In this chapter Ruby takes her 'alien children' for an educational tour of America that ends up with an accident having unforeseen consequences. Beverly's return with their Amph/Human children becomes news and the Cold Albatross has to 'Skeedaddle' from earth to avoid all the 'hoo-ha' and military paranoia.

 

SPACETRAN 8

Chapter 8.

The planned months of touring would probably have gone off without a hitch had not one of the two boys had a minor accident during a trek in the Grand Canyon. Like all boys he liked to test his abilities and he slipped and fell from a small cliff. Despite our strenuous efforts the boy had to be hospitalised and I was forced to accompany him to the hospital whilst Beverly cared for the remaining nineteen. It was a minor break to his wrist and we foresaw no complications so I was sitting quietly in the hospital waiting room expecting my son to return with his lower arm splinted up. After what seemed like ages, he reappeared in the corridor accompanied by several doctors and their expressions immediately caused me alarm.

“Mrs Ruby Danby?” Queried the most senior looking doctor whom I presumed to be the
casualty consultant.

“Yes.”

“Is this boy your son.”

“He most certainly is. Can’t you tell by just looking at him?”

“Indeed yes. Could I have a private word please?”

“What about?” I asked suspecting that all was not as it should be.

“Well it’s a little uhhm delicate.”

I frowned and followed him into his private office. He turned and smiled a sickly smile before offering me a seat.

“Uhhm, how did your boy injure himself?”

“He slipped on a narrow path in the Grand Canyon.”

“Well you understand that we always have to double check children’s injuries.”

“So?”

“Well I uhhm examined him quite thoroughly and was disturbed to discover his genital problems.”

A wave of sickening nausea swept over me. I had never inspected my son's amphibian reproductive system and I had no idea what the doctor was alluding to. Now I had a deathly suspicion and searched desperately for a way out. The trouble was I had no idea what the doctor had found. I decided that attack was the best form of defence.

“Are you telling me that you inspected my son’s genitalia without my permission?”

“I- Well it’s normal procedure with children’s injuries. In case there’s some evidence of
abuse.”
“Excuse me. Your own paramedics can confirm they picked up an injured boy at the bottom of a slippery rocky path. The injury was obviously caused by an accidental fall what possible excuse could you have for interfering with my sons’ privates. This sounds like another one of those medical abuse cases to me. I’ve a good mind to call my lawyers.”

“I- I’m sorry Mrs Danby. We intended no offence but I’m afraid I had to mention the circumstances.”

“And I suppose the gory details are all over the hospital by now. I bet it’s the subject of salacious gossip from here to Colorado already. Just look at those nurses staring at us. Whatever happened to medical confidentiality. If my boy’s got a problem with his reproductive organs I don’t see that it’s any business of yours. Your job is to set his wrist not spread tittle-
tattle and gossip. The problem is being attended by our own consultants back east and I’m afraid there’s very little they can do. I would have thought it was quite obvious that the deformities were congenital. Is there any evidence of physical abuse?”

“Well- I- no, I don’t suppose there is.”

“What d’you mean, ‘Suppose’!!!? Does the boy seem cowed or frightened in any way?”

“Well- no. In fact he seems a very alert, intelligent little boy.”

“Exactly. So why were you poking around his genitalia? Are you some sort of pervert?”

“I don’t think that’s called for!”

“I don’t know what’s called for. I’m quite sure the boy has described exactly what happened hasn’t he?”

“Um- yes.”

“And he gave an accurate articulate account.”

“Uh- yes, very articulate; in fact.”

“So why treat him with any less respect than you would treat an adult. If you had a problem like his would you like it bandied about all over the blasted hospital?”

“Well it’s just that it was so unusual.”

“And that gives you an excuse to go blabbing all over the place.”

“It wasn’t like that. The nurse discovered it and reported it to me.”

“So your blaming your nurses now. ‘Shit rolls downhill’ does it? Let some underling be the fall guy is it? I suppose you do that all the time.”

“I must protest! I think you must agree it’s an extremely rare condition.”

“Of course it’s a rare condition! I couldn’t agree more and that’s all the more reason for you to respect the child’s’ feelings. Who else knows about this?”

“Well there’s my registrar, and the casualty sister, the radiologist, the residents, the
internees-.“

“And Uncle Tom Cobbley and all!” I finished angrily.

He fell silent and I realised I had won a temporary reprieve. It simply remained to get my son out of there before the consultant recovered his composure. To this end I invented an important appointment back east.

“Is the boy fit to be released?” I demanded.

“Well- yes. I-“ He stammered.

“Good! I’ll thank you to sign the release forms because I’ve a plane to catch. And you’ll be hearing from my lawyers if any of this becomes public.”

We returned to the group ASAP and when Beverly learned of events she cursed as angrily as I had.

“And you had no idea that their reproductive organs were more amphibian than mammalian?”

“Well yes, you and Thlom mentioned it when they came but I’d never checked.. Though I’m angrier with myself for not having realised the danger when we took him to the hospital. We’ll have to get back to the cottage before this gets out. You know what doctors are like.”

Beverly shuddered and almost glanced furtively over her shoulder as a private, long buried memory shadowed her face. God alone knew what had just flickered through her tortured mind. The very mention of the word ‘doctor’ made her seize up with fear.
We broke camp immediately and made for the nearest airport as I organised a private jet on my mobile phone. This was one of the rare occasions when I was grateful for my wealth and reputation as a lesbian recluse. As we arrived at the private field the hired plane was already landing and we were airborne almost immediately.

My fears were justified for when we arrived at the cottage there was already a sheriff’s car waiting to meet us. He was our local sheriff and I knew him well.

“Evening Miss Danby.”

“Good evening Sheriff. What can I do for you?”

“I’m afraid we’ve had some disturbing reports from Arizona.”

“What about?”

“Some children you had as party guests.”

“Yes. Twenty of them they’re in the minibuses. With my friend.”

The sheriff entered my bus to confirm my words then returned to confront me. Yes Ms Danby. Whose children are they?”

“Mine and Ms Beverly’s. I openly declared.”

“What all twenty of them?”

“Yes- well ten of them anyway. The other ten are hers’.”

“But they’re all about the same age though they certainly have your looks!”

“Well of course they look like me, they’re mine aren’t they?”

He fell silent, suspicious of the circumstances but puzzled by my openness.

“Well they certainly couldn’t deny you, I didn’t know you had any children Ruby.”

“I live as a recluse Jack. When did you last come round my property to find out?”

Once again he was forced to confess he had been slightly remiss in his duties. The reason being that despite my fame and wealth I had brought none of the problems normally associated with a famous person living on a sheriff’s patch. In fact he was actually glad to have me around. Provided nothing sensational happened and my reclusive life followed a normal humdrum
existence he was happy enough to exchange a few pleasant words with me when I occasionally visited the store in town. He referred to some notes he was holding and glanced suspiciously at the children again.

“The hospital in Arizona was concerned about one of your um- boys.”

“I know all about that. If they’ve reported it to the police then they are in clear breach of medical confidentiality. I’ll bet that report is not a regular formal charge but an informal hotchpotch of innuendoes and suggestions.”

I could tell I was right for the sheriff fell quiet and scratched his head. As if on cue, a noisy convoy of press vans made itself heard. I realised things were getting out of hand so I invited the sheriff onto my property. He was a sensible, small town sheriff who had long forsaken the noisy city life. A raucous media circus was the last thing he wanted as a single man trying to uphold the law. The press were notorious for sensationalising everything so he swiftly accepted my offer and I opened the large metal gates as Beverly herded all the children into her bus and gunned through the open gap. The sheriff followed us and I swiftly closed the gates thus clearly marking the boundary of my property. He turned to face the spilling crowd of pressmen as Beverly turned to squeeze my hand.

“You stay with the sheriff while I get the kids back to the Albatross. I’ll be back soon so don’t be afraid.”

I kissed her desperately and stepped down from the bus as the yelling pressmen surged frantically against my gates. The sheriff had already drawn his pistol and stared nervously at the creaking latch. He motioned to me with a question in his eyes.

“What the hell’s all this about Ruby?”

“I’m not sure sheriff. I’m about to find out.”

So saying I faced the media. Inevitably the questions inundated me and it was several minutes before the sheriff could restore some sort of order. Those minutes were precious for as calm finally settled over the media I sensed that familiar eerie light. Beverly had saved the day and provided me with the best answer possible. Cold was hovering silently above us.

As one, all the cameras turned skywards whilst the sheriff holstered his gun and frowned at me.

“You lied to me Ruby.”

“I didn’t Jack. They really are my children. Well, ten of them anyway. The other ten are Beverly's and she's piloting that space ship."

The sheriff knew my story well. When I had bought up the surrounding properties and created a private retreat for myself he had made his acquaintance and I had told him everything in the strictest confidence. He had always respected that confidence and we had maintained an excellent relationship. By way of saying ‘thank you’ I had even built a small prosthesis factory in the county and provided work for the local citizenry. It had brought stability and security to the small town and the sheriff’s job had been made that much more secure and pleasanter. He was firmly on my side without any of the sleaze normally associated with ‘buying the sheriff’.

“What now Ruby? If that thing lands I won’t be able to hold this lot.”

“It’s not going to land sheriff. In fact I’m not sure what my friend is going to do. Let’s just wait and see.”

As I spoke the Cold Albatross silently descended until it was only a few feet above the sheriff and I. The cargo door slid back and Beverly appeared trying to restrain the curious children who had realised that we had been discovered.

“What d’you want to do Ruby?” She called loudly and clearly for the media’s benefit.

I glanced at the sheriff who was staring open mouthed at Beverly and the hovering craft.

“Well? Are you going to arrest me?” I asked Jack loudly for the media’s benefit.

He shook his head confusedly.

“Hell Ruby. This is bigger than I can handle. What the hell’s going on?”

I whispered a brief explanation and he gaped stupidly at me.

“What! You’re saying there’s two aliens aboard there now?”

“Yes.”

I called up to Beverly and she returned to the controls whilst Thlom and Dumia appeared in the doorway with a doughnut of children’s faces framing them. An explosion of flashlights startled them briefly before Thlom called down.

“Are you coming with us Ruby?”

“Not this time. There’s the anti-grav drive to sort out. Give my regards to Beverly and tell her I expect to see her soon. Tell her not to leave it so long next time. I want to see my children again.”

Dumia gave a wide smile as Thlom ordered the children to their seats. The door whispered shut and the Albatross silently departed. Within moments it was a dot then it was gone. The sheriff gave me a knowing grin and motioned to his car for a private chat. As I settled in the seat he gave a few brief words to the growing crowd before joining me.

“Well thank God the spaceship’s left. D’you feel like facing that lot?”

“I’ll have to unless you want to arrest me.”

“I’ve no intention of that. You haven’t committed a crime as far as I know."

“What about the ‘illegal aliens’?”

“If they’re your children then they’re U.S. Citizens. They ain’t aliens.” He reasoned with a disarming logic that took semantics to a new level.

“What about Thlom and Dumia?”

“As I recall, I didn’t actually see them ‘land’ in the U.S.” He smiled knowingly.

I grinned at his helpful deviousness.

“And Beverly’s children?”

“Beverly! Beverly! She’s a citizen of Earth ain’t she? She’s got a right to land on Earth.” He finished easily having expanded his earlier logic with a beautifully elegant, legal extrapolation.

I thumped him on the arm affectionately and he smiled as he recognised my clear message of gratitude. The least I could do for him was face the press and I stepped outside as the gates creaked with strain. I was quietly glad that only the press seemed to be around. No military or FBI figures seemed to be creeping about.

In half an hour I had related the basic facts then I made my excuses and retreated to my cottage. I had some E-mail to send to Switzerland concerning the anti-grav drive and it behoved me to get it away before any government agents tried to prevent me. As it was they appeared within hours of my having sent the gen and seemed quite antagonistic until I showed them the copy of the agreement that the British Naval captain and I had hammered out with the international community in Switzerland. There, clearly visible was the U.S. signatory. All the information and knowledge about anti-grav propulsion was to be disseminated and shared. Nevertheless, despite my having stuck to the narrowest letter of the international law, there were still some agents who felt I had somehow committed treason. It took the local sheriff all his authority to finally remove them from my cottage and he returned later that evening to share a well-earned supper.

“Jeez Ruby! Don’t do that to me again. The town’s alive with agents, reporters, cranks and all bloody sorts.”

“Sorry sheriff. I didn’t foresee what such a minor accident to a single little boy could result in such a circus.”

“I’ve had to put two of my deputies on permanent patrol of your boundary. The whole world and his dog are out there. For God’s sake go and give them a proper press conference and let’s get the whole bloody thing finished with.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow and I’ll pay for the deputies overtime.”

“Thanks. I’ll give you an escort at about ten, is that OK?”

“Fine by me. See you tomorrow.”

I spent the whole of the following day giving press releases and interviews until darkness fell and I made my weary way home. I was aghast to find the whole perimeter of my estate virtually surrounded by cameras except for a few loyal neighbours, including Jack Johnson the sheriff,who had foregone the huge bribes. There was no way Cold Albatross 2 was going to get back
without being spotted. The only chance Beverly had was to get in and out before the hysterical masses detected her then broke every trespass law to invade my property.

To this end, I painted a huge cross on my roof with an arrow to my highest attic window. Despite it being seen by hundreds of persistent helicopters, I hoped she would be ‘in and out’ before they could respond.

Beverly remained true to her word. Weeks later as the intense curiosity was getting to me I received a ‘coded’ E-mail advising me of the time and place. She arrived dead on cue and I hastily flung my luggage through the cargo door and clambered aboard just as the waiting helicopters came clattering into view. Even so it was a narrow escape and one of the helicopters crashed as it’s rotor got too close to the hovering Albatross and crumpled itself on the super-tough titanium covered warp ring. It only fell a few feet and the sheriff was waiting to charge the occupants with trespass as they crawled from the wreckage. From the cargo door I waved my thanks to him before it slithered shut and we warped away just as the inevitable squadron of F-16’s tried to tail us.

Beverly grinned and deliberately loitered like a wounded bird to emphasis their impotence. Suddenly a reddish flame erupted under the wing of the leading aircraft. To my chagrined astonishment I realised the first aircraft had actually fired a missile at us.

Beverly cursed angrily then slammed the levers and warped away to disappear from their screens. She turned to me with the familiar angry white spots on her cheekbones as the moon whizzed past.

“See! That’s bloody Earthmen for you! They’ll never learn. I have rescued their spacemen, I have given them the biotechnology, I have given them anti-gravity drive and I have never shown or done a single aggressive act but they still bloody shoot at me. What sort of pigs are they?”

I had to admit it made me feel guilty being an American. I fell silent as the huge bulk of Jupiter and it’s moons fell astern and we streaked away to the outer planets. In her fury Beverly forgot to warn me and I suddenly felt a retching nauseous sickness empty my guts as the stars flashed blue for an instant before disappearing from sight. She had warped as soon as it was possible and we were already on our way to see the children. This time she was travelling with all the stops out and I could feel The Cold Albatross actually shaking as unimaginable and immeasurable forces were harnessed to speed our journey.

“We’ve got a night to ourselves and we’ll be there by morning.”

It amused me that she still related to ‘night and day’ in the infinitely vast blackness ofspace. ‘But then,’ I concluded, ‘what other points of reference did she have?’

Eventually we ‘levelled out’ and Beverly uncoiled from the pilot seat. She visibly shuddered as her anger finally subsided. She had obviously vented her spleen by thrashing her faithful little craft through the boundaries of reality. Gently I grasped her hands and whispered.

“Can the Albatross take that sort of punishment?”

She studied me through nervous tearful eyes before speaking.

“She’ll never betray me and I hope you don’t either.”

I was stuck for words. I desperately wanted her but I also wanted to live on Earth. After the last hostile ‘farewell’ however, it seemed we would never be able to return.

“What are we to do?” I whispered.

“Let’s sleep on it.”

Thus encouraged I nodded towards her bedroom and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You go first please. I’ll join you.” She suggested.

Eagerly I slipped into her room and stripped naked in anticipation before burrowing under her duvet. Suddenly Beverly switched off the gravity and I found myself unexpectedly floating
with the duvet tangled around me.

The thrill of sex without gravity sent a nervous tingle through my body as Beverly drifted through the door and started to strip as I watched. Within minutes we were floating in an erotic twosome as our weightlessness caused our bodies to touch tantalisingly then drift provocatively apart. As a form of foreplay it surpassed anything I had ever experienced and it excited both of us to see our full ripe breasts regain their youthful teen-aged buoyancy. The novelty accelerated our appetites and soon our urgent clutches forced our bodies together as we consummated our needs. I literally hooked myself onto Beverly’s desperately hard organ and we drifted off into ecstasy both literally and figuratively.

Strangely after completing the act it was difficult to relax without gravity and Beverly slowly increased the power until we settled gently on the bed. Once we were comfortable she curled up once more with my nipple gently held between her lips. I felt a tingle of pleasure flutter down to my loins but she was already asleep. In the low gravity it was no discomfort to squash together with her head resting lightly on my breasts like a nursing child.

We awoke in the same position and I felt her curious fingers gently exploring my other nipple as her tongue delicately rasped the covered one. The sensation made me shudder with delight and I gasped as my groin dampened. In response I gently fingered her own stiff little strawberries and she squeaked softly as I felt her penis stiffen and twitch appreciatively. Within moments we were locked together and eagerly indulging ourselves again whilst savouring the reduced gravity as our turgid nipples lovingly fenced with each other.

Eventually we satiated our passions and duty required Beverly to attend to her navigation. I prepared a light brunch while she brought us to the amphs’ planet and I met the familiar reception committee. In addition to the ‘ambassadorial’ ship and the two accompanying patrol craft I also saw the familiar shape of Cold Albatross 3 and I presumed Thlom was at the helm. The thought of my children brought an unexpected tug at my heart-strings and my mothering instincts warmed my heart. Fortunately Thlom had finally managed to persuade Beverly to get some communications fitted to Albatross 2 so we arranged to meet in the ambassadorial ship and enjoyed a splendid family reunion before going planet-side.

There a veritable mansion had been prepared and I indulged myself like an eighteenth century lady with my family around me. The next few months proved idyllic. I also met each of my children’s different genetic fathers and was persuaded to part with some more of my eggs. I also discovered why Beverly’s children were all the same colouring. The genetic engineers had not had the same success with her sperm as with my eggs and her sperm had only been used successfully in conjunction with same batch of eggs. All of Beverly’s children were full blood brother and sisters and I was not surprised to learn that Dumia was their mother.
After a month upon the planet during which time our relationship had blossomed, Beverly approached me nervously. She wondered if we could make our relationship permanent and I was quite taken aback by her turn-around. Under Amph law there was no such thing as marriage since the overcrowding crisis and strangely Beverly wanted to make our relationship legal. Once again her insecurity was surfacing to affect her life. When I pressed her I was surprised to learn that she was angry about never having existed legally as an adult. No social security number, no tax coding, no health number, nothing.

“It’s as though I never existed on Earth- a ‘none-person’.” She muttered sadly.

“Oh you exist Beverly. Believe me you exist.” I smiled. “Everybody on Earth knows that you exist!”

“Yes but I could never go back there. They could put me away again and nobody would
ever know I existed.”

“Don’t worry Bev, they know you exist. If only because the doctors, politicians and judges have been exposed for what they did to you. They’re all either in prison or out of office now. I’ll be there to protect you as well.”

I added the last bit to encourage her to return. I desperately wanted her as my permanent partner and I desperately wanted to live on Earth. She sat staring at the floor as the options were weighed carefully in her brain.

“Will there be a safe place where I can go?”

“Of course there are. Some cities have even got gay areas where any gender disphorics can move about with safety. Anyway you’d ‘pass’ at a beauty contest. Nobody would ever read you.”

“Ghettos! — Gay ghettos.” Observed Beverly ignoring my compliments.

“No!” I argued impatiently. “They’re whole areas, several blocks wide where gays and trannies live and move about with impunity. Clubs, restaurants, apartment blocks, offices, just about everything. The whole area is known as an LGBT area.”

“L.G.B.T., what’s that?”

“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered. It more or less covers all aspects of alternative sexualities. Even the police are friendly. I’ve got a splendid city apartment in New York although I must confess 'I’ve hardly stayed there more than a few times. Your old country England is even more liberal I’m told.”

“I’ve seen gays and transvestites beaten up and killed by the police in Brazil and China.” Beverly Countered.

“How?” When?” I demanded.

“Recently. I’ve been returning quite frequently since we escaped with the children.

It wasn’t safe to visit you because of all the watchers but it’s easy to visit remote parts of the planet.”

“Well maybe you have. I can’t speak for the less developed countries but the advanced countries have come long way.”

I could see her weakening and it was obvious she was missing Earth. After a painfully long silence she nodded imperceptibly.

“OK then, I’ll come back but I’ll go and visit some other acquaintances before I expose myself to those idiots with their jets.”

“What d’you mean?”

“There’s other races out there Ruby. Races that are just as beholden to me for giving them anti-grav as my friends the amphs. There are a million favours I can call in. They are much more aggressive peoples and they have much more advanced weapons. The amphs are a peaceful race they don’t even have weapons.”

“These other races; where are they? Can I meet them?”

“If you wish. It’ll have to be in Cold Albatross 2 though. They might not recognise Albatross 3 and they might take a pot shot at us as we re-materialise. They’ve got their own star systems well sown up and they’re itching to reach out to other stars.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?”

“Of course. They’re just like Earthmen. That’s why I keep them at arm’s length.”

I shook my head sadly.

We returned to Sol to fix the base point for the next voyage then Beverly redirected the Albatross 2 towards a remote galaxy some several million light years away. I studied the navigational hologram and wondered what this new race would be like. Beverly’s nervousness was infectious and we made no attempts at lovemaking during the passage. Our fears proved groundless. The supposedly warlike race welcomed us openly and we arrived on their home world to a rapturous reception.
As a typically dominant race, these people enjoyed all the classic fears of dominancy. Having achieved that primordial dominance by the ordinary tribal mechanisms of confrontation and conquest they inevitably carried a historical burden of racial paranoia. They were still puzzled as to why Beverly carried no protection for her frail craft so they swiftly set to work. Within a few weeks Albatross 2 was sporting a protective shield device and some fearsome looking weapons that resembled a sort of ray gun. We departed to their outer planets and held a few brief ‘firing practices’ before parting on excellent terms with promises to return soon.

The return journey was a much more relaxed affair and we indulged our sexual needs to the maximum. Once behind the moon we debated our strategy and once again found the old ‘aircraft-carrier equation’ to be the least risky. The Spanish Navy had a ship equipped with harriers so that seemed the best option. It simply remained to find it. We eventually did so in The Mediterranean Sea quietly minding it’s own business and not actively launching any aircraft.