GALACTIC MARSHAL - Book II
by Hilltopper
GALACTIC MARSHAL II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 1
So, here I am in the hospital again with Mary. This time, though, I am awaiting word on the birth of our child. Boy, I never believed I would say that. It has been a crazy eight months since I received word of Mary’s pregnancy. I thought back to that fateful day.
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“What do you mean married, we aren’t even engaged.”
The doctor looked stunned and then recognition registered on her face.
“Oh, that’s right, you’re not from here are you?”
I glared at Carol.
“Not hardly.”
Carol grimaced and turned to the doctor.
“She is not completely familiar with our customs. I’ll fill her in.”
The doctor looked relieved and left.
“OK, Carol, what am I missing?”
“What the good doctor was trying to tell you is that Mary is pregnant.”
“Shit!”
“Most definitely shit.”
She got an angry look.
“Since I know that Mary has not undergone an ova fusion, this can only mean one thing. Care to explain?”
“Uh, I think I need to go see Mary.”
“I think we will both go and see Mary.”
We walked to Mary’s room and went in. She was awake but appeared groggy.
“Hi, the doctor says you will heal fine.”
She smiled and held out her hand. I took it and bent down to kiss her.
“The doctor said something else.”
After a nice kiss, she smiled big.
“Yes, I sort of knew it but wasn’t sure. How do you feel about it?”
I laughed.
“Uh, shocked but pleased. I don’t think Carol here is though.”
Mary noticed Carol for the first time.
“Oh, hi Carol.”
Carol smiled in spite of herself. She walked over and took Mary’s other hand.
“I am so glad you are all right. You gave us quite a worry. We will sort out the other thing when you are better.”
She patted Mary’s hand, looked at me, shook her head then left the room. Mary laughed.
“I think that is the first time I have seen her almost speechless.”
“Yeah, it is quite a shock.”
“Well, she is the one that sent me off planet. Therefore, she is the one that will have to answer for the consequences.”
“We only did what comes naturally.”
Mary smiled weakly.
“Naturally where you come from but certainly not here. I am sure she will manage to hush things up. How long can you stay on Fledora?”
I looked hurt then grinned.
“You don’t think I’m going to leave you now, do you?”
“What about your job?”
“Don’t worry, I’m temporarily taking your position and have also been assigned as marshal for this planet.”
“OK, but have you looked at your self lately?”
I grimaced.
“I know, I know! The council won’t let me stay unless I am female. I am not going to say it is easy, but I will do what ever it takes to be with you. After all, we’re parents.”
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Yeah, that sure changed my life. Mary went home a few days later and I assumed the job of acting chief of detectives. I guess it was about two weeks later when I went on that trip to Basteria.
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“Mary, I have got to go to Basteria. Do you want to come with me?”
Mary was pensive for a minute.
“No, I’m still recovering. Besides, you need to sort things out with Linda.”
“Yes, it has been hard on her I am sure.”
I hugged and kissed Mary.
“I’ll let you know if I’m going to be held over.”
I went to the office, informed everyone where I was headed, and then walked down to the garage. My driver, Bree, was waiting for me.
“Well, let’s go to Basteria. Maybe we can get back here before dark.”
“Sure, boss.”
I wish she wouldn’t call me that. Oh, well. I had heard that Linda was running the Midnight End. Karen’s body had never shown up so I was not sure what Linda’s thinking was at this stage. It was a long drive to Basteria but it gave me time to think. That was either good or bad. We arrived at the Midnight End just after noon. I walked in and let my eyes adjust. The bartender noticed me and forced a smile.
“I would say welcome back, Gina, but I guess that’s not who you really are, is it?”
I was not going to give an inch here. I looked hard back to her.
“It’s Chief of Detectives Jonnie Harper to you. Is Linda around?”
I saw the shocked look on her face. She just pointed to the office that I was very familiar with. I knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
I walked in and Linda looked up at me.
“I wondered when you would show up. How’s Mary?”
“She’s doing fine. I’m taking her place for a while.
I tapped the badge on my belt. She nodded and stared a minute.
“You’ve not dealing with it either, are you?”
Tears came to my eyes and then erupted into a sob.
“No”
She stood up and took my hand.
“Come on, we need to go back there.”
She led me through her rear door and we walked out of town. We didn’t say anything. I think we both were trying hard not to break down. When we reached the clearing, I spotted the mine shaft. It was obvious that a lot of activity had taken place. Linda saw where I was looking.
“We never found anything, you know. I don’t really know what to think.”
I just nodded and we continued on to the falls. We sat down on our favorite rocks.
“I figured you would be back to your male marshal self by now.”
I laughed.
“Me too! There has been a complication.”
Linda raised an eyebrow.
“Go on.”
“OK, I might as well tell you. Mary is pregnant.”
“Whoa! Not by ova fusion I would guess.”
I turned very red.
“Uh, no.”
Linda laughed hard.
“So, by Fledoran law, you two are married.”
“Yep”
“Oh my, that is a complication. I guess you are stuck as female, huh?”
I sighed.
“They won’t let me stay otherwise.”
“Figures! So, it happens again.”
She noticed tears forming in my eyes.
“Oh, Jonnie, I feel so terrible. What have we done?”
“It wasn’t your fault what happened to Karen. She just snapped. You did what you had to do. I, too, wish things had been different. I never really got to know my sister and now, she’s gone.”
I couldn’t help it. I broke down completely. Linda followed suite. She recovered first.
“This sucks! Karen is missing, Mary is pregnant, and you are stuck as female.”
“Well, when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad.”
Linda laughed.
“You idiot! What now?”
“I stick around doing Mary’s job until she has the baby. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.”
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Linda continued to be a good friend. The months flew by. The council was amazingly quiet about everything. They did establish a research facility on their moon and brought James Cooper in to oversee it. They even allowed him to come to the capital to discuss things. Of course, he was not allowed to mingle with the populace. Things were changing but very slowly. I didn’t want to make waves until the baby came. After that, I wanted them to follow through on the referendum to change their laws. I really think the people are ready for it. My musing was interrupted when Carol walked in.
“Hello, Jonnie. So, the time has come.”
“Yes, we should hear something anytime.”
Carol looked serious a minute and then shook her head.
“You really know how to shake things up.”
I smiled wickedly.
“Yep, been doing it since I was born.”
She saddened.
“We have done a number on you. I am sorry. Hopefully, when this is over, the council will see the light.”
I nodded.
“Mary did nothing wrong. She and I only did the natural thing. If you allow your people to do the same, this planet will be better for it.”
“Maybe, but it will take special males such as yourself to make it work. Our superior bodies will undoubtedly intimidate most men.”
“Yeah, I guess you are right.”
Further conversation was stopped as the doctor came into the room. She looked very pale. Spotting Carol and I, she walked over to us and sat down in a chair beside us. I thought the worst.
“Is Mary and the baby OK?”
She nodded and then sat back.
“I’m sorry, it was just such a shock.”
Carol and I looked at each other. This doctor was making no sense. Carol found her voice first.
“If they’re OK, what is the problem?”
The doctor looked hard at Carol and then sagged down.
“It’s a boy!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 2
I had a big grin on my face but, now, Carol looked just as shocked as the doctor. She shook her head.
“That can’t be!”
I glared at her.
“And why not?”
“Boys are not born here!”
“I was!”
Carol nodded and then shouted.
“I can’t believe it’s happening again.”
She turned to me.
“I promise that what happened to you will not happen to your child. After all, you are a Fledoran citizen.”
I just stared at her a minute and then stood up.
“Doctor, can I see them?”
“Sure, follow me.”
We went to the delivery room and I went over to Mary.
“Hi”
“Hi yourself.”
I hugged her and put a kiss on her lips. She pointed to the baby.
“Meet our son.”
“That has a nice ring to it. Of course, the council will be furious but Carol seems to be on our side.”
Mary reddened with anger.
“They better not try what was done to you. We are both Fledoran citizens and the law is on our side.”
“Well, we’ll worry about that later. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I should be able to go home tomorrow.”
I turned to the baby and held his hand.
“Great! What about a name?”
She laughed.
“Uh, boy names are not really our thing.”
“I guess not.”
“You name him.”
“OK, how about Raylan Eugene?”
“Sounds good but you need to explain.”
“Well, Raylan was a famous marshal relative in Kentucky and Eugene was my grandfather’s name.”
Mary smiled.
“Then that’s his name.”
I thought a minute and realized I wasn’t sure about last names on Fledora.
“That’s great but Raylan Eugene what?”
She looked puzzled a second and then realized why I was confused.
“It is customary to use the last name of the birth mother unless the child was lab grown. In that case, either can be used. I think that, since this is the first boy born to Fledoran parents, we should use your last name.”
I beamed with pleasure.
“Raylan Eugene Harper!”
Mary grinned.
“I thought you would like that.”
Carol knocked and walked in.
“How are you holding up, Mary? I guess this was a shock.”
“No, not at all. Some of us are not closed minded.”
I guess that hit home because Carol grimaced.
“Just so you know, I’m on your side. It will be a hard sell to the council as a whole, however.”
“All I am thinking about now is little Raylan and Jonnie.”
Carol nodded.
“That is as it should be. I’ll let you rest and will be in touch when the council wants a meeting.”
With that, Carol left. I smiled at Mary.
“Don’t worry, things will work out.”
Mary and Raylan went home the next morning. We had our hands full since neither of us knew a thing about babies. Fortunately, a nanny was assigned to us. About two weeks later, we got a call from Carol.
“Hello, Carol, what’s up?”
“The council has been discussing your situation and they want a meeting with you and Jonnie in the morning.”
“I was expecting it. OK, what time?”
“Be here at 10 AM.”
“Alright, see you then.”
I was not happy.
“Are you sure you are ready for this? We could try and delay it?”
Mary shook her head.
“No, let’s get this over with. “
The next morning, we left Raylan with the nanny and drove to the council building. We walked into the council chambers and were announced. Carol greeted us but the other members were rather stoic.
“I’m glad you both could come to us today. We certainly have an unusual problem. The good news is that, since you both are Fledoran citizens, so is the baby. The bad news is that, by Fledoran law, no male can live on this planet. Of course, at the same time, no citizen can be forced to leave the planet. Thus, we have us a situation.”
One of the other members spoke up.
“This would never have happened if Mary had not gone off planet.”
Carol looked annoyed.
“We have already gone over that. What was done, is done.”
“Yes, yes, but I can only see one solution. The baby must be raised as a girl.”
I wasn’t going to let that stand.
“Oh no you don’t, little Raylan is a boy and no one is going to do to him what has been done to me.”
Another member joined in.
“That has no bearing on this. The law is clear; no male can live here.”
“I live here! Just because you changed my appearance doesn’t automatically make me female.”
Carol interceded as things were getting heated.
“Look, right now our laws forbid a male to live here. However, we have a referendum coming up within 6 months that may change that. Gender means little during the first 6 months of a baby’s life. I suggest that we table this until we see what happens to the referendum.”
All parties reluctantly agreed. Mary and I left the chambers and headed to the hovercraft.
“Jonnie, you were great in there.”
I smiled and took Mary’s hand.
“I just want our child to have a life of his choosing; not the council’s or ours. I never got that chance and I will do anything to see that Raylan does.”
After a couple more weeks, Mary decided that she was ready to go back to work. I gladly relinquished my position. Since there really was not anything for a marshal to do on Fledora, I called Sam to report that my mission here was completed.
“Well, John, we sure need your help. We have a fugitive that has eluded three attempts to catch him. I’d like you to meet up with George Brett here at HQ and try another attempt.”
“OK, I should be able to leave tomorrow. Uh, certain things have to be done to allow me to leave.”
Sam laughed.
“I don’t want to know, just report to my office when you get here.”
“Sure thing.”
I rang off and went over to Mary.
“Do you think I could get a lift tomorrow? I need that pod thingy.”
Mary grinned.
“Tired of being a woman?”
“Let’s not go there. I just must be myself for my marshal duties.”
Mary looked pensive for a minute.
“We may have a little problem there.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“What kind of problem?”
“Well, you are now officially a Fledoran citizen. You can only undergo what I did when they sent me to Broadskye.”
That was unexpected.
“You mean, looking like a man but still physically a woman?”
Mary nodded sadly.
“I’m afraid so.”
“That’s just great!”
Mary held me.
“When we get that law changed, every thing will be OK. Please just try to endure for now.”
I smirked.
“I better stay away from George then. This could get embarrassing.”
I left the next morning and the pod did its thing. When I got off the ship at HQ, I looked like my old self but there was a hidden difference that I would just as soon no body knew about. I went to Sam’s office. Sam came right to the point.
“You and George are going to have to go under cover to catch this guy. Hopefully, it won’t take long. You will be out of touch until then. He’s thought to be in your home turf; the Daniel Boone National Forest.”
“You do know that I have a kid now?”
“So I’ve heard. Look, I’m sorry to do this to you. I will keep Mary informed the best I can.”
“Yeah, OK, let’s get on with it.”
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I went back to my position as chief of detectives. I had missed it greatly. At the same time, I wanted to be with little Raylan. I guess career women everywhere have this came conflict. I was lucky in that our nanny was great with Raylan and he seemed to take to her. I, also, was missing Jonnie. Sam had called and told me that she could not contact me. Apparently, she was deep under cover. I hoped that the gender problem was not going to cause Jonnie anguish. Hopefully, we can get things sorted soon. Living as half man and half woman was bound to be conflicting. At the same time, Jonnie was conflicted when it came to gender. What a mess the old council had caused.
I was sitting at my desk when I was told that my nanny was on the vid and was hysterical.
“What’s the matter, Lynne?”
“Oh, Miss Mary, he’s gone!”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s Raylan. He’s missing!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 3
The guy we were after had gone into a national forest in Kentucky; my old stomping ground. There was no way a 100 marshals could ferret him out if he did not want to come. The only way to find him was for us to go into the forest as if on a camping trip.
We headed toward a little used primitive campground I knew about. It sounded like just the place this guy would hide in. It took us two days to hike to it. George kicked back against a log after our camp was set up.
“John, this is my idea of work.”
I laughed.
“I have to agree. There’s a lake over that way a peace. You want to try fishing?”
George looked horrified and then grinned.
“No thanks, you go ahead. I’ll tend the camp.”
I just shook my head. Grabbing my fishing tackle, I headed toward the lake. It was only about an hours walk. I figured that fish frying was a good way to lure our fugitive out into the open. He was probably living on a limited diet. After a couple of hours fishing, I thought that I saw someone watching from the trees. It could be our man. I had already caught a good string so I went back to camp. George hadn’t moved.
“Still tending the camp, I see.”
“Yep, alls well.”
I threw him the fish.
“Make yourself useful. I’ll get a fire started.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I glared at him.
“That’s not funny.”
“OK, OK, I’ll start cleaning them.”
I didn’t tell him about seeing someone. The guy could be listening, trying to figure us out. I don’t know what the smell of the frying fish was doing to the stranger, but it sure was making me hungry. We had just started eating it when a man walked into our camp carrying a rifle. I didn’t have to look too hard to know that he was our fugitive. He sniffed the air.
“That fish really smells good. You got extra?”
I smiled up at him.
“Sure, have a seat. You back packing?”
“No, just getting away from things for a while.”
“Don’t blame you.”
He sat down and started eating as well. He didn’t put down his rifle, though. We knew he was a tough cookie so we played it cool.
“Are you two married?”
I jerked my head up.
“What?!”
“Sorry, you two make a good couple is all.”
I thought George was going to explode or pass out.
“When I was married, my wife would never go on camping trips like this.”
He turned to George.
“You are a lucky man.”
George couldn’t take it any longer. He lunged at the man. Seeing this, I grabbed for his rifle. I guess he was too stunned to fight. We subdued him quickly. Rather than being angry, he grinned big.
“I have to hand it to the marshal service, sending in a couple completely fooled me.”
George flared up again.
“We are not a couple. I am not gay.”
The guy looked blankly at George.
“We are both guys!”
“Nope”
“Oh for gods sake, John, drop your pants and show him.”
This conversation was going from bad to worse.
“Uh, I think I will pass on that.”
The guy just smirked. George stood up angrily and walked over to his back pack. He pulled out a sat phone and called in a hovercraft to pick us up. He never looked at me or said a word until we were on the shuttle going back to HQ. Our prisoner had been delivered to the local police. Looking warily at me, he shook his head.
“You’re still female, aren’t you?”
I nodded and shrugged.
“They wouldn’t change me back all the way because of my Fledoran citizenship.”
“Damn, this is messed up. I warned you when that assignment first came up. What are you going to do?”
“What can I do? My wife and son are back there.”
“Damn!”
We said nothing else to each other until we docked. Upon exiting the shuttle, George held out his hand.
“When you sort this thing out, give me a call but don’t expect me to visit you there.”
He was smiling so I guessed he had come to terms with it.
“I will. I think the situation will change in my favor before long. Thanks for being a friend.”
We shook hands. Just then, a messenger appeared.
“Marshal Harper, you need to report in ASAP.” I quickly went to Sam’s office. The door was open so I walked in.
“John, go to dock 12. Fledora has sent a ship for you. Apparently, your son is missing.”
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I rushed home with a squad. We searched the whole area but found nothing. Lynne said that she had only left Raylan in his crib for a few minutes. When she returned, he was gone. She neither saw nor heard anything. I was beside myself. We put out an all points but really had nothing to go on. It was like Raylan had vanished into thin air. I so wanted Jonnie here now but I could not contact her. I had told Sam what had happened and sent a ship to wait for Jonnie. Sam assured me that, as soon as Jonnie checked in, he would send her to us. I went back to my office to wait for some word. I tried to hold it together but could not. Later that afternoon, I received a message that Linda Sanders was on her way to see me. A few minutes later, she walked into the office.
“Sorry, Linda, but things are messed up right now.”
I broke down again and Linda rushed over to me.
“Oh, Linda, little Raylan is gone.”
Linda hugged me tight.
“I think maybe that is what has brought me here.”
I raised my head and looked into her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“About an hour ago, this message was given to me. It was apparently left on the bar at The Midnight End. No one saw who left it.”
She handed me a glossy sheet of paper. I looked at it in horror.
‘If you want your kid back, come to Prowhiness post haste.’
It was signed ‘The Alliance’.
“What the hell is Prowhiness?”
“I heard Karen talk about it once. It’s a planet outside the Planetopolis that is known to be a black market trader.”
“OK, then who is the Alliance?”
“I can’t help you there.”
“This makes no sense! Why would they want me there?”
“I don’t know. Have you got any leads?”
I shook my head.
“Not a thing. No one saw anything and there is no evidence at all.”
Linda nodded and stood up.
“Then we go to Prowhiness.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?”
“You have no authority in that place and neither does the marshal service. They asked for you! What other choice do you have?”
“Yes, I agree that my only option is to follow their instructions but that still does not answer my question. What do you mean ‘we’?”
“I know a lot of people that may help us and, besides, there is no way I will let you go without me!”
We got permission from the council to take a Fledoran ship but only as far as Broadskye. After that, we were on our own. Linda said that she knew someone that might fly us to Prowhiness. She seemed to be a lot more worldly than I thought. I guess during her time with Karen that she had made a lot of contacts.
When we arrived at Broadskye, Linda contacted the person who she thought would pilot us to Prowhiness. She said that he was a smuggler but was not wanted by the marshal service as far as she knew. He met us in a public market. Even though he knew Linda, I don’t think he really trusted her or, maybe, it was just Karen he did not trust. After entering the market, Linda spotted our pilot.
“Hey, Jeff, it’s been a while.”
He looked on a minute and then behind us.
“Where’s Karen?”
“She’s not with us.”
“That crazy bitch almost killed me once. Why do you need a pilot?”
“My friend’s baby was kidnapped and a note said for us to go to Prowhiness. That’s all we know.”
“Hmm, that actually sounds like something Karen would do.”
“Karen’s dead.”
Jeff shook his head.
“That’s hard to believe. OK, I owe you one. Get your stuff. I only went there once and, to tell you the truth, that was enough. I’ll drop you there but I’m not staying.”
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When I arrived at the Fledoran spaceport, Carol had a hovercraft waiting for me. I was taken directly to Carol’s office in the council building. I really hated this damn mini dress they required. As I walked into her officer, she stood up.
“Oh, Jonnie, I’m so sorry. A note was left.”
She handed it to me.
“Mary and Linda Sanders have already left to go there. We did not know how long it would be before you surfaced.”
“You mean you let them go alone?”
“I couldn’t stop them. All I could do was fly them to Broadskye. The last we heard, a friend of Linda’s was flying them to that planet Prowhiness.”
“Shit! OK, I’m going after them.”
Carol shook her head.
“The council has decided to stand pat and wait to hear from Mary. Right now, this is a personal matter and we have done all we can do.”
“Fine!”
I stomped out and went to Mary’s office. I contacted Sam to see what he could do. I was not hopeful.
“Hi Sam, they have taken my son to a planet called Prowhiness. Mary has gone after him. I need to go there.”
“Prowhiness huh! That planet is way beyond our territory. There is nothing the marshal service can do except have a squad on alert. We can’t go there and neither can you.”
“That is not an option!”
“I’m sorry, John, but we can’t issue you a ship.”
“Yeah, I know but I had to ask anyway. I have to go. It’s my wife and son! I’ll figure out a way even as a private citizen. ”
Sam nodded.
“Good luck. Keep us informed.”
With that, he signed off. Great, now what? I sat down to think. Where could I get a ship here? I was at my whit’s end when a call came in. It was from James Cooper.
“Hi, Coop.”
“I heard what happened. I want to help. You changed my life.”
“Thanks, but I am out of ideas.”
“Come up here. I might have an answer.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I rushed over to the shuttle park and rode up to the moon base. After James greeted me, he walked me to the main hanger. Setting there was a magnificent ship!
“What do you think?”
“Wow, I didn’t know you were this far along.”
“Well, it’s kind of a secret. The ships not fully functional but it’s yours if you want it.”
“I didn’t think the council was going to approve of my request.”
“Uh, who said any thing about the council. I said the ship is yours as long as you take me with you.”
I stared at him a few seconds then grinned.
“OK, let’s do it!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 4
As we were approaching Prowhiness, Jeff turned to me.
“I guess I ought to give you a warning about a rumor I heard about this place.”
“OK, what kind of rumor?”
“Well, it sounds crazy but the rumor is that there is an alien presence here.”
I was stunned.
“You mean like an alien intelligence?”
“Yeah”
“That is crazy. Humans have been out in the galaxy for hundreds of years and we have found no evidence of any other civilization.”
“I know, but it’s what I hear.”
I just shook my head.
“Where are you going to land?”
“The other time I was here, I received a signal and was guided in. They seem to know who you are in advance. So, I guess we will wait in orbit and see what happens.”
Linda and I went back to the galley to wait.
“Mary, do you have any ideas as to what we should do when we land?”
“I suspect that we will be met. If not, we play it by ear. Some one wants me here. Why, I don’t know.”
“Do you think it could be Karen’s doing like Jeff suggested?”
“That seems unlikely. As far as we know, Karen is dead.”
“That’s just it, we don’t really know for sure because no body was found.”
I did not want to go there.
“Let’s not borrow trouble. I am sure we will find out soon enough.”
A couple of hours later, Jeff came back to us.
“I just got the signal. They are guiding us in.”
We went to the command center and strapped in. Jeff took us out of orbit and followed the guidance signal. I was surprised when I looked out the ship’s window to see----well, nothing! The area we seemed to be landing in was the most desolate piece of real estate I had ever seen. There was absolutely nothing there.
“Jeff, this doesn’t look right.”
He nodded.
“I don’t know what to say. This is where the beacon has guided us to. Stand by to land.”
After landing, Jeff announced that the air was fine but the temperature was close to the freezing point of water. Plus, there were no buildings, trees, or anything; just bare earth and rocks. I looked over at him.
“You aren’t going to leave us here, are you?”
“I’ll hang around for a bit. I will not stay long, however. This is not a safe place to be.”
We waited for an hour or more and still nothing. We had not been contacted and no one had shown up.
“Linda, the only thing I know to do is go outside and look around.”
“Look at what?”
“I know, I know, but I don’t know what else to do.”
Jeff stood up.
“Look, I’ll stay in orbit as long as I can. If you have trouble or just want to leave, contact me.”
“OK, thanks.”
Linda and I got our things and put on heavier clothing. We were not used to cold temperatures since Fledora has a very warm climate. We walked about 200 meters from the ship and sat down on some rocks. Within a few minutes, Jeff took off.
“Well, he meant what he said. I don’t guess I blame him. It’s not his problem.”
Linda nodded.
“What ever happened the other time he was here scared him to death. He would not tell me what it was. I don’t blame him for leaving either. I’m just glad he brought us. At least, I think I’m glad.”
I laughed.
“I know what you mean. I’m getting a little worried myself.”
We had sat here for almost an hour and I was really starting to get cold. Suddenly, we heard a loud bang. I turned around and was surprised to see a small shuttle craft setting about 60 meters behind us.
“Where did that come from?”
Linda looked concerned.
“It had to have been there already.”
“You mean, like, invisible or something.”
“Or something.”
We hesitantly walked toward the ship. When we were about 10 meters away, a hatch opened. No one came out.
“Do we go in or what?”
I knew we had no choice.
“We go in.”
Entering the shuttle, I was immediately sure of one thing. This was a very foreign looking ship. It was small; too small. Where was the engine? We found 2 seats but little else. Linda turned to me.
“Well, what now?”
“I guess we sit down and wait.”
We sat down in the seats and a launch harness automatically enveloped us. A few seconds later, the ship took off. We headed away from Prowhiness toward-----well, once again, nothing. Linda turned to me.
“I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“Yeah, a shuttle can’t go far. This planet doesn’t appear to have a moon and we are definitely heading away.”
A few minutes later, a ship appeared in front of us out of no where. What a ship is was!
“You were right about that bad feeling. That ship is as alien as can be.”
Linda shook her head.
“Alien is the key word. I think we have just entered our worst nightmare!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coop took me on a tour of the ship. It was obviously designed for one purpose; laser defense. The engines were twice the size as would normally be used in this type ship. I don’t know much about lasers but this one looked mean.
“This is my pride and joy. I learned a lot working on Broadskye’s laser. The one on this ship has twice the power and half the size. Plus, the ship is very fast and nimble. There is not a ship in the galaxy that can touch it.”
If Coop’s head got any bigger, it would explode.
“It sure looks awesome to me. Has it been tested?”
“Yep, we have tested it extensively. The engines are another matter. We, of course, must launch to do that. It was supposed to happen next month.”
“Oh, great! I guess we have no choice. You said that the ship was not fully functional. What doesn’t work?”
“Oh, nothing real important. Communications are limited and the living quarters are not finished. The medical pod is to be installed in two weeks but hibernation is functional.”
“Wait a minute! How am I going to change back to my male self without the pod?”
Coop looked sheepish.
“Uh, you’re not.”
This was not good news. I just shook my head.
“That’s going to make things complicated.”
“Well, you’re not going as a marshal, so what does it matter? You’re still as strong if not stronger as a Fledoran female.”
“Yeah, but I was hoping to talk George Brett into going with us. This will definitely throw him off.”
Coop laughed.
“You’ll manage. You better go down and get your things together. We can launch tonight if you want.”
“The sooner, the better!’
I went back to Mary’s and packed some things. While there, I got a call from Carol.
“How are you doing, Jonnie? I heard that you went to the moon.”
“Yeah, James Cooper invited me up. He knew that I was devastated. He has been a good friend.”
“I know he has. He has also been a great asset to us. Just sit tight. As soon as we get some word from Mary, I’ll contact you.”
“OK, thank you.”
I signed off then. I hoped that she was not suspicious of my trip to the moon. She definitely will be when I go back tonight. I figured that I better wait a bit to leave. We will probably have to launch as soon as I arrive at the base. The council will have no way to stop us taking the ship once I’m up there. I half expected to be stopped but I had no trouble getting on a shuttle. Once I arrived at the base, I hurried over to Coop’s office.
“I’m glad you made it. I got an interesting call from Carol Givens. She as much as ordered me not to help you.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t. This will go hard on you and I haven’t really ruled them out concerning the kidnapping of my son. I would not put anything past them.”
Coop shook his head.
“We’ve already been through that. Come on, let’s board.”
There as a call waiting for me when I got on the ship. I, of course, ignored it. We powered up and launched without difficulty.
“Where to?”
“Head to Earth. I still want to get George on board with us.”
“OK, get in the chamber while I set things up.”
When we arrived in orbit, I contacted George.
“Hey George.”
“Who’s this?”
“It’s John Harper.”
“You got a cold or something?”
“Or something. Have you heard about my dilemma?”
“Yeah, that’s tough. Have you any leads?”
“Well, Mary and Linda Sanders took off following a note’s instructions. They apparently have gone to a planet called Prowhiness. Coop and I are going after them. I will not rest until I get my son back safe. We would like you to join us.”
“What’s Sam say about this?”
“He told me not to go. So, I’m going as a private citizen.”
“Sounds like my kind of adventure. Where are you?”
“We’re in orbit about Earth. We have a shuttle on board. We’ll pick you up at dock 12.”
“A shuttle? What kind of ship have you got?”
I laughed.
“You’ll see.”
We sent the shuttle after George. I had decided that it would be better if I met George after we left Earth. When he arrived at our ship, Coop met him.
“Hey George, are you ready?”
“Sure, where’s John?”
“He’s already in a hibernation chamber. We’re launching as soon as you are as well.”
“OK, lead the way. This sure is one whale of a ship.”
Since Mary had flown to Broadskye, we decided to start our search there. Once we arrived in orbit, I exited my pod. I made sure that George and Coop were already in the galley. I tried to wear the least feminine thing I had but, on Fledora, that was still not manly at all. I had on a knee length green dress with boots. Fledora just didn’t care for pants. When I walked into the galley, George’s jaw dropped to the floor.
“What the -----!”
“We don’t have a medical pod on the ship, so, I’m stuck like this.”
“Shit! You should have warned me!”
“Would you have come if I had?”
George sighed.
“I don’t know. This is awkward.”
I laughed.
“You should be on this side of things.”
“No thanks! OK, I told you I could deal with it but couldn’t you wear pants?”
“I don’t have any. Fledora doesn’t go in for them. Maybe I can get some when we go down to Broadskye.”
“That would help. Alright, about this ship.”
“It’s an experimental laser ship Coop was building on the moon of Fledora. It’s a honey!”
“I can see that. What does the Fledoran government think about you flying this.”
“I’m sure they will see the light eventually.”
“That’s what I thought, you stole it.”
“Let’s just say we borrowed it for this mission.”
George laughed.
“OK, I’m in. You said laser ship, am I right?”
“Yep, we’re loaded for bear.”
“I think I remember that Coop here was building one on Broadskye. Didn’t you need thulium for that?”
Coop nodded.
“Yes, Fledora suspended all exports of thulium so we could use it for our weapon.”
“I guess that hasn’t gone over well. Aren’t you the only source of any quantity?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
That was a surprise to me. I turned to Coop.
“Do you think that would have anything to do with the kidnapping of my son?”
Coop nodded again.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”
“Does the council know that?”
“I should think so.”
That brought my anger to the surface. I made a quick call to Carol.
“Jonnie, what do you think you are doing. Bring our ship back right now!”
“You didn’t tell me everything. For instance, does thulium ring a bell with you?”
Carol paused and then sighed heavily.
“You’re right. The council has received veiled threats concerning our stopping of exports. We hoped the kidnapping of your son was not related but I think now that was a false hope.”
She paused again in deep thought.
“OK, OK, you win. Yes, we have been discussing that fact. If that’s the way you want it, you are now commander of the Fledoran military.”
That caught me completely by surprise.
“What Fledoran military?”
“Who’s with you?”
“Coop and Marshal George Brett but he is here as a private citizen like me.”
“Then that’s the Fledoran military.”
“Oh, great! Thanks a lot! Alright, we will carry on, now with the authority of the council. Our next stop, Broadskye!”
Galactic Marshal
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 5
When the ship arrived in orbit around Broadskye, we met in the galley to ponder our next move.
“I have a contact with the police on Broadskye named Josh Randall. What say I contact him to see if he can help us?”
George was still a little shaky about my appearance.
“Uh, when you were with him last, weren’t you male?”
“Yeah, I was but he knew I had come from Fledora.”
“I know that too but seeing is different than knowing.”
I thought about that.
“OK, why don’t you contact him and explain things.”
So, George went to the command center to talk with Josh. I turned to Coop.
“Do you want to go down with us?”
“No, I better stay with the ship. There are still a lot of things that need adjusting. We have been lucky that everything has worked so far.”
“I guess you’re right.”
George came back a few minutes later.
“Josh is OK with everything. He’ll meet us at the spaceport.”
George gave me a smirk.
“He seemed rather amused by your situation.”
“Hmm, well, nothing for it.”
We went to the shuttle. I still had on my green dress. I sure wish I had some pants now. Arriving at the spaceport, we spotted Josh by his police car.
“So, uh, Jonnie, is it? You look nice. As a matter of fact, more than nice.”
I blushed a bright red. I did not like the way he was looking at me. George guffawed. I gave him a glare.
“Come on, I’ll take you to my office.”
We rode in silence. Entering his office, we all sat down.
“OK, I understand that your son has been kidnapped and you are trailing someone that has gone after him.”
“Not just anyone, my wife and a good friend from Fledora.”
“Right! What leads do you have?”
“A note was left telling Mary to go to a planet called Prowhiness. Linda, the woman traveling with her, knew a pilot here that, apparently, flew them there. All I know is that his name if Jeff and he is a known smuggler.”
“Let me do some checking.”
He left the office. George had been quiet.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I just wish you were your self. This is going to be tough enough as it is.”
This was getting old.
“I know my being female is going to cause a few problems, but there is nothing I can do about it.”
“Yeah”
A few minutes later, Josh walked back in with a big smile.
“I found him. He was interrogated a couple of days ago when he arrived back here. He did not admit anything.”
“I see. Can we have a crack at him?”
“Why not? I’ve got his address.”
We all left in Josh’s police car. Jeff lived in a pretty seedy part of town. I guess smuggling wasn’t paying too well. Josh knocked on his door and, when he opened it, showed him his badge.
“I’ve already talked to the police. I don’t know anything.”
Josh pushed his way in.
“We know you took two women to Prowhiness.”
He pointed to me.
“One of them, Mary, is her wife. Jonnie here is a marshal.”
Jeff looked at me in shock.
“Wife?”
“We’re from Fledora. Only women live there.”
“Right, I’ve heard about that place. OK, yeah, I took them there. We received a signal that guided us to a spot. I left them there and returned here. End of Story.”
My anger flashed. I grabbed him by the shirt.
“What do you mean ‘left them there’.”
“Shit, you’re strong. That’s all I know, honest. Mary went outside with Linda to wait. I launched into orbit. I told them that I would pick them up if they wanted. They never called so, after a few hours, I left. That is not a good place to hang around for long.”
I was not satisfied at all. I pushed him against the wall.
“So, you just left them there knowing they could be in trouble.”
“Hey, I told them it was a bad place and that I was only going to drop them and leave. They seemed fine with that.”
I could see that pushing that point wasn’t going to gain me anything.
“OK, can you take us to where you left them?”
“Not a chance. We were guided in by a beacon. I would never be able to find the spot besides, it’s not a good idea to go there uninvited. I’m never going back!”
“You said that it was a bad place. What did you mean?”
Jeff paled and clammed up. It was obvious that he was too scared to tell us more. We left and headed back to Josh’s office.
“Well, Josh, What do you make of him?”
“I think he told us all he knows or can tell us.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Back at the office, I felt like we had hit a dead end.
“Josh, what do you know about that planet?”
“Not much. I know there is a thriving black market. There is also a very exclusive resort. From what I have heard, anything goes.”
“Do you have any idea why they would want Mary or my son there?”
“I have not a clue. I guess you are planning to go there, am I right?”
“We have no choice. That is where Mary and Linda went!”
“OK, I have an idea. Let me talk to someone I know. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
“I suppose we can wait. It’s not like we have a plan.”
“Good!”
George and I left Josh’s office.
“Where to now?”
“Well, George, how about I buy some pants.”
George brightened.
“Great idea!”
I bought several pairs of pants and some maleish shirts. With my female figure, there was no way that I would look male but it, at least, helped George cope. We took our shuttle back up to the ship. Coop met us.
“How did it go?”
I was not in a good mood and it showed.
“Lousy! All we know is that Mary and Linda did go to Prowhiness but nothing else.”
“OK, so, what do we do?”
“Josh Randall seems to have a plan. We will find out tomorrow. How’s the ship?”
“It’s fine. The engines are temperamental but I can keep them in line.”
I laughed.
“It sounds like teenagers.”
Coop laughed as well.
“Well, there are some similarities.”
We just lounged around the rest of the day and then went to bed. I slept very fitfully. Both Raylan and Mary were now missing. This was almost too much. Only my marshal training kept me going. The next morning, we were eating breakfast when Josh called.
“OK, John---er, Jonnie, it’s all set.”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“What’s all set?”
“I was pretty sure that a business man I knew had gone to that resort on Prowhiness. He agreed with me that it was the only way you could go there with any chance of finding information. He gave me a contact and a reference. It was a cinch! You and George are booked in for tomorrow. Coop is listed as your pilot, so he will have to remain on the ship.”
“Wow, that is great news! Have you got the coordinates?”
“No need! When you get there, they will guide you in.”
“That sounds familiar. OK, we will get ready.”
“Uh, there is something you should be aware of.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, it’s an exclusive resort. So, George is booked in as a prominent business man named George Jones and you as his mistress.”
Shit! I looked over at George. He was pale as a ghost.
“What name am I listed as?”
Josh shook his head.
“No name; just ‘mistress’. You can sort that out when you get there.”
“OK, Josh, thanks---I think.”
He laughed.
“Good luck!”
I signed off and looked back at George. He had his head in his hands. Suddenly, he stood up and started pacing.
“John, I don’t think I can do it. This is too much to ask!”
I nodded.
“Your right, George. I don’t like it either. We will take you back to HQ and then Coop and I will go to Prowhiness. We will just have to take our chances.”
George stopped pacing and looked hard at me.
“You are my best friend and we have been through hell and back. No, take us to Prowhiness.”
He sighed.
“I’m going to my cabin and sulk.”
George left and I sagged back in my seat.
“This is crazy. George shouldn’t have to do this. It is really going to be hard on him.”
Coop shook his head.
“Actually, I think he will be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
That brought my head up!
“What do you mean?”
“Well, George likes girls, right?”
I laughed.
“Yeah, he is quite the womanizer.”
“And you are female.”
“At the moment.”
“So, he will be going to an exclusive resort with a beautiful woman. That is exactly what he would want. You, on the other hand, don’t have any attraction to men, am I right?”
I made a face.
“That is for sure.”
“When you get into your role, George will quickly start relating to you as a woman and like it. George will still be George and you will be the one with the problem.”
This stunned me but Coop was right. I was scared to death. I haven’t really let myself think about what was going to happen. I had never been with a man and had absolutely no desire to do so. Knowing George, things could get out of hand. Thankfully, I still had my strength. Hopefully, George would be able to hold his hormones in check.
“God, what a mess!”
I just sat brooding until Coop tapped me on the shoulder.
“I think we should hibernate overnight so we will arrive at Prowhiness in the morning.”
”That sounds good to me.”
So, we went into the chambers. The next thing I knew, Coop was opening my door.
“We’re almost there. I guess we better be prepared. I don’t know when we will receive the signal.”
“OK”
We went to the galley to eat. George was in a better mood now. I figured we would get called pretty soon after entering orbit. When I finished eating, I got up and turned to George.
“Are you sure you’re OK with this?”
He nodded.
“Yeah, hopefully we will make contact quickly.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’m going to get ready.”
“You look OK to me.”
I laughed.
“George, I am listed as your mistress. That means I need to look the part.”
“Oh”
I went to my cabin. Yeah, I needed to look the part; in other words, sexy. Of course, Fledoran dress certainly lends itself to that. I picked out a lavender mini-dress with matching heels. I really hated wearing high heels but I figured it would be expected. After dressing, I got out my makeup kit. I didn’t like makeup and rarely wore it. But, once again, it would be expected for a ‘mistress’. I sat down and went to work. It involved mascara, eye liner, foundation, eye shading, blush, and lipstick. I put them on heavier than normal. Finishing, I stoop up and looked in the mirror. I had to admit, if I was a single man looking for a beautiful woman to date, I would certainly go with me. I left my room and headed back to the galley. When I entered, George looked up. His eyes practically burst from their sockets.
“Holy shit!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 6
“George, put your eyes back in your head and your tongue back in your mouth.”
“Sorry, it’s just----------you’re a woman! Holy shit!”
I looked over at Coop. He shrugged his shoulders and gave me an ‘I told you so’ look.”
“We already know that.”
“I know but-----you’re really a woman!”
“Oh, for gods sake, get a grip! I have to look like this for our trip to Prowhiness. I can’t wear pants and look like a mistress.”
“Yeah, I just didn’t think it would be so real.”
I rolled my eyes.
“George, we are acting out a part so we can make contact with some one that can help us find Mary. That is all this is.”
Just then an alarm went off. Coop jumped up.
“That is probably our signal. Be right back.”
He hurried into the command center.
“George, you better spruce up some and grab your things. We will more than likely be leaving soon.”
George still looked dazed.
“Yeah, OK.”
He left as Coop came back.
“That was the signal. They want you to start down in the shuttle within the hour.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. George has gone to get his grip.”
Coop looked at me hard.
“You be careful down there. The situation is going to be new to you.”
I laughed.
“I’ll have my protector.”
“That’s what I am worried about.”
George walked back in. I picked up my bag.
“Don’t worry, Coop, we will stay in touch.”
George and I went to the shuttle and buckled in.
“I can’t call you John down there. What name should I use?”
“You mean besides ‘mistress’.
George blushed deeply.
“Sorry, I know this is hard. I guess I’ll go with the name I used while undercover in Basteria, Gina Coleman.”
“That makes sense.”
Coop came on line.
“I’ve programmed the shuttle to follow their signal. Just sit back and relax.”
The shuttle left the ship with a rush and we were on our way down. It took about 20 minutes to arrive at the resort. The place was amazing. It was on the shore of a very blue lake. Everything was immaculate. After landing, we were met by a beautiful girl.
“Welcome, Mister Jones. Please follow me.”
George put his arm around me and we walked to the registration desk. I was completely ignored. Another gorgeous girl greeted George.
“Good morning, Mister Jones. Welcome to Prowhiness. What is your friend’s name?”
George pointed to me.
“This is Gina Coleman.”
She wrote down my name but did not acknowledge me. She handed George an envelope.
“This is your information packet. It should answer all your questions. Cindy will take you up to your suite. Enjoy your stay.”
We once again followed ‘Cindy’ as she led us to our accommodations. It was, to say the least, luxurious.
“If you need anything, just push the button by the vid.”
She smiled big and left without even looking at me.
“Wow, this is great!”
“Yeah, if you’re a man. They didn’t act as if I was a person.”
“Aw, don’t take it hard, I know you’re a man. Besides, what’s not to like here; a great room and beautiful women.”
I laughed.
“George, you have a one track mind. But you’re right. Everyone here is gorgeous.”
He looked at me slyly.
“Including you.”
I gave him a look.
“Just remember who I am and why we are here.”
“Don’t worry, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while we’re waiting.”
I went to the bathroom. When I came out, George was looking at a sheet of paper.
“This must be our itinerary. Looks like it’s lunch on the veranda and then a beach party.”
“Lunch sounds good but I’m not sure about the beach.”
We found the veranda with no trouble. The food was fabulous. The only downside was the constant ogling I was receiving. I was not used to that and didn’t like it one bit. From George’s expressions, he didn’t like it much either. After eating, we went back up to our room. George was excited.
“Well, how about the beach party?”
“No thanks! I don’t have a bathing suit anyway.”
“Let’s try that button. Cindy said ‘anything’. Beside, it might look suspicious if we didn’t attend the party.”
I sighed.
“OK, see what you can do.”
“Great, uh, what size do you wear.”
“Just say a twelve.”
George pushed the button and, in a few seconds, Cindy popped up on the vid screen.
“How can I help?”
“We need a bathing suit for Gina, size 12.”
She smiled.
“Sure thing, it will be right up.”
She was just too happy for my taste. About 20 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. George retrieved a small box. I looked dubiously at it.
“Well, open it. We need to get going.”
I looked up at George and then back down to the box. It sure was small! Sighing, I opened it. My worst fears were realized. The thing in the box was tiny to the extreme and, to make matters worse, it was bright pink.
“George, there is no way I am wearing that thing!”
“You have got to. The only way we are going to find any information is to be with people.”
“OK, you wear it then.”
“Very funny. Just try it on.”
I shook my head but went into the bathroom. I stripped off and put the suit on. To say that I filled it out was an understatement. It covered what was needed but just barely.
“Well, are you coming out?”
I opened the door and walked out. George’s eyes widened considerably.
“Where did those curves come from?”
“Genetics”
“Wow!”
“Let’s go before I chicken out.”
We made our way to the beach. I don’t think I would have felt worse if I was naked which I practically was. I know it was common on Fledora but I never had gotten used to it. Here, it was embarrassing to the extreme. The party was in full swing. We found a spot close to the water and sat down.
“Want to go swimming?”
“Are you kidding, this thing couldn’t stand the strain.”
George laughed.
‘Maybe but it sure looks good. Want me to put some sun tan lotion on your back?”
I glared at him and pointed at the water.
“Go!”
He went into the water and walked out up to his chest. It wasn’t two minutes before I had a visitor.
“Hey, doll, need some lotion?”
“Thank you but no.”
This one didn’t take to no. He sat down beside me and laid a hand on my leg. My skin was starting to crawl. It took all my will power to smile.
“Sorry, I’m with someone.”
He looked around.
“Not that I see. If you were with me, I wouldn’t leave you alone.”
He bent down closer. I looked out toward the water. George was charging out toward us. The guy stood up to face him. Before the guy could utter a word, George hit him up side of the head. He dropped like a rock. I grinned.
“Thanks, that was getting very awkward. It is not a good way to meet people, however.”
“Yeah, well, he deserved it. After all, you’re my girl.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Let’s go back to the room. I’ve had enough beach time.”
After entering our room, I went into the bathroom and removed the bikini. I donned a fluffy white bath robe and threw the suit into the trash. When I came out, George was looking at that itinerary again.
“It says here that tonight is dinner and dancing.”
I plopped down on the couch.
“I think I would rather have a relaxing evening in bed.”
George’s eyes brightened.
“Alone!”
He sighed.
“It will be a great place to mingle. How else are we going to find anyone?”
“Yeah, I know. OK, but let’s keep our eyes on the mission. I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
I went into the bedroom and lay back on the bed. This had been a horrible day already. I shuddered to think about tonight. But it had to be done. We needed information as to what happened to Mary and I didn’t have any other way to get it. I guess I dozed off because, the next thing I knew, George was knocking on the door.
“Gina, it’s getting late.”
“OK, OK, I’m up.”
I opened the door and George almost fell into the room.
“Did it say how formal this dance was?”
“Nope, but I think you should wear something sexy.”
I shook my head. George was just being George. I had brought a pretty fancy black velvet dress that should do. I shooed George out and got dressed. I used evening makeup and let my hair flow back instead of my usual pony tail. Four inch heels completed the picture. I must admit, I looked darn good. I walked into the living room and George stood up.
“I just can’t get used to how good you look as a woman.”
“Blame it on Fledora. It wasn’t my idea.”
“Yeah, well, you sure are good at it.”
I let that go. We went down to dinner. Once again, the food was amazing. The waiter kept flirting and George was beginning to get up tight. Finally, the band struck up and people started out to the dance floor. I was not a dancer but George seemed to think it best that we do. We had both had a good bit of wine with our meal and were feeling the effects. It turned out that George was actually a very good dancer. I felt very awkward and tense. This was not a comfortable position for me. As the night wore on, the drinks kept flowing and George became very inebriated. His hands were beginning to have a mind of there own.
“Let’s sit down a bit. I’m getting tired and these darn shoes are killing me.”
George just laughed and kept on dancing. Finally, I had enough and pushed him away. I could see his anger flare and knew he had to be stopped now. He never could hold his liquor. When he came at me, I chopped down on his neck and he collapsed into my arms. I threw him over my shoulder and walked out of the room. The looks I was getting were strange. I guess it did look weird having a woman handle a large man this way. I took George up to our room and flopped him onto the couch. He looked like he was out for the night. I put a blanket over him and went to bed.
This whole day had been a bust. We found no one to talk to and George was a complete idiot. I was getting weary of dressing and acting like a sex kitten. The frustration of missing Mary and Raylan was taking its toll. Of course, I really didn’t know what I expected to find here. For all we knew, Mary might never have been here and no one knew anything. In that case, I didn’t know what to do next. I finally drifted off to sleep.
I awoke to a crash. I guess George was up. I washed up and put on shorts and a tank top. My hair was back to its pony tail. When I walked into the living room, George was sitting with his head in his hands. He looked up.
“God, I shouldn’t drink. This always happens.”
He suddenly looked pale.
“Uh, I didn’t do any thing, uh, that I shouldn’t, did I?”
“Not at all, you were a perfect gentleman.”
He looked relieved.
“Whew, you’re my best friend. I wouldn’t want to do any thing to change that.”
“Nope, we’re good. Now, how about breakfast?”
He paled again.
“I guess.”
We went down to the breakfast bar. I was starved and loaded up a plate. George appeared to be a little green. We sat down and started eating. After a bit, I noticed a woman across the room looking intently at me. She looked sort of familiar but I couldn’t place her. A few minutes later, I saw her motion to a waiter. She talked to him a couple of minutes pointing our way. Since our name tags were at our table, I guessed she was asking our names. The waiter walked by us and then went back to her table. He said something and she smiled then nodded. As we were finishing, she walked over to our table.
“Hi, Gina, I thought that was you. I remember you from The Midnight End on Fledora. You were a good friend of Karen’s. She still talks about you.”
That brought my head up for sure.
“What do you mean ‘still’?”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 7
“Oh, I talk to Karen now and again. She has a room here and stays quite often. As a matter of fact, she is coming tomorrow. I’m sure she would love to see you.”
I was shocked beyond belief. She looked at me funny and then something clicked.
“That’s right, she has been away a long time. I bet you thought she had forgotten about you.”
I shook my head.
“Actually, I thought she was dead.”
The woman nodded.
“I think she almost was. I was in Basteria that night when every thing went crazy. Karen disappeared and we heard that she had been shot. A few days later, several of us got word that she was recovering and that a ship would pick us up. We have been working out of here since then”
“Wow, this is hard to take in.”
She laughed and eyed George.
“I can imagine. It seems like you are doing OK, though.”
I blushed and she laughed harder.
“I’ll leave you two alone and I’ll tell Karen you’re here.”
She hurried away and George looked at me.
“Well, that was interesting.”
“Interesting! That was freaking incredible! Karen is alive! I don’t know whether to be overjoyed or horrified. On the one hand, I may get to know my sister but, on the other, I have to wonder if she is behind or a part of the kidnapping. In other words, should I embrace her or punch her lights out!”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’ll find out tomorrow if she sees you. What do we do the rest of today?”
I shrugged.
“Play the part of businessman and mistress I suppose.”
We went back to our suite and George consulted the itinerary.
“Nothing doing during the day but there is a big party on the veranda tonight.”
“OK, what say we just walk around the resort and see if we run into anyone else from Basteria? It looks as if Karen has moved her operation here.”
I thought hard.
“I sure hope Linda isn’t a part of it, especially since she came with Mary.”
George nodded.
“This doesn’t make sense. I can see that Karen may want some revenge but it’s been almost a year. Besides, if she wanted Mary, why kidnap Raylan?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she wants both of us on her home turf. It still seems like a lot to go through for that. There must be something else involved.”
“What about that Thulium thing?”
“Mary and I have nothing to do with that. Karen should know that she couldn’t black mail the council using us.”
George looked thoughtful.
“Maybe she isn’t pulling the strings. Remember that note was signed by the Alliance, what ever that is.”
“Well, anyway, the meeting with her should prove that one way or the other.”
“Yeah, if she doesn’t shoot you on site.”
I laughed.
“There’s that.”
We spent the rest of the daylight hours walking around. I pretended to really be into George and he, well, he is either a very good actor or ---- I think I’ll leave it at that. We didn’t see anyone that looked familiar and no one spoke to us except to say hi. We arrived back at our room just before dusk. The party would be the best chance we have had to mingle. Everyone would likely be there. I dressed very sexy as a good mistress should.
“Wow, I still can’t ------.”
I quickly interrupted George.
“Don’t go there! We are pretending, OK?”
“If you say so.”
I shook my head. Coop was right, George is only looking at me as a woman. I needed to keep him sober tonight.
“Let’s go.”
We headed to the veranda. Not too many people had arrived yet. This was likely going to be a party that lasted well into the night. We found a quiet table and sat down.
“George, we need to keep our wits about us tonight so go easy on the booze.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll only drink just enough to be sociable.”
I frowned. That’s what he always says.
“Just remember why we are here.”
“Right, no worries.”
This looked to be a big mingle session. No dance area was present. I was thankful for that. I didn’t want a repeat of last night. Unfortunately, there was plenty of liquor and no glass was left empty for long. The place started filling up so we decided to cruise around to see if anyone wanted to talk. After a coupe of hours, we sat back down at our table.
“Well, that was a waste.”
“Yeah, no body paid any attention to us.”
George raised an eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t say that. You were getting lots of looks.”
I sighed.
“It’s something you get used to, I guess. I just hope we can get something going tomorrow.”
George stood up.
“Let’s walk down to the beach.”
“OK, that’s fine with me.”
I had failed to realize how much George had drunk. Therefore, it caught me off guard when he pulled me into a kiss. I sat down heavily on the sand.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I am on a beach with a beautiful woman that is turning me on. Don’t tell me you don’t feel something too.”
“I most certainly do not!”
I stood and started back to the veranda. George jumped in front of me.
“No one can look as sexy as you and not feel anything!”
“George, it’s me. Snap out of it.”
He grabbed for me again and I dodged him. He fell to the sand. This was getting ridiculous. I figured that, if I went back to the crowd, it would give him time to cool off or pass out. I sat back down at the table. I saw a man staring a hole in me. He walked over and sat down.
“I saw you ditch your date. He wasn’t right for you.”
“And I guess you are.”
He smiled big.
“Only one way to find out.”
He took my arm and started pulling me up. I tried to pull away but, to my surprise, he had a grip like iron. Suddenly, some one swung him around. It was George.
“You leave my girl alone.”
George threw a punch that just grazed the man’s cheek. The return punch put George on the floor. He didn’t move. I took the opportunity and kicked the guy between his legs. He didn’t even flinch.
“Now we do it the hard way, whore!”
He slapped me hard about the face. Man he was strong. I tried to use every trick I could think of to get loose but he parried each one and put me in a bear hug.
“OK, rough it is!”
George was still down and things were looking bad. He half carried, half dragged me to the beach. I thought, ‘Why didn’t some of these people at the party stop him’. Upon reaching the edge of the water, he threw me down hard. It knocked the breathe out of me. All at once, he got a strange expression on his face and fell forward into the sand. I looked up to see a very familiar face walking toward us. It was Karen.
“Hi, Gina, fancy meeting you here.”
I was dumbstruck and still could hardly breathe. She put her hand on my cheek.
“I’ve missed you.”
She looked over at the man in disgust.
“They shouldn’t try to act human.”
I then heard someone running toward us. She looked back.
“It looks like your date is coming to the rescue. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, she disappeared into the night. George arrived and tripped over the man, landing on top of me. After we untangled, George looked over at the guy.
“What happened to him?”
“You saved me, what else? Let’s get out of here.”
We hurried back to our room. George seemed to have sobered up. I sat down hard on the couch.
“God, what a night!”
George plopped down next to me.
“I’m so sorry. I have got to quit drinking.”
“Don’t take it too hard. I should have expected it. After all, we have been to a lot of parties together over the years.”
He laughed.
“Yeah, but not like this. By the way, I am sure I saw someone else with you as I was running up. Of course, I admit to being a little soused so I could be wrong.”
I shook my head.
“No, you’re not wrong. That guy was inhumanly strong. I don’t think I could have escaped him.”
I started to shudder. George wrapped his arms around me. I tensed and then relaxed. It did make me feel safe. This was the first time since I have been female that I felt so vulnerable.
“Thanks but let’s not make a habit of this.”
George laughed.
“Now, about this other person.”
“You are not going to believe it. Of course, I could be dreaming but I think it was Karen.”
“OK”
George looked dubious.
“I know but after what that girl said this morning, it makes sense. I was too out of it to think straight. She ran off when you appeared. She did say something real strange. She said, “They shouldn’t try to act human”. It sent shivers up my spine.”
I was starting to realize what almost happened to me. I was shaking again. George held me tighter and I began to sob.
“I’m sorry.”
George just held me until I was cried out.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
He tucked me in bed.
“I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”
“Thank you, George. You are a real friend.”
He just smiled and left the room. I was exhausted and was soon asleep. When I awoke, I felt like a truck had run over me. It seemed like last night had been a bad dream if it were not for the bruises on my arms and face. Who the hell was that person that grabbed me. I am pretty strong but he was almost robot strong. And then there is Karen. She had saved me and seemed caring but I couldn’t help but think back to that night when Mary was shot. Karen had tried to kill her and would have if not for being shot herself my Linda. This left me with many mixed feelings. I staggered to the bathroom and ran a hot bath. I dropped into it and sighed heavily. About that time, George came in. Seeing me in the tub, his eyes were like saucers. He made an about face and hurried out saying “Jeese, warn a guy next time!”. This whole trip had been one big awkward moment. I sure hope our friendship survives it. After the water cooled off, I struggled out of the tub. I still ached all over. I put on a yellow sundress and heeled sandals. I went light on the makeup today despite my bruises. I figured our pretending was about over. As I entered the living room, George ran past me.
“You took long enough!”
When George came back, I looked up at him.
“Thank you for last night except for the drinking that is.”
He looked sheepish.
“You’re welcome. How are you feeling?”
“Sore”
“I mean”
He pointed at his head. I nodded.
“OK, I think. It seems like a dream now, well a nightmare. I now know how a woman feels in that situation; that is, very vulnerable. I never believed I would ever feel like that.”
George shook his head.
“Don’t! That thing was not human. I am sure of it. When he hit me, it felt like his fist was made of steel.”
“Do you think it was an android or something?”
“Got me. Maybe you’re friend Karen will tell us.”
“Maybe, let’s go to breakfast.”
I looked over at George expecting him to look peeked. He laughed.
“Don’t worry, last night sobered me up fast.”
We went down to the breakfast bar and ate like we hadn’t eaten in a week. About half way through, a waiter handed me a note. I decided to wait until we finished to look at it. I didn’t want bad news to spoil our eating. Upon finishing, I opened the note.
‘Please come to my room at 9. We have a lot to talk about.’
It was signed ‘Karen’.
George eyed me.
“Is that our invitation?”
I looked up at him.
“Mine anyway.”
“Look, I’m not going to let you go to her room alone.”
I shook my head.
“I have to.”
We went back to our suite and George once again pleaded with me.
“You don’t need to see her alone, especially after what happened last night!”
“Actually, it’s because of last night that I think it’s best I go alone. If she wanted me hurt, I would have been.”
George frowned.
“I still don’t like it.”
“Me either but it’s something I must do alone.”
George patted his radio.
“OK, but call me if you need help.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
I went to the room indicated on the note. I hesitated a minute and then knocked on the door. The door started to open and I thought, ‘Well, this is it!’
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 8
Karen greeted me with a big smile.
“I’m so glad you came, Gina.”
I walked in a few steps and turned around. My anger was apparent.
“Where’s my son?”
Karen blinked and then looked shocked.
“You have a son? Whose the father?”
It was my turn to blink and look surprised. Karen continued.
“Did you have the child before I knew you or is this a recent development?”
This brought me up short. My anger quickly abated. I shook my head to clear it.
“I think I need to go out and come back in.”
Karen laughed.
“I know it has been a long tine. We need to sit down and catch up with things. I really have missed you.”
Karen sat down on the couch and I sat in an overstuffed chair facing her.
“Uh, you do know who I really am, right?”
“Sure, you are Gina Coleman, a beautiful woman that I desire.”
Oh, shit! Could she have forgotten? After all, she must have been through a rough time giving what happened to her. I decided to play it cool and let her talk.
“You looked shocked. Don’t worry, I never forgot you.”
“What do you remember about that last night?”
She shook her head.
“Not much. I remember things going kind of crazy. Some how, I got shot and fell into a mine shaft.”
She got pensive.
“I guess I passed out. The next thing I knew, I was on a space ship in some kind of medical pod. It turns out that they saved my life.”
“Who’s they?”
“It is a group that I was negotiating selling thulium to. They were inspecting the mine when I fell in. Enough about me, what’s this about a son and who is that knight in shining armor. Have you switched sides?”
“No, just helping out a friend. We are good friends, nothing more.”
“OK, who is he then?”
I decided to edge toward the truth and reality.
“His name is George Brett. He is a marshal.”
She laughed.
“No way! Why would a marshal come here. This place is way out of their jurisdiction.”
“He is helping out a friend as well. Do you know Marshal John Harper?”
She got a strange look on her face.
“Yeah, but why would you be helping them?”
Oh boy, here goes.
“George is here looking for Mary Brown.”
I could see something click in her head.
“Oh, that’s right, she saved you from that mine cave in. Look, I think she is the one who shot me. She has always had it in for me. Do you think you owe her or something?”
My head was starting to hurt. It was like I had entered an alternate reality. In this one, Karen never had a brother and I was really Gina Coleman. I steeled myself.
“Karen, I am Marshal John Harper.”
She looked blank for a second and then burst out laughing.
“That’s a good one. There is no way you were ever a man. You look and act too well as a woman.”
I sighed.
“When I was young, I was pretty much a girl. As I grew up, I decided to be the man my dad wanted me to be. I joined the marshal service and became very macho. I was given an assignment to catch a fugitive on Fledora named Sandra Sterling.”
I could see her eyes narrow.
“What I didn’t know was, in order to go to Fledora, one had to be female. It turns out that Carol Givens had requested me for the assignment because she knew who I was. I was born on Fledora along with my sister. My mother was Fledoran and my father was an Earth pilot. I was banished because I was a boy and left with my father. Carol was trying to make amends. Unfortunately, that required that I be female. It also turns out that I am intersexed so the transformation process worked too well. I became good friends with Linda Sanders who turned out to be the fugitive I had been sent to find. I also fell for a Fledoran citizen, namely Mary Brown. I ended up letting Linda escape the law and married Mary Brown. Karen, I am your brother.”
Karen looked shell shocked but I could see in her eyes that she knew I was telling the truth. Suddenly, I heard a noised coming from her bedroom. It sounded like a baby crying. She jumped up and ran into the room. I was frozen in place. Could it actually be Raylan in there? A few minutes later, she came back holding a baby. It was Raylan! I jumped up and ran to him. I grabbed him and held him close.
“Oh, Raylan, thank god I have found you!”
I looked over at Karen. She was crying and shaking.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
She collapsed onto the couch. I was trying hard to be angry at her but I couldn’t do it. I bent down next to her and put my arm around her. She lost it completely. After a while, she calmed down a little. She sat up and looked sadly at me.
“God, what a mess! I’m so sorry, Gina ----- or, I guess it’s John.”
“Actually, it’s Jonnie Harper, for now.”
She nodded.
“I didn’t do it, honest! It was those damn aliens!”
She paused and looked hard at me.
“I guess I owe you the whole story. Please, sit down and I will try to explain.”
I stood up and went over to the chair. I held Raylan in my lap. He had gone back to sleep. Karen looked on fondly.
“I can see you love him. So do I. Now, I know I’m his aunt. I never meant for this to happen.”
I didn’t know whether to be angry at Karen or feel sorry for her.
“OK, I’m listening.”
She was still crying.
“It took me a long time to recover from my injuries. I guess I talked a lot. I was, of course, very angry at Mary Brown and apparently talked about revenge. When the group was denied the thulium by the Fledoran council, they got it into their heads that they could kill two birds with one stone by seizing Mary. I would get my revenge and they could blackmail the council to get their thulium.”
“You know that would never work.”
“Of course I do but they didn’t consult me. They went ahead with their plan to snatch Mary but she was gone. They took Raylan instead figuring that Mary would follow.”
My anger flared.
“They were right about that. She did and now she is missing. A Broadskye pilot dropped her and Linda Sanders at a remote site on this planet. He was guided there by a homing signal.”
“Shit! That means they have them!”
She started shaking again.
“I can’t believe that has happened. Now, they have Mary and my friend Linda. At least, they don’t have Raylan. I’ve grown very fond of him.”
She looked over at me.
“I still can’t believe you’re my brother. I still see the Gina I have feelings for.”
I sighed.
“Yeah, you and George.”
“What?”
“Never mind. The question is what about Mary and Linda? Just who are they, anyway?”
“That’s a good question. When the group approached me on Fledora about importing thulium, I thought it a little strange. They called themselves The Alliance and said that they were a go between. We had just about settled on the details when I was shot. As I said, they rescued me and saved my life. It took about two months for me to fully recover. By then, the Fledoran council had forbidden all exports of thulium. The group confronted me and stated in no uncertain terms that they were going to force Fledora to sell the thulium to them. All efforts failed. I also discovered that The Alliance was just a human front for an alien race. I don’t know their full intentions but they have been kind to me. They were very insistent about the thulium, however. The suggestion of using blackmail did not come from me. I admit to wanting revenge for a time but not any more. They went with the kidnapping of your son without my knowledge. I would never have gone along with it. The first I knew about it was when they dropped Raylan on me to take care of. I quickly fell for him. My guess is that they have lured Mary and Linda to their ship.”
I nodded.
“What do they really look like?”
“This may seem strange but I don’t know. They have only talked with me by vid or in their human guise.”
“So that guy who grabbed me was one of them in disguise?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how they do it. They really don’t know much about acting human or how we think. They are very strong, however. I have a feeling that their true selves are small and weak.”
“What did you do to him?”
“I just stunned him. They short circuit real easy.”
“Hmm, so what now?”
“Let me do some inquiring. Maybe I can come up with a plan to get us on their ship. Do you have a ship that could take Mary and Linda away?”
I smiled.
“Do I! It is the first Fledoran military cruiser!”
She laughed.
“I didn’t know Fledora had a military.”
“Yep, me, Brett and Coop.”
“Oh, great! Well, it will have to do. I’ll get back to you tonight. Uh, I guess you want to take Raylan with you.”
I shook my head.
“As much as I would like to, it would be best if he remained here for now.”
I looked at her hard.
“I am trusting you.”
She smiled.
“Thank you, I won’t let you down.”
I gave Raylan back to Karen. I couldn’t help tearing up. I glanced at Karen, then turned and left the room. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. If anything happens to him, I will never forgive myself. I walked back to the suite. When I went in, George stood up. He noticed I had been crying.
“Well?”
“She has Raylan.”
“What! Let’s go get him!”
I shook my head.
“No, I left him there. He’s been safe this long with Karen so there is no reason to believe
he will come to harm now. Besides, it wouldn’t look good for a mistress to have a baby.”
“I can’t believe you are trusting her. She’s the one that kidnapped him in the first place.”
“No, she didn’t. It was the aliens.”
George’s eyes widened.
“Aliens! What are you talking about?”
“There is an alien race that is trying to get the thulium on Fledora. They kidnapped Raylan without Karen’s knowledge. Actually, they were trying to get Mary but got Raylan because she was not there. They have the cockeyed idea that they can blackmail the Fledoran council using her. Now, Mary and Linda are apparently on their ship.”
George sighed.
“I guess we knew the day would come when we made first contact. This is crazy though.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“OK, so what now?”
“We wait. Karen is going to try to get us on that ship. She will contact us tonight.”
“This is going to be a long afternoon.”
“No shit! Let’s go down to the veranda. We need to act normal.”
George guffawed.
“Good luck there.”
I glared at him. We went down and walked around a while then ate lunch. No one seemed to notice us.
“Want to try the beach again?”
I shook my head vigorously.
“No way!”
George nodded.
“Yeah, I forgot. That was a dumb idea.”
We ended up just going back to our room. I laid down and drifted off. I guess I was exhausted. I awoke to George knocking.
“Room service!”
“What?”
“I thought we better stay in the room so I ordered up.”
“Great, I’m starved.”
We ate in silence. We were both keyed up waiting for Karen’s call. A little after 7, there was knock on our door. I opened it to find Karen standing in the hall.
“Come on in. What did you find out?”
“They are on the ship. We are taking your shuttle up there in the morning.”
“Why not now?”
“There are a few details we need to address. Uh, the only way I could see to get you up there with me was as my lover. I have talked a lot about you so they won’t be suspicious.”
I blushed. I hated when I did that.
“Don’t worry, we will just be pretending. I know you are my brother.”
I sighed in relief.
“What about George here?”
“That’s why we must wait until morning. We need time to get him ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“George will go as one of my team from Fledora.”
Uh, oh! I looked at George. He didn’t get the picture. I put my arm on his shoulder.
“George, her team is all female.”
He paled and then sat down hard.
“You have got to be kidding!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 9
Karen noted George’s reaction and turned to me.
“It’s the only way!”
I nodded. George looked stunned.
“There is no way you are going to make me into woman. No way!”
“George, we must get on that ship. How else?”
“Do I look like female material? I’m 6’ 2” and weigh 220 pounds.”
I laughed.
“You haven’t seen the miners on Fledora.”
I looked back at Karen.
“What do you have in mind?”
“This resort caters to every need. They have a spa that can do wonders. It’s not real transformation like on Fledora but it will look like it.”
“George, please try it. If it doesn’t look right, we will think of something else.”
Of course, we both knew there was no other way. George put his head in his hands.
“Why me!”
Finally, he looked up at me.
“OK, but you owe me big time. If any one laughs, I’m out of here.”
“Don’t worry, no one laughs at Karen’s women.”
Karen clapped her hands to gather.
“Great! I’ve already set up the appointment. Let’s go back to my room and we will get the ball rolling.”
George still looked pale but he followed us without further comment. Once in Karen’s room, she pulled a suit case out of the coat closet.
“I’ve got everything you’ll need right here. Gina, can you stay here and watch after Raylan?”
I beamed.
“It will be my pleasure. He’s not getting out of my site until we get on that ship.”
Karen grinned.
“I’m glad you two are back together. Even though I knew nothing about the kidnapping, I feel responsible. I imagine Mary will feel the same.”
I grimaced.
“I’m afraid Mary’s reaction may be a bit overboard when she sees you. But, I’m sure you know that. We will try to keep you two separated once on the ship.”
Karen nodded.
“My thoughts exactly. Maybe some day she will forgive me.”
She turned to George.
“Are you ready?”
“Not hardly!”
Karen laughed.
“OK, let’s go.”
They left the room and I picked up Raylan.
“I’m sure glad to see you. We will be with your mommy soon.”
Of course, Raylan had no idea what I said but he gurgled anyway. It sure was good being back together.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we left the room, Karen took hold of my hand.
“Don’t worry, George, nothing will be done that is permanent.”
I nodded.
“I kind of figured that but it doesn’t help.”
Karen laughed.
“Just go with the flow. Look at it as a new and wonderful adventure.”
I grimaced.
“Yeah, right.”
We walked down to the spa and were met by a very large lady.
“George, this is Vernice. She used to work for me on Fledora but came here with my team. She is a genius.”
“Don’t worry about a thing dear. We will take good care of you.”
She led me into a side room. A table was in the center with cabinets and a sink along the back wall.
“Just lie down on the table and we will get started. Oh, you need to disrobe first.”
I took off my shirt and pants. I started to lie down but she grabbed my arm.
“All of it, George.”
“I don’t know. This is getting a little unsettling.”
She nodded.
“Be right back.”
She came back in a couple of minutes with a glass of something.
“Here, drink this. It will relax you.”
I took it and drank it down. It tasted vaguely like raspberries.
“Now, lie down. I’ll let you rest a minute before we start.”
Lying down, I thought ‘what the hell am I doing!’ I felt a little funny. I must have dosed a minute because I snapped awake suddenly. Something was not right. I looked down to see ---- well, breasts!
“Shit!”
Obviously, I had been asleep for more than a minute. I started to get up but I was light headed.
“Don’t worry, you’ll feel better in a few minutes.”
I looked over to find Vernice standing by the door.
“What did you do?”
She smiled.
“We gave you your womanly attributes like Karen ordered. The rest will take a little time.”
“What do you mean ‘the rest’?”
“Well, we glued on fake breasts and vagina. The active ingredient in that drink forms your curves but it takes a while. You should be ready by morning.”
I tried getting up again, this time with better results. There was a mirror next to the door. I walked over in front of it. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Looking back was me with breasts and a vagina. I still was me, otherwise.
“Oh, this is great.”
She laughed.
“We are not through. Put your clothes back on and go to your room. The other changes will happen overnight. In the morning, I will come to your room and finish up.”
I shook my head and dressed. I hurriedly left the spa and went back to our suite. I walked in to find Gina sitting on the couch feeding Raylan. She started to say something but I held up my hand.
“Don’t say a thing. I’m going to bed.”
I couldn’t bear to undress so I went to bed in my clothes. I must have still been feeling the affects of that drink because I went right to sleep.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After feeding Raylan, I decided it would be best if I slept on the couch. I didn’t think George was in any mood for company. I really felt sorry for him. I know this is very hard on him but it is the only way to get him on that ship. I fixed a makeshift crib on the floor next to the couch for Raylan. I sure didn’t want him to fall off the couch. After placing his sleeping form on the pillow, I laid down. Tomorrow was likely to be a crazy day. The next thing I knew, a knock on the door woke me up. God, it couldn’t be morning already but it was. I opened to door and a large woman blew in.
“I’m Vernice. Where’s our new girl?”
“He’s still asleep, I guess.”
“You mean she don’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. Vernice proceeded into the bedroom without knocking. She was carrying the suitcase Karen had shown us yesterday. I soon heard a commotion. It seemed like the best thing to do was stay here. I changed Raylan and then fed him. The noise had died down in the bedroom. A little bit later, the door opened and Vernice breezed out.
“She’s ready. I called Karen and she is on her way. Bye.”
With that, she left. Karen came in a minute later. George hadn’t come out yet and I didn’t have the courage to go in.
“How’s our new recruit?”
“Karen, go easy on him --- er, her. This is a hard one to take.”
She laughed.
“I can imagine. By the way, do you have contact with your ship?”
“Yes, we have kept Coop updated.”
“It probably will be best to have your ship shadow the shuttle to the alien ship. Does it have any armament?”
I laughed.
“You remember James Cooper.”
“Sure, he worked for me for a while.”
“Yeah, I know. He designed the laser we have on board. Actually, the ship was built around the laser. Coop says it is the most powerful one in the galaxy.”
“Wow, Fledora is coming on fast. OK, have him stand by when we get to the ship. He may have to take out their drive engines when you make your escape.”
Just then we heard a high pitched scream come from the bedroom. Karen and I looked at each other.
“Shit! I guess George is up.”
We ran into the room to find George standing in front of a full length mirror. I have to say, he looked very female. He was wearing a red dress that came down to about 2 inches above the knees. His hair was in a French braid and came half way down his back. The dress hugged his new curves nicely. He was a big woman, for sure, but would not look out of place on Fledora. Since he was going as one of Karen’s team, he looked just right. George looked over at me in a panic.
“God, this is too much and I sound like a monkey with laryngitis.”
“Nonsense, you look and sound very nice.”
He glared at me.
“I ought to punch you in the nose for this but I never hit a woman.”
I rolled my eyes. Karen was smirking. Thankfully, George did not see her.
“This is only until we get Mary and Linda off that ship. Hang in there!”
He sighed.
“I’ll never live this down.”
“Don’t worry, no one will ever know but us.”
Karen piped up then.
“You will be fine, Georgia. I have a crew getting the shuttle ready. We will leave in about an hour. What say we get some breakfast.”
He glared at Karen.
“Georgia now is it. Well, I’m not going out for breakfast like this.”
“No one will notice a thing especially since you are with me. You need to get more comfortable in your role like Gina here. Come on, you’ll do fine.”
He shook his head. I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bedroom. I picked up Raylan and we left the suite. George reluctantly followed us to the breakfast bar. We filled our plates and sat down. I looked over at George.
“You OK?”
“I guess.”
I noticed a woman looking at us. Karen glanced at her and waved. The woman got up and headed our way. George was starting to panic again. I laid my hand on his knee. The woman addressed Karen.
“Hey Karen, I guess this must be the Gina we have heard so much about.”
She stuck out her hand.
“Good to finally meet you.”
She then looked over at George.
“And who is this? I might take this one off your hands.”
Karen laughed.
“No you don’t. We have to go up to the ship in a few minutes.”
The woman smiled at George.
“I’ll be waiting when you get back.”
George turned bright red and got chocked. The woman laughed and went back to her table. I patted his knee.
“She was just pulling your chain.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like it.”
We hurriedly finished eating and headed for the shuttle. I kept an eye on George. He seemed to be settling down. I opened the hatch and we went inside.
“OK, everyone strap in. I’ll power up.”
I checked everything. Karen’s team had done a good job getting the shuttle ready. I turned on the com unit and contacted Coop.
“Hey, Jonnie, what coordinates do you have for that ship?”
I turned to Karen.
“We don’t need any. As soon as we leave Prowhiness, they will guide us to them.”
“OK, I’ll just hang behind you.”
“Thanks, Coop.”
I turned to George and Karen.
“Let’s launch!”
Galactic Marshall II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 10
As we approached the alien ship, I got cold chills. This thing was as strange as could be. I hated to think what the ones who built this craft looked like. We were guided into the ship and docked at a port. Karen turned to me.
“OK, follow my lead.”
We exited through the hatch into a long corridor. Karen put her arm around me. I held Raylan close to my chest.
“These guys are big on appearances. As long as they believe we are an item, they will leave you alone.”
I shuddered.
“I sure wouldn’t want a repeat of the other night.”
Karen nodded.
“You never really know what is going through their minds. Georgia, just stay close to us. They are used to me having one or two of my people with me.”
I looked over at George.
“You doing OK?”
“I feel like a fool.”
“Well, I think you look good for an Amazon.”
He hit me on the shoulder.
“Ouch!”
“Just be glad you’re a girl with a baby at the moment.”
We walked about half way down the corridor and then stopped at a door. Karen opened it and we entered.
“This is the room I use for business while on the ship.”
The room was about 8 meters square. There was a table with 5 chairs in the center. A couch was on one side and several soft chairs on the other. It was pretty sterile.
“Not exactly luxurious.”
Karen laughed.
“That’s for sure but I’m not here much. I have another room on the ship where I stay. It is where I have kept Raylan.”
George and I sat down on the couch. Raylan began to wake up. I knew he had to be fed soon.
“I guess they are used to Raylan being here then. Do you have formula for him?”
Karen nodded.
“Sure, in my room.”
Just then a face appeared on a vid screen I had not noticed. It looked like the guy who attacked me on the beach. Karen noticed my horror.
“Don’t be alarmed. They all look like that when in human guise.”
The head spoke up.
“Please meet with us. We have much to discuss.”
Karen agreed and the alien signed off.
“Come on, I’ll take you three to my room. That way, you can feed Raylan and there will be no chance of anyone happening upon you”
We exited the room and walked almost to the end of the corridor. Karen opened a door and we went in. Now this was more like it! The room was about 10 meters square with very nice furniture and a large bed. A crib set beside it. A small kitchen was at one side of the room. Karen went to it and pulled a baby bottle out of the refrigerator. She pushed a lever on the bottom.
“These heat up automatically. Make your selves at home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Karen left and I sat down to feed Raylan.
“Gina, are you sure that you can trust her? I mean, we are now on an alien starship and not ourselves. Any thing could happen now.”
“Calm down, George. I really think she is trying to help us. It’s the alien agenda that I am worried about.”
Suddenly our radio beeped.
“Go ahead, Coop.”
“I’m in position. Just give the word.”
“OK, I don’t know how long this will take.”
“Right! Standing by. Out”
I turned back to George.
“Well, at least we are not alone. I think Coop can take out this ship if necessary.”
“Yeah, I just hope we are not on it at the time. By the way, how do you stand wearing these darn dresses all the time?”
I laughed.
“You get used to it.”
“That’s not something I want to think about. I wonder if Karen has anything to drink in that kitchen.”
“Now George ---
“I’m just looking for something to settle my nerves.”
I shook my head but didn’t say anything. I know George is trying to cope as best he can. It was about an hour before Karen returned. George had found something in Karen’s kitchen and seemed more relaxed. Karen was in a huff.
“Those idiots! I tried to tell them their plan was stupid but would they listen to me?”
She flopped down on the couch.
“So, what are they doing?”
“They have sent a message to the Fledoran council offering to trade Mary and Raylan for their precious thulium, that’s what!”
“What about Linda?”
“I’ve convinced them that she works for me. I have arranged to meet with her in a little bit.”
I brightened up.
“Does that mean you can tell her what we are doing?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, then we must figure out how to get to Mary.”
“Do you know where they are holding her?”
“No, but I hope to find that out from Linda.”
“What about that blackmail threat to Fledora?”
“The Alliance has heard nothing back and they won’t. The council will have no problem throwing them to the wolves.”
I grimaced.
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“Maybe, but it’s true. You should know that better than me.”
I sighed.
“I guess your right. It’s up to us.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I left Gina, Georgia, and Raylan in my room and headed toward my meeting with Linda. I should have contacted her right after I recovered but I felt at the time that I had left Fledora behind me. I realize now that there was no way that would happen. I opened the door to the chamber where I was told I could find Linda. Upon walking in, Linda jumped up and ran to me.
“Oh, Karen, I just knew you were alive. I’m so sorry that I had to shoot you.”
This brought me up short. I pushed Linda back at arms length and looked hard into her eyes.
“You shot me? I thought it was Mary?”
Linda looked puzzled.
“Don’t you remember what happened?”
“No”
“Well, I guess you went a little crazy. You tried to shoot Mary and I couldn’t let that happen. I was devastated when we didn’t find you in that shaft.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“That’s past. We have to think about the present. I brought Gina and Raylan onto the ship with me. There is also a marshal friend of Gina’s along as well. We need to get everyone off this ship.”
Linda frowned.
“So, you did have Raylan!”
I sighed.
“It’s a log story. Gina has him back and she and Georgia came here to rescue you and Mary. I am doing everything I can to help. Do you know where Mary is being held?”
“Yes, but she won’t be glad to see you.”
I nodded.
“It will be a shock and I know she will think I am behind all of this.”
I stared at Linda.
“It’s not true. I would never do that.”
“OK, I believe you but Mary won’t.”
“Yeah, look we need to get her and join up with the others. Gina has a Fledoran ship standing by to take us aboard if we can get off this thing.”
“Great! Let’s go!”
We left the room and Linda led me to the chamber where Mary was kept. I hesitated at the door. I heaved a big sigh and we went in. Mary looked up and I could see the anger building. She jumped up.
“You!”
She lunged at me. I stepped back avoiding her.
“Mary, it’s not what you think! I can explain.”
Mary whipped around and threw a kick grazing my head. There was no talking to her. As she passed me, I chopped down on the back of her neck knocking her out. I turned to Linda.
“Damn! I didn’t want this!”
Linda looked sadly down at Mary.
“She will be OK. I’ll explain things when we get off this ship.”
I nodded. I picked Mary up and threw her over my shoulder.
“We better hurry back to my room before we get caught.”
We left and went to join Gina and Georgia. As I entered carrying Mary, Gina stood up.
“What the hell!”
“She’s OK, just shocked at my presence. We don’t have much time. We have got to get to the shuttle before these guys take notice. I’ll lead off. Georgia, you bring up the rear.”
I threw her a stun gun.
“Let’s move!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karen ran out the door with Mary. I turned to Linda and smiled.
“I’m glad you’re OK. I hope Mary is as well.”
My eyes teared up and Linda smiled back.
“Thanks for coming to our rescue. Don’t worry about Mary. She was just a little angry.”
I nodded.
“I can imagine.”
We dashed out behind Karen and ran down the corridor toward the shuttle. As we reached it, I heard running footsteps coming down the corridor behind us. The aliens knew what we were up to. I threw open the hatch and Karen jumped in. I pushed Linda through and looked back. The aliens were coming on fast. George shot the stun gun at them and the lead one dropped. Unfortunately, the one behind him fired an energy weapon hitting George in the back as he turned to enter the hatch. He dropped to the floor. I dragged him through and closed it.
“Computer, get us out of here!”
The shuttle quickly undocked and headed away from the alien ship. Coop came on line.
“Jonnie, that ship is powering up.”
“OK, can you take out their engines?”
“No problem.”
A few seconds later, an intense beam leaped from our ship toward the alien craft. Almost immediately, an explosion erupted toward the rear end of that ship.
“All done. They aren’t going anywhere. You are cleared to dock. Welcome back.”
“Thanks, Coop. We’ll be there shortly.”
Linda was looking over George.
“How is he?”
She looked up with a puzzled face then just shook her head.
“It’s not good. We need to get her into a medical pod as quick as we can.”
I frowned.
“That’s one thing we don’t have. Is he --- er she stable?”
Linda nodded.
“Yes, but her spine is badly injured. I think she is paralyzed.”
“Shit! Help me get her into the hibernation chamber. That should allow us to get her home.”
We put George in. Mary was still out so we put her in as well. I turned to Karen.
“Are you coming back with us?”
“I might as well. I think I have worn out my welcome here.”
I laughed.
“It sure looks like it but things might not be much better where we’re going. At least we aren’t going exactly to Fledora. This ship is based on her moon.”
“That’s something, I guess. We will sort things out when we get there, I hope.”
“Yeah, what about those aliens?”
Karen looked pained.
“We haven’t heard the last of them I’m afraid.”
I nodded.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Coop set the ship up to take us home and we all climbed into the hibernation pods. I took Raylan with me. I was looking forward to being back with Mary. I worried about George though. I had gotten him into this mess and guilt was coming to the fore front. Things were sure going to be complicated back at the moon base. Oh, well!
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 11
When we arrived near Fledora, Raylan and I were the first out of hibernation. He was still sleeping, however. Linda followed close behind.
“Jonnie, it sure is good to be home. I must admit I didn’t know what was going to happen to us. Thank you for rescuing us.”
“My pleasure.”
“I have a question about Georgia though.”
I held up my hand.
“Actually, he is Marshal George Brett and very much male. We had to disguise him as a woman to get onto the alien ship. He was not too happy about it.”
“I see. Well, it answers what I wanted to know. When you said ‘he’ back there, it gave me pause.”
“Yeah, I talked him into coming with me. I sure hope he recovers OK.”
“I think it best to leave him in hibernation until we land. We then should transfer him to medical as quickly as possible.”
“OK, that makes sense. The fact that he is male will not go over well with the council. Thankfully, Coop’s lab is on the moon and George looks like a woman.”
“And then there is Karen.”
Karen walked in.
“What about me?”
I looked over at her.
“I don’t know how the council will view your return. I should say though that the rescue would not have happened without your help. I think it best that we hide your presence for now.”
She nodded.
“I agree.”
Coop walked in, nodded to us and went into the command center. I decided that I better check on George and Mary. When I entered the hibernation room, Mary was just waking up. I went over to George’s chamber and adjusted it to make sure he stayed out until we were ready. I heard a squeal behind me and then arms wrapped around me tight.
“Oh, Jonnie! I can’t believe it! What happened? The last thing I remember is Karen walking into my room.”
I turned then hugged and kissed her. Nothing more was said for a minute. Finally, we separated. I smiled big.
“I missed you. I was afraid you were gone forever!”
She smiled back.
“Not a chance! I would like to know how I come to be here, however.”
“In one word, Karen.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I know what you are thinking and it is not true. She had nothing to do with the kidnapping. In fact, it was her plan and help that enabled us to reach the alien ship and get you off.”
I looked down at George.
“Unfortunately, George is a casualty. I’m afraid he may be paralyzed.”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry.”
She looked at me hard.
“What about our son?”
I grinned.
“Follow me.”
We walked into the common room. Linda had taken Raylan while I checked on George. Mary spotted Raylan and screeched. She ran over and picked him up.
“Thank heaven! Where did you find him?”
“Uh, Karen was taking care of him for the aliens.”
She noticed Karen for the first time.
“I thought you said Karen had nothing to do with Raylan.”
“Look, it’s a long story with a happy ending.”
Coop came back in then.
“We’ll be home in about 3 hours. Everyone better prepare to buckle in.”
He noticed the tension and high tailed it back into the command center. Mary stared at Karen a minute then turned back to me.
“OK, I’ll wait until we land but it better be good!”
We all sat down and adjusted our harnesses for landing. Karen sat as far from Mary as possible which was a good thing. Upon landing, a gurney was waiting to take George to medical. We followed along behind. Medical is pretty much automated but it is run by a doctor. I gave her a heads up about George’s true gender. She was not pleased but did her duty. I decided to head off any complaints by calling Carol.
“Welcome back, Jonnie. That was a fine thing you did in rescuing Mary and Linda.”
“Thank you but I had help. My some times partner George Brett was severely wounded during our escape. We have put him in medical at the moon base. He was and is disguised as a woman.”
Carol looked pensive.
“Well, we certainly can’t turn him away after the help he delivered but I think it will be best for him to remain on the moon. How serious are his wounds?”
“We aren’t sure but it looks like at least some paralysis.”
“Damn! Keep me updated. I need for you and Mary to come to the council as soon as you can for a full report. We got a strange message concerning the kidnapping.”
“Yeah, I heard about it. We should be able to shuttle down tomorrow.”
“Great! We will see you both in the morning then. Once again, thank you from all of us.”
She cut the transmission before I could say anything else. At least, the issue of Karen had not come up. Coop had taken her directly to his office. Hopefully, no one had seen her. As I stood up, Mary and Linda walked over. Mary had Raylan and it didn’t look like she would soon part with him.
“Well, I guess Carol is anxious to speak with us.”
“Yeah, looks like we will take the shuttle down in the morning.”
Linda spoke up.
“I’m going to stay and look after Georgia since I am the odd person here.”
I smiled.
“Not odd at all. You are part of our team but I thank you for volunteering to stay with George. This is going to be really hard on him.”
The doctor came out and came over to us.
“She is stable. I’m going to keep her under a couple of days while the med unit heals her. It does look like there is spinal damage that has resulted in paralysis. We will deal with that after the injuries heal.”
I took her hand.
“Thank you. Please do all you can. He is very special. I have informed the council about the unusual circumstances.”
She nodded and went back into medical. I turned to Mary.
“Let’s go see if the café can rustle up something to eat. I’m starved.”
“We also need to feed Raylan.”
“OK, we’ll check with them on that too.”
The café came up with some formula from somewhere. We fed Raylan and then started eating ourselves.
“OK, time to fess up. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill Karen.”
I grimaced but told her everything that happened after we arrived at Prowhiness. She looked away for a minute and then back.
“So, the aliens thought this was what Karen wanted plus they had the crazy idea to exchange Raylan and I for the thulium.”
“That’s about it.”
“I still think Karen is more a part of it than she is letting on. She did try to kill me after all.”
“I know but I really think her long recovery gave her time to think about things. She has changed.”
“Hmmpf! We’ll see!”
After eating, we went to Coop’s office. Karen was still there. She tensed when Mary walked in. I decided to play peace maker.
“Karen, I’ve told Mary the whole story.”
I looked back at Mary and then to Karen.
“Truce?”
They both nodded. Coop spoke up.
“I’ll show Karen to a room she can use. Why don’t we all turn in?”
We agreed and I took Mary and Raylan to our room. It was great being a family again.
“I’m sorry I left you and was gone when Raylan was taken. You needed me and I wasn’t there for you.”
She wrapped me in a hug.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You’re a marshal. We both know what that means. It’s over and you need to forget it. Just be thankful we are back together.”
I teared up and we kissed. Raylan decided to break things up by crying. We both laughed.
“Well, back to the grind.”
We took care of Raylan’s needs and then settled into bed. Sleep over took us quickly. I awoke later to Raylan’s call. Mary was zonked out. I smiled and took care of Raylan. Mary had earned her rest. I had trouble going back to sleep. Even though we were all back home, there were a lot of things still up in the air. I was really worried about George. I would need to keep a close watch on him. I was glad for Linda’s help. Since she is not from Fledora, it will be much easier for her to tend George. What to do about Karen was another problem. Of course, then there were the aliens. I didn’t think we were rid of them. I wondered how powerful they were and what were their intensions. We had all longed for first contact and, now that it’s happened, I kind of wish it hadn’t. I will certainly need to report all of this to the marshal service after our meeting with the council tomorrow. I finally went back to sleep and was awaken again by Raylan. Fortunately, it was now morning and Mary was awake. We got things ready and made our way to the shuttle. Mary had contacted our nanny and she was going to meet us at the house. The flight planetside was uneventful and we took a hovercraft to our house. Upon entering, Lynne rushed over to Raylan.
“Oh, thank heaven your safe. It was all my fault.”
I hugged Lynne.
“No it wasn’t. They had ways that made it impossible to prevent the kidnapping. You are a wonderful nanny and we still have complete trust in you.”
Mary agreed whole heartedly and we ended up in a group cry. Mary and I cleaned up and left Raylan with Lynne. I could tell this was a hard thing for Mary to do. It will take a while to get over all of this. We were both in our mandatory council dresses and we drove to the council building. The council was waiting for us and we were ushered right into the chambers. Carol actually came out and hugged us.
“I am so glad you both are home safe.”
“Thank you. It’s sure good to be back.”
Carol retook her seat.
“Now, tell us everything.”
So, I did. I left nothing out except that Karen came back with us. Carol was visibly distressed.
“We will have to discuss things. Can you both come back tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, I do want to go back to the moon afterwards to check on George.”
“Yes, please thank him for his service. We will take care of him, don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
We left and went back home. Mary was very relieved to find Raylan asleep in his crib. I am sure it will take time to get over her apprehension of leaving him. To tell the truth, I feel the same way. Even though the council had not said anything about the marshal service knowing what happened, I decided to check in with Sam especially considering what had happened to George.
“Hello, John or I guess it’s Jonnie right now.”
I laughed.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“I take it the mission was a success.”
“Yes, but George was injured and is being treated at Fledora’s moon base.”
“Damn! How bad?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“OK, keep me informed. I need you to submit a complete report. I know this was more of a personal matter, but it may have consequences for everyone.”
“Yeah, alien contact’s a biggy. I’ll get a report to you as soon as I get back to the moon. I have to meet with the Fledoran council in the morning.”
“Good luck.”
I signed off. Mary and I spent the rest of the day getting reacquainted. We arrived back at the council chambers at 10 the next morning. Carol was all business today.
“We are taking this alien threat seriously. We have been in touch with the marshal service. They have agreed to coordinate things with our military.”
I rolled my eyes and she smirked.
“Jonnie, you have been assigned to us temporarily so I want you to remain in charge of this. Mary, can you return to your old job?”
“Sure, I’m fine.”
“Great! I understand that Marshal Brett was disguised as a woman and still is. We contacted the doctor at the moon base and she tells us the disguise will last about a month. Let’s keep George’s true gender a secret as long as we can, OK?”
I nodded. I thought, ‘George is going to be a big problem.’
“Good! Jonnie, you have a free hand to get us ready for what ever the aliens have in store. Of course, we hope they will forget about us but I’m not optimistic. Coordinate with Mary on your personnel needs. This is our top priority.”
“Will do.”
We were dismissed and went to Mary’s old office. She sat down and looked up.
“Well, it looks like a busy time ahead.”
“Yeah, I need to get back up to the moon. Are you going to be OK here?”
“Yes, we will get by.”
We hugged and kissed. I left and went to the shuttle port. George would be awakened this afternoon. I was not looking forward to facing him.
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 12
When I arrived at the moon base, I went directly to Coop’s office. He was alone and looked concerned.
“What’s up, Coop?”
“I just had an interesting conversation with the council. They told me you are now in charge. I’m fine with that. My problem is that they seem to think that we have a military.”
I laughed.
“Yeah, fire one shot and we now are suddenly on a war footing. Do you really think the aliens are going to be a problem?”
Coop scratched his head.
“A problem yes but I don’t see it being a shooting war. They may try some subterfuge but I think Karen’s presence here will temper things.”
“I agree. I guess we will just have to wait. It is their move. I better get over to medical. They are going to wake George up.”
Coop nodded. I left and went down to medical. As I walked in, I spotted Linda.
“Hi, Linda, I’m sorry I had to leave. How’s George doing?”
“I know you had to deal with the council. There wasn’t anything you could do here anyway. The doctor is going to tell us when she is awake?”
I raised my eye brows.
“She?”
“The doctor insists on it. I think it’s orders from the council.”
I nodded.
“Yes, they told me they wanted to maintain the disguise. I guess we better continue to use the name Georgia. It is not going to be popular with our patient however.”
The doctor walked in.
“She’s waking up. Do you want me to tell her about her condition or do you all want to?”
“We better do it. This is not going to be easy.”
The doctor nodded and led us to George’s room. George was just waking up. He looked up at me and smiled.
“Hey, Jonnie.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Shit! I still sound like a crazed chipmunk!”
I laughed.
“Nonsense, besides it will wear off in about a month.”
“One month! What about the rest of it?”
“Sorry”
“How the hell am I going to resume my marshal duties like this?”
“Well, there is a further complication. What do you remember about our escape?”
“I remember us running for the shuttle. I think I shot the stun gun at the aliens as we entered it. That’s about it.”
“OK, yes, you nailed one of them but, as you turned, you were shot in the back. We got you into the shuttle and made our escape. We brought you to Fledora’s moon. You were in a medical pod here at the moon base for two days. I’m told your injuries are pretty much healed except for the spinal damage.”
I could see the concern on his face.
“What kind of spinal damage?”
“Paralysis of the lower part of your body. They needed to heal you up before working on that.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I can tell when you are holding back. We’ve been together a long time. There is no fixing this, is there?”
“I’m sure a treatment can be found.”
Linda spoke up.
“I will help you until it is cleared up. You saved me after all.”
George smiled at Linda.
“Thank you, saving you and Mary was my pleasure.”
He looked down at his useless legs.
“But, as things stand, I wish the aliens had finished me off.”
I punched him in the shoulder.
“Oh no you don’t! Like you said, we have been through a lot together. You will recover. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you but we both know how this is going to go down. I will not live like this!”
Linda sat down on his bed.
“Don’t say that! We will fix this! I promise!”
George took Linda’s hand. I decided to slip out. Hopefully, Linda’s presence will keep George going. I found myself heading towards Karen’s room. The Fledoran council had made it clear that the aliens were their biggest concern. Karen was the only one of us that knew any thing about them. I needed to know what she knew. I arrived at her door and knocked. She opened it and had a shocked face.
“I’m sorry, Jonnie. Every time I see you the only one I see is Gina.”
“That’s my fault. I let the Gina disguise go for too long.”
“That’s just is, I don’t think it’s a disguise.”
I frowned at her.
“Look, I’m your brother and really a man. You need to get over it.”
“I will if you will.”
I ignored her comment and sat down on the couch.
“We have important things to discuss. I have been put in charge of mounting a defense against the aliens if it becomes necessary. The marshal service is now involved. We need to know everything you can tell us about the aliens.”
She shook her head.
“I know you think they have evil intensions but I don’t believe it. They saved my life. That kidnapping scheme was just a misunderstanding. They have trouble knowing how we think. They only wanted some thulium; nothing else. I think everyone is making too much of this.”
“That may be but it is better to be safe than sorry. I don’t want to be standing around doing nothing when 10 alien battle cruisers show up.”
Karen sighed.
“OK, what do you want to know?”
“Where is their home planet? Have you seen any other ships than the one we were on? Have they made any threats toward us that you’ve heard? Was that ship armed?”
“Whoa, slow down! I told you that I don’t think they mean us harm. To answer your questions: a) I don’t know where they are from; b) I have not seen any other ships; c) I have heard no threats from them; and d) I didn’t see any armament on the ship. They were just trying to buy thulium.”
“Yeah, but we turned them down. You said yourself that they were determined to get it.”
She nodded.
“I agree that they will try another way. Why not just sell them some and be done with it?”
“That’s not my call.”
She shook her head and went into the kitchen.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Just cold water, please.”
She brought a glass to me.
“How’s Georgia doing?”
I sighed heavily.
“Physically OK except for the paralysis. That’s the problem. Georgia won’t want to live that way.”
Karen suddenly brightened.
“You do realize that I had the same problem, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was shot, I fell down that mine shaft. I was told that my back was broken. I should be a complete invalid but, as you can see, I am as good as ever.”
That shocked me.
“Are you trying to tell me that the aliens were able to totally heal your spine?”
“That’s exactly what I am saying!”
I pondered a minute.
“Do you think they would do the same for Georgia?”
“I’m sure they will given the right incentive.”
“You mean the thulium.”
“Yes”
I shook my head.
“The council will never go along with it.”
She grinned.
“Who says they need to know?”
I shook my head again.
“I work for them. It wouldn’t be right.”
Karen grabbed me by the shoulders.
“They would screw you in a minute if it served their purpose. Have you not learned anything! They tossed us both aside when we were born.”
“That was the old council.”
“Do you really think they have changed that much? They will do whatever it takes to meet their directives. We mean nothing and neither does Georgia.”
I tried to argue.
“They told me they would help Georgia in any way.”
She grinned.
“You have answered your own question by using the name Georgia. Whose idea was it to continue that charade?”
I sank back. She was right. Why did they insist on George being a woman. He was on the moon after all. Coop was still a man. What difference would it make to treat George like a man too?
“OK. I get it. You are right. Why did they want George to continue as a woman? That makes me wonder about Raylan. They tabled the discussion on his status for 6 months.”
Karen gave me a knowing look.
“We have to take care of each other. No one else will.”
“Yeah, but what about Mary? She won’t approve of anything that goes against the council. She also won’t be happy about any idea you come up with.”
Karen nodded.
“I really don’t blame her but she was always after me. It is a two way street.”
“Well, it’s still a problem. I do love Mary but I feel a tremendous obligation to George.”
“So, how much thulium is on the moon?”
“I have no idea. I could ask Coop.”
“He will need to be in on things anyway.”
“OK, but for now, it’s just a possible plan; nothing more.”
Karen agreed.
“I’ll contact my people back on Prowhiness to get a feel for things there.”
I left Karen’s room and headed to my own. I needed to think things out. It was OK for me to go against the council but I hesitated to get Coop involved again. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to approach him. At least, I could get an idea of how much thulium is available. Of course, thinking about this plan brings the problem of Mary to the fore front. She has strong ties to the council. In effect, I would be betraying her if we proceeded in trading thulium for the aliens help with George. I guess the best thing to do is not to worry about it since the plan probably will never happen anyway. After resting a while, I got up and went to see Coop.
“Hey, Jonnie, what’s up?”
“Karen was telling me that she had severe spinal damage from her fall into that mine shaft and those aliens healed her.”
Coop raised his eyebrows.
“I think I know where you are heading. You want to elicit their help with Georgia. I don’t think they are real thrilled with us right now since I blew out the engines on their ship.”
“Yeah, there is that. We really didn’t hurt anyone though. If there is even a remote chance, I want to explore it.”
“I agree.”
I hesitated.
“Uh, Karen suggested that they might be willing to help if they got what they came here for.”
“You mean the thulium.”
I nodded.
“How much do we have on the moon?”
“Pretty much all that has been mined; certainly more than they could carry with them. I don’t think the council will go for it, however.”
“True, it’s just a thought.”
“Hmmm.”
“Well, I guess I better go call Mary. See you tomorrow.”
I went back to my room and talked with Mary.
“I sure miss you already, Jonnie.”
“Me too. How’s Raylan?”
“He’s doing fine. It’s lucky he is so young. I have to say that he was well taken care of.”
“Yes, thank goodness for that!”
“How’s Georgia doing?”
I cringed at the name Georgia.
“OK, it is a tough thing to deal with.”
We talked a while longer. I did not mention anything about Karen’s plan. After hanging up, I went straight to bed. The next morning, I dressed and went to check on George. He was asleep but Linda was there with him.
“They had to sedate her. She is not dealing well with the paralysis much less the woman thing.”
“Yes, I sure messed things up. Well, I’m going to get some breakfast. I’ll come back a little later. Thanks for staying with --- uh, her.”
“Sure thing.”
I went to the cafeteria and filled my plate. I had just sat down to eat when I noticed Karen looking around. She spotted me and hurried over.
“What’s up?”
She grinned.
“I just heard back from The Alliance.”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 13
“Wow, that’s great! What did the aliens say?”
“They have agreed to meet with myself and my mate; no one else.”
“OK, but I didn’t know you had hooked up with anyone.”
“Jonnie, they are talking about Gina.”
“Oh, Shit!”
“I told you once that they are very big on appearances. I am afraid we must do it their way.”
I looked down at my food.
“I’ve lost my appetite. I guess I’m going to have to report this to the council.”
I looked up at Karen.
“I better fess up about you being here as well.”
I sighed.
“Mary is not going to like this one bit.”
“I’m sorry, Jonnie. I wish there was another way.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, we didn’t leave on the best of terms. OK, I’ll get back to you as quick as I can.”
I contacted Carol and told her I needed to speak to the council concerning new information about the aliens. She set up a meeting for 9 tomorrow morning. I then went back to see George. He was awake but a little groggy. He looked up as I entered and turned away. Linda shrugged sadly.
“Hi, George. I don’t blame you for being mad at me. This is all my fault.”
He just grunted.
“I’m working on getting this straightened out, don’t give up!”
He ignored me this time. Linda motioned for me to go out with her.
“Don’t feel bad, Jonnie. It’s natural for her to feel bitter.”
“I know but it still hurts. I’m going back down to the planet this afternoon. But I should be back late tomorrow. Do you mind checking on George for me?”
She smiled.
“I will be here until I’m no longer needed. Don’t worry.”
I hugged her.
“Thank you for being such a good friend.”
I left and made arrangements to shuttle down. Mary met me when I landed.
“I didn’t expect you back so soon but I’m sure glad.”
We kissed and got into the hovercraft. After getting home, I sat down and motioned her to do the same.
“Karen has tentatively set up a meeting with the aliens. I have an appointment with the council in the morning to tell them about it.”
Mary nodded and frowned.
“They aren’t going to be thrilled to find out Karen is here, are they?”
“I know but I guess I must face the music. This seems the best chance we have to solve this situation.”
“True, do you want me to go with you?”
“I better do it alone. It could get ugly.”
“Oh, it will! Who do you think they will send to meet the aliens?”
“Well, the aliens will only meet with Karen and I. “
“Hmm, it makes sense but I don’t like it. I don’t trust Karen at all even if she is your sister.”
“She is our only contact with the aliens so we really have no choice. Besides, she is a different person now.”
“So you say. Enough of this, I hear Raylan. Go take care of him and I will fix some food.”
“Right”
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each others company, it felt good to be home but trouble was on the horizon. After a good night sleep and a wonderful breakfast with my family, I headed to my council meeting.
“Welcome, Jonnie. I understand you have some news about The Alliance.”
“Yes ma’am. They have told Karen Singleton that they are willing to meet with her and myself.”
“Karen? How did you hear from her?”
“Uh, she came back with us to the moon. She was instrumental in the rescue.”
“Are you saying that Karen has been on the moon without you informing us?”
“Yes, but ---“
“I can’t believe this! We are not sending a mission out on her say so. Go back to the moon, arrest Karen, and continue preparing our defenses. That is all!”
I was escorted out of the chambers. I knew they would be upset but this really shocked me. What Karen had told me flashed back. I guess I had misread the council. We were on our own just like Karen said. I went back to the house. Mary was feeding Raylan.
“How did it go?”
“Don’t ask! I have to go back up ASAP.”
She sighed.
“What are you going to do?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. As far as the council is concerned, the meeting with The Alliance
is off. Plus, they told me to arrest Karen.”
Mary raised her eyebrows.
“I’m not too surprised considering what Karen did here. Did you think all would be forgiven?”
“No. but there is more at stake here. Karen is our link to the aliens. I am not going to sit back and wait for them to come to us.”
“You can’t go against the council’s orders. Just calm down and continue planning. There is no sense in jumping the gun.”
I realized there was no point in arguing with Mary. I just nodded.
“You’re right, let’s eat lunch and then I’ll head back to the shuttle port.”
We had a nice lunch and I bonded with Raylan a while. After he was put to bed for his nap, I hugged Mary.
“I hate to rush off again.”
She smiled.
“I know but I have to get to work as well. We will be together when this is over.”
She drove me to the shuttle port, we kissed, and I boarded the shuttle to the moon base. On the ride up, I thought back to Carol’s words. There is no way I’m going to arrest Karen. She is our only hope and Georges. When I reached the base, I headed straight to Coop’s office.
“Hey, Coop, we have a problem.”
“You didn’t get the reaction you wanted from the council I take it.”
“They wouldn’t even listen. As soon as they found out about Karen being here, that is all they could think about. I’m supposed to arrest her; plus, remain here at the base.”
He nodded.
“Karen told me about The Alliance offer of a meeting. Knowing you, I guess we are going anyway.”
“Coop, I have gotten you in enough trouble as it is.”
He laughed.
“Since I met you, I have had nothing but trouble. When do we leave?”
I smiled.
“I’m going to go see Karen and give her a heads up. Just to be safe, get the ship ready to launch. We may have to leave quickly.”
“You can count on me.”
“Thanks Coop.”
I left and went to Karen’s room.
“By the look on your face, I guess the council meeting was a bust.”
I laughed.
“Worse than that, you are now under arrest.”
She held out her hands.
“OK, cuff me.”
“Get serious! We are going to have to move fast.”
“Alright, let’s go talk to George and Linda.”
When we arrived at George’s room, Linda was there. We explained the situation. George brightened when we told him about Karen’s injuries.
“If there is any chance, I want to take it. I will not live like this. Take me with you.”
I looked over at Linda. She nodded.
“I’m staying with Georgia. If she goes, I do too.”
“OK, let’s all get to the ship. The council can’t stop us once we launch.”
I looked at each of them.
“You know that we will be fugitives as soon as we do this.”
Karen looked at me.
“I already am.”
George just shrugged.
“So what?”
We got George into a wheel chair and we went to Coop’s office. He smirked as we entered.
“So, the gangs all here. Come on, the ship’s almost ready.”
We went into the hanger and boarded the space craft.
“I’ve scheduled this for a test flight so there won’t be any trouble launching.”
We all buckled in and waited while Coop went through the check list. We launched with no problem.
“Before we head for Prowhiness, I better check in with Sam at the marshal service. I owe him an explanation before the council calls.”
I got hold of Sam and told him to expect a yelp from the Fledoran council.
“OK, I trust your judgment. If this will both fix George and ease the Alliance threat, I say go for it.”
“Thanks Sam.”
I next called Mary.
“Jonnie, please tell me you are not doing something stupid.”
“Uh, well, Karen, Linda, George, Coop and I are on our way to Prowhiness. I can’t leave this alone. I’ve informed the marshal service.”
“You idiot! What about the council?”
“I’m not telling them.”
She shook her head.
“I can’t believe you. You’re not the person I married. OK, I’ll inform the council. Good bye!”
She disconnected. I sat there for a minute staring at the screen. Karen came up behind me.
“Things will work out. Just do what you have to do.”
I nodded but had a large lump in the pit of my stomach. I glanced over at Coop.
“I guess we’re committed now. Take us to Prowhiness.”
“OK, I’ll set things up. Get everyone into hibernation.”
Karen and I lifted George into a pod. He smiled.
“Thanks for doing this, John.”
“Hey, I got you into this. It’s up to me to get it fixed.”
He nodded and I closed the lid. The rest of us entered our pods. I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived. It was up to Karen to arrange things. I hope The Alliance isn’t too mad at us. The next thing I know, my pod popped open. Karen was looking down at me with a big smirk.
“Get your glad rags on, we have a date!”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 14
“What do you mean?”
“A representative of The Alliance is taking us to dinner at the resort. You need to look sexy, kitten.”
I frowned at her as I got out of the pod.
“I hope you are kidding. We came here to meet with The Alliance to avoid a crisis and to help George in the process.”
Karen shook her head.
“We do it their way or forget it. When I contacted them, this is what they wanted. So, the first thing we do when we land is go shopping to get you the perfect dress.”
I rolled my eyes and headed into the command center. Coop was already there.
“Hey, Jonnie, or I guess it’s Gina now.”
I glared at him.
“I see you’ve talked to Karen.”
“No, a message was waiting from The Alliance when we arrived in the area of Prowhiness. It amazes me how they always know when we get here.”
“Yeah, we now nothing about their technology, do we?”
“No and that is a problem. By the way, there is also a message waiting from the council.”
I grimaced.
“OK, play it.”
‘Jonnie, what the hell do you think you are doing? Get back here now or we will issue arrest warrants.’
The message ended. I looked over to Coop.
“Well, they didn’t mince with words.”
Linda walked in.
“I need help with George.”
I smiled.
“At least it’s George again.”
She blushed.
“I was just trying to obey the council by calling him Georgia. I guess that’s irrelevant now.”
“No kidding, they are threatening us with arrest.”
I followed Linda to George’s pod. He looked disgusted.
“I am so tired of being so helpless.”
“Don’t worry about it. We are glad to help and you will soon be up and around.”
“I sure hope so.”
We placed George into a chair in the common room. Coop came in.
“I’ve got the lander ready. It’s programmed to land at the resort landing pad.”
Karen stood up.
“Gina and I are going down to meet The Alliance representative.”
She turned to me with a grin.
“Go get yourself ready.”
I groaned and went to my room. Since the Prowhiness resort is quite warm, I chose a green sundress and sandals. I made my face up to reflect my sex kitten status. I sure hope this is worth it. I walked back into the common room. George laughed.
“At least I don’t have to look like that.”
I just shook my head and headed to the lander. Karen followed. Once we settled in, I contacted Coop.
“OK, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Alright, sit back and relax. You should be down in about 20 minutes.”
We separated from the ship and started down. I never thought I would be doing this again.
“Karen, I’m really not sure about this.”
“Don’t worry, Gina, I’ll protect you. We are just having dinner and, hopefully, make plans for the trade.”
“I know but --- oh, hell, let’s just get it over with.”
“That’s the spirit.”
I sat back and watched us land. A car met us and we were taken to the hotel. There was a nice women’s shop off the lobby. Karen excitedly entered it. I did not feel her joy. She had me try on a dozen dresses. Finally, I came out of the dressing room to wide eyed approval. The dress was purple, very short and very tight fitting.
“Karen, this is not me.”
“Nonsense, you look fabulous. That is definitely the one.”
Of course, I needed shoes as well. They were much higher heeled than I liked. I dressed in the new outfit and we headed back into the lobby. We waited there for the representative. There was no mistaking him as he entered. He looked like the others I had seen. He spotted Karen and walked over.
“It’s good to see you again, Karen. You left us in a bit of a rush last time.”
“It was just a misunderstanding. We meant no harm.”
“Yes, a tragic lack of knowledge on our part.”
He turned to me.
“Please forgive us. We meant well. I am also very pleased to meet Karen’s lovely mate.”
He took my hand and kissed it. I turned a bright red. He laughed heartily.
“Oh, she is a treasure. I am so glad you both could come. Please, let’s go into the dining room.”
We followed him and were seated.
“Let’s eat and enjoy each others company before we get down to business. The meal is on me.”
So, we had a wonderful meal while making small talk. It was hard to believe we were sitting and talking with an alien. Of course, I knew this was not his true self but then neither was I. After the dessert dishes were cleared away, he stood up.
“We are going to my lander so we can talk in private.”
I didn’t like this. I looked over at Karen. She nodded slightly. We exited the hotel and were driven to a small but quite impressive landing craft. We entered and sat down. Immediately, the ship took off.
“Hey, what gives?”
“Don’t be alarmed. We are going up to my ship. The others need to be in on any discussions.”
He settled into the pilot’s seat and started talking to someone. I leaned over to Karen.
“Did you know about this?”
“No, the invite was only for dinner. I assumed we would discuss things over the meal. All of my other talks with them have been on their ship so I guess it should not be a complete surprise.”
“I wish we had known before hand so we could have alerted Coop. Do you think he will let us contact our ship?”
“I’ll ask.”
Karen got up and sat down beside the alien. I could not hear what was said. She came back a few minutes later. She shook her head.
“He says we can contact Coop once we are on their ship. I guess we have no choice but to wait.”
It seemed like it was taking a long time to reach the ship. After a bit, the alien ship finally came into view. It was not the merchant ship we had been on before. This one was something else. I had never seen anything like it. The ship was obviously armed and built for speed. The alien noticed us looking.
“Do you like my ship? It is my personal cruiser.”
I really didn’t know what to say. Karen spoke up.
“Very nice! It doesn’t look like it would hold many individuals.”
He laughed.
“We don’t take up much room.”
Our shuttle was docked to the ship. The hatch opened and the alien directed us to a small room. It had 2 reclining seats and nothing else. Karen and I sat down. I had a bad feeling about this. The door shut.
“This doesn’t look much like a conference room. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would call this a passenger cubicle for traveling.”
Karen nodded.
“I hate to say this, Gina, but it looks like we are going on a trip.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I walked into the command center and put my hand on Coop’s shoulder.
“Shouldn’t we have heard from them by now?”
Coop looked back at me with a frown.
“Yes, Linda, I’m getting worried. I think I will contact the resort space port.”
I went back to George while Coop inquired about Karen and Jonnie.
“Has he heard anything?”
“No, I think something has gone wrong.”
“Don’t worry about John. He is pretty handy and Karen looks like she could handle herself as well.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m probably worrying for nothing.”
George took hold of my hand.
“I want to thank you for staying with me.”
I smiled.
“Oh, it is my pleasure. I’m beginning to take a liking to you.”
He laughed.
“You sound like John. I’m feeling something, too.”
He pulled me down to him and kissed me. It had been a long time since I had felt this way about a man. When my husband was killed by those ruthless marshals, I swore off men. Karen saved me from a particularly bad situation and brought me to Fledora. Since it is a planet of only women, I was very comfortable there. When Gina arrived, we became best friends. Then, I found out she was really a male marshal. I was very conflicted but it helped me to overcome my fears. I finally broke from the kiss. He suddenly had a panicked look.
“You know I may not regain the use of my legs. Are you sure you would want half a man? Hell, if you look at me, I’m not even that much.”
I couldn’t help myself. I kissed him back.
“Does that answer your question?”
He grinned big.
“You could have become a lesbian?”
“Not hardly.”
Coop came back then.
“We may have a problem. According to the space port, our shuttle is still there but the alien shuttle took off a couple of hours ago. They don’t know where it was headed. I talked to the man at the desk of the resort hotel. He said Karen and Jonnie left with the alien. It’s beginning to look like the alien has taken them to his ship wherever that is.”
“Oh, great, now what?”
“We have no choice but to standby. We can’t contact them and there is no way we could find that ship.”
I shook my head.
“I knew this was a bad idea. I hope Jonnie and Karen haven’t gotten themselves in trouble.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship started shaking slightly. The face of our representative alien appeared on a screen above us.
“You two better strap in. We are leaving.”
His face just as quickly disappeared.
“Shit! This can’t be happening. Where do you think we’re going?”
Karen sighed.
“I’m sorry, Gina. I can’t imagine what is going on. They already know that an exchange won’t work, so I don’t think we are being kidnapped.”
“I agree. This makes no sense. You know, they haven’t let us contact Coop yet either. I would feel a lot better if we weren’t out of touch.”
Suddenly, his face was back on the screen.
“I want to apologize to you. Our leaders have decided that we should get to know each other better before we do further business. Your escape off the merchant ship left them uncertain about your race.”
Karen spoke up.
“You said we could contact our ship when we reached this ship. We would like to do that now.”
“That has been taken care of. We sent a message telling them that you are accompanying us to our home planet.”
I stood up.
“Wait a minute.”
“Karen, please control your mate. Everything is settled. In a few minutes, your door will open. Turn left and go to the end of the corridor. This will lead you to our galley. My mate and I will be waiting for you. I should also warn you that we will be our true selves.”
The screen went blank. Karen turned to me.
“Well, this will be an historic event no matter what else happens.”
I sighed.
“It’s the ‘else’ I’m worried about.”
True to his word, a few minutes later, our door opened. Karen stood up and pulled me to my feet. To my surprise, she kissed me. I once again turned bright red.
“Sorry, Gina, but I had to do that. I don’t know what we are facing. You are still the best thing in my life.”
“It’s OK, you just surprised me. I would like to say it was bad but, truthfully, it was not.”
She smiled and started toward the door. I was still a little weak kneed but I followed. We went down the corridor and looked into the galley. To say that what I saw shocked me was an understatement.
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 15
Standing before me were two aliens. They were about 3 feet tall and had a slight greenish tinge to their skin. They were humanoid and both looked female. To top it off, they had beautiful translucent wings. The word that came to my mind was ‘faeries’.
“Welcome to my ship. This is my mate. I would give you our names but you could not pronounce them. You can call us what ever you want.”
I continued to stare.
“The reaction you are having is why we use an avatar to interact with your race. Our people visited your Earth thousands of your years ago. They left because of your aggressive nature. I understand that stories about us have been passed down through the ages.”
I glanced at Karen. She looked like she was about to faint. I finally found my voice.
“You’re Faeries! This can’t be real!”
The one talking laughed.
“That’s what your ancestors called us but we are just people like you. We created the avatars so that we could negotiate business deals without any handicaps.”
I was starting to recover.
“Yes, I can see why you do not want to interact as your selves. Our preconceptions would work against you.”
The alien turned to Karen.
“You are letting your mate do all the talking.”
Karen shook her head.
“Huh”
“We are used to the primary member doing most of the interacting. My mate will only talk with others in my presence when spoken to. We assumed that you are the primary.”
I didn’t know what to think about this. Karen looked at me and shrugged. She turned back to the alien.
“There may be married couples that seem to act that way but we consider each spouse to be equal.”
The alien appeared to frown.
“That is not what we observed on Prowhiness. The one you call ‘male’ always appeared to be the primary and the ‘female’ followed the males lead. I know your planet is different because you are all females. Perhaps we are mistaken in your case but, since you are bigger and stronger than Gina, it made sense that you would be the primary.”
Karen smiled.
“You are definitely mistaken. Gina is an equal to me. In fact, that is one reason our ancestors moved to Fledora. The planet we originated from suffered under male oppression of females.”
Karen studied the aliens a second.
“You both seem to be female. How do you decide who is primary?”
The alien shook its head.
“We do not have gender designations like you. We both produce a gamete that can be fused together to produce an off spring. This is done in a lab. The child as you would call it is raised in an institution until it has learned enough to become a citizen. We do not have parents as such, therefore.”
“Well, that is certainly different. You mentioned that your rulers wanted to meet us. I don’t have a problem with that but once again you are taking one of us away without permission. Why didn’t you just ask?”
“We did as we were told. I am sorry it has caused you pain. You are not prisoners. On the contrary, you are welcomed guests.”
“OK, as long as you view Gina and me as equals. You never did tell us how you choose who is primary in your relationship.”
“That is predetermined. Now, if you will please go back and strap in, we will head for our home.”
“Don’t we need hibernation pods?”
“No, our drive is not like yours. We will arrive in about 3 hours. Please hurry.”
We walked back to the room with the chairs and strapped in. I shook my head.
“I must be dreaming.”
Karen laughed.
“I have to admit that, in all the time I spent with them, I never expected this. I knew the guys I dealt with weren’t really the true aliens but --- an avatar? I sure would like to know how they do it.”
“Yeah, their technology is way beyond us. It makes one wonder why they need to deal with us at all. What do you make of the primary crap. That sounds very old fashioned for an advanced race.”
“I don’t know. It worries me some. I’m not sure I like the idea of going with them.”
“Me either but it looks like we have no choice in the matter. I sure wish Coop was tailing us.”
Karen nodded. We were silent for a while. I was really worried. They seemed to be viewing me as arm candy with no real status in spite of Karen’s demand. I didn’t want to cause a conflict since we will be on their territory but I was not going to take this lying down. Karen was backing me up which I appreciated. The face appeared on the screen. This seemed strange since we knew what they looked like.
“When we reach our planet, we will enter orbit. Our rulers have stated that they will fly up to our ship. Just relax. I will brief you before they come aboard.”
The screen went blank. I looked over at Karen.
“Well, that was interesting.”
Karen frowned.
“It’s almost like our earlier meeting never took place. Maybe it’s a software thing.”
“Yeah, I guess I better control myself. They are quickly getting on my nerves. I don’t want to do anything that will cause George to not get help.”
Karen smiled and patted my hand.
“Don’t take their peculiar customs to heart. They are an alien civilization. Let’s just play along. The stakes are very high.”
I nodded.
“OK, you take the lead and I will be a good girl.”
Karen laughed.
“That will be the day!”
After a bit, our door opened and one of the aliens walked in. It looked like the one who had done all of the talking.
“We are about home. Have you decided what you would like to call us?”
Karen glanced at me. I shrugged.
“I don’t know, how about Tinker?”
I thought I was going to fall over. She did not say that and with a straight face.
“Fine, and my mate?”
I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out.
“Bell?”
“OK, from now on in your presence, I will be Tinker and my mate will be Bell.”
Tinker turned and left. Karen couldn’t hold it any longer. I joined in. After a few minutes, we finally calmed down. I had laughed so hard I was crying. A few minutes later, Tinker returned.
“I am glad you are feeling better about this. We did not mean you harm. When our leaders come aboard, I will lead you to them. Upon entering the room, I will take Karen up to the leaders. Gina, you will see Bell to the right. Go join her. Please say nothing. From that point on, the leaders will guide us. They do not speak your language so I will translate. Now, part of this meeting will be to discuss our purchase of thulium. Do you have any thing to add to this?”
Karen spoke up.
“Yes, one of us was injured in the escape from your ship. He has severe spinal damage. I know that you healed me. We ask that you do the same for him. He is on our ship at Prowhiness.”
Tinker nodded.
“I don’t see a problem with that. As long as our leaders reach an agreement to obtain the thulium, I am sure they will approve that.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
Bell walked in and spoke to Tinker. It was the first time we had heard their native language. It is hard to describe it. I don’t see how we could speak it. To say the least, it was alien.
“Bell says that the rulers have come along side. We will leave in a few minutes.”
Bell left. Tinker seemed to be waiting for some signal. Finally, its wings fluttered. I wonder if they can fly. The wings looked vestigial.
“OK, please follow me.”
We were led down the corridor but turned at a door before reaching the galley. Karen walked in beside Tinker. As I entered, I noticed Bell off to the side. I went over and stood beside her. There were two new aliens in the room. They looked about the same but appeared older. Karen towered over them. It was hard to read any expressions but I got the feeling that she intimidated them. That seemed out of character in spite of the difference in height. I could not hear what was said but one of the leaders made a long speach. After the translation, all parties talked back and forth. I looked over at Bell. She stood motionless with a blank face. I felt like a second class citizen. Finally after about 30 minutes, Karen bowed to the leaders. Tinker took her hand and they walked toward the exit. After they left the room, the alien elders walked up to me. They spoke for about 2 minutes, bowed slightly, and left. I turned to Bell.
“What was that all about?”
“They were complimenting you on your support of your mate and wished you well. We can go back now.”
“That was a lot of talking just to say that.”
Bell looked away and led me back without speaking further. When I returned to our room, Karen was already seated. Bell left and the door closed.
“Well?”
Karen grinned.
“I think we did it. They agreed to pay the same for the thulium as before and they are willing to help George.”
“That’s great! Why did they bring us all the way here?”
“That’s the strange part. They are impressed by you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, the leaders wanted to meet you personally.”
I shook my head.
“That’s crazy, besides, I never said a thing to them. They came over after you left and talked to me for a couple of minutes but I said nothing. Bell said they were just being nice. It seemed a lot more than that to me.”
Karen nodded.
“I think there is more to it than we know. Anyhow, a merchant ship is going to follow us back to Prowhiness. It will have the facilities to treat George. Then we go to Fledora’s moon to get the thulium.”
I grunted.
“That will be easier said than done. You didn’t happen to tell them that we are fugitives did you?”
Karen grimaced.
“Not exactly, I just said we would need to load the thulium without the council knowing.”
“Hmm, well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”
We settled back to wait. About 20 minutes later, our friendly face appeared.
“Buckle in, we are leaving.”
The screen went blank and we did. The ship started vibrating like it did when we left Prowhiness. I sure would like to know more about their engines. I don’t know how far we traveled but we would have had to hibernate to make the trip with our ship because of the hardship on our bodies. There was none of that here. I barely felt anything. I guess I was tired and a little hungry because I drifted off. I was awakened by the door opening. Bell walked in.
“We are almost there. You need to contact your ship so that we may rendezvous with it. Please follow me.”
She took us back to the galley. It occurred to me that they have not let us view any of the workings of the ship. When we entered, Tinker was there. Karen was handed a devise that looked like a walkie-talkie.
“We have announced our presence to your ship. Just talk into that.”
Karen looked at it curiously and then called out.
“This is Karen, are you there, Coop?”
“Thank God, yes, I’m here. Are you two alright?”
“We’re fine and need to dock with you.”
“OK, I see you. Come ahead, we’re ready.”
“Thanks Coop.”
Karen glanced at me and shrugged. She knew it was my place to communicate with Coop. I couldn’t help myself.
“I see I’m still not considered an equal.”
Tinker looked surprised.
“We just assumed that since Karen is the primary that she would be the one to tell them we are here.”
I realized I had said too much. They didn’t know I was the commander. I acquiesced.
“That’s fine. You did right.”
Tinker looked relieved. We docked and went to the hatch. When it opened, we were greeted by Linda and Coop. I looked back to introduce Tinker but found the avatar standing there. He stepped forward and shook Coop’s hand.
“Please to meet you Mr. Cooper. I understand you have an injured man aboard.”
Coop looked over at me.
“They have agreed to fix Georges back.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
Linda was ecstatic.
“I’ll go get him.”
She came back a few minutes later pushing George in a wheelchair. The avatar looked confused.
“I thought the injured person was male.”
George spoke up.
“I was disguised as a woman to get on your ship. I would be glad to get rid of this.”
The avatar nodded.
“I bet. It’s not right to be forced to be something you’re not. Let’s get you on the ship and we will correct things.”
He turned to Coop.
“We will head to your planet Fledora after getting George into our medical unit. You go on ahead.”
Coop nodded and the avatar, Linda, and George entered the alien ship. Karen and I went with Coop to the command center. Coop set the ship to take us near Fledora and we headed to the hibernation pod.
“You know, Karen, we will probably not be welcomed back to Fledora or the moon.”
“That’s for sure.”
Coop looked thoughtful.
“When we get to the Fledora area, why not put our ship on the back side of the moon until we can see how things are?”
“That sounds good to me.”
We entered the pods and went into hibernation. I awoke to find Karen and Coop already gone. I went to the command center. They were staring out the window. When I looked, I got a shock. There were two marshal cruisers on an intercept course to us.
Galactic Marshall II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 16
Karen and I met the marshals as they entered our ship. I did not know either of them. One of them glanced at me and then addressed Karen.
“Are you Karen Singleton?”
“Yes”
“We have been ordered to take you and Marshal John Harper to headquarters. We can not take your lesbian lover with us, however.”
Karen looked at me and smirked.
“My dear marshal, this beautiful woman is Marshal Harper.”
Both marshals stared at me. I grimaced.
“I know this is strange but I have to look like this in order to live on Fledora. I am John Harper but I go by Jonnie while female.”
The first marshal frowned.
“I don’t know what you are trying to pull. I have met Marshal Harper and have seen him many times. You look nothing like him. This ploy will not work. You are not coming with us. Now, where is John Harper?”
I sighed.
“Just take us to HQ. We can sort it out there.”
The other marshal shook his head.
“I am going back to the ship to get further orders. As of right now, both of you are under our custody.”
I went back to the command center. I told Coop what was happening.
“God, you can get in more predicaments. Do you think Fledora would change you back to your male self before you leave?”
“No chance! As much as I want to contact them especially Mary, I must not. The best thing right now is for Karen and I to go to the marshal service and straighten things out. That merchant’s ship will arrive here pretty soon. You need to get with Linda and George to figure out a way to load the thulium. I don’t know how long it will be before I can come back here.”
“Yeah, OK, I agree that is the most important thing. The aliens have agreed to this. I don’t want to think what will happen if we renege again.”
I nodded. The head marshal poked his head in.
“We have been instructed to take you and Karen with us. Get your things.”
“Sure”
I shook Coop’s hand.
“Good luck and take care of your self.”
“Don’t worry, we will sort things out.”
I went to my room and gathered my clothes and toiletries. I looked at myself in the mirror and I had to shake my head. Going back to the marshals HQ like I am now was my worst nightmare. I found a pants suit I had bought on Broadskye and changed into it. The tight purple dress I had been wearing would not do. Karen walked in and smiled.
“I figured you would change but you did look good in that dress.”
“Unfortunately, I have to agree but it is definitely not the image I want to put forward to the marshal service. It is going to be hard enough to explain this.”
Karen laughed.
“You’re taking this too hard. They know you have been living on Fledora.”
“Yeah, but, as George says, knowing and seeing are two different things.”
“Well, we have no choice. You ready to go?”
I nodded and we made our way back to the hatch. The marshals were waiting for us.
“Are you going to tell us where Marshal Harper is at?”
Karen and I just stared at him. He shook his head.
“OK, but you better have a good story when we get to headquarters.”
We both shrugged. He grunted and we entered the marshal cruiser. This was not going to be a pleasant trip.
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The alien led George and I to a room with 2 reclining chairs.
“Please have a seat and buckle in. We need to rendezvous with our merchant ship.”
He picked George up and placed him in one of the chairs. I buckled him in and sat in the other chair. The alien left and the door closed.
“I sure hope we haven’t made a mistake.”
George nodded.
“Yeah, but I’ll take any chance to walk again.”
About 30 minutes later, the alien returned.
“We have docked with the merchant ship.”
He put George back into the wheel chair. We went to the hatch at the rear of the cruiser. It opened and we entered the merchant ship. We were led by the alien down a corridor and through a door on the right. In the center of the room was a contraption I find very hard to describe. I guessed it was the medical unit that had been mentioned. The alien stopped and turned to us. He kneeled in front of George.
“It is fortunate that your injuries are completely healed. Karen had extensive injuries that delayed the nerve regeneration of her spine. Since you are very healthy otherwise, it shouldn’t take long to fix your back.”
He looked up at me.
“Linda, do you want to stay?”
“Yes”
He nodded and lifted George out of the wheelchair placing him on a table.
“I need to completely undress you. One must be naked before going into the tank.”
After removing George’s clothes, the alien took a blood sample. The vial was place into a cylinder.
“This will give the machine a working knowledge of your body. I am going to sedate you now because the sensations in the tank can be unnerving.”
He waved a device over George’s head. George immediately passed out. I was beginning to worry.
“Are you sure this thing is safe?”
“Yes, completely. I will put George into the tank once it is filled.”
“Filled?”
“Yes, the fluid is necessary for the nerve regeneration.”
A pinkish liquid entered the tank. George was gently place into it.
“The fluid will allow him to breathe. The process will take about 12 hours. Would you like to rest?”
I nodded. I still wasn’t sure about this. He led me to a room with several reclining chairs and a couch. I sat down and he gave me a drink.
“This will relax you. I think you’ll find it tasty.”
He was right. It tasted vaguely of strawberries. The next thing I knew, he was tapping me on the shoulder.
“It’s time. The process should be about finished.”
I stood up and followed him back to the medical room. He looked at a screen and nodded.
“Everything looks good.”
He then lifted George out of the tank and placed him on the table. It looked like George’s female disguise had dissolved away. He was George again! The alien did something with a device. George coughed and spit up some liquid. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes. I took his hand.
“I’m here, George. Are you OK?’
He blinked and looked up at me.
“I guess. I had some crazy dreams.”
The alien helped George sit up. George suddenly realized he was naked and blushed. I smiled and squeezed his hand. I noticed that his legs were moving.
“George, you’re legs!”
He raised both legs up and broke out in a huge smile. He turned to the alien.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have saved my life.”
The alien smiled.
“It was our pleasure.”
George put his clothes on and we followed the alien back to the room I was in before. George was walking as if he had never been injured.
“Please sit down and buckle in. We are heading to Fledora to meet up with your ship.”
The alien left and I looked over at George. He held out his arms and I jumped into them.
“Oh, George, I am so happy for you.”
We kissed deeply.
“I guess we better buckle in like he said. It’s sure good to be me again.”
I nodded and we broke our hug. After we had sat down, the ship shook a little. George was still worn out so he napped. I was really optimistic about things. I know we had left Fledora against the council’s orders but the result has been fabulous. I did not think we would be in much trouble. An hour or so later, our alien came in.
“We have a problem. Apparently, Karen and Gina have been taken away by your marshal service.”
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Once we were on the marshal ship, the head marshal turned to us.
“You are not under arrest. Apparently, Fledora has made a complaint against Marshal Harper and Karen Singleton.”
He looked at Karen.
“You are ID’d as that Karen.”
He then looked at me.
“You are ID’d as Gina Coleman. I have been instructed to take both of you back to our headquarters to sort all of this out. It would be better if I had Marshal Harper here as well but, when my partner talked with our superior, we were told to forget Marshal Harper and head back ASAP. We are going to go directly to the hibernation pods now. Any questions?”
Karen and I shook our heads.
“OK, let’s go.”
He led us to the hibernation room and assigned us pods. As I climbed in, I looked over at Karen. She smiled.
“Don’t worry, Gina, this will work out OK.”
“I hope your right but I am still embarrassed and a little bit horrified by this.”
Karen just nodded sadly and we layed down in the pods. I sure wish the medical pod had been installed in Coop’s ship. Going to HQ like this was something I would not be able to live down. Most marshals were very macho as I pretended to be before my initial trip to Fledora. My appearance was not going to please many of them. Oh, well, there is nothing I can do about it. The door closed and I drifted off into a deep sleep.
I awoke to see Sam staring down at me. The pod opened and I sat up. Sam grinned.
“Well, I must say, you look better than ever.”
I blushed.
“Sorry about this, Sam, I did not want to come here like this.”
“I can imagine. You do look very nice, however. Let’s go to my office and try to figure things out.”
I got out of the pod and Karen did as well. We followed Sam out of the cruiser. The two marshals that had picked us up gave me a hard look. We passed several marshals that I knew on the way to Sam’s office. They did not seem to recognize me which was a good thing; the way they were looking at my body was not. We entered the office and sat down.
“OK, Fledora wants both of you turned over to them. However, the alien threat is our top priority and you two are the only ones to have had contact with them. What are they after?”
I looked over at Karen. She nodded.
“They want to buy the thulium they had been promised by Fledora. They are not interested in anything sinister as far as I can tell. It would be a good relations builder to sell them what they want.”
Sam nodded.
“OK, that certainly makes sense. We would like to meet with them. Do you think you could set something up?”
“I don’t know. They were supposed to meet us near Fledora but we were picked up before that could happen.”
“Hmm, I am going to run this upstairs. Maybe we can set things straight. Why don’t you come back in the morning.”
“Alright”
He turned to Karen.
“There is an arrest warrant out for you but we can forego that at the moment. I will set up a place for you to stay tonight.”
“She can stay with me in my apartment.”
Sam nodded.
“Sure, that will be OK. See you both in the morning then.”
We stood and left.
“Well, that went better than I expected.”
Karen nodded.
“Yeah, but it looks like we’re persona non grate on Fledora.”
I sighed.
“I wish I knew how Mary was taking this. I also miss Raylan.”
We walked toward the cafeteria in silence. As we entered, all eyes turned toward us. They did not look friendly. We filled our plates and found an isolated table. Karen grimaced.
“It doesn’t look like we’re any more welcome here.”
“I guess the word is out as to who I am. This really sucks!”
“Don’t let them bother you.”
“That’s easy to say.”
We ate quickly and left the café. As we rounded a corner heading toward my apartment, we were confronted by five men. The one in the front was an asshole I had never gotten along with.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the queer marshal and his fag friend.”
“Tad, move aside.”
He frowned.
“You are a traitor to your sex and are not welcome here.”
“Yeah, fine, now get out of the way.”
I could see his eyes narrow and I knew what was coming. What he didn’t know was that I was even stronger now than I was as a man plus still had my fighting skills. I used a trick Mary had taught me. He threw a punch and ended up flat on his back with my knee on his chest. I looked over at the other guys. Karen was mopping the floor with them. I stood up and we continued on to my apartment. Karen grinned.
“That was fun.”
I shook my head and laughed.
“You’d make a great marshal.”
“Naw, too many rules.”
We entered my apartment and sat down on the couch.
“You take my bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Nonsense, this is your apartment.”
I smiled.
“So is the couch.”
“OK, OK, I give up. See you in the morning.”
Karen went into the bedroom. I went into the bathroom and changed clothes. I came out and layed down on the couch. I wondered how George made out. I hoped the powers that be would work this out the right way. Trouble was, I wasn’t sure what the right way was. I was soon asleep. I awoke to the smell of coffee. Karen noticed me sitting up.
“This coffee pot looks like it’s never been used.”
I laughed.
“That’s because it hasn’t. I hate coffee.”
“Who ever heard of a marshal that doesn’t like coffee.”
I shrugged.
“I’m hardly typical.”
Karen looked me up and down.
“That’s for sure.”
I got some juice and sat at the table.
“I’ve been thinking about the aliens. They don’t appear anxious to reveal what they look like. I wonder why they showed us.”
Karen nodded.
“It is strange. I don’t think we should say anything about them. They must have their reasons.”
“I agree, besides, no one would believe us anyway. I mean, faeries for god’s sake.”
Karen laughed.
“Yes, it still seems like a dream.”
We dressed and went to Sam’s office. I knocked and got the usual greeting. After sitting down, Sam stared for a minute.
“We got a message from George Brett. He says the aliens healed him and he can walk as good as new.”
I smiled.
“That is great news.”
“He also said that the aliens were upset that you two were not in Fledora space waiting for them. They will not deal with anyone but you all. The chief has informed me that you, Jonnie, have been appointed lead marshal in our dealings with the aliens. I am assigning a cruiser to you. Your orders are to meet with the aliens and do what it takes to mend relations.”
I nodded.
“What about the Fledoran council and Karen’s dilemma?”
“The Fledoran council has been informed that you and Karen have been given diplomatic status by the Planetopolis. They are not happy but will leave you alone.”
“Wow!”
Sam laughed.
“You sure can get into some situations. Just make this work!”
He handed me my orders and new credentials. Karen and I stood and shook his hand.
“Take care.”
We walked out. Karen turned to me.
“If I haven’t said it before, it has sure been a pleasure making your acquaintance.”
I laughed.
“Ditto”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 17
Karen and I went back to my apartment to get our things. I looked over at her and she had that smirk I hated.
“Gina darling, why don’t you give those ignorant marshals a thrill and wear that pink sundress and white sandals?”
“No thanks! I have to eventually work here. It will be hard enough getting past my present appearance without rubbing it in.”
Karen laughed.
“It was just a thought.”
I gave her a hard look.
“Also, what’s with the ‘darling’ remark?”
“Old habits die hard.”
“Yeah, OK, let’s find my cruiser.”
We picked up our bags and headed to the dock area. My orders had listed the ship as E-201. That was an unusual designation. When we entered the docks, Sam was waiting for us.
“I wasn’t expecting you to see us off.”
Sam smiled.
“I just thought I ought to explain the ship choice.”
“I wondered about the number.”
“It was decided that we should impress the aliens as much as we could. The cruiser is an experimental ship we have been testing. It has the latest weaponry and stealth technology. Plus, it has a new drive that doesn’t require hibernation. I am a little hesitant to send you out in it since testing is no where near complete but orders are orders.”
I shook my head.
“They must be serious about the aliens.”
“It’s the biggest thing to happen in a while. I think they are miffed that the aliens have not approached our government directly.”
I nodded.
“I can see that. It’s my opinion that the aliens are very suspicious of us. It is just an accident that Karen and I have an in with them. I will relate our concerns.”
“Great, do your best. Oh, by the way, the ship also has the latest in artificial intelligence. I think you’ll like it.”
I shook his hand.
“Thanks again for supporting us. We will do our best.”
Karen and I walked over to the ship. It was a honey. The ship was fairly small but looked lethal and fast. If they were trying to impress the aliens, this ship would do it. I was afraid it might impress them the wrong way. They didn’t like our aggressive nature and this ship exuded aggression. Well, it‘s really the people who run such a ship that mattered. I hoped I could convince them that we as a people were basically friendly. As we approached the hatch, a pleasant female voice spoke.
“Welcome Marshal Harper and Envoy Singleton.”
Karen looked at me.
“Envoy?”
I laughed.
“I have never been greeted by a ship before.”
The hatch opened and we walked in. The ship was just as impressive on the inside. Karen shook her head.
“Talk about a turn around, we left Fledora as pariahs and now we are the great hope against the aliens. Jeese!”
I nodded. We made our way to the command center. As we entered, the ship spoke again.
“Marshal Harper, just let me know what you need.”
“Call me Jonnie.”
Karen added.
“My name is Karen.”
“Noted”
“What do I call you?”
“What ever you want.”
I glanced at Karen and grinned.
“I’ll call you Gina.”
Karen chocked and I had to chuckle. There were two chairs facing forward and we sat down.
“How long will it take to fly us to Fledora?”
“Six hours and 43 minutes.”
“You’re kidding! It always takes several days in hibernation.”
“This ship is much faster and gentler than the old ships.”
“Wow! OK, take us there.”
The ship undocked and left the station. After we went a ways from it, the drive kicked in. The vibration was definitely felt but was quite tolerable. It was not as pleasant as the alien drive but was a big advance from our old drives.”
“Gina, what armament do we have?”
“We have a laser cannon and two rail guns. We also have 2 nuclear tipped missiles but they can only be launched after being activated by headquarters.”
“Good enough, I don’t plan to use any of them. Karen let’s explore.”
We went back the way we had come and found two sleeping rooms and a galley. The rest of the ship was taken up by the drive, weapons, and environmental systems. We sat down in the galley.
“What do you think Gina meant by calling me an envoy?”
“Probably just acknowledging your diplomatic status.”
I laughed.
“I bet the Fledoran council had a fit when they were informed.”
Karen grinned. I looked at the galley menu. Gina spoke up.
“Make your selection and it will be delivered at the door behind you.”
Karen brightened up.
“Make mine a steak dinner.”
I nodded.
“Make that two of them.”
“They will be ready in 10 minutes.”
“I think I’m going to like this ship.”
Karen laughed.
“At least your stomach will.”
We ate and talked about various things. Afterwards, we wandered back to the command center. I decided to contact Coop.
“Hey, Jonnie, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so quickly.”
“Me either. How are you and the aliens getting along?”
“We are not. They will not even talk to me.”
“Hmm, OK, we will be there in a couple of hours. Do you have George and Linda with you?”
“Yes, what do you mean ‘a couple of hours’, there is no way you could get back here that fast.”
I laughed.
“Our new ship is a beast. I tell you what, why don’t you go ahead and land on the moon at the base. Get the thulium ready to load. I’ll contact the aliens.”
“OK, see you there.”
A couple of hours later, we entered Fledoran space. Gina spoke up.
“Jonnie, we are 30 minutes from Fledora. We have received a call from someone named Tinker.”
I smiled and turned to Karen.
“Maybe you should contact Tinker since you are the primary.”
Karen frowned at me.
“Go ahead, rub it in! I guess you’re right, however. Somehow we need to straighten them out about us.”
“Don’t worry about that now. Let them know we are going to Fledora and for them to stand by at the moon.”
“Right”
Karen had Gina make contact. Tinker appeared as itself.
“I am so glad you are back. That is quite a ship you have, by the way.”
“Thank you. We are going down to Fledora and talk with the council. We request that you go to the moon and stand by.”
“That will be fine. We are ready to fulfill the agreement.”
I came online.
“I want to thank you for what you did for George. I will always be grateful.”
“It was our pleasure and what we had hoped. We will await word from you.”
Tinker disconnected. I was a little puzzled.
“What do you make of that statement?”
Karen thought a minute.
“I don’t know, it sounds to me like they feel you owe them a favor.”
“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like to me too. I’m going to call Mary. Wish me luck.”
Karen laughed. I got Mary on the vid.
“Jonnie, how did you get back so fast?”
I smiled.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Jonnie. It is real good to hear from you. I was just surprised is all.”
“I understand. My new cruiser can really travel.”
“I heard about your new assignment. I also know about Karen. The council is not happy with that.”
“I can imagine. I need to talk with them. Can you set it up?”
“Sure, let me know when you are landing and I will meet you. It will be great to have you home. I am sorry I was abrupt when you left but you were going against orders.”
“It’s OK. Gina tells me we should land in about an hour.”
“And who is Gina?”
I laughed.
“Sorry, I forgot. Gina is our AI on the ship.”
“Wow, that must be a very advanced ship.”
“It is. I’ll explain when I see you.”
“OK, I’ll be waiting for you.”
I disconnected and turned to Karen.
“It doesn’t look like you will be very welcome.”
“I figured as much. I’ll remain on the ship when we land. I don’t want to complicate your mission.”
I nodded.
“I guess that’s best. I better go change clothes. This pantsuit is not Fledoran wear.”
I went to my sleeping room. I chose a yellow sundress. I sure wouldn’t have imagined wearing this a year ago. After dressing, I came back and sat down. Karen and I settled in to await our landing. I dosed off and awoke to Gina’s voice.
“We have landed.”
I stood up and looked at Karen.
“You sure you want to stay on the ship?”
“It’s best.”
“OK, I will be back tomorrow.”
“Good luck.”
I laughed.
“I’ll need it.”
I went to the hatch and exited the ship. I saw Mary standing a ways away with her mouth open. I walked over to her.
“Jesus, that’s your ship?”
“Yep”
“I have never seen anything like it.”
“There has never been anything like it. The ship is experimental. It is supposed to impress the aliens.”
“Well, it sure impressed me. Wow!”
I chuckled.
“Let’s go home.”
“You bet.”
She drove us home in the hovercraft. Raylan was awake and I picked him up.
“I sure missed you, little fellow.”
He grinned big. Mary joined me.
“I know you miss him. He is doing fine.”
I sighed.
“I worry about his future, though.”
“Yes, things are in flux here.”
I nodded. I carried him into the kitchen. I fed him and we ate supper. He went to sleep and I laid him down. Mary and I spent a wonderful night together. The next morning, I awoke to Mary snuggled next to me. I did not want to get up but I had a meeting with the council. I kissed her and she roused with a smile.
“Why can’t things be like this all the time?”
I sighed.
“Yeah, life is sure complicated right now.”
I put on my council mini-dress and a little make-up. I’ll never get used to this. I went into the kitchen. Lynne had fixed breakfast. We ate while making small talk. Mary had to go to work as well so she drove me. She let me out at the council chamber building. I didn’t have an appointment time. I walked in and was led directly into the chambers. Carol looked hard at me.
“We have been informed of your assignment and diplomatic status. Where is Karen?”
“She remained on my cruiser.”
She nodded.
“Yes, we have heard about your ship. The marshal service is going all out to meet the aliens I see.”
“We are trying to both impress them and get into their good graces.”
She stared a minute.
“What are your intensions?”
“Well, the aliens still want their assignment of thulium.”
Carol frowned.
“I thought so! We are not going to yield to any demands. If they want it so badly, let Earth sell it to them. We need all of ours.”
I sighed.
“The thulium on your moon is the only readily available supply. We feel it would benefit everyone to sell it to them. Good relations with them is our most important objective.”
“I’m sorry, we cannot comply.”
“I’m sorry too.”
I turned and left the chambers. I caught a ride to the ship and hurried into it. Karen shook her head.
“No good, huh?”
“That is one stubborn lady!”
I contacted Coop.
“Start loading. We are on our way up. Gina, take us to the moon base.”
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 18
As we lifted off, Karen smiled at me.
“So, we’re in the dog house again. Although, you sure don’t look like a dog in that ultra short mini-dress.”
“Thanks, I think. I’m going to go change. I at least want to wear something I can sit down in.”
Karen laughed and I went to my room. I didn’t have much with me that would be suitable for Fledora. Things were going to be bad enough without me dressing against custom. I found a knee length green summer dress that I thought would do. I took off my make-up, however. When I got back to the control room, Karen looked unhappy.
“We have received calls from both the council and Mary. Neither seemed too thrilled by our sudden departure.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, that was expected. Put me through to Mary.”
Mary popped up on the vid.
“Jonnie, what are you doing now?”
“I’m sorry, Mary. Carol just wouldn’t listen to me. I thought that we had better get to the moon base as quickly as we could.”
Mary frowned.
“So you can confiscate the thulium?”
“Mary, we just don’t have any choice. I have been mandated by the Planetopolis to appease the aliens if I can. This is tops on their list.”
Mary nodded.
“I know but the council won’t stand for it. In fact, Carol has already called me. She and I are heading up to the moon base as soon as we can reach the shuttle.”
I sighed.
“I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want to fight again.”
Mary nodded sadly.
“See you in a bit.”
She then signed off. Karen grinned.
“So, the queen bitch herself is coming. That’s just great!”
When we arrived at the moon base, I could see that the loading was well under way. The problem was that it would be no where near finished by the time Carol arrived. A confrontation was inevitable. After landing, we hustled over to Coop’s office. Coop was not there but George and Linda were. George eyed me.
“God, Jonnie, do you have to look so sexy.”
I glared at him.
“Not now, I’m not in the mood. Carol is on her way here.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah, where’s Coop?”
“Supervising the loading.”
“OK, I’m going to call Sam and then go see Coop.”
I got Sam on the vid.
“What’s up, Jonnie?”
“The council said no to selling the thulium. I am confiscating it and loading anyway.”
Sam sighed.
“OK, it’s your call.”
“The problem is that the council chairwoman is on her way here and she will undoubtedly try to stop us.”
“Hmm, we don’t want any violence. Can you get the thulium loaded before she gets there?”
“No chance!”
Sam thought a minute.
“Don’t force the issue. Use your best judgment but try to avoid a nasty confrontation.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I disconnected. George looked at me,
“I’m with you in what ever you decide.”
“Thanks, I’m going to see Coop.”
I went down to the hanger area. Coop spotted me and came over.
“The loading is going fine. We should be finished in about 2 hours.”
I nodded.
“Unfortunately, Carol & Mary will be here long before then.”
Coop grimaced.
“That’s not good.”
“No kidding. I guess all we can do for now is keep loading and wait.”
About 30 minutes later, I watched Carol and Mary’s shuttle land. Carol must have called ahead because I noticed the base security officers heading toward the shuttle. Carol and Mary exited the shuttle and talked with the security head for a few minutes. They all then headed our way. I turned to Karen.
“You better go warn Tinker. This might be ugly.”
“OK”
“Coop, halt the loading temporarily. I don’t want any trouble to start with base security.”
Coop nodded and went over to the alien ship. Security surrounded the ship and Carol walked up to me with Mary trailing behind.
“I guess you weren’t listening at the council meeting, Jonnie. I believe I said no to the thulium sale. Unless my eyes are deceiving me, it appears that workers have been loading that alien ship. Did you give the order?”
I looked at Mary. Her face was blank.
“It is the best course of action for the Planetopolis to sell the aliens the thulium. So, yes, I told the workers to start loading.”
Carol nodded.
“I have ordered security to guard both the thulium and the alien ship. As I told you earlier, we need this supply. I will not let you take it.”
I threw up my hands.
“Don’t you think it is in your best interest to appease the aliens if possible. This is a small price to pay to get into their good graces. Besides, they are paying top price for it.”
Carol turned red in the face.
“We did not negotiate any sale to them. That was done by Karen and she definitely does not represent us. If they wanted the thulium so badly, why didn’t they come before the council?”
I shook my head.
“I can’t answer that. They seem to have an issue with us as far as trust.”
Carol almost screamed.
“Trust! They are stealing our thulium and you talk about trust! Have they even told you why they want it so badly?”
“No, they have not and they are not stealing it. I confiscated the supply in the name of the Planetopolis and sold it to them. They are not to blame in this.”
Carol was getting madder and madder.
“Damnation, Jonnie, I trusted you. I made you commander of our military for god’s sake. Now you stand here and tell me you have stabbed us in the back. No! You will not take our thulium! I will ----.”
Suddenly, Carol grabbed her head and collapsed. The base doctor was standing by watching and rushed over. She examined Carol and ordered her to be taken to medical. Carol appeared to be unconscious. Mary turned to me with an angry face.
“You did this! How could you go against us again?”
I just shook my head. I didn’t know what to say. Mary went with the doctor as Carol was wheeled to medical. Coop looked at me.
“What now?”
“I don’t know. I hope Carol is OK. For now, we hold off loading and wait.”
Coop nodded and we went back to his office. George growled.
“That didn’t go well.”
“No, I’d say it couldn’t have gone worse.”
Linda came over and hugged me.
“It wasn’t your fault. You were just doing what you thought was right.”
I just shook my head. I wanted to go to medical but I decided that my presence would not be welcome. Karen came into the office.
“The aliens are waiting to see what happens just like us. I don’t think they are happy about the delay.”
“Do they know about Carol?”
“No, I don’t think so. I was told on my way here. Is it bad?”
“I don’t know but it sure looked bad.”
We sat down for what seemed like hours. Finally, I couldn’t take it any more and stood up.
“I’m going to medical.”
Linda stood as well.
“I’ll go with you.”
When we arrived, I spotted Mary. She had been crying. I went up to her and put my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry, Mary. I didn’t want this.”
“I know. You have your duty and you were doing what you thought best.”
Mary burst into tears and collapsed in my arms.
“Oh, Jonnie, I think she’s going to die. The doctor said she has had a massive stroke. We just don’t have the medical know how to save her.”
I suddenly had a thought.
“Maybe the aliens do.”
“What?”
“They cured George and Karen. I know it wasn’t brain related but we can ask. They will help if they can.”
Mary looked hopeful.
“Do you really think they can help?”
I nodded.
“Tell the doctor to stand by. I’m going to the office and contact them.”
I hustled over to Coop’s office. Karen jumped up.
“How is she?”
I shook my head.
“The doctor can do nothing for her. She has had a massive stroke. Contact the aliens and see if there is anything they can do.”
“Great idea, I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Karen returned.
“They are willing to help. A unit will be sent to medical to pick Carol up. One thing though, they will only let you and I on the ship.”
I nodded.
“I figured as much. I’ll go tell Mary and the doctor.”
I hurried back to medical. Mary saw me coming and called for the doctor.
“The aliens are sending some kind of unit to put Carol in to transfer her to the ship. I think they feel like they can help her.”
Mary brightened.
“That’s wonderful!”
“They will only let Karen and me on their ship, however.”
The doctor bristled.
“I must remain with my patient.”
I shook my head.
“There is no discussion on this. I’m sorry.”
Mary spoke up.
“Just do what they want. Carol’s life is at stake here.”
Finally, the doctor relented. The unit arrived and Carol was put into it. I went back to get Karen.
“We’re all set. We better get to the ship.”
Karen nodded and we hurried after the unit containing Carol. When we arrived at the ship, the hatch opened. The medical personnel pushing the unit stopped. Karen and I continued into the ship with Carol. After the hatch closed, Tinker came into view as itself.
“Welcome Karen and Gina. I am sorry it is under such circumstances. Follow me and we will get your colleague into the tank.”
We went to Tinker’s medical room. Karen removed Carol’s gown and Tinker placed her into the med tank.
“It will take a little time to evaluate and stabilize your friend. Go to the lounge and I will come to you when I know something.”
“OK and, by the way, her name is Carol.”
Tinker smiled and we left. We went to the lounge area and sat down on a couch. I shook my head.
“This is all going to be my fault. I just hope Tinker can help Carol.”
Karen patted my knee.
“It is not your fault. Shit happens.”
A while later, Tinker came in. He looked worried.
“Well, we have stabilized her brain but she will require medical intervention that can only be had on our home planet. Therefore, we must take her with us.”
Tinker looked at Karen.
“We request that you go with us. Also, our leaders will not let us leave until the thulium is loaded.”
Karen nodded.
“Yes, I will go.”
She turned to me.
“Let’s go inform Mary.”
We left the ship and went to Coop’s office. I called medical and asked Mary to come. When she arrived, I told her the deal. She sagged a little and then nodded.
“I guess we don’t have a choice. OK, load the rest of the thulium.”
Coop went off to get that organized and Karen went to our cruiser to get her things. Mary came over and hugged me.
“Thank you, Jonnie. I know you and Carol had your differences.”
I smiled.
“She is a hard woman but the decision was easy. I hope she recovers.”
“Yes but, even if she does, things will change. I don’t think she will remain on the council and that will leave a large void. What about you? Do you have to go?”
I shook my head.
“Not for a while. George and I will need to go to the marshal headquarters soon. I would like us to spend some time together first.”
“I would like that.”
Karen came back. Mary took her hand.
“Thank you for agreeing to go with Carol.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
We watched the loading. When it was finished, Coop came back to the office.
“Well, we’re done.”
“Thanks Coop.”
Karen sighed.
“I guess I’ll go then. Wish me luck.”
I hugged Karen.
“You’ll do fine, sis,”
She smiled and returned the hug.
“See you soon, I hope.”
She left and went to the alien ship. About 15 minutes later, it took off. Watching it leave, I couldn’t help but feel that life was about to change.
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 19
I thought that I had better inform Sam about what had happened. I contacted him and filled him in.
“OK, Jonnie, you did well. I need you and George to come here in a few days to file an official report. Oh, by the way, please come as your male self. I’m still getting comments about the two Amazons that were on the station.”
I laughed.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Thanks for backing me up.”
“Sure, see you soon.”
Sam disconnected. I turned to George.
“I guess we’ll head to HQ in a few days.”
I looked over at Linda.
“Linda, are you going to stay here?”
She looked at George.
“She’s coming with us if that’s OK.”
I smiled.
“You bet. Mary and I are going planetside. I’ll let you know when I get back here.”
Mary interjected.
“If I let her come back.”
That got a big laugh. Mary and I went to her shuttle. When we arrived at the shuttle port on Fledora, Mary hugged me.
“Thank you again for what you did for Carol. I need to go to my office and write up my report. I also need to inform the council.”
She shook her head.
“It is going to be a mess. I don’t want you caught in the middle of it.”
I nodded.
“My mission is over. I’ll try to stay in the back ground.”
We took Mary’s hovercraft to the police building. I sat on a couch in Mary’s office while she wrote out her report. She finally sat back and sighed.
“Well, I can’t put it off any longer. I must contact the council. I’d rather be alone when I do. Why don’t you get us something to eat.”
“Sure, I’ll get us some burgers.”
I went to the cafeteria and ordered 3 burgers then sat down to wait for them. I did not envy Mary’s duty. Things could not have gone worse for the council especially Carol. True, I felt what I did was the correct thing but, since I am a Fledoran citizen, technically, I acted as a traitor. I don’t think the council will want to be kind to me in spite of Mary. The order came up and I went back to Mary’s office. I peaked in to see if she was off the vid. She was sitting in her chair with a stunned look. I walked on in.
“You look like I feel.”
“Huh”
“What did the council say?”
Mary shook her head and then laughed.
“They have elected me to take Carol’s place on the council.”
“Wow! Congratulations, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess. I have to go talk with the members. I don’t know how long this will take so you might as well go on home. Take the hovercraft because, as a council member, I will be provided with a car and driver.”
“OK”
I hugged and kissed her.
“Good luck and I will see you later.”
I went out to the hovercraft and headed home. This selection of Mary for the council was a bit of a surprise and seemed to happen awful fast. Carol has been on the council for what seemed like forever. To be frank, she was the major force of the council. Her leaving will likely change a lot of things. When I arrived home, I found Lynne feeding Raylan. She looked up at me.
“Hey, Jonnie, where’s Mary?”
I laughed.
“You’ll never guess. She is the new council member.”
“Oh my god! She’ll have even less time home now.”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. She won’t be another Carol, I hope.”
I played with Raylan for the next hour until he got sleepy. After putting him down, I went ahead and ate supper. Mary still hadn’t come shown up at 8 o’clock. Finally about 9, she came in. She looked drained. I hugged her and just held her a few minutes.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“Rough night, huh.”
“You said it.”
“Well, a good night sleep will fix things.”
She eyed me cautiously.
“Uh, we need to be at the council chambers early in the morning. They are having a swearing in ceremony and you need to attend as my spouse.”
I stared a minute.
“Let me guess, this thing is very formal, right.”
Mary looked away.
“Yes”
“And I have to look the part.”
“Yes”
“You know how I hate those things!”
“I know, I know, but it is required.”
“OK, I relent. Let’s go to bed.”
We did not go right to sleep but, when we did, I was very relaxed. I awoke to Mary shaking me.
“Come on, Jonnie, we need to get ready.”
I, reluctantly, got up and bathed. I then applied my make-up. I had gotten pretty good at it even though I didn’t like it. When I went into the bedroom, Mary was holding up a short sleeveless dress with a million shiny silver sequins on it. I groaned.
“Now Jonnie, don’t start.”
“I’ll look like a Christmas ornament. If my fellow marshals saw me in that, I would have to shoot myself.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. You’ll look great.”
I put on the dress and matching shoes. Mary did my hair. It seems a ponytail is not suitable for formal events. I had to admit, I looked very nice but jeese. Mary’s car was waiting for us out front. The driver opened the door.
“You look beautiful, ladies.”
I smiled and entered the car. We were deposited at the council building. The ceremony was, thankfully, fairly brief. A breakfast in Mary’s honor was held afterwards. The council members and several dignitaries came by to congratulate me on my spouse’s selection to the council. I smiled sweetly and told them how lucky I was. I was beginning to feel like I did on Tinker’s ship. Finally, it was over and we headed home.
“Now, that wasn’t so bad was it?”
“Speak for yourself. Are you sure your membership on the council is a good idea?”
She sighed.
“I must admit that I really don’t want it. However, Carol’s absence on the council is going to cause chaos. She kept everyone focused on what was important. Now, each member is going to tout their own agendas. This could mean that nothing gets done. I have to try to help.”
This shocked me. I thought Fledora’s method of government was very stable.
“What about the referendum?”
Mary shook her head sadly.
“Believe it or not, Carol was the driving force behind it. I think she truly felt bad at how you and your father were treated. There are several on the council who are dead set against it. I fear it will be an uphill battle to get it on a ballot.”
“Shit! What about Raylan?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is just great!”
We arrived home and went in to change clothes.
“I have to go back for a council meeting. Hopefully, it won’t last too long.”
“Alright, I guess this is going to be normal from now on. I’ll take care of Raylan. I worry about him.”
Mary hugged me.
“Me too. I’ll try to get a feel for things at the meeting.”
Mary left and I spent the afternoon being domestic. Raylan was a joy. I wish I could stay home but I still have my marshal duties. About 3 o’clock, I got a call from Coop.
“We just got word that the alien ship will be back tomorrow evening with Carol. There was no word on her condition.”
“OK, thanks. I’ll work out getting back up there.”
I disconnected. Mary came home a few minutes later. I hurried over to her and gave her a big kiss.
“I just got word that Carol will be back tomorrow evening.”
“That’s good news. How is she?”
“No word on that. Did your meeting go OK?”
Mary sighed.
“It went about like I expected; a donnybrook. Until we can sort out a new chairwoman, it is going to be a mad house.”
I nodded.
“Anything come up about Raylan?”
“No, but there was some discussion about males in general. It is about an even split between those who are for a referendum to allow males to live here and those against. A couple of members don’t even want males on the moon. Bringing Coop here was Carol’s idea. With the alien threat eased, there does not appear to be any impetus for military options. They may vote to end the laser initiative.”
“Wow, that’s a surprise. Are you going up to the moon to meet Carol?”
“Yes indeed. Are you coming with me?”
“I guess but I have another problem. Sam wants George and me to come to the marshal HQ in a couple of days.”
I looked uneasily at Mary.
“Uh, he has requested that I come as my male marshal self. When I was changed before, I was in hibernation on your ship. I have no way to change on my cruiser. How do I get changed back?”
“That’s any easy one. Medical at the moon base can do it. Let me call the doctor and check on it.”
While she made the call, I got us both drinks. When I came back in, she did not look too happy.
“The doctor says that, in your case, the procedure in a medical pod will take about 18 hours. So, you will need to leave right away in order to be finished before Carol arrives. That is, unless you can wait until afterwards.”
I shook my head.
“I’m real sorry but I need to be transformed as soon as possible.”
Mary came to me and wrapped me in a big hug.
“We get so little time together. It’s just not fair.”
“I agree but what can we do?”
“OK, get your things and I’ll have us driven to the shuttle port. Oh, I guess you’ll need the male clothes you left here.”
I laughed.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t look too good in this summer dress after my transformation.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
I glared at her and then we both laughed. I went over to Raylan and picked him up.
“God, I hate leaving both of you again.”
Mary just nodded sadly. After turning him over to Lynne, I packed my clothes. We were driven to the shuttle port. I guess we made a bit of a scene in saying goodbye. Finally, I stepped away.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Mary shook her head.
“No, you won’t; John will.”
I sighed, kissed her again and walked into the shuttle. It has been almost a year since I was male. I guess I have gotten used to being female. I worried about changing back; not only how I will feel but how Mary will feel about me. After landing on the moon, I went over to Coop’s office. He was still there. I decided not to tell him about the council discussion.
“Hey Coop.”
He looked up in surprise.
“You got here quick. I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”
“I have a date with the doctor in medical. I need to transform back into my male self.”
Coop laughed.
“I sometimes forget that you are really male.”
I sighed.
“Unfortunately, so do I. Well, I better get on over there. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I went to medical. The doctor was expecting me. I brought some male clothing with me.
“OK, Jonnie, if you’ll go behind that screen and put on the gown, we’ll get started.”
I put on the gown and she gave me a physical. She looked concerned.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing the medical pod can’t sort out. Let’s get you into it.”
She raised the lid and I settled in.
“This will take about 18 hours. Just relax and it will be over before you know it.”
She closed the lid and the gas pored in. I quickly faded out.
Galactic Marshal II
by
Hilltopper
CHAPTER 20 - The Final Chapter
I awoke to find the doctor standing over me. She helped me to sit up. I immediately felt the absence of anything hanging from my chest. The doctor noticed where I was looking.
“Yes, the transformation was mostly complete.”
I looked up at her.
“What do you mean ‘mostly’?”
“Well, there were a couple of things that the medical pod couldn’t deal with.”
“Such as?”
Just then, Mary burst in.
“Oh, John, I’m so glad you came through the procedure OK. We need to hurry. Carol’s ship is about to land.”
I got out of the pod and hugged Mary. She pushed me toward the screen.
“Hurry!”
I went behind the screen where I had left my male clothing. I couldn’t help but wonder what the doctor meant. As I dressed, I seemed to be my old male self. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. When I came around the screen, Mary grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go!”
I looked back at the doctor.
“Thank you.”
She nodded.
“We will talk later.”
“Alright, I’ll come back when I can.”
Mary and I left and headed for the hanger bay. Mary stopped as we entered the hanger and put her hands on my shoulders.
“It’s been a long time.”
I assumed she meant my being male.
“Yes, I must admit that it feels strange.”
She nodded.
“I can see that it would. You have been a woman for a year. It feels strange to me as well. I have lived with you as a woman far more than as a man. I’m not saying it’s bad; just different.”
I hugged her.
“We have sure had a crazy life but I love you as much as ever.”
She smiled and we kissed deeply.
“I love you too, male or female. By the way we now have a new council chairwoman; Margaret Hillfinger. She is very anti-male.”
I grimaced.
“That’s not good.”
“Well, it’s still an even split but it means, until a referendum is passed, we will follow our laws more stringently. In other words, no males on Fledora or it’s moon.”
“What about Coop?”
She shrugged.
“The council is giving him a month to wind down the laser project. After that, he must leave.”
“I was afraid of that. I guess that means I can’t come back either unless I first transform back to female.”
She looked thoughtful.
“You may have an out there.”
“What do you mean?”
“You better ask the doctor about that.”
“Hmm, OK, what about Raylan?”
She straightened up.
“I will not let anyone do anything to him.”
“Good!”
A noise brought us to attention. The alien ship had arrived. We watched it land and, when the hatch opened, we walked over to it. A couple of minutes later, Karen came out of the ship with Carol. With Karen’s help, Carol was actually walking. A cheer went up. As they reached us, Karen eyed me.
“Well, hello brother dear. Long time no see.”
I smiled and gave her a big hug. Mary hugged Carol with tears in her eyes.
“Welcome back, we missed you. I’m so glad you are better.”
Carol smiled but said nothing. Karen noticed and spoke up.
“She can’t talk yet but her recovery has been amazing.”
Mary smiled big.
“It certainly is. Carol, will you come stay with me while you recuperate?”
Carol nodded and took Mary’s hands.
“Great! Let’s get you to my shuttle.”
We walked to it and helped Carol get aboard. I turned to Mary.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
We hugged and kissed. Finally, we separated.
“I know you will. I’ll miss you.”
“Ditto”
Karen and I left the shuttle and watched it take off.
“Are you hungry?”
Karen nodded.
“Famished”
“OK, let’s hit the cafeteria. We have a lot to talk about.”
Karen grinned.
“More than you can imagine.”
We went to the cafeteria, filled our plates, and found an isolated table.
“Tinker sure did a great thing with Carol.”
“Yes, it apparently was a close call. She has a lot of memory loss plus will need a good bit of rehabilitation. Even so, she has made an amazing recovery.”
Karen eyed me seriously.
“Tinker says you owe him again.”
I frowned.
“I wish I knew what Tinker wants with me.”
“Well, they want to meet with you before we leave so maybe you’ll find out.”
“Did you say we?”
“Yes, I’m going back with them. I am the envoy.”
I laughed.
“Yes you are.”
“By the way, I have explained our relationship to them. I also told them that you are really male and the commander. I guess you’re transformation to you’re old male self will help convince them.”
“I hope so. It was a pain before.”
“Why have you changed back?”
“Orders from headquarters. My last trip did not go over well. You were a hit, however.”
Karen laughed.
“I bet.”
I smiled.
“Yeah, George, Linda and I are leaving in the morning. We have a lot to report on.”
Karen nodded and grinned.
“Well, I’m about to give you some more. I found out why they needed the thulium so badly.”
I perked up.
“I’m all ears.”
“They are working on a new transportation system.”
I frowned.
“You mean all of this is because they want to build a new spaceship?”
Karen shook her head.
“No, no, it’s much more than that. It is some kind of almost instantaneous travel between stars. No ship’s drive is involved. Apparently, it is some kind of portal that one goes through.”
“Wow! That is something! How close are they?”
“Almost there, I believe. They should start placing the gates soon. It is even possible that one will be placed here.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope, Tinker is warm to the idea.”
“What about Earth?”
She frowned.
“They have no desire to meet with the Planetopolis government. I’m sorry.”
I sighed.
“That will not please the powers that be.”
“Nope, I guess we better get to the ship. Tinker is in a hurry to leave.”
We left the cafeteria and went to the alien ship. Upon entering, we walked toward the galley. Tinker met us about half way down the corridor and looked at me a minute.
“I can see that what Karen told me is the truth. I understand that you real name is John.”
“Yes, I’m sorry for the deception.”
“Don’t worry, she explained that as well. Please come with me to the galley.”
When we entered, Bell was there. Bell looked surprised but remained silent. Tinker and Bell appeared to exchange some kind of thought.
“We have some things we need to discuss but ----
Tinker hesitated a minute. Bell still looked startled. They looked at each other again.
--- we really need to do that with Gina.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You said that you know I was Gina.”
“Yes”
“OK”
Everyone was silent for a minute. Finally, Tinker turned to Karen.
“We will leave as soon as you have escorted Marshal Harper off the ship.”
Tinker and Bell left the room.
“What was that all about?”
Karen shrugged.
“Search me. I guess your appearance threw them a little.”
“They are hard to understand.”
Karen walked with me to the hatch. I hugged her.
“You take care of yourself.”
Karen smiled.
“I will and you do the same.”
I left the ship. It took off as I made my way to medical. As I passed Coop’s office, I looked in. George and Coop were there.
“George, you ready to leave in the morning?”
“You bet, it will be good to get back to work.”
I laughed.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
We all laughed then Coop spoke up.
“I guess you heard their closing shop.”
“Yeah, what are you going to do?”
“No problem there, I’ll join the Earth program.”
“That’s good. Well, I’ll see you both in the morning.”
I left and went into medical. The doctor looked up.
“Ah, Jonnie, I’m glad you came back.”
“Hi Doc, what did you need to discuss?”
“Nothing serious but there is two anomalies. First, your testicles have no germ cells. I guess that is due to your being female for almost a year.”
I nodded.
“I kind of figured that. What’s the other thing?”
She looked at me a minute.
“Are you aware that you are intersexed?”
“Yes but it has never been a medical problem.”
“OK, by law, we cannot remove female reproductive organs unless for health reasons so the pod could do nothing with that. Comparing your profile from when you were first transformed to the one from yesterday, I noticed some development of your internal female organs. They are still not functional but it is something you need to keep a watch on.”
“Is that what Mary meant about me having an out as far as living here?”
“Yes, with your citizenship and medical profile, you could be listed as female in order to live here as you are now.”
“Wow!”
“I understand that you are leaving for a while. Please see me when you get back.”
I stood and shook the doctor’s hand.
“I will and thank you.”
She smiled.
“It has been a new experience.”
I laughed and left medical. Upon entering my room, I went straight to bed. I was completely wiped out and was soon asleep. When I awoke, I dressed and went to breakfast. I was about finished when George and Linda came over to my table.
“Hey, Jonnie, you’re looking very masculine today.”
I smiled at Linda.
“I hope so. The marshal service didn’t like my last visit there.”
Linda laughed.
“I wish I could have seen that.”
George patted my back.
“It’s good to see the real you.”
He hesitated a few seconds.
“Uh, it is complete, right?”
I laughed.
“Yes, George, there nothing to worry about. I’ll meet you both at my cruiser but take your time.”
I left, got my belongings from my room, and went to the ship. About 40 minutes later, George and Linda came aboard. We went to the command center and strapped in.
“Gina, take us to the marshal headquarters at Earth.”
“Jonnie, you look different.”
“Yes, call me John.”
“Noted”
We took off and, after getting the required distance from the moon, the drive kicked in. I settled back in my seat and reflected on my situation. I did not want to leave Mary and Raylan. It helped that I might be able to come back without transforming into a woman. Of course, that meant, in some ways, I was still a woman even after my transforming back to my male self. Thinking about it was enough to throw me into despair. I still worried about the aliens and what they wanted with me. They were definitely a wild card in my life. Going back to HQ filled me with trepidation. My last trip was a disaster and many would remember what I looked like. The marshal service was a very macho organization and I was not sure I fit in anymore. The last year had totally changed my life. Whether that was a good thing or not still remained to be seen. I could feel myself falling into depression. I sagged back and sighed.
“I need a drink!”
{Author's note: This concludes Galactic Matshal II. Will there be a book III. Well, I'm not much of a writer but I do have an idea for another book so we'll see. Thank you for reading and commenting. Good bye for now.}