The next morning I came to find everyone settling in nicely. Becky dove in and created my social media accounts. Even mittens were in on the action by chasing around the kits and playing. I looked at Kim "I hope you don't find mittens offensive". She shook her head "no I'm not offended but I keep talking to her expecting an answer and all I get is a meow that sounds like a random word" she smiled.
"Does anyone have plans today?" I asked as an open question. Molly's hand went up "can we go somewhere". I thought for a sec " why not, Lisa could you round up the twins and Vickey find us a beach".
"I got one that is isolated in Indonesia that should work," Vickey replied as we all started to get ready. I asked Kim, "Do they need sunscreen?".
"From what I've read your atmosphere is like ours, just cleaner. I will keep an eye on them just in case". The twins met us at the flight deck and we took the biggest ship we had. It looked like the delta flyer from Star Trek Voyager. Vickey flew us to this island in the middle of dozens. Not another person within 100 KM in any direction.
The kits hit the sand and took off running and I used a replicator to make towels and parasols. My turn to take off running and dove into the water. I dove into a wave then down to the sand pushing off and surfacing. I could hear the family yelling to me so I looked and started walking to shore.
By the time I got out Lisa ,Kim and Gar were at the water's edge "aren't you afraid of the fish?" Kim asked me "no the fish leave you alone actually they run from you for the most part". they looked at each other "we have fish that will hunt you and kill you. They are responsible for many deaths" said Gar. "There is nothing here like that except for one Vicky scan for sharks".
"nothing" I heard In my head. "Vickey said none around".
With that everyone tried to get in the water and we were having fun till a kit got water in their ears.
I layed on the beach under an umbrella and enjoyed the heat and laughter around me. The kits are in high energy mode running in every direction stopping to grab a bite of food then off again. Lisa and Kim were with me while Gar was trying the surf.
Lisa gave me a nose lick "I needed this, thank you". I smiled "you can do this anytime you want. All you have to do is tell me where you want to go and I will make it happen. I just have to keep you safe from the locals" I giggled. "We will only have to hide for a bit longer then it will get fun".
We spend the next 4 hours doing nothing but enjoy the beach. The kits slowed down and looked tired so we decided to call it a day. I flew back and we started the lineup for the showers, it's a good thing we have plenty. Kim was extra clean from a long shower that involved 6 kits. I finished and sat on the sofa and watched the kits come out of the bathroom. Their hair is fine so it dries fast but mom used a towel so there were a few funky hairstyles. A good day was had by all and it showed. "Vickey is there anything I need to attend to".
"No there is nothing you are off for the evening". I smiled and hugged Lisa. One of the kits went running by then stopped dead, she found a grain of sand that missed inspection. "We need to do that more often," Kim said and we all agreed. I had a flash of 12 of them running around the beach and shook my head. Where did that come from?
We sat and snuggled and watched as the kits' springs wind down and they walked to me. One by one they came and picked a spot. "What is the ratio of boys to girls born in your species?" Kim smiled "it's about 80/20 for the girls and I know why you're asking". I smiled "I'm just thinking my species is about 50/50". She rolled her eyes at me "with your DNA added who knows how it will turn out". I laughed "you're not helping".
That's when mittens came over and joined the kits on my lap, I guess she wanted in on the action. "You officially wore them out, that's not easy to do" Gar said and added "I'm almost ready for bed as well" he laughed, nipping his wife on the neck. "Ok let's call it a night". I stretched and the kits and kitten repeated the action. I gathered my brood and Lisa grabbed a few including mittens.
I awoke to a tail in my face and it was mittens. How can a kitten occupy an entire pillow? I got up to relieve myself and found Sandy in my shower. "Yours had the best body jets". I heard over the water. It brought back memories of growing up in a house with one bathroom and 2 sisters. I went to the second washroom then back to bed. Arms enveloped me and I got a nose lick which I returned.
The kits woke up hungry and I could swear I could feel their hunger. Bottles and food acquired we settled on the sofa. "Vicky, is there anything I should be aware of?"
"I'm monitoring a few storms in Texas but that's about it."
I decided to bring myself up to speed "how fast are the FTL drives". She smiled a huge smile "we have 2 different kinds long range and short range. Long range can have you to Alpha Centauri in lest than a week and short range is for inside the system. Essentially the bigger the ship the faster the drives are".
"What about armaments?"
"I have 50 of what you would call a rail gun that launches projectiles at up to 80%the speed of light. We have 3 types of missiles on hand but we have plans for dozens more types. I can produce a fighter every 90 min and have room for 1000 of them. Why do you ask?"
"I didn't before because we were buried but we are in the open now".
"Fair point". I was just getting another coffee as B appeared "good morning sir I have something for you. You need a communication network for your needs so I tweaked it and made a global communication network. It will consist of 12 satellites to cover the planet and moon. The entire network will have a ping of 3 nanoseconds anywhere on the planet with insane bandwidth".
I smiled "how many users can it handle?". He smiled "I didn't want to scale it up later so at the moment it's 10 billion." Now that made me smile. "You will have to design some comms devices for people". He nodded at that. "Has A found anything interesting yet?" He appeared "there is life on Europa and that is not a seeded planet so that needs investigation. I've picked 12 spots in the Sol system that are prospects for bases". I thought wow 12 spots here alone. I looked at Vickey "any thoughts on your moon base?" She smiled "I like the idea of a kilometer high building but it's still in the works".
"Are you going to hide it during construction?". She nodded "yea keep the lookie loos out of it, It's just easier that way".I nodded.
"How about those storms" she looked away for a sec "there are a few funnel clouds but nothing near towns".
"Better get Sandy in here". I brought up the storms and in no time they entered "we may have a repeat of your town if your up for it" she looked at the screen "I'm up for it if your in my corner" I looked at her and smiled "always chickie"
"We can make more ships if you need them" she smiled "it all depends on if they have multiple hospitals, I suggest playing it by ear" I nodded. "I would suggest a meeting room on board the ship though"
"consider it done, just let B know what you need and he will make it happen" I got a quizzical look.
"who?"
"Oh crap sorry, B could you come here please. He appeared and smiled "Sandy this is B you can call him from any terminal or Vickie can get him for you. B designed most of the ships we use and a lot of other things. He can help you in probably anything you need in regards to the ships". They introduced themselves and started a conversation.
Becky came in wearing one of those housecoats. I just shook my head when I saw her "Becky you might be able to do your job sooner than later, we are tracking some nasty storms," She nodded "where are the twins?"
"they are working with C on something." I nodded.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
We all were talking when Vickey yelled out "we have a winner, medium town 30k population. And F4 just took out a swath through town affecting a large residential area and part of downtown". Sandy sat up "I guess we are up" and we all went to the office.
"Ok 2 med ships and 2 supply ships should do it for now but start on a 3rd supply ship as backup". I watched Sandy go into nurse mode and smiled. "What is the ETA of the ships to ground?". 23 minutes was her answer. I looked at her then Vickey "take the ship to an orbit above the town" she nodded at me. "ETA is now 10 min" Vickey smiled. My turn to ask "are the new scanning bots and fire suppression on board?" Another nodd "they will be deployed as we land".
I looked at Sandy "this is where I will back off and let you go for it. Just rely on your gut and training, it's just repetition, just new faces".
She smiled and took a deep breath "I will be down there as soon as I can to deal with the non medical stuff like the military striped shirts". She went off to get ready and Molly came to me "what do we do". I smiled "that's up to Sandy I'm stepping back and letting her shine".
We entered a geocentric orbit above Texas and released the med and supply ships. There was one hospital and that was her target.
Lisa came to me "why aren't you going down?" I smiled "I need to make sure Sandy is up to the task. I think she is more than capable and this will show it". I watched as drones moved the cars to make room for the ship then took off in different directions. She took a 50 bed model for this mission and within 15 minutes the power was back on. I resisted the urge to check in on her and let her be. I looked at Vicky "how many bots do we have on hand"
"there are 200 on the ground and I have a backup of 300 and growing". I smiled "good plan I think cleanup is going to be bad on this one".
As the drones fanned out I was getting a map being built on my desk. The town appeared in front of me showing the swath of destruction. I could see the bots start to fan out and head straight to the red dots that appeared over the injured or trapped. One by one they turned green as a bot took control and started rescue. I looked at Vicky "do we have anything in the files on stopping things like this from happening in the first place". She shook her head "a lot of papers but nothing concrete for earth".
I couldn't help myself and checked in on Sandy. She had all the department heads and they were listening to every word she said. That's when I knew I made the right choice and I relaxed inside a little. Becky caught a ride and was quite active with her phone and a floating camera I've never seen before.
Ok next "where are the twins?" Vickie looked at me "I let them use the office in Jaden's quarters". I made my way there finding them at the desk with C. "Hello there I was just touching base with everyone". They both smiled and Ryan started "we are working on a plan, come see". I looked at the table and saw a ship that had the door open with multiple cars inside. Emma looked at me "we saw a lot of people and families living in their cars and thought we would start there". Ryan added "it's easy actually everything they are trying to save is in one spot and mobile". C's turn "we can break down the vehicles after they take out what they want".
I smiled "this is a fantastic idea but you're missing one part". All eyebrows went up "you need a place to put all these people first". C smiled "I can have an area of the ship ready when you need it". Everyone smiled and I looked at the twins "get everything ready to go and we can run a test run. How are you doing with all of this?" They Both smiled and Emma said "you make it easy to help people so we are having fun".
Vicky appeared "you need to make an appearance". I made my way to my office. "What's going on" as the VR booted up. "The military is there I guess they were close by".
I opened the bots eyes and realized why does this bot have eyes not just a camera. "I gave you a face. You keep smiling like it means something in VR, now it does". I giggled out loud and looked around. I was in a conference room with a lot of people who were talking amongst themselves.
I spoke and made 3 jump "Hello there, how can I help you?" They all spoke at one so I raised my hand "one at a time please". A man in a hat and a lot of stripes started "we want to know who you represent" I looked at him "I represent myself I have no affiliation to anyone".
"Where did you get all this equipment?" he asked. "I made it myself on my spaceship" I shot back at him. "Is it all safe" came from a female voice. "All of the technology is perfectly safe I assure you. There are zero side effects from the beds".
"What gives you the right to do this" a male voice said. I glared at him and the look on his face let me know my facial expressions are coming through loud and clear. "The right to do what, help people when they need it. Give your head a shake man". He got interested in his coffee. "I am doing this because I can and nothing more. I do not expect payment in any kind, just possibly a thank you when I'm done. That's it".
Sandy entered the room "let me guess you all got the same answers from him right" a few people nodded. "Now will you let me do my job?" Nobody answered, "go do your thing, I will deal with this," she nodded and left. I looked at my desk mates "do you want me to leave or can I help these people". Nobody said anything "we are done here and stay out of my peoples way and be amazed of what I bring".
I caught up with Sandy for an update "the damage was strictly residential so we will need 2 buildings this time". I smiled at her "whatever you think you need go for it. One thing though, keep your eyes open for people we can poach". She giggled "I'm serious if you see someone you think is a fit grab them, we can work out the details later" she smiled and nodded "how are the new rescue bots?"
"They are awesome. All rescues were done within minutes of us being on the ground, It's the same with the fires."
That made me smile and I looked at her "how are you doing with all this". A deep breath "I get overwhelmed but just realize I'm having the time of my life" she smiled. "Good but I don't want you burned out either, take time for yourself". Another smile "I will".
"Well there is little for me do here so I will get out of your hair. Call when more stripes show up".
I was on my way to the conference room when I saw a woman crying so I went to her "are you alright". The woman was shocked by being addressed by a bot "no I'm sorry these are happy tears. Your bed just saved my mom and I guess it just all came out". I smiled "no need to apologize, tears like yours are welcome here". I made my way to my parking spot for my avatar and returned to my office. It was odd there was nobody there.
Kim looked at me when I entered "your bugs have done it again" she looked at the kits "go show papa your nails". All 6 came to me and bared their nails. They were clear and glistened in the light. I looked at kim "I'm sorry I don't know what I'm looking at?"
"They were metal last week, now they are diamond or something like it. Come see this".
She walked to the replicator and got a drinking glass. As if on cue the male walked over to it and traced his nail around the edge and it fell away. Kim looked at me "this is something completely new, none of the writings mentioned this"
"Can it hurt them" she shrugged "I would worry about who goes up against them" she giggled. Vicky appeared "sir your needed planetside". I waved at the kits and they waved back.
I opened my avatar's eyes to see Sandy arguing with a contractor. "The wires you used to supply power are too small to handle the load" he yelled. I took this as my cue "hello sir I think I can shed some light on this situation, let's go take a look and you can show me your concerns".
He jumped when I addressed him but composed himself as we made our way to the ramp and then to the back of the hospital. The wire leading from the ship to the transfer box was the size of a garden hose. The transfer box was the size of a backup generator and was tied into that system.
He pointed at the cable on the ground "this gauge of wire is too small to supply this facility". I smiled "that would be true if that was transferring electricity" I went to our transfer unit and he followed. I opened the side and showed him. "The cable provides plasma to this unit and this unit makes the power" I pointed to the large gauge wires that led out. "Those are plenty thick but I can make them bigger if you want". He shook his head "no I think I get it. How much power can that unit produce?" I smiled again "that unit can power this town with plenty to spare". He just blinked "um I'm sorry sir I was just doing what the city asked".
"Not at all you are just doing your job. Have you tried the beds?" I thought if I can get him in one he will go back singing praises about it. "No, I'm not injured," he replied. "Nonsense the beds are for everyone, we call it a tune up and it only takes a few min". By this time we were back on the ship and I was losing him so I enlisted help. Sandy has this way with people and she had him in the bed in 5 min and will be out in 24.
Sandy asked me about him "if the city sent this guy because they have doubts this should change their mind". We talked till he opened his eyes and just blinked "well that was a nice nap" he said. "Sit up" said Sandy. He did what was asked of him and he got a shocked look on his face. "There is no pain in my shoulder, it's been bugging me for months".
"It's repaired along with your knee" replied the bot. He looked at me wide eyed "who are you" I smiled "just a friend who cares". I turned around and saw Sandy talking to a nurse and doctor so I went to my cubby and noticed someone wrote BOSS in marker. I giggled as I sat.
Instantly the kits appeared in my vision attacking the holograms. Lisa was there with a nose lick and a coffee "how long have you been here" she smiled "about a min I just kind of know when you are about to be done, it's weird but I just go with it".
I was just us and the kits and they were hungry. I wanted pizza and thought what the hell so I made 2 large cheese and pepperoni. I hope Kim doesn't get mad at this but all kids need pizza. I made one just above room temp for the kits and put it in front of them. They sniffed and picked at them but changed their tune when they saw me pick up a slice. They were covered in sauce in no time. They ate their fill and before they slipped into their post meal coma we got them cleaned up. We went straight to bed and were out in no time.