E:A Vol 7 Ch 20: February 11, 2121

February 11, 2121

John was sitting at the “desk” in the Dig HQ: a folding table with a computer, and hardcopies of the layouts. He was chatting with the morning crew as the Zachary Stewart came in. John instinctively looked at his watch. 5:28. Kaven, munching on an apple, walked in right behind the young addition to the staff.

“Morning everyone,” Kaven said. “Everyone ready to get back to work?”

“Ready to be done with it,” one of the men said. “I don’t want to have to worry about something caving in on people roaming the hallways or something.”

“Hear ya on that,” another said. “Boss, let’s get this done.”

John stood, giving the group a nod and saying good morning. “First, for those of you who haven’t met our newest civil engineer, this is Zachary Stewart, goes by Zack. He and his family were here when the epidemic hit. Zack, around the room, starting on my right we’ve got Chris, who you know, Grigori, Manuel, yes, it’s Manuel. If you call him Manny, you’re risking your own life,” John grinned and a few chuckled, knowing that if there was one thing that set Manuel off it was being called Manny. “Miles,” he motioned at the next in line, “you know Kaven. Next to him is Dalton, Will, Tyler, Cooper, and you know your boss, Jack, that would be Mr. Burgeon to you, or sir.

“Grigori is from Simon’s team, he’ll be checking communications and computer access as we go. Manuel is our team plumber, he and Grigori will generally a room behind us as we move. They help out with the heavy lifting when they don’t have anything to do in the rooms we clear, but that’s not their focus. Everyone else here is pure muscle, if not hauling out debris, they’ll be knocking down walls or shoring up weak points.

“Zack, when we get to the zone we’re going to clear, you’ll do the primary scan to determine how far in we can go, what needs to be reinforced before it’s safe for us to move in. Jack will walk you through the first time, then he’ll just be there to check your work and answer your questions. Trial by fire.

“Okay everyone, our goal today is to finish up this northern quadrant of floor 190 in the second tower. That will get a couple more science labs opened up. C-team finished up the western quadrant and cleared the path to the northern area. This is going to be a tricky one, the northern section sustained a pretty big hit. The Rayth patched it up on the outside before we left Earth, so there’s no chance of us hitting exposed atmosphere. As per protocol, and I’m saying this for Zack’s benefit, I know the rest of you know the drill, I contacted the Science team on the flagship and they ran a scan on that quadrant to make sure there wasn’t an issue. She’s still space worthy. If we were still docked planet-side, we would still have them run another scan. What’s broken on the outside could affect what happens in here, so every time we move to a new area, the Science team must run a scan first.

“Okay, team, we’re expecting a lot more structural issues in this quadrant, which is why I brought in more muscle today. We need to reinforce this area here,” he pointed to the hardcopy of the floor’s layout, “Kaven, you take Coop, Tyler, and Will to get the usual items from facilities. Chris, I’ll need you with Dalton and Miles to help Grigori and Manuel in this room here. According to C-team, some walls are going to need holes so they can get to what they’re going to fix. Zack, you and Jack will be with me. We’ll scan ahead. Chris, once your team is done making holes, Kaven and his team should have our supplies ready and we can start reinforcing the area. Ah, Third Engineer, thanks for joining us.”

“I apologize for my tardiness. The High Chancellor had a task for me that took longer than anticipated.”

“Yeah, he called me. The young man to your left is Zachary Stewart, he’s our newest engineer. We’re trying him out today.”

Zachary smiled and gave the Rayth a bow, not sure the proper etiquette in the situation. “Just call me Zack. Nice to meet you.”

“You may call me Third. Are you familiar with Mythican technology and engineering?”

“Uh. No, sir, Third. Do I use ‘sir’ when addressing you?”

“Third or sir is fine.”

“Zack, the Third Engineer will also be scanning alongside of you. Their scanners are able to pick up things ours don’t, though nothing thus far that would cause great concern. I always try to have a Rayth with us on our teams, provided their schedule allows and the High Chancellor approves.

“Now, you’re gonna need some work gloves and a hard hat,” John pointed to a shelving unit that had plenty of gear to choose from. “Third, once we get to the area, could you show Zack how the black box works?”

“Of course.”

“Any questions?”

“Hazmat suits?” Will asked.

“No. Second Science said there were no toxic fumes detected in his scan, and nothing was reported from the C-team. Okay, grab your gear, let’s get going,” John said then tapped his comlink. “Danielson, Hagen. Dig Team Alpha heading out.”

Dr. Neville Danielson confirmed the call and alerted the staff. The infirmary always liked to know when and where the teams were working on the dig out and cleanup. A call was placed when the teams headed out and when they finished their shift. When and where was noted in the infirmary and though usually the teams worked around the clock, with just coming off of the illness that had spread through the entire population, not all shifts were working, or if they were, they were working only partial shifts depending on the crew members.

As the group, with gear in hand, walked to the elevator, John explained to Zachary that they would all perform a sound check with the city-ship’s control team who would then stay locked on their comlink signals should anything happen. They arrived at their destination and Zachary saw a long rectangular black slab in the middle of the hallway.

“Okay Zack, Third will show you the black box. It’s where we chuck the debris. Since I try to keep our techs from the more heavy work, you’ll probably be one of the men to alert the flagship when it’s ready to be teleported up and dumped…or whatever they do to it. Then it’ll be ported back and you have to get it ready for the next haul.”

“Okay,” he said. The black slab took up half the width of the hallway, and was twenty feet long, and at the moment, laying completely flat on the floor like a carpet.

“This is very easy,” the Third Engineer said, “find the control panel, it’s always along a short edge on top of the box. We don’t teleport the box upside down. The panel will always be on top of a flat box.” He walked to the northeast corner of the flat box and knelt down. “Check the distance from the walls, a foot is sufficient, though the box can open even butted up against a wall.” The Rayth pointed to the control panel. “Three buttons. Top button opens it. Come over here and push the button, do not lean over while you do so, squat beside it or lean from the side. If your upper body is over the box, you will get hit when the box opens.”

Zachary knelt, his side to the box, reached out with his right hand and pushed the top button. The sides of the box immediately popped up with a deep ‘woosh’ then locked into place. They now had a container in which to dump the debris. The Third Engineer pushed and tugged at the sides to demonstrate how sturdy it was.

“That’s pretty cool,” Zachary said.

“Push the bottom button.”

Zachary did as asked and just as quickly as it had opened, the box was back to a flat sheet of metal.

“Top, open; bottom, close. Open it back up, remember, watch your position.”

Zachary pushed the top button and the box reappeared in full form.

“When it’s full, hit the middle button. It sends a signal to the ship. They will lock on the target and teleport it out, at the same time, replacing it with an empty container. Make sure to be out of the way, they will always teleport it to the same position until they receive word that the crew has moved on.”

“If that happens, how do I tell them?”

“You will not. Whoever is commanding the team will. The ship will need precise coordinates for the new position, then we will teleport it down to the new position.”

“Got it. Thanks.” They found John with Jack Burgeon and Chris in one of the side rooms.

“Easy, right?” John asked Zachary who nodded. “Okay, get your stuff ready, let’s get going.”

***

Mik’kenna walked with her mother to one of the guest suites on the same floor as their chambers. Lutia was there with Kel’lan who was busy wrestling with his puppy, Cinnamon. Celeste and Baxter joined in the fun as Victoria greeted Lutia and four other women who volunteered as decorators. Holly Stewart was invited to join them while her daughter, Hannah, worked with Janice in the infirmary. Meanwhile President Michael Stewart met with Vince and took a more detailed tour of the city-ship, at least what they had access to.

Symone, a sergeant in the Marines, had been named by John as lead decorator. She would coordinate all efforts, and though she preferred her military work, her parents were interior decorators and she had worked in their studio from the time she was born.

The women discussed whether or not the suites should be identical to keep costs down or to have different styles in each room. With twenty-four suites to decorate and after checking their meager budget, they opted for a mixture: same flooring in each suite but different wall paint colors and décor items. Furniture would be an issue, but they hoped that they could get a bulk discount.

“It might be nice to have a VIP suite,” Holly suggested. As the wife of the President of the United States, she thought that would be something worth considering.

Erin spoke up when asked about carpet versus wood or laminate floors. “I say hardwood or laminate floors. Easier to change the look of the room with an area rug and paint. No need to worry about taking up or putting down carpet.”

Symone typed on her tablet, “Okay, we’re all agreed on hardwood or a wood laminate, whatever’s cheapest? Good. Now, first thing we need to do is go through the suites and find out what kind of work we need to do: plastering up holes in walls, get plumbing fixed, and so forth.”

“Speaking of which,” Victoria said, “David Chapman is willing to help with that type of work. Filling holes and such.”

“I’m pretty handy with that too,” Kelly Westin said, “Mom was in construction. Picked up a lot of that when I wasn’t with Dad out on the shooting range.”

“Hopefully there won’t be much of it,” Symone said, “and if there is, I know we’d appreciate David’s help. But we signed up for this, he didn’t, so we should do as much as we can. Okay, let’s check this suite. Make sure hot and cold water works, check under sinks for leaks,” she pulled out two gadgets from a duffle she’d brought up, “plug these into each electrical socket. It’ll let us know if the wiring works. If there are appliances, make sure they work. Fridge is cold, all stove burners come on, and so forth. Check walls, floors, and ceilings for holes or chips. Who wants what? Probably best to have assigned things.”

“I short, I check under sinks,” Mik’kenna said, “and check floors.”

Symone agreed to the idea then the women went through each of the twenty-four suites before returning to Victoria’s chambers where sandwiches were served for lunch while they talked everything over.

“I love this flooring of Victoria’s, any idea on cost?” Erin asked. “This would be something special in those guest suites. Something people would remember.”

“This was custom made,” Victoria smiled, “by my husband. It was my Christmas present.”

“Figured it was out of our price range, but yeah, that wouldn’t even be in Vince’s budget for the entire complex,” Symone smiled. “I have tomorrow off, so I’ll stay up late and check some websites from Earth, gather pictures of different types of woods and stains and laminates. I’ll ask my parents for suggestions. Then we can vote on what we like best. Victoria, can you talk to David about those bigger holes we found?”

“Already on my list.”

“I have a list going on what supplies we’ll need,” Kelly said, “David may need to tweak it after he looks at those big holes.”

“Send it to me and I’ll submit a request. With the exception of one suite, I didn’t notice anything that looked unseemly in any of the kitchens, did any of you?” Symone continued.

Notes were compared and a final list made. “Okay, that it for kitchens?” Symone asked, getting nods all the way around. “Bathrooms. They need a lot of work. First, do we want to stick with wood flooring in there or tile?” They discussed it and thought they’d pick out some tile unless a deal on the laminate was too good to pass up. “From the bathrooms I checked, all of the sinks, toilets, and showers worked, but there were a lot of water stains. And none of the shower dryers worked. Kinda like when we first came here.”

“Ah, that’s an issue for my husband,” Victoria said. “There’s some weird Mythican tech that actually makes those blowers work and since they’re not in their original locations…I don’t remember, he just had to adjust some programming so we could all use ours.”

“They all showers, no bathtubs,” Mik’kenna said, “no able to take bubble bath. That may be ‘portant for someone who come to stay.”

“They used what we could find,” Lutia said, “But yeah, I hate not being able to soak in a hot bath after a long day.”

“Then we have three options,” Symone said. “Bring in Earth tub/shower combos, leave things as they are and ask the High Chancellor to fix the code so they work properly, or…ask the High Chancellor if he can get us some cheap tub/shower combos so we can also have those auto dryers. Victoria, this sort of falls to you.”

“I’ll talk to my husband tonight and send you a message. He may need a few days to check with suppliers. But I’ll let you know what he says tonight.”

Work schedules were discussed and it was decided to leave things very loose since it was a voluntary project, but all had committed to several hours per week. Symone said she’d send out a master checklist of all that needed to be done in each suite and would let everyone know when supplies were in so they could start plastering and priming. Meanwhile, they could start the scrubbing and cleaning.

Victoria saw her guests out then she went to her living room and sat down next to Holly and looked at Mik’kenna. “Well, what do you think?”

“Not ‘nough decorating. All fixy stuff.”

“We’ll get to the decorating part, but this has to be done first.”

“I know, I just hoping to paint and pick decorations.”

“I think all of us were. But we had to assess the situation, didn’t we?”

“Yes. Since no decorating, can you show me cooking?”

“Cooking? What do you want me to show you?”

“Spices. You say spices is ‘portant. I no know spices,” the girl shrugged. “And you has lots and lots of them.”

“I could probably use a lesson myself,” Holly said.

Victoria got up and stretched, “Lessons in spices it is!” They went to the kitchen and Victoria thought about how best to go about their lesson. She decided to start with “A” and work through “Z.” A little of each spice was put on dish and the “students” used a finger to get a taste. Victoria warned them if it was spicy or overpowering so they weren’t completely shocked. Then she told them what the spice was generally used for.

“Your daughter’s right, you do have a lot of spices,” Holly said, seeing the spice rack and a drawer that was full of even more.

“I used to only have a few, but cooking for my family…I wanted to expose them to different tastes instead of just ‘American’ or ‘Italian’ which was usually what I tended to make for myself. Plus the First Commander needs to be kept in good supply; he raids my kitchen since he can’t go to Earth. He’s turning into quite the chef.”

Victoria paused and looked at the clock. “Well, shall we make dinner?” It was a bit early but with her students, she could explain things as she went and take her time.

“What we having?” Mik’kenna asked.

“Haven’t figured that out yet,” Victoria said as she opened the refrigerator. “I could make some, oh, I have some beautiful peppers I should use up. How about stuffed peppers?”

“That like stuffed taytoe?”

“Well, sort of. Instead of stuffing a potato, I stuff one of those big peppers with meat and rice and some other yummy things.”

“Rice means no taytoes, though,” Mik’kenna frowned.

“I think you can survive one meal without a potato,” Victoria reached in and pulled out the peppers, “however, my grandma used to make mashed potatoes to go with hers. She used the tomato sauce and made a gravy out of it. Way too much starch but really, really good. Now, I’m going to need lots of veggies chopped, you think you can help with that?”

“My little knife not sharp enough. This why I keep telly you that me and Bubby need real knife.”

“I will give you a knife to use but you have to be very, very careful. Oh wait, we’d better take the pups out again, just to be safe.”

Mik’kenna frowned. “Mommy, I just think…since puppies back in own home, who take them for walk? We no can go to mainland, so they has go to island…and no can go there without Rayth.”

“Ah. Kaven and David figured something out. Not sure where they go, but it must be some place Kaven is familiar with.”

“Oh.”

“Holly, afraid you can’t come. Without my husband’s permission, I can’t take anyone to his homeworld.”

“No problem. I’ll be fine…and there’s my husband,” she smiled as Michael and Vince walked in.

“Be back in a few minutes,” Victoria said as they called Baxter and Celeste to join them.

When Victoria and Mik’kenna returned, Mik’kenna carefully chopped up the vegetables she was given. Victoria kept a close eye on her, worried about a finger getting sliced, but her daughter handled the knife readily, obviously having had a little training from her father.

Hannah arrived from the infirmary and set the table just as Zy’nayth walked in with Ky’nayth, Zachary, Becket, and Amelia.

After praying over the meal, the group listened as Becket explained what medical equipment they’d found in the facility which had just been discovered underground. “The First Science Commander had to tell me what most of the items were used for, but Victoria, you’re going to love what we get to play with. It’s a nice facility, at least what I can see. Not huge, but I imagine there are other areas we haven’t uncovered yet.”

“I can’t wait!”

“I need to figure out what can be moved here or if we should move our main facility there. Pros and cons to both. Mik’kenna,” Becket said, “will you be able to be my assistant the rest of the week? We’re going to let other team leaders get a look at what’s down there.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “We no do decorating today. We made list of stuff to fix. And Mommy showed me and Miss Holly ‘bout spices. And I got to use real knife to chop veggies. Mommy, is it ‘kay for me to be assistant?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Victoria said then turned to her husband, raising a single eyebrow, “She has amazing knife skills considering I haven’t shown her much.”

“I have shown our children a few knife skills. I felt it was a skill they needed.”

“Daddy not ‘pose to show us?” Mik’kenna asked confused.

“He knows I worry about you two with sharp objects,” Victoria said, “and I probably will even when you’re as old as me.”

“Was there much wrong with the guest suites?” Zy’nayth diverted the conversation.

“The bathrooms are going to be the biggest hurdle. Well, I need to talk to you about the Mythican showers because they don’t have tubs and the dryers don’t work. Other than that, lots of scrubbing needed and some plastering. So throughout the week, we’ll be scrubbing as our schedules allow. The plan is to get the everything ready to paint. Symone is going to send us ideas for flooring.”

“We ‘cided for same floors,” Mik’kenna said. “They want floor like ours but you too busy and ‘sides, this special present for Mommy.”

Victoria leaned over and kissed Zy’nayth’s cheek, “I love you, and I still love this floor.” Then she turned to her guests, “So, Zack, how was your day?”

“Intense,” he said, “but I think I did well. Dr. Burgeon and Col. Hagen didn’t say anything negative. But I’ll tell you what, I’m ready to collapse and I didn’t do half the hard work those guys did.”

“Just so you know,” Vince said, “John put his toughest team together to try you out. If you can get past those guys, you’ve done a pretty good job. They don’t put up with slackers. That’s why they’re all leaders of our off-world teams, except for the tech guys, but don’t mess with them, they’re scarier than my military team.”

“Chris is a team leader?” Zachary asked, “I mean, I know he’s third in line here, so to speak, but I thought he was part of the Alpha Team.”

“He is, but only because I won’t let him split off from the Alpha Team. That group works together too well to split up. But let’s not talk shop.”

“Uncle Vince,” Mik’kenna said, “where Frostie?”

“She’s with David.”

“I miss Frostie. I miss all the puppies. They so much fun to have ‘round. Celeste and Baxter miss them too.”

“I have to admit, having you and Ky’nayth watching over them while we work is very helpful, but all of us dog parents are chipping in and helping each other with taking care of them. Plus it gives the dogs a chance to play together.”

“Daddy, we need puppy place so all puppies can play together and have someone take them out. Soon as you fix planet, you make puppy place, kay?”

Celeste barked from the living room as if in agreement. Then Baxter barked and went running in and out of the dining room. Zy’nayth stood and headed towards the living room while tapping his comlink, obviously noticing or sensing something amiss, “Report.”

“Mystery ship decloaked, John’s bringing engines to full; shields are going up,” Kol’non said. “Our ships have cloaked.”

“First, you want the flagship or this one?”

“Up to you, sir.”

“Take the flagship. John, I am on my way.”

Zy’nayth disconnected, “Vince, that mystery ship has appeared. We should go.”

“Positioning to attack?” Vince asked, getting up, putting his napkin beside his plate.

“Unknown.” Zy’nayth looked at his family and guests, “I am sorry that we must tend to this. Hopefully it is nothing.”

“Keep us informed,” Victoria said, worried.

“I will.”

“Daddy, need me?” Ky’nayth began getting up from the table.

“Not this time. But if I do, I will send for you. For now, keep your mother and sister safe, please.”

“I will,” he said, giving his wife and children kisses before leaving with Vince.

“So do we worry?” Holly asked.

“No,” Becket said. “If he was the least bit concerned, he wouldn’t have given the First Commander the choice of ships. He would have been spouting orders.”

“Yet he left and took Vince with him,” Michael replied.

“Vince is the general of this Expedition and in charge of this ship,” Becket continued.

“You sure we shouldn’t worry?”

“Trust me, I’ve seen him when something isn’t right. He’s not worried.”

“But the dogs sense something,” Hannah said.

“The engines, most likely. They’re not used to that,” Victoria said. “They sensed the vibration, it unnerved them.”

“They fine now,” Mik’kenna said, “but baby puppies probably scared.”

At the end of December, after the new pups joined the family, Victoria had Zy’nayth program her comlink with a button that would contact anyone with a dog in case they needed to gather them for some reason. She tapped that code now. “Hey everyone, this is Victoria, the dogs are probably startled from the starting of the ship’s main engines. If you want, feel free to bring them to our quarters. Mik’kenna, Ky’nayth, Baxter, and Celeste will take care of them and ease their fears.”

“Victoria, thank you!” Julia was the first to reply, her voice unsteady. Victoria could imagine the older woman was panicked. “Brownie is frantic. I can’t catch her to put in her crate. She’s making messes everywhere.”

“Having the same problem with Boots and Vin’toz,” Janice replied.

“This is David, I’m watching the rest of the young pups, they’re frightened but Montie and Scout are calming them down. We’ll be fine.”

“Thanks David,” she said then let her children know about the frantic dogs.

“Mommy, I can catch puppies,” Mik’kenna said, “I ate all supper. May I go?”

“I don’t want you going alone.”

“I’ll go,” Zachary said, “I just finished.”

“Thank you, Zachary. But my husband would want…”

Becket set his napkin asked, “I’ll go with them.”

“…a warrior,” Victoria smiled. “No offense, but you’re a healer not a warrior.”

The door chimed and Ky’nayth ran to answer it. “Uncle Kaven, you warrior. You has take me and Sissy to help baby puppies!”

“Figured as much,” Kaven said, “Hero’s here to help, too. Victoria, we’re good. Your husband knows.”

“Zack, you can still help them. Little ones are hard to catch,” Victoria said then motioned to Becket, “you sit back down and finish your dinner.”

“I promise to ‘tect you, Sissy. I know Uncle Kaven do good job, but you my ‘sponsibility.”

“Thanks Bubby. We go to Aunt Julia first.”

They hurried to Pastor Jacob and Julia’s chambers. “No! No! Brownie, come here!” they heard as they neared the apartment. Kaven rang the door chime, “Come on in, watch for the dog! Brownie, girl, no!”

“Celeste, Baxter, get Brownie,” Mik’kenna said. “Kay? Be good and get Brownie.”

Victoria was never sure if the dogs could really understand the twins. She was sure that somehow their innate Rayth telepathic ability helped them project their wants and needs to the dogs without actually using telepathy. She did know that her husband could, but he told the twins not to because it could hurt the dogs since the twins didn’t know how to properly use the little ability they had.

The door opened and Celeste, Baxter, and Hero flew in, chasing Brownie who dashed past them then spun around, chased her own tail for a turn then ducked behind the sofa.

“Get her please,” Ky’nayth said, falling to his knees. “Come Brownie. Come girl. It’s ‘kay. No need to be scared. See, Baxter and Celeste no scared. It’s ‘kay.”

The puppy scurried around the sofa then tried to edge past Mik’kenna but Baxter was able to redirect the puppy to Ky’nayth who snatched her up. “It’s ‘kay, girl. Nothing to be ‘fraid. Nothing wrong. It ‘kay.” He petted the dog then Julia took the squirming pup and put her in her crate.

“I come back and help clean up mess,” Mik’kenna said, “I sorry she so scared.”

Julia sank into her chair and began to cry. “She scared me, she let out this high-pitched screeching howl then just ran and ran and ran, barking, howling…I didn’t know what to do, and I couldn’t catch her.” She let out a long sigh and wiped her tears, “Thank you, Ky, Kenna. She scared me. I’m fine, Kaven, just got myself all worked up,” she took the offered handkerchief.

“We need to help Janice, then we’ll be back,” Kaven said.

“You no worry ‘bout puppy messes. We help clean up. You take care of self,” Mik’kenna said, trying to play the role of a nurse. “No worry. We settle puppies down. We here to help. We be back in short time.”

Julia waved her off, “I can take care of this, I want you to take care of the pups.”

“We call when she calm down, then bring her back. Or you go to our place. We help clean up then all go to our place.”

“Thanks kids. And good to see you again, Zachary.”

At Janice’s chambers, as soon as the door opened, Boots then Vin’toz bolted out and down the hallway. Baxter, Celeste, and Hero ran after them, loving this new game.

Kaven stood, arms crossed, chatting with Janice as they watched the comical scene. Puppies darted here and there, adult dogs running after them, skidding to stops, nearly falling over each other, followed by two three-year-olds trying to control the situation. But the older dogs finally got the pups herded back towards the twins and Zachary. Zachary caught Boots while Ky’nayth threw himself down, blocking Vin’toz’s path while Mik’kenna was able to throw her arms around the puppy, catching her with a little help from Janice.

“Can you stay a few minutes and calm them down. It’ll be fine, I just need your special talent to calm them,” Janice said, “the dogs respond better to you than me.”

“No Uncle Vice Chancellor here?” Ky’nayth asked.

“He has an early morning meeting tomorrow and asked me to watch Vin’toz.”

After several minutes of petting, and snuggling with the puppies, and reassurances from the older dogs, Boots and Vin’toz went back to playing with their own toys.

“Thanks for coming to the rescue,” Janice said.

“Should one of you two stay the night?” Mik’kenna asked Celeste and Baxter but both dogs went to the door with Hero, their job done. “Call if they get scared again. I think they know it’s safe now,” Mik’kenna said.

Brownie had also settled now that the older dogs let them know there was nothing to worry about. Both kids, despite Julia’s efforts, said they were staying and cleaning up the mess. Even Zachary helped. Kaven made sure Julia didn’t try to scrub the floor and kept Brownie entertained.

“Oh!” Ky’nayth exclaimed in the middle of cleaning up a mess in the kitchen. “I call Mommy. She might be worried.” He tapped his comlink, “Mommy sorry not call sooner. We helping Aunt Julia clean up puppy messes. Puppies are ‘kay. We home soon.”

“Thank you for letting me know, and for helping Julia,” Victoria replied, knowing they were perfectly safe with Kaven.

***

“The ship has just entered the solar system,” Kol’non said from the bridge of the flagship.

“You sure you don’t want this chair?” John ask Zy’nayth referring to the command seat.

Zy’nayth shook his head and stood off to the side, purposely out of the viewscreen camera’s range, “Unless you do not think you are capable of flying this ship, I will remain here for now.”

“Yeah, you wish,” John grinned, then the main viewscreen came to life on the city-ship. Vince was standing next to John as the screen lit up with a brilliant white then settled on the form of a human man in some sort of blue-gray uniform. Though Vince didn’t recognize the uniform or insignia, behind him, Zy’nayth knew the symbols. He clenched his hands, something like a growl rose up in his throat.

“General Vince Cavanaugh, I presume from your uniform. I am General Karken’al Dubasi, of the Mythican flagship. We wish to speak to you and the High Chancellor of the Raythian Empire. We, however, cannot contact the flagship. I am hoping you are able. Our message is primarily for him.”

Zy’nayth walked into view, hands still in fists at his side, one eyebrow arched as his eyes bored into the camera, seemingly into the Mythican on the other side. “Indeed,” he said to the general, then to his ships, “Weapons lock on target. Fire on my command.”