Captives of the Unknown
By TheRealXenocide
Disclaimer: This story contains plot elements and characters created and owned by Sunrise and/or their successor companies. No permission has been given. No money is being made with this story, and no infringement is intended.
Chapter 8
The Mommy Problem
On the way to the battle-carrier 'String 1', Aisha questioned their pilot. "So, should I call you Lt. Commander, Commander, of Secret Agent?"
"Lady Aisha, please. If you must know, my family has been allied to your mother's line of the imperial family for generations. I was chosen straight out of the academy to assist you covertly on your Leyline mission."
"And when she was stripped of rank?" Suzuka asked.
"Even though Lady Clan-Clan did not blame me, I was still ashamed I couldn't do more to help. When I learned Governor Tam-Tam had kidnaped you, I knew this was my chance. So I contacted Lady Clan-Clan, and did as she asked."
"Were you the one who gave us the message from Fred Luo?" Gene asked.
"No, but I became aware of it, and informed the Lady."
"Well, whatever your role was, thanks." Jim said.
"Do not misunderstand, terran. I acted out of duty and respect for Lady Aisha and Lady Clan-Clan. I don't understand why Lady Aisha would choose a weak terran for a mate."
"Hey, now."
"But Lady Clan-Clan ordered me to withhold judgement until she could interview you. That, and my respect for Lady Aisha, is why I am doing this."
"You two may want to prepare yourselves for similar reactions on the Ctarl-Ctarl ship." Suzuka suggested.
Upon disembarking at the 'String 1', they were greeted in the hanger bay by Fred, Duuz, and a half-dozen officers, including Valeria Vertone. Fred was his usual exuberant self again. "Gene! Jim! It's such a relief to see you two again!"
"Good to see you too, Fred." Gene said as he tried to placate the merchant.
"Yeah, Fred. You really came through for us." Jim added
"Well, Jim, even if I won't get what I REALLY want, I just couldn't let you be hurt by losing Aisha to something as AWFUL as a forced marriage." Fred let go of Gene, and stood in front of the couple. "Now, since I'm not fool enough to upset Aisha, I hope you will at least let me plan the wedding!"
None of them had expected this reaction, as Fred's amorous dreams for Jim were so well know. "Um, wow, Fred, I really don't know what to say." Jim began.
"I think we'll need to talk to my mother." Aisha said. "But, hey, if you're coming too, why not ask her with us and see what she says."
Fred wasn't sure what to say to that. He wanted to be involved, but he did not want to be on the wrong side of a Ctarl-Ctarl mother. Especially one who could gather six Ctarl warships so quickly.
Gene decided to change the conversation. "Are those captain's insignia I see, Valeria?" He asked.
"You are correct. And as you've seen, when I got the promotion, I knew who I needed as first officer."
"Well, congratulation to both of you."
"Thank you. Now, how my I address your pilot?"
"Commander Lyn-Lyn, Captain, with orders to pilot any who wish to the celebration aboard Lady Clan-Clan's flagship, the 'Dumos Beteon-Beteon'."
"Very well. My first officer and I, as well as our employer Mr. Luo, will accompany you. The rest of my command staff will go on one of our shuttles. And, of course, Aisha and her friends will go aboard the 'Outlaw Star'. Might I suggest that you inform the 'Dumos Beteon-Beteon' of these arrangements once we board your shuttle?"
"Of course, Captain. If your group will follow me?"
"One moment. Ensign Lark!"
A young man who had thought he had done an excellent job of being inconspicuous answered. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Please lead these five to their ship."
"It's the red ship you've been ogling since it arrived." Duuz added.
The Ensign blushed. "Of course, sir! Yes ma'am."
The group separated into the three traveling groups. Young Ensign Lark seemed eager as he led the crew of the 'Outlaw Star' down a corridor that seemed to run away from the main docking area. "Why are we going this way?" Jim asked
"Your ship was placed in a V.I.P. bay."
"I'll bet Gilliam loved hearing that." Gene remarked.
"It deserves it! I mean, that's the ship that finished fourth in the Heifong Space race first time out! And a third two years later."
"I take it you're a race fan?" Melfina asked.
"I'm from Heifong, ma'am. A lot of us love our race. And here it is."
The corridor opened into a docking bay. Large and clean, with crisp lines, it was the kind of thing you might expect the regular space forces would reserve for admirals. "Okay, now this is impressive." Gene remarked.
"I must agree, Gene." The voice of Gilliam rang out from the speakers. "I don't think I've ever been in a dock such as this. The maintenance equipment is exceptional."
"Maintenance?" Jim asked.
"Just refueling and some minor exterior upkeep. They offered a full maintenance check, but Mr. Luo and I thought that should wait until you return."
"And now that you're here, what do you say?" Ensign Lark asked, a bit too eager.
"Unfortunately, we are expected by Lady Clan-Clan shortly." Suzuka observed. "And it would be unwise to keep her waiting."
"Yeah. I've really got to talk to mom about some of this mess." Aisha added.
"Oh. Yes, of course. Well, I hope your meeting goes well. And I hope we meet again as allies. This ship really is something else."
"Thanks." Gene said. "Well, let's get on board, everyone."
Once on board, Gilliam welcomed them again. "It is good to see you all again. After Mr. Luo explained what happened, I was concerned I might lose some or all of you."
"Worried about your future prospects?" Gene asked as they all settled into their normal bridge stations.
"At this point, Gene, it is difficult to see an acceptable future without this crew."
"Well, we can talk about this later." Jim cut in. "We're expected on the Ctarl-Ctarl flagship. And sensei's right, we can't keep them waiting."
"Understood. Prelaunch is already underway."
With all the safety procedures involved, it was twenty minutes later before the 'Outlaw Star' was aboard the 'Dumos Beteon-Beteon'. As they reached the exit of the double wide boarding bridge, they were greeted by what could only be called an honor guard. A dozen solders on each side of a two foot wide forest green carpet. Aisha seemed happy to see all this, but she stiffened when two Ctarl-Ctarl arrived to stand at the end of the carpet. One was her mother, but the other was an as yet unknown male. Jim was next to her, and noticed the change first. "What's wrong, Aisha?"
Their friends looked at them. "What the hell is he doing here?" She growl-hissed.
It clicked for Jim, and he looked at the unknown male again. He seemed the right age, although he was a couple of inches shorter than Lady Clan-Clan. "Don't tell me . . ."
"Yeah. The moron who signed that damned contract. My father." Aisha's body was shaking with outrage. "The nerve of him!"
Jim clasp her hands in his. "But, Aisha, your mother saved us, and made her opinion of that thing very clear. If she brought him here, she must have a reason."
"I think Jim's right, Aisha." Melfina said. "She didn't strike me as the careless type."
"And, really, there's only one way to find out." Gene added. "Go up there confront the situation."
"But do it with class and confidence." Suzuka amended. "Prove to them, to him, how much you've grown as a warrior and a woman. And now, a soon-to-be wife of a human genius. Make him proud of you, and ashamed of himself."
Aisha turned to face Suzuka. "Any ideas on how?" She asked. They all noticed on the fact that neither Jim nor Aisha objected to that characterization of their relationship, but thought better than to comment.
"Take Jim's hand, and then the two of you calmly walk side-by-side to lead us down the carpet. I leave the greeting to you. Just give him a chance, one, the explain himself."
Aisha thought for a tense moment. Then in a determined voice, she declared. "Yeah, let's do that." She slipped her hands from were Jim was still holding them, turned to face her parents, then made a point of taking Jim's right hand in her left so they could walk side-by-side. "Let's go."
"Yeah." Jim agreed. While he was unsure about how this family confrontation would go, he was determined to see it through with her, no matter what. Gene and Melfina followed, the Suzuka taking the rear.
As they strode down the carpet, they couldn't help but notice that several of the guards seemed to be giving them strange looks. Jim wondered how many of them were like Commander Lyn-Lyn, and how many knew enough to be anticipating a confrontation. Aisha tried not to show any notice of the solders' looks, but Jim could feel the growing tension in her hand.
They reached the end of the carpet, and Lady Clan-Clan spoke first. "Aisha, my daughter. It is good to see you well."
"Not the easiest thing, considering Governor Tam-Tam's agents used ghrighri gas to capture us." That drew gasps from a few of the guards.
"A crime for which he while be dealt with. The Emperor is livid the any of that was smuggled out of the antidote research labs, much less used on a Ctarl-Ctarl for something so personal. In fact, it was confirmation of that crime that allowed me to convince him to cancel that contract."
"Which brings me to YOU!" She said as she shifted to glare at her father. Jim noticed that her mother was also glaring at him.
Her father seemed to wilt under their glares. "I'm . . . I'm sorry, Aisha. Really. I knew it was a stupid mistake."
"But WHY?! You knew how I feel about that damn practice! And you knew that I can't stand the moron Harith."
"But you had a crush on him."
"At TWELVE! We dated ONCE! He proved what a self-absorbed ASS he was, and I dumped him! And guess what? As he got older, he only got WORSE! How the HELL can you not know any of this?!"
"Too much time in the smoking rooms at court, trying to make connections." Her mother remarked in a tone that suggested that this was an old subject.
Her father actually winced. "She's right, Aisha. I was too busy with politics to notice. I know now that I was wrong. And now that I know about the gas." He shook his head. "I never thought they would stoop to that. I truly misjudge him. Another mistake. Aisha, my daughter, all I can do is beg you to forgive me, and allow me to welcome your chosen mate to the family."
"It doesn't bother you that he is human? Or young?" Aisha asked.
Her father signed. "After what I've done, I have no right to judge you." He looked at Jim. "All I can asked is that you take care of each other."
"I, however, have questions." Aisha's mother said. "But we can deal with that in my quarters while the rest of the guests gather."
"No, Mother. I want them to hear this. I've been separated from the Empire for a bit over three years. And how many messages did I receive from you in that time? Zero! Meanwhile, I've made a life for myself. I've made some great friends. And I've fallen in love with the best of them."
"He is also young and small."
"Oh please. He's fourteen, not four! And he's small, but he's an absolute genius! Probably the smartest person on this ship right now. And besides, humans his age haven't stopped growing yet."
"That's true." Jim added, sensing a pause. "Four more years by average, plus or minus two."
"See, plenty of time to grow, not that I need him to."
"And how will he protect you? How will he provide?"
"With his mind! That's always been Jim's roll, because he's so good at it. Team strategist. Business CFO. Technical wizard. Engineering genius. And he never stops working to improve himself."
"And in a fight?"
"Aisha, as his sensei, may I?" Suzuka asked. Aisha nodded. "Lady Clan-Clan. I am . . ."
"Twilight Suzuka. Former assassin. I know of you."
"Correct. One of my current roles is as Jim's instructor in combat arts. But in Jim's case, while I am working on his personal combat skills, I have chosen to work to his strength, and that is his mind. Jim's natural gift for both strategy and tactics are the strongest I've ever encountered. He is a little too reliant on technology, but he is improving."
"All of which means he can't actually fight."
"Enough of this." Gene's patience had run out. "So what if Jim's not some great warrior! He's part of our team. They both are. And we all know our jobs in a fight. Jim's job is to out think the enemy, and help the warriors of the group be where we need to be to win!"
"Gene." Jim tried to caution him, not thinking this outburst was a good idea in present company.
"And thanks to Suzuka, he's gotten a hell of a lot better at not putting himself in danger to do that job. And if somebody does get too close, he's much better at holding them off until one of us gets there."
"Because he's too weak?" Lady Clan-Clan asked
"Because we're family!" Melfina shot back. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "We may not have been born a family, but we made ourselves into a family! And dammit, that's just what families are supposed to do, look out for each other!"
Everyone was still surprised by her outburst. "Did Mel just curse?" Jim asked.
"Correct answer, young lady." Lady Clan-Clan said. Now everyone looked at her in surprise. "As you may have noticed, my husband is far more interested in politics than hand-to-hand combat. And this fiasco notwithstanding, he is normally quite good at it. I'm the warrior here." She placed her hands in Jim's shoulders. "If you can make my girl happy, you have no problem from me. Break her heart, and you'll wish I had killed you."
"Um, yeah, okay."
"Good. Now, follow me, and I'll show you where you can refresh before we eat."
She turned around and started to walk away, her husband a half step behind. It took a moment before they could react. "Aisha," Jim began, "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you have a very interesting family."
Aisha began. "Actually, I have two interesting families. Right, Mel?"
Mel smiled at her. "Right!"