Chapter 11
The next day the list of former air force people was reviewed and decisions were made on who to approach. As they were doing this, the rest of their preparations were already in full swing, though the preparations would take some time to finish. The Bundar had to be divided over the country, together with Pam's troops, and the old soldiers had to be approached without anyone finding out what was happening.
But as the coming weeks were going to prove, Joanne and Pam had rightfully predicted how the Council would react. They had started a massive search for the Bundar, but when the Bundar couldn't be found fast enough, the Council was forced to have the troops concentrate again on keeping their eyes on cities and rural areas. They figured that they would find the Bundar soon enough when they started to enslave people and didn't have to pretend to be the good guys anymore. At that time, those that knew where the Bundar were would be flushed out fast enough.
Then the former soldiers started to disappear, and for a moment the Council had thought that all of it, getting the Bundar and now the former soldiers, was all the work of the Resistance who were building up an army. Plans for finding the Resistance were starting to be made, but then the bodies started to turn up.
Initially the Council had been suspicious of that and they had sent out people to see if there were truly bodies in those caskets that were being buried. After all, putting an empty casket under the ground was easy, but it was not like people just had spare bodies lying around. But no, there had been bodies, and the inspectors had been faced with a wave of hostility from grieving family members that didn't take too kindly to someone demanding that a casket should be opened. Some of them had even started to speculate openly that it had been the black troops that had killed their loved ones.
Obviously the Council couldn't afford that kind of thinking to become the norm... not yet at least. So once the reports had come in of there now having been two hundred investigations, and two hundred bodies found, the Council had called off the intrusive inspections and instead turned things into the inspectors going to the funerals to pay the utmost respect of course... and just by the way checking if there actually was a funeral being held.
When it turned out that the funerals continued, the Council decided to ignore the disappearances. They figured, just as predicted, that the former soldiers were being killed by the Resistance to make sure that the former soldiers couldn't be used to hunt down the Resistance.
The Council actually found it rather amusing how stupid the Resistance was. They had a feeling that the Resistance had been involved in the Bundar escape; it was way too organized and too well timed to be done from the inside, and on top of that, have the escapes just happen to be at the same time. No, the Resistance must have helped. So instead of doing the smart thing and getting the help of the former soldiers, the Resistance was actually killing them while they were hiding those stupid Bundar beasts whose sole plus side was that they were stronger than humans. It had showed them, again, that the Resistance were just a bunch of amateurs, not even knowing that strength was only a small part of being a soldier. A bullet was just as deadly, no matter how strong one was.
The council had known that when the time came to make Earth theirs, the former soldiers were going to be a problem. A problem they would have to take care of before that time. And now they didn't need to; the Resistance was kind enough to take care of the problem for them. Eric would never have thought that the day would come that he would be glad that he had indulged Joanne Rock's pet project of trying to manage the Resistance instead of just destroying it.
Of course, he had no way of knowing just how much managing of the Resistance Joanne was doing at that moment. As far as Eric and the rest of the Council knew, Joanne, Terry, and Pam were dead; killed by that same Resistance. Eric had found it a real shame when he had heard that they had found their burned bodies. He had been so looking forward to being the one to kill them. Oh well, one couldn't have it all.
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"I have a bone to pick with you," Joanne said as she entered Max's office, and even before he could say hi.
"Um, whatever it is; it wasn't me."
"Oh yes it was. Tell me, are you planning on letting Pam sleep at our place again anytime soon? You know, the place where she's supposed to be living?"
"Nope, I'm not letting her go anymore," Max grinned.
Joanne grinned as well before sighing and admitting, "Terry misses her like crazy. I miss her too, but it's actually hard on Terry. But, I guess, we can't have it all. At least Pam is happy now."
Max slowly let out a breath before saying, "Actually, I'm glad you told me that because now what I'm going to tell you next won't sound so insane. I know Pam and I have been lovers for only two weeks, but we were spending at least four hours together every day for months before that."
"I know, so why would I think that sounds insane?" Joanne wondered.
"That's not the insane part. The insane part is that Pam and I already had the moving in together talk. I learned my lesson well, and I don't intend to hold her off anymore with dating and all that crap. We know each other; we know what we have in each other. But there's a problem."
"Go on," Joanne merely said, intrigued.
"You mentioned that you two were missing Pam, well the feeling is mutual. Sometimes at night she's practically itching to go over to you, but at the same time doesn't want to leave me. I know I could come along during the visits, but that also wouldn't solve the problem because it would still only be visits instead of Pam actually living with you."
"And the moral of this story?" Joanne wondered.
"The moral of this story is that I think I've found a compromise, and I wanted to ask you how you and Terry would feel about us four living together."
Joanne's eyebrows merely lifted.
"I know that I'm not as close to you as Pam is, but I like to think that we're good friends that can get along. I was thinking of using that hut we now use for when we have people visiting, and start using the hut you're living in as visiting quarters again; after all, that's what it was before you stayed and started to live there."
"Ah, now I see the compromise part," Joanne said in understanding. "Just like the hut Terry and I are living in now, and Pam technically also still lives in, that building has one main living room, one kitchen, one large bathroom with shower and bath. But more importantly, unlike our hut, the upstairs is clearly divided into two bedrooms with both having a small room with a toilet and wash table. And both rooms have their own door that opens up onto the landing where the stairs go down."
"For most of the house we could be together, but the bedrooms would be undisputed private domain," Max suggested. "It's... Look, I love Pam. I'm glad that I have friends that managed to make me see that before it was too late. Pam also loves me, but I know I'm not the only one she loves. Pam is crazy about Terry and you. We don't know what kind of situations we'll face in the future, but for right now I think the solution is very easy. You three already lived together for months, I don't see why Pam should have to choose between you two and me. I like you all and we already spend a lot of time together, spending a little more time together sure won't be a hardship for me. But I wanted to run the idea by you first because I have a feeling that Pam will jump at it, but I wanted to be sure it's alright with Terry, and especially with you. As much as I like you both, I also don't want to push myself upon you."
"Let me run it by Terry, but I think you got a winning idea there. I like it, and I'm sure Terry will as well. But, um..."
Joanne hesitated for a moment, and Max was amused to see the blonde blush a little. "There's one thing I would like to cover from the beginning."
"Sure."
"See, the thing is, Pam is very courteous about pretending that she doesn't hear Terry and me."
"You trying to tell me you're a screamer?" Max asked amused.
"No!" Joanne said in fake outrage. "Neither Terry nor I are screamers, thank you very much. But those buildings are made of wood, and since it hardly freezes in this part of the land they also didn't bother much with insulation inside the hut. The thick tree trunks the huts are made of are all the insulation needed to the outside, but on the inside... Sometimes a tiny sound penetrates through the floor, and if you and Pan would have the room directly beside ours instead of a floor down, a little more might be heard. Because let me tell you, if we're living in one hut I'm not about to try and keep as quiet as possible every time. Can't take that, then it's a no-deal."
"Tell you what, I'll be just as courteous as Pam, if you and Terry return the favor."
"What? Are you a screamer?" Joanne asked, deliberately mimicking Max's words.
"No, but Pam is," Max said with a wink. Seeing Joanne's eyes getting bigger, Max grinned. "Got ya. Actually, I think you have the right idea. Pam and I like to make love; not try to break the sound barrier. So we should be alright, but I also don't want to have to worry about whether I'm quiet enough."
"I think, we got a deal. Now let's see what our partners say about our scheming behind their back when they return and we'll see. Actually, that makes me wonder. If all goes perfectly according to plan, there will soon no longer be a Resistance because we took care of what we're resisting against. Yet you talk like you're going to live here for a long time yet."
"I am," Max agreed. "As you know, the Resistance owns this resort; it's actually in my name. I love it here and I don't see why I should leave just because we took care of our problem. Town is 45 minutes away, far enough not to have to worry about it, and yet close enough that you can 'hop' over to town if you need something. I like that. So when this is over I plan on staying right here."
"What if Pam wants to be somewhere else though?" Joanne couldn't help but wonder.
"Then we go to that somewhere else, and I'll keep this place as a vacation home. I'm sure that Pam would like such a compromise; we go where she needs to be, but then take a couple of vacations every year here. You know it really doesn't matter to me; it's not like I have to work for a living. Sometimes it's very convenient to have a trust fund that pays me 5 grand a month for the rest of my life. Enough to live from without needing a paying job, but not enough to turn me into a rich snob because I don't have enough money for that. Hell, I don't even have enough money to buy me a sports car."
"True enough," Joanne agreed. "Sometimes I wonder what I'm going to do, you know? Will I go back to my old job? As much as I liked it, it seems a little... unsatisfying compared to what I've been doing. First thinking I'm saving the world, and guess what I'm doing now?"
"Saving the world. How cool is that?"
"How cool indeed. But, let's see about getting rid of this problem before starting to talk about what to do next."
"Right," Max agreed. "So, was there a reason why you came here, or was it just to tell me to not hog all of Pam's time?"
Joanne grinned at the question. "Actually, I just came to see how things are going. Bugging you about taking up all of Pam's time was just an extra bonus."
"Ah, well then, things are going really well. You know what history will tell what our biggest asset was... assuming we win of course? I'll tell you; the complacency of the council. For god knows how long they've been hammering it into the 'short living' that the leaders are right, that the leaders are smarter, that the leaders are better. They've done it so much that the leaders, and the Council started to believe their own message. Just because they managed to fool Earth into thinking that they're the good guys, they think that we're all stupid and not able to come up with a plan to work against such extraordinary beings as them."
"Conveniently forgetting that it was actually an Earth human that made it possible for them to take over while playing the nice guy," Joanne added. "Frankly, before I became the middle guy, um, woman, they were messing up the job. You know how they were scaring everyone back then. It was me who knew which subjects could be pushed, and on which subjects to give a pat on the head and say 'don't worry, we will take care of it'. And about taking care of it; how are things going with approaching those pilots?"
"Couldn't go better," Max assured as he moved some papers aside to uncover a list he handed to Joanne. "Every single one of them joined. It's quite a strong motivator to actually be allowed to do that which you joined the air force for; to protect your country. We have enough people to man, and maintain, the planes. And on top of that also enough to man the heavy weapons we need... once we have them of course. I tell you, we can be glad that the Council doesn't check everything or else they might have noticed a surprisingly low number of natural deaths in the areas where there was a high concentration of pilots."
Joanne nodded. "Yeah, they checked the pilots funerals, still snooping around from time to time. But they don't give a shit about some farmer ten miles away that's being buried because he fell off a silo and broke his neck. Lots of empty coffins being buried these days, just that it's not at soldier's funerals. Once the Council's curiosity was satisfied by their operatives seeing the bodies we got from those morgues, they even stopped scanning the graves afterwards to see if there's a body in the coffin. We could even risk putting empty coffins under the ground with the soldiers as well."
Max shook his head. "We can, but we won't. It only takes one random test, only one of those black troop people to think that a coffin could be picked up by the bearers with surprising ease. No, we better stick with the original idea."
Seeing Joanne open her mouth, Max grinned and stopped her. "Don't worry, Terry already read me the riot act about being absolutely sure that we have all the information right. Once this is over those people will be dug up and buried in their proper grave; honors and all."
"Hmm, by the way," Joanne suddenly said, "I was going to mention this at the meeting later, but no reason why I can't tell you now already. My contacts told me that the Council finally announced that the A1 has died and that a new A1 has been selected."
"Really? And what did the former A1 die of?" Max asked amused. "I mean, when I'm going to tell Pam tonight that she's dead, again, it might be convenient if I could tell her how she died."
"Ah, well, you can inform her that she died a quick and painless death. The helicopter she was traveling in crashed; there were no survivors."
"I still find it interesting that you manage to have contacts in those ships while Pam, as the former A1 doesn't," Max pointed out.
"Well, you got to keep in mind, the black troops are not well liked," Joanne reasoned. "The people on those ships don't know the Pam we know; they would never trust her. I on the other hand, have shown from the beginning that I want nothing but the best. The fact that they now know that the Council lied just as much to me as to them makes it easy for them to trust me. After all, they're thinking the same thing; that the Council has to be stopped. You said that you'll tell Pam tonight that she's died, the poor woman, so are they on their way back?"
"Yep. I got the message about ten minutes before you showed up. Pam said that her inspection had gone well, and that Terry's negotiation had paid out. Pam said that she now truly feels that we're no longer Earth humans, off-worlders, or Bundar; we are one army ready to make a stand. While I'm glad to hear that, why she had to take a two day trip to figure that out is beyond me."
"She had to do the trip because Terry really had to do the trip, I think," Joanne said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?"
Joanne played with the list for a moment before placing it back on the desk. Then she finally looked at Max and asked, "Didn't you notice that whenever Terry has to leave this resort, Pam always finds a reason to just happen to have to go along? I think that Pam has come to see herself as a protector of sorts for Terry."
"You think?" Max asked. Now that Joanne had pointed it out he had to agree that Pam did indeed 'happen' to have to go on trips with Terry every time. Even if it was only a trip to town.
"Yeah, I think. But to tell you the truth, I'm glad. First of all she has a good friend with her when I have to be somewhere else; Terry hates being alone. Second of all..."
Joanne hesitated for a moment as she looked at Max, but then decided to brave ahead. "Second of all, just like me, Terry has never killed. And with that 'feeling the emotions of people' thing that she's developing, I don't think that she could even if she needs to. I'm glad to have someone at her side that would be able to do it if needed without thinking twice about it. It's kinda funny if you think about it. Back when we were on the run to join the Resistance and Pam had to kill her sister, I was afraid that because Pam can kill so easily she might turn into the Resistance's assassin. That luckily didn't happen, but still. Where I once was worried that the killing was a little too easy for her, now I thank god that it's so easy for her."
"Easy, but doesn't like doing it," Max said. "Talk about funny, isn't it funny how the ease with which she can kill freaked me out not too long ago, and now she's my lover and I'm alright with it because of that little sentence; 'she doesn't like doing it'."
Joanne nodded her head thoughtfully. "We believe what we want to believe. Fact is, Pam's a person anyone would be right to fear. Fact is, Pam's one of the sweetest persons I know. I much rather like her than fear her."
Then she grinned. "Did you ever hear the story about the little girl that was always bullied around?"
"Huh?" Was Max's very verbose answer.
"I read this story once when I was a kid, and I never forgot it. It was about this girl that was always bullied by the other kids in the little town. She was scared of them, but there was one thing in town that even the bullies feared. There was this huge wild dog; part wolf. People had often tried to kill the dog, but never managed. They tried to poison the dog, but the dog would just eat the food without the poison having any effect. Even after it had been shot the dog always came back.
Soon it was rumored that the dog was really the spirit of an old Indian shaman that had once been killed by early settlers. Whatever it was, the dog was a mean animal; having attacked and bitten several of the town people and growling and barring its teeth at any that dared to come to close to it, which eventually resulted in people actually walking down another street to get to where they were going if they saw the dog on the street they were walking along.
Then one day the girl was running away from the bullies and hid in some bushes at the town edge. Suddenly she was face to snout with the dog. She was scared and wanted to run, but she knew that the bullies were still looking for her. She stayed there, looking at the teeth of the snarling dog, teeth that looked to be a foot long to the scared girl. The dog growled, and in a reaction she had never expected from herself, the girl growled back. The dog was confused by this and there, in that moment of confusion, the girl reached out and scratched him behind his ear. That was the magical moment. The dog realized that apparently there was at least one nice human, and the girl realized that there could be something good in something that seemed evil.
From that day the dog and the girl were inseparable. The dog went home with the girl where the parents were amazed to see that their daughter had apparently managed to tame the most fearsome beast they had ever seen. Getting to see the dog for his nice side, they permitted the girl to keep him. The dog also went to school with the girl, where nobody dared to come close to the dog to try and remove him from the classroom. The dog had become the girl's undisputed protector and from that day on nobody dared to bother her again.
As the girl grew older she started a family and grew to be the most successful business person around, but never forgetting her humble roots, and never ever lessening for even a moment in her friendship with the dog that was at her side until the day she died of old age."
"Until she died?" Max asked amused. "What, the dog lived to be as old as a human that died of old age? A dog that can get to be 15 years at most?"
"Max, it's a damn children's story, alright? Of course he somehow manages to live to be 80 years old. In fact, he mysteriously disappeared mere moments after she died, if you want to know. But that's not what reminds me of Pam. It's the other part. The fearsome creature that everyone is right to fear."
"Everyone except for the person that gives it a chance and discovers the creature for the sweet thing it really is, and finds a protector in the process," Max said in understanding.
"Partially," Joanne agreed. "We, including you as her lover, have found the sweet creature that would be willing to give her life for us. But for some reason it's Terry that found herself that protector. Now, I don't want to pretend that I can see the future, and who knows how this whole saving the world thing will turn out. But I get the distinct feeling that those two will be an undividable part of each other's life for, well, the rest of their life, and we two will be the ones that will have to adapt to that."
Max shrugged. "If so, then so be it. I don't mind. I'll just insist on getting those vacations here that I mentioned, for the rest..." Again a shrug.
"It will sure make my choice easier as well," Joanne said thoughtfully. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do know that I'll be staying with Terry. So, I'll simply have to find something to do that mixes with whatever she does."
"Well, before we get there, we first have to take care of one little detail, and talking about that... if all goes as planned we should be ready in a week."
"We have to be," Joanne agreed. "My sources tell me that 'something' is being planned to happen in two weeks. My guess is that the Council will either try and hunt down the Resistance, or try once again to find the Bundar. Either way, the fact alone that they've been planning this for weeks indicates that it's a well organized action, and not just some knee-jerk search action. We better act before they do."
"We will, in one week," Max assured. "Talking about those contacts of yours; shouldn't we try and get them off the ships somehow?"
Joanne sighed. "We can't. If we get them off the ships we would have to find a way to get their families off as well. We'll never manage that. The Bundar disappearing, the Council might not care about. The Resistance 'killing' former soldiers, the Council might not care about. But if people start disappearing off the ships the Council would take countermeasures we sure don't want to see. In that way we were lucky. Neither Terry nor Pam had any family on those ships that could be used against them. No, those contacts will stay where they are and do their thing until they're sure that the Council is no longer in control. This way the Council doesn't know that there actually are contacts to begin with."
"Pam had a sister," Max reminded.
"And that sister sacrificed herself so that Pam could be free," Joanne reminded in turn.
"Have you ever heard Pam talk to her sister?" Max wondered.
"Sure, when we were at my house. She,"
"No, I don't mean that," Max interrupted. "I mean now. The night before she and Terry left, I heard her talk to her sister. She said 'I'm getting there sis. I'm almost happy enough for the both of us'. Not so long ago that would have freaked me out, now I'm glad to know that despite the fact that Pam could... kill... her, Pam sure hasn't forgotten or stopped caring about her."
"Yeah, that's one of the things with them. They don't believe in God, the Devil, heaven, hell, or any of that. But they have an outlook on life that's totally different than ours. Since they don't believe in any afterlife, they think that when someone dies, the energy of that person leaves the body and seeks out their loved ones to settle in their hearts as good thoughts. Pam promised that she would try and be happy for the both of them, so just for reference, if in the future Pam talks to her sister; see it as a good thing. It means that she's damn happy at that moment. Happy enough to share some of that happiness with her sister."
Max nodded his head a little in understanding. "Hmm, I'll keep it in mind, but to come back to the subject we were discussing. I'm surprised that the Council thinks that there are no informants. Surely even they can't be that stupid."
Joanne waggled a hand back and forth a little. "Well, the Council thinks that there are people on the ships that feel sympathy to the people on Earth and wouldn't mind living here for good. But, see, the thing is... First, the Council thinks that these people don't know the real plan yet, just like the Earth humans still don't know. Besides that, the Council thinks that their system of classes ensures that when the time comes, all of the off-worlders will take the orders of the Council, like it or not. They do have the advantage there of having done this before. They know that if they bring their plan in the right way at the right time their population will want to fight because they want to become the ruling class here on this world."
"It would be tempting," Max had to agree. "If you tell people 'you can just live on the planet', or you tell them, 'you can rule it and have others do all the work to have you live in total luxury and on top of that you can have as many personal slaves as you want'."
"My thoughts exactly," Joanne affirmed. "Especially after they've been living on those ships. If you compare the numbers to the population of Earth, that would mean that even the lowest ranking one of them would get a piece of land so big that it would make a Texas cattle rancher drool, and on top of that tens of thousands of workers. Now, all in all the Council is simply too over confident, but I think that a lot also has to do with the fact that they really are making one big mistake; they think that the Resistance is just a bunch of amateur fanatics that like to kill before asking questions. They don't mind that because, frankly, they don't care who's killed as long as it doesn't mess up their plan. They don't realize that we're more about having the right people in the right places instead of having masses of people ready to go."
Joanne smirked before adding, "Well, that part kinda changed when the Bundar joined. Now we have millions of fighters, and on top of that the right people in the right places. The Council has no idea just how many people we've contacted on the ships. The Council thinks that because their black troops are so feared, nobody dares to talk. But the fact that the black troops only wear those black uniforms lets the lower classes know that it might be safe to talk a little to someone that isn't wearing a black uniform. Oh, they won't go talking about an uprising or something like that. But when our contacts approached them individually, all of them were willing enough to talk just enough to say that if something were to happen on the ships, they're willing to sit back and do nothing."
"Which means also not helping us," Max pointed out.
"Well, I would call not having to face millions of workers helping us." Joanne noted. "Just because they don't fight on our side, doesn't mean that they aren't helping."
"I know," Max had to agree. "But still, if they would do something inside those ships to keep the black troops busy it sure would be nice."
"Max, the fact that they're willing to agree to a person, that if something happens on the ships that they would do nothing, is a whole lot different than admitting that they're willing to fight against the Council and their faithful. If the first thing is found out, the worst thing that will happen is that the black troops will mark them as people they'll force into fighting the Earth troops first. If the fact that they're willing to help us by doing 'something' on the ship is found out... they'll be dead within minutes."
Max nodded. "Point taken."
"Hell," Joanne continued, making it clear that even though she understood the 'why' of people, she didn't really like it either. "Most of them only talked to one of our contacts one on one. Most don't know if, and how many, other people are willing to do nothing as well. They don't know if their neighbor will fight us, or will sit back as well. Besides, even if we were able to organize something on those ships, you have to remember that the Council and especially the queen are in control them; literally. Even if we were able to manage a full scale revolution, all the Council would have to do is shut down the distribution points, known as elevators to us, and everyone would be stuck not only on one floor, but even in separate sectors because those distribution points also connect the sectors on the same floor."
"And then the black troops could take out the problem areas one at a time," Max had to agree. "And talking about controlling the ships, we shouldn't forget that just because those ships are on the planet, they can still cut off the air supply into sectors of the ship; taking care of a problem simply by suffocating a whole sector of people. You're right; them sitting back and doing nothing is indeed the best help they can give us."
"Right, but the good part is that almost all workers agreed to do that. That's a lot of people we don't have to worry about."
"So it's all down to us," Max said.
"Yep. But luckily the way things look now we should be able to take control. The worst case being that we'll be in the same situation Ben's people were in back then; having total control of the planet, but not being able to get into the off-worlders' ships."
"Oh, ships," Max suddenly said. "That's the only thing I still can't figure out, and from what I read and heard from you, none of your contacts has a clue either. Those scout ships that simply don't work. It's been months now; even before Pam, Terry, and you, made it out of there. By now those ships should have long since repaired themselves, yet they don't budge."
Joanne nodded her agreement. "Even more than that. As I told you when the information reached me, now even the escape pods no longer work, but why not?"
"Pam told me a theory that the scout ships don't work because something in the atmosphere had affected them," Max reminded.
Joanne leaned forward, placing an elbow on the table and resting her head on her hand. "Alright, let's go with that, ignoring for the moment that by now they should long since work again. The escape pods, with the exception of the one we used to escape, were never used in Earth's atmosphere. The pod we used managed to at least fly all the way to my home, so those other pods should at least be able to fly for some time; but nothing at all. I don't get it."
"True," Max agreed. "You know what I also don't get? The inconsistency. As you said yourself, on the ships the Sentient Metal repairs itself as long as it's not totally destroyed to the point that the connections between the sensors and the heating/cooling elements in the metal are destroyed, which is a hard thing to do. But, for some reason those ships' engines don't repair themselves. Yet at the same time the off-worlders can't find any clear and visible defects, so any damage should be small and easily repaired by the automatically repairing Sentient Metal. But while the engines don't repair, other things made of Sentient Metal do keep repairing themselves."
Joanne grinned. "I was thinking the same not long ago. So, now let me ask you the million dollar question. Why are the ship's engines the only place where Sentient Metal that's been repairing itself for millennia, suddenly isn't repairing itself anymore, even though it never sustained any obvious damage to begin with."
Max thought about that for a moment before finally saying, "Your guess is as good as mine."
Then he grinned as well. "But I'm willing to bet you that the Council is cursing themselves right now for destroying all of the Bundar's ships back then."
Joanne laughed. "Yeah, now I know their real plan I can guess why they did it. They didn't want to have space ships that they didn't fully control, that could be controlled by others if they were able to take them I mean."
"And now they're stuck with using Earth built stuff, and Pam told us just how much the Council hates using that 'antiquated material'," Max reminded. "I find that superior complex that the leaders install in themselves so interesting. Just because their ancestors managed to find advanced ships, everything below that standard is considered antiquated. Sure their stuff might be better, but that doesn't mean that they can also make better. Like those scout ships now prove. If they lose one ship; it's lost. But we with our antiquated stuff, if we lose a plane... we build a new one. Which one is better?"
"I think that this is part of their problem," Joanne agreed. "Because they have that advanced stuff they never had to fight a real battle; they were always so much more powerful that they could just waltz right over anything. That is until they ran into the Bundar. As soon as they had some real competition their only way out was to escape. Here on Earth too. Sure, if their stuff would work not a single army on this world would have had a chance against them, but if we had happened to be more advanced than we were, simply because of evolution being further along... Let's say that we would have ships that are equal to theirs, and that we would be able to replace destroyed ships because we know how they're built. Just because of that fact, the Council wouldn't have a chance. They feel so superior, but the only reason why they're superior is because they never ran into a bully bigger than them; which can only be a matter of time. But for us, now, because of them feeling so superior, they think 'we are superior and nobody can stop us'. While we say, 'alright, so you are superior, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to kick your ass nevertheless'."
"So true," Max agreed. "Well, as interesting as this is, I have a meeting to go to. What to tag along?"
Joanne grinned. "That depends; what's the meeting?"
But as Max took a breath to answer she waved him off. "Sure, why not? I don't have anything planned at the moment anyway."
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"Almost home," Pam said with a happy sigh. "One more hour. Damn, can you imagine that? Someplace with huts in the woods is more 'home' to me than those ships ever were."
Terry looked at Pam with a smile before looking back on the road. She waited until she had made the turn that they had slowed down for before deciding that it was time to bite the bullet. "You know, you could have been home; you didn't have to come with me."
"I know, but I have to make my inspections anyway; might as well go to the same places you do. That way we both have someone to talk to."
"That sounds very logical, if it wasn't for the small fact that if you really thought that those people needed inspections, you would never have okayed them as having completed the training. The fact that they completed your training means that you trust them enough for you not to have to inspect them. On top of that, just what exactly are you inspecting those other times you come with me? What were you inspecting in town last week? The ripeness of the watermelons?"
"Very funny," Pam grinned when she realized that this last had only been a joke.
Terry grinned as well. "I thought so." Then she became serious again. "But the fact remains, you're taking a chance every time. You, Joanne, and I are supposed to be dead. Joanne and I don't have to worry because there are very few that know who we were, and even on the small chance that we are recognized, Joanne and I don't run any risk because those people will think nothing of seeing us. The Council never made it known that we are considered enemies; they think that we're dead."
"And how is this different for me?" Pam wondered. "Alright, so every black troop member will recognize me, and most of the other off-worlders as well, but, so what? Just like the Council never made your 'death' known, so did they never make my death known, which was proven by the fact that we used this very fact to enter the Bundar camp. All of the off-worlders still think that I'm the A1, and if anyone sees me and recognizes me, you know what they'll do? Hope that I don't see them and sigh in relief as I walk past without focusing on them."
"I guess you got a point, but I... Hey, wait a minute; you're dodging the subject. Level with me, Pam. Why are you always coming along? Even on the smallest of trips. As soon as I leave the camp, you're at my side. Did Joanne ask you to do that?"
"What? No. I just, thought you would like the company, that's all."
"And as much as I appreciate the company, that still doesn't explain why you preferred to come with me on this trip instead of staying at home so that you could have spent your time with Max. Come on, Pam. I mean it; honest and fair answer. Please don't let me start wondering what your ulterior motives are."
"If I tell you, you'll think I've gone insane," Pam said reluctantly.
"Try me."
"Well, it's... you see, I care a lot about you. I love you, and I want to be sure that you're alright."
Pam cringed at her own words. "Um, don't get that wrong, I love you as in 'I love you,' not as in 'I'm in love with you.' Actually, come to think of it; that proves that it has to be something else. Max, now him I love in an 'I'm in love with you' kind of way. I can't wait to see him again, to be with him, to talk to him, to, well, all of that stuff you always talk about when talking about meeting Joanne again. When I'm away from him, I miss him. But the thing is, when I'm away from you I don't just miss you; I worry."
Pam put her hand over her heart. "There is something, in here, that just tells me that I have to be with you. That I have to make sure that you're alright. Max and Jo I miss like crazy. Ben I miss too. But you... I worry so much about you that I can't sleep if you're gone and I'm not with you."
Pam was quiet for a second before admitting, "You know, I already had that feeling when we were still on the ship. That's actually the main reason why I was so hard on you back then. I was pissed about the fact that I felt like I needed to protect you. So I pushed you. I did everything in my power that didn't involve actually physically hurting you to make sure that you would stay well away from me. I wanted to be the A1, I didn't need feelings for anyone."
"Feelings for anyone?" Terry repeated, "That almost sounds like,"
"I thought so for some time," Pam admitted. "For a while, even before we reached this planet, I thought that I was falling in love with you, and that this was the reason for my feeling that I have to protect you. But I know now, and even then after thinking about it for some time, that this isn't the real answer. Ever since I started to fall for Max, and especially now that we're lovers, I know what it feels like to be 'in' love, and Terry, as much as I love you, the love I feel for you doesn't even come close to the love I feel for Max."
"And that's the confusing part, isn't it?" Terry asked in understanding. "You know that you love me as a friend, but you love Max as a lover; all the way. So in cold, hard, logic you should feel like protecting him. But you don't. Oh, sure, you want him to be alright, but you don't feel like you need to protect him personally."
"Right."
"Well, I thank you for the honest answer, even though I don't have any more of a clue as to why this is. But since we're making something of a confession here, I guess now it's my turn. For me, I can only talk of after we left the ship. Before that time I didn't really know you at first, and then you pushed me into hating you. But ever since we left, and you allowed me to see your other side, you have a... settling effect on me, for lack of better word. Maybe that protecting me stuff is rubbing off, because I sure feel protected with you around. I mean, think about it, who was the one that suggested that you continue to stay with us in that hut? It was me. You merely jumped at the chance, while Jo also liked it because she likes you as a friend, and you're smart enough to understand that Jo and I sometimes need some time for us. When we have that do not disturb sign up; you don't. For as long as we have that up, you don't complain about having to stay downstairs. Hell, a month ago we even managed to not let you into the bedroom where your bed is as well, for three nights straight and you didn't say a word about it. Jo likes that. By knowing that we can have our private time when we really need it, she likes having you around when we don't need that private time."
Now it was Terry's time to cringe. "I hope that makes sense in some way."
Pam laughed. "Surprisingly enough, it does. When you know that you can have your private time whenever you need it, you don't mind sharing the rest of your time because you know you don't need to use the opportunity for privacy, because you can have that at any time you want. Well, either way, I'm glad that I'm not the only one that feels this... connection between us."
"But, um, now that you're spending the nights with Max, don't you miss being around Joanne and me?" Terry wondered.
"I do," Pam immediately admitted. "But, in the camp I see you two in the evening and then again in the morning, and I also know that you're safe." Pam shrugged. "It's alright."
"It's not," Terry disagreed. "I miss you. I like having you around, and I don't think that this will change any time soon. I don't think that I'll get used to you being around less. In fact, I don't want to get used to it. So, I was thinking."
"Should I get scared?"
Terry grinned. "Maybe. Now, do feel free to tell me this is a stupid idea if you don't like it, but... How would you feel about moving back in with Joanne and me, and bringing Max with you? Or better said, about us four moving to one of the huts that has two bedrooms. We could have the bedrooms be our private areas; you know for the 'us' time. That way you and Max can have 'us' time just as simply as Joanne and me. But the rest of the hut would be general domain; so to speak. That way we'll have more time together, and even if we are in our own bedrooms, we'll still only be a few feet apart."
"Oh, I like that idea." Pam grinned before asking, "But don't you worry about Max hearing you and Joanne? Maybe it'll be different for you than the fact that I can sometimes hear you."
Terry had to think for a moment what Pam meant, and when she finally realized she couldn't help but blush. "Crap, you just had to say that, didn't you?"
Then she grinned. "Actually, I don't have to worry about that. I'll just tell him that if he ever makes a comment about it... I'll just have you beat the crap out of him."
Pam grinned as well. "Deal."
"But don't you worry about us hearing you?" the Brunette asked.
"Terry, have you ever known me to have any shame?" Pam asked reasonably. "I couldn't care less if the entire camp can hear me, as long as it feels good. Besides, as much as I can beat Max up if he makes a stupid comment, I can sure beat you and Joanne up."
"Ooh, tough talk. You are so butch."
"Oh, not at all. Ask Max; he'll tell you that I'm all fem. I love being the sweet girl in bed."
"Being the sweet girl can be very boring," Terry pointed out with a wink.
"I'm not talking about the missionary position only kind of sweet girl. Max and I have a very fulfilling love life, and we do all the things we like. So you don't like being the sweet girl?"
"It can be fun," Terry admitted. "But personally I'm more for simply having fun. They have this saying here on this planet; 'good girls go to Heaven, but bad girls they go everywhere'. Joanne and I aren't only good, or bad, or naughty, or nice; we're all of the above. Sometimes we make sweet and tender love, sometimes we fuck like bunnies. Point is, we make love. Depending on the mood we make love differently, but the most important part is that it's always fun. So... to come back to the subject, are we going to ask them what they think about us four living together? I miss you, Pam. I miss your presence, and I also miss talks like this. Talks you don't have with your lover because they're about your lover. God, I really want someone around with whom I can talk about just how good Jo makes me feel."
"We will, as long as I can talk about how good Max makes me feel."
"Deal," Terry assured. "I don't mind hearing that; I think it's interesting to hear. Though, if you talk about things you and Max do and Joanne is with us during that talk, don't be surprised to see her pull faces at times."
"Why?" Pam asked surprised.
Terry thought for a moment on how to word the reason. "Well, you know how common same sex relationships are with us. It's normal. You like the person, and just what sex they have is secondary. But here... Joanne is what they would call here a 100 percent lesbian. Just the idea of being with a man makes her shudder."
"Then she's missing out," Pam merely said.
Terry grinned. "Well, considering that she's my lover, I'm sure as hell not going to suggest to her that she give men a try... or any other woman for that matter."
"I can see that, but still. There's just something about being filled by a man. I mean, I can understand, and fully condone, not being with a man if you have a female partner, but to never even try it because the idea of being filled like that seems wrong; it's just stupid."
Terry winked. "Ah, but I never said that the idea of being filled like that seems wrong to her. No, Jo sure likes that. It isn't the idea of being filled that seems wrong to her; it's the idea of it being a man that does the filling. Jo is more than happy to oblige me on those occasions where I want to be filled deeper than fingers can reach, and she sure gets into that mood herself from time to time."
"Ah, I get it; we're talking toys now."
"We are," Terry agreed as they pulled onto the side road that would lead to the back entrance of the camp. "But that's a whole conversation by itself. So how about we keep that for another time when the two of us can gossip some more... like the next time you come on a trip with me?"
"Oh, are you saying that the next time I don't have to come up with a silly excuse and instead can simply come along?"
"That's what I'm saying," Terry affirmed. "Even if Joanne and I are going into town or something. I don't think Joanne will mind; she never did until now. But I did notice that the stupid excuses did make her roll her eyes more than once. I think she'll be glad to no longer hear those excuses."
"Alright; deal. No more stupid excuses," Pam assured with a grin.
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Continued...