The Sarran Senator (18 page)

“Justice has been served, but the bebes still
need to be fed. If the Ta will accompany me to my sitting room, we
will have coffee and tea while the bebes suckle.” Syn gathered the
Ta and they walked to the sitting room.

* * * *

Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act!

Action will delineate and define you.

―Thomas Jefferson

Bron knocked on the door and opened it
slightly. “May we join you?”

“You know you’re welcome here anytime you
chose. We left the conference room because it’s more comfortable
for us to feed the bebes here.” Syn opened the flap of the nursing
blouse she fabricated from a design in the fem archives.

“How could we have missed Hilnut and the
others?” Bron was disgusted.

“I didn’t like him from the moment I met him.
If Garlance and Emot hadn’t been with Naffie and Michael, I
wouldn’t have permitted them to go to the kitchen with him the
first evening we were here. I should have said something,” Sam
said, obviously angry at himself.

“What made you wary?” Tarin asked his
bonded.

“I didn’t have a reason, just a feeling. I
meant to tell Mark and Juraens, but I met you…” Sam regarded Tarin
with soft eyes.

“Don’t beat yourself up Sam, when we met Syn,
I couldn’t see anything but her.” Bron patted him on the back.

“It could have been that he had a wavy aura.
I became accustomed to seeing them onboard the Brightstar and maybe
it struck me as strange that his wasn’t in focus. I don’t know, he
seemed off. He offered Sara juice too. Fortunately, she wasn’t
thirsty, or the bebe may not have survived even if Sara did.”

Meg and Tarin put their arms around Sam and
hugged them hard.

“It’s always that way if you wield power;
they go for your exposed flank. Do we have any problems with the
rest of the Galactic Federation?” Sam asked.

“There are some who resent that we are a
closed planet. During the war the two council traitors, TeAngle and
TeZuff were in charge of supplies. There were frequent fuck-ups
receiving supplies from the Federation. We think TeAngle and TeZuff
had a confederate in the Federation but we didn’t think he was an
ideologue. He was more motivated by profit than politics. TeAngle
and TeZuff provided him with the opportunity to earn massive
amounts of credits.” Tonas looked at Jonal for confirmation. Jonal
nodded his head.

“It makes sense now that it was a terrorist
cell. The attack on the fems from the first Brightstar voyage was
well coordinated. TeAngle and TeZuff couldn’t have accomplished it
alone. Unfortunately, we were all occupied with our new fems. The
investigation was not conducted with the kind of diligence it would
normally have warranted. I blame myself for this,” Zaron stated
bluntly.

“Darling, you don’t bear the guilt alone, we
all were distracted by finally being able to bond.” Bron put his
arm around his bonded.

Syn was burping the baby. She put the baby
back at her breast and snapped, “Stop the pity party. What’s done
is done. It’s up to us now to exercise due diligence. I have an
idea.”

“Go ahead,” Zaron said. “The fems have been
better at protecting themselves then we have been at protecting
them.”

“On Earth we have something call passports.
It’s an identification that shows you are a citizen of a particular
country. Have every Sarran Warrior or fem come in over a period of
weeks to get one. You can check the auras. If there is a wavy one,
you’ve found one of the terrorists who escaped the net.” Syn lay
Nara down in the baby carrier Bron had fabricated for her this
rising.

“The Earthen fem won’t object. They are
already accustomed to the necessity of a passport,” Mark said.

“Do you keep birth, death, and bonding
records?” Anya asked.

“A good point. You can use those lists to
keep track of the population and cross reference them to make sure
everyone comes in for their passports,” Mark suggested.

“I hate the necessity of this,” Juraens spat.
“Sarrans don’t spy on each other.”

“I’m a politician. You can sell this as a
means of keeping the fem and the unborn bebes safe. If the first
wave was any indication, once the bond is made a pregnancy ensures.
The Warriors will be very protective of their fem. I know that
Tarin and I are already protective of Meg. When the Zyptz attacked
last rising, I found it difficult to leave Meg, Sara, and Michael
behind and do my duty,” Sam said gruffly.

“If it wasn’t for Meg, half the council would
be in mourning and the Zyptz may have breached the shield. Our
fleet has built-in passcodes that change daily to open the shield
to land on the surface. If the Zyptz would have gotten a hold of a
ship of the fleet, they would have had access to render wholesale
slaughter on the surface.” Bron said. “We have to find out if there
are more security risks. We have more reasons than ever to keep
Sarran safe.”

“Wait, I have an idea!” Meg sat up
straight.

“Go ahead,” Sam said with an encouraging
smile.

“The Warriors already in Triad are not
suspect, since the original objection was to bonding with the
Earthen fems, nor are the Warrior already bonded into a
WarriorPair. Our true pool of suspects is single Warriors. We
register single Warriors on the pretext of knowing how many fems we
need to bring back on the next voyage. Anyone who refuses to come
in to register, gets picked up. There is a duty roster isn’t
there?” Meg asked.

“Yes…” Zaron was getting interested.

“From the names on the duty roster you can
tell who is single and should register. Then, if they don’t come
in, you know who they are.” Meg grinned in satisfaction.

“That way you don’t disrupt the whole planet.
For that matter, aren’t all the single Warriors serving in the
fleet with the exception of those in the Academy? You wouldn’t even
have to bring them down to the surface.” Meg blushed when everyone
looked at her.

“That was an excellent idea. We have to
refine it, but it could very well work,” Bron said.

“The bebes need to go to sleep. I suggest we
digest what was discussed and come with ways to implement Meg’s
solution and meet here next rising. I’ll have Brok and Tac prepare
a Sarran lunch.” Syn laughed. “I’ll be a little busy.”

“If you need any help, I’d be happy to stay,”
Meg volunteered.

“You need to go home with your Warriors.
There is nothing to fear. The Goddess will take care of you.” Syn
kissed Meg on the cheek.

Meg blushed. It was time to leave. Tarin and
Sam took her hand, and they teleported back to the Duchy and
Falling Waters.

* * * *

Falling Waters: 03:00 tines

“I see no reason we can’t continue on with
our day. Let go over to the tailor and the dry goods store so we
can order Meg some clothing and buy material. Bron adapted your
sewing machine?”

“Yes, he did. It’s not a very good one but
it’s mine.” Meg sighed.

“If you could have any sewing machine you
wanted, why would you buy?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I’ve thought about this. I’ve even
window shopped. I’d buy a Brother SE400 Combination Computerized
Sewing and 4x4 Embroidery Machine.”

“Do you have it pictured in a catalog?”

“Yes,” Meg said shyly.

“Let me look at your machine and compare it
with Sarran machines and see if I can come up with something
better. I promised Sara I would see to designing a commercial
kitchen for Castle Water, but I think Bron and Zaron already put
one in, as they did here, emulating the one in Castle Air that Syn
had them build with Sarran ovens, power sources, plus reimagined
Earthen appliances,” Tarin assured her.

Sam decided to take the matter into his own
hands.
::Sara?::

::Yes, Daddy.::

::Is your new kitchen adequate for the
bakery?::
Sam asked his femspring.

::It’s marvelous. Oh, that’s right, I
asked Tarin. There may be a few things I need because they’re
special to a bakery and have to be industrial sized; but I have all
the gadgets they have in the Kitchen Stadium on Iron Chef.::
Sam heard the giggle in Sara’s mind.

::So you don’t need the things right
away?::
Sam pressed.

::No, Daddy. I’m going to wait on the
bakery until after the baby is born. Although I think pregnancy
will be much easier here, I had a difficult time with Michael, so I
don’t want to take a chance,::
Sara said seriously.

::Then it would be okay if Tarin works on
a new sewing machine for Meg first?::
Sam asked.

::Meg should come first. She’s your fem. I
have Juraens and Mark to take care of me and Michael. I want you
nearby, Daddy, but my Warriors aren’t Bradley.::

::I should hope not::
Sam’s voice got
cold.

::I’d love for Meg to get a new sewing
machine. Maybe she could design more one-of-a-kind dresses if she
had a new machine. I wouldn’t object to wearing Sarran couture.
Meg’s clothing designs are going to be very popular. Michael and
Naffie are here. I’ve got to go to see what they’re up to. Bye,
Daddy.::

::Goodbye, Pet.::

“Tarin, as you heard, Sara is in no hurry. If
you have the time…”

“Of course I have the time. This is a simple
project—all mechanical and electronic. When Jonal and Tonas brought
all the media from Earth they took everything. We have hospital
records, marriage licenses, patents, every bit of data, paper or
electronic, Earth produced and archived. We have Warriors going
through it and getting rid of most Facebook and Twitter posts,
although we’re keeping the ones from politicians and intellectuals.
The point being, we have the blueprints for that machine. I can
make an improved design in two days.” Tarin smiled at the happiness
reflected on Meg’s face.

“Really…” she asked, as if to make sure she
wasn’t being too much trouble.

“Really.” Sam and Tarin came over and put
their arms around her.

“Now, let’s go shopping. Believe it or not,
the best purveyor of imported fabric on the planet is in this
village, along with the jewelry store Jone mentioned his fem
opened, and the cobbler.” Tarin put on a light jacket.

“The Star of Sarran is gorgeous, but you need
some pearls, diamond earrings, bracelets, and gold? Are these
import items, Tarin?”

“No, they’re not. I also want to get Meg a
fur coat. Put on your jackets, it’s going to be chilly this rising.
We are near the end of the Harvest Phase and the Barren Phase is
just around the corner. I’d like it if you both got warm clothes
before it comes. At moontine, it can get below freezing here.”

“Eh…Tarin, I won’t wear fur,” Meg said
adamantly.

“My little love, on Sarran we hunt animals
for food. Nothing goes to waste, including its skin. If we were to
kill a borad for its skin, I can understand your reluctance, but I
assure you, that is not the case. We don’t factory farm animals or
crops and we don’t hunt for sport. Although hunting keeps a Warrior
sharp.” Tarin put his arm around her waist. “But if you don’t want
fur, we can go with something less warm although I wouldn’t
recommend it.”

“If you only kill for food, use all of the
animal, and let nothing go to waste, I guess my objections to fur
are not valid. Let’s go shopping.” Meg put on her jacket.

“Sam do you have anything you don’t
want?”

“Yeah…they brought my office and the contents
of my home. Some of the things are duplicated from the office to
the house. Some things you already have. There is a load of
furniture in the attic. Meg should go look. Maybe some of it is
usable if it’s recovered.”

“None of it is handmade?” Bron asked.

“I have a few antiques that are, but the rest
isn’t. Some things have sentimental value but nothing more.”

“Good, we have things to barter. Some of the
merchants won’t take credits.”

They spent the afternoon shopping in the
village. Sam and Bron bought Meg some diaphanous moontine gowns, a
fur coat, and some jewelry for which they traded some of Sam’s
office furniture. She had a few items of clothing made up at the
tailors from her own designs and by eighteen tines they were back
and ready to sit down for the moontine meal.

* * * *

Meg knew that her WarriorPair planned to make
love to her this moontine. They spent the afternoon giving her
small touches and kisses. Last rising was the first time she ever
experienced desire. She was embarrassed. She knew the equipment and
that Tab A went into Slot B, but knowing the mechanics and actually
doing the act were two different things. And there would be two
men.

Who would have figured that Margaret Mary
O’Neil’s first sexual experience would be a threesome? Certainly no
one from Ballinagree…

The evening meal was some kind of whitefish
fried in cha and covered in a cream sauce with linset nuts and what
looked like grapes but tasted more like boysenberries. They had
fruit wine and after dinner sat in the library drinking Asta which
Meg sipped, being unused to strong spirits. She had all of Earth’s
movies to choose from but she wanted to see something Sarran.

“Do you have anything like television or
movies on Sarran?”

“We used to have great actors and actresses.
But after the fem were taken from us by the Zyptz, it became too
painful to watch. But the plays are still on the comm, if you wish
to access them.” Tarin was reading what passed for a newspaper on
Sarran.

Meg glanced up and read the headlines, then
blushed. Her name appeared prominently in the story about the
attempted assassinations of the Ta. She tuned into an Earthen chick
flick she wanted to see and was yawning by twenty tines.

::Are you ready for the slumber
chamber?”
Sam asked.

::If you’re still not comfortable, we can
wait,::
Tarin assured her.