Four weeks after the Battle of Manticore and the Liberation of San Martin, peace was declared between the Republic of Haven and the Star Kingdom. Rob Pierre and Oscar St. Just had managed through their fore-knowledge of events, to structure their revolution so that most of the Legislaturalist and People's threats, Levelers, 'Bonapartists' and such were used up in battles, consolidating power or tried on normal crimes for which they were actually guilty.
The Peeps had not been completely destroyed, but rather as they managed to grab a half-dozen Allied home worlds, albeit in pyrrhic victories, it was enough that the Star Kingdom to secure their safe return would not be dictating a horrific and humiliating peace, but rather one that demanded an effective end to its campaign of conquests. No new naval construction was to take place for ten years, and worlds incorporated in the last fifty years would be allowed free plebiscites to determine independence or the status quo. And political prisoners would be allowed their freedom, to return to their homes, leave the Republic or make a different choice altogether.
During the four weeks, the rather large family were put up at one of Her Majesty's country properties and found themselves able to plan for the future, and were granted access to the technological and scientific assets of the realm and encouraged to exchange views and ideas with their deemed important counterparts.
Alexander found himself not only a new father of ten children, but the de facto 'alpha' of his Alaspinian mini-drag family. Born so close to the humans, the little wigglers seemed to empathically pair up with members of his family.
Finally the War was effectively over, even as it had only been heating up, and an immediate election had finished off most of the Opposition quite nicely. And with it, a lessening of security that allowed Alexander and his family to accompany Honor and Paul to Sphinx to show off where she'd lived and the beauty of the forested and mountainous world.
The older Harringtons were delighted to have babies around, and there was much joshing of Paul that he needed to start providing them with grand children pretty soon. Xander and the others had also successfully traded technology for technology, and had managed to get a good deal, especially after timer tests with the naval r&d types. The Manticorans got as much military and police tech as the Sliders could think of, and in return received medical, scientific, transportation and other data.
And it was hoped that the SGC would eventually be able to link up with Manticore.
Alexander was out discussing possible applications of various peaceful technologies with Captain Hunt and Commodore Harrington as they walked along the edge of the forests near the traditional Harrington lands. Nimitz occasionally bleated an opinion, and seemed to enjoy the presence of the mini-drags as the sun beamed comfortably down.
Until a group of fifty or sixty pregnant females and maybe twenty male tree-cats moved confidently out of the forest and walked up to the small group. They looked curiously at Xander and the others, the changed man smiling back, "It's the Force bubble I'm projecting, he told the others. As soon as I sensed them, I didn't want any bondings to happen with the cats since they'd have to leave this dimension eventually and it might be kinda lonely."
Honor looked at him, "That's amazing, Alexander, but the feelings I'm getting from Nimitz… I'm beginning to think the cats want bonding."
"Let me try something," Alexander told them, "I need to touch Nimitz to get this right, okay?" The tree-cat looked into his eyes, then bleated an affirmative.
Alexander concentrated, and concentrated, building his Will, and focusing until the gasps of humans and the startlement of cats signified the general shock as he took the form of a very large male tree-cat, and faced them without making a hostile move. Which allowed curiosity to overcome fear. Nimitz seemed to be designated 'ambassador.'
Alexander cocked his head to the side, and purred very slightly, Greetings to All, I am Protector of Man.
Greetings, Protector of Man, Nimitz responded, You are able to be like us?
It takes a very long time to learn this, but yes, I can alter form but should probably change back before the other two-legs become afraid. What are your people here for?
They want to go with you, to ensure the safety of the Clans and The People, Nimitz shrugged, A colony of our own. They learned of you, and of the Lone Person. We have Considered a colony elsewhere, perhaps on the world of my Person, but this also makes it right.
Do you get along with the Reptiles of Colored-Flight?
Yes, they are strange and delightful, their thoughts taste like those of our Eldest, but with tamed hunting still afire in them. And they, too, like to nap, Nimitz mused, both of them bleating in humor. Protector of Man looked at the would-be colonists, and considered them for a long minute.
You are now of my Tribe, and our ways, do you accept?
He received a chorus of affirmative responses, including one from one whose demeanor indicated elder, We accept Protector of Peoples.
They ended up with an even larger and more-diverse tree-cat colony, as at the same time from across the mountains had come another group, of twelve young pregnant females of different clans, twelve young, unattached female cats, and twelve young males. Six of the pregnant cats had bonded almost immediately with members of the Slider group as they came across Force practice at the Holding. Joyce, Dawn, Beth, Tara, Maggie and Anakin's mother were chosen, which pretty much guaranteed the colony that group learned about later would become a reality. Willow used her Force and Will to extend her senses and learned that the pregnant cats had all lost mates but were going to make sure their clans would continue even if the human clan conflicts destroyed this world, a possibility they'd seen from Nimitz's mind.
The arrival of Alexander's party led to amusement and concern, but the scientists among them realized that the greater the genetic pool, the greater likelihood of a permanently successful colony taking hold. As he noted the numbers of bonded, and the general inevitability of the situation, he let up the bubble and others found bond-partners with Brandi, Pike, Ash and Iolaus-Harper. The mind boggled.
The bonded cats pretty much let them all know that they generally deferred to Xander, and suspected the cats accepted it as much because of his ability to take their form, as because they seemed to brush against his mind sometimes and gave way to him as they would one of their eldest clan members.
"Maybe they sense the thousands of years of memories?" Maggie suggested, "'cause when their elders were here a while ago, they felt more like you than even those of us who are bonded do."
"Could be, I guess," he conceded, "But look at all of them; between them and the 'drags we're going to be really cutting it close on space in any vessel we charter to Earth."
"Yeah, maybe we should recruit one of the ranger couples? Especially if they're vets or researchers."
"Maggie, that's a great idea…handle it soldier."
The Foresters were not amused, but the tree-cats proved to have strong political pull in the Palace. Xander had had to relay to Her Majesty many of her 'undisclosed' moments that only her own cat could have known but then it was a force of nature that ensured all went as planned. And when they'd come across two of the extremely few Force-sensitives and they fit the desired vitae of tree-cat veterinary researchers, the recruiting began in earnest—especially since they were prolong recipients, only 29 standard-years old and without living families. Point out they'd eventually be on a pre-Diaspora Earth and they'd be able to help integrate the cats and drags while in the midst of long-extinct animals from their own perspective. Might even save a species or two. They caved.
As the time neared for their departure, the Queen had surprised them with Her Thanks—in the form of a 'small' hyper-capable spy ship just narrow enough to fit through a stargate should they need to use one in the future. They were able to piggy-back as passengers and cargo on a fast luxury liner heading to Sol via Beowulf, and in that time they began to prepare for transit to what would hopefully be either their last world, or home.
And Xander wasn't quite in the mood for all the Noah jokes the group had taken to making at his expense.