Chapter 6

Grasche loved the tall lithe blonde girl from the next dimension. They spent hours and hours talking about life on Glemma, life on Angelene, and the heroic actions of her son and his family on Roogedet. That was Rela Vey’s favorite subject. Especially that of the kittens and how they saved her from the vile lizard being. Grasche asked her, point blank, how she felt about the kittens, Carl, and the family in general.

“We have a feeling of love that we women share on Glemma. It is hard to explain in your words. Maliope and Welsche tell me of fondness, the feeling that two beings share, bringing their spiritual selves together as one. That is probably the best way to explain it. I have that feeling with the kitties, Tippi and Tappi, also with Carl, somehow, even though he is not the female, and I feel it with Jackie and Helen, as well. I am, with way too much speed, also becoming deeply involved with the others. Debbie and Stephanie are dear to me now, and Princess Maliope and Welsche are in my mind constantly as well. I think, as the English and Angelene words and phrasing are explained, that I love them all and hold them in the highest of regard and ultimate fondness.”

Grasche hugged her, kissed her cheeks, and told her, knowing Manowil was walking up behind Rela, “Welcome home, Rela Vey. We’re glad you’re here.” Manowil wrapped her up from behind and the two older Angelene matriarchs held her, pouring a sense of wellbeing through the alien woman and making her, too, glad she was there.

At Manowil’s request, the Glemman-Angelene relationship was hyper expanded and became an inter-dimensional political alliance, the likes of which, when openly admitted to, will outshine any other in existence. It would be even closer than that of Earth and Angelene within the Federation of Similar Societies. Since it was yet still a closely held activity, the only Sol Earthling that was aware was William. He understood the risks of it being public knowledge, though, and kept it closely held. Jackie now considered herself an Angelene, as did the Angelene governments consider her so.

Technology flowed one way, resources the other, both trade directions being a boon to the recipients. Glemma and Roogedet both had large quantities of metals and other substances the Angelenes craved. The Hummingbird was able, small amounts at a time, to transport them home. The design and building of spacecraft, along with the education of the people selected to be the ones flying them, provided by Angelene engineers and manufacturers, was crucial to Glemma maintaining their safety and security. They had the equipment in most cases to make the parts and such, but just needed to know what to make and how it fit together to create craft capable of spaceflight.

It was possible, with a bit of research and engineering, to enable communication between the dimensions, allowing Lona Lan and her staff to communicate with Helen and the Angelene leadership. That was extended to the United States command authority at the request of the president. It was a very highly classified operation, though, and only a few people who absolutely needed to know the capability existed knew of it. If the channel was initiated and used, it didn’t indicate the source of the communication, though, only that a message was supposed to be passed to the proper authorities. The operators knew enough to know it was important, or it wouldn’t have been used at all.

With Glemman men settling, colonizing, on Roogedet, whether with the few female Glemman prisoners that opted to stay behind to be with them, or the other aliens the lizards kidnapped and confined, there was a way to keep an eye out and make sure that the lizard people knew they were being watched. They were full well aware that a force greater than theirs would put them down if they tried the same barbaric tactics again outside their little enclave.

They could be as barbaric as they desired, among themselves, and continued to do so, but not off the continent they were taken to. There was still a disparity between the genders, too, and the lizard women were not considered equal, or even worthy, but it seemed that chaining them was no longer practiced. A plus in anyone’s book.

It was six months along, Rela had learned English, and in return taught the crew, along with Grasche and Manowil, how to communicate in the Glemman language. Using the man machine interface, the absorption of the language was complete, to the extent of Rela’s vast knowledge, and deeply understood and comprehended.

Carl knew it would happen, and he was leery, even very frightened, by the thought of something going wrong, but Manowil and his mother convinced him to take them to meet Lona Lan in person. He would, if they insisted, but wanted his cherished Angelene spouse to stay behind with Welsche, just in case. The queen and his mother both chided him for being overprotective, but when William demanded to go along, not wanting to bear the thought of being without his own wife, just in case, they understood they were facing some risk. This was not like a walk in the park across the street from the capitol building. All space travel was taken on with some risk, but inter-dimensional travel was in its infancy. He reminded his parents, and their girlfriend, that this was all based on an accident. That helped it sink in.

The meeting went better than planned. Everyone was able to communicate without translators. One might think that would have made Rela feel a bit underutilized, but she was directing the wait staff, making sure everything was perfect for her new family’s meeting with Leader Lona Lan, and instead felt important, and appreciated. Every being enjoys that feeling. When Carl kissed her and thanked her for her efforts, it did not go unnoticed by the Glemman leader.

“Will you be life bonded with my former translator, then, Master Carl?”

“We wish to do that. Is there a special ceremony we must undertake by Glemman customs in order to make her our spouse? Our mate? If so, we may have a problem. When we join, it is our custom that all spouses join in unity. I do not want to take the risk of having both the Angelene Queen and the Crown Princess on an inter-dimensional excursion at the same time. We still know far too little about it to feel completely safe.

“We’ll need our Goddess’s High Priestess in attendance as well, since there is an offering and partaking that is part of our ceremony. Lona Lan, we would also like you to witness our joining, in addition to accepting your blessing for the action, should you be so inclined to visit our world, Angelene Major, and our planet, Angelene proper.”

“I’d like nothing more. I’m not asking you to guarantee our safety, as that is not feasible, but myself and my aide will attend if you will allow me time, maybe fifteen of our days, to prepare and notify our seconds that we will be gone for a few of our days. Will we be there for that long, I hope? I’d like to get to know more about your people and see your lives in progress.”

“We will enjoy your company and have plenty of room for both you and Thayna.”

“Grand. We do have a ceremony here, but I will witness yours and document it as the ceremony of choice. We are under a partnership now, and we should accept that sort of thing. It is unprecedented, but setting a precedent, if you will, needs to be done at some point in time. There is always a first, if there is to be second and following actions. Seeing my niece wed a good family, even if a man is involved, will make me happy. Her mother would be proud.” She smiled at Rela, noting the look on Carl’s and his family’s faces at the news that they were related. “Remember, this is a democratic society. She is not of royalty, although her mother was a hero of our people in war and will always be remembered as such. I took her in as my own daughter, made sure she was properly educated, and used her for my own selfish purposes.” She laughed. “I needed a child and to see someone do well in the world. I made myself happy with her success. Selfishness put to good use.”

Everyone laughed. Rela went to Lona Lan for a hug, then went back to stand behind Carl, her hand on his shoulder and Jackie’s hand on hers.

“We’ll be back in two weeks’ time, about fourteen of your days, Leader Lan. Then I will take you to witness your niece being whisked away, in immeasurable fondness and love, to a new life, but one that still includes your world if you will have us.”

“That, Master Carl, sounds wonderful.”

On the trip back through the seam and on to Angelene, Manowil made the point of declaring that a partnership of the two worlds, even though separated by a dimensional transit, could not have been a better thing to do. Rational, reasonable, intelligent people were hard to find and should be cherished when it happens.

Just before reaching Angelene, they were hailed by Admiral Prelowil Thresche and the Stiletto. She requested a meeting at the manor. It would be just her and her second in command only, and it was imperative it happen as soon as possible. As it was, the little ship landed at the manor just as one a hundred times as large loomed overhead hovering while a shuttle brought the two women down. Brigadier General Patricia Maxwell was her second in command and accompanied her on their arrival.

Once the meeting was called, with all of Carl’s family, Grasche, Manowil, William, and the two flag officers from the Stiletto, Prelowil got the ball rolling.

“Patty, tell them what we intercepted.”

“Debbie’s replacement, our cryptologist, thought she was intercepting and decrypting a communication from a violent species out beyond the Tallookian world. In fact, when she brought it to me, it was from the energy company Volient, the big one, and Sol Reactor Products, who used to be number two, but with the venture of the third and fourth, the ones you, Carl, sold the new fuel rights to, they are now way back in the pack in the overall scheme of things. The gist of the message is that they want to find the creator of the new fuel, the Strontanized Rubidium Incentrazide Nitroloxene, now referred to as SRIN, and relieve him of his ownership, thereby nullifying the agreements and taking it for themselves.”

“Wow. Bold,” Carl said.

“An Angelene company benefited from that sale, Carl. This will not bode well with my people. Not a bit. I’m afraid there will be a couple of companies that are a bit out of their league here. It would be considered an act of hostility toward our enclave, considering our world security and political impacts such an action would cause.”

“They have friends, Carl,” Prelowil said. “They reference having their contacts in a system on the other side of Sol Earth help to take you out and thought they would be able to afford the endeavor, especially since the new fuel is bringing in billions of credits each month.”

“Did they mention the name of the system and was it by chance Zenor?”

“That sounds like what we heard the lieutenant say, Carl,” Patricia said.

“Well, I have friends there, too, and for a price, and without a sealed contract, the Zenorians will switch sides in a heartbeat. I don’t have that kind of money. Close, but not quite that much. They’re pretty mercenary, unless, like I said, a contract is in place. Helen, Jackie, help me think this through. Stephanie, Debbie, any ideas?”

“Trade that benefits them. Is there anything you can give that the energy company can’t?” Stephanie offered.

“Not really. Anything I can afford to do, they can...” Jackie interrupted me.

“The miners. The ones you told me to go ahead and work with while you were chasing lizards. They despise Volient and won’t lift a finger to help any of their allies. Volient tried to void a mining claim on an outlying meteor field and they had to spend a fortune in security and tribunal fees getting the courts to keep the claim from being overturned and provided to Volient on a silver platter. They cheat, is what the one manager I work with on Brill told me. Do you think you can broker a deal between the Brillian miners and the Zenorians? What do Zenorians treasure? That Volient can’t offer them, I mean.”

“Zinc. Silver. Lead. Especially zinc and silver. Their planets, both of them, are damp and overrun with salt air. Kind of like the northeast and northwest coasts of the United states. Wet and salty. Rusty. Volient specializes in none of those. They are after titanium, gold, platinum, and the heavy metals used in radioactive fuel engineering.”

“Well, there you go,” Stephanie said. “Prel, do you think you can venture over there under the guise of a patrol and tell someone they are about to start a war they’ll lose, or be able to galvanize half their planet? Those basically are the choices.”

“Here, take this.” Manowil spoke into a voice capture device. “Ah hmmm. ‘As queen of all Angelene and overseer of the safety and security of our worlds, I hereby request that you do not attempt to take any action which would void or violate the contracts already in place with respect to the fuel SRIN, already licensed and in production. Any attempt to do so affects the lives and wellbeing of Angelene citizens and will cause us to react accordingly. Please see reason. We are not a people seeking conflict but will ensure trouble finds those who threaten our peoples. This is the voice of Manowil Schren, Queen of Angelene Major and the Angelene Enclaves.’ I have forwarded it to you, Stephanie. Send that to your friend Prelowil, daughter dear, so that she can deliver it to the administration of these Zenorian people. Do it after you let them know there is a benefit to them by not doing it, and you’ll have twice the reasoning behind it. At least they will have been warned. I don’t want our Space Command to have this yet until we get a fix on what is happening.”

Prelowil looked at her. “Thank you, my Queen. I’m sure this will help. I’m going to stop and ask President Nelson to do the same. He will have the same issues, as Volient will drive the prices up and financially ruin the merged company that Carl sold it to. The Tallookians as well. The merger affects them just as deeply, since Grand Energy is involved. This is big for both the Federation and for the US. Volient be damned.”

“Valid point. A high-ranking Federation official lost his career and his entire reputation screwing with us on this before. Maybe we can head this off. Plus, if Volient gets away with this, and the other two are out of the way, they’ll monopolize the industry. An industry the military is reliant on, and gouge the hell out of everyone. Not good,” Maliope shared, letting them all know a bit of the history of the last big fuel creation. Helen had shown her the breakdown of the entire process and how Dr. Fred and Carl had been cheated out of the entire project.

Debbie got a bit off track and made a comment that would have gotten her thrown in the brig, had she still been a US Space Force asset assigned to the Federation. “Prel, don’t forget to send the president our best wishes. Give him a kiss from us. Us girls, anyway. Not Carl. I’m sure you’re the best one of us to do that.” She grinned at the admiral.

She was then chased down the hallway in the mansion and spanked by the same admiral while the rest of the people in attendance were laughing. The kitchen staff even stopped to look down the hallway, grinning and shaking their heads at the melee happening before them.