was still talking when Darrell came out with a shocked look on his face and he was looking at his hands. Amanda ran to him hugged him then stood back "dad you look the same age as me". He looked shocked. "I feel younger" he looked at me. "You''re about 35 again on your new timescale".


    "New timescale?"


    "I will let your daughter bring you up to speed" he just nodded and walked away with Amanda.


    For the next few hours I cycled everyone through the beds. Most were 20 min but there were a few that were longer. Seems old age requires more work.


    Vickey was walking around talking to the people and playing with the kids. I saw Tena get out of the bed and look at herself. I guess she thought she would be skinny like the others.


    Finally everyone was done so I gathered them together. "I can now track you and keep you safe. There are a lot of nut jobs out there that would use you to get to me when I go public with what I bring".


    "Tech like what" came from someone. "Free energy, free food,free housing and free education".


    "Yup you''re gonna piss a lot of people" Shaun said while shaking his head.


    "Like Vickey said, that''s why I was made, so to speak. Listen why don''t we call it a night there and pick it up in the morning". Everyone chose an apartment and after a few hugs I went to leave and saw Barb looking at me.


    "Come on out with it" she smiled "just proud of my son" I took a deep breath "I am not your son Barb, you gave up that title when I was 4 and the adoption papers were signed. Every time you say that you disrespect mom, she raised me and put up with my shit so she alone holds the monicker of mother in my world". She had tears in her eyes and I didn''t care so I left. Vicky leaned in "you ok". I looked at her and smiled "I''m just fine".


    "Why did your grandmother adopt you, I can''t find it in my files?"


    "You know I''ve heard so many different stories I don''t know what is true". She just nodded and said nothing.


    The next morning I showed up with the kits clinging to me. Everyone was scared of them at first but when the kits went to investigate the new people they were welcomed. It was cute to hear them say hello in their little voices. They went from person to person, sniffing and smiling. I heard an ouch and saw my sister Tena pulling her hand back after one of the kits scratched her, I smiled at that.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    My niece Shauna''s son came to me "are we on the moon?". I looked at him "not at the moment what did you need little man?" He smiled a shy smile "I wanted a rock". I looked at Shauna and was puzzled "he is into a rock collection phase". I laughed and squatted down "I promise to get you one ok". He nodded his head smiling "thank you" and he ran off. "Thank you uncle Brad," Shauna said and ran after her son. I asked Vicky to go grab a few kilograms of rocks on the moon.


    We spent hours reminiscing and talking about the future. Before I knew it lunchtime came around so I told them about moms spaghetti and meatballs.


    My brothers were fighting over who got to go first, producing laughter. Vicky let them know how she made it from my memories for me.


    There were smiles all around and I made a plate for me and the kits. The kits sat on the table with me and dug in. We all laughed at the kids covered in sauce and we made our way to a refresher.


    "You said Vicky made this from your memories, is she linked to you" came from a neices or was she a grand niece. Vickey popped in "oh that''s not that half of it". She didn''t get into my upgrades last night. She laid it all out for them. "So you have access to his memories like data files" came from a nephew "I have access to every moment of my life". I brought up the day I met him for the first time and let him watch. The kids thought it was neat but the adults knew the downside, all the dark ones are there as well. It was Angie that said "your brain recorded everything". I nodded "every memory, every feeling, good or bad".


    "Vicky, could you call the triplets". She nodded and they appeared. That''s when the questions started so I let them field them. The triplets answered questions about me to verify they had access to my memory as well.


    I noticed that Vicky was agitated and actually had to bite her tongue a few times. I pulled her aside asking why "I''m getting irritated seeing your sisters sitting there with Barb and they are one of the main reasons you were so screwed up". That will come out eventually so we only have to make face for a few days". She nodded.


    And that''s the way the day went, lots of questions. I would bring up a memory of my life when they weren''t part of it. Vickey avoided my sisters and they caught it resulting in them talking to themselves. Barb came up behind me "I understand what you said and I won''t say it anymore" I spun to look at her "yes you will Barb you can''t help yourself, the same as Tena can''t keep her mouth shut. That''s why this will probably be the last conversation we have. Your brother died a long time ago and I''m honoring his memory and keeping you safe when my identity comes out. I am Brad and I''m not anymore, I''ve changed so much you wouldn''t even know me not that you did in the first place. We all have been strangers for a long time, not being cynical just being honest".


    That put a somber mood for the rest of the evening but I didn''t care.


    The next was worse, Vicky got involved. She got the sisters in a room and played them a video of my memories of them torturing me as a kid. "You are not getting the physical upgrades because I said no to them. I took it out of Brad''s control. You 3 have done nothing but muddle and undermine his life. You got the health benefits but if you want to look better get off your ass". With that she disappeared and told me what she did. They avoided me for the rest of their stay.


    "Vickey are the cards done". She nodded so I gathered everyone together as a bot delivered a box. "Everyone here has a bank card with their name on it please come up and find yours". I dumped them on the table and waited for them to find theirs. "There is one million in the accounts tax free". That got a lot of chatter "where did you get this money" Vicky jumped in "Brad''s bank is into the billions now" Blank stares "I warned you your life will change" a few nods and a gasp.


    I got a notification I set up "I''m sorry I have a rescue mission to debrief. I will be back in a bit".


    "Is the rescue in Texas done?" Asked Earl, I just nodded.


    On the flight deck there isn''t really much for me to do but greet the crew. Sandy emerged with 4 people in tow, I only recognized 2.


    "This is Jill and Sam, Sam is an RN and Jill is a 4 year resident. I think they will fit in well amongst the crew. I introduced myself "welcome to the ship and to the crew, I''m glad to have you here. My family is using a bunch of the apartments. Are you ok there or do you want me to put you somewhere else". They all looked at one another and shrugged. "I''m sure your family doesn''t bite, we should be ok" I nodded at that and made my retreat to go get a coffee and all that comes with it.


    I found Lisa and she had a coffee waiting for me. I looked at her "you feel ready to meet my family?" She smiled "I would love to". I really hope this goes well. We took the lift and as soon as the door opened I saw Tena yelling at Earl about the upgrades they got and she didn''t.


    "ENOUGH" I yelled and brought up a hologram that haunts my dreams.


    I remember this day, I used to get it as flashbacks. It was Father''s Day and I was upset for obvious reasons with no father and was sitting in the kitchen. Tena was telling me how much of a piece of shit and a drunk my father was and I was better off that he was dead. I didn''t think so, especially then I was 9.


    "That was life with you growing up, it was never ending. I want nothing from you but silence. You tortured me growing up and Vicky got to watch it all, take what she gave you and go home. Vicky can take you home when you''re ready so just go. Angie you can go with her, Barb when you get it through your head I''m not your son anymore we can talk but that''s not right now".


    I walked to my brothers "your stay is indefinite, stay as long as you like". They nodded and then their eyes opened when Lisa gave me a lick "I''m sorry mom needs me".


    "Ok I will be there in a bit". That made my brother''s eyes focus on me. I got into the story of being claimed that got me laughs. I told them about saving the kit family and being papa. I assured them that their kids and their kids are going to be part of the protection bubble.


    After we talked for a little while we worked out that Shaun could contact the ones that aren''t there. "Knowing you''re doing this takes a weight off, thank you". Shaun put his hand on my shoulder "anytime my brother, Shelly is loving this". I smiled "it''s not like I don''t have the room" I laughed. Shelly came over and Shaun gave her the pitch. She smiled wide "I don''t know where the brother in law I dreaded to hear from went but this works" she laughed and everyone joined in.


    So over the next few weeks all 21 nieces and nephews and their kids will come through, this should be fun. The lift opened and the entire kit family came out and were a bit hit with my brothers. Lisa gave me a lick "how come I don''t get a hello like that" Darrell laughed and got hit by his daughter. I looked at Shaun and Shelly "do you want your girls here with you?" They looked at one another then back to me "sure".


    "Why don''t you go get them" they nodded and I looked at Vickey "would you please". She nodded and left, Shaun and Shelly followed. I looked at Earl and Darrell "you guys gonna retire".


    "No, I can go back to work now," Darrell said. Earl just shrugged "I have no idea but possibly a business" I smiled. "Well if you need more money let me know".


    I looked over at the kits playing with the kids and knew they were fine. The kids couldn''t catch them and they loved the attention, the little hams. They would only stand still for a picture. I watched as one of the boys started making faces, the kits looked at one another puzzled then the game was on. There wasn''t a straight face between them, Kim is going to kill me.


    I looked at Shelly "if they have big dogs you might want to look into boarding". She looked at me "yea a dog could hurt these cuties". I started to laugh "it''s the other way around" I went to the replicator and got a drinking glass and the male cut it for me while they watched.


    "There are no big dogs but I would count the kits when they leave" she giggled. Shaun perked up "so where is the golf course, you''d have everything else" I remember he loves his golf. I called B and asked if they could come up with something.


    Shelly asked me "will we be staying here alone". I shook my head "no I have people in a few of the quarters, I guess they are hiding. They are more of my crew".


    "Once the girls see the clothing replicator I figure they will be lost so I will make bags for them to take home. Should I put weight limits on them" I laughed and they joined me.


    B sent me a message to come to the flight deck so Shaun Shelly and I went to see. We found B on the flight deck next to a tent-like structure. He asked Shaun to put on the goggles that were built for him. Inside the tent was a full set of clubs and a full VR setup. Shaun pulled off the goggles "this is beyond VR this is like being there" he put them back on and went for a club. "He can play on any course on earth and I made a few on other planets as well".


    Shelly walked up to me and smacked my chest "I just lost my husband" she laughed "I''m my defense don''t you play as well?" She nodded and B looked at her "I made it for 2" he pointed to the second set of goggles. Shelly laughed "Vickey is taking care of the girls so why not". It was funny seeing them all wired up but they seemed to like it.


    Lisa came to me about taking another beach day. "I think that''s a fine idea B we will need 2 more RV''s please". He nodded "coming up". "This will look funny, the RV''s on a beach in the middle of nowhere". That got giggles and nose lick. "We can work out the details in the morning. We went to my quarters and called it a day

 15

    I woke up the next morning covered in little bodies so I just layed there for a few min then managed to get the kits transferred to Lisa without waking them. I got to my office and all my brain crew were there waiting for me. C looked at me "May I conduct a test on the moon? It will be a pretty big boom so I will do it on the backside".


    "What''s it for?". He smiled "I want to run a test on a shield generator".


    "By all means"


    "thank you sir I''ve run thousands of simulations and it''s time for real life tests". He brought up a video of the dark side of the moon then there was a flash in one of the craters then I saw drones flying in. "What kind of shields?"  He smiled "emergency and personal"


    I looked at him puzzled "I thought they were huge bulky things?"  Another smile "they were till I examined the crystal vickey found, it had properties that didn''t show until hit with a pulsed laser. Its material is at least twice as dense as normal diamonds or any crystal for that matter. It can store a huge amount of energy and can dump it all at once, it''s like an unlimited capacitor if your cut it right".


    He was finishing his explanation when a drone entered with a shoebox surrounded by a 20 cm shield. It came to me so I held out my hands. The shield dropped and it fell. "That box just survived a one kiloton explosion" he said proudly. I looked inside and found a matchbox sized shield generator with a little crystal attached. "How. These things were huge".


    He smiled confidently "I found research in 17 different civilizations that had promising results with types of crystals so I looked at the diamond and sure enough it had what they needed. I just built on their research".


    "This is fantastic C, I can see this saving lives". He smiled "that''s what I''m hoping but we have a limited supply on this one".


    "Make some ships and look for more, we have to start mapping so keep an eye open for them".


    "Thank you sir" I smiled as Lisa came in "are you hungry".


    "Anything else?"  I got head shakes and went for food.


    Lisa had breakfast already laid out for me, I''ve got it too good. The kits were digging into a fruit bowl trying them all. We were eating when Shaun and Shelly came in "thank you for the simulator it works perfectly" said Shelly "it does not" said Shaun and Shelly started to laugh "he lost and is trying to blame the hardware". We all laughed as he sulked.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Are you up for a beach day today, you can drive one of the RVs". He perked up, I saw him eyeing it up on the flight deck. "Sure we will get the girls" and they were off. We all met on the flight deck and packed all 3 RVs with people who wanted to go.


    Vicky flew over some islands with beautiful beaches and I let my crew pick what one they wanted. The kits took off as soon as the door opened running around the RV and getting their bearings. I would kill for that much energy I chuckled to myself. Shaun''s little clan of daughters and grandchildren went straight for the water. The kits followed them to the waters edge then stopped when a wave bigger  than them crashed onto the beach.


    About 20 min into having fun I was on a beach towel when my comms went off. Sandy''s face popped up "I''ve been monitoring the storms and I think we have another project". I nodded at her "give me a min". I grabbed a lick and went to the RV and booted up the VR.


    "That''s better, now what''s the story".


    "There is another small town in Texas that is under warnings now and Vickey scans show all the makings for a bad one. I''m preparing for dust off at a moment''s notice".


    I smiled "how is your crew doing?"  She laughed "they can''t wait for the next one". I smiled and went over a few details but she already had it under control.


    I shut down the VR to find Shaun staring at me "not the brother I remember" he handed me a bottle of water. "Same brother, just lots of upgrades" I laughed and took a drink. "You know Shelly and yourself can take one of these out for a run anytime you want. I saw you eyeing it up" I giggled. He smiled a half smile "I can drive it but the flying not so much".


    "Vicky can fly for you, promise me you will take one out for a week before you''re done. Hey you can go anywhere on the planet". He smiled "I promise we will" I smiled and nodded at that. We went to leave and got sprayed by sand as 3 kits flew by. "I don''t know if it''s the space or the sand but they love it here". He nodded in agreement and went to his family.


    The party lasted till we could watch the sunset while we all cuddled on the beach and watched. When the sun went down the boats showed up so we took that as our cue and headed home. Another desanding shower later we all sat around watching the news and talking in the communal area. I checked in with Sandy and she had it well under control so I grabbed my brood and went to bed.

 16

    We got up the next morning to have a lazy breakfast and were just talking when Sandy messaged me. "I need to make an appearance" I said to Lisa and went to my office.


    I opened my eyes and found sleeping children. I quietly left the room not disturbing them and found Sandy. "You didn''t wake them did you?" Were her first words. I shook my head no "we are having trouble with them we can''t find their parents. They were friends so we are looking now".


    "What do you need me for?" She pointed over my shoulder so I looked. There were 4 men with a lot of stripes and they approached us. They greeted Sandy "they are all yours" she said then spun on her heels and left.


    "What can I do for you gentleman". One man stepped forward "first of all what is powering all of this". I smiled "this ship is powered by fusion reactions that are perfectly safe I assure you".


    "Are you going to share this technology" came from another man "am I not sharing my tech right now". No response "gentleman this is just the beginning of what I''m going to be bringing to the world, just be patient and it will happen" Still stoned faces.


    "Do you captain that ship?".


    "Yes I do sir but remember I''m human".


    "If you''re human, where are you from?"


    "I grew up in Canada" that got some weird looks and that will give them something to chew on. "Are you challenging anyone for power?". I laughed "I want no such thing. I''m here for the people, not politicians. I can pull out right now if that''s what you want". He looked shocked "no no no that''s not what we want. We just want to know where you stand". "Gentlemen I''m here for the people and that''s it".


    "Would you let us inspect the med beds and the other tech?" I looked at him "not a chance, you would have to be trained in my tech first. In short you would hurt yourself if not properly trained. There is more power than you can handle in my equipment".


    He looked mad "and you feel you have the ability to control it". I smiled "yes I do, I was made to control it and unless told otherwise I will continue to help people with it. Now gentleman if that is all I have work to do". I went to leave and was blocked by the biggest of the men "we have to make sure there are no weapons".


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings."Gentlemen, the only weapons here are the ones you brought. You can search if you want but stay out of the way of the patients". With that I left them and caught up with Sandy. I got the all clear to go home so I snuck back into the office to my pod.


    Shockingly there was a nose kick and a coffee waiting for me. "Is everything ok?" she asked me. "Yes and no it''s just people being people".


    "Vickey, where is Becky?"


    "She is in her quarters and she has been in there for 2 days". I went to investigate and touch base.


    She answered the door in one of the housecoats that everyone loves. "I''m touching base with everyone and checking in". She smiled and waved her arm granting me entry. Her living room looked like a video control station and there were 4 screens running different videos.


    "How are things going and you need a workspace". She laughed "yea it just grew as I needed it. I have all your accounts active and have been uploading interviews of the patients. You have 400k followers on twitter so far and instagram is off the charts. Is there anything in particular you need?" I shook my head "no just touching base. Oh I told them I was from Canada so you can play with that". She nodded "we need to go over the interview when you have time".


    "Of course not today though, please take the rest of the day off". With that I made my exit and went looking for the twins.


    They were in their quarters 3 doors down the hall so I pushed the call button. Emma came to the door and when Ryan saw me he hid the hologram he was working on. "I''m sorry if I''m disturbing you" he looked at me and smiled "it''s not done yet we have been working on the accommodations for the people we save".


    I smiled "I have no doubt it will be perfect and no worries, I hate people looking at my work when I''m working on it". He smiled "I''m just touching base with everyone to see if you need anything". They looked at each other then me "no we are good" Emma said so I bid my farewell.


    That taken care of, I went to my office where Vicky and the triplets were waiting for me. "We have a new ship for you to see sir". A hologram came up of a sleek looking ship. It was a smaller version of Vickey with 2 visible engines. "This is our new deep space exploration ship. It had both types of FTL and it''s autonomous so it''s set and forget. It will map at a rate of 0.8 light years a day leaving drones behind for scanning. We are setting this one to do a detailed map of the solar system".


    "Sounds good, do it". They disappeared as Lisa came in and sat on my lap "do you have anything for me". I shook my head and she licked my cheek.


    So the rest of my day was spent seeing people off who were leaving and minor tasks.

 17

    The next day I opened my eyes with Vicky yelling at me in my head to get up. Her and the triplets were in my room waiting for me. I moved bodies and got to my office. "We detected a new signal and I don''t recognize them," Vicky said. A jumped in "we picked up what looked like a battle on the edge of our sensor range". I looked at him "how bad of a battle". "I caught 27 shots fired, I''m assuming there were more though. It''s 450 AU from earth so it''s just a quick jump". I smiled "Vickey is there anybody in transit to earth".


    "No sir" I smiled "let''s do it, shields up,weapons up, cloak engaged and jump as soon as you can".


    I went to the bridge and as soon as I sat we jumped to less than 1000 km away. There were pieces of the ships everywhere. "Vicky go after the computer and get what you can" she nodded. The largest ship was a cylinder with one big engine on the back, It had no windows. "What can you tell me?". A looked at me "I''m showing no life signs anywhere sir, the large ship has decompressed and looks abandoned".


    "How many ships were here". B stepping in "I''m estimating there are 3 ships here sir but no idea who was attacking who".


    "Send a drone to scan," he nodded. Vicky turned to me "sir I have the computer and this is a slave transport vessel. It seems we happened across a beef between clans. This was the equivalent of a drive by shooting".


    "Make sure we leave no evidence of us being here". Just as I finished, the video from the drone popped up. It was built like a mobile prison, there were cages and chains everywhere. It looked disgusting and I was glad lol I wasn''t there to smell it.


    "Do we have all the navigation information". She nodded "I downloaded it all so we can sort through it later". I nodded at that and looked through the eyes of the drone. I took control and went around the ship. The breach was in the nose leaving the ship whole for the most part. I looked in quarters and they didn''t reveal much until I came across what I assumed was the captain''s quarters.


    It had a galley and it was nasty with chunks of flesh frozen to the counter. I opened the drawers and saw weird looking utensils and what I would assume was a plate. I saw what looked like a cooler so I opened it and there it was.


    A human foot in a glass case "Vicky grab that and get it back here". She nodded "C scan for any other remains" another nod then he looked away for a second. "I''m picking up 12 different species, none of them human".


    "There is nothing here but death" I said and the others nodded. "Recall everything and make sure there is no trace of us here. We aren''t ready yet for them to come snooping. Finish your scans and let''s go home". We did just that.


    The foot showed up on the bridge "what can you tell me Vickie".


    "Male, 32 years old and he had nanobots, But they are nothing like ours. He has been dead for at least a year. I''m not sure I want to know why there are bite marks and gnawing on the bone. I''m checking their files on the foot and he was classed as a great warrior that was barely defeated in hand to hand combat in an area. This is a trophy, to ingest the enemy you gain his power. That''s nasty".


    "Can you get a clear DNA profile, we might be able to give some family some closure".


    "Running it now" she retorted. "His name is James Hollower and he disappeared 15 years ago from a state park".


    "This is a mystery for another day, put this in stasis". She giggled "I will put it in with your body".


    "You kept it?" I looked at her. She shrugged "what else was I going to do with it so I used it to calibrate the medsbeds and stuck it in the freezer". I shook my head. "Are we done for now getting nodds I went to the shower and let the jets beat away the stress of the morning. Lisa met me at the door with a lick that melted the rest of them.


    We got to the kits home to discover they had discovered jello and were having a ball. I sat and enjoyed the show with Lisa in my lap.


    I checked in with Sandy and got pulled into a debate with a military guy over the safety of my equipment and I could be helping in other places. I told him it takes time and staffing and I''m working on both as we speak. Sandy informed me that she would be done in about 20 hours, that made me smile. Another 3 candidates were poached from the locals for me to meet, which made me happy as well.


    "I''m going to leave it up to you when you want to start branching out". She nodded in agreement as she ate. "I will let you eat in peace" and I dropped the line.


    Lisa licked my nose and cuddled into her spot. "Vicky feel free to do some hacking and find out what they know so far". She nodded "what agency". I smiled "all the lettered agencies".


    She looked like a kid that was given the keys to the candy store.


    I needed to eat so I got a club and fries and returned to my spot. I realized I forgot a drink so Lisa jumped up to get it for me. She handed it to me "thank you baby" she looked at me like I had 3 heads and I laughed "sorry it''s a term of endearment here, I will stop if it bothers you".


    "No it was just odd" and she sat "ok good because I do it a lot" she snuggled closer.


    I finished eating watching the kits and their jello when Vicky appeared. "Sir, could we have a few minutes of your time? '''' Lisa and I went to my office B spoke first "the ranger is ready for her maiden voyage, are there any spots you want scanned first". I smiled as a hologram of the ship came up "actually yes the spot where the kit''s appeared let''s see what we can turn up". He nodded "Vickey has all the scans of their vessel so that might shed some light, Gar said they had a prototype energy source, When do we launch?" B giggled "already done, halfway to target now". I shook my head and laughed. "Sir there is something there but it''s just gravitational. It''s almost like a scar that''s healed".


    "I thought we might have gotten some answers. Guess not. Leave a drone and scan it constantly". He nodded.


    Vicky looked at me "they don''t know much beyond what you told them. There have been a few calls to the Canadian military asking if we were with them". I laughed at that "they want your tech and are all scrambling to get any info they can. The FSB and British Intelligence has classified you as a threat so be aware of that. I''ve melted down 7 bots so far, they are persistent I will give them that".


    "All they see is new war toys. I think allowing the bots to defend themselves and just not go blindly is due. I will have a chat with the brass and let them know of the new settings".


    I booted up my VR and sure enough there were a few waiting for me. "Aaaa gentleman, just the people I wanted to see. It seems you keep taking my bots and I keep melting them down, that comes to an end now. From now on my bots will fight back to avoid being removed from this site and they will protect my crew. You may want to pass that up the chain before someone gets hurt. There that was easy, you don''t touch my toys and I won''t touch yours, agreed".


    They nodded because they were both on the phone, I''m assuming with the higher ups. I left to find Sandy finding her at the corner of the windows watching me. She was giggling when I got to her "I love the way you deal with them you treat them like little kids" I laughed "well they act like it, they just want new toys. How are things here?"


    She smiled huge "we will be pulling out today and I can''t wait for the next. I will never tire of the old walking again and kids healed of something they don''t even understand. Thank you, I couldn''t even imagine this before I met you". I smiled "there is no need to thank me you earned it. Are you going to take time off or get ready for the next storm?" She thought for a second "probably not, the job is low stress when you do nothing but improve lives".Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "That''s true" I giggled "I will let you be then". I turned to see the brass waiting for me at the conference room. "Why is it you won''t share all of your tech". I looked at him "I will but that takes time. I''m here to help the people not the military so don''t hold your breath on getting it too soon. If pushed I WILL push back and trust me that a fight you can''t win. That isn''t a threat or a challenge, it''s just a fact. Now is there anything else". They shook their heads so I sat and powered down.


    Nose lick achieved I went to see Becky, I think we need to step up the game. I found her in her apartment so I asked her to join me in the communal area. We discussed the interview and the website she is now running. "Vickey is hosting the site on one of the satellites so they can''t trace or hack it".


    Vicky appeared " I leave you alone for 5 minutes and you challenge someone to a fight. That took about 10 min to get back to their HQ and now all the chatter is about how powerful you are" she shook her head at me. "Great, I need to keep my mouth shut". She laughed "no this will work. At least they should back off for a while".


    "Well I''ve been saving this for an occasion like this, I have plans for battle armor for you". I looked at her "what am I going to do with that". She smiled "you know a show of power is going to happen we may as well be prepared. I''m making 5 units for you and they will be connected to you through your nanobots. I figure 5 of them could easily take over any base on the planet. With the new shields they could nuke you and you won''t even notice outside of the light show. These units are used for planetary defense and can function in any environment. Trust me sir you will like these. I will start construction now as your personal ones take a few days each to produce".


    I just looked at her, not sure what to say. "It will come to a time that you will have to protect those in your charge" I nodded at that "ok fine" she jumped and clapped, I just laughed.


    Becky thought this interaction needed to be recorded, I suppose I should get used to that. "I can''t release it yet but it''s good to have a backlog so get used to it captain". Captain, I suppose I need to get used to that too.


    Vickey and I were walking away when I asked her about her moon base. "It''s coming along slowly, I keep changing my mind. I like what we have and I like having a community over a city".


    "We may need a second one soon for medical staff". She nodded "they may need their own station someday".


    "A good idea for down the road"


    The kits came running to me, it seems Kim gave them a mission to find me. They climbed on me for the ride back to the kit home.


    Kim met me at the door "don''t put too much effort into finding out home, I know I''m in no hurry to go back". I smiled "even if I found it this is your home now". She hugged me "I know but still no hurry captain" she winked. I chuckled and shook my head "I suppose I may as well get used to that from now on". Lisa came to me "you command a powerful starship. You are the captain, so get over it". I smiled "finding your home is just a mystery I''m trying to solve".


    Vickey appeared "sir Sandy is due in a few minutes and she has some new recruits if you want to go greet them". I nodded and looked at Lisa "wanna go shock some people". She giggled "sure as long as you are there". She cuddled to me and then we were off.


    We watched the ships land and there were drones waiting to resupply and clean the ship. Sandy and her crew walked towards me "we only lost one bot this time, nothing after you let them defend themselves" she said with a hug. Her crew of 3 has grown to 6 so she made introductions. They seemed ok but shocked by Lisa. I took them to their new quarters and they were happy with them.


    Back at the kits I saw Kim run by chasing a kit that was giggling and holding something. She was yelling something about growing up in a closet. I started to laugh because all I heard was my mom coming out of her mouth. I got yelled at for not helping.


    I grabbed the instigator and picked her up for a nuzzle when she whispered in my ear that she was bored.


    I went to sit on the sofa and called them to me. "Are you all bored?". They all nodded, I looked at Kim for morale support getting a shrug.


    That''s when B spoke in my ear "May I suggest something". I smiled as he appeared "sir based on the kit''s intelligence I would suggest flight training the same as your granddaughters. They can build as a team and get out some of that energy". I just looked at Kim and Gars'' shocked looks, they were muttering something about babies flying. I picked up the male "do you want to try it first". He nodded at me "ok let''s go give this a try".


    We all went to the flight deck and B was waiting beside the grav couch. He already had a little flight suit for him "the suits make the connection increase". Kim helped the male put on the suit and the girls were pulling at it. He looked so cute standing there all prowd. He got in the grav couch and the little ship attached to it rose up. It did a flip then a spin and a wobble then redocked. The male jumped out before it was completely open and ran to his sisters. They talked in their little pixie voices in hushed tones. They all looked at me and smiled and that was my answer. "B start on the pods and flight suits right away please", He smiled and nodded. I looked at Kim and Gar "you ok with this".


    "I gave up on figuring them out days ago," Kim said with Gar nodding.


    We made our way home with the kits huddled and talking the whole way. Kim looked in shock and Gar was no better.


    "I''m sure they will get bored with it in time, we just have to keep it fun". They nodded.


    I sat on the sofa and the kits came to me one by one for a hug and I accepted them all. I looked at them and wondered what being a parent to a little one again would be like. It actually scares me but I can''t tell Lisa that. She thinks I''m going to have a huge litter of beautiful kids.


    "You will do fine. Look at you with the kits and they aren''t even yours" Vicky chirped in my ear. Lisa came and sat beside me and grabbed my arm "I feel longing and fear from you". I smiled and kissed the top of her head "I''m just wondering what being a father again will be like". She looked up at me "we will adjust and you will be a perfect father". She started to purr and my fears melted.


    B showed up with 5 more flight suits "the flight simulators will be done in the morning, I have to custom build them for them". The kits looked soooo cute in their little suits looking all snappy. We took the time to take some pictures and the kits hammed it up. We were all laughing when Vicky asked for me to go to the office for a minute. Once there I saw a hologram of a mechanical man about 6 meters tall. I had to laugh because it looked like the hulkbuster from the movies.


    "This is one of the most advanced things I''ve designed to date. Once inside you are protected and have food and water for up to a month. You have 20 drones that give you real time data of the battlefield and material collection. You can jump 250 yards or use it like a battering ram combined with your shields. There are rail guns on each arm and shoulder mounted missiles and the best part is they generate their own ammo". I looked at her "that''s quite the piece of kit, do I have to be in it or can it be done remotely".


    "You have the option of direct control, brain interface or remotely. The other 4 can be autonomous or under your direct control".


    "Well let''s make them and hope we never need them" she nodded.


    I got up and when I walked by the door I saw someone at my quarters, it was my niece.


    "Hello Shauna" and walked towards her open-armed. She hugged me and looked up "I don''t think I will ever get used to this".


    "Yea I''ve been eating my veggies" I chuckled. I saw Lisa in the doorway and she came to me "Have you met Lisa?". "Only in passing hello it''s nice to meet you" Lisa smiled "it''s a pleasure to meet you" then licked my nose.


    Shauna got an evil grin "aaaa she is the one Shelly is talking about I was warned his heart got claimed". She smirked at me "I''m not complaining in one bit" I said to her smiling. The kits came out and had no fear of Shauna so she became a climbing frame and she was giggling the entire time. We went back to my quarters and spent the rest of the evening catching up. Her and Lisa hit it off and I got left out of the conversation on more than one occasion.


    "Where are your kids?".


    "They are visiting with Shaun''s grandson, they don''t get to see one another very often".


    "That will change now". She smiled "I always said it would take quite a woman to reel you in" she laughed "I just had to look on another planet to find one" I laughed and hugged Lisa. It was nice seeing Shauna, I feel closer to the nieces and nephews than my own siblings. We talked until it was time for her to leave and we called it a night.

 18

    I awoke to just me and Lisa, the kits weren''t there. I looked over and saw their flight suits were missing so they must be with B. I leaned down and kissed Lisa on the head. "Hold that thought". She bolted to the bathroom and I laughed as she ran. "It''s not funny, I was so comfortable, Ive needed to go for 20 min".


    "That''s why I''m laughing. I do that all the time". She came back to bed "it''s weird waking up without a foot in my face" She nodded in agreement. "Did you see the kits off" another nod "they went with B about 2 hours ago. They were up and excited when I woke up".


    We made our way to locate mom and dad finding them in housecoats and slippers enjoying a kit free day. "Do you think it would be ok if I checked on them?" Kim smiled "I think it''s ok". I contacted B for an update. I was told to go to the flight deck and nothing more. I repeated the instructions to everyone with eyebrows raised and got the same look back.


    We got off the lift and there was B and 6 smaller grav couches. That''s when I saw 6 little ships flying around in formation. They would loop together and bank left and right like an air show demonstration. They came in for a landing locking into place above the grav couch. The kits jumped out and were talking so fast I couldn''t understand them. They were running around with their arms out pretending to be ships. B rangled them in and told them that they could fly anytime they wanted. These simulators are theirs.


    They waved to B and we went for breakfast, the kits chirping the whole way. At the table they came to me one at a time for hugs and nuzzles. I was glad they did. My batteries were running low, Lisa added one which topped me off.


    Becky sent me a message that she was ready and we will do it in the communal area. I sent for my avatar and waited in my office. Becky set up the camera and got a comfy seat. "This is weird with you in the next room" she giggled. "Are you ready?" I nodded.


    She looked at the camera "we are here with the captain of the ship that saved the ISS and has ongoing rescue efforts over the past few weeks." She looked at me "good afternoon captain, most of the planet has seen the pictures of the ship next to the ISS just to confirm that is your ship". I smiled "yes it is and it''s where we are right now"


    "How big is the ship"


    "1.7 kilometers long"


    "Until it came into your possession where was it"


    "It was hidden on the moon"


    "Was it there long"


    "It was there for over 13 thousand years waiting"


    "Waiting for what"


    "Essentially me. Let me get the ship herself and she can answer those questions". Becky smiled as Vickey appeared and introduced herself. She explained about waiting and scanning every 5 solar cycles. She explained how my DNA is unique and will probably never be seen again. She went into her mission to help mankind and how we are going to fix the planet and stop further damage.


    She looked at me "that good" she smiled "yes thank you" she disappeared.


    I looked at Becky "does that clear things up". She smiled "it does to me. What types of tech do you bring?" I smiled "well the medbeds of course. I have fusion power that doesn''t pollute. It''s just a matter of bringing it in a way that I don''t put people out of work. We are starting waist removal programs to start the cleaning process. Dumps will be a thing of the past. All of this will take time and I''m just starting so please be patient with me."


    Becky jumped in "why did you start the rescue program"


    "Essentially because I could and I could have a positive impact. It was also the fastest way to dive in and I got what I wanted out of it, I got to see smiles instead of dread after such a horrible event. I took that as payment"


    "Why do you choose to hide your identity and will you eventually reveal yourself?"


    "My life will become complicated when I reveal my identity. When I have all preparations in place to protect people close to me I will be revealing myself".


    "That makes sense. Do you have a message for the people".


    "Yes I do. If you see us coming we come to help and we want nothing in return. We are trying to be everywhere but it takes time to build and staff these things. We all just became a space faring species and I want to give everyone a chance to benefit from that" I nodded at Becky


    "Well that''s all for now but it''s not the end of the story. We will have future interviews so stay tuned".


    She looked at me "I think that went well". I nodded. "When will this be online? "I''m putting it up unedited along with some new videos of the latest rescue. Give me an hour and it will be up". I smiled "thank you for doing all of this". She laughed "are you kidding, do you have any idea what you are doing for my career. Trust me we are even".


    "Well until you are stolen from us you are welcome to the crazy family". She looked serious "oh you misunderstood me. I''m never leaving this gig, you''re stuck with me" she giggled and I joined her.


    I thanked Becky again for her hard work and took my leave. I shut down the VR and was alone. It was odd Lisa wasn''t there. I chucked to myself but I wanted a hug so I went to the kits home. There I found Lisa sitting with her eyes closed.


    She opened them and smiled


    "I knew it would work the other way". I cocker my head to the side with a questioning look. "I felt the tug and sat down and pulled you to me". I smiled and realized I was pulled here, I felt the longing for a hug. Could that be it? I scooped her up in my arms "anytime baby". That got a purr and a cuddle.


    "Where is everyone". She looked up at me "mom and dad are playing golf with your family and the kits are in the simulators". I smiled thinking my brother will treat them well. We cuddled on the sofa which turned into a nap.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    We awoke to Shaun, Shelly, Lisa and Gar laughing. Shaun started "I will have to warn some of the family before they see that" he grinned. "Ok the big question, how bad did you do?" They all started to laugh "let''s just say we got a lot of exercise walking all over the place. We had fun talking and walking" Shelly added.


    That''s when the kits walked in with B. You could tell they were tired but they took the slump out of their shoulders when they saw us. They were overstimulated, overtired and in desperate need of a nap.


    They got changed out of their suits and had something to eat and some almost didn''t make it through the meal. We let them pass out and stacked them on the bed. B gave me an update that the male is taking the lead and instructed others. "They love to fly and I''m happy to help them whenever they need it. They have so much fun, how could I say no".


    "Thank you B for all this". He nodded and vanished.


    My comm went off and it was Sandy "there was a train crash outside of Calgary and there are a lot of burn victims and I can help. May I?" I smiled "you don''t even need to ask, just go". She smiled "just checking" and the line disconnected.


    We talked for a few more min till Vicky said "sir you need to see this". She brought up a video from the ship landing and everyone was cheering. "They recognized the ship and we were welcomed with open arms".


    "That''s the reception I''m hoping for all the time from now on. How many views did the interview get so far". It''s sitting at over 2 million views so far and I posted it all over the place. Most news stations played it in its entirety so the word is out for sure".


    A appeared and told me there was activity around the derelict ship. It looks like scavengers". "Have the drone take scans and stay out of sight". He nodded "it seems they are trying to start the engines". I laughed "hey if they want to clean up the site they can, it will save us time". Vicky looked at me "most races are good about things like that. It''s your species that pollutes space". I nodded "yes that''s a problem I need to take care of eventually. What about our satellites?" "They have shields that will destroy the garbage".


    Lisa slid in beside me and I looked at her "any more thoughts of getting in the tank". She smiled "I''m probably going to go in when the kids go into a growth cycle".


    "Ok that''s new what is that".


    "We grow in spurts and we kind of shut down for the process. You will know when it happens, the kits will just eat sleep and go to the bathroom. It usually lasts a few days but who knows with these little ones". She cuddled to me "I will miss you while I''m in the tank".


    "I promise not to leave the ship while you''re in there". I held her to me. She cuddled to me a purred, yup right around her finger. I checked on the kits and they looked like they were pushing buttons in their sleep. "That''s one of the signs of the sleep cycle coming".


    Becky came in and wanted to talk "sir a few governments have reached out, Canada being one of them". I looked at her "I wonder if I crashed a meeting at the UN ''''. Vicky scowled at me "don''t you dare". I laughed "how is Sandy doing". "There are a lot of burn victims that we can help. She had to put 5 people in stasis to stop their pain so she could help them". I nodded "well she has it under control. Hopefully the Canadians won''t steal the bots'''' I laughed.


    How are the Canadians reaching out "there is a rep on the ground now". Another nod and I went to my office. I opened my bots eyes and saw organized chaos and there was Sandy in the middle of it. She was like a medical traffic cop giving directions. I went to her and she waved to a man that was sitting.


    The Canadian stripey shirt came to me "good evening captain I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time?" I smiled "of course please let''s go have a seat". We went to the conference room. I gave him the usual spiel about the tech being proprietary and not for sale and it''s safe. "How did you find out about the train crash?"


    "We have been following the news until we get some satellites so we can search for ourselves". He perked up "your monitoring Canada''''. I smiled "I''m going to be monitoring the planet. There will be 6 satellites that will be for communications and many other things. Once my network is in place it can be used to detect emergencies and cut response time". He seemed pleased with that. "Will you be releasing your power systems?'''' I smiled again "I will but I need to figure out a way to do it with as little disruption as possible", His turn to nodd. "So the oil and gas sector is in trouble?"


    "We knew this time was coming and it is happening now. You have my word on this though I will never charge for my emergency services''''. He smiles at that. We talked for 20 min and ended on a light note. "Have you been in the beds yet?'''' He looked at me funny and said "I''m not injured sir"


    "The beds have many functions, what I''m recommending is what we call a tune up. You will understand when you''re done, are you up for it?" He thought for a second "why not I believe you''re here to help so I''m safe". We walked to Sandy and she directed him to one of the beds. He laid down smiling, I bet his smile gets bigger when he wakes up. I went to Sandy and asked her to be there when he wakes. She nodded and I went to power down.


    I looked around and found nobody and felt no tug. I went to check and found Lisa asleep with the kits. Kim met me at the sofa and confirmed their sleep cycle had begun. She gathered up the kits and I collected Lisa.


    She yawned and looked at me "now that they are asleep I''m going in the tank. Promise me you won''t treat me differently". I held her to me "I won''t beautiful, this is the body you chose and no matter what you look like my mate is still in there". I put my forehead to hers and licked her nose then kissed her". She smiled " I understand the kisses now Jaden explained it to me". That got a look from me, I guess the girls have kept in touch.


    "Now that it''s time I''m nervous" I held her to me and let her know the final choice was hers. "Vickey" she said and she appeared "could you talk to my nanobots and tell them I''m ready" Vickey nodded and looked away then back. "They are ready when you are". We hugged a long hug and a nose lick then she left with Vicky.


    I sat and hung my head a little and Kim saw it. She sat with her hand on my shoulder "she is afraid you won''t like the results". I laughed out loud "it would have to be pretty bad for me to do that". It was then I realized I would be sleeping alone for a week and I slumped my shoulders. With that I went to bed.

 19

    I awoke from a fitful sleep and stretched alone. Shower achieved I went to check on Lisa. I got to the tank and the fluid was opaque. Vickey appeared "she said you will see it when she was done" she giggled. I shook my head and laughed and went to check on the kits.


    I found Kim in a modified bedroom that was set up for this occasion. She combined 2 bedrooms so a bathroom was close for the kits. One of them got up when I got there and almost didn''t make it to the bathroom. It was like watching a zombie movie watching her trying to walk. I looked at Kim "how often do they go through this". She smiled "it varies and with this littler I''m not guessing" she chuckled. "We will know more when they wake up and we can take measurements" I nodded at that "we kind of shut down so we don''t go through the growing pains"


    "It is unique, I will say that. You saw Autumn, we are like that for quite some time. You guys are ready to go out of the box". I chuckled. She looked at me "I wonder if you will have human babies?"  I just blinked at her as she giggled. She loves to rub it in because she knows I stress over that.


    Vicky pulled me out of my daydream and told me my battle armor was ready for testing and that piqued my interest. A fine distraction for now.


    I followed Vickey to the armory, never been here before so I looked around in amazement. The fighters would make dreams come true for many people "how many fighters do we have?"


    "We have 500 on board but that''s later we are here for this".


    She pointed at a big box with a hatch. I looked at her questionly "this is how it ships, get in". I walked to the hatch and opened it showing me a few steps and a grav couch. "Your best control option is a direct brain interface, it will act like your VR". I got onto the couch and the door closed behind me. The instant I closed my eyes I was connected to the bot.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The box started to change, panels became plating for armor. I felt the arms extend to their full length, then the legs locked into place. By the time it was done I was kneeling in a mech unit. It responded effortlessly and I went to stand and promptly fell on my face.


    I could hear Vickey in my ear laughing. "The hardest part is letting go of the physical. You have no problem with the bots, you just need practice". I managed to get to a sitting position. "Let go of your body and let your mind take over". I sat for a minute and looked at my HUD, one by one I managed to clear up my screen.


    I managed to stand, probably looking like a child and managed to take a few steps then a few more. Vicky was right as usual, I had to let go and imagine what I wanted it to do in a waking dream state.


    "What kind of toys do I have?". She smiled an evil smile "you have arm mounted rail guns that can produce their own ammo of varying types. On your back and shoulders are missles that also self-regenerate ammo. You have hundreds of different missiles you can make with a 22 second production rate. There are 20 onboard drones for real time data of the battlefield and material collection. You can''t fly in this model but you can jump up to 250 meters and fall gracefully". I took a few steps feeling more confident and was amazed by the responsiveness. "What about in space?"


    "They are fully space worthy and you can fly there" she giggled.


    "Are you ready for training" "what kind of training" remembering the last round. "There is only one kind". She must have sensed my cringe. "Listen I know you have a free schedule" another cringe.


    "Ok ok it can''t be that bad".


    I was wrong, 14 hours of real time and 22 in brain training". Now I had a full grasp of what these monsters can do and it was a lot, like a few to take out a base a lot. Well I have the toys for a pissing contest I hope will never come.


    "What about sidearms?"


    "We don''t have any made. I prefer not to keep them around. We have the usual laser pistols and rifles of varying power. They all have a DNA lock so only the owner can operate it. Anyway that is enough for today you need sleep".


    "I agree I''m wiped". And that''s exactly what I did and my bed felt wonderful.

 20/21

    The next morning had me checking in on the kits. I looked and had to laugh at a few of them drooling. "That''s how I tell who is hungry" Kim laughed. I went to the medbay and sat with Lisa for a few minutes. I felt the tug for a hug and wondered if she was awake in there.


    I got to my office and was looking at messages and Vicky popped in "you look bored, might I suggest another round of training, your flight skills need work".


    "That''s exactly what I need to distract me". Another 10 hours of real time and 10 in the brain. I was now trained in all ships including mine. Then off to bed.


    The next morning I could see the kits were bigger and they were starting to twitch. Kim informed me that these are signs of them coming out of it. I sat with Lisa and read, I felt the tug and then she moved.


    Becky commed me and asked where I was the last few days. "Nowhere just taking care of some training". I guess Vickey has been putting her off for days. "What do you need?" she looked at me and said, "people want proof". I thought for a second "meet me in my office, I''m on my way now". I touched the glass of the tank and she moved again.


    In my office she was already waiting for me "ok what are they asking for?" She smiled "they want you to heal someone they choose".


    "Sure go for it, there are medbeds in the RVs. They can cure almost anything so I''m sure they can''t throw a curveball that way". She just looked at me like I was joking.


    "I''m serious you work with the person to document their time with us. I''m guessing if they suggested it they have a person in mind already. I''m also guessing we can get this done today". She looked at me and went to her laptop and started typing. She went through a few facial expressions finally ending in a "there it''s in play".


    17 minutes later we got a response. It was a private message from the board moderator of the biggest naysayers. "I know this is bullshit but if you can help my sister caus she needs help. She was born a premie and has lots of health problems like bad joints and stuff like that". I smiled at Becky "get his address and I''m on my way" she nodded and I sent my avatar to the RV.


    It was nice flying for myself even if I was doing it remotely. I was off to Chicago and the air traffic was light. I landed and pulled up in front of a nice little home. I got a hoodie and made my way to the door and started to knock as the door swung open. The woman who opened the door just mumbled something as a young man about 16 came around her.


    "I''m sorry mom he is expected". Not enough robots show up for it to be a thing I guess. The boy led me inside to a living room where there was a young girl watching tv. "I''m Zac and this is my sister Debora and my mom is Penny. Can you really help her?". I nodded and did a scan "she will be in the medbed for 56 minutes. Debora, are you ok to walk or may I carry you". She looked like an old person trying to stand and I felt her pain. "I can walk,'''' she shuffled with her walker. "Actually there are stairs on my ship. How about I levitate you with a tractor beam".


    Her eyes got big and she nodded so I had a drone grab her as she giggled. We went with her hovering to the RV and got her in the bed. She closed her eyes as she was smiling. I sat at the table with mom and brother as they told me about taking care of her and mom mentioned bills.


    "May I see the bills please". She hesitated and squinted her eyes slightly "I suppose". She went to get them. I looked at Zac. "Are you hungry or thirsty, the replicator is right behind you and can make anything you think of". He got the same skeptic look on his face as his mother and stood. He looked at the screen then back to me "this is for real". I nodded "just make your selection and hit make, it takes 30 seconds to make it for you. I watched him scrolling his eyes getting bigger as he did.


    Mom came in with a file folder with her, there was an overview list on the front. "I have to ask why you want to see these?" I smiled "I have the ability to help in many ways" I giggled "I need to win over your son" she smiled and handed me the folder. I looked and was shocked at how much she owed. "How do you afford this".


    She hung her head a little and her shoulders slouched slightly. "We manage but it''s rough".


    I was just about to talk when Zac sat with a tray full of a huge burger and fries and a smile. "Vicky, could you come here please" she popped in. I took the file "scan this and pay them all please" she nodded and took the file with a drone and went through it. "That wasn''t my intention giving you them" mom was in shock "it wasn''t your intention but it''s the result". She just blinked and Zac was stuffing his face like a typical starving teen.


    We talked till I heard a "mom" from the back. By the time we got there she was standing upright with no aid. Her mother shot to her hugged her and then started to jump in joy.


    I looked at Zac and he was staring at his sister with the water works trying his best to hold it back. I put my hand on his shoulder and he cracked. He ran to them and hugged them both. "I thought it was bullshit, I was convinced it couldn''t be true". I looked at him and smiled "I feel like that sometimes as well".


    "It''s your turn now" he looked at me shocked "I''m not hurt". I smiled "we call it a tune up and you will understand when it''s done". He agreed and it showed 17 min.


    I chatted with his sister who was talking a mile a minute. I let her get it out and run out of breath and that was when her brother was done. Moms turn, it showed 46 min and she settled in for her nap. Zac and Debora went to the replicator and ate and talked till mom woke up. "Oh my god I feel amazing" I smiled. "The nanobots will continue until they finish the job and then you pass them. Have I got you convinced yet?" Zac came to me "I''m sorry I doubted you. I have gone a 180 degrees on my views and my posts will reflect that".


    "I have one request, May Becky contact you to document your story". I got nodds from all and Vicky came to me "they are all paid sir".


    I smiled "now you have nowhere but up to go but up ok". They all hugged me and I wish I could feel through the bot. I bid my farewell to a happy family and left.


    I looked around and saw Becky on her laptop "we may have to do that a few times for it to take. If you don''t mind me handing a few of them?" I smiled "not at all, you''re allowed to use it for friends of yours as well". She smiled and I could see the gears turning.


    "How is the site doing?" "Excellent, your interview is sitting at 20 million views". "Well hopefully they believe it" I said and she nodded.


    That taken care of I went to have coffee with Lisa. How this little kitty found her way into my heart so fast is beyond me but I''m not complaining, She just makes things better by being there. I could see my ribbon leading into the tank and could see it changing color. I pushed calming thoughts to her and it settled to its usual color.


    My evening consisted of watching YouTube videos trying to gauge my presence. Most seemed positive but there were a few saying I''m an alien or a billionaire philanthropist like Tony Stark, I found that funny.


    "C are you busy" he appeared smiling "communication devices for the masses, what do you have on file".


    "I have plenty on file from a smartwatch to a gauntlet with full holographic displays. They have various capabilities depending on the model. What are you thinking sir?"


    "I''m thinking of a couple of different types to give people a choice. If we go with the gauntlet I want it to accept the user''s phone and integrate it". He perked up "I have one like that I just have to adapt it for humans". I looked at him and asked, "do I want to know who wore it before". He scrunched up his nose "it was one of the slimy ones" I laughed "let''s leave that out of the sales pitch. What about manufacturing?"


    "Not a problem sir, we could make them here or on the planet". I nodded at that as he brought up a hologram of the gauntlet and it looked painful. There were wires that went from the unit into their skin. "The species didn''t have nanobots so they went the direct approach". I nodded again and the hologram changed into something people would wear. "I want them to be hackable and scalable so people can customize them". He nodded as he changed it again "what is the battery life like?"


    "At least a week and that with heavy use. The smaller watch type can use the gauntlet to charge". I whistled "that will be a big selling point. Well I will leave you with this and feel free to improvise". He nodded and disappeared.


    I grabbed a coffee and went to check on the kits. They were so cute in their sleep and acting out dreams was hilarious. Gar looked at me "Lisa would play an invisible instrument for hours" he giggled. "We just have to watch they don''t have a running dream, they could hurt one another". As if on cue one of the girls stood and walked into the wall of the crib.


    "How much longer for them" Gar answered "it varies, there are a few different schedules that they can follow. We will find out which one they follow when they wake". I smiled "well they are in good hands". They smiled and I made my exit and went to my office.


    I sat and got a message from Sandy "we are done here and on our way back. I have video of them all waving goodbye for Becky". I brought up a hologram of my armor and looked at it wondering what it would be like in the wild. I was like a kid with a new toy and wanted to try it, hopefully soon hopefully never.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I felt a tug to Lisa so I went to see her. She was moving in the tank and her ribbon was changing colors. I put my hand on the glass and she calmed and reached for my hand through the glass. I could see her hand was bigger and the color of her fur had changed. She must have sensed that because she pulled her hand into the gloom. I sat and finished my coffee and watched her in the tank.


    I decided to check in with my brother and see how things are going. Their quarters were empty and the simulators were the same. I looked and noticed one of the RVs was missing and that made me smile.


    I got back to my office and C was there "sir I designed 12 different models and put them online for people to vote. I said I''m writing a book and am looking for input. The gauntlet is the winner so far with the bracelet model a close second". My turn to smile


    With that another day came to an end for me so I layed on an empty bed and passed out.


    Awakening I got up right away and hit the shower. I went to the kits and found 2 of them sitting at the table. They weren''t quite asleep but they weren''t awake either. I got a drawn out "hello papa" and smiled. "They will be in and out of it for a day but they did well". One of the girls tried to take a drink and wore most of it. This I can do so I got a cloth and wiped her face and she smiled and looked at me. That''s when I looked at her and saw her eyes. She no longer had the vertical slit as an iris, she had human eyes. I looked at the other at the table and saw the same.


    "Vickey could you come here please". She appeared and saw the concern on our faces "Vickie talk to the nanobots and see if they did this?" She looked away for a second "they did sir, since they live here now this design makes more sense. They can still see the same but it''s not as bright here so they modeled them after your eyes". "So it was an upgrade". I looked at Kim and she waved me off "I know they won''t hurt them so I''m good". I nodded at that. We checked the others and sure enough they had my eyes, creepy. Since we woke them the kits wanted food and it was like watching hungover frat boys trying to walk. We got them fed and back to bed so I made my leave.


    I sent a message to the twins to come to my office. They came in all smiles "how is your project going?" Emma jumped in "I think you will like it". She produced a holodisk and what I saw was spectacular. It was 5 stories with an open center design with a huge tree in the middle. Everywhere you looked there were green spaces for people to relax and talk. "This is amazing, you put a lot of work into this and it shows. How many people will it hold?" Ryan took this one "just a little over 1000 people". I smiled huge "when will it be done". They both looked at me in shock. I giggled "talk to Vicky and get it built and then we will start filling it". They both smiled "we could start in a few days, keep track of skills and trades. I''m hoping to get a few teachers and such".


    They looked at one another then back to me "we know a teacher that''s living in her minivan with her kids". My turn to smile "how fast can you locate her?" They shrugged "do you remember the make and model of vehicle". Ryan jumped in "it was a Ford Astro and it was gray" I nodded "well that''s a start. Oh the hell with it let''s go for a drive". They jumped up and followed me.


    We took the drop ship with the SUV, there was enough room for the van. We went to every spot they knew of, Second to last we found her.


    Her name was Penny and she recognized the twins right away. Mom eyed me like a predator "Tell me your story and let me help you". That''s when it all came out. She was a sub teacher and couldn''t get a position that could accommodate her kids. Then the money ran out, she still gets the odd day and that''s how they have been surviving.


    "Let me offer you a job with free housing and childcare plus a no lot more". She scowled at me "are you serious". The twins answered for me "trust us he is serious". I could see the gears turning in her head "what the hell my day couldn''t get any worse". I smiled "does this thing drive". She nodded "yes but I''m almost out of gas".


    "That''s ok it''s not far".


    One of the twins got in with her and we found a dark spot to land the ship, I pulled onboard got out and looked back at her. I could see the face on Penny and she was spooked. I walked up to the window "that''s a ship isn''t it?"


    "Yup" she looked at me


    "are you a" she trailed off. I laughed "I''m human not an alien. Just get loaded and I will explain" she nodded and drove forward as I walked and laughed.


    They exited and went forward to the seats and got comfortable. I let Vicky take over flying and went to them. "I promise your life will only get better. Are you hungry or thirsty". The little girl perked up "do you have chocolate milk?"


    "I sure do" I looked at the boy "would you like one as well". He nodded so I got 2 glasses with curly straws. "What are your names?" I asked as I passed them their drink. "Faith" chirped the girl "Jade" said the boy. "Faith is 3 and Jade is 4 so it''s tough finding daycare".


    "Well we don''t have much set up yet but you will probably just bring them with you for now. Do you have a specialty?" She nodded "early childhood development". That made me smile "well if you want to help you can work with the twins and we will find something for you. We will have a lot of people that will be coming here and having a school set up would help". She looked like she was getting excited "I would love that".


    "I want to bring normality to the kids lives" she nodded. I got them quarters by the twins and bid them a good night. The twins will bring them up to speed in the morning. I called it a night.


    I awoke the next morning alone again, this sucks. I got up and got ready for the day heading to the kits for an update. The kids were up and walking, I would guess about 50% functional. I giggled at them for a few minutes then went to see Lisa. I got excited when I looked at the screen and it showed less than 12 hours left.


    That''s when I heard my daughter.


    "I see you are as patient as ever".


    "Who me?" I said in mock disbelief. "You''re not allowed to be here when she gets out, the girls and I will help her get ready for you". I looked at her with a questioning look "she decided all this before she got in". I sat back in my chair "fine I will wait" I pouted. "She knew you would be here every day, that''s why she clouded the water. If your anything dad, your predictable". She started laughing and I stuck my tongue out at her.


    "Where are the girls?"


    "They are at the kits, I can tell they are bigger".


    "Yea Kim can explain that better than me".


    We made our way to the kits home and as soon as the doors opened I got a chorus of Hi Papa. That filled my tank for the day. I sat and got hugs when Autumn came to me and wanted up so I obliged. She crawled up on my chest and promptly went to sleep. I looked at Jaden "she has been like that all week, she just wants to sleep''''


    I looked at Jaden then Kim and Gar "Jaden go take Autumn over there for a min" she did as I asked. There it was, a little ribbon going from the kits to Autumn. "I''m sorry Jaden I''m to blame for her condition" as I took her back. I sat again and brought up her health stats and she has grown 2 kilograms since my last scan. I looked at Jaden "it''s nothing bad but this will probably happen again. The kits are connected to Autumn". Vicky jumped in "there is no danger to Autumn but I can break the connection if you want" she shook her head "no I get it at least next time I will have a warning".


    She looked at me "do you realize you will be the last to see your new mate. We are here to help her from the tank, she doesn''t want you to see her like that". I smiled and nodded "I don''t like the fact that she is doing this for me". Jaden looked at me with a mom look "she isn''t doing this for you she is doing this for both of you and your future together. You have no idea how much she loves you. We have talked of her rescue and how you solved all of their problems with the swipe of your hand. You are her holy man whether you want to be or not''''.


    I smiled at Jaden "trust me I understand how she feels". She slugged my arm "you better. I''m proud of you dad most guys would be all over that. You not like that your concerned for her first, that''s sweet don''t loose that".


    Great, I''m getting marriage advice from my daughter.


    "Don''t worry Jaden these days have been agony on me".


    "She knows how you are feeling at all times, it''s creepy and sweet at the same time".


    "Ok I want this one thing, did she keep the button nose for nose licks?" Jaden shook her head "yes you baby". That got me another arm slap but I bore through it. "What, I would miss that, I''ve grown accustomed to it" I said smugly and got hit again. "She would too," Jaden laughed.


    I looked at my arm that was tied to the timer on the tank and it showed another hour. "I just hope she likes it" I muttered. "See that don''t lose that. Dad relax". I nodded "did she tell you about the 12 kids?" I chucked "yup and she is looking forward to it".


    "How do you feel about brothers and sisters?" She smiled "still a little torn on that one". My turn to smile "you will be their eldest sibling and that may involve sister duty one day".


    "Yea that is what scares me".


    I looked at her "how much do you know about what goes on here". She smiled an evil smile "I know no what I need to know. Lisa and I speak all the time and Kim is on those calls as well. It''s a chick thing" she laughed.


    Vicky appeared and looked at Jaden "it''s time". I looked at my arm and the countdown was gone. "She finished a little early". Jaden jumped up, gathered the women and they left.


    I decided to get cleaned up so I went home. I took a long shower and when I got out Jaden and her girls were there.


    "What''s going on?"


    "She is with her mom and dad, she will be here in a minute".


    "How is she feeling?"


    "Everything is perfect, now stop worrying".


    "Ok I will stop" I went and picked up Autumn and she laughed at the quick movement. The door opened and the kits were up and walking then mom then dad.


    Then my hearts dropped.


    I looked into those stunning green human eyes and smiled. Her hair was now a deep red and she no longer had a cat nose. She now had a button nose with kissable lips. She was now taller so she came to my shoulder now. I grabbed her and just held her, eventually pulling back and I gave her a kiss. She froze, touched her lips then looked at Jaden "your right it is nice".


    "You are absolutely stunning" I said with a tear in my eye. I held her tight and whispered "I have no words to describe how happy I am right now". She jumped into my arms and into her spot, I think she fits better now.


    "I could feel you when I was in the tank" she whispered. I hiked her up realizing I had a lot more bum to hold onto, Dear god don''t let me ever say that out loud. She started to purr and that was different. It was deeper now.


    I sat with her in my lap and yes she fit better. The kits were talking to the grandchildren about flying. Kim and Gar were on the sofa smiling at their daughter. Lisa lifted her head "I felt you go to bed alone and I felt horrible I couldn''t be there". I smiled at her "it''s all over now baby we are together now".


    "No, I swear you will never feel that way again". I held her to me "it was just a short time and it makes this time so much better". The kits came over wanting in on the cuddle action so they climbed onboard. I guess we all missed this because we all passed out.


    I awoke to Jaden telling me she was leaving and Autumn wanted a hug. I got up and gave in to her request "I was only a few min but I feel great now". She smiled "it''s the company you keep dad" she looked at Lisa "you look beautiful BTW" then saw herself out. Kim and Gar followed suit gathered up the kits and went home. "Let''s go to bed baby". She took my hand and led me to bed.

 22

    Ok her time in the tank left her with a beautiful face but she isn''t used to the lips, my shoulder was covered in drool. She opened her eyes and wiped her face apologizing so pulled her in for a kiss and she melted into me. We kept this up for a few minutes before coming up for air. "This is new and I like it" she giggled. "I like it to baby" and kissed her again.


    We finally got up and went to the kits. At the door she looked at me "I need to do something nice for Jaden and the girls, they helped me with the design. Jaden suggested the lips" she giggled. "How is life without the whiskers?" she smiled "they are always in the way that''s why I went with a human nose". I leaned down and licked the tip of her nose "still works" she blushed.


    The door opened and I got a chorus of "hi papa" from adults and kids. "What are your plans today?" Kim jumped in "we are going to the beach with your family". I smiled "let the kits get out some of that energy". Gar started to laugh "it was their idea" I laughed at that.


    Lisa and I went for a walk ending on the bridge with her in my lap in the captain''s chair. "Are your claws the same?" She produced them and they shone in the light. She got a confused look on her face. I did a scan "did you decide this" I she shook her head. The scan showed me that they were the same as the kits. "I guess the nanobots did that upgrade on all of you". She nodded and looked at them.


    "The nanobots will continue to work on you, just be aware of that". She smiled "I know, they said they would talk to me before they do anything drastic".


    A appeared and asked for a moment of my time, I looked at Lisa "they need me in my brain office for a min ok". She smiled and nodded and I closed my eyes. In my office they were all there waiting for me. I looked at A "what cha got for me".


    "We''ll sir after the scavengers we''re at the decompressed ship, they got it going BTW. There when a little pod showed up. It shows minimal power and it seems to be looking for something. It is using bots to do the work. I think we can assist sir". I looked at the others and they were nodding "let''s do it"


    I opened my eyes and looked at Lisa "our day just got interesting, we may have another rescue. Vicky contact the family and put their trip on hold for a bit, I have to break orbit for a little while". She nodded, looked away then started giggling "they said they would be ok and what is he doing now, then laughter".


    "Thanks for the vote of confidence guys" I laughed and Lisa got up and went to one of the stations to do some scanning.


    The view flashed and the little ship came into view. I was roundish with a small hatch, it looked like it was hobbled together with found pieces. I could see displays on the outside that were dead but clear, possibly a window.


    "Lisa, what can you tell me?". She looked at the display and hit a few buttons "I''m picking up 2 somethings, they aren''t life forms they come up as energy signatures". I looked at Vickey "anything to add" she shrugged "I can see them moving around like life forms, possibly artificial".


    "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lisa asked and we all looked at one another.


    "Have you detected and communication from them?"


    "There is data coming from the bigger one to the little bot they are using but that''s it".


    "Try hailing them". Vickey nodded and the instant she did the little bot returned to the ship. "Make sure you tell them we are here to help".


    "I did" she retorted


    About 20 seconds later we got a one word answer "Energy".


    "Vicky we are going to need a portable power unit and an EV suit for me".


    "NOPE, NOT GONNA HAPPEN". I look over and see Lisa glaring at me. I looked back to Vicky "I guess a bot will do". Lisa nodded her head.


    I went into VR and took over the bot. The power unit was the size of a briefcase so I grabbed it and stepped out of the airlock, this bot had little thrusters that took me to the ship. I realized at this point there was no atmosphere in the little ship. I opened the door and floated in. It was one room and there were 2 glowing balls in the corner. I walked forward and put down the power generator and opened it and stepped back.


    The larger of the 2 came to the power unit and it changed color as soon as it touched the terminals. The second one kind of hid in the background until the first one shot a spark into the air. Almost instantly it shot over and joined its partner. I watched the generator change color as they drained it.


    While they fed I decided to look around. Everything looked foreign to me but Vicky said she recognized a few parts. It looked like consoles from a dozen ships. For the next 15 minutes they fed, getting brighter all the time. They finally stopped and floated to me and I could felt the large one access my bot for almost 2 min. It was like it was searching the bots files but going no further through the connection. "This is not your true form".


    "No, I pilot this robot remotely".


    "May we go with you" asked the little one and it looked like the big one shooshed it. "If you need transportation I can offer it". They changed color a few times, "acceptable" I heard in my head.


    I had my ship grab the little ship and escorted the beings to a meeting room. They floated in and I approached them and was enveloped in a flash buy the larger of the 2 "this is your true form" I nodded "yes it is". It floated to Lisa and enveloped her for a split second. Then floated back to me "she was made for you yes". Lisa answered "I chose to be this way to be perfect for my mate". It flashed a few times "she is desirable to you".


    "Yes very" back to Lisa "you are his primary mate does he require a second?" I saw Lisa look at me and smile "yes he does, but how..." she was cut off. "May I use you as a template". Lisa got a weird look on her face then smiled "yes"


    There was a blue flash and the ball grew, it enveloped Lisa again then retreated to a bench along the wall. Over about 5 min it slowly took the form of a body then kit then Lisa.


    I just blinked and the form looked at us, it was Lisa with a different face. "Cold" she said, almost shivering, Lisa ran to a replicator and got a blanket for her. I still just blinked as the smaller one came to me and flashed blue. I put my hand out and was enveloped for a second.


    It was an odd sensation, imagine reaching into water and pulling your hand out dry. The ball floated to the other and settled on the floor. It turned into a girl of about 14 and she was human. Lisa was right there with another blanket. I watched as they smiled at one another and touched hands. I didn''t know what to think at this point.


    "Where did you come from?"


    "We were part of a deep space mission from another galaxy. We were attacked by beings after our technology so me and my offspring hid amongst the garbage. When they left we hobbled together that ship and have been living off of scraps for a long time now. My offspring has not interacted with other species aside from hiding". That''s when I realized she was speaking English and my bots weren''t translating.


    The young girl opened her eyes and looked panicked for a second then she saw me and relaxed. She stood a tiny bit unsteady and walked to me still draped in her blanket. She sat in my lap and curled up so I covered her and kept her warm while she recovered. Mom looked at me with an odd look on her face. I looked at her and said, "I have this effect on people" I shrugged. She went with Lisa to get dressed and left me with her little one in my lap


    They were talking when they returned in broken English but they had the nanobot disks. The older of the 2 took it and did it for her offspring. We waited a few min for them to take effect "can you understand me now" Lisa asked and she smiled. "Yes I do thank you for rescuing us and also taking us into your home". Lisa smiled at me and I got nervous "come with me" Lisa stood and took her hand and went to the next room. I just sat there and gently rocked the little one while they talked, after about 15 min the door opened.


    "I don''t know but all the females have them".


    "They are awkward and I''m not sure about them".


    That''s when I looked and saw them holding their breasts and bust out laughing. I woke up my sleeping passenger so she looked up at me and smiled then layed back down. I put my hand on her back and gently rocked. The girls finished their conversation and came to me, Lisa smiled. "That just comes natural to you doesn''t it". I smiled "she doesn''t bite''''.


    She laughed and kissed me then looked at her new companion "you chose well". They sat on either side of me and Lisa started "we were talking and Cora explained a few things to me. She was made to be a mate and she was to the captain of the other ship. She scanned both of us and wanted to be a second mate and I agreed. I felt your empty feeling you felt when we were separated and this way that will never happen again". Cora continued "my offspring is a different story, She chose to be your daughter". That threw me for a loop "what is her name".If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "She chose Carla" I looked down at her and smiled. Lisa spoke back up "it seems in her culture modeling yourself after the head wife is considered an honor".


    I just blinked and took a deep breath "I''m guessing my family just grew". Lisa looked at me "yup". I looked down at Carla and she looked up at me and spoke for the first time. "I guess that makes you my dad".


    "I guess so little one". She smiled a huge smile and that''s when I realized she looked like Jaden. She moved up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I don''t fully understand these feelings yet but this feels good". That''s when the blanket fell and she was naked. By the time I was done fumbling with the blanket Lisa returned with a wrap for her.


    "Vickey could you come here please". She appeared and introduced herself. "Could you scan Carla and tell me why she looks like Jaden". She looked away for a sec then giggled "well she mostly is". I looked at her "what does that mean". She giggled again, she loves to poke fun. "Jaden is about 64% you, Carla is 100% you. She took your DNA profile and built a body for herself. According to my scans she is your daughter or at least a clone of you".


    I just blinked at the last statement then laughed. They looked at me "I have no say in this do I". Lisa came to me "no baby you don''t. I have taken Cora as a second mate and Carla is a bonus. I know you will love them and protect them like you do me". She kissed me and stepped back, once again I just blinked. "How did this just happen?" I chuckled. "This is what happens to great men"


    Cora said and approached me. She kneeled and put her forehead on my feet "thank you for taking me"


    "Stand up please". She stood and stepped back and lowered her head. "First of all don''t ever do that again, that is not who I am and I don''t like it. Second, don''t bow your head, it''s unbecoming" she raised her head and smiled. "I''m not sure how but I''m in for the long haul so I will adjust". Carla looked up at me "I sensed something in you that''s why I chose to be your daughter. When you offered your hand openly I knew you were special". I looked down at her and brushed her hair behind her ear "I promise to keep you safe".


    "I knew you would, I could sense it". She hugged me tighter.


    I looked at Lisa "what do I tell Jaden?" Lisa giggled "let me tell your daughter". Carla perked up "I have a sister?" Lisa took this one "yes and she has 3 little girls 2 about your age". Carla looked more and more excited the more she heard.


    "I have one question: how do you speak English?".


    "When we change we scan the mechanical part of the brain so we can walk and talk. We don''t scan thoughts or memories, it''s more like instructions to run the new body. I scanned both of you and your language came up as dominant. My former mate was the same species so there was no need to change'''' she lowered her head again "I cannot change back I hope this does not displease you".


    I smiled at her "you are modeled on the most beautiful woman in the world to me so of course I find you beautiful just the way you are" that produced a smile from her.


    "Well let''s go meet the others" I stood with Carla in my arms and went to Cora. I leaned down and kissed her. She pulled back, smiled and touched her lips. Lisa giggled "I''m new to them too, aren''t they great". That got a smile and a nod. We left and went to the kit home.


    The second the door opened the male was on high alert. He came over to meet the NEW that has him stressed. I picked him up and he inspected Carla, smelling her. He would sniff her then sniff me then get a weird look on his face. He did the same to Lisa and Cora then went to the females to give his ok. He talked to his sisters about the fact that they smell the same. I laughed as they came over to do their inspection.


    Carla got down and they took right to her. Within minutes I heard them laughing with one another running around, that made me smile. Now to see if Kim and Gar want another daughter. We went over and they listened in shock to the story.


    "So I have a new daughter, and a new daughter" Kim laughed and Gar joined in. "This isn''t the weirdest thing this week, Come here girl". She went to Cora and she gave her a hug and Gar spoke up "welcome to our weird family" he hugged her as well.


    We sat and the girls sat on either side of me like bookends. I suppose I may as well get used to that. Kim and Gar were getting to know Cora realizing it was like talking to their daughter. She had the same mannerisms and speech patterns, just a different pitch.


    The kits came over one by one and got a hug and Carla joined them. She whispered in my ear "thank you" then she was off.


    Lisa looked at Cora "wait till you meet his daughter and granddaughters, they are sooo cute. Carla can see what she will look like in a few years" she giggled. I looked at her "I hope she takes that news well". Lisa smiled "I will be talking to her tonight and I will break the news gently". I laughed "I don''t know how to even start that conversation" they all laughed at my stress.


    "Carla seems to be just fitting into place here". Cora turned to me "I would never have thought this is where I would end up but so far I love it. She probably has the same feelings". Carla heard her name and came to us "I''m happy because I chose my father well" she said with a cheeky smile and I realized at that moment that I''m screwed, I looked into her hazel eyes and saw my own. "I''m so screwed" I muttered. The girls heard me and started to laugh and hugged me.


    My brother showed up and the instant he saw me he stopped raised his eyebrows. "Oh this should be good" as he sat and got up to speed. "So you''re telling me you go to space twice, both resulting in a wife, you need to send droids". Everyone laughed "thanks brother" I said, shaking my head. "Kim informed me how the multi wife thing works and I''m ok with it. Shelly not so much but she says to each their own".


    "We''ll come on, let''s go to the beach" Shaun said. I looked at Cora "do you want to experience a beach on the ocean". She smiled and nodded so off we went. We all piled into the RV and I let Shaun fly, he has been taking lessons. He found a beach and we came in for a landing. The kits were off as soon as the door opened and Cora and Carla just stood there in the sun.


    Carla looked at me "our last form didn''t let us enjoy things like this". I smiled "well remember you burn over time in this form". I set up a beach umbrella and got kisses for my efforts.


    I layed back with my wives on either side of me watching the kids run around. We ate and had fun until my comm went off. It was Becky trying to get ahold of me, I collected kisses and went to the RV. I booted up the VR and she was in her home. "There are a lot of people trying to get ahold of you". She opened her laptop and sure enough there were a lot of messages for me. Everything from save my wife to you invaded our airspace, that one was flagged urgent.


    "I''m sorry but something came up and I hope you like the story". With that I gave her the abridged version of the last 24 hours. "Well I see you weren''t just ignoring me" she laughed. "Is there anything that sticks out to you in all that mess". She nodded "a Miami cancer clinic reached out and I thought it might deserve a second look". I looked at her "I think that''s a fantastic idea. You talk to Sandy and I will talk to B about the ships. Thank you for bringing this to my attention" she nodded "aye aye captain". I cringed as she disappeared, They love to rub it in.


    "B do you have a moment" he appeared. "Could you modify a 25 bed medship to fit in amongst a hospital. Say have it on stilts so it could go over a parking lot".


    "Does it still need to power the hospital?" I shook my head "no we are going to a function hospital this time, Becky has the location". He smiled and nodded "not a problem sir we can put in a lift to compensate for the height". That made me smile. "Thank you B" with that I shutdown the VR. There was Lisa with a coffee and a kiss. "You know I like this kissing thing"


    "me to baby". I looked to see Cora and Carla watching me work. When Lisa was done Cora came in for a kiss, Carla gave me a hug. Lisa spoke "get used to this girls he works all the time but he makes time for us don''t you baby" Another kiss.


    We made our way back to the sand and I went to take a dip, the water was warm and refreshing. I looked and saw Carla at the edge of the water so I went to her.


    "Is it safe?". I nodded "I promise it is and you only go as far as you want". She nodded and we walked till it hit her waist then she was in my arms.


    "It''s so weird" I held her and giggled and walked to shore. "You don''t have to if you don''t want to". She smiled and hugged me "I saw you and it looked fun. I''ve never seen this much water in liquid form, well pictures anyway". We walked to the towels and got dried off. I layed between Cora and Lisa "we have a mission tomorrow if you want to help" I said to everyone. Shaun looked at me "that''s your end brother, I''m good here". I blew him a raspberry as he laughed.


    The kits came up for a hug and I guess my batteries were low because I needed every one. We watched the sunset looking around the beach for trash we might have dropped. Shaun came to me "can''t you just scan for anything". I looked at him, realizing he was right. I started laughing "yes I can, I just forgot sometimes. Now stop laughing and get on board". He walked away shaking his head and laughing at me.


    Getting back to the ship there was a new medship under construction. It looked like an office block on 4 legs. "Perfect it looks like it will blend in nicely, how many beds" I said allowed and B appeared. "30 beds and 2 portables". I looked at the others "I will catch up with you at home, I''m going to take a peek". They all nodded and went their way as I took the lift. It was a little compact but there was plenty of room. I sent Sandy a message with the heads up for tomorrow and she had already talked to Becky and B.


    I went to my quarters and saw Carla passed out in one of the bedrooms. Lisa and Cora were in our bedroom discussing their girly parts and I laughed. "The blind leading the blind". That got me some odd looks as I layed between them "this is one of the best parts" Lisa said as she cuddled into my side and Cora did the same. They both started to purr and my chest vibrated.

 23

    When I woke I had Carla on top of my chest and my wives were on either side of me. That''s when I realized I had 3 drools marks on me and I was happy. I slid out from under Carla and went to the washroom, returning Carla stole my spot so I figured I would get up so I got a big breakfast. The pancakes sausage and bacon helped to wake me up for the day ahead.


    I was just finishing when Carla came out rubbing her eyes. "You hungry" I got a nod and a yawn. I got a second smaller breakfast for her and I changed hers to chocolate chip pancakes. She picked off a piece and tasted it so I showed her the fork and she figured it out. She dove in with all smiles and giggles.


    "I''m glad you like it here". She smiled with full cheeks chewed and swallowed. "I love it here and I love everyone here. I went from worrying about starving to not thinking I could ever be this happy".


    "Do you remember much". She nodded "just bits and pieces now, mother says they will fade and be gone". I smiled knowing that those are not memories for a child. She came to me with open arms and I welcomed the hug. She jumped into my lap and latched on to me "you are the first race that can love and feel that I''ve been exposed to. I love everything right now and I will be proud to be your daughter" I leaned down and kissed the top of her head "I will be proud to call you daughter". We held each other and shed a silent tear when I heard I sniffle over my shoulder. I looked up to see a crying Cora being held by a smiling Lisa.


    I heard a voice "mom is watching isn''t she". I giggled and nodded as she looked up at me. Lisa and Cora came to me Cora still crying "you have no idea how glad I am you accepted her". I smiled "like I had a choice".


    "Are you ready for today, captain?" Lisa said. "I don''t know if I will ever get used to that".


    "Well you need to get used to it".


    We went to the kits to find Sandy having breakfast with them. "I went to the wrong quarters and got pulled in," she chuckled. She came to me "Are you ready to save some kids?" I smiled "you bet your bippy I am".  I looked around and I got a look from all the women.


    "You''re not allowed to talk to the public," Sandy laughed. "I thought captains are supposed to get respect?" They all laughed at me "you watch too much television" Sandy said.


    "Vickey, do you have a contact at the hospital?"


    "The man who reached out is a chief executive and I have his cell and work numbers." "Try his work first, we might catch him there". It went to voicemail "well try the cell". I could see Vicky talking and I could hear him as well. After confirming he was the one who sent the message she passed it off to me.


    "Hello sir, would today be ok for one of my ships to come and pay you a visit". I heard the phone fumble, I think he dropped it "anytime you can captan. I will be waiting".


    "Well no time like the present I will see you shortly" I ended the call and collected kisses then went to my office as Sandy went to the ship.


    I booted up my VR and met Sandy and her crew onboard, we discussed the plans. Vicky flew and within minutes we could see the morning light of Miami come into view. There were a few cars that had to be moved but that wasn''t an issue for the drones. We settled into place with all 4 legs occupying one space each. I took the lift and was put down right beside the emergency room entrance.


    I entered to a few screams and lots of people taking pictures. I went to the counter and asked for my contact. The nurse put down the phone "he is on his way captain".


    Everyone kept their distance except for one little girl who came to me with no fear. I bent down to her lever "are you here to help my brother?" I nodded "yes I am little one" she smiled a big smile". That''s when mom showed up and apologized for her daughter "don''t apologize she was just asking a question and she was very polite about it". I smiled at mom and she seemed to relax. The doctor I was waiting for showed up and introduced himself.


    "Each bed has a bot nurse, they will come and collect the patient, you just need to tell them who is next". He smiled at that. I enquired about the brother and the doctor''s face fell "it''s terminal sir, he may be too far gone for even your equipment".


    "That means he goes first, actually I will take him with me". I waited and saw a wheelchair with a skeleton of a child in the seat. He smiled when he saw his sister and mom. I could feel his pain as he hugged his sister "ready to go". They all nodded and I took the handles of the wheelchair.


    We went straight to a bed and I picked up his frail body and put him in the bed. I started the scan and it showed his body riddled with cancer of a few types. The display came up as 2 hours, that''s a lot of work for a little guy. I looked at mom "2 hours and you will have your son back". They looked at me shocked then started to cry.


    "Next is you two for the beds, we call it a tune up".


    "Are you sure?" I nodded and led them to a bed. They both looked nervous but willing so they were out for 20 min each.


    I took the time to check in with Sandy and she was happy of the way things are going. "The best selling point is when the first patients talk to the people who are waiting and it sells itself". I thought for a second "what if I gave you a poster child as an example".


    "Are you thinking about the boy?". I nodded "I will talk to his mom and ask" and I did just that.


    I waited till mom woke up and she woke up smiling.


    "I have a favor to ask". We talked until her son woke up and by that time she was all for helping.


    He woke up smiling "the pain is gone mommy". Mom lost it at that point so I just sat and let them cry it out. I shed a tear myself and felt it wiped away then a kiss on either cheek. He was jumping with his sister by the end of it "ready to go shock some people" They all smiled and nodded.


    We entered the ward where he has been a frequent visitor for the last few years. A nurse came to him and didn''t recognize him with some weight on him. She screamed when she realized who it was. The parents all spoke up wanting to be next. The kids just thought it was cool a robot was there.


    We were swarmed and Sandy walked in with 5 bots and collected all the kids in the ward. "Floor by floor" she said to me and I knew she had it under control.


    I watched as each child disappeared with a bot for a better life. I was no longer needed here so I went to my cubby and powered down. I saw the kits diving around attacking anyone in a lab coat. There was a coffee and a kiss times 2 "how are things here?" Cora spoke "the twins were here but chose not to disturb you".Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Vickey, where are the twins?" She appeared "they are in the area they designed". My eyes shot open "it''s done". She nodded so I gathered kisses and went to see.


    The lift opened and I was instantly blown away. It was an open area 5 stories tall with a huge tree in the middle. The tree was rooted on 3 different levels. Each floor had spokes that led away from the tree with quarters all along the walls.


    The twins were talking to Penny, so I went to them "What do you think?" Emma asked. I smiled "I love it and it shows the amount of work you put into it". Ryan looked at me "we have located lots of people to fill it and we are starting this week". That made me smile "we have a school system set up and will bring people up to speed".


    "I''m going to get out of here, you have this fully under control". I made my way back home to have a break before I get back to VR.


    I entered and saw Jaden talking to her new sister, she seemed ok with it so far. Autumn was playing with the kits and laughing. Jaden waved me over "so you leave for a day and made a clone of me" she kidded. Carla disappeared with the girls "do they get along". She smiled "like peas in a pod. They just gained a sister and this one doesn''t poop her pants" She laughed. "Well I know where my looks come from, she looks just like me at that age. Just a tiny bit off". I looked at her "your mom is the off part". That got me a slap in the arm.


    "I''m sorry sweetie I don''t have time to visit, I''m doing stuff on the ground".


    "I understand dad, where are you now". We are at the children''s hospital in Miami". She stood and gave me a hug. "It shows you have 2 hearts now" I held her tight.


    I got back to the VR and scared a few people when I stood from my booth. I looked around and said "good morning". That opened the floodgates for the questions, most I''ve answered before. One new one "how long are we staying?"


    "That time hasn''t been set yet but as far as I''m concerned we are here till there are no more sick people".


    "Why here". I smiled "we responded to the request for help". A man in a lab coat busted in "how are your beds with problem child birth". I looked at him "what''s going on". We have a woman who is in breach and is starting to go into distress fast". I looked at him "get her to a bed". He nodded and took off.


    I exited the conference room and found him. The woman was tiny and she was clearly in distress. I got her on a bed and put her to sleep and started the bed.


    It looked like mercury flowing from the edges of the bed and covered her abdomen. I looked at the scan and the baby was presenting feet first. We all watched as her abdomen opened and the nanobots flowed in. I was watching her vital signs when the baby raised up and out of mom via tractor beam then settled on her chest crying. We watched as the afterbirth was removed and then her abdomen sealed with no scar to be seen.


    I awoke her slowly so she didn''t jump, she opened her eyes and saw her son. She immediately held him to her and started to cry, I looked around and saw a few wide eyes looking at the display and saw a healthy mom and son. I looked at everyone "you may want to divert emergency cases to this hospital" I got blank stares and nods.


    I looked at the new mom and congratulated her then went to see Sandy. She said all was running well and I could go hide for a while.


    "I think I will do just that" so I went back to my closet and powered down.


    Back in the real world I found everyone watching me. My daughters came to me and hugged me, "I''m beginning to see what you''re made of," Jaden said. Carla looked up at me "you take care of everyone else, I promise to always take care of you". She held me tight making sure I wasn''t going anywhere. I smiled then looked at Jess and Lexi and they commented that after that they are never having kids. That got laughter from everyone. I picked up Carla "I''m hungry". I got lots of nodds and we went to the kitchen.


    I decided on pasta and Carla wanted to try so I got a plate for her. I sat and taught her how to eat the noodles and she wore most of it, the refresher got a workout. "Where are the kits" I asked Lisa "They are flying, they are putting time in every day".


    We sat and talked while the girls gave us random fashion shows.


    I saw Jaden staring at Carla "penny for your thoughts". She smiled "it''s creepy, she has some of my mannerisms. It''s cute she asks all the time if it was ok with dad".


    "That little girl went through something kids shouldn''t, so I will keep her safe. The dad thing still throws me for a loop". She smiled "I might have to get jealous of the attention you give her" she giggled.


    "Never you are my first born and that will never change".


    Cora came to me "I finished the scans on my ship. It was mostly consoles because they had power sources. Vickey helped me power up some and gather some data". She smiled as Vicky appeared "we now have info going out 50 light years at least in one direction. We found info on 5 species, one of which we want nothing to do with but the others look promising". I licked Cora''s nose "thank you for that every bit of info we have helps". Cora kissed me and Lisa got one as well.


    My comm went off "I''m sorry I''m needed on the planet". I opened the eyes of my avatar and found a man and a woman arguing. "Who are you and why are you yelling?" I yelled over the top of them. That shocked them in silence. "Now who was here first?" The woman stepped forward "I''m sorry I''ve been waiting and this bozo wants to cut in line". She looked at him with daggers in her eyes.


    "Well I''m here now so let''s talk". She looked at me stressed "I represent the nurses union and we are all worried about our jobs".


    "I''m here for the same question captain".


    "I''m not trying to put you out of a job, I''m bringing a different level of care. The only reason I am using bots is because you aren''t trained yet. When that happens you will replace these bots. If you talk to them they will go over the equipment with you and let you help with the patient. Take advantage of it and learn it will be worth it". That drew smiles and thank you''s.


    I went to find Sandy finding her taking a nap so I went for a walk. Inside the hospital I found lots of happy tears and smiles from the patients. A young boy and girl came to me and asked if they could get a selfie. "Sure" I sat in a chair and they stood on either side. One of the nurses was there taking their phones and snapping pics. I looked to my left and saw a line forming so I gave in and let them have fun.


    The last of them were finishing when Sandy found me.


    "we need to talk about something". We walked and talked "I don''t know how to ask this but I have bills and so do my crew". I stopped dead and looked at her "I can''t believe I overlooked that I''m sorry. Vickie come here please". She did as usual "put 500k in each of their accounts so they can get everything paid off and that goes for the new crew as well". I looked at Sandy "is that ok?". She started to laugh "I was ready to haggle for a good hourly wage".


    "If I have my way they won''t even need the money. You are building the backbone of one of my services so damn right I will take care of you and them". That got me a hug "I like negotiating with you".


    "I will take that as a compliment" I laughed. She let me know all is good so I went to power down.


    Back to reality I got a glass of water and a kiss "you drink too much coffee".


    "Yes dear" that got me a look I couldn''t identify. "We need to talk about the kits. They will show some independence soon so don''t be surprised if they go to mom and dad more". I nodded "as long as it''s normal for them". Lisa started to laugh "nothing is normal for them. They should be just playing, not flying". We all laughed at that. With that we settled in for the evening watching the news then went to bed.

 24

    I awoke to an arm over my head and a face full of fur. I was spooning Cora and Lisa was draped over me. I looked in the corner of the bedroom and saw my own eyes looking back at me. A younger version of myself and a young cat girl sat there.


    I woke Cora and Lisa and we all addressed our visitors. "Good morning prime" the young me said. "We have come with a request," the girls said. "We wish to add the others to your family unit as we feel your concern for them". I looked at Cora "it''s up to you". She smiled "if you have them I should to, I know Carla will be in as well". Both our guests looked at me and spoke at once "we will prepare their nanobots and do the transfer, thank you prime". They dissipated into nothing.


    Cora looked at me "prime?" I shrugged my shoulders. Cora got excited "maybe the coffee thing will make sense" she laughed. I looked at Lisa "wanna bring her up to speed on what is going to happen".


    Lisa was showing the commutator when I left the bedroom. In my office Vicky looked stressed "your people are litter bugs. I keep getting readings of some rare earth elements and it turns out to be junk or it disappears when I get there".


    I looked at her "you are the only AI here right". I got the AI version of the look. "Yes I''m sure I do regular scans" she said smugly. "Anything else," she nodded. "The probe that is watching the spot where the kits appeared is done and it found nothing".


    "Ok, recall it or reassign it if you need it".


    "I do actually, I will add it to the deep scan of the solar system". I nodded "are you looking for anything in particular?" She shook her head "no it just needs to be done. I can identify targets for mining".


    "Excellent, how far has Shaun gotten through the family?" "He has 72% done, I think he is having trouble contacting a few". I smiled "let him take his time and enjoy himself".


    "On to something new. What do you have for recycling tech in regards to dealing with dumps and daily garbage".


    "That''s easy, we have decompilers that can process 50 tons an hour. It breaks it down to base materials we can use later they are the size of 2 shipping containers side by side".


    "Could you start on a few of them and a ship to drop them off. I was thinking of starting in Vancouver, Jaden is there so it makes sense. We almost need to film a demo to show people, wait where is Sandy".


    "She is still on the planet".


    "Ask her if she wants to join us cleaning up her town''s dump. It''s perfect they know us and we can help them even more". "She is available if you want to tell her".


    "Good point" I jumped into VR and found her.


    "I was wondering if you would get a hold of your town and ask if we can clean up their landfill and film a commercial". She looked at me "why do I get the feeling that won''t be the weirdest thing you will ask of me" she laughed. "I was a little homesick lately so can I take a trip there after this". I smiled "absolutely but make it sooner than later I want you to take a break". She nodded at that "I will go tomorrow". That taken care of I went back to my office.


    I called for my brain crew and they all appeared "Vickey had there been any alien influence you can find on earth" she smiled "I have found a few ships on the planet that are alien. They are mostly in possession of large governments but they essentially are drones to us." "What governments?". Another smile "the US, Russia and China but there are junk crashed ships, there is no tech that worries me onboard them".


    B cut in "are there any sites that haven''t been found yet?" She looked at him "2 at the South Pole, one will be uncovered in a few years but the other is at the bottom of a glacier and it''s older than me". I looked at her "can we just go get it?"


    "That works, I will make some bots to melt it out of the ice. There is a debris field that I need to collect as well. I should have it here by supper".


    "I want it scanned to death for anything living, for all we know it''s from the kits world". She nodded at that.


    "I will make a drone to tunnel down to the second ship to make the decision whether to dig it up".


    C came forward "I have made advancements in my shield research sir". In came a drone with a box full of rings with crystals set in them. There were men''s and women''s in a few different styles, a pinky ring that was small caught my eye. I tried on the ring that was to big then shrank to fit my finger. It was small and that''s what I liked, I''m not one for jewelry.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The ring started to flash blue finally completely engulfed me in blue light that hugged to my body about 3 cm away. Then nothing "well that was weird". C spoke "as long as you are wearing these you can''t be shot. It senses fast moving objects and stops them, it could even stop a punch if they swung hard enough". That made me smile "C you have just taken a weight off my shoulders, thank you". He smiled and nodded. "How bad of a hit did the diamond take?"


    C took this one "I produced 50 shield generators and I used 0.05% of the main diamond". I smiled "we will have to look for more if it''s that valuable". They nodded "feel free to make some probes to look for more. The more eyes we have out there the better". A stepped up "May I have one of the explorers for research sir".


    "Of course A feel free, I want you to reach out and learn", That got smiles from all. With nothing else I ended my meeting and left my office.


    Lisa and Cora met me at the door with kisses and licks. "We need to go to the flight deck, you need to see this" Lisa said and my eyebrows went up. We made our way there and when the door opened I saw the flight simulators everywhere.


    They were shooting harmless light pulses. I counted 12 and looked at B "do you have drones fighting the kits?" He shook his head "each kit is operating 2 at once". Again my eyebrows went up. "How did that happen?". B giggled "it started as a dare between the kits so the male took up the challenge and within a day he mastered it. It''s odd it''s like when one knew they all knew".


    I called for Vicky "I''m thinking my nanobots have something to do with this". She nodded "yes sir. Your nanobots have formed a sort of hive mind amongst the kits and they have tapped into it. I''ve discussed this with Kim and Gar and they are ok with it as long as it''s beneficial".


    "Keep me informed as well please"


    B approached me and 6 of the sims came to hover around me. "Am I being ambushed?" I chuckled. B smiled "the kits want to try the real thing and I said I would ask you". I smiled "absolutely. But one each and no weapon, Well nothing bad". I watched as 6 little fighters spun in circles and took off to play. They moved like the machines had personalities, it was cute.


    I looked at B "are they still having fun? I don''t want them pushed at all". B giggled "sir they love it. I have to make them go home sometimes and I limit their time based on info from mom and dad".


    I smiled and turned around to watch the drones play when I saw cars in the corner next to the twins ship. Maybe that will be my next stop today. I looked at Cora "where is Carla?"


    "She is with your brother, I want her to spend time with humans now that she is one". I agreed and wondered what kind of questions she is asking Shaun.


    I decided to leave aliens behind while I paid the new area a visit and made my way to the lift. It took my breath away again when the door opened. The twins put so much work into this and it showed. I saw new faces and they looked happy, the kids were playing in the playground.


    I found the twins helping an older couple move into their new home. I went to help, picking up a trunk and asking where it goes. The old woman looked at me "not the trunk yet we need the table". I did what I was told and brought in the table, nodding at the twins as I walked by them. The couple had me rearrange things 3 times before I was allowed to grab the trunk.


    After all was said and done the twins introduced me and they almost swallowed their dentures. I laughed it off and told her I was glad to help. They were a retired couple that was reduced to living in their RV because of medical bills.


    "We don''t have any more medical problems because of your miracle beds" he said, hugging his wife. "The big robot let me know I was close to losing her to cancer, thank you sir". I nodded "it''s my pleasure to help you and seeing you like this is payment enough for me". I bid my farewell and took my leave and the twins joined me.


    "How many so far?" Emma smiled "22 families and 12 singles so far and we found some trades and a nurse".


    We walked to the tree and sat on the bench to watch the kids play. I noticed a woman in the outdoor kitchen making lunch for everyone so I went to introduce myself. It was easy to tell that she was at home in the kitchen and this wasn''t her first rodeo. Her name was Sam and she "loves to cook" according to her.


    "You keep bringing me people and I will keep cooking and that Vickey girl showed me how to save favorites for them for later".


    "Deal" I said and put out my hand and she took it.


    I made my way back to my office to find Lisa and Cora trying on rings and giggling. "I want you to pick one and get used to wearing it. The protection it offers will put my hearts at ease knowing you''re safe. Could you get Jaden and the girls to come up and pick one. Lisa smiled "I will be calling her later and I will let her know". I looked at Cora "where is Carla she is going to need one as well".


    Just as I said that she walked into the room and all she saw nothing but sparkly. "Do they have to be worn as rings?" She asked and Vicky jumped in "they have to be next to the body for full effect". They looked at one another and had a conversation with a look.


    "Can we have matching pendants?" asked Cora with the others nodding. "Coming right up" said Vickey. She sat and talked with the girls about what they wanted and after 10 min they showed up.


    Three teardrop shaped pendants showed up and I took the time to put them on each of their necks. One my one the blue flash enveloped them getting giggles.


    I touched base with Vickey about the ship recovery, finding there was nothing to see. "It''s garbage and we can''t gain anything from it. As far as I could tell with a quick scan it was remotely piloted with no crew". With that I looked at everyone and called it a day.

 25

    We awoke to a second Carla sitting beside the bed "good morning prime, I have been sent on behalf of all of your nanobots. We request access to the crystals you wear to maximize the effects to keep you and your family safe. I looked at her and smiled "you can access them and thank you for asking first". Cora''s doppelg?nger nodded and vanished. The others were stretching and groaning as I stood. "Gotta start the day" I said then ducked a pillow that flew at me.


    I got to my office as Vicky appeared "I want to know how you are doing on your moon base?"  She smiled a huge smile and waved her arm and the hologram appeared. It was a 6 sided structure that rose from the moon''s surface with greenery all over it. I could see animated people milling about and sitting in the parks. "This structure can house 1.5 million comfortably". I looked and thought of something "May I offer a suggestion". She cocked her head to the side.


    "An amusement park on the moon" her eyes got wide "let''s do space tourism right and give the world a destination". She started to jump and clap "we can make it a destination that''s priced for all people". I looked at her "let''s make it a 2 part station, one side vacation one side residents. I''m sure you can come up with a few rides that will take advantage of the moon''s gravity".


    Vickey was beaming at this and she came and hugged me, I know it''s just drones squeezing me but I knew where it was from. We talked about it for a few min more discussing details until the hologram changed to a large dome next to her original plan. "How long to build it?"  She looked at me with a thoughtful look "with current stocks about a month once I start". That made me smile "you are cleared to go as soon as you are ready" she nodded.


    "Sir I have all the pieces put back together from the ship we recovered if you want to take a look". I smiled "lead on chickie"  I let her take the lead because I didn''t know where it was. I chuckled and she caught it, I got a drone pinch for that one. We made our way to the flight deck and there it was.


    It was a UFO right out of 50''s movies. "I recognize the design, ships of this shape use this type of anti gravity thrusters, no wonder it crashed". I looked at her "bad design?"  She laughed "no cheap design, they were used on all kinds of ships but they broke down constantly. The ones on the ground are all like this so if they are basing their research on this they already at a dead end".


    I walked around the ship, it had no portholes and only one entrance. I looked inside and saw no seats. "Is anything operational?"  She shook her head "all it had were engines and a rudimentary tractor beam". I smiled "I guess we aren''t the only ones to leave garbage around". She scowled and shook her head. "How do the ones the governments have compared to this".


    "It''s about the same, mostly junk".


    "As long as they don''t have tech we don''t know about". She started to laugh "I have scanned the globe and I have eyes on anything not from this planet. There is nothing to worry about there".


    "Is there anything we can learn from it?"  She shook her head "the computer was mostly a write off and there is no tech worth saving. I did find one thing though" she pointed at a box so I opened it. There were 3 carvings, a man woman and child, at least that''s what I''m assuming. "At least we know they made contact or were following a tribe closely. Do we know what they looked like?"  She screwed up her face "I did get that from the computer". A hologram of a multi-tentacled slimy creature appeared".


    "I think they were aquatic based on all the evidence". I looked at the hologram "that''s nasty, hopefully we won''t have to deal with them".


    "What do you want me to do with the ship?"  I thought for a second "tuck it away for now maybe someone will want it. It seems a shame to just melt it down. We should drop it off at an alien convention" I giggled and she shook her head at me. "What about the other ship under the ice?"


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement."I had a drone melt its way down to it and it has minimal power. It''s tucked into a outcrop of rocks so the ice sheets just go over the top. My guess is it was landed there on purpose. The computer is functional but it''s slow going, it''s like talking to someone in slow motion. It''s like there is an AI on board hibernating so we are proceeding with caution". I nodded "always a good plan all I need is a nutty AI on the loose. Keep me informed of anything you find".


    She nodded and we went to the grav couches, they didn''t look in use because the models were docked. B appeared and smiled "they have the real things out today". He smiled like a proud teacher.


    He waved his hand and 6 screens appeared one above each couch. It was cute listening to them rime off directions. My little pixie commercial pilots I chuckled to myself. I smiled like a proud papa seeing them skim the surface of the moon. "Do they know we are watching?" B shook his head "let''s keep it that way, I don''t want them to think we are checking up on them". He nodded again and the screens disappeared.


    B looked at me "sir on behalf of the kits I have a request". I gave him the floor. "The kits want to be trained weapons free and I think I have a solution. With the amount of space junk we can let the kits train and clean up space. I have designed a laser that will destroy the junk to nothing". I smiled "have you discussed this with them?"  He started to laugh "it was them that saw it on their sensors and wanted to go after it. I think they are ready sir, they are getting bored just shooting at one another".


    "I''m not passing the buck but I''m putting this in your hands. When you feel they are ready you can go weapons hot". I giggled "my little hunter seekers"


    I was just about to say something when 3 couches opened and 3 kits bolted for the bathroom. When those 3 appeared the other 3 repeated the process. B looked at me "they worked that out on their own. They push control over to another pilot before they get up. It''s cute, they verify everything with each other". I just giggled at what I''ve created.


    I came back to my home to find Jaden and the girls trying on rings. I got a hug from each and said "I can make any jewelry you want, it just has to be worn all the time". They nodded but I think sparkles trump dad. The door opened and a drone came in with a box and went to Jaden she opened it and there were matching pendants. Picking one up she fell in love with it and so did the girls judging by the looks I could see. So all the women in my family have the same pendant and it looks stunning on everyone.


    "What are the capabilities" asked Jess so I let Vickey field this one. As she told the girls about them I went one by one and put them on each of them. They would get giggles when they flashed blue. Another drone showed up with earrings for Autumn but the flash scared her a little. "So we are wearing diamonds from space" I nodded at Lexi and Vicky jumped in "not only from space I found the main crystal orbiting a black hole".


    "Cooool" I heard from the girls. I looked at Jaden "I told the nanobots they could assess the crystals and I''m not sure what they have in mind".


    I felt a hand on either or my hips as Lisa and Cora came in for a kiss. "Where are mom and dad?" Lisa started to laugh "they are in the Grand Canyon with your family". That made me smile knowing they are reaching out. My com went off with a message from Becky asking me to get ahold of her so I went to my office.


    I called her and she answered right away. "Hello sir you didn''t have to get back to me right away".


    "I prefer not to wait so I try to make others. What do you need?"  She shook her head "it wasn''t important I just wanted to keep you up to date with my work. I''ve got all your social accounts going and I''m actively posting new material. Your twitter account is over one million already". I giggled "I have a twitter account?"  She rolled her eyes "yes you have all the accounts" she laughed. "Thank you for handling this. I do have one question, are you overworking yourself with all of this".


    "It''s going to come to that soon, I think I need a few bodies for the commercial". "Don''t forget you can use bots if you can''t find anyone". She nodded "I will do that for now but I think I''m going to need people sooner than later". I nodded at that. We talked about the commercial for a few min then ended the call.


    Cora came into the office "are you done?  Did I get it right?"  I smiled and went to her and hugged her. "Yes you did but remember I never expect it". She snuggled in and purred "ok but I like I can feel you like Lisa". I left my office and found Lisa by herself "where are the kits?"  She shrugged "prob flying, it''s nice not worrying about them". We settled in for the evening and just acted like mates.

 26

    I got up when Sandy messaged me so I took it in my office. "They would love the idea and anything you need just ask. That came from the mayor himself". I smiled "that''s excellent, thank you Sandy for handling this. Tell the mayor I will be in touch, how have things been since we left?" She smiled "I''ve discovered a side effect of the beds, almost nobody in town is smoking anymore to the point of they are talking about pulling them from the shelves".


    "That''s a side effect I can get behind" I laughed and ended the call.


    "Vickey, do you have all your prep work done?" She appears smiling "yes captain, a small operation like this will take 3 units and 10 drones. Each drone can grab a ton of garbage at once and the units can process 5 tons every min. It outputs raw materials or feedstock for plastics production and bio feedstock for the replicators".


    "Profitable garbage, this should be interesting". She nodded at me "where is Becky right now?" She smiled "she is in the twins area". I made my way there and found her talking to people around the tree. I just wanted to touch base with her and did just that. I realized really quickly she knew what she was doing when she broke it down for me. "We will run it like an interview and a commercial. You can introduce it and we can do an interview of sorts afterwards". I started to laugh and she got a strange look "you make it sound like an infomercial". She joined in with me laughing.


    We parted ways and I went home where I found Lisa and Cora talking about kids. Lisa was informing her about the 12 kids and Cora was getting excited. They both smiled and looked at me like prey and I squirmed in my seat a little. Luckily the kits entered and saved me wanting hugs and I gladly obliged.


    It was weird the kits would talk as one most of the time even waiting together for an answer. They were loving their mission and they are still finding it fun and that''s important to me. "I am so proud of you, I want you to know that". I held my arms open and they came for the hug. "I can hug my whole Air Force in one shot". That got giggles.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itWe spent the rest of the day going over the details for tomorrow and a call to the mayor then called it a night.


    We got up the next morning raring to go. The kits were off to fly and the three of us had breakfast. I went to the flight deck and saw the equipment getting picked up and taken away. I took the RV down with my avatar onboard.


    I hovered and saw most of the town came out for this. I landed and people greeted me, they even had the brass band from the school. We watched as the units were put in place. 3 shipping container size boxes settled into the working area, 2 made up the hopper and the 3rd was the processor. Large wires connected everything together.


    The mayor came to me "I don''t know what to say but thank you". I shook his hand "no need to thank me, consider this even for stealing one of your nurses". I looked at Sandy and she smiled proudly "you mean the best nurse don''t you". I laughed with her "yes she is the best nurse". She nodded smugly.


    As we were talking the drones set up the units and built the ramp for the trucks to dump. Then I saw blue balls of garbage floating from the dump to the hopper resulting in cheering when each was dumped. "We set up the processor to produce plastic feedstock for the town to sell".


    We filmed for about an hour with me walking around pointing out the different parts and processes. Finally showing the output showing what is for sale. We then got in front of the machine for the interview. I went over it can handle any waste and recover any materials they want. It can handle E-waste and recover the gold and rare earth metals. I was impressed as usual with Becky''s questions, she flowed from one topic to another. She continued the interview and we were done.


    We went to the townsfolk and they were having a BBQ and I had to laugh "having a BBQ at the dump has to be a new one" they all joined in on the laughter.


    I was watching the dump disappear when Sandy came over "I wonder if they could find my car keys I lost last year?" I giggled. "With Vickey running things she prob could"


    We enjoyed the next few hours with the people watching the dump slowly disappearing. One corner hit the clay layer already. I looked at Vickey "what''s the ETA based on what''s done so far". She smiled "it should be 17 hours" that drew shock and smiles to all that heard. As the festivities came to a close I said my goodbyes and went to the RV. Vickey took over and I disconnected, getting licks and kisses. I spent the remainder of my evening with my family.

 27

    The next morning the video went live and the response was immediate. Vickey posted it in all the usual spots and we were at a million views and 2 requests from cities. We were watching reaction videos to my interview and most seemed positive. There is always that one guy that thinks it''s fake.


    Becky looked at me "I think we will have to do more than one site to show people the same results". I nodded "I agree but this time I want to go bigger on this one, maybe a city. Vickey, could you get me a meeting with the mayor of Vancouver?" She nodded "we need to work out costs, how long to finish Vancouver dump". She looked at me "it should take about a year depending on the depth. That''s based on two units and afterwards one unit can handle the city".


    Her eyes got wide "is an audio call ok for you for the meeting". I nodded "of course". She giggles "when the mayor''s aid took the call he personally cleared the mayor''s schedule for you in an hour". I smiled "well that was nice".


    I sat with my mates and had lunch and talked about nothing in particular. Time for the call, I collected kisses and went to my office.


    The mayor and I made pleasantries and he asked the usuals questions. About 15 minutes in he asked about the cost of the units. "Well sir that''s the kicker, we want to use your city as an example of what we can do so I''m not charging you. We do ask that the media be allowed to have access to film. There will probably be a few of them". We settled on Monday for a start date and bid our goodbyes.


    "Is there anything else going on?" She looked at me "we started breaking down the cars that came up from the surface". "How many families are here now" another smile "45 families and 135 singles so far". I smiled "let''s go see" I got up and made my way there.


    There I found a lot of happy children running around. I saw Sam making lunch again and went to her. "How are things going". She smiled "I''m still at it. Those kids keep bringing me people who haven''t taken care of themselves in a while so they need the help". She held up a clipboard "I have volunteers for every meal". My turn to smile "that makes me feel good" she nodded.


    I looked around and saw a couple that looked almost scared. I went to them "May I sit?" They nodded so I did. "Are you ok, you seem spooked?" He spoke up "your beds gave us our lives again. I was strung out on meth and didn''t even realize what was going on till I got out of the bed. It took away the cravings for it and it''s a little scary".


    She looked at me "what do we do now". I smiled "I''m going to give you the opportunity to start over but it''s up to you to stay clean. I know it might be hard but you can do it". They looked at one another and said "we will, we promise". I smiled at that and went for a walk. "Vickey can the beds remove all addictions?"


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience."Almost all sir, some require longer work depending on how bad off they are. The physiological effects take longer to heal but they do in time". We walked and saw people of different ethnic backgrounds getting along. The harshest words were between kids fighting over toys.


    Leaving I looked at Vickey "how many ships do we have mining the asteroids?"


    "I have 2 in use now, what are you thinking?"


    "I''m thinking I want to step up production on the moon base, these people need a permanent home". Another smile "I will make 10 more and get to work sir" I nodded at that.


    I made my way to my brothers only to find him packing. "Where are you off to now?" I kidded. "Home" Shaun responded. "All the nieces and nephews have been through". I looked at him "that doesn''t mean you have to leave. You and Shelly are welcome here anytime. Besides, have you finished your flight training?" He nodded "good you need to know how to fly your new RV" I stated. "Are you serious little brother?"


    "Of course I''m sure it''s the least I can do for you. I would have had to deal with the family otherwise" I laughed. "Take a day or two and work with B to design your new ride ok". They both nodded and went back home, finding nobody I went to the kits.


    I found Kim and Gar looking glum at the table. "What''s wrong?" I asked. They both looked and smiled. They told me they were a little homesick and lost. Kim looked at me "you stole my kids" she laughed. "You can have more" the look I got gave me my answer and that was NO.


    "If you want jobs talk to Vickey, mabey she can suggest something. What did you do on your home world?" Gar spoke "we were teachers but there is nothing we can teach here". "Well we will have a base soon so there will be tons of positions there". They looked at me "base?" They both said. "Yea I gave Vickey the go ahead to break ground as soon as possible". Vickey appeared "I would make any job you want available to you". Gar and Kim looked at one another and held hands on the table. "I want you to promise me something though, take your time and don''t jump in blindly". Kim stood and hugged me closely followed by Gar. "Thank you for this and everything". She started to cry and I froze and let her get it out. "I''m so happy because I get to start over and I think I need a change". When I left them they were discussing possible career changes.


    Feeling good about myself I went home to find it still empty. I decided on a shower and took my time. I got out just as my girls came home. Carla ran to me and hugged me. I grabbed her up as Lisa and Cora came for a kiss.


    We all cuddled on the sofa and discussed the day. We talked about the base and the possibilities of living there. They looked at me "I can work from anywhere" That got giggles. We talked till I realized Carla was asleep. The girls laughed at me trying to get up without waking her. We all decided it was time for bed so we went.

 28

    The next day was Monday so it was time for a trip to Vancouver. We all went to the flight deck to see the equipment as it loaded. 2 giant hoppers with cables leading to the replicator that produces the raw material. "How many drones are you using there?"  Vickey looked at me "I went with 20 to speed up the process. Each can do a ton at a time and they can work together as well if they encounter challenges".


    With that she finished loading and I went to my office. I took a small shuttle and followed them down. Flight time was only fifteen minutes and the weather was clear. I saw a crowd of people so I landed beside them. The instant the door opened the press started.


    The press wanted an interview "I''m sorry but I have to decline, I have work to do". I made my way to the mayor. "Good morning sir I see the rain held off today for us". He smiled and shook my hand "where is the equipment?"  I waved my hand and decloaked the equipment that was hovering above us. "Where would you like to set up". An engineer stepped up. "Over on the flat area there" he pointed "we can build a ramp for the trucks to dump directly into the hopper". I smiled "no need sir the ramp can be built by the drones. Let''s go for a walk and you can show me exactly where to place it". He smiled and we did just that.


    We walked to the spot and I lowered it into place exactly where he wanted it. "How are you controlling them?". I''m linked to the tech, they basically obey my commands". He had a weird look on his face as he watched the equipment settle into place. "Where is the dirt to build the ramp out of". He pointed at the pile so I took all 20 drones and started grabbing dirt.


    Each drone would grab a ball of dirt then drop it in place. They then slammed into the ground using their shields to compact the dirt. It took about 15 min for it to take shape and we all inspected the work. "This is amazing, I don''t know what to say" said the mayor "this is just the way of the future, you''re just getting a sneak peek of what''s to come for all".


    All the cameras were rolling watching the activities and the ramp grow until it finished. Then they swung around to catch the first garbage balls floating to the hopper. I looked at the mayor "it''s now ready for the trucks to start dumping". He told someone and within minutes the first truck was there.


    The mayor started laughing "this would have taken months worth of paperwork to get things this big into place. All you have to do is think about it". I smiled at him "this is what I''ve been chosen for".


    He seems ok with that answer and we made our way to the replication unit. There was a block of black looking obsidian sitting on the unit.


    I picked it up and handed it to the mayor, it was a 20 cm by 20 cm cube. "The first one should go to you but be careful it weighs about 17 kilograms".  He hefted the weight and his eyes got wide "how does it weigh that much". I smiled "that''s how I store material for later use I call it feedstock. This is the part you want". I put my hand into a bag that was currently being filled with pellets". These are pellets for plastic manufacturers to use, you can change the type from the control panel over there. This can be sold and it''s yours to sell, I have no need for it".


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.Once again he was smiling so hard I thought his skin would split.


    One of the drone''s grabbed the next cube and took it to a storage container about the size of a minivan. "The whole system is automated and requires no intervention from this point on except the drones need to know where to put the bags of pellets" That got some applause.


    The mayor took advantage of the opportunity for the photo op so I gave in. "I don''t know what to say but thank you. I do have one question, why Vancouver?"  I smiled "I''m going to use Vancouver as a test city to show the rest of the world what I''m bringing. This is the beginning of hopefully a beneficial arrangement. I do have a request though, have your accounts work out how much you will be saving and how much you would pay for equipment like this. I''m not charging you but I will be charging others and you can help me set prices". Another huge smile "Consider it done captain, why are you not giving them away?"


    "This tech could be used for bad as well as good so I retain control to make sure it can''t happen". That got head nodds "I''m working out ways to bring it to people and not put them out of work" More nodds.


    One of the press had a good question "are you going to bring this to all cities?"  I looked at her and smiled "that''s my goal, how is this for a headline Landfills Are Doomed".


    We all laughed at that.


    "What other technology do you have and will be bringing to the people?"


    "We''ll waste disposal, clean power production, medical care, transportation and I''m starting on space tourism".


    "It sounds like you can provide everything," I smiled. "I can". That got a lot of shocked looks. "This is the beginning of a new way of life for everyone and it''s my goal to make sure everyone has access, not just the higher ups". That drew applause and I smiled.


    For the next 30 min I answered questions and Vicky was doing the same. I let them know when they breached a topic I wasn''t ready to discuss yet. They seemed ok with the fact that it will come out soon and they will get their answers.


    Vicky was explaining the process in detail for a crew and she finished by letting a female reporter walk through her. We ended the interviews and boarded the shuttle to go home.


    I disconnected from the VR and got 2 kisses and a hug from Carla. "That was a productive day" I said and looked around.


    Just then the kits walked in to get the latest news. We talked for a while until Vickey appeared.


    "You''re on every channel" she brought up 10 different channels and sure enough we were on all of them. We saw the woman who walked through Vickey a few times as well as the mayor struggling with the cube. There was lots of footage of the dump slowly disappearing and we watched for a while seeing people talk about the changes to come.


    Everyone in the room made fun of me for being so stiff in front of the camera. I giggled "I''m not the PR guy". Vicky laughed "oh we know that". The news shows we''re becoming redundant so we shut them off.


    We were chatting when B appeared "the satellites are ready and I added the weapons the kits are using in case they encounter junk. They can be used defensively if someone gets the wrong idea". He brought up a hologram and showed me. It was square with crystals poking out on 3 sides. "The crystals work as dishes but are way more sensitive. If I launch tomorrow morning it will be operational by noon.


    I could tell B was proud and I wanted to give him one more "what is the name of the network?"  He put a questioning look on his face. "You built it, you get to name it". He smiled "I wasn''t thinking of a name I just called it the network". I smiled "sleep in it and see what you can come up with. He nodded and dissolved. I looked at my crew "I''m done for the day". And with that we went to bed.

 29

    I awoke the next morning feeling great, plans are falling into place. I collected kisses and went to the flight deck to see the new satellites before they launched. There were 12 of them, 9 for the planet and 3 for the moon. They were sleek and looked perfect; they were duplicates except for numbering above the name.


    PEGASUS was in bold letters along the side of each. I looked at B "I see you chose a name and I love it". I could see the pride on his face and it looked good on him. "I will stop bugging you and harass someone else". He laughed as he returned his attention to the task at hand.


    I went to find Becky finding her in her quarters. She was editing a video in a makeshift studio she had set up. "I''m making some short videos for the site". She didn''t even look up. "The site is what I''m here to talk about is actually a new site for the new communication network". She perked up "the Pegasus network is coming online today and we are going to need a site. We are going to bring online a global network. I''m going to need a site to show people where to get the SIM cards or our comms devices. We haven''t figured out all the logistics yet but I''m working on it. The network will give free calling anywhere on the planet including the moon". Becky looked at me wide eyed "oh yea we are building a moon base" I giggled.


    I looked around her quarters "if you want take another set of quarters and turn it into a studio for yourself and you need to start looking for staff". She put a grin on her face "you already have a plan don''t you". She nodded. "I didn''t want to intrude and take over a space". I started to laugh "this ship is big enough that if you want a full studio go ahead and build it". She looked at me shocked and I smiled "not the answer you were expecting" she just nodded. "Go meet some of the newcomers and see if someone has the skills you are looking for. I trust you so even if you have some contacts on the ground you just say the word. You know what you need and I trust your decisions".


    She smiled "thank you for that. This is the chance of a lifetime, I will have to beat them off with a stick" she said laughing.


    We were sitting there discussing things about a studio when my comms went off. I got a message with a hologram. The Pegasus network is online with a winged horse with a rider. I looked close and saw the rider was B. I sent a message to B telling him I love it.


    I got a call from Jaden asking why her children are glowing. "The Pegasus network is live so we have access anywhere on the planet". We chatted for a few minutes while I could hear the girls laughing in the background.


    I finished work with Becky and made my way to the twins area. They I were in the middle of having a big meal so I joined them. Sam the cook came to me "it''s nice to see you again". "How are things going here?" She smiled "people seem to like eating here instead of their quarters. Eating together seems to bring us together. There are a lot of lost souls here and we have been banding together to support them". That made me smile "how is the meal planning going?" She produced a clipboard "I have extra people signed up for the next week".A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    We sat and chatted and she let me know she loves the fact there are no dishes.


    The twins came over to see me "just the people I came to see. The Pegasus network came online so we need to look into communication devices for the people. Have many people wanted to reach out to anyone". Emma shook her head "not really but I''m sure that will change".


    "How are things running?" Ryan took this one "now that we have 43 families the schools are full. The number of singles is the most, we are up to 249".


    We walked around and talked till I saw a young boy carrying what looked like raw feedstock. I approached him and asked where he got it and his dad stepped in "it is part of  our car". I started to laugh "that''s fantastic, keeping your cars as a keepsake is a novel idea". He looked at me "that car served me well and it was a neat memory to keep". I saw him talking to the twins as I talked to his son. His eyes shot open, I''m assuming he found out who I was. He came back to me "Captain, you gave us a future for my family when I couldn''t. For that I am forever in your debt". I smiled "all you have to do is move forward and build from here. We will remove a lot of the roadblocks that will let you succeed in something you choose for yourself". He smiled and shook my hand.


    We continued down one of the spokes and met a few people who no longer have addiction and seem lost now. I sat and talked to a few people who seemed to be having trouble adjusting. The twins set up buddy programs so newcomers weren''t alone, it seemed to work but it may need tweaking. Wanting to get off drugs is one thing, it''s a different story when it happens. We made our way back to the tree and we parted ways.


    Back in my quarters I found Lisa and Cora in a heated discussion. I saw the looks on their faces and tried to sneak into my office but they caught me. They didn''t look mad, they just looked concerned. Lisa started "Cora thinks I should get pregnant first then her. I think both at the same time works"


    I just exhaled and blinked. They both looked at me waiting for an answer. "I''m not sure how to respond to that comment" I said. Cora took my hands "I am a secondary wife so I take less priority". I looked at her "I don''t want you to ever say that again" I said in a stern voice she looked like she was going to cry. "You and Lisa are equals and that''s the way it will always be". She looked at Lisa who was nodding. Now she did start to cry, but they were happy tears.


    I chuckled "when it comes to babies it''s up to nature, I don''t think we get a say in the matter". They smiled "it will happen when it happens. How did we end up on this topic?" They both chuckled and Cora answered "we were talking about names and we both want your moms name". I started to laugh "of all things to argue about this is an easy one". Both girls came for a kiss.


    Vickey appeared and said "you need to see this". She waved her hand and 6 screens popped up. The kits were flying strafing missions at L4 and destroying anything classified as junk. Vickey turned to me "NASA and the ESA gave us a list of what was active". We sat and watched as paint flecks and rocket boosters were targeted and eliminated. We watched for about 20 mins then turned in for the evening.

 30

    I awoke with Vickey shaking me "sir you are needed on the planet ASAP". In my office "what''s going on Vickey?" She looked at me "all I know is she is in a meeting and needs you now. She called 7 minutes ago".


    I booted up the VR and opened my eyes. There was nobody in the conference room and the same for the beds. Just bots standing And waiting with her crew.


    I scanned and found Sandy in a conference room so I went there. I found her yelling at some of the staff.


    "I want to know who made this decision," Sandy yelled. "It was me," a man stood. "I took advantage of the situation to increase our funding"


    "And you are," I said in a booming voice, attracting the attention of the room. "My name is doctor Andrews and I run this facility" he said smugly.


    "Well Mr Andrew''s nobody gave you permission to charge for our services" Sandy shot at him. "This is my hospital and I will do what I wish" he spat out.


    "Then so shall we" I looked at him then Sandy "where are your crew?"


    "They are on the ship awaiting orders". I smiled then looked at everyone "I guess we are ready to pull up stakes". That drew faces of shock. "If you can''t respect that our services are free, we will find another to deal with. Sandy shall we".


    "You mean you''re leaving?" Dr Andrews asked with desperation in his voice. I looked at him "yes we are. You took it upon yourself to charge for free services so I will find another that wants to play by my rules". We walked out of the office with Sandy in front of me. We got on the elevator and went to the crew and they agreed with me so it was an easy decision to leave.


    We locked down any equipment and took to the skys. I contacted Becky and told her to put an update on the site explaining why we left and use the video of the conversation. The minute we landed the ship started modifications for its next site, the BC Children''s hospital.


    I disconnected and found Cora there with a coffee and a smile. "I think I felt it, did I get it right again?". I nodded and hugged her that lasted for some time. "I''m still getting used to all the new emotions as they flow through me". She leaned in for a kiss when Lisa came in. "I got it right," Cora said to her. Lisa smiled "I knew you have them, it just took some fine turning". That ended in a 3way hug.


    I made my way to the flight deck and met with the medical crew. We were up to 7 now and they were excited to be here. I looked at Sandy "well that sucked but hopefully it will be better next time".


    "You have no idea how pissed I am at that. I have an idea I''m going to work on to stop this".


    "We''ll take time off for a day or two. Have you thought of where on the ship you''re staying?" She smiled "the twins said we can use the upper floors in their area". I smiled "having everyone together is best I think". She nodded "go all get settled and we can talk later". They all nodded and went on their way.


    I went back to my office because I have a call to make. I called the mayor of Vancouver and he answered right away. "I was expecting an answering machine," I joked. "There are some calls you just take," he laughed.


    I let him know what happened in Miami and we wanted to relocate to his city. He was more than happy with that news and he assured me he would talk to the hospital and make sure it doesn''t happen again. We talked for about 30 minutes then ended the call.


    I left my office to find nobody there. I went to the kits to find nobody. "Vickey, where is everyone?"


    "Shaun showed up and took everyone to the beach". I shook my head "still the mushroom of the family" I laughed out loud.


    Back in my office I sat and let my mind wander. I thought about Pegasus and how to get people access. Why not let Amazon do the leg work for me, all we would need a manufacturing spot. "Vickey how fast can we produce the cards and devices". She appeared "we could make 50K cards an hour with one replicator, or 1K of the devices". I thought for a moment "make 20 more replicators onboard and prep them. For now we will manufacture them onboard till we have ground resources".


    She nodded "is B finished with his devices?" He appeared "I''ve made 4 models for now so people will have a good choice".


    He smiled "the first looks and acts like an ordinary cell phone but with lots of horsepower and memory. The charge time is one hour for a week''s worth of heavy use. The second looked like a thick bracelet. It had all the same features as the phone but it also had a holo projector. We can do it in silver or gold easily enough, we can offer more metals in the future. The third and fourth are a combo unit. The watch that makes all smartwatches today look like basic calculators. It has the holographic projectors but the holograms are small. When coupled with the gauntlet the unit is amplified 4 fold. The gauntlet has a battery life of about a month with daily use with a 2 hour recharge time. There are 3 module compartments that can be used for expansions. We can make dozens of different modules so people will be able to customize" I had a huge smile "what kind of expansion units?" "More memory, more processors or tools, maybe even scanners. We can made modules to do anything you want really"


    "Could you please follow me to my mind office please". I closed my eyes and we switched. I stood and went to B "I can''t do this out there" I shook his hand.


    He smiled and nodded his head. "I can''t believe you did this while training the kits. Thank you B".


    "No need to thank me Brad, we are all on the same team. Me on the Pegasus was more of a joke". I looked at him "I love it, don''t change it. Let''s see how long it takes people to notice" I laughed and he joined me.


    A appeared and said hello, he had info to share.


    "The abandoned ships are now gone. I''ve been monitoring them and the crews that came to salvage. They left some garbage that we can clean up later easily enough. The large ship was scanned for 2 days before they towed it away. I recalled the drone but first I put a tracker on the ship. It''s outside my network now so it might take a while for a reply". I sat on my desk "thank you A, your work is invaluable to us" He nodded.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "One more thing, there has been a ship that has been probing our network. Every time I expand it backs up so I can''t get a detailed scan. I can tell you it''s a large ship, 700 meters but beyond that it''s speculative".


    I looked at him "let''s jump one of the explorers close to them. If they can detect our scans, let''s see if they can detect a cloaked ship". A snapped to attention "recalling one now sir ETA one hour real time".


    I nodded at that and looked at Vickey "what is C doing?" She smiled. "He is on the planet with your brother. I think Shaun is getting to know the old you". I smiled "well we are strangers as far as brothers go". A looked at me "it would have been nice if they were there when we were kids". I huffed "I know me too but they were adults then and had their own lives. Hey I want all of you to have friends and associates of your own like C. Talk to my brothers and get the answers you are looking for" That got smiles.


    "Is there anything else?" Vicky stepped up "the medship for BC is ready. It''s a bit smaller and it''s 2 stories, this model has 40 beds. It will integrate with the building providing access on two floors. I thanked everyone and opened my eyes.


    I found nobody there and I sighed, I''ve grown accustomed to my kisses. At that moment just on cue they walked in. Lisa and Cora came to me and they smelled like the ocean, I hugged them close and breathed deep. I grew up near the ocean and I will never tire of that smell. I asked them how their day was and they were all smiles. They tried swimming and snorkeling for the first time and they fell in love with it. Lisa closed her eyes "we need to save the planet just for the beauty like that". I smiled "it''s just a matter of time".


    We went to the table and got something to eat when Carla, Shaun and B came in. Shaun had a look on his face, not bad, just odd. I got up and got a hug from Carla and asked Shaun to join me in my office.


    "C and I had a long talk about you, he gave me access to your full life. I had no idea what you went through growing up. We grew up in the same house and that is the only common factor between us. C showed me your memories of growing up so I now understand your decisions regarding the sisters. He helped me understand what your mental state did to you. Why didn''t you reach out for help?" I smiled "I didn''t have the strength to ask and I didn''t know how. I was stunted emotionally and never had the right words".


    We left my office with tears in our eyes and the girls ran to me. Carla clung to me and I got kisses from Lisa and Cora. Carla raised her arms so I picked her up. She whispered in my ear "I don''t like to see tears in your eyes". I assured her that they are tears caused by old memories and hugged her tight. She pulled back and looked at me "I love you daddy". Ok that brought more tears from me and none of them bad. Cora looked at me "not too many kids get to pick their daddy" with a tear in her eye.


    We made our way to the table and I finally got to eat. After we ate we sat on the sofa and watched the news getting up to date. They were all talking about why we left Miami. What shocked me is they were on our side when it came out that they were charging for our services. There were still talking about the dump cleanup showing the growing hole. Nobody noticed the satellites yet so no news there.


    A appeared so I went to my office. "I am sitting in front of the ship now, they can''t pick it up obviously. I have only done passive scans as not to spook them. I essentially walked up to the front door waiting for you to knock".


    The ship was odd in the sense that I couldn''t tell front from back. It had spikes that grew and shrank as we watched. "There are no heat signatures at all so I don''t know what kind of propulsion system they have. I''m not picking up any transmissions but they have an EM field as shields so they could be interfering. I sense no weapons of any kind and only one door on the entire ship".


    "Can we send a message from earth as not to tip them off that we are here?" He smiled "I can send it from the network. The lag time will be about 4 minutes


    "Do it". We composed a simple message and beamed it directly at the ship. We chatted till the 4 minute mark and one of the spikes retracted and then reformed as a dish of sorts and we got our reply.


    "No harm, garble garble science mission static then silence. I looked at A "compose a message stating we mean no harm as well and we to are explorers. Hopefully that will give the bots more to work on". He did as asked and we sat and waited.


    "They want to know if we want them to leave".


    "Let''s try a hologram and hope they have similar tech". We quickly composed a message and I sat at the desk and read it loud and clear for them. Welcoming talks and peaceful intent between our races. I let them know I was cloaked close to them and don''t be afraid when we decloaked.


    I decloaked as soon as they got the message, they didn''t move so I assumed they understood. I booted up VR and took control of the explorer. I had limited control at this distance but I could communicate better with less lag.


    I was standing on the bridge with B at coms when the screen flickered. Then before me what could only be said was a bird. It had long spindly arms and I''m assuming the legs were the same. The plumage slash hair shimmered as it looked around. It didn''t have a traditional beak but you could tell where one was long ago.


    I smiled with no teeth. "Hello there". I think it smiled "it seems we are curious about one another" it flicked its head up twice quickly "I am lucky you are a peaceful (static) based on how easily I was snuck up on" I think it laughed. "My people will be thrilled by my discovery unless you wish to be left alone".


    I smiled again "we are new to space and you are our first contact so I welcome talks". Its plumage ruffled, I hope that''s a good thing. "I shall report this to our people and they will be thrilled then".


    We talked for about 20 minutes and the bots were translating loud and clear after a few hiccups, I''m assuming they had the same type of tech. He told me that they have been listening to us for a while now but would not approach. We ended our conversation on an upbeat note and we gave them a frequency to contact us directly.


    I shut down the VR and my bookends were there with kisses. "They seem ok" Cora said "have you ever run into them". She lowered her head "those memories are gone now, we totally forget after we change". I hugged her to me "good that means you''re all mine". Lisa was smiling and completed our hug. "I''m tired, I''m going to bed". We did just that and slept wonderfully.

 31

    I got up before my mates and discovered Carla at the table. "I have discovered raisins and I think they go with everything. Actually the whole eating thing is fun". She giggled and I stole a raisin. "I like them too". Cora came out "I have no idea how I existed before chocolate". Lisa was grinning and nodding her head. Carla got in on the action "don''t you dare forget about ice cream" We all laughed at that. Carla took her cereal bowl to the kitchen and came back with ice cream getting more laughter.


    "Vickey is there anything pressing". She appeared smiling "I think I''m done with the base". She brought up the hologram and there it was. One giant dome and 6 more surrounding it. "The central spire is a full city in vertical form that can house 8 million people. Each of the smaller domes looked like neighborhoods with no houses. Complete with lakes and lots of green space should make the people living there happy. "Each of the smaller domes are made to have a small town feel and can house 50k each. The dome to the north will house the amusement park that''s why it''s bigger. We should be able to handle one million visitors easily. I''ve got over 2000 rides I can make to test the thrill seekers".


    I smiled "what order are you building them?"  She smiled "amusement park first, then the main dome. I''m sure my designs will change during construction but this is the look I want".


    "It might be the amusement park for a while till we get the infrastructure to get people there. I wonder if it''s easier to  buy an existing or start our own transportation company?  Vicky, is there an airline that''s in trouble we could bail out? We can make our own planes".


    "I found one". She shot back. "It''s perfect, it''s almost in name only. All the planes were sold to cover the debt but they have contracts at 6 airports". "That was quick, where is it?"  She smiled "South Africa". I looked at her "let''s try something closer to home for now".


    Lisa and Cora were discussing something with Carla when they all looked at me. Carla spoke up "you have a good relationship with the mayor of Vancouver and I looked it up they have an international airport. All we need is a single spot to load". She sat there with a smug look on her face. "Who came up with that". Lisa and Cora pointed at Carla and that made the smug look appropriate.


    I walked over to her and picked her up "you know something that idea is perfect and that''s the one I''m going with. There is only one problem". She looked at me concerned "you need to come up with a name". She looked at me and thought for a minute "Nova" she said. I smiled "I think we have a winner. Nova airlines". Vickey looked at me then Carla "we could use that as our global name and have different divisions. That name is perfect. May I use it Carla?"


    She nodded enthusiastically then started to get excited knowing she just named the company.


    "Vickey, could you ask C to start designing engines for planes that require no fuel". I looked at Carla "Nova motors" and she got more excited.


    We got lunch and continued talking about all manner of topics. We were talking about the cost of tickets when the kits came in. After I collected my hugs they joined us for lunch. The kits were taking the day off after an especially good day yesterday.  They all looked comfortable in their flight suits to the point of that''s all they wore.


    Vickey spoke up "all the reports I''m getting are showing almost 1% of all the debris they were tracking is gone". The kits put a proud look on their face and it looked good on them. She brought up some videos of them at work. They would fly as a unit to attack larger pieces then split apart and go after individual pieces. The narrator spoke up "all space agencies are watching in shock as the problem of space junk is being solved before our eyes". I realized at that point I was watching a live broadcast from NASA.


    "We have been in contact with the captain of the ship we saw. We have given all our information on the targets as well as all the other space agencies. We owe him a debt of gratitude for solving a problem before it got out of hand". There was a closeup of a rocket stage dissolving into nothing. "As you can see the junk is being completely eliminated removing the dangers it holds. He went on to explain the dangers of the debris.


    I looked at the kits "I can''t wait till they see you, they are going to freak" I chuckled. The thoughts of children doing the work as fun makes me smile every time I think about it.


    "Vickey let NASA know we will do a flyby of the ISS so they can get pictures and send them some footage of them in action from the ship''s view".


    I looked at the kits "I want you all to be proud of what you are doing, I know I am. When it comes out who the 6 of you are, people will be shocked but I want them to know it was you". They all flew at me for a hug and I gladly accepted.


    Lisa and Gar were sitting quietly and I could tell they were proud parents, as right it should be.


    "Vickey is everything ready to go for tomorrow". She smiled and nodded "the ship is done and it will integrate perfectly. When it''s in place they only lose 4 parking spots so it''s not intrusive. "Excellent, we get to save some kids tomorrow. Do you know if Becky is coming?"  Vickey nodded "she has a news crew now so she is coming".


    "That''s new, I''m glad she is getting help, I guess I will meet them tomorrow".


    "I do have a topic to discuss. I was thinking of decloaking the ship permanently and letting people see it. They got a glimpse when we grabbed the ISS. Letting people see the ship Might help them accept the new reality faster, what do you think?"  About 30 min of discussions resulted in me decloaking the ship when the kits resume. We will stay decloaked for the foreseeable future.


    It was now late in the evening and we called it a night.


    The next day seemed to flow well till we were hovering over the hospital. Looking down we saw the lot full. I called and after a few min we got the cars moved and we settled into place.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Not needing a lift here helped and were lined up with 2 entrances. I made my way to the entrance and found the mayor there. "There is no way I''m missing this," he laughed as he shook my hand. I introduced him to Sandy and let him know she is the goto on this project. Next was Becky and her 2 cameramen "Becky is documenting everything and her footage is available to you as well".


    The mayor and I went into the ship "are all your crew robots?"  I looked at him and smiled "for now yes. As I train people I will replace every bot with a person". He seemed pleased at that.


    "Why don''t you be the first. Lay down and let me scan you, it''s painless I assure you". He did as I asked and I did the scan. I looked at the results and it wanted to put him under for 60 minutes.


    "We don''t have time now but the bed wants you in for an hour. Give me your word before the end of the day you complete the procedure". He looked at me "is it serious". I smiled "it''s nothing the beds can take care of". He smiled and we went back to the show.


    We went back to the hospital and I went straight to the cancer ward.


    What I saw there made my hearts hurt. Seeing all the kids going through something that they shouldn''t. I walked to the nurse at the desk "good morning" I said and I put my hand out for a handshake. He took it with a look on his face I couldn''t identify. "I need the sickest child here". He went to his charts and came around the desk with one and we proceeded to the room.


    What I saw there brought a literal tear to my eye. There was a 10 year old boy who was frail and bald. He looked at me and perked up a bit, I guess he didn''t expect to see a robot today. I looked at the nurse "could we get this brave little soul ready for transport". I took control of a bot and set it in motion to come get the patient.


    The bot entered the room and his eyes got bigger. I went down to his level. "The bots will take you to my special beds and make you better".


    He looked at me "they said that the last time" he said with a frustrated tone. "I can make promises that regular doctors can''t". He huffed "I guess".


    Before the bot took him away I gave it instructions that I am to be there when he wakes up. The bot nodded and went on its way. The kids in the hallway were watching and whispering to one another, the bravest a young girl came to me and touched my hand. I looked down at her and smiled "are you checking if it''s a costume?"  She smiled and nodded so I picked her up. "No costumes here, it''s freaky but it''s real".


    I address her and her friends "All of you will go to my ship and get cured. This I promise to you". I looked at faces with smiles and a lot of doubt.


    I spent the next hour meeting with patients until I got a notification. I ended my conversation and made my way to the ship.


    Every bed was in use now and I saw the mayor in one. I got to the little guys bed and woke him up. He opened his eyes and started to cry "it doesn''t hurt anymore".  I put my arms out and he shot into my arms. I walked into the cancer ward with a happy crying little boy. I got to the desk and there was a flurry of action when they saw him. There was a new person there that took center attention, mom saw her son. He jumped into her arms and lots of hugs and kisses later he wanted to go play.


    She came to me and didn''t ask, just pulled me in for a hug. I held her and let her cry it out. Sandy came over to me "now you know why I love my job".


    And that was my day, I met with every patient as they passed me one way in a wheelchair and walking back. We set aside 3 beds for the emergency room and I made sure they understood that staff is to go through as well.


    It was late in the afternoon when I shut down the VR. Instantly I was enveloped into a hug. My girls had tears in their eyes "those kids are so brave and you love helping them don''t you". I smiled and nodded my head "the kids are special". That got me more hugs. They had a meal set out for me and I dug in.


    We were finishing our meal when Vickey came to me.  She brought up the news and there was the ship in all its glory. There were comparisons to it looking like a Star destroyer but I knew that was coming.


    The story changed to the kits. There were beautiful pics taken from the ISS and footage of their mission.


    All the TV hosts were pointing to parts of the ships speculating on their use. They were wondering if the ships were manned or unmanned because the windows were tinted.


    I got a message from Sandy asking me to call the mayor when I can. "He has gone home so this will be his personal line".


    I dialed it immediately and got his wife. "Is this the captain?". "Yes it is".


    "Before I hand you over to him I want to say thank you, you let me keep my husband". I could tell she had a lump in her throat.


    "Good evening captain" came from the mayor''s voice. "It seems you had a reason for me to get into the bed. The bot gave me my former diagnosis when I got up".


    "I didn''t want to stress you out with a cancer diagnosis when it is curable now. You will live a long healthy life". She started to laugh "getting a cancer diagnosis and a clean bill of health at once is a bit unnerving". I laughed "don''t forget to get your wife put through the bed as well".


    "That''s ok?" the mayor asked.


    "Of course it is, this is the trial run and I want as many people as possible to go through".  His wife spoke up again "if there is anything else we can do for you please ask". I smiled "I have a number of projects that may require your input. Vancouver is going to be the test bed and all eyes will be on us so we have to shine".


    The mayor asked "you never said why you chose Vancouver?"''


    "I have reasons that will come out eventually and trust me they are good reasons and you will be the first to know. In fact can you two get away for 48 hours?"


    The mayor''s wife took this one "we have a trip planned this weekend that we can cancel. Will that work?"  I smiled "how about I pick you up Friday till Sunday. You will be my guests for that time, all you need is what you would take with you to the mall".


    "I''m not going to sleep till the weekend" said the mayor''s wife and we all laughed. "I will call Friday morning and work out the details". With that I ended the call but I wasn''t done.


    I called the twins "just to let you know I''m going to have the mayor and his wife onboard for a few days. I''m going to get them onboard by letting them see what we are doing". They both smiled "once they see what we are doing we will have extra help in the ground. We have a weekend to convince them". They both smiled an evil grin "we can do it I''m sure of it" Emma said with Ryan nodding. I let them go and wondered if I should worry.


    I looked at my girls, Lisa Cora and Carly looked back. "How do you feel about coming out into the world?"  Lisa spoke up "we are beside you all the way". Cora and Carly were nodding. "I''m thinking now that the families are safe, it''s time to drop the avatar. I actually don''t like hiding behind a mask, I did that enough in my past life". Cora looked at me "are you going to tell them who you were". I smiled "no I will let that mystery linger for a while. I can drop hints and see who figures it out".


    We spent the rest of the evening together and talked as we watched the news from all over the world. We called it a night when it got boring.

 32

    The next morning I was off to see Becky. She was onboard doing some editing, She greeted me with a hug and a smile. "How is my favorite PR queen?" She blushed and giggled, her crew looked shocked. "You need to teach us how you do that," said one of the men. She shot him a look "I only demand the best a person is capable of doing so they outshine the rest" She said with a giggle. I looked at her crew "bit of a slave driver is she?"


    They both started nodding and laughing. "I am not" she said in her defense then crossed her arms. I think this conversation has been had before based on the laughter.


    I went to the men and introduced myself. They both worked on film crews in the lower mainland in the past and they were more than willing to jump onboard. Becky looked at me "I just went to the compound and asked if anybody had experience and the twins have everyone''s skills listed so easy peasie".


    "The compound?" I asked Becky. "That''s what they call it". I shook my head "that needs to change like now" I said and dialed the twins. I set up a time they were free in an hour.


    "Back to the matter at hand. I want to talk to you about how you think we should do my reveal". She looked at me in deep thought "it depends if you want to be flashy and make a big deal out of it. You could do it low key like another interview or a press conference. If you go flashy you will have to pull another stunt. I''m low key myself, it gives a little more credibility".


    Her crew were nodding with her "see this is why your PR. I would probably go with the stunt" I giggled. "Let''s go with the interview and I will leave the rest in your capable hands. How is the site doing?" She smiled "over 17 million hits a day. We would make a fortune on ad revenue". I smiled "I could but there will never be ads on my network".


    "No ads?" asked the men. I smiled again "yup unless you want to see them". That''s when I realized they didn''t have the communication units. "Vickey, could you have 3 sets of comm units". I got my reply and looked at them "I''m sorry it''s new to me, I''m bringing protype comm units. I want to use them and let me know anything I can change or improve. Vicky can fill you in when she gets here with them, she has all the specs''''. That produced enthusiast head nodds.


    I bid my farewell and made my way to the compound. Wow, that sounds horrible. The twins met me at the tree "how did it end up the compound?" They shrugged their shoulders and Ryan spoke up "the people named it, not intentionally. It was something sad one day and it just caught on". I shook my head "well we need to uncatch it. I want a vote from everyone 12 and up on a new name and we will sort through the common ones. The compound makes it feel like they are staying at a military base. It''s kind of true but it''s not the feeling I want here".


    I had a thought and closed my eyes. There I reached out for Cora and Lisa, I didn''t get a reply but I sensed them coming closer so I took this as a yes. Just before I opened my eyes I felt a wave of love from them. That was a lot easier than I thought.


    I opened my eyes and looked at the twins. "I''m calling in backup, my wives can help". They both got wide eyed "oh they aren''t here to take over they are just here to help". That calmed them down, this is their baby and they take it seriously. "I never knew what to call it and I''m glad the people get to name it".


    When my kittens showed up and we hatched a plan.


    "Vickey can you keep track and make sure there are no doubles". She nodded. And off they went to collect the names. Anything is better than the compound, it sounds like there should be barbed wire.


    I made my way back to the confines of my office to find Carla sitting in my chair. She was playing puzzle games and quite quickly I might add. "Hi daddy" she said with a chipper voice that I love. "Hi pumpkin" I said and she screwed up her nose at me. "Is that one of those terms things". I smiled "yes it is, it''s the same as sweetie. I will try to use the same ones with you" I chuckled. She smiled back "I don''t mind, I like them all". She already has me wrapped around her finger.


    "I''m sorry for not including you with your moms". She got up so I could sit then she hopped into my lap "it''s ok now I have you all to myself now. I have something important to ask you" she said as she hugged me. My eyebrows went up "what is it pumpkin?"


    She looked at me with a serious look and took a deep breath "can I go visit my sister?"


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation."Sure" I shot back without hesitation. She looked shocked "what''s wrong". She blinked then shook her head. "I don''t know why but I was afraid to ask".


    I hugged her to me "I promise to call Jaden and see if it''s ok". She pulled back and looked at me "it''s ok, I already did" she said to me. I looked at her realizing I just got played. "I talk to her and the girls every day and Jaden said I had to ask you directly not through mom". I thought thank you Jaden, I guess she is up to being a big sister.


    Carla jumped down and picked up a bag that was under the desk. I started to laugh and reached for a hug, Not your average 14 year old.


    "Vickey has a shuttle waiting for me" she said as she started to walk away. She looked over her shoulder "I love you daddy"


    "I love you sweetie, be good". She beamed a smile at me as she left my office and I just sat there. I have way too many women in my life that have me wrapped around their fingers.


    Maybe I should go talk to my brother so that''s what I did.


    I discovered that I need to check if people are onboard before I go looking for them. 30 minutes later I was back in my office checking the news. Not gonna lie, my face was on a lot of channels. The talks of me being an alien here to conquer made me laugh but it did get me thinking. "Vickey what happened to the ship under the ice and its AI?" She looked at me and scrunched up her face. "I wouldn''t call it an AI, it would be more of a pet. All it can do is fly the ship if it feels like it. Why do you ask?"


    "Just a stray thought. Are you able to make another AI?" She smiled "of course that is the last step of the amusement park and moon base. I do it last because I know I would be cranky if I was brought online and nothing worked" she giggled.


    "How is your base going?" I got a beaming smile. She waved her arm and the dome appeared. "Because there are no people around I can replicate things in place. The radiation is very bad for living things ence forth the force field when you use the replicator. This process is 20% faster so the dome is done and the zoo is finished. If you go there I will shut down the replicators so it''s safe and I will build it in sections so you have something to see". She waved her arm and I saw a volcano shaped resort with legs. I looked at it and zoomed in.


    The top of the volcano was a landing pad or airport or spaceport I need to figure that out. What I thought were legs were rides and they looked good enough to scare anyone. Vickey pointed out the zoo that was finished where she had holo creatures from her memory and files.


    I saw people playing on zip lines that traveled on laser light. Ok that would be neat to try, just point shoot then grab on. The whole thing was hexagons with walking paths in between. "Each hexagon is essentially one ride and I can change them within 3 hours. There will be multiples of every ride so lines will be non-existent unless it was stupid popular. And with an AI keeping everyone safe it will be a job or vacation to remember".


    "Is this all cloaked?" She gave me the look. "Yea yea ok. How do you feel about revealing it during the next press conference" I looked at her


    "That would work, by then all I will have left is to put in the AI and I''m done she will take over from then".


    "Think there is enough there for me to take the mayor?" She nodded. "By then the AI will have control so yes. Oooo a high priced guinea pig, I like it". My turn for the look "I don''t even know if he will want to go but it''s nice to have on the table. I wonder if we should build one on earth?"


    "OH NOW YOU THINK OF THAT" she held her sides laughing. "I thought that might come up so the whole thing flys". My eyes shot open "what". She shook her head "say the word and the whole thing is mobile. I did it this way in case I ran out of room in the city". I just looked at her and blinked.


    "Well that certainly opens some options. Let''s try it based out of Vancouver and if demand is high enough we could migrate to earth". She shrugged "Vancouver will make a fortune during the time they are exclusive. You may want to give them the heads up" she giggled. "Why do you think I''m bringing him up here?" I waggled my eyebrows and she shook her head.


    "What are the rooms like at the park". She zoomed in and showed me "every room is 5 star, I could see a spacious room with beautiful furnishings and separate bedrooms. "Being able to change rooms on the fly helps" Vickey giggled. "You have a duplicate quarters on the moon, the kits and Jaden''s quarters were duplicated as well". I smiled "thank you for that". She returned my smile "your welcome Brad"


    "Speaking of Jaden, you knew about a little plan that happened". She put her hands up "don''t talk to me go talk to her, I was just transport. Jaden wanted her to ask you directly and she was scared to"


    My turn to start laughing "that little girl was not scared". She laughed along as I leaned back and a hologram appeared and scared the shit out of me.


    My wives told me to go to the area no longer known as the compound. I looked at Vickey "I guess the results are in".


    I got to the tree and everybody was there. My wives came to me and let me know that the area was now known as PROGRESS.


    "That''s more like it" was all I said and collected my wives. They bid their farewells as we left and went back to our quarters. There I found out they knew as well but wanted it to be a bonding moment. I held my wives and realized how good I have it. We went to bed holding one another.

 33

    I awoke the next morning and held my wives just enjoying the sensations. I looked up and saw a young me sitting there. "Good morning," I said to him. He smiled "good morning prime we have things to discuss". I looked at Cora and Lisa and they were still out. I looked at the young me "let''s move to my office as not to wake them".


    He nodded and disappeared and I got up hearing a few grunts.


    I got to my office and he was there. "Now what can I help you with?"  He smiled "we wish to access your aura in casses of emergencies".


    "Explain how?"


    "We can use it as an extension of you to keep you and others safe. We can amplify the effects and help you control them. When you reached out to your mates we saw the connection and investigated. The bandwidth is higher than your network and we wish to use it in case your network is unavailable. We wish to make redundancies now that offspring are in the mix"


    "Offspring" I heard from the bedroom then the sound of them running to the office. They looked at the young me and he just smiled.


    "Both of you have started ovulation at the same time. We assumed you wished this for mating purposes. Both of you have taken control of the nanobots in your systems and started the process".


    "I didn''t know we could do that" Lisa said. I looked at her "I wonder if being around all those kids yesterday did something". They both looked at me and smiled an evil grin.


    "Were we correct in our assumption or should we reverse the process?" The young me asked the room. "Absolutely not," Cora yelled.


    I looked at the young me "yes to using my aura". He nodded and vanished.


    I looked at my girls and stood, they looked like happy little kittens. I went to them and they clung to me "like I told you when it happens it happens I don''t care who is first". They came and kissed me and Lisa got a look "there is only one way to find out. Vickey come here please".


    Vickey appeared and looked at Lisa with a quizzical look "yes Lisa". Lisa took a deep breath and looked at me then Cora then back to Vickey "we are not to be distributed for the next 72 hours. I mean nothing unless we say otherwise please. Tell them he is in the tank again" she giggled.


    Vicky gave me an evil grin "understood loud and clear"


    For the next 72 hours my wives were the center of my universe and that''s all I have to say on that.


    Finally it was Friday and time to see the mayor. Something was nagging at me like I forgot something and figured it will show its head eventually. They just grunted at me as I got up so I collected kisses and went to the shower. At my desk I got a coffee and called for Vicky.


    "So you survived I''m impressed" I scowled at her "yea yea yea, We have work to do" she gave me an evil grin. "We have the mayor coming today and that''s about it. Sandy has things on the ground under control and flowing smoothly. She has been running interference for the DOD who want to examine the equipment. She keeps them full so they don''t have the opportunity. The twins report that morale went up after the name change, they say thanks for that. The kits have kept momentum up when it comes to their mission. Your brother is in Australia with Kim and Gar, Gar is driving this time. The moon base is at 50% and ready for visitors. The AI is in place and checking her systems".


    I looked at her "how powerful is the AI?" She smiled "she could run the planet. I used an existing one that has been used hundreds of times before with no AI overlords". She started to giggle.


    "Very funny but a good selling point. That''s what people are going to see".


    "I anticipated that so I told her to view the media and use that to make sure they know she has no ill intent". I nodded at that "good plan". She smiled again "her name is Sara". My turn to smile "when do we get to meet her?"


    "In a bit she is still checking her systems"


    I nodded "are we still ok to go to the moon with the mayor?"  She nodded "yes she knows your coming and wants it to be perfect right down to the flight systems". I shook my head "I can''t believe that thing is mobile" she laughed "you have to remember it''s mostly empty space, the antigravity system can do it with one unit so that is why it has 4. All of our aircraft have triple redundant systems as safety protocols"


    "I''ve wondered about that". She got an evil grin "I know" and she stuck her tongue out at me.


    I looked at my arm and dialed the mayor "good morning captain" I heard in a chipper female voice. "Good morning, are you and the hubby ready to go?" I asked, knowing the answer.


    They were excited as I passed off the phone to Vickey, she was going to collect them for me. She looked at me "ETA, 45 min". I looked at Vicky and smiled "let them go weightless if they want to". She smiled and nodded.


    I got up and dressed in a polo and slacks picked out by my wives. "You look good in dark earth tones" Lisa said and I took her word for it.


    They were wearing identical flowing dresses with just different colors. "To make it easy for the humans," Cora said.  Lisa was in blue and Cora was in red and when the dresses came together they changed to purple.


    "That is so cool" I said to them. "I know right. Vickey found it for us" Lisa said "it''s supposed to wrap a type of fusion reactor cooling fins" Cora added.


    I looked at the girls and they were glowing. "Everything was going well but I was still forgetting something. It was on the tip of my brain but was stuck there. They girls looked at me, I guess I had a look on my face. "What''s wrong?" Cora asked and I looked at her. "You know that feeling that you''re forgetting something. I just have a bunch on the go". I got up and hugged them.


    We watched the shuttle land and Vickey escorted them out. I had cheated and had the translator nanobots pre installed when they were in flight. Vicky activated them and prepped them to meet aliens. They walked to me wide eyed and slack jawed.


    I put out my hand "hello there I''m the captain but I would prefer if you call me Brad". He took my hand "thank you Brad, call me Jude and this is my wife Ann". Ann took my hand "OMG it was so smooth and the weightlessness was interesting for sure" she giggled.


    "Good morning it''s a pleasure to meet you" Lisa said in English. My eyes shot open and she smiled "I''ve been practicing" she said in her own language".


    Ann looked at both Cora and Lisa "it''s a pleasure to meet you" she put out her hand. Lisa took it and smiled. "This is just OMG I''m in space" Ann said then caught herself.


    They were both about 50 years old and obviously still in love based on my observations. "First of all you are going to spend an hour in the medbeds to get the next level of care". "There are different levels?"


    "What you experienced was the emergency end of the nanobots, now you are going to get some upgrades. These will become available soon so you''re getting a preview of what''s to come".


    We made our way to a medical bay and they both went into the beds.


    "Vickey bring them to be 35 again. That should get a few happy people". My wives came to me when they were asleep. "They will be thrilled when they wake up" Cora said.


    I looked at my mates and told them how beautiful they looked, resulting in them giving me a twirl. The colors of the dresses swirled like fire dancing this way and that.


    If they were wearing normal clothes I never would have noticed but the dresses alter light around them. The material was reflecting the ribbons that led to my mates but they were different. Interlaced with their ribbons there were smaller ones that wrapped around it. I spit my coffee all over myself and started to choke and they ran to me to check on me.


    "What was that?" they both said.


    I regained my composure and didn''t know what to say. "I think I just saw something but I need confirmation". I went to the shelf and got a hand scanner and scanned them. I stood staring at the screen not knowing what to say. I looked back and forth between them and the scanner.


    "What is it?" they yelled in unison. I transferred to data from the scanner to an empty medbed. There was a display for both of them and they were showing 6 viable embryos in each of my mates.


    They looked at me and the waterworks started from all of us. It''s a good thing our guests were out because there were a lot of tears and cuddles.


    "How did you know?" Cora asked me. "The dresses reflect my aura, I can see your ribbons and the babies have them already and they are wrapped around yours. That must have been what was off this morning". I held my wives "don''t ever think I''m anything but happy about this news ok".


    Lisa came to me and wrapped her arms around my neck "I love you my holy man" my eyes got big and Cora laughed. "At least one of us doesn''t have to carry 12 at once". We all broke down laughing.


    We have 15 minutes left so we went to the refresher and got cleaned up. We got back just in time.


    The mayor sat up first and reached for his glasses. "You don''t need them anymore". He just nodded and sat up and looked at his hands then to his wife who was sitting up.


    Lisa and Cora came with mirrors and they both just looked at their reflection. "How" was all Ann said.


    "You bodies have returned to being 35 again and you are in perfect health".


    They weren''t talking so Lisa broke the silence "I hope all politicians are this easy to deal with". We all laughed and they relaxed.


    "I don''t know what to say" as he swung his legs over then jumped off the bed. "Haven''t felt this good in years". Ann was nodding.


    Both of them were stretching trying on their new body. "This is going to be the norm eventually for everyone". Jude looked at me "now will you tell me why Vancouver?"  I smiled "I have a daughter that lives in the lower mainland so it seemed right".


    He looked at me "that''s it, I''ve been racking my brain trying to figure it out" he laughed. "Nothing complicated, I had to start somewhere".


    The girls were discussing the dresses and I looked at Jude. "Come with me please". I took him to a clothes replicator. "That suit looks uncomfortable, pick out some comfortable clothes and get changed. There are no sizes, the unit scans you and makes them to size". He nodded and picked out a more comfortable outfit of jeans and a polo.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    We went to the communal area and sat and talked. I showed them the replicators "yes it''s just like Star Trek". We had something to eat and drink and sat to talk. "It''s no secret that your inner city is in rough shape and Hastings is a mess. We are going to change that if I have my way people will point at Vancouver and want to live to our standards". They were smiling so hard it looked like it hurt.


    "You realize you just made my career" Ann was nodding. I smiled "that''s your end, I want nothing to do with politics". They looked shocked "I''m serious, I have zero political aspirations".


    "That''s enough of that topic. How are things going at the dump?". He looked at me "never in a million years would I think the dump would make money. I''ve been approached by manufacturers about the plastic pellets already. My assistant sent off some for testing and when the results came back people took notice. We supply all the local plastic manufacturers now and they are very happy about the prices".


    Lisa and Cora were talking with Ann "the hospital is amazing, I went there myself and saw the kids. It''s a miracle". I interjected "it''s not a miracle it''s science that saved those children, nanobots to be exact. They can read your DNA like a book and figure out what to address. They are still in you doing work and when they are finished you pass them. The second kind you have it to translate for you and they are with you permanently, you now understand every language on earth".


    That drew shocked faces. I brought up their health stats and showed them "you have access to this as well using my tech". I looked at them "one big thing about the medbeds is they remove additions, at least the chemical part. We have methods for the other as well, mental health can and will be properly addressed and dealt with, no more needless suffering. I want big things for this planet and I want to use Vancouver as a shining star".


    I brought up a hologram of the park "this is a fully automated, AI driven amusement park that for a time will only have access through Vancouver airport. I want to open an airline based out of Vancouver with cheap flights and zero emissions".


    I looked at them and almost told them to blink, they were so wide eyed. The mayor came to and looked at me.


    "How are you going to stop others access, I can''t negotiate flight access". I zoomed out and made it obvious that it was on the moon. He looked like he was going to have a stroke.


    "Oh my" said Ann "a moon base" said Jude, we all just nodded.


    "Yup, an amusement park on the moon bringing real space tourism. Let them see the tech that will be in their lives soon. All run by an AI named Sara who we can meet tomorrow". Ann dropped her fork, Lisa giggled and put her hand on her arm "what is so alarming about that?" Lisa asked. Ann looked at her "like meet the AI in the sense of the park is done?"  We all just nodded.


    Apparently she is an astronomy buff and heard nothing. I looked at her "it''s cloaked at the moment so all people can see is rocks"


    She was practically jumping in her seat "I love amusement parks" Jude was nodding, staring at me.


    "Captain, please tell me why are you doing this?" I smiled at him "Vickey could you come here please". She did and said hello "would you bring them up to speed". She did just that for the next 20 min.


    "Judging on the damage you have done to the people and planet I was getting ready to move to another planet after you destroyed yourself. By my calculations less than 100 years and this planet will no longer be able to sustain life". They looked shocked at that.


    I told them about plans to clean the oceans and the skys. The space junk was more of a PR stunt with benefits".


    "Are they manned?" Ann asked. "Yes they are and we possibly can meet the pilots" they seemed ok with that.


    "Let''s go see where we are helping on another hidden side" I said as I rose from my seat. "Let''s take a walk to Progress". That got me questioning looks from the guests and smiles from my wives.


    We all fit in the lift and when the doors opened the smell of lunch hit us. The lift comes out right next to the communal meal area.


    There were children running in the grass around the tree and people milled about with smiles on their faces. There were 2 meetings going on in the corners. Handmade signs noted that one was AA and the other was NA, that made me smile harder. I saw Sam dishing up food and she waved.


    "Where are all these people from?" Ann asked and the twins were there to field this one. "These are the homeless families and singles we have found so far". She looked shocked "you abducted homeless people". I started to laugh "do these people look abducted, everyone here is here of their own free will. We are giving them a second chance. A good chunk of these people had additions but they are gone now so they can move on with their lives".


    We walked around and met with more than one that knew the mayor. They got to see first hand the good we are doing and they seemed pleased with it.


    Ann looked at me "you doing this just because you can" it was more of a statement than a question. "Yes. These people needed help the fastest so I started there. Here they will have a second chance or even a third. I have no political agenda, that''s your end, I just want to help the people. I will tell you my plans and you can help me accomplish them above the board and all legal like".


    Ann and Jude looked at me and started to laugh. "Are you sure you''re not a politician?" he pointed around and everyone was dead silent listening to me. My mates came to me "you forget how important you are around here" Lisa said and I think I blushed a little.


    We made our way back and we went to quarters for my guests. We showed them the clothing replicator and we lost our wives. Jude and I  sat with a coffee and talked.


    "I''ve been waiting for the sales pitch of getting me reelected if I do this or that for you. It''s not coming is it?"  I looked at him and smiled "no it won''t and it never will. I don''t want to play a part in politics but I see it happening in my future. Until then I''m an honest businessman that has a lot of toys to bring to market" I giggled.


    "What kind of toys?" he slid forward on his seat. "A global communication network to start. I have 9 satellites in place now that could take over all communications from the planet" he looked shocked.


    "And it''s in place now" I nodded "the Pegasus network came online a few days ago"


    Jude looked stressed "I don''t know anything about a company that big" I shook my head. "I need your help with an airline based out of your city for moon excursions". His eyes got big again. "I may need your connections and that''s all, I want to be transparent"


    "I''m assuming you have the capital?"  I looked at Vickey "how much are we worth now?"  She smiled "just over 11 billion in your accounts. I''m having fun with the stock markets" she giggled.


    Jade looked at me "I will take that as a yes. What do you need from me?"


    I smiled "I need a spot to set up shop at the airport and a landing zone. If there is any construction to be done we will do it and we can look at upgrading the airport as well. When I''m done the airport will require no services". That got his attention "no services" I shook my head "the building will be set up to produce its own power and water, waste services you''ve seen already" he nodded.


    We talked until the women came to us to show us Ann in one of the dresses as my girls. She looked beautiful and her dress was a brilliant violet. Then it changed to a blue and shimmered through the blue range of colors.


    I looked at my wives wondering what was going on. Cora spoke first "the material reacts to mood and thought. Lisa and I went through some training with Vicky to master it. Outside of anything it''s just fun". Lisa looked at Cora and then both their dresses turned blue then red finally purple. Ann tried and got a dark green, we all laughed at that.


    I went to my wives "I didn''t know you went through training for today, thank you" I hugged them both.


    Both of them kissed me and Ann was watching and she blushed and her dress turned white. She laughed "how do you do it so easily". The girls shrugged and their dresses returned to their previous color.


    Jude looked at me "is there anything the replicators can''t make". I smiled "they can make anything that they have designs for and they have sufficient feedstock". Jude looked at me "you called the material at the dump feedstock". I looked at him "now you''re seeing the big picture. I can make anything from that material including food".


    Ann slumped in her chair and her dress got pale as the enormity of the info. Jude ran to her and she waved him off sputtering something. "I''m sorry I just got it all at once. I need to get out of this damn dress" she laughed. The girls went to get changed and Jude and I got drinks as we sat.


    "So tell me what powered all of this?  You must have access to new power systems".


    "It''s a type of fusion and yes that is one of my end goals. I want to bring cheap or no cost power" That got a smile. The girls returned and joined us.


    "What if I tell you I will not let any superpower have any of these weapons". That got a smile from Jude "you have no idea the calls I have to take regarding your ship at the hospital. The DOD wants to come in and take it apart, you might want to give them a call".


    I nodded at that "who did you tell where you were going?"  Ann jumped in on this one "just a few close people, we didn''t know what to expect so we kept it low key".


    Jude smiled "is it ok to let the cat out of the bag now?"


    "I would ask that you wait till after my reveal if possible. I don''t want to show too much favoritism and I don''t want to portray that". They both smiled at me "you''re here out of respect because I''m affecting your city and deserve an explanation".


    Jude looked at his wife then me "well I''m glad you chose Vancouver". Ann was shaking her head yes as my wives spoke up "so are we".


    Jude looked at me "so you grew up in Canada?"  I nodded "I was born on the east coast but have lived all over Canada doing contract work so I have a broad overview of the country".


    That got smiles and Ann spoke up "we both grew up in Langley then went to college together then back here. How did you all meet? That''s got to be a good story". The girls looked at me "it''s up to you how much people know" Lisa and Cora looked at one another and smiled.


    Lisa told the story of the rescue and how she claimed me, we left out Cora''s origins I''m still dealing with that. Lisa got into how men do the child rearing in her culture. Ann was laughing talking about Jude doing that, He disagreed.


    "Do you have children?"  I instantly regretted asking that seeing it''s a sore spot. Ann added "it just wasn''t in the cards for us". Cora spoke up "it''s never too late". Ann said "I''m too old now" with a defeated tone.


    "No you''re not," Vickey said as she appeared. "You now have the body of a 35 year old in perfect health. All that was wrong with you is now fixed". Ann''s eyes got huge "I can have babies" she yelled.


    Jude had a blank look on his face as his wife jumped into his lap. My girls looked at me and smiled with their hands on their tummies. Ann looked around and realized what she did and started apologizing. We all just giggled and kidded on as she stood.


    "Just the thoughts of having a baby makes me happy". She looked at her husband "what do you think". Jude smiled "I''m just going with the flow and we will let nature decide". They kissed and you could see the love they still shared.


    Ann gave Jude a look and I think he blushed and I knew that look.


    "Well why don''t we turn in for the evening". My wives looked at me and nodded and I think Jude blushed harder. I stood and stretched my back out "it''s 2o:00 your time and we have a big day planned tomorrow. The replicator can make anything you need as well as clothes for tomorrow". We let them settle in and enjoy their evening.


    We got to our home and Lisa said to me "I think they are still in love". Cora added "did you see how she looked at him". Lisa stopped and looked at me "I see the look in the mirror" she leaned in and licked my nose and I returned the gesture. Not to be left out Cora leaned in and kissed my cheek "I think they want to check to see if all their parts are working order". We all burst out laughing.


    "She is nothing next to my pregnant mates". I kneeled on the floor and put my forehead on both of their stomachs and held them close. I felt the tiniest of tugs where my skin touched them. It was like the tug I get from Lisa and Cora but it was like comparing a punch to a feather touch.


    I smiled and looked up and they both put a hand on my cheek. "Come to bed baby" they said in unison. They looked at one another and giggled as I rose. We undressed and did our own parts research.

 34

    I awoke to birds chirping and flying around the room, I called for Vickey. "Why am I waking up like Snow White?"  She started giggling "just trying something new" as a bird landed on her finger and chirped. "I feel like I should be looking for bird poop. I don''t mind the sound but the actual birds are a little much".  She made the birds fly around my head like the loonie toons cartoons giggling the whole time.


    The birds disappeared as we got up and stretched, "I kind of like them," Lisa said.


    "Well when you sleep alone you are more than welcome to them" I giggled. We all went to the bathroom and I got the shower. Their fur takes too long to dry so they went to the refresher.


    "Vickey, are our guests up yet?"  She appeared and smiled "yes they are sir and they have been up for a while now.  I believe they are eating it''s 09:30 for them".  We grabbed a quick bite and headed over.


    They came to the door bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go for the day. Jude started the conversation "so tell me about your little air force you have been running".  I looked at him "not much to tell, the pilots of those craft are using it like a training mission while they learn to fly".  They looked at me and Ann spoke up "can we meet the pilots?"


    "Sure," I said and asked Vickey to call the kits.  I looked at them "the pilots are Lisa''s brother and sisters".  The door opened and they ran to me with a chorus of PAPA.  that got us into the story of my blunder during their birth.


    We were talking about them not having names yet when Ann asked about the pilots coming. "These are the pilots" the shocked look I received made me laugh. "These are the pilots?" said Ann "how old are they?"  I looked at her and smiled "they are under 2 months". Jude spoke up "you have to be 16 in Canada to get a pilots license, you have children flying spaceships". I was laughing at this point because Ann kept looking back and forth between me and the kits. She looked at the girls "Is that normal?"  That got them on the story of the parasites on the planet and how their intelligence is formed in groups.


    Ann said "so you have no idea how smart they will get". The girls shook their heads. "Fascinating" she added. "I was a teacher and took early childhood development in school. I imagine a whole group of them being raised together would be amazing to see".


    The girls looked at me and Ann caught it and smiled. "I guess we weren''t the only ones doing baby talk on the ship" she giggled. The girls blushed and she caught that to. Her eyes got huge. "OMG are you?" The girls smiled and shyly nodded.


    I didn''t want to mention my aura "the nanobots can tell when you are pregnant".


    Ann looked at me "that''s amazing,what else can they tell you".  I looked at her "they can tell you almost anything.  You can use any monitor to bring up your stats if you want to see. Just ask for your health data".  She took off like a bolt for the office wanting to see like a little kid.


    Jude said to me "that is the best sleep I''ve ever had".  I smiled at him "the beds have a sleep function to help with that".


    That''s when we heard the scream and the thud, we all ran to the office to find Ann on the floor.  The display was showing a drop in blood pressure and the display read shock.


    Jude was instantly beside her and I apologized and picked her up and took her to a medbed. Even as I put her down she was coming to "lay still you fainted" I started the scan.  She sat up "I fainted, I was just so overwhelmed when I saw" she stopped talking and started smiling.  Jude was beside his wife and holding her hand with a questioning look on his face "what is it honey please tell me?"


    She reached up and caressed his cheek and he looked scared.  "Look at the scans and tell me what you see," she said.  He looked at the screen scared for what he would find. 10 seconds passed as he studied the scan, his eyes darting all over till he found it.


    His eyes got wide as he pointed to the display "it says, OMG, I need to sit down".  He sat in the chair as I looked at the display, there I found it in her abdomen.  A little red dot flashing and labeled Viable Embryo.


    She was off the bed and sitting on her husband''s lap kissing him.  Then stood and hugged my girls "what was your scan like".  Cora took this one "we haven''t done them yet''''. Lisa nodded at that "we just haven''t had the time".  Ann smiled "well no time like the present".  The girls looked at me "it''s up to you if you want to".  They didn''t even look back and jumped up on the bed and I started the scan.


    Ann looked at them like someone looking for a secret.  She stopped and squinted then her mouth fell open and I could see her counting. "12. Please tell me I''m reading this wrong".  I started to laugh "no its accurate".


    "You''re going to have 12 kids at once, I need to sit down" she flopped in the chair.  "OMG I can believe 12 at once. I babysit for 2 hours and I need a nap, OMG I''m pregnant".  We all started to giggle and Cora got her a drink of water.


    I said to my guests "make you a deal, you keep our secret and we will keep yours"  they both smiled and nodded. Jude stood and took my hand "deal".


    "Now let''s get out of here and go on some rides".  Everyone dried their eyes and we made our way to the flight deck.  There were 6 fighters behind my ship so I looked at my crew and said "it looks like we have an escort today".  As we walked in front of each fighter we waved and they would tilt back and forth in response.


    I looked at my girls "they amaze me more and more every day, I can''t imagine what 12 is going to be like". I got shrugs in reply.


    We took off and left the ship, the kits took up positions beside us. We flew by the ISS so my guests could take pics and enjoy the view. The flight was only 13 minutes then the kits went on with their mission. We circled the site and you could see nothing until Vickey was ready. We all watched as the cloak was dropped and the park appeared.  The hologram didn''t do it justice, from the center out it was 20 kilometers in every direction.  We landed with a soft bump and exited the ship.  There before us was an airport, I suppose it''s a spaceport.  There were gates all over the place and ours was labeled 65.


    I saw a woman walking towards me, she was beautiful and blond.  She walked to me confidently and extended her hand. "Hello captain I''m Sara" I know the handshake was a force field but I was shocked when it was warm.  She stood proudly at about 167 cm ( 5''6") and dressed in a uniform I didn''t recognize.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    She went to my wives and bowed "it''s an honor to meet you" they smiled and took the compliment.  I introduced the mayor and his wife and she greeted them warmly. A cart landed beside us and Sara gestured for us to board the craft.  She took her place at the front facing us.


    "I have a full tour for your captain" we took off.  "This is the primary spaceport for the park,  We can handle 50k a day with ease". We flew around the airport and it was massive. She continued "with all aircraft using VTOL we can add and subtract gates so we could double that if needed.  Off to the left you will see a second spaceport for the colony".


    Jude spun and looked at me "A colony?" I looked at him and waggled my eyebrows then put my finger to my lips then pointed at Sara.


    She smiled and we went over the edge and we could see the windows to the rooms and robots milling about.  Below was the park with all its glory, the hexagons each contained a ride but some were connected for bigger ones.  The zoo took a third of the park and looked wild with tubes coming in and out.


    Sara asked "is there anything you want to start with first".  We all looked at one another "how about our guests decide".  Jude looked at his wife "well dear what would you like?"  She smiled and looked at all of us "after this morning lets start with the zoo".  We all nodded and we were off.


    The zoo was actually 2 zoos, one a duplicate of the other.  There were all kinds of paths for walking and tours by bots and carts like the one we were in.  We got a sit down guided tour that told us the types of animals we are looking at.  We watched the funky looking animals from different galaxies and I wondered if they had AI. They would react to us and some would come right up to the cart.


    Some were slimy, some looked like animals you could identify but that changed when they got closer.  I noticed that 3 legs seem to be more common for running animals.


    Sara would explain the atmospheres that would produce such creatures, scientists will love this.


    She pointed at some creatures that blurred the line between animal and plant and said they are silicone based and sentient.


    Before we knew it we were at the end of a 2 hour tour. Sara looked at me "I have enough animals on file that you would have to go through 20 times just to see the same animal twice".


    "What type of rides do you want to see?  I have lots of ride on rides that take advantage of the low gravity and many different VR experiences you can explore".  I looked at my guests "what would you like to see?"  The girls looked at one another and put their hands on their abdomens. Ann said "let''s try VR",  we all agreed and Sara set a course.


    Sara landed in front of what looked like carnaval games and we got off the lift.  "You chose what experience you want from the panel beside the door".  My guests and wives went to the booths and looked back at me.  "I work in VR all day, I''m going to talk to Sara. I''m going to ride the real rides".  They all nodded and chose their adventure.


    I looked at Sara "How are you settling in?"  she smiled "I''m settling in quite well captain, from what I see im going to enjoy working for you. I have access to my previous incarnations and can learn from them and having a nice guy in charge is refreshing". I looked at her "I don''t want you to just work for me, I want you to be happy".  She smiled "I enjoy creating order out of the chaos but im used to a larger task.  My original programming was meant for an entire planet".


    "That''s my point, I don''t want you to be bored"  she looked at me and smiled again. "Thank you for your concern and I promise to come to you if I get bored, the colony will keep me busy when it''s done".


    We chatted until my wives and guests appeared.  My wives had their hair messed up "I can''t believe you skydived for fun", I was shocked at their choice. "I got pretty good at it as well," I joked.


    Jude and Ann were laughing as they walked toward us "that thing scared the shit out of me" he said.  Ann added "I had to save him twice from the scary animals" she giggled.  "Yea yea yea" he waved his hand laughing.


    We spent the next few hours riding rides of all sorts, Jude and I were the only ones to get on the roller coasters.  We will all rided out when we got back to the shuttle.


    We took off and I called for Vicky "does she get lonely being the only one here?" she nodded at me. "Arrange for all the residents of Progress to come to the park and break it in".  She nodded at me "consider it done".


    We were headed towards the earth and Ann came to sit in the copilot''s seat and looked at the earth.  "Do you think you can save it?"  I nodded "I believe so but I''m going to piss off a lot of people.  I''m going to try to do it in a way that all the people benefit from my tech, not just the one percenters.  If I have it my way, those are the ones that will bitch the loudest because they will lose the most.  She giggled "oh yea you are going to upset the apple cart".


    "Now you understand the secrecy up until now" she nodded in agreement. We took a few trips around the planet and they took some pictures.


    We landed on the ship and I saw the fighters all lined up "the kits must be off duty".  Everyone smiled at that as we went to my communal area, We got drinks and sat to talk.


    "So what did you think of all that?"  my guests smiled.  I looked at them and they looked like teens in love complete with holding hands.


    "I don''t know about Jude but my eyes have been opened to more than one thing". She smiled and put her hand on her stomach and looked at Jude then to me.  "I''m on board" she said with tears in her eyes.


    I looked at Jude "Well that''s one".  He laughed "no captain that makes two. I''m behind you 100 percent and that''s not a political answer".  His wife hit him on the arm then looked at my wives who were beaming.


    She smiled and put her hand on her stomach and teared up "I''m having a baby".  My wives ran to her and embraced her.


    I looked at Jude "I think she just had a realization," he smiled and nodded. I looked at Ann. "Do you want to know the sex?"  that got me shocked looks.  "You can tell already" I nodded "sex is chosen at conception so yes"


    She looked at her husband "it''s up to you baby".  She looked from him to me and started nodding.  I brought up her health data and it showed an elevated heart rate so I told her to relax.  I zoomed in and found the target still labeled Viable Embryo so I clicked on it.  It was big enough so when it switched to the word Female everyone saw.


    Ann''s blood pressure dropped and she screamed "I''m having a girl" then clapped her hands over her mouth.  We all laughed as she hugged her husband.


    Ann was crying now, I''m talking full out ugly cry.  My wives came to me and hugged me and let them have their moment.  Lisa started "do you want to know?"  I looked at her "I don''t care as long as they are healthy, if you want to know go find out".  They were off like a bullet to the medbay.


    Ann looked at me "I''m guessing they are doing the same" I just nodded.  That''s when I heard the screams and they came at me full tilt.  "We looked, we looked" they yelled as they ran.  They were jumping and crying so I calmed them down and Cora started "we are having the same as the kits, 5 and 1. One male and 5 females".  Ann shook her head "the thoughts of having one makes me tired. I can''t imagine having 12".  We all laughed at that "why don''t we call it a day there" I stood and everyone is joined me "we can pick this up in the morning" with that we retired for the evening.


    My wives were waiting for me when I got out of the shower, "are you ok with mostly daughters?"  Yea ok I realized it was a stupid question the minute it left my mouth.  They pulled me down with kisses and hugs and we went from there.

 35

    We met our guests and we all had a hearty breakfast, we all had an appetite this morning. I looked at Jude "penny for your thoughts" he smiled. "You made me look at things differently, you are solving problems with the wave of your hand that I didn''t know how to tackle". I smiled, "I have unlimited resources and a good team". He laughed and patted me on the shoulder "yes sir that would do it" he laughed.


    "What would you like to do today?" I got a lot of looks but not a lot of suggestions. "We need to get something neat to bring home" I said.


    "How about an asteroid," said Lisa, "or a moon rock," added Cora. Ann perked up at the thought of a moon rock being an astronomy buff. "Is that ok" I asked and she was nodding her head so hard it looked uncomfortable.


    "Vickey could you come here please" she appeared smiling. "Yes captain" I smiled "could you gather some regalith and rocks from the moon for our guests please".


    She tilted her head "I anticipated this so I made these". About a dozen drones came in carrying displays with moon rocks. They were the same but they were made out of different woods. The rock was suspended in mid air with a hologram showing the location it was from.


    Vickey looked at Ann and Jude "please choose the one that matches your home and office". Jude looked at me "dude you have been to space, show it off a little" I joked. They were picking them out when I went to Vicky "thank you for this". She just smiled and winked at me.


    Ann and Jude were holding their moon rocks and smiling. I noticed the displays were holding had logos so I took a closer look. There was a capital N with an explosion in the background. I looked at Vicky. "We have a logo" she giggled and looked at me like a little kid. "Yes we do sir," she waved her arm and a hologram appeared of the logo. It was a raised N with separate pics in the background. A spaceship for transport, a satellite for communication and a little carnival for entertainment.


    "We can add to it as we need to," Vicky said.


    "Nova enterprises will be the biggest company the world has ever seen, all for the benefit of man, not the pocketbook". Jude looked at me "thank you for letting me in on the ground level and you have my support 100%" Ann was nodding.


    "Well the displays took care of the gift for home. Now what do you want to do?" Jude looked at me "I''m not sure I didn''t think about it". Lisa jumped in "how about a tour of the planet" everyone seemed to think that was a good idea. I looked at Jude "all you have to do is point and we can go there, you just enjoy and cuddle with your babymama". My girls looked at me weird and I just laughed.


    That''s exactly what we did, we saw cities during the day and night. We saw canyons and dams.


    We were taking in Vegas and the Hoover Dam when I noticed how low the lake was. I looked at Vickey "how long will it take to fill lake mead?" She smiled "about 2 months safely"


    "just a thought to file away for later".


    We went to Hollywood and flew right down the main strip. The mayor and his wife were having a ball taking pictures and videos and my wives were treating it like a class trip. We hopped all over the planet taking in sights you couldn''t imagine cramming into one trip.


    "I see an interesting scrapbook appearing on your coffee table," I said to Ann. She laughed "it will look perfect next to my moon rock". She dove back into google to find our next destination. We did this later into the day and finally it was time to take our guests home.


    We circled their home and found a news crews milling about, I looked at Jude "I think you have a mole" I giggled and he joined me. "I''ve been out of touch for a few days so everyone wants to know where" I nodded at that.


    I found a parking lot about a block away and landed and decloaked. We drove to his house and pulled up behind the news van. I looked at Jude and smiled an evil smile "wanna have some fun with this" his eyebrows came together "what are you thinking. "I parked with nothing above me so I can lift off from here, if you want the info to get out where you were for the weekend." He smiled scratching his chin "not gonna lie I can work with that".


    I laughed and stood and shook his hand again "for obvious reasons me and my wives won''t be stepping out".


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.Ann and my wives were hugging and whispering to one another then And came to me arms outstretched and latched on for a hug. "I don''t know how to thank you for this".


    "There is no need to thank me, you just got a sneak peak of what''s to come for all. I think you forgot something though". She looked at me as Lisa and Cora went to the closet and got the dress she was wearing in a convenient travel bag.


    "OMG really" she was jumping and shaking the RV. That ended in another round of hugs.


    "Vickey made a disk for you with instructions on training" Lisa said. "And that''s not all folks" my girls didn''t get the reference, I will explain it later.


    I gave them a case to carry everything because the comm units went it there as well. It was his turn to jump when I told them what it was.


    We stood towards the front as they opened the door and exited. One of the news crew was outside smoking and saw the mayor, he banged on the side of the van to wake everyone up and they piled out like a clown car cameras rolling. I waited till the mayor had their attention and was a few meters away. I rose up in the air and hovered there for a few seconds then cloaked.


    I watched as the cameramen swung from the couple then to the RV then back to the mayor. I could see him trying to calm them down, I was laughing as I flew off.


    When we landed I noticed the other RVs missing and there were about 10 people milling about. We went to them "well you cant be waiting for me" I joked. They all smiled and one man spoke up "we are waiting for the next shuttle to the park" a few nods from the crowd. "Well take mine you will all fit and Vickey can fly" they looked a bit shocked. "We can use yours?" I started to laugh "it''s just a ship, go enjoy it" that got bright smiles and they took off running. I saw Vickey appear and greet them and within seconds they were in the air.


    "Let''s go see who is left" we made our way to Progress. We got there and it was a ghost town short of a few older people. I looked over and saw the twins in their office so I went to them.


    "What are you doing here?" Emma looked at me "we are just catching up on some work while we had the chance". They looked at me like they were in trouble "if you have to catch up that means you need an assistant, as of right now you are off duty. You have an entire park to explore and I''m sure your people will be glad to see you. This level of dedication is admirable but I want you to lead by example and go have fun, I''m assuming you haven''t taken a break in a while". I looked at them and they both sheepishly nodded. "That''s what I thought, now go play outside, sort of". Another reference only I got.


    We made our way home and out of curiosity I turned on the news. There was footage of us taking off and colaking on almost every channel, the mayor handled the crew expertly. He announced he would be making an announcement tomorrow. That seemed to shut them up for now anyway.


    I looked at my wives "it''s only a matter of time until we are in front of the camera". Lisa looked at me "we are ready anytime you are, I''m proud of where I am and what we are doing" Cora was nodding and she got a look.


    "I owe you my life and the life of my child" she started to cry and I held her and Lisa wiped her tears. "Thank you so much for what you have done for me and Carla, you took a little one and called her your own" she was full blown ugly crying now.


    "Why am I feeling like this? I''ve accepted you in my life. Im feeling all over the place right now"


    "Vickey could you do a scan of the girls" she appeared smiling then scowled a little. "Sir 2 of the babies are different, one in each. They are all healthy but they are in a different embryonic sac, it''s the male child in each". She got a shocked look on her face "both of the males are human" she blurted out.


    The girls squealed with glee and Vickey looked at them "you seem to be having 2 separate pregnancies and I''m guessing 2 different due dates. How long do kits gestate for?" Lisa took this one "about 8 weeks" , she smiled. Vickey looked at her "you realize Brad''s race is pregnant for 9 months". They looked shocked but they knew.


    Lisa smiled "with the medbeds birth is different here, I''m not nervous" Cora was nodding.


    "The male has settled on the opposite side of the womb from his sisters, I''m assuming to allow room for them to grow. It won''t be 9 months for you, based on growth so far. It should be about 4 months at this rate but remember we are mating 2 different species here so there is going to be some guesswork. It seems you''re getting hormones from both so your feelings are appropriate".


    We were all nodding when a young Lisa and Cora appeared, they looked at me "good evening prime". They each went to the corresponding wife and spoke in unison. "We wish to integrate the offspring to our network, We vow to keep them safe and healthy".


    Lisa and Cora nodded and said thank you and their counterparts disappeared. Cora looked at me "I like the fact that they ask now. We don''t have to worry about them going nuts like your movies" we all laughed at that. Just then the replicator went off and Cora went to investigate. There were 2 pills labeled for each wife, they took them and we called it a night.

 36

    I awoke to a message from the mayor thanking me for everything and asked if I could contact him anytime today. I thought, no time like the present so I got up and discovered it was 10:00 his time. I got a coffee and went to my office, I need to pick a clock and stick with it.


    I dialed the mayor and he answered right away. His hologram was crisp and clean on the new network. "Good morning captain, how are you today?" He smiled and put an I told you so on his face and looked around. He continued "you couldn''t have called at a better time, all of my naysayers are in front of me right now. Let me move to another room".


    I saw him get up and leave the office. "I''m sorry for that, there are always the few that you have to rub it in their face to get them to listen. I didn''t expect a call just a message"


    I put my coffee down "I wanted to let you know I have meetings at the airport this afternoon". That made me smile "thank you for getting right to it. You will be telling some tall tales so if you need another call just ask". He was smiling "thank you for that" I nodded "just remember you dealt with the bot or your life will get complicated".


    He started to laugh "I''m already avoiding calls from the DOD, don''t worry we will stick to the story. I''m guessing you haven''t watched the news yet, they found the park. Me and the wife had to feign shock about the news". I laughed out loud and let him go.


    I leaned back in my chair and thought I hope he doesn''t abuse what I''m giving him. I called for Vickey "good morning captain" she said with a smile.


    "It seems it didn''t take them long to find us" she looked at me "an amateur astronomer will get the credit. He took to social media right away and everyone piled on. There seems to be more people looking up lately" she giggled.


    "We currently have 6 satellites looking at us and some should be able to make out the rides. It will be an interesting story some people will come up with, there is no way they can hide this''''. I looked at her "my guess is yes they will try to hide it as long as there is money involved" she nodded.


    "I have a task for you, feel free to go hacking and find out what the governments know about us". She looked at me like you would a child "I''ve been doing that since the last time you asked. They haven''t figured anything out yet outside of what you have told them".


    I thought for a second "what do you think about the Pegasus network". She smiled "all the races in my files have a network like yours. Are you thinking of scaling it back?"  I shook my head "I''m just hoping it''s not too much and scares people off. I think a free network will change their minds". She looked at me and smiled an evil grin "that will get everyone on board".


    "Lifetime access to the network with the purchase of one device" I grinned "I haven''t decided yet if this is a good or a bad idea yet but once again scale. I wonder if a release in North America first then we spread out from there". She looked at me "why go small these devices will sell themselves"


    At that second Sara sent me a message wanting to talk "of course Sara". She appeared "what have you got to report". She smiled "yes teen boys have way too much energy" she giggled. "But seriously sir I can be the solution to your dilemma, allow me to talk over your business interests and take it off of your shoulders". I just smiled "I think that''s the best idea, I do ask one thing. Don''t act like business on earth, be transparent and above board".


    She snapped a salute and smiled "I won''t let you down captain". I smiled at both of them then looked at Sara "instead of running a civilization you will help build one".


    "I will start on North American law today and branch to new countries as we release them". She disappeared to look after her studies.


    I wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall for some of those meetings. I wonder if she has a cutthroat setting, Vicky looked at me "she does just so you know". I giggled "let''s keep that to a minimum" she nodded in agreement.


    "Is there anything pending or I should be aware of?"  She looked at me "congratulations Brad" I smiled "thank you Vickey" her grin got evil. "Think of any names yet?"  I groaned "you pick the one thing I stress over" I laughed as my wives entered "we heard you and just to let you know the women do the naming in this house". Lisa fell into my lap "we have months to worry about that for now you need to do something". My eyebrows came together and I looked at them.


    Cora broke the silence "you need to call your daughter". That realization hit me like a ton of bricks so I just sat there and blinked. Lisa cut in "we can''t talk mommy stuff till you tell her so get on it" she giggled.


    They stood on either side of me and I called Jaden, she answered right away.  "Hello dad" she said "hello sweetie, how are things with Carla?"  Her face softened "she is awesome dad, Cora you have a very well behaved little girl and a pleasure to be around".  Cora beamed at the compliment.


    "Well its little ones Im calling about, do you remember one of the first questions you asked me is if you had any siblings.  At that time I told you no but it seems times have changed?"  she started to act excited "I will let my mates explain the rest"


    Lisa spoke up "it seems your dad decided to pull a holy man legend".  Jaden''s eyes got big "how many" Cora jumped in "all 12".  Jaden started laughing "I mean like really dad you''re going to have 12 kids. Are they human?"


    I smiled, "2 of them are the rest are like the kits".  Still laughing "you''re trying for your own air force. Oh BTW I''m not babysitting without backup" she giggled.


    "Ok if you''re done making fun of your father I Will let you go, I''m sure my wives will be in touch for baby talk". She nodded and we ended the call.  I looked at my girls "there is that better" I giggled and got kisses as my reply.


    "At least she can help with one of your pregnancies'''' I said and got nodds.  "I''m hungry" Lisa said and Cora nodded so we went to the kitchen.


    I got some pancakes and didn''t make it to the table before they grabbed one each. They came to the table with trays full. "Is this how it starts?" I asked Lisa. She nodded "mom would get like this we call it the hunger".


    "I want to eat everything in site" Cora added between bites. "The pregnancy kicks in fast when you have 6 of them" Lisa said. "With Carla I just split when I was ready, this is all new to me" Cora said while digging into my pancake. "I''m a little nervous about this time" she lowered her head a little. I reached over and touched her arm "Vickey said painless and she meant it" she looked better as another bite was taken.


    "In zero g our births are easy, it''s when gravity is involved it gets complicated". I looked at her "complicated how?"  She swallowed "there are issues with the cords getting tangled. They each detach with their own placenta one at a time". I looked at her "that makes the zero g thing make sense now, the medbeds make it easier still" They nodded at that.


    Vickey appeared "you will be home the same day to be pregnant again" she giggled and we all joined in. "I''m glad to be digital sometimes," Vickey laughed and the girls shook their heads.


    They finished their binge and went to the bedroom. "I don''t think I''ve ever been this full," Lisa said. Cora added "I can guarantee I haven''t" she said with a burp. Lisa tried to sit up with a over full belly "is this what it''s going to feel like?"  I looked at her "that''s a question for my daughter not me". They laughed at me and Lisa sent a message to her daughter in law. She got an answer right away "Jaden says her craving we''re all over the board with all 3 of her pregnancies".


    Just on cue the replicator went off with pills for my wives and they took them begrudgingly. Cora said "can''t they hide it in our food". Vickey appeared "the pills are base material for the nanobots to work with, if it was in your food you could chip a tooth". They both nodded and sat there in a bit of a food coma then relented to a nap. I kissed them both and went to my office.


    I called Becky to see how things are progressing there. I think I startled her "um hello, one second". I saw the hologram flip over a few times. "Sorry about that I''m still getting used to answering calls on my arm and of course I had my hands full" she laughed. "Now captain, what can I do for you?". I smiled "I was just wondering how the interview was coming along". She smiled "we were just waiting for you to be done with the mayor. That was a cool stunt you pulled dropping him off. You may want to consider something bigger though".


    That got me thinking "are you sure about that I just had a thought". She got an evil grin "what are you thinking?"


    "Let''s fill the Hoover dam back to functional levels. You can easily see the levels are low and it affects millions. Vickey how long to fill it". She appeared smiling "it depends on how safe you want to do it. If we go full hog we could do it in about 150 hours but it''s not safe for boaters. Safely it will take 60 days. I can change temp on the fly so we don''t shock the lake and kill everything".


    I looked at her and smiled "make the ship I will leave the design up to you, it just needs to be functional", She smiled and nodded. "I will make the announcement during the interview as a proof of concept. Well that takes the flash for the show now we just need to show"


    Becky jumped in "we can go over the questions anytime you want, my schedule is free and WOW I love this communicator", She giggled. "It seems to know what you are thinking, it''s almost creepy". I looked at her "that''s the nanobots trying to help, have you checked out your health data?"  She nodded "I can''t believe how powerful they are with the gauntlet they blew my laptop out of the water, people want to know where to get them".


    My eyebrows came together "who is asking?"  She smiled "the people of Progress mostly". I smiled "that needs to change" I looked from her to Vickey "anyone who wants one in progress gets one". She nodded "I will leave messages for them in their quarters and I make sure they are ready to be delivered".


    "Let the twins know what we just did and make sure all newcomers get one as well". Vicky nodded "yes captain"


    "I''m free right now if you want to go over the questions". Becky nodded "it should only take an hour or so. We are just doing interviews". I looked at her puzzled "interviews?"  She smiled an evil smile. "secret project" was the reply I got back. "I will be there in a few min so you can hide anything you need" I giggled and ended the call.


    I went to my sleeping mates and was greeted with snoring. I collected kisses and went to meet Becky. I was shocked when I saw the studio she had set up. It was a functional tv studio. Her crew were doing some editing and left us alone to work.


    Becky sat next to me "we just got back from getting footage of the hospital in Vancouver. Seeing the kids happy is addicting". I looked at her and smiled "how are things going there?" I asked, getting a smile. "It''s going smoothly, only half the beds are in use. It will get busier when they start shipping people in from other hospitals".


    I nodded "I love the look of the studio". Another smile "this came out of a conversation with my crew and Vickey. I woke up and it was done for us". I laughed "yea she has a nice habit of doing that".


    She looked at me seriously.


    "I was going to start the interview with why you used an avatar at first then slide into Vancouver and what you''re doing there. Finally we can concentrate on your rescue operations and finally about you.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She went into individual questions about me and I only vetoed one as it was too personal. We got into the park and the ships safety record. The cleanup of space was next and how it will be ongoing. All of her questions were professional and well thought out, I hit paydirt with her.


    "Have you had many job offers?"  She flicked her hair and smiled "a few but I''m not going anywhere. The calls used to be daily when they figured out who I was but they have stopped. I''m serious you are stuck with me, I love my job and my crew here. My turn to smile "I''m glad to hear that, are you going to need more staff?"  I could see her thinking for a minute "I might soon but for now we are good". I smiled at that "now what is with the secret project".


    "It''s not that bad, we are documenting the people of Progress and their journeys. We are doing it primarily for practice but the footage can be used to boost your image in case of a downturn. I know you aren''t a politician but you will have to play the part for a bit".


    I looked  at her "thank you for all your work here. I''m proud to have you on my team". She blushed a little "I''m just doing the best I can sir".


    "Well it shows loud and clear" I waved my arm around the studio.


    "How is the website doing?"  She smiled bigger "we have all of your sites ready for the park and the network. As you make your announcements we will go live". My turn to smile big "I can see you have this well under control, I feel confident at this end of things". She looked at me with well deserved pride on her face.


    "What kind of background do you want". I thought for a second "we could do the classic earth in the background?"  She cocker her head "that actually sounds good, it shows the depth of power but keeps it in perspective".


    She looked at me "what about on the bridge?"


    "I think that is a fine idea. Go check it out and see if it works for you and get back to me" I said and stood. She went to her crew to go check out the bridge so I went home.


    I found my mates sleeping soundly so I went to my office so as not to disturb them, I shut the door and called for Vickey. "Tell me what kind of impact the filling of the dam will have?"  She smiled "zero negative impact except for some docks that will have to be moved. We are just going to take over for Mother Nature for a while. I will monitor the dam just in case but I don''t see anything happening, the dam was well built. I have some force fields that aren''t rigid so they will deflect boats instead of stopping them dead. I will make descriptions for the site explaining everything and where the dangers are for the few that won''t see the interview".


    "How are things with Sandy?" She smiled "she is free now if you want to call" and I did just that. A hologram of a chipper Sandy appeared


    "Good day captain" she responded. "I''m just checking in, how are things there?"  She smiled "it was slowing down until Vancouver got an increase in tourism so all the beds are in use again. I scooped up 3 more people to join us and they are training on the new systems". My turn to smile "I just want to make sure you and your crew are getting enough R and R to stay at that pace". She smiled and shook her head "we keep an eye on one another. Taking naps in the beds helps a lot". I nodded at that and ended the call.


    "Vickey I want you to watch them for signs of stress and PTSD". She looked at me "2 of the new recruits showed signs but the beds will take care of that. There are no signs in the existing crew". That made me smile knowing someone is watching out for them while they watch after others.


    "How is your hacking going, have they figured anything out?"


    "They haven''t figured anything out besides what you have told them. You might have to drop more hints". My turn to smile "they will get a bunch from the interview".


    She looked at me concerned "are you ready to come out as the face of a multinational company and the face of humanity''s salvation". I smiled "you know in my former life I would be shitting bricks right now but as it sits I''m cool with it" she looked almost relieved. "I was afraid of that considering you were such an introvert and that''s a hard habit to break".  I looked at her "thank you for that but I''m ok, I''m just tackling things as they come across my plate".


    "This is where a lot of failures happen, This is when they crack".


    "How often does it happen?"


    "About 1% can''t seem to let go of their former lives and can''t handle the limelight". I looked at her "I just look at it as par for the course and a necessity evil" she looked relieved at that as well.


    "Is there something wrong I should know about?"  She sighed and looked at me "you understand the theory of filters your species have to go through to evolve". I nodded my head "this is one of them for you, this is where the public at large get to decide if my design is trustworthy" she trailed off the last part.


    "Don''t worry if they don''t we have my charm to fall back on". She looked at me almost panicked, I had to laugh.


    "I know you have just as much at stake right now. That''s why you are going to tell my story up until my death. I want people to know you and recognize you so you will tell why this was thrust upon me". She looked at me wide eyed. "You want me in front of the camera" I smiled. "Of course I do, your part of me and I want you there. We can introduce the triplets later on, as not to freak people out too much". She beamed at me "what should I wear?"  She looked off into space "I need to talk to your wives" she giggled and I shook my head.


    I called Becky and let her know that Vicky will be joining us and she was ecstatic about the idea. "Tell her she will be presenting first, it will flow better that way". I just nodded and ended the call.


    I looked at Vicky and she was smiling "I wonder if the girls will let me use their fabric?"  I looked at her quizzically "their fabric?"


    "I found it for them as a gift so they decided where it would be used".


    "Ok" was my only response and she disappeared.


    I went to check on my mates and they were still out, I think this is more than a nap. I called for Vicky "do a scan and see if they are ok". She appeared and looked at me "I hope you aren''t like this for the whole pregnancy. This is normal, I talked about it with Kim, the babies are in a growth spurt and it takes a lot out of your ladies". She looked at them and smiled. "As long as they had enough to eat they will be fine" I started to laugh "that''s not a problem".  I brought up a scan of the babies and I could see they were bigger. I could see arm buds on the kits and the male just looked like a blob but a healthy blob.


    "8 weeks" I said out loud. She grinned at me "you will be a wonderful father to them, look how much the kits love you". She brought up a hologram of the kits in their flight suits which made me smile.


    "How are the kits today?"  She smiled "they are at the park today, they have been taking their down time there with B. I think they have a bet on to see if they can ride every ride".


    "When are Kim and Gar due back?"  Another smile "they are leaving the surface today" I nodded "I think I need some backup and advice". She nodded and giggled.


    I decided to go see if anyone is left at Progress. That produced a ghost town, even the twins were gone. I need to remember to scan first and stop wasting time. Getting back to my office I turned on the news and looked at all the conflict going on.


    "We have never discussed a police force" I said to Vickey. "With people on your side you barely need one, cops become glorified garbage collectors picking up human trash. The drones do all the work and have all the evidence for the police to view when they get there. That''s what we are going to be using on the moon. If a person lets say performed an assault they get paralyzed by the drones and held until the police get there. With all the evidence it''s usually a slam dunk case. Sara has holding facilities and she isn''t afraid to use them, she will work hand and hand with Vancouver police to deliver them. On another note she is in contact with distribution and manufacturing and she has patents for you to sign".


    I smiled "I see she is going to keep me on my toes".


    "Oh she will, she can run a planet right down to the stoplights". I smiled again "you made a good choice with her, what were the other options like?"


    "There were a few but Sara is the best overall, her male counterpart is designed to take over a planet but that''s just his programming". I laughed "yea a Hitler AI would be a little too much for people to swallow. I hate to ask this but does she have a kill switch?"  She looked at me "yes she does and she knows it".


    "That makes sense I guess".


    "Sara will find the best way to distribute and even price the items you bring to the market. Trust me she has a cutthroat setting and she will only use it when necessary. She does want to go over laws with you before the colony opens. The park will have Canadian laws but the colony will have ours".


    I looked at her with pride "I love my new life and I can''t wait to pass it on to everyone". She smiled at me "that''s why you will make a great leader someday". I smiled and looked back at the screen "so much conflict to overcome" Vickey said. "You may have to do a show of force to stop it, in fact I see it as a given eventuality. You are going to piss off people where they are going to come after you. Now that the nanobots are in charge of your shield it would take a tank round to put you down. I wonder if a certain mouse has hired hands" She giggled.


    "We could just outlaw war and be done with it" she smirked at me. "Yea then people will freak out on that one. I know we have better toys than them but I don''t want to push too hard". She looked at me smugly "sir your armor can take out any base on the planet. They have toys, we have weapons". She giggled at the last part.


    "How is the deep space stuff coming along?"  Another smile "it''s going well there are 200 metric tons of material on its way here now, 20 of them are rare earth materials, I will put them on the market.  I broke ground on the colony this morning".


    She brought up a hologram of a city on stilts with towns below "I know I keep changing my mind but I want people to go home from the city to relax. ETA on this is 2 months when I pass it over to Sara". I sat and was amazed that there will be people there in 2 months.


    "Don''t cloak the construction, let people see what we are doing, let''s see how long it takes them to figure it out" I laughed "is there anything else while you have me to yourself".


    "A thinks he found another crystal and he is working out a way to get it without losing the ship. And I mean me, not an explorer" she said with a huff and I laughed. "Do you think it''s worth it?" she nodded. "If he thinks so I believe him, I''m sure he will figure it out it just takes a buttload of simulations".


    "I''m happy with what I have" I glanced at the ring on my pinky and the stone was gone. I gave a quizzical look at Vickey, she gave me the same.


    "I can''t believe I lost it" she looked into space for a few seconds. She looked at me "you didn''t lose it" she looked at me concerned. "It''s in 5 pieces throughout your body" she said with wide eyes.


    "The nanobots," I said to her. I sat upright when a teen me appeared.


    "Hello prime, we have taken the crystal and optimized it for you. We determined that you could be struck if your hands were outstretched and the crystal couldn''t envelop you. We can take no chance that the primary is harmed. We detected you do not like jewelry and calculated that there is a chance you would forget it"


    I cocked my head "you know you''re right I don''t like jewelry and I would forget it. Thank you for this". I slipped the ring off and noticed it had no weight without the stone. I brought up my health stats and the gem was split. There was one in each shoulder and one in each thigh and the final in my neck.


    I looked at Vickey "I swear if I wake up Borg I will be mad". She just laughed at me "what is it with Star Trek?"  I giggled "hey I like Star Wars as well" she just shook her head.


    That''s when I heard a groan from the bedroom, I didn''t so much hear it as felt it. There was a tug throughout my body pulling me to my mates. I could feel both needing to pee and they were stirring on the bed. Cora was closest so I took her and went to the bathroom. I felt relieved as she went but Lisa needed attention now. It was like dealing with a drunk person and we almost didn''t make it.


    That''s when Kim and Gar showed up. She looked at her daughter and Cora and got an evil grin. "Have you told your daughter she is going to be a big sister?"


    "Yes, that was the first call. Wow it''s really easy to tell when your species is pregnant".


    "2 weeks to be exact" I looked at her. "Well no, 2 days actually". Her eyes shot open "oh my".


    "Vickey could you explain the pregnancies".


    She appeared and did just that. Gar looked at me "you don''t go halfway with anything do you holy man" he giggled and I shook my head.


    "How was your trip?"  Gar took the reins "it was excellent, Shaun taught me how to drive. I have never been in control of something that big". I could see the excitement on his face. "It almost felt like home, everything in Australia wants to kill you" he said laughing with Kim nodding.


    "You don''t talk about your planet much". Kim jumped in "compared to where we are now I try not to think about it". I nodded and smiled "point taken, let''s worry about these two right now". They both nodded "you said two weeks and it''s only been 2 days". I brought up the scans and Kim examined them. "They look like they are 2 weeks along and healthy, This makes no sense".


    At that moment a teen me appeared "good evening, we have lowered the growth rate of your offspring. They started growing at an unsustainable rate for the health of the mothers".


    I nodded at that and Vicky was staining off into space. Her eyes got big and she looked at the teen me. "I''m giving you access to the ship''s sensors, they are more powerful. Rescan the crystal".


    He looked away for a second then back to me "we have resolved the query. Your offspring sensed the crystals and used them to grow. The combined DNA of the parents have given them the best of all species. The kits are designed to survive at any cost, Cora''s DNA added the ability to process the power from the crystal".


    I didn''t know what to say "thank you for taking care of them, I''m giving you permission to use the external scanners when you need the extra processing power". He nodded and disappeared.


    Kim looked at me "the girls should be ok by tomorrow". Gar stepped in "Kim had me worried a few times so you can relax". That made me feel better. "Have they had the hunger yet?" Kim asked and I nodded. "At least here they won''t have cravings they can''t fulfill, they get bad with us because they grow so fast". I nodded at that and they bid their goodbyes. I crawled in between my girls and called it a night.

 37

    The next morning I woke to the usual drool spots and snoring kittens. They would alternate between snoring and purring as I got up and went to my office. Vicky appeared with her usual smile "good morning captain".


    "Is there anything I need to attend to?" I asked her.


    "Nothing pressing but the people of Progress have taken to the comm units. They love them and I got a few requests for learning the programming language". I smiled "set up a class and see who wants to take it". She smiled "I already did, I was just waiting for your approval".


    "For things like that you have free reign just keep me in the loop. I highly doubt you would do something I had to veto" was my reply and She smiled at that.


    "Should we limit the power of the gauntlet?"  I shook my head "it''s kind of a dick move to throttle the power" I said with a grin. "Ok but the first death ray at a school science fair is on you" she giggled. "I''m going to wonder what people come up with using this much processing power. The holograms add a whole new level of entertainment people can explore".


    Her eyes opened "has B shown you the glasses yet?"  I looked at her as B appeared "I''m sorry I thought he knew already". B smiled "not at all it was a perfect time to show him". He looked at me "I''ve been looking at tech you have now and looking for upgrades".


    The replicator went off and I looked inside. There were a pair of glasses with a classic black frame. I looked at him and picked them up and put them on and wow. Everything in the room was identified using boxes as labels.


    "They use your nanobots and the scanners built into the frames. Think of angles in the room". I did as he asked and all the angles in the room dimensions came up as well as the angles at the corners. I thought of a thermal view and looked at my hands revealing the heat emitting from them. I thought normal and the displays disappeared.


    I looked at him smiling "everyone is going to want one of these. Thank you". He beamed with pride "it''s second nature for you but people will need a bit of practice but it''s not hard".


    "People have been after this for years and this will sell our network to everyone. How long will a charge last for?"  He smiled "at least a week with heavy use"


    My eyes shot open "the selling points just keep getting better. What about existing prescriptions". He smiled again "I can modify existing glasses with a replicator so as they buy their device they will be done before the transaction is done".


    I don''t think my smile could get any bigger.  "I have one final question "do you want this as an add on or part of the comm device". Another smile "I want everyone to have them so part of the package works".


    "Have you told Sara yet?"  He shook his head "no sir you are the first".


    "Why don''t you talk to Sara and work out all the details, this may change her pricing. You just brought Augment Reality to the mainstream. I sat in my chair and started to play with my new toy. The overlay was seamless and crystal clear, I thought of the news and it popped up. I thought of my messages and poof they were there. It took me a min to use my eyes and blinks to sort through them.


    This is going to change things for everyone I thought and Vicky added "it sure will" I chuckled.


    That''s when I felt the tug from my mates. I made my way to them and found Cora trying to stand. I got her to the bathroom and I could feel her relief. Lisa followed and I got a grunt for my efforts. Getting her back to the bed I went to lay her down and got pulled down. They both cuddled into me so I gave in and took a nap.


    Waking an hour later I was sweaty and needed the refresher and by the smell my girls needed it to. I picked up Cora and went to the bathroom and the refresher perked her up. She got down yawning and Lisa was next and I got the same response resulting in tired but awake kitties.


    "I''m hungry but the thought of eating makes me cringe" Lisa said with Cora nodding. "My tummy hurts" Cora said and curled up in a ball on the bed. "You both probably stretched your stomachs so they might be sore for a bit. Vickey please bring the girls up to speed in regards to our kids". She appeared and did just that.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Your bugs to the rescue again" Lisa said and Cora jumped in "the babies are ok right". Vickey nodded "they are safe and the nanobots have it under control but it put you ahead of schedule. I''m estimating 5 weeks now for the kits". She brought up their health data and showed them.


    I looked at the kids separated on either side of the womb. "I hope they don''t separate like that after they are born". I got the look from all 3 women "they will love one another and not even fight" Cora said and I giggled and rolled my eyes at that one.


    "I just mean how they give him space" I said. "They just know something you don''t". I looked at her "and that would be?" She just shrugged her shoulders "dunno but I''m sure there is something there".


    With that the replicator went off with pills for my wives with a message to take with food. They groaned but went to the kitchen and it started again. It started with finger sandwiches then finger foods.


    "Maybe we can make it from the table without you passing out" I giggled. Lisa scowled at me "it was kind of scary, I would have eaten anything in front of me and the sleep just came over me" Lisa said with Cora nodding. Just then the door chimed.


    As soon as Kim and Gar walked in the girls started crying. Kim ran to Lisa and Gar went to Cora. "This is normal, they are getting weeks of hormones all at once. Why don''t you let us take care of this one" Gar said in a calm voice. I just nodded and made my exit.


    I scanned and found Becky so I went to the communal area and found her talking to Sara. They finished their conversation as I approached "Sara just told me about the glasses and now I want a pair" said Becky. "We''ll go get a pair" she took off like a rabbit.


    I looked at Sara "I hope adding the glasses doesn''t set you back". She smiled "not at all sir I just have to include replicators to produce the glasses and do upgrades on their existing persiptions. I have set up distribution all over North America and I am working on Europe. I''m going for bulk at first and then the stragglers. I''m doing a sliding scale for pricing so everyone will have one. I''m thinking $100 for the kit with the glasses so they should sell like hotcakes. I''m doing all business now in Canadian dollars till we have our own".


    "I''m so glad you are taking care of this". She smiled "it''s what I was brought online to do sir". I was just about to say something when Becky walked up to me.


    "These are so friggin cool, is it the nanobots that change the displays?"  I nodded "the nanobots sense your surface thoughts so it might take a bit to get used to". She nodded and was staring off into space giggling.


    "Is there anything you need Sara?"  She shook her head "no sir" and she dissolved. Becky looked at me "these are just cool and it''s seamless" I laughed. "I''m glad they meet your approval"


    We went for a walk around Progress and found a few that were in contact with others getting ready to go to the park. We talked about the interview for a bit till the twins approached.


    "Just the man we want to see". They said in unison "there are people who want jobs at the park". They made me smile "I see no problem with that, get in touch with Sara and see what she thinks. I''m guessing they will have the jobs they want in no time. My end goal is to replace every bot with a person so this is perfect".


    They nodded and took off for their office calling Sara as they went.


    I went back to my quarters and was afraid of what I would find. I found my wives laughing with Kim and Gar. "Is it safe to come in?" I said aloud and my mates ran to me apologizing. "No need to apologize as long as you are ok".


    Kim started "we normally get the hunger every few days but they got hit with 2 weeks worth all at once. It should be normal from now on".


    I looked at the girls "how are you feeling?"  Lisa smiled "we are ok now just a little tired" Cora agreed with a yawn.


    "Go back to bed and sleep it off" was Gars answer. The girls agreed and they were off to bed.


    Kim looked at me and smiled "so holy man what are you going to do next". I shook my head "ok ok I give in what else am I supposed to do?"


    Kim clapped and jumped "you are supposed to command armies of bots but you do that already. They say you are unkillable in a fight and you will fight to the death to protect your loved ones". I nodded in agreement at that one.


    "Have you connected to the babies yet?"  I nodded and she smiled a loving smile. "I knew it wouldn''t take long". Gar had a blissfully look on his face "I never thought I would have grandchildren". I smiled "well they have all of us in their corner for support".


    I looked at Kim "do I have any more surprises in store". She shook her head "no Lisa knows what''s coming now she should be fine and I can''t think of anything else". I smiled "I have no idea where the kits are". She smiled "they are at the park with B and will be home in an hour". I should have known better, moms always know where their kids are.


    They bid their farewell and I crawled in between my mates and went to sleep.

 38

    We awoke to smiles then Cora got a look and took off running. Lisa got the same look and bolted. I giggled thinking they needed to pee until I heard the sounds of someone getting sick. I sat and waited for them to come out. Lisa started "what the hell was that, mom didn''t do that".


    "I think you''re getting that from the human side, we call it morning sickness". Cora added "that was just unpleasant and I don''t like it". She curled into a ball and held her stomach.


    "This is one thing I can''t help with".


    "You''re here when we need you, that''s the important part," Cora added. They both came in for a kiss and a hug.


    "Are you able to eat, it might settle your stomach". They put a look on their faces and were shaking their head no as the replicator went off with pills for my wives. There was a note attached to them saying to take with food. That decided we went to the table and I got them toast. I got a full breakfast knowing they would pick at mine and I was right. After the 3rd round of bacon I knew they were fed so we went to sit on the sofa. I looked at the time and realized it was the next day.


    "I didn''t realize I was that tired" I said as Vicky appeared. "That''s my fault sir, I kept you asleep so I could do a deep scan of all 3 of you". I sat up and said, "did you find anything?" She shook her head "nothing with the girls. The nanobots have taken over the babies so no worries there, you on the other hand". She gave me a look "I want you to access your storage crystal".


    I closed my eyes and she was there. I touched my crystal and it has grown. "That crystal should be sitting at about 5% with your life in there. Your storage has quadrupled and so has the triplets". I opened my eyes and she appeared.


    Lisa spoke up "is there anything wrong?" Vickey shook her head "the nanobots have improved his memory so nothing to worry about". They both seemed ok with that.


    They clung to me "have you tried the glasses yet?" They shook their heads so I got up and got them a pair each. We spent the next 30 min playing and having fun till I got the call from Becky. "Everything is ready on the bridge when you''re ready". I looked at the girls and they looked excited.


    "It''s up to you if you want to come, it''s only 20 meters away". They both wanted to be there so we went.


    There were 2 chairs in front of the main display screen. "What about a chair for Vickey?" Another chair appeared and Vickey sat down and looked at me. "I will disappear when my part is done, Becky and I have already discussed it".


    I laughed "just tell me where to sit and I will be a good boy". Becky laughed at me "you can choose either side it works either way for me". I chose the left out of sheer habit and had a seat. The chairs were high backed leather chairs with lots of tacks keeping everything in place. I settled in and my mates stood beside me. Becky took the time to take a picture "that''s too cute to waist. Do your wives want to be part of the show?" That''s an interview that she wants as well.


    "Not today but soon". My wives kissed me then sat at a duty station to watch.


    "So how is this going to go down?" Becky smiled "introductions then Vicky then you". I looked at Vicky and she looked almost nervous. "You ok?" She took a deep breath "right as rain".


    The chairs had Becky in the middle of us and she turned to Vickey and started.


    They chatted for about 20 min referring to me a few times. Vicky reiterated how close we are to killing the planet and how I was their last chance. She included the fact that the chances of another born like me is a trillion to one and she was getting ready to leave.


    Then on to me as Vickey dissolved "now to you" she threw her hair over her shoulder. "Why the need for secrecy at the beginning captain?" I smiled "I have family from my former life that needed to be protected, now that is done I can drop the avatar"


    "Tell me why Vancouver for your kick off city and what have you done there". Another smile from me "I had to start somewhere and there are personal reasons. We are dealing with the garbage issue by removing it completely. It will take time but all garbage will be dealt with that way. People have seen the dome on the moon and have been wondering what it was. I''m here to tell you it''s an amusement park run by an AI named Sara and I''m going to use Vancouver airport to transport people there. We will be opening NOVA airlines and will be the first to have zero emissions".Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The Vancouver talk continued for about 10 min. "Now on to the next topic" she expertly transitioned and held up her arm. She produced a hologram of a butterfly that looked real. She went off on a speech that was obviously worked out between her and Sara. She would pause from time to time getting answers from me about satellites and coverage. She explained how the glasses worked combined with the nanobots that were included.


    She looked at me, "are the nanobots necessary captain?" I smiled "no they are 100 percent optional, they just make things easier being able to read your surface thoughts and anticipating the info you''re looking for. They also scan your health and alert you to things you should have checked out. They in no way access your memories or brain function just what you are thinking about at the moment when you access them, they try to be helpful. It takes a bit of training and it will be different for everyone so be patient as you learn. As for people who don''t want the nanobots they just have to pick manually what they want their glasses to display. All of my tech that I bring to man has been tested on other worlds and is perfectly safe. I wouldn''t release it otherwise, in fact let me release all of the testing data I have so people can read it for themselves. Vickey could you come here please" she appeared smiling. "Could you gather all the data we have and do 2 reports, one detailed and one people can reference easily". She smiled and disappeared and I looked back to Becky.


    "I also want to say they are secure, once they form a bond with you I can''t even access them except to send them upgrades and you have to agree to them".


    Becky looked at me "upgrades?"


    "Yes, as time passes I will be adding cures for viruses that they can cure within your own body. I can offer birth control as well with no drugs and that''s for men and women. One big thing is the translating function, they understand every language on earth and can remove language barriers completely".


    She looked at me "one final question captan, why did you help those people for free?" I smiled "I did it because I could and nothing more. Those were dry runs of the emergency services I''m bringing to the entire planet eventually. I''m here to bring a better way of life for all, not the one percenters. Those who want to join me and yes it is completely voluntary will get a better life if I have my way. I do want to do a proof of concept and I set my sights on the Hoover dam. Lake Mead is dangerously low so I''m going to fill it back to capacity. The ships I''m sending will make water by combining hydrogen and oxygen. I know this affects millions so I''m more than willing to do it. The process will take 2 months to complete and I hope it takes away any water restrictions they have in place. This is just the beginning and the tip of the iceberg of what I''m bringing for mankind". With that we ended the broadcast.


    I looked at Becky "what about Sara?" She smiled "she has her own interview. Let them digest yours first". I nodded "that makes sense". I looked and saw my mates leaning against one another and snoring. I shook them awake "you know our quarters are 20 meters away".


    They got up and stretched and Cora said "we wanted to be here till the end". I collected kisses and looked at Becky.


    "When does it go live". She got a questioning look on her face "what do you mean it was live". That stopped me dead in my tracks. "How many were viewing?" She smiled and looked at her gauntlet "one at first then it grew to 25 million".


    I must have had a look on my face because the girls came to me. "I thought we were recording it, I wasn''t expecting live".


    Vicky appeared "you''re still a little skittish from your past life so we decided not to tell you". I scrunched up my brow "who decided?"


    Becky hung her head then Vicky then the girls.


    "It was best for you to jump in both feet. We talked and made the decision not to tell you. You have shown signs of your previous life coming through so I took these steps to make you more comfortable. The next interview will be live and you will be more relaxed, trust me".


    I thought for a second and Vicky was right, I need to jump in both feet and get over it. "Did Sara have anything to do with this". She smiled and nodded her head. I threw my hands in the air and laughed "I''m surrounded".


    They all just laughed at me and we went home. The girls went to bed and I resisted the urge to crawl in with them so I went to my office. I watched response videos to my interview and most seemed positive. I finally gave in and joined my wives.

 39

    I awoke to a heavy feeling so I looked down. It seems the kits wanted some cuddle action so there were bodies everywhere. I love this feeling so I just layed there and enjoyed the moment. I started to stir and try to get up to a chorus of grunts and complaints.


    I returned to see everyone sitting up and yawning. I collected kisses and hugs to fill my tank for the day. At breakfast we all just let the kits talk. They brought us up to speed with their mission and they referred to B like a beloved uncle, it was cute.


    We let them go on and on about their maneuvers, they were so excited. They still talk as a group and they seem to have no leader, they just seem to know what the others are doing.


    I looked at their ribbons and they were flowing from me on the ground to them but the ones between them were solid and strong. We were finishing breakfast and the kits let us know they are grounded until their next sleep cycle, they weren''t happy about the grounding but they understood.


    I started to clean up so Lisa and Cora took over and told me they would finish. I went to my office and Vickey appeared "so what is the damage" I kidded and she smiled. "We have had requests from all over the planet about the recycling tech. We need to set a price, let''s bring Sara in on this conversation". Sara appeared "good morning sir, I would suggest one thousand a day per unit. The sale of the materials recovered will pay for that easily and we get half as feedstock. We can set up businesses for people to service towns that don''t need full time recyclers".


    I smiled "I could have used these numbers last night". They both looked at me and Sara spoke up "that''s for my interview sir". She smirked and it looked good on her.


    "What is going on with people who want jobs at the park?" She smiled again "yes captain there are many enquiring about employment at the park". My turn to smile "find positions that they will like, it''s a lot better than sitting around all day".


    "One more question sir, is it ok if I house them at the park. I have staff accommodations set up". I looked at her "absolutely if they want it, if not I will make sure there is transport". She got an odd grin "I bet they move" she giggled "I have rides" she laughed out loud and I joined her.


    "What kind of jobs are they looking for?"


    "They are looking at everything from cleaners to office staff. I will match people to jobs they want". My turn to smile "things are falling into place here". They both nodded as I got up and went to check on my mates.


    I heard Jaden''s voice, she was telling my girls about the morning sickness and the cravings she had with her kids. They let her know that the kits had a sleep cycle soon so watch Autumn. They also let her know that the kits are grounded until it''s over and Jaden started to laugh. "There is safety dad" I smirked "it wasn''t me it was B, that is his show".


    "So everything is alright with my new siblings?" The girls nodded and explained what happened with the crystal. "Oh that''s a relief I couldn''t get a hold of you for 2 days and we were worried". I looked at her "you could have called me". She looked at me "dad you have too much on your plate to be a go between". I took that as a valid answer.


    "When are you going to take a trip to the park?" She tilted her head "I didn''t think about it actually".


    "Well get your butt in gear, gather all the people you want to bring and call Vicky to arrange transport, Make a weekend of it. I want you to meet Sara" I heard yells in the background and knew the girls were listening. "You already have quarters there permanently". That got me more yells "ok dad I will gather people together this weekend and come check it out". "Thank you Jaden" and we ended the call.


    Cora looked at me "your calls to her are always so short, you never just talk". I slouched my shoulders "we just don''t have that kind of relationship".


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon."That''s a shame" they said in unison and came in for a hug. They knew that was a sore spot for me and they did their best to comfort me.


    "I forgot to ask about Carla". They hugged me tight "all is well with her, the girls have bonded and they don''t want her to go" Lisa said. "She was due to come back but our little episode delayed that. She said she will wait till we are feeling better" Cora added. "We have mom and dad as backup as well" Lisa smiled. I have to agree with her and I felt better thinking about it. I hugged them close "thank you". They pulled back to look at me "for giving me a family". That got wide smiles and they hugged me tighter.


    Almost right on cue the replicator went off with my wives pills. "At least I know the nanobots have timing" I giggled. We got a snack and ate and talked for a while.


    I got to my office and turned on the news. It''s weird seeing your face on every channel. They were all talking about the Pegasus network and the recycling tech. They referred to every line I said on the air.


    One channel was debating if I was the person behind the avatar or an imposter.


    "Vicky, is this debate a common one on the air right now?" She nodded "that seems to be the big topic of the day". I smiled an evil grin "could you find me a live one?" She got a questioning look then looked away for a second.


    "Global News in Edmonton is just starting a live call in show. What are you thinking?" I looked at her "if they want proof I will give it to them. Dispatch a drone to the studio and could you get me the number to call please". She shook her head and smiled. "The number is in your comms" I looked down as the number appeared so I pushed the dial button.


    "Global news, how May I direct your call"


    "good morning you have a call in show going on and I think I have some valuable insights".


    "You and 50 others, I will put you in the cue". All I heard was a click then music. I looked at Vickey and she just laughed.


    I was just about to say something when someone cut in on the line".


    "Hello I''m screening the calls for the show. Who am I talking to?"


    "The name that people gave me is the captain" I heard silence. "Sir this isn''t funny we are trying to put up on a good show without cooks".


    "Miss I have a drone just outside if that helps". More silence "are you willing to come on the show?" She sounded excited.


    "Yes I am, if someone wants to open the back door and let me in I can be there in holographic form". I booted up my VR and took over the drone and put myself outside the door.


    A woman with a headset showed up with wide eyes "it''s a pleasure to meet you captain come this way". She turned and I followed her into the building and down a few hallways ending at the studio. She whispered something to the man in charge. As soon as he saw me he started talking into his headset to the guests. I guess you can''t see because of the lights, his eyes shot open and he started to look around.


    "It seems we have an unexpected guest to the show today". The woman beside me pointed to the chair so I proceeded there and sat. They looked at me "good afternoon gentlemen it seems you have questions I may be able to answer". One of them looked at his partner then to me "thank you for coming captain, out of curiosity where are you right now if this is a hologram?" I smiled "I''m on the moon right now controlling this drone". I made the drone decloak so they could see it.


    "How are you transferring that much data?" The second one asked. "This is the new network I''m releasing". He nodded then kind of snapped to, then got to it. Over the next 20 minutes they came up with a lot of good questions and I answered them all. I referred to the website a lot and told them Sara''s interview is coming soon. I thought I would throw them a bone and told them I grew up on the east coast.


    We ended the interview on a light note and I shut down my VR, that got me a coffee and 2 kisses. "I hope that changes a few minds". They nodded as we left my office and I looked at the table. They had finger foods from all over the world covering the entire top.


    "Trying new things?" I asked and grabbed a fry. "We weren''t sure what we wanted so Vickey was trying to help," Cora said as she bit into something fried. "Well hopefully you found it". Lisa huffed "there is too much of a selection now". I laughed and got food thrown at me as my comms went off.


    It was Becky "what did you do". I started to explain and she cut me off. "Do it some more" was her only instruction to me with a laugh.


    "Ok" I ended the call and looked at the girls. "I have homework to do". After I explained what homework was I went back to my office where Vickey found 3 more broadcasts all over the world that we crashed and squashed some naysayers. I was wiped when I was done so I joined my mates in bed.

 40

    The next day I had messages from Becky all saying the same thing, that was great PR. I got up and went to my office, coffee achieved. I turned on the news and saw my face everywhere, still not used to that.


    I went on YouTube and the footage of my interviews were everywhere. There were people analyzing my movements and judging intent. There was a lot of interest in the comm units and people wanted them pretty bad for testing.


    Vickey appeared "they don''t know most of the possibilities, that''s for Sara''s interview". I looked at her "when is her debut happening?" "They are doing it live today at 16:00".


    "Ok let me know so I can watch" She nodded. "Is there anything else going on I should know". She smiled "the twins have they upped their game now that progress is almost empty again".


    "That''s news that I like to hear".


    "Me to" she swung back and forth with a smile on her face. "You seem in a very good mood today". She beamed a smile at me "people want an interview with just me and Becky is going to make it happen" she was jumping at the end of the sentence.


    "When are you doing it?"


    "She is going to transition from Sara to me, so today". I smiled "I''m sure you will get more viewers than me". She blushed at that comment "you are the reason for all of this" I said as I waved my arm around.


    "Ok I kicked it off, you built it so far". I shook my head "oh hush up and take the compliment. I could never have been able to do anything without you and you know it". She blushed deeper and dissipated.


    I went to my wives and kissed them and got mumbling replies. "You both are hungry and it''s bleeding over to me". They laughed at me and went to get some breakfast. I could feel their hunger over my own and it was annoying.


    I went back to my desk and brought up a live map of the world. I zoomed in on Lake Mead and saw the ships. They were about 10 meters across and produced their own rainstorm. I could see boaters having fun in the rain jumping in and out of the storm.


    My comm went off and it was Becky "good morning captain" she said with a forced smile. "What''s wrong?" Was my reply. "Am I that transparent?" I nodded "come on spill it". She huffed "the Canadian and American governments are freaking out that you can appear anywhere you want. They want to meet with you". I nodded "how have they reached out?" She took a deep breath "email through the site and all of your socials".


    "I knew this day was coming sooner or later might as well do it now. Do they have a time set up or are they waiting on me?" She smiled "they are waiting on you and they are sending a few messages a day". I looked at her "thank you for bringing this to me and I''m sorry you had to be a go between. Forward all of the messages and I will sort through them".


    "Thank you for taking this off my plate" she looked relieved as we ended the call. I looked through the messages when they arrived and found a contact for each country.


    The states gave me the runaround for about 20 min to get anyone serious. The Canadians were waiting on the call so I got right through.


    I agreed that 3 people from each country will be picked up and brought to my ship.


    I left my office "I''m going to have a busy afternoon" I said to my girls and collected kisses. After I explained what I was doing I went to the flight deck.


    I took one of the big RVs in case they got whiney and wanted to take more. I headed for a base in Ontario and landed outside the gate to the address.


    I pulled up to the gate to wide eyes and shock. "Good morning I''m here to pick up the representatives to go to the ship". The staff looked flustered.


    "Could you sign in sir" said the male of the group and he handed me a clipboard. I signed the captain as a joke and handed it back. I looked at the most flustered of the 2 and asked "is it ok to take off from there or do I have to come back through the gate". She looked at me "if the higher ups say it''s ok you can take off from there". She looked relieved to pass the buck up the chain of command.


    "Thank you" I said and the male with the clipboard gave me directions to my destination. I followed them and found 5 men standing outside. I pulled up and disembarked to meet them. I shook each man''s hand as they were introduced and I gathered the 3 with me and we boarded.


    "I''m not gonna lie, I didn''t expect to be picked up in an RV" he laughed. I looked at him "it''s what''s under the hood that counts. I''m sure you were thinking more like this". I made the steering wheel retract and the flight holograms appeared. The men''s faces lit up when I took off vertically and we were on our way to DC.


    "How fast does this ship go?" I heard over my shoulder so I looked "I''m not sure let''s find out" I pushed the ship to Mach 4 with ease. I could see the whites of his eyes as he looked at the speed.


    We were over DC in no time and I found the address was a swanky hotel. I sat down in an empty parking lot and drove to the address. There were 2 males and one female waiting for me.


    "I expected a spaceship" said the gruff old man. His female counterpart was more pleasant with a quiet hello and the final man said nothing.


    Vicky chirped at me "he is armed sir" I noted that for later. "Sorry to disappoint but if you will take a seat we will get underway".


    I could see the Canadians smirking. I had the flight controls come up and we took off. I should have taken a video because the looks they put on their faces were priceless.


    I stood and turned to face my guests "did all of you bring your phone or a camera" I got nods.


    "Can I take a picture of your instruments?" asked one of the Americans. "Of course if there is anything particular you wanted explained just ask. I''m going to swing by the ISS so you can have some interesting pics to take home" they seemed pleased at that. The Americans were interested in my version of radar, it showed everything including birds.


    They were all looking around as we approached the station and they got excited.


    While they took pics I took this time for introductions.


    The old grumpy man held out his hand "I''m general Adam Black sir". I took his hand and felt the grip of years of service. I went around Lee Crawford was his second, Oliver Buchanan was the other man''s name and he just nodded. Then on to the Canadians, Bailey Harvey was a big man with a crushing grip. He introduced his associates Hugo Long and Alex Pratt.


    "Welcome to all of you, if you have enough pics we can go to our next destination which is the park". They seemed pleased with that so I set a course. "The park is fully functional". It was in view and they started taking pics.


    "There are people there," said Lee. "Yes they are people I''ve helped and they have free reign here. We will see their home on the ship and I can explain further there" They seemed ok with that answer for now. I flew by my stockpile of material on the moon so they could see it. There were huge blocks of gold and other materials the size of shipping containers.


    With wide eyes Hugo looked at me "are you mining the moon?" I shook my head "the asteroid belt actually, I have autonomous ships doing the mining and they bring back a few hundred tons at a time". That drew shocked looks so I tried to recover "ready to go to the ship?" That got enthusiastic head nods. "And I thought this was going to be a boring day" said one of the Canadians, getting laughs from all.


    "What powers this craft" came from the same man. "It''s a type of fusion reactor and this crafts engines can power a mid-sized city. This is a small ship I have others". Alex spoke up "how many do you have?"


    "I just make them as I need them, this one took 2 hours to complete" he seemed flummoxed at that. "How fast can you make say a tank". I looked at him "what models are referring to". He seemed shocked, "say an Abrams". I looked away for a sec and looked it up "56 minutes with my armaments, 29 with yours". That drew blank stares, wow this is a rough crowd. "I will show you my toys I''m not hiding anything" that drew smiles.


    I landed and got out. I pointed to the ships "I have no set design yet but I have a fantastic design team". I heard over my shoulder "are those the ships that are flying your missions". I turned "yes they are, the pilots are on mandatory down time for a few days".


    "You give your military mandatory down time" came from Oliver.


    "I don''t have a military, the pilots of those ships are doing it because they wanted to and to get practice flying. They saw the problem and wanted to help not because I ordered them to. They are having fun and I let them have their fun because it''s beneficial for all".This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Can we meet them?" Came from Lee. "Possibly let me check" I raised my arm and the hologram appeared and they marveled at it.


    "You''re not wearing a comm device" Hugo pointed out. I smiled "mine are built in". They were at the park so I sent a message asking them to make an appearance for me. The reply was instant, they will be back in an hour. "They are at the park right now but they will be here soon" that produced smiles.


    "Let''s start off with the toys you came to see" more smiles. We made our way to the upper deck of the armory and I turned on the lights over the fighters on racks. "I have 500 fighters on board but only 5 pilots so far" I joked, getting blank faces.


    "What about ground assault?" asked one of the generals. I turned the light on over my battle armor and took control.


    I was standing in front of the crowd and pacing back and forth, the armor was mimicking my movements. "Normally they require a pilot but I can command them remotely". I did a stupid dance and the armor did the same, getting laughs.


    "How many can you control" came from Oliver. "This should be good, I''ve only done this in training". 4 more joined the first and snapped a salute.


    "Do I want to ask how powerful they are?" I smiled "with one of these you could take out any base on the planet. Saying that these weapons will not be used on earth they are too powerful. They have railguns on each arm and produce their own ammunition. There are missile launchers as well and they self replenish. They can''t fly but they can jump over 200 meters and fall gracefully. They are space worthy and the pilot has supplies for a month". They looked like they were salivating as I described them.


    "And when are you going to share your weapons?" Said Oliver. I looked at him "probably never with existing militaries, you are barely in control of the weapons you have. I wouldn''t trust most militaries with a potato gun". That produced a single giggle and shocked looks.


    "What makes you think I''m going to give you anything general" I said to him. "It is a matter of national security. We need to impound these weapons and any other on US soil". I glared at him "that''s easy I won''t help the US after the dam is full ok".


    That got him to backpedal "I didn''t mean" I cut him off "I know what you meant general. I can tell you now that my weapons will be used defensively. But that said those who decide to come at me will be shocked when I come at them. Those who are with me are under my protection and I take that very seriously. Did you notice the construction on the moon next to the park?" I got nods.


    "That is mankinds first colony and it will house millions, all with a new way of life and that''s the beginning. I''m bringing this tech to the people not the military" that brought some sour faces.


    "I chose Canada to start but I could do business anywhere. I choose to do business here and pay all the taxes with no loopholes. Let''s get a drink"


    I went to the replicator and got an iced tea. They took their time and chose a drink and there were a few extra made to see it in action.


    "Everyone on the moon will have one of these, it makes food as well"


    "For free," said Oliver. Of course for free it costs me nothing to make so why would I charge. Clothing, and education will be the same. They all had shocked looks on their faces. "The Pegasus network is something I needed so my design crew beefed it up to handle all communications on the planet. We built it and put it in place 2 days later. I''m going to charge next to nothing to buy the units and it will give them lifetime access. This is a gift to all mankind". Back to blank stares.


    "I will give you a bunch of them to rip apart if you want" that got me head nodds.


    "Let''s take a walk to Progress" questing looks as we got into the lift. The doors opened and revealed a few people there milling about.


    Lee started "who are all these people" she asked in a polite tone. "These are people you walk by every day and ignore. These are most of the homeless from Vancouver, they don''t have addictions or mental issues anymore. They have become part of my workforce on the moon. They wanted jobs so Sara interviewed them and placed them where they can succeed in life".


    "Who is Sara?" Came from a few people. "She is an AI that will be running the park and my business interests on earth". Backed to shocked looks "an AI is going to run your business" said a Canadian just to verify he heard it right.


    I laughed "yes I have a few AIs on my team and no they can''t go all murder bot. She was designed to run an entire planet and she will make sure my business is above the board. You will notice that everything I do is for the people to make their lives better. When you remove greed from the equation the solution is clear".


    Everyone was nodding except Oliver "you are going to bankrupt us and make us live your way" he spat out.


    "Not at all sir, I want people to join me not bend to my will. I''m trying to introduce tech in ways to keep people working. Some industries will suffer like oil and gas has to go as well as a lot of chemical production. We have known that for a long time now".


    "You''re telling me you would tell us to stop drilling for oil and gas on American soil" he said as he stood. "You have no right to tell us what to do". He drew his weapon and was frozen in place.


    "What did you do?" he screamed. I looked at him "you drew a weapon and showed aggressive action to another so a drone grabbed you. This is the same security I have in my park and colony. The only reason it didn''t stun you is because I would have to lug your ass back to the shuttle. Now are you going to calm down?" He threw me a dirty look and nodded.


    The others watched as I took his gun and laid it flat in my hand. I had a drone pick it up wrap a shield around it and decompile into a round ball. It was the size of a big marble and I put it in his pocket. "I knew you were armed before you even got on the shuttle. I didn''t think you would be stupid enough to pull it". I looked him dead in the eye "nothing you can throw at me will work, got it" he scowled.


    By that time I had 3 bots there to escort him to the flight deck. "You have a choice, the flight deck or my brig?"


    "The flight deck" he said through gritted teeth.


    I looked at the remainder of my guests "he will be fine and he will miss the best part, now shall we" I left him knowing the bots will keep him in line.


    We were sitting beside the tree by my quarters and I sent a message to the kits.


    "Are you ready to meet the pilots?" I got wide eyes and nodds. The kits came running to me for hugs and I crouched down and scooped them up. I turned with them in my arms to wide eyes. "These are the pilots?" Adam said.


    "Yup"


    "they aren''t human".


    "Nope these are the kids of a family I rescued and they are learning to fly for fun. They are using the cleanup as practice. And the best part is they aren''t 2 months old yet". I saw Kim and Gar watching and smiling, they waved at my guests and they waved back.


    "These are the kit family and I rescued them when their ship went through some sort of a gravitational thing out past Pluto".


    My guests were gobsmacked looking at me "May I" said Lee and pointed at the kits. I nodded and walked to her. The male stepped forward and sniffed her then smiled at her but he wouldn''t go to her. He looked at me then wanted down and his sisters joined him. They went to their parents and left. I looked at Lee and shrugged "they are kids don''t take it personally" she nodded.


    "How many aliens are on board" asked Alex "they are a family of nine and for lack of a better term I adopted them".


    "Why didn''t the parents come over" asked Hugo. "You don''t have the nanobots for translation so you would understand them" a lot of puzzled looks. "Here let me show you" I went to the replicator and got 5 disks of nanobots for them.


    "All you have to do is put it on your hand and push the button, I will activate the translation protocol for you. That isn''t going to be mainstream yet so you will have an edge others don''t have". They looked at me with skepticism and took them and did as I asked. I brought up a screen with a Japanese broadcast. "Over the next few minutes you will hear a voice translating for you". I watched them go through a multitude of expressions then ending in smiles. "This is amazing, what other languages will they work on?" Asked Bailey. I smiled "all of them, you now understand every language on earth. You will learn to turn them on and off, it just takes a little concentration".


    "We all need to get used to a different way of life from now on and I''m willing to listen to any ideas on how to bring it without job loss" I could see them all thinking "tough thing huh" I got a lot of looks but not a lot of suggestions.


    "We are here when you need the help" Hugo said and the rest of the Canadians nodded. "I''m on board as well but I''m not sure what we can do". I smiled at Adam "I need you to go back and let them know I''m not the enemy. Everything I do I do for the benefit of all people".


    We chatted on our way back to the flight deck to see Oliver sitting in a chair. I turned to the Americans "I''m going to autopilot your shuttle to the ground exactly where I picked you up. I have no desire to see his face right now". The general nodded "he is CIA and please don''t take his actions as the attitude of all of us" he extended his hand and I took it "I won''t but make it clear I don''t take displays like that kindly". He got a look on his face and looked at Oliver "trust me I will make that clear".


    "Thank you general" was the last thing I said as he stood up Oliver and marched him onto the ship.


    I turned to the Canadians "now where were we, oh yes toys". We boarded the RV and I got them their comm units. They were set up within minutes. As soon as they put on the glasses they were tickled pink.


    "So what do you think of all this?" the general smiled. "Well here is the way I see it so far. I have a company bringing lots of new products. I can respect your decision regarding the weapons for now. I don''t think our neighbors to the south will feel the same way". I nodded "yea I got that impression as well. They will learn I will never start a fight but I have no problem finishing them, I think they won''t like that" he nodded. "I will viciously protect my own and I think they will learn that the hard way, actually that applies to a bunch of countries" more nodds.


    "Well gentlemen let''s get you home I''m sure you will be in meetings for a while" I laughed and they joined me. We set off and within 20 min they were on the ground. I flew straight home and crawled in between my mates and passed out.

 41

    I awoke the next morning with the kits all over me, I guess they needed me throughout the night. Getting up there was movement from me only, the rest of my little brood was out cold. If I''m reading the room right they are all in a sleep cycle, these things are weird, and I find it hard to adjust to that one. I got some responses from my wives but nothing from the kits so I''m guessing the kids are to blame but I''m not taking chances so I called Mom.


    Kim came right away and laughed at me "we just have to separate them and they will be fine". We spent a few min finding little bodies hidden in the covers, it was like they were drugged. By the time we got them settled and got back to the bedroom they were getting up but they needed help "Hey there, how are you feeling"?


    "so tired," Cora said and flopped her head down on a pillow. "The kits were here weren''t they," said Lisa, I just nodded my head leaned in and kissed her then looked at Cora and she was out cold "sleep it off". Lisa nodded as her head was hitting the pillow so I went to my office.


    There I turned on the news and it''s still weird seeing your face on every channel. I didn''t see any of the pics from my guests my bets are them never releasing them. I did get a message from the Canadians but nothing yet from the Americans. "Vickey are you available"? I said out loud and she appeared instantly.


    "Good morning captain," she said with her chipper usual tone. "Up to do some hacking, let''s see what they have figured out so far". she looked away with a blank look on her face.


    "Neither have figured out anything beyond what you have told them, not that they aren''t looking. There are task forces all over the planet looking into this problem". I put an odd look on my face "so I''m a problem now". She nodded "they seem to think so. The FSB and British intelligence have people on their way to Canada now. The Americans and Canadians got debriefed the minute they landed and the descriptions of your equipment have them scared. He said and I quote "The captain has access to hardware that far outreaches what the Americans have at their disposal". The way you disarmed him so easily has them spooked, that is the impression I''m getting from the emails I''m seeing"


    "Well he deserved it for being a jerk," I said and she nodded at that. "How did your interviews go"? She beamed a smile at me.


    "it went great but it was mostly Sara''s spotlight. it was so much fun do you want to watch"? I nodded as a hologram started to play. "The streams peaked at over 50 million"


    "Well, at least they want to know what we have to say" I retorted.


    "They sure do, I was watching chatrooms all over, and when Sara said the units would be 100 dollars everyone freaked. It''s still going on now, most of the talk is if this is a PR stunt or for real.


    We sat and watched as Sara commanded the interview for the next 2 hours then Vickey came into the focus of the show I had to pause it because I felt my wives. "Sorry give me a minute" I chuckled as I left the office. By the time I got to the bedroom, I realized my wives needed to pee. I just giggled as I picked them up one at a time and I could feel their relief and they mumbled thank you. I got them settled and got back to it.


    Vickey was going over laws and rules for the park when I looked at her and she was wringing her fingers. "Whats wrong"?


    "I don''t know its just I hate seeing myself on screen" she looked at me


    "Your the one pulling me out of my shell and your nervous" I said giggling. She gave me a look I couldn''t identify "hey you have practice from your previous life, I''m on new ground here" she smiled.


    We watched the rest of the interview and she was spectacular, she didn''t miss a beat and had answers instantly. I used my feelings to her and she blushed "Thank you Brad". I smiled "we will figure this out eventually" I laughed.


    We were sitting and talking when I felt my wives so I went to them. waking them got their drives to kick in and it worked, as soon as they could feel their hunger they woke up quickly and I got them to the replicator. We got back to my office and Vickey brought up a broadcast from Canada with one of our guests where he went into detail of his visit ending with a pic of him and I floating weightless.


    My comm went off and it was Becky "you really keep me on my toes" she smiled.


    "I guess I should clear things before I do them" she scowled at me. "Don''t you dare, everything you are doing is showing we are the good guys so keep it up"


    "consider it done" I laughed back and ended the call and looked at Vickey "since my wives are out of commission for the day I''m going to take care of a personal matter". She knew my thoughts and just smiled. I grabbed an RV and was off to see an old friend.


    I flew over his house an saw no car so hit a few of his haunts and found him at Robins Donouts. He was sitting by himself having a coffee so I landed beside him still cloaked. I was looking at him through the window when I hit the decloak button, he spun his head around to look at the RV with a shocked look on his face.


    I got out and went to his window "I''m sorry I thought I was decloaked before I landed". He looked at me as only Paul can with a cranky look on his face mixed with shock.


    "Yea well watch it next time", I think the realization of who I was sunk in "I saw you on the news didn''t I" he questioned.


    I looked him dead in the eye "yes I am and I have a gift for you if you have a little while" he looked at me questioningly and furrowed his brow.


    "What is it and who is it from"? He never did trust much.


    "It is a gift for you and your whole family paul" he shot me a look "how do you know my name"?


    "Brad told me all about you and he is the reason I''m here, if you drive home I will follow you and it will all be revealed there OK" I smiled and he scowled at me then nodded his head and started his car. I got back in my ride and realized the lot was too small for me to leave so I had to take off and land behind him going down the road. We got to his house so I parked and grabbed a hand scanner and went to the door.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    We were standing in the kitchen when his daughter entered and was holding a little girl "hello there" she said with a questioning look.


    "Have a seat Paul" he did as I scanned him and I saw the look on his face. "Yes it''s just like Star Trek I will have it done in a few seconds" he just nodded. "Well according to the scans you will be in the bed for an hour and you will be right as rain" I smiled at him and tilted my head.


    "This has to be all for show this can''t be real" Paul questioned.


    "Its all real and if you have an hour to kill we will get you all fixed up, I have a medbed in my RV so are you up for a drive"?


    "This is all real isn''t it" he looked shocked as he took a deep breath. "Let''s go then I have nothing to lose"


    We went to my ship and boarded, Paul seemed to like the interior even taking a few pics. "let me find a place to take off there are too many trees here" I drove to our old junior high school and parked then turned to Paul. "Now I will put us in orbit so people won''t bug us" the ship started to rise.


    Paul''s eyes got big "what the fuck" came from his lips. His eyes got wider when the view from the windshield turned black.


    "Lets get you into the bed" I motioned to the back of the cabin and he followed me. "lay down please" he did as I asked and I started the scan. The bed showed a few problems to address increasing his time to 90 minutes. "So an hour and a half and you will be good as new".


    "I almost don''t believe it but from Brad, this doesn''t surprise me" he laughed and laid his head back and I started the bed.


    Over the next 90 minutes, I took care of some plans I was working on till I heard the chime from the bed and he was sitting up when I got there. "See that wasn''t so bad" he practically jumped off the bed.


    "OMG I feel great" he was smiling and stretching as I smiled. "You are now 40 again with zero defects, I bet your hungry".


    "Now that you said that I am" he returned to his questioning look.


    "You will be hungry for a few days, lets get something to eat" we went to the replicator and the star trek references came out again.


    "What can it make" Paul asked and I smiled "anything you want so feel free". He scrolled through settling on steak and potatoes with gravy, he tried it with his finger and his smile told the rest of the story. I got the same and we sat and started our meal.


    "Where are we now" Paul said between bites so I pointed out the window to the park, we were parked on the moon. The meal was forgotten while some pictures were taken, we exchanged idol chit chat till we finish our meal and put our dishes in the recycler.


    "How is Brad doing, I owe him for this" he smiled.


    "He has many fingers in many pies so he keeps busy. He also sent a message for you" I reached into my pocked and pulled out a bank card and gave it to him. "He says there is one million in that account for you and he says its time to get out and get a life". I was starring straight at him and he was glancing between me and the card.


    "Where did he get this kind of money"? I laughed at his look.


    "Dont worry about it he owns the bank" his eyes shot open.


    "He owns the friggin bank, should I take it all out at once just in case" he said laughing.


    "No problem there, he has billions in assets" back to a shocked look.


    "Where is he now I haven''t seen him in years"


    "He is stationed on the moon for now" I returned his smile.


    "So he is involved in all this"? he waved his hand.


    "Deeply involved" I nodded my head.


    "Well do tell him I miss him, for some reason I''m not surprised he is in the middle of this" he said with a chuckle.


    "I guarantee he will get that message, I promise you" and I shook his hand. "Is there anything you want to see before we head back"?


    "Nothing that I can think of, I need to start planning a vacation" he laughed.


    "Oh that is the next part but we need your daughter for this part so let''s head home and get her" he looked at me with a not-good look and nodded his head. We made small talk till we got back to his home and entered. His daughter saw the difference and hugged her father, the baby was indifferent. "Now that I have you two together I can reveal the next part which is a vacation on the moon"


    The squeal she let out was only audible to dogs by the end of it, I was laughing when I looked at Paul. "Where are your boys" he got a stressed a look on his face "we aren''t talking right now".


    "Can it be fixed"? He huffed "there were things said so I''m hoping yes" he looked at me with the look of a man who needed a break and I intended to give him one.


    "Well it''s just the two of you for this round, do you have any appointments for the next few days" both of them shook their heads. "Ok then just pack like your going shopping and I will take care of the rest" I looked at Paul "how is your mom does she need care"? Thats when I got a strange look from Paul "she is ok she is living with one of my brothers" I nodded at that then looked at his daughter who was holding a car seat.


    Paul locked the house and we were in the RV and on our way, in 17 min we were on the moon, the second my foot hit the deck Sara appeared with her usual smile.


    "Good afternoon sir I wasn''t expecting you, what brings you here today" she said with a chipper tone.


    "Transporting VIPs. They are friends of Brad" she got a shocked look on her face for a second then smiled. "Their check-in is now and their stay is indefinite" I looked at Paul "I don''t care if it takes you a month to relax and look at a new direction for your life, I mean it dude you need this so take advantage of it and have fun doing it" i smiled at my guests.


    "OK," his daughter answered instantly and we all laughed at that.


    "I''m serious dude take your time with no time limits" he looked at me with a little smile "how much has he told you"? I laughed at that "let''s say I know more that most" he seemed ok with that. "now go have fun and relax" he smiled and for the first time I saw a relaxed smile. They went with Sara and went back to my ship but just as I was about to get on another ship landed when about 30 people got out with luggage, I had to investigate.


    It turns out they were new workers moving to their new home so wished each of them good luck as another Sara came to me. "Thank you for the little show with Paul and his daughter" she looked at me with a shocked look on her face.


    "It was no show sir I was not expecting to meet members of your formal life, I''m horned you trust me with this sir. I will make sure their stay is memorable".


    "When it comes to Paul feel free to contact me ok" she nodded at that and disappeared.


    Getting home I found my wives not sleeping but I wouldn''t call the state they were in awake they were on the bed watching the interviews with one eye open. I crawled in between them and Cora started.


    "I''m sorry I had Vickey check up on you, I couldn''t feel you and got nervous" she cuddled into my shoulder.


    "You never have to apologize for asking where I am, he is an old dear friend that I want to help," I said then got kisses then Lisa jumped in. "Vickey explained who he was and I think it''s just a nice thing you''re doing for him. I laid back and they cuddled into me and I was out.


    I awoke to Jaden''s voice letting us know that Carla does not want to come home till the end of summer, I let them hash out the details. I was listening when the first of two boys'' names came up and I cringed, they caught the look and laughed at me. "Jaden tell the girls about your first crush" I got up and went to get a drink. About 20 minutes later they exited the bedroom, Vickey got in on the call and informed them about a few things about humans that made them less happy.


    "I think you need to go for a visit and work this out before it gets out of hand" they both nodded at me. I thought for a minute and realized I have ten girls on the way and started to stress out then got enveloped in a hug from both girls.


    Lisa started "your thinking about the babies aren''t you"? I nodded.


    Cora added "I see our kids being very picky when it comes to dating" I looked at her.


    "That''s fine when they want to date you but when they don''t it gets complicated" the girls looked at me weirdly and I just hoped I didn''t have to deal with puppy love and first crushes. I''ve been this a few times with kids of my exes and was not looking forward to it. The yawning started again so we all just went to bed in a neat little pile.

 42

    I got up the next morning same as usual and my wives were over their sleeping conditions so we spent the day together at Progress helping newcomers and helping others move to the moon for a new life. It was a fulfilling day free from stress and lots of smiles, the next day however turned out to be more eventful.


    The day started great and we were at the replicator in the kitchen, I got my breakfast and sat as Lisa''s comm went off. I could hear Jaden''s voice and snippets of conversation when they both looked at me with a look I couldn''t identify. My comm went off and it was Carly freaking out about a boy and she wants her daddy, I assured her I was on my way as soon as I can. Getting dressed with the girls in short order and then rushing to my ship we were in front of Jaden''s house in 22 minutes.


    As soon as the door opened I got a crying Carly in my arms "boys are stupid" was all I could make out between sobs. I carried her into the house and sat with her on my lap, she was occupying Lisa''s spot but she didn''t seem to mind.


    "Tell me what''s wrong pumpkin". This is where she went off on a rant about one boy then another bringing Lexi and Jessica into the fray of her story. When she was done it was obvious to the adults in the room, that she liked a boy and he liked another.


    "You can''t be mad at him cause he doesn''t like you, do you know where he lives"? She looked at me shocked "I... I don''t know"


    "Well lets find out and I will rip the front of his house till he apologizes to my little girl" Carlys looked more shocked then she looked at the faces of the adults smirking.


    "Are you fibbing me"? I smiled at her and brushed her hair out of her face. "Only partially, I''ve been dying to try my new power armor"


    "You can''t do that it''s not his fault he doesn''t like me its Suzys" I heard snickers from the adults.


    "Should I demolish her house instead"? she scowled at me and shook her head.


    She hugged me "no dad and thank you for coming"


    "Anytime pumpkin" I hugged her tight to me and that seemed to appease her inner beast. She got down and got me a coffee and I swear she waited till I went to take a sip.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Why do boys like boobs" I wore most of my coffee with most of the adults laughing at my antics.


    "That''s a question better suited for your mom pumpkin not me" she looked at me and cocked her head to the side


    "No I''m asking as a male, mom told me what they are for but I don''t get why boys look at flesh mounds instead of me" I closed my eyes and tried to figure out a way out of this conversation when Cora came to my rescue.


    "That''s still a mom question sweetie" Carly looked at her mom "ok" then she just got up and went to play.


    I just sat there shaking my head when Lisa and Jaden came to me and placed a hand on my shoulders Lisa led off "if that is all I have to go by I''m happy with your parenting skills" then Jaden "Im jealous dad, as screwed up as you were you would have been a good father figure" she kissed my forehead "the refresher is in the bedroom shower go get cleaned up"


    I did what I was told and got rid of my coffee stains to find them talking about first loves. Cora looked at me "I hate being away from you for the day I can''t imagine you not coming home" she said with a tear. "my existence was nothing before I came here"


    "That makes two of us" Carly yelled from the bedroom getting laughs all around.


    We sat and chatted for hours getting the odd fashion show from the kids, and before we knew it lunchtime came around. We talked about Carly staying the summer .


    "I love having her here dad, it''s creepy she acts like you sometimes like your mannerisms" Jaden laughed.


    "Well she is me" I joked back "have you got a list together for the trip"?


    "Just about its just a matter of timing" she giggled "they all bitched till they found out where we are going" we all laughed at that.


    "We have a new ship that can carry 50 people" she shook her head "not that many it''s more like 30"


    "Well Sara will be waiting for you to get there, you and your friends are VIPs and will be treated as such" she smiled at that and so did I. "make sure all your friends get a comm device as soon as they get there ok, I''m sure they will like that, It''s not like we don''t have extras we have millions on my ship" I laughed.


    "Thank you dad I''m sure they will appreciate that" she smiled like a little girl and I was glad to see her smile.


    I looked at my wives and they looked tired "are you girls ok"? they looked like we had been up for days and I got a yawn from both. "Autumn missed out on the kits influence this time but my ladies got it this time". We all got up and started the hug parade for our departure then off to the RV.


    By the time I landed on the ship I practically had to carry my girls to our quarters and I started to get worried. I got them to bed and made a call to mom and she came right over.


    she looked at me smiling "the babies are in a growth spurt, they will come regularly now about every 4 days. They will get hungry then sleep so you can stop worrying dad" she said with a smile.


    "I was worried that it was the kits influence again" I said with a bit of relief in my voice


    "No they are stumbling around like fools and should be ok by tomorrow as well as your girls, they might be groggy though"


    I thanked her and got a hug before she left and I crawled between my mates and passed out.

 43

    I awoke alone the next morning, not only was I alone in my bed I was alone in my quarters. I shook my head awake as I wandered around like a lost puppy got a coffee and headed to the kit''s residence. There I found everyone, the kits were just mumbling but my wives were awake and chipper so I sat between them. "I didn''t expect this after last night"


    "I don''t know what was happening to me last night, it felt like I was melting and couldn''t get my body to respond," Cora said hugging my arm with Lisa nodding


    "Well hopefully you''re on a schedule now so we can work around it" I smiled and they looked at one another then me.


    "We had a visit from the nanobots this morning" Lisa led off "They said they are going to try to model it on our sleep cycles" Cora added


    I hugged them tight "My bugs to the rescue again" I giggled and got pinched by my wives while they shook their heads.


    I brought up a scan of our kids and I could see they were all bigger and more developed. " it was the male this time that caused our sleep, the nanobots said your sons have tapped into his sister''s abilities and used them to grow" Lisa said then playfully smacked my arm "they are your boys" she giggled.


    "How are you feeling now"? I said with a bit of concern in my voice receiving a kiss on either cheek "My life gets increasingly complicated every time I wake up" I smiled just as Sara appeared.


    "Sir you said to come to you when it comes to your friend and I think I''m at a dead-end. He keeps asking to see you, well the old you, he says you said Brad is on the moon so he keeps asking if you are free to see him and I''m running out of excuses and he is getting suspicious" She looked in charge but she lost how to proceed.


    "I was wondering if he would figure it out I dropped enough clues" The girls looked at me "Sara could you ask him to come here and escort them for me please" She nodded and disappeared and I got down on the floor in front of my mates and smiled "do you feel up to meeting an old friend of mine"


    They both smiled "If you want us there we will be there" Lisa led off with Cora nodding.


    "I''m going to do this on the bridge so I will call for you ok" They were nodding when I was getting up I got hugs from the kits upon request then off to the bridge.


    I wanted this to look cool so I activated every station and brought up Earth on the hologram in the front of the room then had a seat in my chair and brought up some paperwork and saw a note from the twins so I set up a meeting.


    The door opened to the lift and out walked Paul and his daughter, I got up and shook his hand "So how is the park"? His daughter went into a 5 min rant about what she liked and didn''t, I looked at Paul "And you?"


    "I didn''t have to cook" I started to laugh


    "Well, there is always that" I looked at him and softened my gaze "It seems you are asking for something I can''t give to you"


    Paul scowled at me "why can''t I see him is he in some kind of trouble"


    I raised my hands "Have a seat and let me explain" They did as I asked and had a seat on a bench type of thing along the wall while I remained standing "Dude I will be honest with you...."


    He cut me off as he stood "There it is again, you called me by a nickname from when I was a teen and only a few refer to me like that and you say it just like Brad did. How much did he tell you or what''s going on"? he looked mad when I started to laugh.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "I''m sorry I can''t do it anymore, you''re almost there already, it''s me Paul it''s Brad".


    With a shocked look on his face "How in hell did you get all of this"


    "You saw the interview" they nodded "Well there you go I was sitting in a cell in Edmonton when I had a heart attack and started this whole mess, since then I''ve just going with the flow and dealing with what comes across my plate. Welcome to my world". I laughed


    Paul laughed "Hurts like a bitch huh" I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder


    "Yes it does my old friend, its just me new and improved not the off the wall Brad. You are the first to figure it out so you can take the fame that comes with it" I laughed


    "Fuck that shit no thank you" he said with an honest expression.


    "How bout a job then when you are ready, Sara could you come here please" Instantly she appeared "How do you see Paul as a job prospect"


    "I have witnessed a kind organized man, may I access your job history"? Paul nodded and she looked away for a second and Paul looked at me and I just shrugged. "did you enjoy working at the hotel" he put a smile on his face and nodded. "Why not run the front desk for me at the Moon resort"


    His eyes shot open "You think I''m qualified for that" she nodded.


    "I will train you personally and prep you for the position so you won''t be flying blind, when you go home we can install VR gear for training if you wish"


    Paul looked at me "Did you plan this" I shook my head "Nope it just came to me" he looked at Sara and smiled "Let''s do this, how long will be the training"


    Sara smiled "Probably about a month should get you up to speed" then she faded out.


    Paul look at me "So you own your own battleship and you haven''t taken over yet so you must be on my side" he chuckled "How much shit have you blown up so far"?


    I laughed "Nothing actually I haven''t had the need but that will change in time I think. Feel ready to meet some aliens" I realized at that point I needed to record these interactions because the faces they made needed to be recorded and I laughed "I need to activate your translation protocols because one of my wives is still working on her English" back to that first look.


    "you have wives out of this deal" I nodded "How did you...."


    I raised my hand "That story will come out in time let''s just meet for now" I raised my arm and called the girls. They walked in seconds later, I found out later that they were waiting outside the door. when they came to me Paul''s eyes got wide, he never was very subtle.


    "it''s nice to meet you," they said in unison in English and I started to laugh at Paul''s expression, he shot me a sour look.


    "I can slow down if you want if this is too much"


    Another sour look "piss off, unless you have battle armor that would push it" I just stood there with a blank expression "no freaking way"


    "How bout this" I looked at his daughter "wanna go play in a zero g playroom while me and your father act stupid" she nodded and I looked at my wives "would you escort them please" catching the glances my wives giving the baby so we parted ways.


    When we got to the armory I took control of my armour and had it do a salute then the same stupid dance for the brass, he just shook his head,


    "Can anyone pilot these and can I take the training" he looked like a little kid wanting a toy and I had to laugh.


    "All in due time my friend, how are you handling this so far"?


    "The only thing I can''t get used to is looking up at you" Then he laughed, in my past life I was 5''4 I''m now 6''4.


    He examined the ships and I promised to include pilot training on his list of tasks. we got to the flight deck and I could hear the laughter and came to find the kits joined in, Paul and I stopped at the door and watched till his daughter walked to me wide eyed "You knocked them both up" it was more of a statement than a question so I just nodded in agreement.


    Paul shook his head "Only you Bird and how"?


    "Once again the story will come out eventually I promise"? I smiled "Now I will lat you get back to your vacation and really look around, especially the living quarters and pick one you want". I looked at his daughter and she had a concerned look on her face


    "What happens when I take my daughter to see her dad"


    I smiled "You let Sara know and she will arrange transport, just let her know ahead of time so she can make a ship if necessary"


    "you mean like from scratch"  I nodded at her.


    "come on that''s enough for today I want you to go have fun and enjoy till your ready" they both smiled at that I sent them off.  The first question I got from my wives is why he called me Bird.  I said laughing that it was a nickname from when I was a kid.

 44

    The next morning I awoke alone again, it''s odd I was such a loaner in my past life and now I can''t stand it. A big stretch and I was off finding my wives in my office talking to Carly I waved and they waved back and I went for coffee and food.


    Getting seated I heard snippets of their conversation with more than one boy''s name and I cringed and stayed out of the conversation their moms had it under control. I sat patiently till they finished and joined me at the table and I guess I had a look on my face and Lisa caught it.


    "Don''t worry Carly found a boy and this one likes her. I guess it got out who her father is and the boys changed their minds" Lisa giggled.


    "Please keep in touch with her closely. Human kids can be cruel without even knowing." They both nodded at that. We just have to be there for her when she needs us if she ever comes home, but I''m glad she is there instead of here. The ship could be boring for her," another set of nods.


    "We talk every day so don''t worry there, she is open with me," Cora said she said with a smile.


    "Keep me up to date with the boy''s issue please," I said with a grimace and got a hug from each. "what are the plans for the day" trying to lighten the mood and getting shrugs so I checked and saw my brother Shaun was onboard so I left the girls and made my way there.


    I found him walking between quarters with his hands full "Shelly wants an extra bedroom for when the girls visit".


    "Excellent, I like to hear that. It''s the family I''m here about. Do you want to take the family and their friends to the park? I will let you set any limits you see best. I want to see them get here before it gets too busy." He smiled at that.


    "Sure we have everyone''s number since they have the comm units," Shaun said and Vickey appeared "You welcome" then disappeared with us laughing.


    "is there anything I should know Shaun said and I shook my head


    "no nothing like that i just think it would be fun and you can have get-togethers for the families," I said with a smile


    "that it will be brother" Shaun nodded "Are you going to make an appearance?" he said with a look.


    "I may just keep me informed ok" he nodded at that and looked at his old quarters and all his possessions were hovering and now following him. "I have drones for that"


    Shelly squeezed by a box in the doorway and came to us laughing "Stop scaring me with those things they still freak me out when they come out to clean"


    "I was just asking Shaun if he wants to guide tours of the park to the family" Her eyes lit up and I looked at Shaun "Are you going to learn to fly the larger ships for this mission?"


    "I may rely on Sara for that for a while yet but I''m getting up to speed," he said with a smile "What do you mean by limits?"


    "If they bring 20 people, they are responsible for them, those kinds of limits," I said with a smile, and he nodded. We chatted briefly, hammered out the details, and then parted ways.


    I got back to my office and got a coffee as Vicky appeared ¡°Thank you for making sure the family got the gauntlets¡±


    ¡± You welcome Brad but down to business. The military of the US and Canada are getting nervous for some reason, they have it in their heads you have war machines¡± she said laughing ¡°They have no idea of our capabilities and they are spooked. You realize it¡¯s going to take a show for them to realize what they are dealing with¡± I looked at her shocked ¡°I¡¯m not talking about taking on North Korea but you could help someone holding their line in the sand against the bad guys¡±


    ¡±I¡¯m guessing something is going on right now,¡± I said as she nodded.


    ¡± There is always something going on, the hardest part is which one to pick. I wonder if we should go with a public or private with this my opinion is private till we work out the kinks¡± I nodded and she looked away while she worked.


    ¡±I think I have one¡± then she screwed up her face ¡°Never mind there are too many clans involved, it would be better if it were a 50/50 fight or just plain bullying. There are always the drug manufacturers¡±


    I looked at Vickey ¡°We need to get a plan in place for when their way of life is interrupted, that is a good long-term plan though¡±


    ¡±I have one sir, for real this time, there is a group hell-bent on taking the valley they are in and they just started a few hours ago. They have disbanded the police and the people are defenseless against their firepower. I¡¯m reading that they are killing people as they go and they are taking the kids as slaves¡±.


    ¡± That¡¯s not going to happen¡± I shot back. ¡°Where are they now¡± Vickey brought up a hologram showing them at a small town and there were 3 more in their path. ¡°What is the eta to the next town¡±?


    ¡±About 90 minutes at their current rate¡±


    ¡±Send bots and ships to evacuate that village for their safety, make sure they explain why they are being moved. How long to evacuate them¡±?


    ¡±There are 476 people there so it should be done within an hour,¡± she said and I nodded.


    ¡± I guess I should suit up¡± I collected kisses and went to the armoury. There I found my armor was ready for me to go but it had jungle camouflage now. ¡°Can¡¯t I just cloak the armor¡±?


    ¡±yes but this looks better in case you''re not, I¡¯m not taking any chances¡± I nodded as I climbed onboard.


    I adjusted my heads-up display and reduced it to just my map location. ¡°What is the fastest way down¡± I asked then within seconds I was falling. I went into a glide as I entered the atmosphere ¡°One question, I¡¯ve never landed like this before so what am I in for¡±?


    ¡±I didn¡¯t train you for this yet so I will take control when we are close¡±. I knew she had it under control so I relaxed. My arms came in front, thrusters in my wrists and ankles popped out, slowed me down to a crawl, and landed.


    ¡±when did the ability to fly get added¡± I asked and got a laugh.


    ¡°B tapped into the power from the crystal, you can¡¯t fly but it can take you in for a soft landing, you lose the ability when they retract¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I looked around and saw people being evaluated and they seemed ok with it, I could see some stressed faces. My sensors went off as a truck pulled up, I zoomed in and saw them looking through binoculars then they left, scouts I¡¯m assuming.


    ¡°Sir they are pushing their equipment so eta is about 26 minutes, they must have been tipped off by someone in the village¡±.


    ¡±that makes sense they would know people in the valley, what am I looking at for firepower from them¡±.


    ¡±they have 3 older Russian tanks and the usual barrage of guns and rockets, nothing to worry about¡±.


    I wandered over to a house and had a seat "Keep an eye open for them I''m going to do some paperwork while I''m waiting, how many drones do we have here for me to use"?


    "You have 10 on your suit and I have 22 more on-site if you need them," Vickey said with a smile as she popped up on my HUD. "the ones on your suit have the new weapons that render people unconscious that C designed, they just overload the nervous system and you just drop like a stone. We are probably going to be using them on the moon and I bet the police could use them" I nodded at that.


    We were going over hacking the drug dealers when the trucks pulled up then the tanks showed up and stopped 400 meters away and sighted their guns. I sent a drone to collect data and found there were 46 of them in total, 2 in each tank and the rest pilled out of trucks.


    I looked at Vickey "So if I decloak they can''t get to me"


    she started to laugh "I was there for the testing, unless they have a nuke you will be fine".


    "ok let''s do this" I decloaked and stepped out from behind a house they must have been waiting because I got a tank round to the chest and Vickey was right, all I saw was a light show. This is a good thing because it was followed by 3 more and I think there was a RPG as well. This went on for about 5 min till they stopped and waited for the smoke to clear leaving me standing there unscathed.


    "Vickey hack their communications and see if you can find me a leader" I instantly heard a single voice giving orders and it was coming from the second tank so I made my way there. Bullets hit my shields and stopped dead and fell, the shields must pull the kinetic energy from the shells. "Vickey sedate everyone except for this tank" The gunfire came to an end as the leader was screaming into the radio getting no replies.


    I started to dig into the tank ripping off armor and getting me closer to the occupants, I had to laugh because he was getting more frantic the deeper I got. Using a cutting laser got me access to get my fingers between the tank and the turret and pulled for all the armor could muster ripping it open and exposing the occupants.


    He looked at me with the radio in his hands and a look on his face that made me smile, a drone grabbed him and lifted him out of the tank screaming and trying to hold on. Hovering in front of me I looked into his eyes as he urinated himself "Your men can''t help you now it''s just you and me"


    "my father will hunt you down and deal with you" Really I get the self-entitled prick who doesn''t know when he is beaten.


    I left him hovering there as I messed up the tanks and pushed them off the road so the villagers wouldn''t have them in their way. During this time his men were coming around so I looked at my hostage. "tell your men to drop their guns and leave, they have 3 minutes" I watched as they grabbed each other loaded up in the vehicles and left.


    "What of me" he said in broken English.


    "Now we go visit your father and deal with this right now" I brought up a map of the valley "Show me where he is, don''t make me suck the info right from your brain its rather unpleasant". He pointed at the map and urinated again "Is this guy a water balloon" I thought to myself and Vickey giggled.


    Accessing the drones I instructed 2 of them to pick me up to start the trip. I had my passenger floating in front of me and I made sure to activate a distortion field that messes with your equilibrium to make the ride as unpleasant as possible and it must have worked because he was puking within minutes.


    As we approached the house I started scanning and was appalled at what I found. It seems Daddy was in the slave trade and the evidence of rape and torture made my blood boil as I landed at the front door and dropped my passenger flat on his back on the deck and trapped him under a shield so he couldn''t go anywhere.


    The door opened to a man and woman "Are you the parents of this piece of shit". They ran to him and tried to touch him getting stopped by the shields, I dropped it long enough to snare Mom and Dad. "Vickey sedate every person you can find except these 3". There were 4 men with guns trained on me dropped for no apparent reason.


    "I want to own every electronic device within 100 meters and get a med ship en route with enough beds for the victims". I bent over and got face to face with Dad "It seems you deal pain and suffering and as of now you are out of business" I shrank the dome they were under pinning them to each other I saw the puddle forming under the father as he watched the ship land and dozens of robots stepped out and retrieved their profits disappear into the ship.


    "Vickey who wants these slimebags the most," I said allowing them to hear as I watched their eyes get wide.


    "Interpol would be the best bet, I will look for a contact," she said out loud and the slime family started to freak out "It''s on your comm sir" so I dialed.


    After about 10 min I finally got the person I needed to talk to "Yes sir I can have them in Germany in under an hour" he asked about the noise "It''s just the family complaining, I''m letting them listen in. There was snickering on the line till they gave me an address to deliver them.


    "Vickey do you have their phones under our control" She appeared and nodded "Send messages to everyone on their contact lists and tell everyone there is a fire sale and everyone is under investigation. Go back over their messages and make them sound authentic". She read the messages out loud as the slime family started to complain and cry. It seems they are sick of this lifestyle and have decided to turn themselves in according to the messages.


    Vickey made 3 cells on the ship, just very small forcefield rooms for them to sit and wait. I dismounted my armor and looked at them "You''re lucky this isn''t up to me because I would like to leave you here for the bugs to eat" Getting shocked looks made me smile.


    We finished collecting the victims and took to the skies on our way to Germany. We found the address and landed outside an office building with people waiting for us. bringing them onboard to collect them. standing in front of them I handed over the phones and a hard drive with enough proof to put them away for a long while.


    An older man looked at me "How did you come by this"


    I smiled "Do you want on the record or off the record"


    "on the record sir," said the same man.


    "Well, I was rendering aid to a village that was in the son''s path when all the legal stuff happened.  They presented themselves and wanted to turn themselves in and wanted to send one final text so I let them.  they gave me their phones and gave up, that''s when I contacted you".


    They just looked at me with a questioning look "And off the record"?


    "We shut down their operation and sent messages to their contacts telling them they are on the radar so it''s time to get out and run for the hills," I said with a smile.


    Another man stepped up "Why are you doing this"?


    "It needed to be done.  All his victims are onboard and safe, I will return who I can and the rest I will give homes" I said getting nods from the rest of the crowd.  "you have enough information to put them away for a long time in a not so nice place"


    The first man smiled "Oh I will make sure of that".  He looked at them and they looked scared and rightly so.


    We landed on the ship and Vickey already contacted the twins so I brought them up to speed.  "We can look for their parents but I''m scared those monsters were killing people randomly". We decided to wake up the older ones hoping they could help with the younger ones and we were right, after the shock wore off they were all willing to help knowing they were safe now.


    getting back to my office Vickey appeared "That compound was under surveillance by a bunch of different agencies to the point of having drone footage of you in action.  That family was slimy beyond slimy, I sent more than one government official one of the messages. BTW I like the cover story you gave".


    "Yea maybe we can use it a few times before they bitch"  I laughed


    She looked at me with an evil grin "So is this going to be your new hobby, busting bad guys in your spare time"


    I laughed "I can see myself having to do it a few more times before it gets out.  Now that they have footage of my toys we will have to see how the agencies act"


    Vickey looked away for a second then a video of me at work popped up and I was amazed at the quality.  "If this gets out your going to have to go to a Comic-Con in your suit just to piss them off" she laughed.


    I just shook my head and went to my wives and relaxed for the evening.

 45

    The next morning, I woke up to messages from the twins. They had settled everyone and ensured everyone had a good sleep. Now, they go through the beds to make sure they are healthy and then start looking for their parents. The beds reduce mental scarring so I hope they will help them adapt. My wives were still out, so I went to my office, where Vickey awaited me.


    "Well you sturred up some shit," she said flat out "It seems the family you picked up were linchpins in an international ring and you blew it up" She smiled "I watched money move all over the planet within minutes of me sending those messages, their accounts have been picked clean so they are now broke. The cops let them reach out to their legal staff and they won''t even take their calls" she giggled at the last part.


    "That''s it for them but they will have competition that we will have to deal with, once the nanobots are widespread that will put an end to it or at least cripple it at least I hope"


    Vickey smiled. "It will, sir; it just takes time. The alternative is tagging the planet, and I know you don''t want that, but it might come to that in some areas."


    "True but I want it voluntary as much as possible, out of curiosity how long would it take to tag a country on average".


    "A few days is all it takes using drones to do the spraying then about a week for them to hit critical mass to self-replicate. Being able to read surface thoughts gives them the ability to self-identify the hosts within a week or so" Vickey said then looked away with a blank expression. "Sir the CIA has been sending messages to all your socials every hour for a meeting"


    "Contact Becky and make sure she isn''t stressing over this and what are they asking" I said then got up to get a coffee.


    "They want a meeting face to face, that''s it that''s all they say besides a phone number".


    "Would you set it up please I''m assuming a hologram will do" She nodded at me and looked away. "Sara could you..." she appeared smiling "Are you able to handle a second colony"?


    I got the AI version of the the look all the women in my life have perfected "Yes sir it should be no problem, what are you thinking"?


    "I think we need to grow out beyond the moon so I''m thinking Mars is next and was wondering if you would like to design it" I got a huge smile.


    "Sir I just need to do a lot of asteroid mining to stockpile materials with your permission," She said with a look on her face that reminded me of a kid wanting a cookie.


    "Increase the mining fleet if you need to actually how big is it now"?


    "We have 15 ships gathering material"


    "Increase it to 50, we are going to need a lot of materials upfront" She nodded and Vickey looked at me.


    "Sir, I have a meeting with you in 9 minutes, and I have a drone on its way. His name is General Hutts," she said with her usual smile.


    "Is that all for me sir"? Sara said and I nodded and she vanished


    I looked at Vickey "Where is the meeting at"?


    "We are headed to the Pentagon today; you''re moving up in the world," she giggled. My view changed, and suddenly, I was in a waiting area, scaring the receptionist at the desk.


    "Good morning I''m here to meet with a general Hutts I think I''m in the right spot," I said with a smile.


    "Um, yes, sir, right this way, please," she said in a shakey voice leading me to a door next to her desk, she opened it and I followed.


    The man behind the desk stood and put out his hand then realized I was a hologram "Good day captain thank you for coming today my name is General Hutts" I nodded and noticed the lights on his phone showing he was on speakerphone.


    Vickey chirped in my ear "Tracking the call shows 6 are listening, 3 in the building the rest are outside".


    "Hello General Hutts it seems you have questions for me," I said with a smile.


    "First of all is there a direct way to get ahold of you in the future"? He said with a look I couldn''t identify.


    "No this works fine by me for now," I said with a flat tone.


    "We didn''t receive receipts from the messages so we sent one an hour until you replied," he said with the same flat tone.


    "You didn''t get any receipts because they came through my network I brought online and before you try to hack it I will give you some source code so you can tell how feeble your attempts are," I said with a straight face and his expression started to crack.


    "The main reason for this contact was your actions in the village in Mexico, it seems your actions have grabbed the attention of the higher brass"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Good attention or bad attention"? He waggled his hand back and forth "Are we having an on-the-book conversation"? He nodded. "does that include the 6 people you have on the phone" his face dropped "I don''t care about that right now and I''m assuming you have questions because you saw me because you were keeping surveillance on the family I turned in" he nodded his head.


    "So you knew that piece of shit was operating and you just watched the kids being shipped," I said in an angered tone.


    "I don''t know how long we had surveillance on them but I would like to talk about your actions and how you did it"


    I looked him dead in the eyes "I was using a new toy to protect the village and evacuate them when all the legal issues happened. When the son exited the tank and turned himself in, he informed me his family felt the same way, when I took him home I was shocked. It was like they saw Jesus or something. They asked to send a final text and I saw nothing wrong with that so I let them, when they finished they unlocked their phones and gave them to me. I used my scanners to collect data and information showing their operation then I delivered them to Germany Easie Peasie."


    "You don''t expect me to believe that captain," he said with a shocked tone.


    "That''s the official story while others are listening" he nodded and smirked for a second.


    "I have a file I would like to show you sir and get some clarification" he shuffled some papers on his desk and then picked up a book "Could I show you something"


    "Sure I hide very little" and I stepped forward.


    He dropped the book on his phone and checked to make sure he disconnected the call "We have about 2 minutes till they reconnect until then it''s you and me, I worked that case and I feel the same way you do. They want to know how you did it and so do I, I''ve watched the footage and it looked like they all just went to sleep then you collected 42 of his victims. Are they ok"?


    I smiled and my attitude changed about him "I returned the ones who had homes to go to the rest I gave homes and they are safe with people protecting them"


    That''s when the receptionist''s voice came from the phone and the call was reconnected "To the people listening I''m sorry I tried to pass a file to a hologram" then looked at me.


    "It''s my fault I shouldn''t have reached for it," I said with a smile and Hutts returned it.


    "Now where were we, when did you become aware of the situation"?


    "About 30 minutes before I landed, my scans showed them moving up the valley so I knew I had to take action. I didn''t want anyone there for the action so I evacuated the people giving them lots of food and water and way too much money to get home"


    "How long did it take you to stop the tanks"?


    "About 2 minutes after they stopped firing"


    "We saw them firing at you and it looked like the shells exploded before they hit you"


    "That would be my shields general, all I saw was a light show till they were done"


    "How did you determine what tank the son was in"?


    "I listened in on their communication and determined he was the lead guy, it was a guess really"


    "You decrypted their communications"?


    "Yes sir"


    "How fast did that take you"?


    "In about a blink of an eye, it''s childsplay to my tech" he seriously looked shocked at that.


    "During your encounter, we witnessed over 40 of their victims being loaded onto your ship, where are they now and are they ok"?


    "Yes they are, I had families volunteer to help take care of the kids that I can''t return home to their own families. My hopes aren''t high as those animals were killing people and taking what they wanted" The general closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    "We saw that and wanted to say thank you on behalf of the government in charge"


    "So is this just a play-by-play of the footage you already have" I said with a questioning tone.


    "Well captain we are wondering about the capabilities of the suit you wore" his eyebrows went up.


    "I can guarantee it''s beyond anything you have seen so far but I prefer to do things the way I did, not a shot fired by me. I apologize if I stepped on some toes performing a humanitarian mission to protect the village but I deemed it necessary" I said with a smile and realized this general may seem useful in the future.


    "Would you care to go into a little more detail about the suit"?


    "Not at this time but it will come out eventually once others are trained on them". The general gave a slight smile "Is that all you have for me General Hutts"?


    "I suppose that''s if for now, is there a better way of contacting you in the future" he had a hopeful look on his face.


    "No the way it is ok for now but that will change in the future" he stood and went to shake my hand again and laughed at himself.


    "I will leave you now sir I have wives to look after" That got a look of shock but he nodded.


    "Well captain thank you for coming and I''m sure we will be in contact again" he walked to the door and opened it. I nodded and disappeared and set the drone to find its way home.


    I closed my VR and was met with my wives, a glass of juice, and advice to stop drinking so much coffee. I did what I was told and downed the juice before Lisa sat on my lap and kissed me "You were a little mean to him he seemed nice"


    "I think you were the right kind of mean, they knew the family was doing and did nothing," Cora said with a look on her face and a shake of her head then came in for her kiss.


    "We are going to run into a lot of people like that, there are a lot of people who prey on others, the kids are too much in my book," I said with a shake of my head.


    We got to the living room and I turned on the news to catch up and saw footage of me dropping off the family and smiled when the host was saying that other countries wanted access to them as well. The news didn''t have much beyond that so I jumped online and found gold. A Fortune 1000 company, 785 to be exact has gone belly up overnight after all its funds were siphoned off, dirty money all the way to the top. There were noted disappearances of some CEOs and board members for the company, I''m guessing the cops are looking for them after the list is compared.


    I finished and looked at my ladies and they were looking at their scans comparing growth in the babies so I just sat and watched till I got caught. "Ok I''m hungry and I''m not sure if it''s my hunger" I laughed.


    We sat at the table with a little feast laid out for all of us and talked "How is Carly doing"


    Cora started "I guess Suzy was at it again but it got out who Carly''s dad was and now all the boys like her. I will make sure it doesn''t get out of hand"


    Lisa was next "She is learning quickly what attracts the boys, from what I understand the fact that her dad owns an amusement park got slipped into the conversation by her" she giggled.


    I closed my eyes and shook my head and they started laughing at me "She is a smart little girl, she will figure it out" Cora said


    We finished our meal got cleaned up and settled on the sofa for a movie,  every time the girls got relaxed the babies started to kick getting giggles from each.  I guess when the girls kick it feels like flutters and we had fun watching their tummies move.  By the time the babies were done so were my girls so I ushered them off to bed and followed close behind.

 46

    I awoke to a message from the mayor of Vancouver asking me to contact him because he had information about my airline. There was no time like the present, so I went to the office and made the call.


    "Good morning sir," I said to him


    "Good morning captain, how are the wives treating you" he smiled


    "Excellent and pregnant" I joked


    "Oh I hear you there, the wife is in full baby mode right now " he smiled "She loves being pregnant and I can''t say thank you enough"


    I smiled "All I did was fix the plumbing the rest is all you and the wife"


    "I have news of your airline. It''s a go as of Canada Day. It''s all above the board like you wanted, and there was a unanimous vote at our airport for your expansion plans for the dome over the existing airport. Everyone was shocked that you would take over services, reducing them to zero," he said with a happy smile. I can''t believe you will have that done in a week. "


    "That''s a week keeping you open, it would be a day if we shut down" he shook his head.


    "That''s a nono, nobody wants a shutdown and interruption to flights"


    "Ence forth the week, Sara could you join the call" She appeared and greeted the mayor and was happy when she found out she could start construction.


    With a bright smile, she said, "I will start construction tomorrow and look into a parking structure as well, I predict you will need it" Then she disappeared.


    The mayor looked at me with a sly smile "Can I ask about what I saw on the news


    I matched his grin "Seeing I was in the neighborhood we were just rendering aid when all the legal stuff happened"


    He shook his head "The military knows we are in contact so they are trying to come through me to get to you"


    I raised an eyebrow "What branches of the military"?


    "All of them and one of the DOD called me directly," he said with an exasperated tone.


    "Is there anyone you trust out of that crew"?


    He thought for a moment. "There is one general that I''ve known for years if that works," he said in a brighter tone.


    "Reach out to him and let him know I will talk to him, let''s see what they are looking for"


    He nodded and threw up a goofy salute "Copy that captain" he said with a laugh that I matched.


    "Has Sara contacted the police in Vancouver yet"?


    He glanced down at some paperwork "Yeah I have her scheduled in for this afternoon with the chief of police and some others, can I ask what that is about".


    I smiled "Better tasers and body armor for your officers and some training modules they can use".


    He sat up straight "For real" I nodded "I''m sure they will appreciate that"


    "I will let Sara handle it from there she has all the specs and info" With that we ended the call and I went to get some breakfast finding my wives at the table so I collected kisses and got my usual breakfast of bacon and eggs, you don''t mess with the classics.


    Lisa led off "You have the place to yourself we have plans for the day".


    then Cora "We want to learn to fly the ships so we can go anywhere we want and not rely on Vicky or Sara"


    I smiled "What ships are you going to start with"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They looked and one another then me and answered in unison "The fighters"


    My eyes shot open "Ok, may I ask why the fighters"


    Cora answered, "We are thinking of helping the kits with their cleanup mission".


    I''m glad they are getting hobbies and I knew B would keep them out of harm''s way "I think that is an awesome idea, I get to say my Air Force is my family" I giggled.


    I finished breakfast, collected kisses, and sent my wives to battle space junk. I set my sights on Progress, I have new people to check on.


    When the lift opened, just a few people were milling about. Some looked spooked, but everyone was getting along, playing with the comm units and the glasses. Looking around, I found Emma and Ryan in their office working as usual.


    "good morning I''ve come to check on the kids we helped"


    They both smiled and Ryan led off "You will have to go to the moon, we had volunteers to help take care of the ones we couldn''t find their parents. There are a few that decided to stay even though they had a home to go to".


    Then Emma "Out of the 42 you rescued we only have 11 left" Now that made me smile knowing we can provide them with a good home.


    I looked at the extra desk in their office "Did you find someone to help you"?


    Emma shrugged "We were going to but now that the park is open for jobs there are only a few people here now and we kind of ran out of people in Vancouver"


    Another smile from me "I think it is time to expand if you are up for it"


    That got me bright smiles and nods "I want you to start working your way up the valley and get in touch with Sara to set the ground rules for how we tackle other cities. I want to say how proud I am of both of you, I gave you this task and you hit the ground running. I want you to know I see all the work you have done here and that''s why if you want to stay in charge of this project. I have one request, talk with Sara and design your ship to help people" That got me some shocked looks "It''s not like I don''t like having the people here but this ship could be on the go a lot and I would rather there was something a little more static"


    They both looked at me with a shocked expression and Ryan spoke first "You want us to design a ship"


    I just nodded. "You designed Progress, and it''s perfect for what we were doing in Vancouver, but we may need something bigger for other cities. Expand Progress, then build a ship around it the way you want. Sara can take care of the rest."


    Emma was practically jumping for joy "I thought when Vancouver was done we were out of a job" she giggled.


    "Not at all, take a day or two and put your heads together for ideas then get together with Sara and hash out the details". Emma came in for a hug "Thank you captain" Ryan smiled and shook my hand.


    Making my way back to my office I found Vicky waiting for me with her usual smile "Good morning Vickey how is your day going"?


    She smiled bigger "I found a protoplanet" I threw her a questioning look "It''s the core of a failed planet"


    "I know what it is why is it so exciting"


    "Because it''s thousands of tons of material in one spot, it''s enough to complete a base. Speaking of bases people in the scientific community found our construction on Mars. There were a lot of emails about it but they all agreed on one thing, they all figured it''s yours so should I confirm it with them"?


    "Yes, you''re cleared to take ownership but after that, it''s Sara''s baby. Have we finished mapping the asteroid belt yet" " She shook her head.


    "That should take a few more weeks and I''m sure we will find a few more deposits, A has it under control"


    "How is work coming on your moon base"


    She lit up with a smile. "We''re ahead of schedule now that we''ve received the latest shipment from mining operations. We should have the dome finished within the week, and after that, the interior will move quickly."


    "Where are we stockpiling the material" I said with a questioning look.


    "On the moon" she brought up a hologram showing ships offloading 10-ton blocks, 4 of them being gold, "We have every rare earth metal refined to 100% pure for the market if we need some funds but I don''t think that will be necessary after the launch of the comm units. You should make at least 20 billion right off the bat and a lot more when we go worldwide"


    "Have people on earth noticed the stockpiles on the moon"? She nodded "Like how noticed"


    "They have redirected 3 satellites to take high-rez photos. I did this on purpose, I wanted no doubt of your wealth. We found lots of gemstones that you can give as gifts and this is my favorite" A hologram of a giant diamond appeared "I took this one and cut it so it was exactly 1 kilogram right to the atom"


    I smiled "Do you think we should give it away or display it"? She shrugged "What about making displays for the airport for people to look at while they wait for the next shuttle to the moon"


    She smiled, and then a display appeared with the diamond lit from below and rotating with a holo map showing where we found it in the solar system.  We were chatting as more appeared containing a lot of weird-looking crystals all refracting light in different ways.


    Vicky looked at me "With a shuttle leaving every 15 minutes we may want to put some in the airport as well, I will contact Sara and see if she wants to use them in the airports she is converting"


    I got up as my wives entered the quarters and came to me for much-needed hugs.


    Lisa led off "ok the flying is fun but the shooting not so much"


    "I was watching the kits and they are attacking 10 targets at once, I could barely handle 2"  Cora giggled


    "I think I''m done for the day" Looking at Vickey got me a nod and a smile


    We settled in and the girls told me about their day and I was to listen, at least that''s what I was told.  They loved flying and informed me that they do all the flying from now on, I just smiled and nodded.  I love seeing them happy and excited and that''s how I spent my evening.

 47

    I woke up the next morning with my wives and proceeded to get breakfast when the mayor contacted me. It seemed his friend was a general and very eager to meet me, so I called for Vickey. "Could you arrange all the details?" She nodded and disappeared. "What are the women in my life doing today?"


    "We are practicing our flying today, so you have the day to yourself," Lisa said with Cora nodding.


    "How do you feel about doing some PR today"? They both looked shocked as Vickey appeared.


    "They were waiting on the call so they will be ready in an hour," she said with her usual smile.


    Cora looked at me "Do you want us to wait here and be ready"?


    I smiled "If you were flying when we land would work" They both hammed a salute with a giggle


    We finished breakfast and headed for the flight deck where I collected kisses, then I made my way to my RV and set course for my pickup. My destination was Chilliwack, BC, so it was a short flight, and I took my time to let them get ready. I landed and drove to the address to find four people waiting for me, they looked eager to be there so I got out and made the introductions.


    "I''m Alex Walker, captain." He put his hand out for a handshake, so I took it. He squeezed with years of service and a lot of enthusiasm.


    I went to the women and they introduced themselves as Ann Warren and Emma Larson then to the final guest. He was mid-50s and stood proud but not smug, hard to pull off so I put my hand out "You must be Zach Bray" he took my hand and smiled "Is the mayor that nice of a guy, or am I getting fleeced" I chuckled.


    He laughed "Yeah you found a real one there, honest as the day is long"


    "Shall we get underway" I gestured to the door and we all piled onboard, they took their seats and I stood facing them. "Is there anything you want to see first"?


    Ann raised their hand "May we see what you are doing on the moon"


    looking at her "Sure, I''m just going to take off from here if that''s ok" I glanced at the steering wheel and made it retract and the flight holograms appeared then I looked back to my guests as we started to lift off to shocked looks.


    "Who is flying the ship"? asked Alex and I just smiled.


    "I am. I have a remote connection to my tech, so flying is second nature to me. I also have full access to the scanners, so I can see any other flights within 100 km of here. So don''t worry; we won''t hit anything." I chuckled. Would you like to see the ISS on the way"? That got me happy nods so I located it and we were off.


    They were taking pics of the station when Zach came to me "I took a drive in Vancouver yesterday and was shocked when we hit downtown and found nobody on Hastings, are you responsible for that"?


    I just smiled "Some of my crew are responsible for that, we will see where they were staying when we get to my ship. If you have enough pics we will set course for the moon" More smiles and nods so they sat quietly and watched the moon grow through the windshield.


    Coming to a stop outside the dome showing the rides in action "Here are the people who we helped from Vancouver so far, they work for me now and they are safe here"


    Emma raised her hand "How many have you helped"


    looking at her I smiled "We have collected every homeless person we could find in the city and we are branching out soon. At last count, we are approaching three thousand so far so when people come here there will be people and bots working together to greet my guests under the watchful eyes of an AI"


    "That''s Sara right"? Zach said so I just nodded.


    "Her model has been used on hundreds of worlds with no hiccups or world takeover," I said with a chuckle to smiles.


    "You have files on other civilizations"? said Zach getting a nod from me.


    "I have files on over 1000 civilizations in different galaxies from all over the universe" That got me looks of shock and I wondered if meeting my wives would go sideways.


    "Could we see the stockpiles you have" getting a nod from me so we flew over them so they could take pics, they were all shocked when they saw the blocks of gold on the end.


    "Are you going to bring this to market"? asked one of the women


    "This is all for personal use building the domes and my ships, if this were on the market it would crash the market and that is the last thing I want to happen. Are you ready to see my ship"? That got me some happy faces so I set course.


    "What powers all of this" Alex asked me


    "It is a type of fusion power if compared to today''s tech, that will be coming to the people soon enough as well as new battery and solar panels"


    "How more effective are your solar panels" Ann asked me


    "Current panels are at less than 25% mine are upwards of 85 to 90 percent efficiency but they have to be made with my tech"


    We pulled alongside my ship and Zach pointed "Are those gun turrets"


    "Yes sir there are 50 a side, this ship is a combination of exploration and war" That got me some blank stares.


    "What kind of warheads" Zack continued.


    "Anything from a giant flare to an antimatter core, all I need is enough feedstock and the right designs," I said with a flat tone. "The weapons we are using for space cleanup is something we designed and put into play within days"


    We landed and disembarked to wide eyes and a lot of pics being taken especially of the drones that were in active combat in front of us. Making our way to the grav couches I looked at my guests "For this part I will ask you to put away your phones, this part is something I wish to keep private a bit longer please". I watched as they put them away and had Vickey check to make sure as we came to a stop by the couches. We watched the drones dock and my wives stepped out to shocked looks.


    "Good day ladies and gentlemen," Cora said with confidence then walked to me and took my arm in her sexy flight suit followed by Lisa on the other arm.


    My guests were speechless for a moment with blank expressions on their faces.


    "Um, good day to you as well" said Zach with a nod of his head.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "This is where I''m going to ask you to trust me, would you be willing to take nanobots for translation? Cora speaks English fluently but Lisa is still learning and I would prefer if we could all talk". While I was saying this I had a drone grab 4 nanobot disks and bring them to me. "If it bothers you having nanobots we can make them temporary".


    "I''m in" Ann blurted out and Emma was nodding the men still looked in shock.


    The drone arrived and handed out the disks and they did as I asked "These are going to be mainstream soon enough but the translation protocol won''t be mainstream so you will have an advantage over others if you want to keep them". They nodded and we made chit-chat for a few minutes while we waited for them to take effect.


    "Can you understand me"? Lisa said in her language to shocked faces and then smiles.


    You could have heard a pin drop when the girls kissed me and then looked at my guests. "I would like to introduce my wives Lisa and Cora" Still nothing "They will be joining us if that is ok with all of you"? That got a response of smiles.


    "What would you like to see first, let me guess, the armory"?


    "You have an entire armory" Alex asked and I nodded so off we went.


    We were walking to the lift and we ended in 2 groups by the time we got there which ended in 2 conversations, my wives with the women and the men with me. It was mostly idol chatting until the lift door opened to the upper deck of the armory with my armor in full view.


    "So it was you we saw in the video"? said Zach


    "Yes sir I font deny that fact, I was testing new equipment and performing a humanitarian mission when all the legal issues happened"


    "Testing what equipment"? I pointed at the armor and made it wave getting shocked looks.


    "Is that thing manned or armed"? Alex asked


    "Armed yes, manned no. I have the same connection to all my tech. I have 5 of these for personal use" I said with a smile


    "5 war machines for personal use," Ann said


    "5 Autonomous robots for personal use, they can be disarmed and like all of my weapons it was used defensively, I did not fire a shot because I had other means available to me I sedated everyone except for the tank that I wanted"


    "Did you crack their communication system"? Alex asked


    "Yes I did, equipment like that is childsplay to me"


    Zach started to giggle "They had state-of-the-art equipment from the US"


    I looked at him and smiled "Well that explains the looks I got when explaining that to others" I started to laugh and they joined in.


    Emma spoke up "What about your network, how secure is it"?


    "It was designed to be the most secure network on the planet probably ever. Would you like some of the comm devices plus a couple to rip apart" That got me some enthusiastic nods so I tasked a drone to grab 4 and bring them to us. When it arrived we helped them integrate their phones but the real shock was when they put on the glasses.


    "My display shows 494 fighters" Zach said with a shocked tone.


    "Yes sir that''s correct, there are 500 on board and we have a few more on the explorers that are mapping the solar system and beyond"


    "You can go beyond the solar system"? I heard in a female voice.


    I smiled "Yup it''s just like Star Trek but no transporters" shrugging my shoulders to a few chuckles. "You now have a lightning-fast connection to my network for life even if you use another device that connection is yours permanently"


    We had fun for about 15 minutes while they looked at the options including their health stats then we continued to Progress. When the lift opened the doors we were met with a few people milling about the common area playing games with their glasses. The ladies went for a short walk around the tree and the men followed me to the replicators to get drinks.


    "This place was designed by 2 of my crew for the homeless they collected from Vancouver and gave them their lives back again. There are only a few here now since Sara started hiring but that will change soon as we expand and have more influence on the ground" I got a coffee and showed the others how to use the replicator just as the women returned chatting like old friends. "What would you like to see next"?


    Zach perked up "May we see the bridge"?


    "Of course" We found our way back to the lift.


    When the bridge appeared I activated every station and let them look around, Lisa was giving the ladies a rundown on the scanners and shocking the guys went to weapons


    Alex looked at me "Am I reading this right you have 100 tubes and 100 railguns" he said with wide eyes.


    "Yes sir and they can work independently or together" I said in a calm tone.


    "And they are armed" Zach asked me


    Nodding I pointed at the slider beside each turret "All of the weapons generate a new warhead or projectile every 20 seconds so I can fire almost continuously. This is what we have so far as planetary defense and it will grow from here as we build new ships, but remember they are pointed away from Earth". That brought some easier looks.


    The women came over to us and Ann spoke first "How fast does the ship go"?


    ¡°Well there are a few answers there, the antigravity engines can get you to the speed of light but then there are the FTL drives. They are an interdimensional drive, they drop into a dimension that space and time don¡¯t act the same so they are way faster. There are 2 types short and long range, short range is for inside the solar system and long-range can have you at Alpha Centaur in a few days¡± back to shocked looks. "Actually, I will have my ship designer make a ship for 20 scientists for a round-trip mission, that should give something for people to talk about besides me" I chuckled.


    "Just like that" Zach said


    I nodded "Yup I''m all for exportation and the gift is knowledge, I will contact the scientific community tomorrow and hash out the details"


    "I''m beginning to believe your claims to be here for the people" Ann said with the rest of them nodding.


    I chuckled "The only people that have to worry right now are some big business and I know I''m going to start stepping on big toes soon enough".


    Zach jumped in "Which toes are you referring to"?


    I sighed "Oil and gas is the biggest one right now, fusion power is going to be our next step as a species. The power plants we bring cost nothing for me to make and cost nothing to run, I want to bring those savings to the average household".


    Emma started to giggle "Yup your going to piss off a lot of people"


    I laughed with her and nodded my head "As I share my technology that list will grow I''m sure but what we do is for the benefit of all mankind not just a select few. I am not trying to be rude but I want you out of a job and all war to come to an end" That got me some shocked looks.


    Alex spoke up "Are you talking about forcing people to live your way"


    Shaking my head "I will never force people to live my way on earth but I will give them the option to join me at the level of their choice. Eventually, people will see that my way leads to the future and beyond. Imagine free food, healthcare, and education with cutting-edge tech at everyone''s fingertips, that''s what my colonies will bring for all who want to join, and on top of that an AI that protects everyone".


    "Well I can see now that the mayor wasn''t shitting me" Zach laughed and the others joined in.


    "Is there anything else you would like to see" getting blank faces "Let''s head back to the flight deck then"


    When the lift opened we saw 6 fighters landing "Ready to meet some more aliens"? getting nods of approval so we waited for them to land and shut down till we approached. 6 happy little kits came running to me so I sat on the floor and got hugs. "Meet the crew doing the cleanup of space junk"


    When I stood Ann spoke up "They are like your wives but they are children, how old are they"?


    Lisa spoke up "They are my siblings and they are not 2 months old yet". The looks of shock that statement produced made me laugh.


    "Welcome to the future" I laughed


    Cora looked at Lisa "Let''s get them home to mom and dad"  My wives bid their farewells and brought the kids home.


    As soon as the lift closed I looked at my guests "Shall we" and we boarded my ship.


    Ann spoke up "Could you tell us about the weapons that were developed for the space cleanup"


    "Let me get the designer to explain them to you"  B appeared all smiles and on the flight home he entertained my guests with all the technical details of how they worked.


    We were coming up on our landing site when Vickey chirped in my ear "Sir they are taking pictures of B while your back was turned"  I thought about stopping it there knowing he looks like the old me, let''s see where this ends up going.


    Landing in the same spot we took off from resulted in a few looks from others on the ground but I ignored them and got off with my guests when Zach came to me "These comm units are secure"


    I nodded "Absolutely sir and I will be in contact if that''s ok with you"


    "I''m looking forward to it" he leaned in "Some of us are on your side more than you think after your performance in Mexico"


    After handshakes, I bid my farewell took back to the skies, and returned to my family.


    My wives met me at the door to my quarters where Lisa started "OMG that was so much fun meeting new people,  did you see the looks on their faces when we got out of the couches" She laughed


    Cora was next "I liked the looks that the kits got,  we are going to get that a lot huh"


    I pulled them into a hug "I want a promise from both of you,  If you are not comfortable in situations like that I want to know about it ok"  They leaned in and kissed me and promised they would tell me.


    We sat on the sofa and just talked for an hour or so when they informed me they wanted to do that more often and I agreed to make it happen.  I wonder if Becky has taken this into consideration so i sent her a message before turning in for the night.