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  "Ruby?" Chasm asked as the being ran up and hugged him.

  "How do I look?" she asked while spinning around.

  "Nice, but what are you?" Connie asked.

  "I'm a Telescu from the newly discovered planet Teles. The survey ship had a spare first contact suit I could borrow." She stopped when she saw Dr. Winsome and the children. "Winsome, it's been a while. I hear you and the queen are having a ball trying to figure out what Crystal Medical Corp did to Chasm."

  "Ruby," the doctor replied, "a pleasure as always. Eat any orderlies lately?"

  "Not recently, but give it time, the day is still young."

  The kids giggled.

  Ruby turned her attention to the twins. "You must be Ashley and Grayson. My name is Ruby, and I'm your father's best friend."

  "I thought you were mad at him," Grayson said. "You never call; you never write."

  "You never even send cake," Ashley added.

  Ruby put her hand to her lips in an attempt at staving-off an embarrassed chuckle. "I have been remiss, and I apologize. I'll talk to your dad and straighten everything out while the doctor checks you two out. How does that sound?"

  "Good," Ashley said as she reached over and gave Ruby a hug before following her brother and the doctor to the infirmary.

  Ruby walked over to Chasm. "Hey," she said while taking his arm as Shenda and the crew watched.

  "Hey. Love the suit. Can't wait to meet the Telescu. How are things at the Cube?"

  "Same old, same old. Gloria's brilliant. John's brilliant. I can barely keep up with those two. Umm, sorry about the silent treatment. I thought I'd lost you."

  He turned his green gaze upon her. "You can never lose me. You're part of me and have been most of my life."

  "Are we good?"

  "Always."

  When the group arrived at the infirmary, Shenda and Chasm followed Doc Winsome into the clinic while the rest of the crew headed to the lounge. Winsome stopped. "Ruby, would you join us. As much as it pains me to admit, I could use your help with the medbeds.”

  "You betcha," she replied while changing course. The crew could not help but notice the bounce in her step as she followed the doctor into the clinic.

  ###

  Shenda, Chasm, Ruby, and the twins emerged from the clinic three hours later and made their way to the lounge where they briefed the crew. "First off, they're fine," Shenda said, causing much happiness. "The growth spurt, for want of a better term, has passed. Dr. Winsome thinks that several more spurts will occur until the kids hit around thirty years of physical age. They will then age normally from that point forward."

  The group murmured.

  "How is this possible?" Breanne asked.

  Shenda shrugged "Don't know, but League and Ventosian Medical are both working on it."

  "But they're fine, right?" Torren asked.

  "They are healthy, normal preteens for now."

  "So, what now?" Adaira asked.

  "We get back to work," Shenda explained. "We resume course for the next station and proceed as normal. Ruby will be coming along to monitor the kids’ conditions and help down in engineering. Any questions?"

  There was none.

  "Then let's get out of here."

  Chapter 12 - The Big Decision

  Harm carried his wife into their bedroom and laid her on the bed before removing her shoes and replacing them with warm socks. He smiled at the sight of Gen. Marta McMurphy lying in bed, sound asleep and wearing big, fuzzy socks. He gently covered her with a blanket before heading out into the living room to catch up on messages. He could hear her snoring as he closed the door, leaving it open a crack so he could hear if she woke up.

  "Marta McMurphy, you wore yourself out," he whispered while getting himself a scone and mug of tea before sitting down on the couch and activating the communications terminal.

  The room's monitor screen lit up with a list of messages--thirty-five normal priorities and one urgent. "Hmm, what's so urgent, Ciara?" he asked the empty room as he brought up Director Devlin's message. It was a video message.

  "Harm!" Ciara said as the image cleared. "Call me. It's important!"

  The message ended as abruptly as it began.

  "Don't mince words, Ciara," Harm said as he typed in Ciara's number. "Just tell me to call you!"

  The screen shifted to one of Ciara's bedroom. She was rubbing her eyes while a man next to her glared sleepily at the screen. "Hey, Ciara. Hey, Clint. Did I wake you?"

  Clint lay back down and returned to slumber as the screen went to a hold screen. "That'll teach you to tell me to call you," Harm said as he sat back on the couch. He rarely slept more than a few hours a night, and Ciara knew it, she being his boss for the last umpteen years. He tried to count the number of times he had to call her at some god-awful hour of the night, but stopped at a hundred. The screen shifted back to Ciara. She was sitting at a desk in a pool of light surrounded by darkness. "I see you got my message. What the hell time is it anyway?"

  "Here it's 2300 hours," he said as he looked at the time display built into the screen. "There, it's around oh-dark-thirty. I hope I didn't call in the middle of anything," he said. He could tell his smirk was exasperating his friend.

  "No, nothing except sleep," Ciara informed him. "You should try it sometime. What's your status?"

  "Marta and I just got back from twelve hours of helping the kids rebuild a Tralaskan-style fighting suit. This was followed by a dinner party with the head of House Cadiz. Marta's zonked-out in the bedroom, and I'm checking my messages."

  Ciara's eyes looked to heaven for guidance. "You really don't sleep much, do you?"

  "I prefer naps. So, what's up?"

  Ciara tried to rub the sleep from her eyes while grabbing a folder. "You're at Tryton station, correct?"

  Harm made a show of looking around the room. "Yep," he replied.

  "Funny. We're getting chatter about something going down at Tryton."

  "Any details?"

  "That's it. I'll be the first to admit that the information is thin."

  "Like usual. I'll keep my ears open. Hey, I saw Linka earlier today."

  "Linka? Linka Veraska? She's on Tryton?"

  "Yes. Hasn't changed one iota since I last saw her aboard the Septar."

  "Harm, Linka left OffSec and went to work at Tralaskan Security. I thought you knew, or I would have said something sooner. You two were a great team."

  "Wow. Good to know. Anything else?"

  "Yeah, be careful. How's Marta doing?"

  "I haven't seen her this happy since she retired."

  "Good. Tell her I wish her well. Keep safe, old elf."

  "Roger that. Now, get back to bed before Clint has my head on a platter."

  Ciara smiled. "Good night."

  "Good night," he said as he killed the connection. "There goes the vacation."

  ###

  I woke up to the sound of muffled voices coming from the bedroom door. I lifted up my head, but quickly returned it to the pillow when the darkness danced around me. That's it, I'm swearing-off Tralaskan ale. I tried to sit up again, but this time, I moved slowly, so my brain could keep up with my body.

  "Uhhh," I said as the room slowly came to a stop. Looking down I saw I was still in a cocktail dress, but my bitchin red pumps had changed to fuzzy socks. "Crazy elf," I muttered as I stood up. After a quick trip to the head, I changed into a pair of my most comfortable flannel pajamas and grabbed a blanket before making my way out of the room where I found Harm ending a call.

  "Good night," he said as he killed the connection. "There goes the vacation."

  Sitting down next to him, I gave him a kiss before snuggling in under his arm and throwing the blanket over the two of us. "Was that Ciara? What's up?"

  "Just the usual. They think something nefarious is going down, but they have no details. Hell, it could just be some kid plans to rip-off a candy machine. So, tell me, my love, are you still up for this now that you've seen the equipment and our less
than trustworthy opponents?"

  I kissed him. "Yep. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Harm, I finally feel like I have a purpose again," I explained. I wasn't kidding. I hate retirement. Unlike my husband who creates new and wondrous things when he's bored, I get a little crazy.

  "I was afraid you were going to say that. OK, we'll stick with the plan."

  "Deal," I said. "Now, turn off the light and go to sleep."

  "Yes, ma'am!" He killed the lights and the screen with the remote, then put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Good night, my love," he said.

  "Good night, Husband," I replied as sleep overtook me. Hopefully, there will be no more bad dreams.

  Chapter 13 - Jelly Beans

  The offload was going smoothly until doc walked out onto the ramp, obviously looking for something.

  Or someone.

  Shenda's mom sense started to tingle. "Doc, what's up? Lose a lab rat?"

  "No, not that I know off," she replied while looking around the mostly-empty cargo bay. "Have you seen the twins?"

  Offloading abruptly stopped.

  "You lost my kids?" Shenda asked, her outward calm belying the hurricane of feelings inside.

  "Naw, at least I don't think so. They were supposed to come down and get checked for signs of their next growth spurt, but they seem to be late."

  "Shit. Any sign of a feeding frenzy?" Adaira asked, referring to the kids need for massive quantities of food--proteins, fats, and carbs in roughly equal, though huge amounts."

  "No, food inventory is at normal levels," Breanne pointed out.

  "Boss! This is Connie, I need you in storeroom 3B right now!"

  "Bree?"

  Breanne looked up Storeroom 3B on her terminal. "Overstock. Stuff we picked up by mistake. Light bulbs, a lawn mower, and..." She stopped as her eyes got large.

  "Bree!"

  "Two cases of nutribars."

  "Shit! Get Chasm back here, now! Doc, with me!" Shenda yelled as she headed up the gangway to the upper deck.

  When they arrived at the room, they found Connie inside holding a ripped-open case of nutribars, the floor strewn with wrappers. Doc slid in, grabbing a bar in the process. "Ooh, these are the best ones. They're full of everything a growing child would require for proper nutrition." She looked around. "Yep, they had a growth spurt."

  "So, where are they?" Chasm asked as he walked in and put his hands on Shenda's shoulders in an attempt at calming his enraged wife.

  Connie grabbed a hand terminal and typed in some commands. "Thank God they're wearing their trackers. Hmmm. They're in the habitat section, top floor."

  "What's up there?" Chasm asked as Shenda visibly calmed.

  "Let's see... Meeting rooms... Chapels... Oh, a Tralaskan sect--the Brotherhood of the Scorned--is having a memorial service in Room 034B. Pretty urn," she said while showing everyone the picture.

  "I'll take care of this," he said, kissing the top of his wife's head before heading out the door.

  "Was it something I said?" Connie asked, her brows knitting into a frown.

  ###

  Chasm scanned the hallway ahead of him as he exited the lift. Putting away the scanpad, he headed down the hallway, his eye blazing a fiery green.

  "We did it sis," Grayson said as the door closed behind them. He glanced upwards at the security cameras.

  "Stop worrying, Moron. I looped the feed. We've got a few minutes before..."

  "Before what, Daughter?" Chasm asked as he stood in the middle of the corridor, with his arms crossed in a display of displeasure.

  "Hey, Dad," Ashley said as Grayson tried to hide something behind his back.

  "Hey, Dad," he said as Chasm held out his hand, palm up.

  "Busted, Doofus," Ashley whispered. Grayson grimaced before handing Chasm the Urn.

  "I see your growth spurt has made you more adventurous," Chasm commented.

  The kids’ faces lit up. "Yeah, you know how it is when you’re sixteen..." Grayson noted.

  "Actually, I don't. When I was your age, I was asleep in a ceramic and stainless steel-gestation tube. You'll note from our shared memories that I missed my senior prom by about fourteen years. You two, head back to the ship. Ashley, reinstate the security system, please."

  "Yes, Dad," they said in unison as they headed to the lift. Chasm looked around and saw a vase on a pedestal next to the shrine door. He quickly put the vase on the floor and replaced it with the urn, then waited for the cameras to reactivate. Seeing the status lights come on, he grabbed the urn, examined it, then walked up to the door and knocked.

  "What is it?" an upset Tralaskan male said as he swung open the door.

  "I think this is yours," Chasm said while holding out the urn. "My condolences for your loss."

  "Where... Where did you find it?" the man asked as he carefully took the urn from Chasm.

  Chasm nodded toward the pedestal and the plant on the floor in front of it. "I recognized its importance and the need to return it to its place of honor."

  "Please, come in," the man said. "My name is Trall Radan, and this is our cleric, Maltor Falson," he said as he handed the urn to the wizened man in robes. Chasm bowed to both men. "With honor," he said.

  "You know our ways?"

  "As much as a stranger can," he said as he noticed the jar of candy sitting on the table next to where the urn was placed."

  "This is what we found in the place of honor," the cleric said as he grabbed the jar of candy and replaced it with the urn. "Someone somehow bypassed eight layers of security, which I was told was impossible. Do you know what's inside this jar?"

  Chasm took the container from the holy man and opened the lid. Reaching inside, he pulled out a red candy and popped it into his mouth. "Jelly beans," he said. "Good ones, too. I must take my leave. Honor to you and your departed one." He said as he bowed, then walked out into the corridor.

  "He's right. They are good!" made it through the closing door, but Chasm was already in the lift.

  ###

  "What were you two thinking?" Shenda said while storming from one side of the lounge to the other. "Stealing a sacred urn and replacing it with a jar of jelly beans? You're dealing with Tralaskans, and they don't have nearly the sense of humor that I have..."

  "So, you know we were just joking around, right?" Grayson asked.

  "This is not a joke, young man. I..."

  "Darling?" Chasm asked from the hatch.

  "What?! Shenda snapped.

  "I just finished briefing Queen Losira on the situation. She informs me that Harmon and Marta are at our next port of call, Tryton Station, and she suggests we talk to them about the twins, you know, gain some insight from two people who have raised challenging children under difficult circumstances. I've sent him a note and their dossiers through a secure channel. Hopefully, he'll get a chance to read it before we arrive."

  “You two go find Alaina and give her a hand,” Shenda said to the twins. After they left, she turned to Chasm and cuffed him before snuggling into his shoulder. "Thank you."

  "Thank me for what?"

  "Being you. My only plan was to put the both of them into cryotubes."

  "It beats the airlock," he said.

  She cuffed him again before the two of them headed back to work.

  Chapter 14 - Up and Running

  I woke to the smell of coffee. Honest-to-God, freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee. The aroma pried my eyelids open and dragged my eyeballs over to see my wonderful, angelic--OK, I'll admit the ears and tail give him a less-than angelic look--husband holding a mug of steaming brew in one hand and a plated scone in the other.

  "Hey, sleepy head, time to get up," he said. I sat up and took the proffered treasures from him. "It's training day."

  "How do you do it?" I asked between sips and bites.

  "Do what?"

  "Get out from underneath me without waking me?"

  He smiled a devilish grin. "Practice."

  I looked around. It seemed quiet.
Normally, there would be muffled sounds from the hallway outside, or the plumbing, but it was eerily quiet. "What time is it?"

  "Oh-dark-thirty local."

  I knew it. I'm back in active service. Royce loved to get the team up at this god-awful hour so that we could fill the day with training exercises. At least Harm used coffee and a scone to do the dirty work. Royce preferred a large, metal trash receptacle being thrown the length of the barracks. "What about the kids?"

  "I called them. They'll meet us at the stall in thirty minutes."

  I washed down the rest of the scone with the last of the coffee before heading to the shower. "Join me?" I asked the big elf. I was feeling particularly playful this morning.

  He cocked an eyebrow before following me into the spacious bathroom.

  ###

  Bobby was buttoning Brenda up when we arrived at the stall. I stopped and whistled. My newest little girl was not as little as I first thought. Brawler was about Harms height, built roughly humanoid with a bullet head, and over-sized fists. His physiological responses were tuned to match Brenda using electronics and hydraulics.

  Brenda was another story all together. She was modeled after a seven-foot tall Amazonian woman, the epitome of the Tralaskan warrior female. Her face was sculpted as if she was a statue from ancient Greece.

  "Isn't she great?" Christa said. I never saw the girl beam as she was now. "We were about to run the self-test sequences."

  I walked around her. Her construction was superb. This wasn't Marine field armor. That was built with protection and mobility in mind. No, this was built with everything else in mind. The suit was a thing of beauty.

  "Stand clear," Bobby said. "Beginning self-test sequence."

  I rejoined Harm as Brenda came alive. She started by running her left arm through its motions while a sensor field took measurements, comparing them with programmed parameters. This routine was repeated for the other limbs, torso, and head, then the whole body by using a series of moves a ballet dancer would be proud to perform. While the computer ran measurements, Bobby monitored the engineering data and Christa monitored the data network. Finally, Brenda stopped dancing and returned to her resting position.