Call Girl

Chapter 33

Kate had watched as all the cargo came out of the ship and went somewhere else. She'd even sat down on the floor and had eaten something to satisfy her nanites.

They were both finally home and Kate was in the kitchen with TiPhar though she was doing all the cooking. "So what did they send? You told me animals are going out," Kate questioned her.

"Our planet does not have certain natural resources so we import them. The empire has access to items that we don't. We over breed certain animals so that they can be shipped out and not cause us to be short meat for local use. They do not, however, seem to have any desire for our artistic items. Just the basics," TiPhar responded.

"May I ask a question?" Kate asked. TiPhar nodded so Kate continued her inquiry, "Do you know what's with all the tentacles? I mean, they seemingly have them everywhere. There was even one on its head." Kate wiggled a finger on the very top of her head.

"They are an aquatic based race. They likely had a purpose at one time but what they do with them now I have no idea. I did notice that they can still move them, though." TiPhar had noticed that much over the years.

"So what's with the roar? I mean it did actually talk so why roar at us?" Kate really didn't understand this race.

"It's indicative of the warrior race." TiPhar really didn't have an answer and since she didn't know anything about war it was all she had.

"Here, taste. I'm trying another French sauce for dinner." Kate held out a spoon for TiPhar to taste-test. If she hated it she was in trouble.

"Spicy," TiPhar informed her and searched her mouth to get the entire taste. "You are excellent, Kate. Are you certain you want to open a store instead of a restaurant?"

Kate blushed at the compliment. "Yes, I'm sure. My mother taught me and I'm just a family cook. You just happen to be part of my family."

"Lucky me. I wonder what Richard is doing?" TiPhar questioned and didn't mean it to make Kate sad. "Tears?" TiPhar stepped in close and looked her over.

"I miss him. I love him and I miss him. And since I'm the cook I don't know what he's eating. Lucile had better take very good care of him." Kate sniffed and went back to stirring.

"Richard was doing this before he met you. I am sure he will be fine. Though I am also sure he misses you as well," TiPhar told her since she thought she knew Rick well enough.

"He better. Let's eat." Kate put TiPhar's serving on a plate and handed it over.

o- [:] -o

Today Kate and TiPhar were watching the animals arrive in cars that were part of the monorail system. People unloaded them and herded them into the ship. There was car after car till the last car was unloaded.

Kate did her best not to yelp or even groan as she watched the pilot come out and get TiPhar to sign something. Naturally he roared at her then turned around and went back into his ship. Moments later they watched as his far too big of a ship slowly lifted off and gradually disappeared into the distance.

"No offense but I don't want to see him ever again," Kate softly murmured to TiPhar.

"He is just another alien, Kate. The galaxy is so very big and so full of life. Maybe another Zorgon is out there somewhere," TiPhar teased her.

Kate drew in a big breath and stared at her friend. "Bite your tongue! I know they attacked and wiped out the Zorgons and while I'm not too sorry about that, I just don't ever want to see one of those again!" Kate was almost willing to punch her for that comment.

TiPhar nodded. "I still have work so you are free to do what you wish till I get home."

"Is there anything you want me to tell your boyfriend?" Kate was going to go watch her future home being built again.

TiPhar was past reminding her that he wasn't her boyfriend. They had only been on two entire dates so far. "I am off work tomorrow so he had better not get himself hurt working on your home or I will hurt him."

"I knew you liked him!" Kate wagged her finger at her and was happy for her. "And I'll remind him." Kate hugged her and left to go to the monorail station to catch a ride.

o- [:] -o

It took the architect and engineers longer to work up Kate's Space Needle design than she thought it would take. It turned out she did have the money to pay for their design work, thankfully. Now all of that had to go to the contractor so he could tell her the cost to build it.

In the mean time construction of the pod transport system had ceased pending the construction of the Space Needle. This, however, didn't stop having sites on the island prepared for construction. The one for the main house was already done as was the one for the power station that was going to power everything but the Space Needle.

Currently Kate was watching supplies for her home being brought out and piled up on one side. The same was being done for the power station. While she didn't understand just how the power station worked she'd been assured that it would be large enough to power everything they had planned.

Kate had Tao'a'Tell next to her. "What about the greenhouse?" She knew that was part of the project.

"That space does not require any infrastructure so it is just a simple build. That building will not take hardly any time at all. What we need to start work on tomorrow is the routing of the power system to the islands that will need it. Thankfully we just need to connect to the system that is embedded in the pod system," Tao'a'Tell explained.

"TiPhar tells me you two have a date tomorrow. She said if you got yourself hurt at work today she was going to hurt you," Kate told him and grinned mischievously.

Tao'a'Tell began laughing. "TiPhar is an amazing woman. I still do not see what she sees in me but I will be there. Even if I have to limp the entire way."

"Don't short change yourself. And if you do hurt her I'll hurt you even worse," Kate promised him.

"I will be sure to review my medical coverage. However, I have work to do so enjoy your stay." He left Kate to sit and watch and eat her meal.

o- [:] -o

It took Rick weeks but he finally had what they were mining in a tiny quantity on his person and moved it to a place where Lucile could scan it. He was able to tell Lucile what he'd learned about what they were mining. "They call it Nth Metal. Based on what I've found so far somehow they reduce it to a liquid. This in turn allows them to use it as a magnetic superfluid. Something about using it as part of a superconductor. It appears they've found a way to use it so that it achieves the speed of light."

"Scanning, this may take some time, Richard. Though, if they can indeed spin it to the speed of light it is not far removed that they can someday achieve FTL for their ships," Lucile advised him.

"And if our client learns this they'll waltz over thinking they can just blow these people to pieces but they'll learn their ships are more dangerous than they think." Rick hated killing as it was but his client might just actually lose. At least in the first fight. "Then when they lose they'll lose their minds and send a fleet so large..." Rick shook his head. Now he was trying to think of a way he could prevent all of this.

"Richard, I know you, so do not start. We are here to just do research. If these people send a ship to where our client has control it will achieve the same result. They reach FTL and our client sees them as a threat, they will act," Lucile reminded him.

Rick knew so far that if a race achieved FTL on their own his client would see this as a threat and wipe them out. Now maybe if they achieved FTL after being absorbed into the empire they might get to live. He felt bad about doing nothing about trying to stop these people. They just didn't understand what they were getting themselves into. Maybe if he could delay the inevitable it might be enough.

o- [:] -o

Rick was used to his research taking time so he wasn't worried about how slowly he might be obtaining information. One drawback this time was that the mine just didn't have the computer system that the main planet likely had. There just wasn't much of a way for Lucile to hack into systems and help him in his research.

Today Rick was back onboard his ship but he'd returned with something. He had furtively transferred samples into tiny little bottles. "Water, alcohol, spices, fruit, meat, and a canned vegetable." Rick placed each into Lucile's scanner and let her scan each one.

"The water, alcohol, spices, and meat are all contaminated with the drug. While the fresh vegetable itself is clean it has been washed in contaminated water. The canned vegetable is completely clean," Lucile informed him after she was done.

"So the drug comes in and is applied here," Rick noted thoughtfully since he believed he had it. "The question is do the people working in the cafeteria only meant for the miners know what they're doing? Or perhaps they know they're adding something but don't understand what." Rick really wanted to think good thoughts about them. Except it was just it was possible that they did know.

"I have no access to the medical area. I have no knowledge of if or when anyone has died in this or any dome. Or from what cause. They cannot possibly have missed finding a brain hemorrhage," Lucile stated.

"We still have a few months here. So do I concentrate on this drug or do I concentrate on what they're mining? The research into FTL won't be here and moving to the main planet will be dangerous." He was learning things here but not everything.

"We can make a run at the planet before we leave and do a fast scan. Even if they catch me in one of their computers we will not be staying long enough for them to do anything about it physically," Lucile assured him.

Rick agreed with one condition. "One hit and run in atmosphere would be best. Those two military ships will need to be in a perfect position for us or we could get trapped."

Lucile concurred. "Agreed."

o- [:] -o

"So this is your home?" TiPhar had the day off and was with Kate this morning. "I see a lot of glass."

"Yeah, isn't it great! We'll have a really good view of the Space Needle, waterfall – the smaller one, not the really big one – and the city itself. Snack?" Kate held out some of what she had brought with her.

"Thank you, no." TiPhar wasn't hungry and didn't need the extra pounds. "May I ask why you eat so much and how you stay so thin?" TiPhar thought they were good enough friends that she could inquire.

"It's a long story," Kate said and tried to think just what she could and couldn't tell her. "All my blood's been removed and replaced with nanites. Really tiny machines that repair every part of my body constantly. But there's a cost." Kate tried to make it simple to understand. "The nanites use themselves up to do this so they need to make more of themselves. To do that they need material. To prevent them from taking me apart to make more of themselves I need to eat so they have material."

TiPhar looked at her best friend and wasn't sure if she believed her. "Remove your blood? Why would you do this?" She was also trying to figure out how she could live without blood. All life forms needed blood...did they not?

"Because I love Rick," Kate replied simply. "How long do you expect to live?" Kate asked her since she had no idea and till now hadn't even thought to ask her or anyone else, including Rick.

"One hundred twenty years is the average for my race," TiPhar answered, somewhat confused.

"That's a long time. In Earth's distant past they were lucky to live to be forty. Over time people's lifetimes increased. Today most people can expect to live somewhere between seventy and eighty years. By then they're old, wrinkled, and sometimes organs start failing. You live by taking drugs to support you. You may limp everywhere you go.

"I'm human and Rick and you are or were going to outlive me by a lot. So I risked it. I love him and I love where I am now. Earth may be home but I like it here and I wanted to stay. So I did it. So long as I keep eating I'll live a very long time. Rick may yet out live me but I want those years with him." It was about the best she could do without saying she and Rick might actually live forever.

TiPhar thought about that for a while. "So if you get cut you do not bleed?"

Kate shook her head. "No, in fact that cut will vanish almost instantly. I'm told that I could have my arm cut off and it would grow back in minutes and be as good as new. The drawback is the nanites sacrifice themselves to do this. And to make more they'll take material from other parts of my body. So I would need to eat a lot immediately. There's a price to pay but it's not bad." Kate took another bite of her snack by habit.

"I do not know if I could ever love someone that much. I am glad Richard has found someone that loves him this much. He is a fortunate man." TiPhar now understood she was never going to win his heart.

"I'm the one that's fortunate, TiPhar. He saved my life. I would have died long before now if not for Rick. I owe him my life and I'm going to love him for as long as I can." Kate kept eating and watching the contractor.

"You know, I could talk to Rick about you getting nanites. You could live well past a hundred twenty years. Maybe a great deal past a hundred twenty." Kate turned her head to look at her.

TiPhar didn't need to think about that. "Thank you but no, I want to see what life has in store for me after this one. What you offer may rob me of this chance. I am happy for you but I will live my life as it was intended for me. My future still has many events in store for me."

Kate was a little disappointed. She didn't want to lose her best friend. "And I will be here for all of them." Kate took hold of her hand. "Do you see Tao'a'Tell?" Kate hadn't spotted him yet.

"Yes, he is working on your Space Needle instead of your home." TiPhar pointed to her side instead of out at the house. "And he is shirtless." Damn but if she didn't love the way he looked with no shirt.

o- [:] -o

It had been weeks and Kate really was amazed at just how fast these people knew how to build anything. It could take months, even years to build anything on Earth. Yet here they were almost done with the house. They were done with the power station. And even the greenhouse was going up.

The only part that was slowing down was the Space Needle. She was beginning to worry whether it was ever going to be finished. That was mostly because she'd used up just about all the money they had. If it wasn't for TiPhar she might actually begin to starve.

Time was running out. The house itself might be done but she had no money to furnish it. She had a house that she couldn't live in yet. It was then that Kate tried to work out just exactly how long Rick had been gone. This, however, had an unwanted side effect. It reminded her just how long she had gone without sex and the number of nights her bed had been empty.

o- [:] -o

"Are we about ready, Lucile?" Rick was on the bridge and sitting in one of the chairs. He couldn't fly his own ship but then he couldn't fly the last one, either. So not being able to fly it didn't affect him.

"I am setting a course and making one final scan to verify the locations of the two military ships." Her course needed to avoid both of them in a way that they couldn't intercept them after they found out they were in the planet's atmosphere.

"Ready." Lucile had to be certain because what she had planned was going to take up most of her time and power so her course needed to be secure since she wasn't going to be paying that much attention to it.

A quick FTL jump and Lucile had them plummeting down into the lower atmosphere. Once the FTL jump was complete she was busy hacking into every computer she could find. She didn't even care if they caught her doing it.

Thankfully it took a little time to for the military to react. They had little ready to intercept this alien ship with and took even longer to find out that their computer systems all over the planet were being hacked.

Rick and Lucile were long gone by the time the investigative team worked out that not just military computers had been hacked but a number of corporations had had their computers hacked as well. It was going to take weeks to figure out just what this alien ship had learned.

It took Rick and Lucile three and a half weeks to reach their client and hand over all the research. During these weeks it allowed Lucile and Rick to go over all that Lucile had hacked and recorded.

"We were right. That drug's only meant for the miners. So what do they have planned for what they're mining?" Rick queried as he and Lucile kept looking it all over.

o- [:] -o

Rick and Lucile had answers as he handed over the research he had and received his payment. They had another project for him when he was ready.

"Let's go, Lucile! We need to break some speed records. I haven't seen Kate in over seven months." He knew what she looked like clothed and naked but he could no longer remember what his beloved mate smelled like or tasted like.