Jade Dragon - Ch. 11

11

Ruby woke up laying in her own bed again.  The nights were warm enough that she didn’t need a sheet over her, even though she was sleeping in just her panties and one of her older, worn and somewhat flimsy sleeveless shirts. She had spent over two weeks with Michelle’s family. Michelle was understandably overprotective of Mae, so she wasn’t letting Ruby sleep with her. Mae was the most bothered out of the two of them, but Ruby couldn’t help but feel hurt that Michelle didn’t trust her to be careful enough with Mae. She groaned, trying to get out of bed, but she couldn’t bring herself to. There was a little knock on the door.
“C…Come…” She cleared her throat to speak, but before she could, Mae opened the door and rolled in on her wheel chair. She was wearing her usual fancy dress and carrying a mug of coffee with a top on it so she didn’t spill any on herself.

“Good morning!” Her undeniable cheer even after everything that happened was still astonishing to Ruby. She could feel herself growing to love her more and more everyday, even though there was a growing rift between her and Michelle.

“G’morning, princess…” She said, clearing her throat again and stretching slightly. She regretted the flimsy shirt now, afraid that if she stretched out, it might finally give out.

“Mommy had me bring you some coffee.” She held it out for Ruby. Ruby smiled and took it.

“Thanks, Princess.” She kissed Mae on the forehead, making her giggle. Ruby took a sip of the coffee. It was bitter, but since she wasn’t sure if Mae brewed it herself or not, she didn’t complain. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to.” She smiled. “You’ve been so nice to me since…the accident…that I wanted to start doing nice things for you too.” She giggled again. “Heh…should have told you mommy let me bring you the coffee now. I wanted to bring it earlier, but she said you were asleep.” Ruby nodded and took another sip of coffee. “Daddy made it, so I can’t take full credit for it.”

“Ah…” Ruby was relieved that it wasn’t Mae’s so she didn’t have to pretend she liked it.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“…yeah, kinda…But it’ll do.” She took another sip.

“Can I sit next to you in bed?” Ruby nodded and put the cup of coffee down on her nightstand.

“Sure.” She carefully picked up Mae and set her down next to her, carefully moving her legs onto the bed. Ruby put her arm around her while they looked out the window. Birds and various planes, shuttles, and even starships from the base went by. One of the lights on the ships coming through the window caused Ruby to have an eerie déjà vu in the back of her mind. “D…did you…Have you had flashes of light in your room at night?”

“You mean…like…through the window?” Ruby nodded. “…no, but I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. Maybe Mommy will…”

“Nah, I don’t want to drag her into this.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby nodded.

“Yeah. Keep that between us. I don’t want her to think I’m one of those crazy ‘Abductees’…”

“Alright…if you’re sure…”

“I am.” Ruby didn’t know what to think. She could remember the flashes of light, but she couldn’t remember waking up to see it or falling asleep after she saw it. Still, she didn’t want to worry Mae.

“Do you want to take me to the park?”

“Sure, just let me take a shower first.” She said, picking up Mae and putting her back in her wheel chair. “Don’t want me smell, do you?”

“I don’t know. You’ve never smelled bad to me. Is that because you’re an alien?” Ruby smiled.

“Yeah, I think so. Just…call it force of habit.” She started pushing Mae along. “Something you won’t understand until later, but I’ve never had to wax or shave my legs or armpits or anything else like other girls. All my hair is on my head. I think I’m lucky to have eyebrows and eyelashes.” Mae scratched her head.

“All my hair is on my head, too. What’s so special about that?”

“It’s…a long story. You’ll have to wait until you’re older.” Mae groaned.

“I hear that a lot…” They had altered the house so that Mae could get around easier, putting wheel chair lifts next to all the staircases. Ruby got Mae to one of the lifts and carefully got her in. “Don’t take too long in the shower.”

“I won’t, dear.” She started the lift down for Mae. She turned to head for the shower, bumping into David. Instantly, she thought of how flimsy her shirt was and covered her chest with her arms, chuckling nervously and backing away from him. “Morning, David…How’s Junior?”

“Good…” She could tell that he wasn’t happy about the way she was dressed and her being around Mae like that. “Michelle’s mother dropped by and picked him up earlier. Lucky that she didn’t see you like this…” He looked away so that Ruby could quickly get back to her room. She put a robe on and got her clothes for the day.

“I’m not use to…living with people I’m not…It’s lucky I’m not still in the habit of sleeping n…” She groaned. “I’m just going to shut up and take a shower.” David nodded and followed Mae downstairs. Ruby got in the bathroom and hit her head against the door. She hoped that she hadn’t made herself sound like a whore. She started the shower and got in. All the shower managed to do was give her time to think about how Michelle wasn’t going to let her take Mae to the park.


Gabe was on his way to the Bar on the Midnight Storm. He had set up a meeting with Lois to talk about getting her to stop being a raider. As he walked, he ran into Janan, carrying Gideon in one arm and Snow in the other, talking in Arabic to them. Gabe didn’t want to be late for his meeting with Lois, but he decided he could still be a gentlemen.
“Morning, Janan. Need help with those two?” She shook her head and responded in Arabic without thinking.

“I mean…No, thank you, sir. I’ve got them.” She said with a slight nod to him.

“Have you decided where you want us to take you yet?”

“Take me? I…” She realized what was happening, “OH, I decided to stay on board. Doctor Williams hired me as your ship’s nurse.”

“Ah…” Gabe wished Williams would ask him about hires, even if he would have hired Janan anyway. “Well, glad to have you onboard.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Are you sure I can’t help you?”

“I guess you can take Snow.” Gabe nodded and took Snow from her, following her as she walked.

“So, where are you taking them?”

“Back to my quarters with Col…Mister Manny.” She caught herself and stopped from saying Manny’s first name. She kissed Gideon on the forehead. “I noticed they don’t talk, so, I thought that it would be good for them to…not talk together.”

“Cute, but Snow’s talked before.” He could tell she didn’t believe him. “REALLY. We were alone on the bridge, I was bouncing a ball against the wall, and she spoke to me. Six whole words.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just hear things, sir? Maybe had a little too much to drink…”

“I know what I heard, Janan. She told me I didn’t have to get Andy a present, because she got her ‘her desires’ or something…” He laughed. “Maybe she’s the reason Andy’s getting taller.”

“Maybe, sir.” Gabe put Snow down outside their door.

“You’re not on the colony, Janan. You can call us all by our first names.” She nodded.

“Yes, s…Gabe. Sorry, force of habit…”

“It’s okay. It’s not a problem either way, I just wanted you to know.” Janan nodded and curtsied to him slightly.

“Thank you, Gabe.” She went into her room, leading Snow and Gideon in by the hands. Gabe looked at his watch. He’d have to rush to get to the bar on time.


Ruby came out of the bathroom fully clothed, not wanting to have another awkward situation with anyone else. She put on her bracelets and locket, staring at the floor as she did. She was confused and deeply worried as she walked into the kitchen. Michelle and David were playing with Mae a little after breakfast. Ruby was glad to see them all so happy. She walked over to Michelle and tapped her on the shoulder.
“C…Can I talk to you, Michelle?”

“Sure, but can it wa…” She turned to Ruby and saw the worry in her face. “Alright…” Michelle got up and walked to a different roof. “What’s wrong, dear?”

“I…I haven’t had my period yet. I usually have one every three to four weeks, no later…and the last time I had one was on the ship before we came…five weeks ago.” She spoke in a hushed voice to make sure David and Mae didn’t hear. “I don’t know why, but my…my boobs are even a little smaller than they were…” She whispered. “I think I’m pregnant…”

“What?! How?”

“I don’t know how…T…that’s why I’m so scared.” Michelle could tell Ruby was getting really worked up and on the verge of tears. “What if some raped me, and I don’t even know who, when, or where!?” Michelle put her hands on her shoulders.

“I’m sure you would have noticed something if you were…” Ruby took a deep, trembling breath and nodded.

“God, I hope so…”

“Has something…weird happened in the last couple of days?” Ruby sighed and tilted her head.

“There was….a…flash of light in the window I remember outside the window…but I don’t remember waking up to see it or when I fell asleep after it…I wake up to see it, then the sun coming in my window wakes me up…” Michelle rubbed her eyes and grabbed the bridge of her nose. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, I believe you. Remember the ‘abductees’ from 425 CC? The Ziekes took them to see if they could make contact. They used their telepaths to scramble the memory’s neural pathways.”

“But I’m telepathically resistant…it’s why I joined in the telepath war, remember?”

“Yeah…well, I can hold my liquor, but pouring a bottle of vodka down my throat will still knock me on my ass.”

“Right…so, the one thing that use to comfort me is no longer valid…” Michelle kneeled down so she could look into her eyes while she looked at the floor.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s probably a heavy hitter that’s taking advantage of you being asleep to get you.”

“That makes me feel SO MUCH better…” Michelle groaned.

“Look, I’m just trying to….”

“TRY HARDER. Because the more you talk, the more I’m worried that I was telepathically hypnotized and RAPED…” Michelle nodded.

“Okay, alright. I’ll have the security sensors scan the room for foreign DNA, look through the security footage for something weird…” she took a deep breath, “and get you an emergency-contraceptive pill incase you’re right, if that’ll all make you feel better.” Ruby thought for a second.

“Leave out the morning-after pill…I don’t want to loose the baby and risk that it’s the only one I’ll ever have…no matter where it came from.” Michelle nodded.

“I’ll…still get it incase…incase you change your mind.” Ruby nodded.

“I love you, Michelle…” They kissed deeply for a moment then separated, Michelle pulling away first.

“Mae really wants to take you to the park, and David and I thought we’d use the time to…get romantic.” Ruby nodded.

“I’ve learned my way around this city pretty well. I’ll give you three hours. I’ll take Mae to a toy shop…probably spoil her rotten, but…”

“Three hours?”

“Isn’t that long enough for you two?” Michelle nodded.

“It’s just…” She leaned in close to her, “Mae’s…had control problems since her spine was…since her accident…She’s…wearing diapers now to help, but three hours might be pushing it.”

“I can…change her, don’t worry. Besides, it’ll do her some good to get out and let you and David spend some time together.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby nodded.

“It’ll be okay.” She thought. “Wait…is the accident thing the reason why you haven’t been letting me sleep with her?”

“Yeah…I don’t want her to…have an accident while you’re…”

“Don’t worry about it. Andy had…the same problem when she first came aboard…I’m use to it.”

“Alright, you’ve had your warning.” She kissed her. “There’s an extra…everything in the…pack on the wheelchair incase you need it.” Ruby nodded and kissed her again.

“Alright…” She started to leave the room. “You’re pretty great when you’re not trying to be a hard ass.”

“Thanks…I guess…” They both walked back into the kitchen. “Mae, honey, how would you like to spend the day with Ruby here?”

“I’d love to!” She cheered. “But…” She pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “I think I’ve had another accident…” She said in a childish whisper that everyone in the room could hear.

“I can take care of that for you as I get you ready to leave, dear…if that’s okay with you. I am going to have to take care of you today…”

“…I guess it is…” She rolled Mae out of the kitchen.

“I’m so embarrassed…” Mae said as they went upstairs.

“Don’t worry about it, dear…You’ll get better…”

“Mommy and Daddy say that, too…but I don’t think so…” Mae cried slightly. “I…I can’t even feel it…or stop it…when it happens.”

“You’ll get better, trust me.” She decided to try to cheer her up. “You know…once…a telepath made it so that whenever someone pushed my nose…I’d say ‘Nutty Fudrucker’, no matter where I was…”

“Nu-uh.”

“Uh-huh. I’d be sitting in church, and a friend’d hit my nose and I’d stand up ‘NUTTY FUDRUCKER!’…At school, ‘NUTTY FUDRUCKER!’, and everywhere, just ‘NUTTY FUDRUCKER!’. I thought it was going to go on forever, but eventually…I got over it…”

“Really?” Ruby nodded.

“Yeah, now I just say muckraker really quietly…” Mae laughed.

“You’re silly.” Mae giggled again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, dear.”

Gabe got to the bar on time. Lois was there with Veronica, kissing and whispering back and forth. Gabe groaned and sat down.
“Do you two always have to make out?”

“Yes, we do.” Lois said, kissing Veronica one last time. “Besides, were you on time…you wouldn’ ‘ave ‘ad to ‘ave seen it.”

“I’m perfectly on time.” Gabe said, showing her his watch.

“Your watch is ten minutes off.” Veronica showed him her watch. Gabe groaned.

“Alright…My watch’s time uplink must be broken…” Veronica laughed.

“Cheap bastard…”

“HEY, I just found out about it.” He sat down at the table.

“So, why’d you want to talk to me, Gabriel?” Lois said, putting her arm around Veronica and holding her close.

“Well…as you know, I’ve not been sleeping well since Ruby’s left…”

“Must be hard to sleep without your Captain’s Woman…” Veronica said, making Gabe madder.

“…Did you just call Ruby a whore? Because that would be the pot calling the kettle…”

“Gabriel,” Lois interrupted, “move on. Vera, watch your mouth…” Gabe took a deep breath.

“Without sleep, I’ve had a long time to think. And what I’ve been thinking is that I’m tired of fighting you, Lois. If we keep going like this, it’ll only end in death. Either I’ll kill you, or you’ll kill me, or we’ll kill each other, I don’t know, but it’s the only way it’ll end. If we’re lucky, it’ll just be each other. If we’re not…Our ships go with us…or, god forbid, whole colonies.” Lois hesitantly nodded. “It ends today.”

“What? You want us to shoot it out ‘ere and now?” He shook his head.

“I’ve been looking through your crew manifests. There are about two hundred people on your ship.” He pulled a computer pad off his belt and tossed it to her. “Only the one and a half dozen people have committed rape and murder, and they’re ALL dragons.”

“Aye…It’s hard to get a crew without Raiders…It’s what keeps me from going independent.” Gabe shook his head.

“It’s not hard for you to get a crew without dragons right now, Lois.” He said with a smirk. “The colony’s SWARMING with military men. All your dragons, since they are…clearly labeled…” He said, taping the tattoo on one of the crewmen, “They are all  bottled up on your ship. You can get them all in one fell-swoop.” He could tell he had her attention.

“How do you suggest we do that?”

“Lo, we can’t do that!” Veronica got out of her arm and turned to her. “We might as well paint a target on the ship!”

“Actually,” Gabe spoke up again, “I have a solution for that, too; A mutual defense pact.” Before Veronica could complain again, Gabe continued. “I know, right now, only having two ships isn’t much of a defense plan, but we’ll recruit as we go, getting ships that haven’t committed any serious crime, like…rape, needless killings…murder, you know, and pull them into the guild.” He got a drink from the bar. “I’m willing to ignore the fact that you were going to let your crewman rape Connor…”

“I didn’ want it to go that far. I just wanted ‘im to scare ‘er.”

“I thought so…” He poured three drinks. “So, what do you think?” Lois rubbed her forehead.

“I certainly don’ want to risk Veronica getting killed in our cross fire…” She sighed. “What’s your plan to get rid of my Dragons?”

“Get them to your hangar and space them. All you’ve got to do is tell them you’ll have a girl to give them…Veronica here.”

“NO!” Veronica shouted at him. “I WILL NOT…”

“That’s right, you won’t. You both will be in normal suits, that way you can be in the hangar, so if they check your location, they’ll hear you’re there. Once your in…POOF. They’re no threat to you any longer. To top it off, the Terrans will give you five thousand a head. Kill them, you’ll get ninety thousand.”

“I like the plan…” Lois said, taking the drink. “But it needs some finesse…”

“Like…”

“For starters, Veronica is NOT going to be any part of this…” She snapped her fingers. “I can tell them I’m planning to go to get my dragon tattoo removed, which I am. That’ll piss them off and make them come after me all at once. Then…as you put it…poof.”

“Lois, I don’t want you risking…” Lois hushed her with a kiss.

“It ‘as to be done, Vera.” She kissed her again. “So…what’s the name of this group, Gabe?”

“I was thinking the Pirates’ League.” Lois cringed.

“How ‘bout…Pirates’ Guild?”

“…That works…” Gabe decided just to accept it, not liking League himself.


Mae was playing with her friends from school at the park while Ruby watched to make sure nothing went wrong. Ruby had a bandanna around her head to hide her ears, as she had done since she got back to Earth. Mae hadn’t seen her friends since her injury, and all of them were being careful enough with her that Ruby didn’t have to worry. She couldn’t help but notice all of Mae’s friends were two years or more older than her. As she was wondering about why that was, a man came up and sat on the bench beside her.
“Good day.” He pulled a newspaper out and started reading. “My name’s V, Miss Ruby.”

“How did you know my name?” Ruby turned to him. He smiled.

“I’m an information man, Ruby. I can tell you that Mae there is two grades ahead of the rest of the girls her age.”

“Why are you talking to me, Mister…V?”

“Because you’ve been seeing a white flash out your window at night.” Ruby silently gasped.

“How did you…”

“You’re pregnant, Miss Conroy.” Ruby’s skin went bone white. “They kidnapped you, took you to a hidden lab-ship they have outside the city, and impregnated you with an embryo they made in the lab from one of your eggs and a DNA sample they had from your boyfriend so that if you tested its genes, she’d match you both, genetically modified to…”

“How do you know this!?”

“…be more telepathic. And you’ll just get strong the more time goes on. Don’t interrupt, Miss Conroy.” Ruby was shocked again. “I’m an information man, I…”

“MORE telepathic? I’m not telepathic. Now you’re just…” V sighed.

“You have to been having SOME signs that you were telepathic…Perhaps, picking up something from your lover? Memories? Dreams?” She sighed, believing him now.

“I have been having my love…Gabe’s war nightmares…”

“See, there you go.” He folded up his newspaper. “Being telepathic has a subconscious aspect. It’s like…Superman. Superman was drained of his powers once, and he didn’t get them back right away because he just didn’t WANT them back. You don’t want to be a telepath, so you don’t HAVE telepathy, but you have the signs of it. How else do you think you can resist telepathic scans? Because you have a telepathic shield from your natural born abilities.” Ruby was speechless. “It’s the reason you’ve been allowed to keep…Andy, I believe you call her. You’ve grown to love her, so you’re desensitized to the idea of being a telepath, so your abilities are awakening. Since they confirmed it, they impregnated you with a child, when the time’s right…they’ll replace it with a ‘bio-dumby’ and you’ll never see your child again. You’ll just have a dead lump of flesh…” A tear made its way out of Ruby’s eyes.

“H…how…What am I suppose to stop them?”

“Take this.” He gave her a hypospray. “Inject it into your neck before you go to sleep tonight. It’ll wake you up if you’re telepathically intruded on. The telepath will take you back to the base, where you can fake being unconscious, and when they go to examine you again, wake you and make them a deal. But, it may cost you more than you want.” He gave her a box full of vials. “I take an injection of this nightly, I suggest you do the same. I’ll give you a box whenever you run out.” She looked at the box in her hands. “Pick out one. I’ll inject it into myself.” Ruby nodded and grabbed one out of the box. V injected himself without hesitating. “See? Harmless.” V got up and straightened his suit.

“Shouldn’t I just…leave? Take my baby and go back to my ship?”

“No. Didn’t you wonder HOW I’ve know all this stuff about your biology? How I could customize a HUMAN drug for your alien genes?” He started to leave.

“Why did you tell me all this?”

“Because I’m working for the good guys.”

“…against the military?”

“WITH the military! They’re the good guys. These companies are the problem.”

“What’s the name of the company?” Ruby shouted to him, but he ignored her.

“Quit hiding your ears and I’ll tell you.” Ruby heard a crash and turned around. Mae’s wheelchair had tipped over. Ruby quickly turned back to V, but he was gone. She turned back to Mae, rushing over to her. It looked like a boy had pushed her over. Her two friends were standing between him and her. Mae was crying, her hands and her left knee were scrapped up, her knee was scrapped the worst.

“You okay, honey?” Mae shook her head. Ruby took off her bandana, rolled it, and wrapped it tightly around her knee as a bandage. She kissed her knee after she put it on, not caring that everyone was staring at her now. “Better?” Mae was still crying, holding out her hands. Ruby kissed her hand, making sure there wasn’t any little pebbles in her hands. “How about now?” Mae nodded. Ruby smiled and stood up, quickly realizing everyone was staring at her. It was an awkward feeling she only got in the ‘inner-colonies’ and Earth, since most people in the outer colonies had seen stranger things than her. She tried to ignore it, walking over to the boy that pushed her over. “Why’d you push over Mae?”

“Because she’s LAZY!” He shouted at Mae. “Rolling around in that chair when she’s FINE!”

“She’s not FINE, she almost died. She can’t walk any more, she needs that chair!”

“I saw her walk last month!” She grabbed him by the collar.

“That may be! But she can’t walk now!” The boy’s mother came over, taking her boy’s hand.

“Ma’am, I’ll take care of this.” Ruby nodded and let the boy go, noticing the mother staring at her slightly as they walked away. After she stopped staring, Ruby could hear her yelling at him for his mistake and smirked slightly. She turned and grabbed Mae’s wheelchair.

“Girls, I’m sorry to do this, but I think Mae’s had enough of the park today. You ready to leave?” The girls nodded, staring at her. “Then follow me.” Ruby led them to the van Michelle lent her and got them in, putting Mae in the front seat with her before she drove off. As she drove, she couldn’t help but feel the awkwardness she felt when she was younger, worrying that the same sort of awkwardness was going to follow around her child. She distracted herself from the thought, turning to Mae. “You okay, Princess?” She shook her head.

“No…not really…” She sniffed, having stopped crying. “Why can’t I feel the scrap on my knee?” Ruby took a deep breath, hoping that this sort of question would come up for her.

“It’s…It’s the same reason you can’t walk…See…there’s…no way for signals, like pain or you telling it to move to get between your brain and your leg.”

“Oh…So I have to be really careful, because I could hurt myself and not know?” Ruby nodded.

“Exactly.” Mae hung her head again. “What, dear?”

“I’m…I’m sorry I made you show your ears, I know you wanted to keep them hidden.” Ruby shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. Besides…I wasn’t comfortable hiding anyway.” Mae nodded. Ruby smiled at the cute way she did it. Mae was the reason she was sure she wanted kids now.


Chan and Kelly were fighting in the hangar. Chan had gotten a wooden katana at the colony and Kelly had gotten a blunted rapier, so they were sword fighting, finally giving Chan a chance against her. Their false blades clashed, Kelly doing her best to simply swat away Chan’s sword like a baseball bat, not like a sword. She barely knew how to use her sword, quickly tiring of getting jabbed in the ribs by the sword.
“You mind holding back for a lady?”

“I am.” Chan jabbed her again. Kelly groaned.

“I am going to be covered in bruises for my girlfriend…” Chan laughed.

“Now you know how I feel.” He hit her again.

“Duly noted…” Kelly swung her rapier wildly, trying to copy the moves she had seen in a pirate movie once, but it had been a long time since she had seen the movie. Chan just decided to parry her blows and not hurt her any further. She’d never learn if he pummeled her endlessly, after all. Suddenly, he saw Connor pass through the room and was distracted, knowing what happened to her. He could almost hear her screams and cries in the back of his mind and stopped fighting when an image of the men stabbing her flashed into his mind. Kelly seized the opportunity and hit him as hard as he could, knocking him down with a loud crash. “You left yourself wide open.” Chan dropped his sword.

“I KNOW.” He got up and walked over to Connor.

“Ooops…sorry…” Kelly put her sword against the wall and got a towel, wiping off her sweat.
Connor looked up and saw Chan. Instantly, all of the ‘innocent’ things she had done with Andy crushed down on her conscience. She looked down at the floor, ashamed, and tried to get away from Chan, but he quickly blocked her path.

“Connor…Sharon?” Since she didn’t object, he figured it’d be okay to call her by her first name. “Sharon, why aren’t you talking to me?”

“I…I had…I had a…bad experience with men, Chan…” She turned away from him. “I…I don’t trust…I just don’t feel comfortable around any of you any more…”

“Maybe we can work on that.” He wanted to put his hand on her shoulder, but decided it wasn’t a good idea. “I…I’m not a fighting man, Sharon. I talked to Captain Hawke, Harrison, and Kelly, and they thought they could pick up the slack…though I’d be jobless…unless I helped you.”

“Ex…excuse me?”

“You’ve been complaining to the captain that you need an assistant, so here I am.” She shook her head.

“No, I’d have to teach you all the…stuff…about everything…” She said, trying to get past him.

“You don’t have to teach me how it works, you just have to teach me how to fix things.” She reluctantly nodded. “So?”

“So…maybe it’ll work…” She took a deep breath, feeling sick to her stomach for more reasons than one. “I can probably…PROBABLY get over my man-phobia to work with you.”

“Alright, so…partners?” He put his hand out to her. She looked at it, not sure if she should take it, but she did.

“More like…Superhero and sidekick.” Chan nodded.

“Alright…well…I’ve got to go shower or Andy’ll say I smell like a sewer…” Connor nodded and let him leave. Kelly pulled off her gym shirt and pants. She still had bicycle shorts and a sports bra on, having worn them under her clothes. Connor stared at her slightly, walking over to her and deciding to break herself of her ‘Andy-habit’.

“Hi.” Kelly turned to her as she put her clothes in her gym bag.

“Hello, Sharon.” Sharon put her arms around Kelly’s neck, pressing her chest against her back. Kelly jumped slightly, surprised. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re a lesbian, aren’t you?” Connor put her hands on Kelly’s stomach, caressing her slightly.

“…Yeah…” Connor’s hands inched their way up and down. Connor didn’t hesitate since Kelly wasn’t stopping her. “I…I didn’t think you were…” Kelly sighed as Connor kissed her neck.

“I wasn’t…until recently…” Connor stopped everything. Kelly got away from her. Most of her didn’t mind what Connor was doing, but a diminishing voice in the back of her head said ‘Remember Nicole!’ over and over. “I see the way you look at me…” Sharon unzipped her jumpsuit and put Kelly’s hand inside. She kissed her again, backing her against the wall.

“I really shouldn’t…Nicole…”

“Doesn’t have to know…” She kissed her again, grabbing the waist of her bicycle shorts. “The worst thing that could happen is that we don’t like it and we walk away. You can’t get pregnant.” She stopped and waited for a response.

“…true…but Nicole…”

“Has been spending an AWFUL LOT of time with Harrison, hasn’t she?” Kelly clenched her teeth slightly.

“Yeah…” She did her best to distract herself. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Andromeda, too, so are you saying you two…”

“I am…” Kelly grit her teeth again. “I…I needed someone…and she…she was there for me…”

“Sharon, that’s HORRIBLE. She’s barely…She’s almost…HORRIBLE, Sharon.” Connor began to cry slightly.

“I KNOW. You don’t think I know that!? I DO! I’m a terrible person, and I need people when I’m going through depression, and I am going through one HELL of a depression right now, and Andy…” She sighed. “Andy was always so kind to me, no matter how bad I treated her…She…She saw that I like to have a flower in my hair, so she’s always folding little origami flowers for me…and she…she worked and worked on SO many when I was in the hospital that her hands were covered in paper cuts. She even offered to sleep with me and have Thomas protect me…She was the only one I could…I’m going to hell for it, but I was probably already on my way anyway…Now I’m just…I’m just trying to move on…” Kelly rolled her head and eyes at the same time. “You don’t believe me?!”

“No, I believe you…I understand, too.” She sighed and hit the wall. “I started thinking Nicole was the one, too…”

“Does that mean you’ll…” Kelly didn’t let her finish, kissing her deeply and getting herself off the wall. She took off Connor’s jumpsuit and let Connor take off her clothes.

“I’m not going to be driven like that, Sharon.” She said as she carefully laid Connor down on the mats on the floor. “Do that again without permission, and I’m going to be pissed.”


Harrison kissed Nicole deeply. She sighed, getting lost briefly before she pushed away from him.  A tear of guilt escaped her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Harrison said after a deep breath. “I just…”

“No, it’s my fault.” She said, straightening her dress. “I love you, Harrison…but before we go any farther…I…I have to break up with Kelly first…” Harrison nodded.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll go alone. It’s okay.” He nodded again. Nicole kissed him again before she left to find Kelly.


Ruby was sitting on the toilet lid, waiting for a pregnancy test result. Seconds stretched into years, the ticking of the clock thundering through the room. She bit her finger and looked at the vial in her hands. The result of the pregnancy test would decided whether she took it or ignored it. She was sitting, her pants undone, her shirt off, looking at her stomach, trying to see if her pregnancy was showing. The idea of her being pregnant artificially had her feeling horribly violated and wondering how a company could get in, get her out, and get her back in before morning. It would explain why she was feeling so tired all the time. Michelle knocked on the door and came in the bathroom.
“How’s it going?” Ruby look up from her stomach at the clock then looked back at her stomach.

“I’ve still got another minute or two before I’ll know…” She took a deep breath. “It may not even work…”

“It probably will.” Michelle sat on the counter next to her. “If it’s a daughter, she’ll be the most beautiful woman ever.”

“…I hope she doesn’t get my ears…nose…and all that…” She sighed again. “I had to take the bandanna I was using to hide my ears to help Mae today…And people…people stared.”

“The closest thing to an alien they’ve seen here is people at a sci-fi convention, Ruby…It’s…They’re a little xenophobic.”

“Don’t have to tell me…” Michelle nodded.

“Despite the incident at the park, Mae had a wonderful time. I think you might have spoiled her, though.” She laughed.

“That’s what I’m suppose to do. I’m the aunt that flits in, spoils your daughter, then flit out.” Michelle smiled. “How did everything with you and David go?”

“It was…heaven…Probably saved our marriage.” She pulled on her knee slightly. “I think he wants to have another kid.” She groaned slightly.

“Would that be so bad?”

“No…it’s why I didn’t take my pill this month.” Ruby smiled. Before she could congratulate Michelle, she spoke up again. “Well, I only have a little under a month of leave left, and it took us half a year for me to get pregnant with Mae and at least five to have Junior, so it may not happen at all, but it’s worth a try.”

“That’s still great, even if it doesn’t happen.” Ruby sat next to her on the counter, putting her arms around her. “I’ll keep your revenge against the Dragons going for you.”

“Thanks…It’s them…It’s their fault that having kids is almost impossible for me.” While Michelle was talking, Ruby managed to pick up her pregnancy test.

“Y…you can help raise my kid.”

“S…so you’re pregnant?” Ruby nodded.

“I don’t know how to feel about this…” Michelle put her arms around her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to help you through this.” Ruby realized something.

“I’ll be fine. I want to sleep alone tonight…tell Mae I’m sorry…” Michelle nodded and left the bathroom.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. You spoiled her enough for a year.” Ruby nodded and Michelle closed the door. Ruby felt crushed, starting to get dressed. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but decided she was going to call Gabe as soon as she could.


Kelly held Connor close after they finished making love. Connor had her face in Kelly’s chest, smiling with her eyes closed. Kelly was smiling too, keeping Connor close. Kelly kissed her on the cheek. Connor moaned slightly, waking up.
“This is what I was looking for…” Connor said as they kissed.

“If you think this is great, wait ‘til next time and you don’t catch me unprepared.” Kelly said, catching her breath. “In fact, if you feel up to it, come by my quarters tonight. That should give me time to…end things with Nicole.” Connor nodded, rolling onto her back. Kelly noticed the scar on her waist again and kissed her. “Poor thing…”

“Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone else?” Kelly nodded. “When I was younger…about Andy’s age…I was…I…” Connor took a deep, full breath. “This wasn’t the first time I’ve been raped…In high school…I was drugged and…and the football team…The football team got away with it! They were a championship football team, and I…I was just some nobody…some nobody who was…was just a little too loose to prove that it wasn’t voluntary…so the high school killed the story…and right now…I have a little sister who’s…far closer and far more dear to me than she knows.” She started to break down. Kelly put her arms around her.

“Shhh…it’s okay…”

“I want to raise her some day…Tell her the truth…Go to Mars and…” She sighed. “What am I saying? I’m not brave enough to…”

“I’ll go with you. I can help you through it.” She kissed her on the forehead. “We can get your daughter and…” She heard a gasp and looked around the room. Nicole was standing in the doorway. Kelly panicked while Connor scrambled to get dressed. “Nicole…I…I’m sorry but Connor…SHARON…wanted…needed…It was…” Nicole silenced her with a gesture.

“It’s okay…I was just…caught off guard by seeing you two naked together.”

“It’s…okay?” Nicole nodded.

“I was just coming to…end things with you. So…it’s okay…”

“End things?” Nicole leaned against the doorframe.

“I’ve been seeing Harrison…It’s getting pretty serious, so I…I needed to end things with you…I’m sorry.” Kelly nodded then remembered something.

“I thought you were afraid to have anything to do with sex and men. That’s why we couldn’t use…” Nicole put a finger across her mouth.

“Do you mind? Connor’s still in the room.” Connor got dressed.

“I’ve got to go be with Andy…She’s expecting me.” She said, scampering out of the room. Kelly hoped she wasn’t going to make a horrible mistake.

“Anyways, do you think you’ll be able to handle…” Nicole nodded, bowing slightly.

“I believe so…I hope you and Connor will be happy together.”

“Same to you and Harrison.” Kelly and Nicole kissed deeply one last time. Kelly spoke up, picking up her clothes. “Suddenly, I’m aware that I’m naked…”


The more Lois and Veronica kissed, the more Gabe was growing to accept it. He still didn’t like that she was a lesbian, but it didn’t hurt anything in his mind. He hated thinking that Veronica was probably one of the hottest women he’d seen, not only because of Ruby, but because he never wanted to think anyone dating Lois would be hot. He took a sip of a beer he had in his hand. He wasn’t paying attention to the story that Lois and Veronica said, wondering about what Andy and Connor were doing together that made Andy act so differently. He didn’t trust them together for a reason he couldn’t determine, but them sleeping together bothered him.
“So, Veronica comes out of the cake, frosting, the only thing covering her. And…” Gabe saw Andy walk by the door and stood up.

“Yeah, great sis, but I’ve got to go.” He kissed her on the cheek and left. After he was gone, Veronica laughed.

“Okay, you’re right, he wasn’t paying attention.” Veronica smiled and kissed Lois. “I’ll pay you back tonight.” She kissed her again. Lois put her arms around her, holding her close.

“Alright…” Lois sighed. “That frosting and whipped cream thing was great…”

“Yeah…”


Connor found Andy sitting on her bed waiting for her. She was sitting with her legs to her sides and holding her knees. She smiled when Connor came in the room and hopped slightly, obviously excited to see her.
“Hello, Andy…” She sat on the bed next to Andy.

“Hiya, Connor.” Andy kissed her on the cheek. “Ready to play?” Andy kissed her on the neck. She stopped when Connor didn’t respond “What’s wrong?”

“We…we need to stop playing, Andy.”

“Why?” Andy asked, slamming from happy to sad like a child whose favorite toy had been ripped from her finger tips.

“I…I should never have started playing with you…”

“But I love playing with you. It feels so great…”

“I know…” She groaned. “But it was just…it was just for my recovery…and I’m recovered.”

“B…but what about me? I…I need you or I’ll…I’ll…” She hung her head and started to cry slightly. “I’ve lost Ruby…I can’t loose you too…” Connor sighed, disgusted with herself for seemingly destroying Andy. “Please…”

“Alright, but only until Ruby comes back.” Andy cheered and kissed her. Connor did her best to be into it, kissing Andy like she use to and slowly slipping off her dress.

Gabe finally got to Connor’s quarters. He knew they had been there for about half an hour, give or take a quarter hour. He worried for Andy, panicking about what Connor could be doing to her in her current state. He was going to ring the door bell, but stopped, not wanting to give them warning. He put his ear against the door and used a technique from his military training to hear through metal doors. He could hear them inside, moaning and groaning together. He knew what they were doing instantly and started plugging in his key code to the door to get in, hearing them both scream as he did. Connor and Andy scampered in different directions, Connor going to the head and pulling the sheets up to her chest while Andy got to the foot and put her arms out to Gabe with a smile.
“Hiya, Gabey-bear!” She hopped down off the bed and to her feet, hugging Gabe. “I’m sorry I haven’t seen you as much as I wanted…” Gabe hesitantly put his arms around Andy. He was sure she was taller now, and her scars were smaller and less distinct. Andy put her ear against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

“It’s okay, Andy. I know Ruby being so far away’s been hard on both of us.” He patted her back. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

“Sure, Gabey-bear. We can keep each other company while Ruby’s gone, but you’ll have to wait until after Sharon and I are done playing.”

“I don’t want you…playing with Connor any more.” He could tell she was going to complain. “I…you’re too young to play like that…and…ug…You are both supposed to be…” He cleared his throat. “So…for now, you’ll have to stop for now, okay?”

“Oh…I thought we could…” Gabe shook his head.

“Go ahead and get dressed and run along.” Andy nodded and got dressed.

“It was really fun…and it helped Connor…so…Don’t be made at us that we forgot the rules…” She pulled her dress up.

“I’m not mad at you, dear.”

“Okay…” Andy left the room. Gabe closed his eyes and clenched his fists, containing his anger until he was sure she was gone. Connor spoke first.

“Captain…I…I can explain…” She had gotten her underwear on, scrambling to get dressed.

“I want you off my ship by the end of the day.” He said calmly, still staying calm.

“Captain, I’m sorry, but…” She sighed. “But I can explain.”

“I don’t care, Connor. This…this is UNFORGIVABLE!”

“I know…I can’t look Chan in the eye anymore…”

“I’m touched.” He turned to her, letting go of a little anger since he could feel blood vessels throbbing in his head. “GET THE HELL OFF MY SHIP.”

“Wait, like it or not, you need me! I’m the only engineer on this entire…”

“Not that badly!” Connor started crying, making Gabe feel guilty. He took a deep breath. “Tell me, why’d you do it?” He said, keeping his back to her.

“I was…I thought…I thought making her feel better would make me feel better…and it did…I never meant for it to go this far…” She got her jumpsuit on. “It was just supposed to be a one-night thing…but when we were together, I’d forget everything that happened…and…and I actually just tried to stop it today, I swear, but she wanted to stay together…and…and she started having one of her breakdowns, and since Ruby wasn’t here…I…I thought…”

“You’ve been doing this since Ruby left?” Connor nodded and put her arms around Gabe, putting her head against his back.

“Yes, but…but I think it’s why she hasn’t had any breakdowns since then…” After she finished, there was a long, awkward silence. “I…I’m seeing Kelly now…Please don’t rip me away from her…” Gabe groaned and yelled briefly.

“Fine, I’ll let you stay on the ship if you’ll do one thing. You have to tell Chan and Ruby. I’ll give you until a week after Ruby gets back, and if you haven’t, you’re off my ship. Got that?” She nodded.

“Thank you, captain.”

“Just be glad I haven’t been sleeping well, or I thing the logical ‘Throw you out an air lock’ would be more appealing.” Gabe left the room. Connor collapsed to her knees and thanked god that Gabe let her stay.


Ruby had no luck getting a line to New Mesopotamia, surprising her until she thought about the fact that they had to have been upgrading their communications to Terran standard. That didn’t help her depression, though. She decided to sleep in her clothes, injecting herself with the drug V gave her and going to bed early. She didn’t sleep well, but she slept well enough. Finally, she felt something force her away. Her room was filled with a bright white light and she felt herself being lifted into the air. She could see a figure dressed in black. She could tell it was a woman, but couldn’t see who it was. Nearest she could tell, the woman was the one lifting her into the air with some sort of telekinesis. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was asleep as the woman put her in a transport. The woman hit the door to the cockpit and the small transport took off.
“We know you’re awake, Miss Conroy.” The woman pulled her hood off, revealing her white hair. “You might as well stop faking.” Ruby opened her eyes and was horrified to see her, recognizing her instantly as she pulled off her cloak, revealing a skin tight white almost wet-suit, revealing she had a robotic arm and two robotic legs.
“I killed the others too fast, so I’ll just have to entertain myself with you for a while.” The telepath used her abilities to slice into Gabe’s shoulder, then launched him backwards into a building behind him. She used her powers and lifted him into the air, slamming him against the ground with a punishing blow. Gabe could feel he had many broken ribs, his other arm and leg were broken, with the bones and ribs puncturing his skin. Now that he was completely crushed, the little girl pulled another pin from her hair and walked towards him. “Looks like I’m not going to have any more fun with you. Nightie-night.” She took the pin and lunged for his neck for the death blow.

“YOU! You’re the one that attacked Gabe!” The woman clapped, making it sound strange, her metal hand against her real hand. She was the same girl, except in her late twenties.

“Got it in one. Congratulations. The name’s Elizabeth, by the way. Tell me, does that little nightmare I planted in Gabe still plague him?” Ruby nodded. “Good. I’d give it to the entire crew, if I could. You bastards, raising my daughter as your own, like she was just another ‘Normal’ like you…giving her that RIDICULOUS name ‘Snow’. Her name’s Anastasia, and if it weren’t for the child you’re carrying, I’d rip your heart out of your chest and shove it down your throat while it was still beating.” Ruby clenched her fists, sitting up and sliding back.

“Anyone tell you that you have a SERIOUS anger problem?” Elizabeth nodded and smiled.

“Blame my and Anastasia’s creators. It’s what they do.” She took a small tool off her belt and started fiddling with her hand. “Have you noticed any strange abilities in her?”

“Abilities?”

“Yeah. They took my egg and ran it through a Zieke mutation machine as much as they could, same with the sperm from the man they paired me with, then did the same with the zygote. She should be a god on Earth.” Ruby decided to keep her talking as long as she wasn’t threatening her.

“Now that you mention it, an Enhance Marine got onto our ship…crushed me…and yet…here I am. And…Andromeda’s getting taller and…more developed.” She laughed.

“Alright! Healing and growth capabilities. We have a pool…”

“We?”

“The other experiments and I have a betting pool on what powers each of our…little wonders will get. We’re betting that, should she live long enough, she’ll get Chronokinesis.”

“What?”

“Ability to see through time, maybe even go through time, idiot.”

“That would be cool…” Ruby said, doing her best to contain her anger.

“Yeah.” The shuttle landed. “Well, I’m sorry, but you can’t be conscious for this.” She punched Ruby in the face, knocking her out.

Ruby was still unconscious until Elizabeth slapped her, waking her up.
“Good morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?”

“Bitch…could have used your real hand to wake me up…and knock me out.” She said, rubbing her jaw.

“Oh, how is that fun?” There was a long minute of the loudest silence Ruby could remember since the war.

“What powers will my baby have?”

“Telepathy. That’s it.” She said, finally finishing with her hand. “No reason to go overboard with the first one, after all.”

“Is it true that they were going to steal my baby and leave me with a ‘bio-dumby’?”

“Probably. Can’t leave our new weapon against the Terrans in your Normal hands.” Ruby sighed.

“So, you work for the Ziekes?”

“Nope, I work for who I always have, the telepaths. Didn’t wipe out all of us, though you and Gabe got close.” She started working on her legs.

“And they took Sn…Anastasia from you after birth, the way they want to take my baby?”

“Yeah, except I knew it was coming.” Ruby clenched her fists.

“How could you put another woman through that!? Having a baby ripped from their arms?”

“It’s the way it’s got to be, sweetheart. I’ll admit, I wanted to hear her first words…see her first steps…give her her first meal of solid food…but that’s just the sacrifice you have to make.”

“I don’t want to make it. My daughter, MY Morgan, is NOT going to be used as a weapon!” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a pill and holding it in front of her lips. “I’d rather kill her than let her live her life as a slave to you and the telepaths!”

“They had a feeling you’d make that threat. That’s why they wanted to make you an offer. We have something, something you’ve wanted for your entire life, but we’ll only give it to you if you’re willing to let us keep your baby.”

“What do you POSSIBLY have that could be worth my child.” Elizabeth turned to the security camera.

“Send her in.” Two soldiers shoved a teenage girl in strange robes into the room. She stayed n a heap on the floor, crying and sobbing, mumbling in a strange language that Ruby didn’t understand, but seemed to get the ideas behind it.

“Who?”

“Go to her.” Ruby kept the pill in her hand and rushed over to the girl’s side, putting her hand on the girl’s back.

“Dear, are you all…” The girl looked up, making Ruby gasp in utter disbelief.  The girl looked up from the ground and gasped in the same disbelief. The girl had purple eyes, pure red hair, and all the alien characteristics Ruby had, spots, ears, and nose. They were so happy that they had found someone from their own race that they both started crying tears of joy. The girl scuffled over to Ruby and Ruby put her arms around her, holding her close. The girl said something that Ruby understood, though it was in a language she had never heard before. “My name’s Ruby.”

“…Yu’an…” Ruby nodded.

“She was in an emergency cryo-chamber in the alien shuttle like you were back then, except yours failed, so it revived you, but hers was fine.” Elizabeth started filing her nails. “So, they left her in it, some genius deciding that it would be impossible for her to adapt to our culture.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, I know it’s stupid, but what can you expect from Normals? The telepath league took her when they heard about her and, wa-la, she’s here now.” Elizabeth almost started filing her robotic fingers. “We’re still working on what she’s saying, but we do know one thing for sure; she’s your older sister…though all that time in Cryo has switched things up.” Ruby smiled.

“I…I have an older sister…” She turned back to Yu’an, looking at her in a new light. “Hi, big sister.”

“So, is she worth your child, or will we have to wait until she’s of age and start over?” Tears started welling up in Ruby’s eyes as she looked down at Yu’an in her arms. She could feel her trembling in her arms, crying tears of joy that she was finally close to one of her own kind and a friendly face, not knowing why she trusted Ruby instantly.

“Damn you…” Ruby said to her. “God damn you all for forcing me to make this choose…”