CH44 (123)
It was now one year later:
Everyone was packed and ready for their flight to Athos for the summer.
This time there would be a new addition to the group. Elena and Leon had a new baby boy. He was only three months old.
Since it was a boy Leon got to name him. Seems Kate had started something with Emily.
Tobias Alexander Schurrle. By the time he had learned it, his name was always Alex.
While their first son looked a lot like Leon, Tobias looked a lot like Elena. His features were slimmer and his hair was black as night. Probably get even darker as he aged till it was almost blue in the right light.
However everyone was just outside the school auditorium. Today was Emily and Kali's high school graduation. While there was a year's difference between them, Kali had leaped ahead by a full year.
Personality wise and skills, Emily was almost an exact copy of Alexis. Just not quite as driven as Alexis at school work.
Kali was an almost exact replica as Elena in personality, however just as driven as Alexis at school work. Hence she was graduating high school with her sister right next to her.
All of the Castle clan that lived on Ariel was here. The others would meet them on Athos in about a month.
There were 3 new cruise ships in service. There was however a difference between these and the others. These 3 were a lot smaller. Holding only 300 people maximum. They were designed to allow the population to move around from one colony planet to another. Just like the Castle clan was going to be doing tomorrow. With 3 more already under construction.
The population was growing fast. Rick and Alexis were calling it the baby boom age.
Tellus used to be less than 3 billion and holding when Kate left for Earth. Now they were just a fraction over 4 billion and climbing.
The total number of people was climbing quickly. Before people could only have one child, period. Now most were like the Castle clan. Two minimum, and three sometimes.
There was an entire fleet of cargo ships designed to move food around from colony to colony. A lot of them were owned and operated by Alexis and Andre as part of their Castle Gardens produce company.
Because of Castle Gardens Alexis owned a lot of land on Ariel. Emily had been quietly spending her money buying up suitable farm land on Athos. Emily had a plan. She just hoped her parents wouldn't freak out when she finally told them.
Elena had made certain that Emily and Kali were embarrassed as they walked across as she had been when she made detective. It didn't take much to get her father to join her in yelling and whistling. Soon getting the rest of them to join them.
Two months later everyone was out on the Lady Kate, sailing along, enjoying the breeze and working on their tan.
Kali and Emily had been talking and decided to ambush their parents at the same time while they were both on the bridge.
"Clear skies and nothing on the weather scanner. I can see a pair of the fishing trawlers and the fish factory is also out here, but not really anywhere near us. Looks like smooth sailing for a change." Kate was out in front of Rick who was sitting in the bridge chair.
"You realize you just jinxed us, right." Rick teased. Everything was too calm and it sounded like his wife wanted some action.
"You know we didn't have to do this, this year. We could have stayed at home and you could do your detective job." Rick offered, a little late.
"Oh no, I need to relax just as much as you do. Besides you do some of your best writing out here." Kate knew he did a lot of writing while sailing. "How close to being done with the next one are you?"
"I should be done by the time we make port in about a month to restock our pantry." Rick was guessing.
"And I get to read it first, right?" Kate had read all of his books right after he finished them. She had even started writing him notes to try and get him to change things. Rick had a terrible time writing about female characters.
He's surrounded by women 24 hours a day and you'd think he was totally clueless about them in his books.
"Yes you get to rip my female characters apart like always." Rick dead pans. He'd like to moan about what Kate wrote, but she was just too damn right all the time.
Kate however just grinned at him without rubbing it in. Besides Kate loved his imagination. How he kept coming up with all these ideas escaped her.
"Mom, dad. Can we talk?" Emily and Kali showed up.
"Of course girls, what's up?" Kate was still in a good mood after having fun at her husband's expense.
"And here comes the storm to mess up our calm waters." Rick comments. Getting Kate to glare at him and the girls to look like deer caught in headlights.
Kate saw it instantly. The girls had never looked so serious.
Emily starts thinking maybe it would soften the blow if she went first for when it was Kali's turn.
"I've been spending my money." Emily starts with.
"Sweetie?" Kate didn't like the sound of it already. Rick held his tongue, but he didn't either.
"Oh it's not what you expect, and I still have some money. I've been spending it when the prices are good." Emily started defending herself.
"O-kay." Kate was guarded.
"I've been buying farm land on Athos along with some greenhouses to be constructed later after I figure out where to put them." Emily explains a little.
"Real estate purchases. OK I can see that. It would put land in the family for generations to come. Kind of like what Alexis has done. Even if the family doesn't want to run the farm after Alexis, it will still be in the family name, generation after generation." Rick understood the concept, but why hide it from them?
"Well that's just it, I want to open a second Castle Gardens, only on Athos." Emily finally drops the bomb on them.
"You want to do what your sister is doing, only on Athos?" Kate stares at her, not sure what to think. Kate knew she was almost a plant genius as her sister. It's not like Emily hasn't been following everything Alexis was doing already. And Alexis had taught here everything she knew.
"You're finishing college first young lady." Rick glared at her. While Kate gave her a death glare.
"Oh I know, and it'll give me time to buy more land. The hydroponics part is going on the dessert part of the land." That part was the cheapest so she had a lot of it. Emily had bought land that allowed her access to streams and rivers so she could divert it to the hydroponics portion.
Kate looked at Rick. 'What do you think?' kind of look.
Rick got up and stepped over to Kate and whispered what he was thinking in Kate's ear. Kate started to get a grin and quickly wiped it off her face hoping the girls hadn't spotted it.
"Tell you what sweetie. … You finish college and get good grades and your father and I will give you the money to build the buildings you will need as a graduation present. …. But you sink or swim on your own after that." Kate points a finger at her.
Emily just squeals and launches herself into Kate hugging her. Kate can't help but hug her back. Then Emily switches to Rick and hugs him too. "Thanks dad." She was no fool. She knew that was her dad's idea, not her mom's.
"So what are you doing up here? … Moral support?" Rick looks at Kali.
Time to face the music. "I'm not going to college." Kali starts off with.
"OH LIKE HELL!" Kate all but yelled. While Rick was trying to pick his mouth up off the floor.
"I want to go to detective school, like you and Ell." Kali defends herself by dropping her bomb.
"Sweetie?" Kate's mouth is now on the floor right back where Rick's is, again.
Kate knew Kali and Ell were close, just like Alexis and Emily were, but this?! "You've been conspiring with your sister haven't you?" Kate smelled a trap.
"We're going to work together. The detective Castle sisters. Create our own symbol and everything." Kali was still giddy with excitement over the prospect of working with her sister.
"Like Charlie's Angels. … Kate, you and Ell are the angels. Ooooo, does that mean I get to be Charlie. Phone in jobs for you to do as some anonymous voice over the phone." Rick was interested now.
Kate, Emily and Kali however are looking at him like he's lost his mind or something.
"What? Don't you three watch TV? … Oh right, you wouldn't have, would you." Rick was bummed. Where was Alexis when he needed her?
"Lucy, have Alexis get her butt up here, … now." Rick needed support.
Kate shakes her head. Her grown husband had just turned into a 12 year old, again. "You sure about this sweetie? You need to be sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Being a detective is serious business. You will be permanently armed, just like me and your sister. You don't pass the test for that, and you're out." Kate warns her.
"I know mom, Ell has been explaining it all to me. I know the risks and what is required of me." Kali defended herself. She had done her homework. Kali had proven that she was driven all her life.
Kate sighed. "LUCY! Tell Ell to get her butt up here, … now!" Kate was going to interrogate her daughter. They were both going to get an ear full.
Alexis stepped onto the bridge and found Emily and Kali up here already. Emily looked happy while Kali looked worried. Alexis and Emily had been talking. Alexis had even been quietly helping Emily buy land on Athos using some of her profit. They were both going to have the same name after all.
"You wanted to see me dad?" Lucy had said her dad had called for her.
"Just hang on pumpkin, we need your co-conspirator up here first." Kate tells her before her husband can go all 12 year old on her again.
"Co- ,…." Alexis shuts up. Switching between looking at Emily and Kali.
Then Ell showed up and found everyone on the bridge, and instantly knew why she was called up here. Then wasted no time in stepping over to Kali to help defend her. Her parents were about to lower the boom on them and Kali was going to need the support.
"We'll start with you pumpkin. Did you know about Emily's plan?" Kate glared at Alexis.
"Yes, I've even been helping her buy land. It's all going to be under the name Castle Gardens. Just the location on Athos will be run by Emily. I'm expanding." Alexis stands her ground.
Kate stares at her. What happened to the girl that Kate had to prod to speak up when they were starting all these colonies? She really was a grown up woman now. Willing to speak up and fight for what she thinks or wants.
"She finishes college first, no slacking off." Kate points and wags her finger at the two.
Alexis started smiling. She knew there would be terms, but it gave them 4 years to buy more land. Alexis would have high fived with her sister, but decided that might be rubbing it in. They would do it later.
"You two!" Kate turned on Ell and Kali. "What am I going to do with you two?" Kate was conflicted. Two of her daughters wanted to follow in her footsteps. Just being a detective could also be dangerous sometimes.
"I have been talking to her a lot mom. She knows what to expect. I've even started teaching her the morning exercise." Ell adds.
"Seriously? … I've never seen you use the exercise equipment at home even once." Kate points out since staying fit was important. Kate and Elena had done it this morning even, together.
"I've been sneaking her into the fitness place I use and teaching her what to do." Ell confides.
"Those days when you are gone. You said it was an after school project." Kate glares at Kali. She had been lying.
"It is an after school project mom, …. just not one associated with the school." Kali scrunches her face. She hadn't been lying, just not telling the whole truth.
Kate had one card left to play. "All the schools are on Tellus sweetie. You do this and you'll be all alone sweetie. We have no one on Tellus anymore." Kate warns her. Since Martha was gone everyone was on Ariel or Athos now. And with her father gone, no one was on Callisto now either.
That one comment had Alexis thinking and was suddenly blinking back tears, then moved over to hug her dad. Alexis missed Martha.
Rick was pretty sure why the sudden affection. His mother may have gotten on his nerves from time to time. But she was his mother, and she had done all she could when he was young. It had been rough in the beginning. They had lived in some real dives back then and moved often. School after school.
"I know mom, it'll be rough and I'll probably get home sick, but I'll be here every summer." Kali counters.
"I've already told her I'll be over to see her every few months and check out if she is learning. We have plans on working together on Ariel after she graduates." Ell adds hoping to ease some of her mom's fears.
"So I can go?" Kali asks, looking hopeful.
Kate closed her eyes and sighed, heavily. It was her life. Even if she tried and failed her and Rick would be here to pick her back up.
Kate opened her eyes. "You're sure you want to do this?"
Kali squealed and launched herself into Kate's arms and hugged her.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing sweetie." Kate still wasn't convinced, but it was her life.
"YES!" Rick calls out. "I get to be Charlie." Rick was grinning.
Ell and Alexis hadn't heard about this part and were looking at him funny.
"Charlies Angels! … I'm Charlie and these are my 3 angels." Rick waves his arm meaning Kate, Ell and Kali.
"Really dad?" Alexis knew what he was talking about, just didn't understand how someone his age could still act like a 12 year old. However it was part of what she loved about him. He was fun, always had been. Apparently always would be.
"You know what he's talking about?" Kate looked at Alexis.
"It's an old TV show that stared three women who were unsatisfied with their jobs, they are recruited to work for the Townsend Agency as private investigators. Their boss, Charlie Townsend who nicknames them "Angels", his female private investigators and provides them their assignments via a squawk box. …. Telephone.
It was panned as being nothing but Jiggle TV. … They were usually lightly dressed or undressed. It was aimed at horny under-aged teenage boys." Alexis explains.
"Well that certainly explains it." Kate glares at Rick, getting the other 3 girls to glare at him.
"OK FINE! Not Charlie's Angels." Rick retreats to his captain's chair and sits and pouts.
"Ok you four, you better know what you are doing. You're father and I will try and help you. You just remember to ask." Kate points at each of them. "Right babe?" Kate turns to look at a still pouting Rick.
"RIGHT BABE?" Kate tries again.
"Yeah, yeah." Rick wasn't listening anymore.
The four girls file out off the bridge and head for other parts, leaving Kate to deal with her husband.
"Rick?" Kate steps up next to him, however Rick is still pouting. Kate has noticed he does this more often lately when he doesn't get his way on some crazy idea he has come up with. Maybe it was old age, she didn't know.
"Rick, babe, don't pout. It doesn't look good on you. … You and Alexis are the only two who know anything about this Charlie anyway. … Besides you have no control over any of the detectives.
It was never going to work in the first place. … Now bring in some sails and set the auto pilot." Kate tries to get his attention.
Kate pokes him. "Rick, … sails, …. Fewer."
"Hhhmmm, … oh right." And Rick put his finger on the touch screen and reduces sails to two per mast.
"Now set the auto pilot and come downstairs and make lunch. … You're still the best cook in this system, or any of the other systems for that matter." Kate kisses his cheek and waits for him at the door to escort him down to the galley.