EvO (Darverius, House of DaR #16)

Chapter 41

Chapter Forty-One

EVO

Walking hand in hand, we sneak out of the fuse center like two younglings hiding from their parental units. Several of the crew smile when we exit the room, but no one says a word.

“ Captain , I have captured the pod and have it in a holding area for further inspection.”

“ Show on screen, Destroyer .”

“ Qwin , do you have any idea what this is?”

“ No , and I thought I’d worked on all the pods at one time or another.”

“ Destroyer , contact the male human by the name of James and have him meet us there.”

“ Possibly , between the two of you this question will be easily solved.” I can’t stop smiling as we head down the hall.

“ What are you grinning about up there?”

Stopping just short of where we need to be. I reach down grasping her by the waist, swinging her around playfully my heart as full as her smile. Pulling her close, kissing her softly, she giggles when we hear someone cough behind us. Our lips separate when we see the older human male trying to look everywhere but directly at us.

“ Didn’t mean to interrupt, youngins.”

Qwin motions for me to let her down and I hesitate until she smacks my shoulder playfully. “ Sorry , James but my purple alien has a hard time keeping his hands to himself.”

“ Good for him, any guy worth his weight in salt knows that affection is the way to a girl’s heart. The big ship asked me to meet you here, what can I help you with?”

“ Before we go any further, James , how is your wife?”

“ Captain , she is recovering just fine. That nice doctor gave her a couple shots, and she has been running around like crazy ever since. I was concerned when we were forced to leave our home that she would fall into a depression I could not pull her out of. Instead , she has shocked me with this youthful energy she suddenly has. Last night, she took it upon herself to help with some of the youngsters who are having a hard time adjusting. Her smiles this morning eased some of my own doubts about what’s to come.”

“ I see that your translators have been inserted properly. Were there any who had medical issues that have not been visited?”

“ Not that I am aware of. That brightly colored guy was going room to room last I saw.”

“ Good to know, let’s proceed on then. I am curious as to what the Destroyer has found.” The door slides open, and we all walk into the containment room. The pod lying here is bulkier than the other ones.

“ Destroyer , have you scanned the pod?”

“ I have Captain , and as stated before, there is no organics on board. This pod seems to be a holding unit.”

“ Destroyer , clear the area of all gasses so that we can gain access.” Moments later, the partition slides out of the way and we all walk forward.

Qwin instantly heads towards the control panel located on the top. “ I have no idea what’s inside, but if you’re ready. The instructions to open it are rather simple.”

“ Go ahead.”

“ Step back, I’m not sure if the doors will unlock all at once or not.”

James and I move out the way while I watch her tiny fingers type in some sort of command. A hiss sounds in the room and the locks release. A few of the side doors seem to pop open on their own and James walks up hesitantly before kneeling down to look inside.

“ It’s full of books.” He pulls out a couple. “ These are on harvesting and how to grow crops. All the others are survival guides. He reaches up, flipping several of the other levers open and gasping. Looks like they didn’t leave us hanging after all.”

“ What ?” I ask as both of them start opening drawers and containers.

“ EvO , it’s full of seeds, dried foods, and survival gear. I wonder how many of these they sent out? These books need to be protected, they are the last thing we have written from our world and are now priceless.”

“ Oh , wow, come look here, kids.”

“ James no disrespect, but you do realize, I am more than likely older than you are?”

“ You have not even grown your whiskers in yet, you’re still a youngin. Look at this stash here, Qwin .”

“ Are those jewels?”

“ That’s what I believe I’m seeing. Bags of gold, silver, and jewels of every color and size.”

“ They were trying to find a way for us to purchase the things we were going to need. They knew money would be of no value, so they provided the only other thing we had of real value. All this time, I thought they sent us out with no provisions at all, but apparently I was wrong.”

James just keeps pulling items out of the many open doors. “ The pod we were recovered in was full of stuff. They brought the bags to our rooms thinking it was ours, but the moment Carla opened them she knew who they belonged to.”

“ Who ?”

“ The little girl who was with that big mean looking red guy. There were pictures and things inside the luggage, so Carla had them sent to her. I can remember her mentioning her parents were supposed to have been sent as well. It appears we were the ones put in their spot.”

“ Bless her heart, I’m sure Ember was happy to have some of their things even if going through them will be heartbreaking.”

“ I will have one of the Cargo bots unpack this pod and then get this shipment labeled correctly, so that it can be sent with you when we find a place for you to resettle.” The Destroyer dings in.

“ Captain , Commander DaR just commed and will be landing shortly. He asked for you to gather all the humans. He has news to share and doesn’t want to say it twice.”

“ Send out the notice and we will head towards the dock.”

“ If you don’t need me any longer, I will return to my wife, Captain .”

“ Thank you for coming, James . I am sure we will request your counsel more in the future.”

“ I will assist in any way I can.”

We all walk out of the containment area separating at the fork. James heading one way while we go another. Father’s personal shuttle has just landed as we get there. The ramp lowers and I hear Qwin gasp at her first sight of him. Letting go of her hand; my legs carry me quickly forward. Instead of Father grasping me in a warrior’s handshake he grabs me close, hugging me tightly.

“ Frack , Son it’s been ages since I have seen that welcoming smile. Your brothers were happy to hear you are back in range. It won’t be long until your comm unit will be blowing up with messages from all of them. Where is LeX and ViN ?”

“ I’m not sure, but I am confident that the Destroyer informed them of your arrival.” Of course, she answers immediately.

“ ViN is on his way, Captain .”

Father’s eyes glance around not missing a thing. “ Who is this little beauty standing quietly behind you?”

“ Father , I would like to introduce my mate, … Qwin .”

“ Welcome to the family, little one. My Kira will be happy to have another of her kind in our ever-growing family. You will meet her soon, as she awaits you all on ANDI .”

I watch as Father takes her hand in his, turning her wrist around in his hand. Qwin stares up at him in a daze as he towers over her small frame. “ As soon as we dock with ANDI . She needs to be marked EvO , for her own security.”

“ Marked ?”

Seems like that word finally broke her silence.

“ Yes , little female. You are my Son’s mate, therefore a permanent part of this family. All that I protect are marked to show others who’s house provides for them and there is none stronger than the House of DaR . I will allow EvO to explain it to you more thoroughly.”

“ Okay .”

Father seems amused at her one-word answers as he pats her hand lovingly before letting her go to turn towards the sound of running feet coming towards us. Ember squeals when she sees father, launching herself into his outstretched arms. He hugs her for a moment before holding her out away from him so that he can see her stomach.

“ DaR you’re here, did Kira come with you?”

“ No , but I snuck. The moment you told her about the youngling. She has been on top of the world. She is worried though, about your rising sickness, is that getting any better?”

“ It is, LeX fixed me some tea that has really helped. I am so happy to see you. I’ve missed you and Kira so much.”

“ As we have you youngling. I better put you down, your mate is starting to growl.”

“ I am only growling because my Ember now gets all of your attention.” Everyone laughs when Ember turns her head, sticking her tongue out at ViN .

“ You are just jealous they like me better.”

He growls playfully as Father and him start tugging on her back and forth like they are fighting over her. Ember’s laughter echoes across the deck before Father sits her down to grab ViN , hugging him no less than he did me earlier.

“ I am happy for you both, as I am for myself, being a Grandpa is the best. Come , I can’t stay long before my Kira will know I am missing. I would like to return before she realizes I’ve snuck off. Oh , EvO , before I forget, I brought the equipment you requested. I figured you needed it quicker than some of the other items ordered.”

“ Thank you, Father .”

The Destroyer’s voice interrupts. “ Commander , Captain , the humans have been assembled in the lounge area.”

Ember walks between Father and ViN her arms grasping each of theirs as they all talk heading down the hall. This is when I notice how quiet Qwin has been this entire time.

“ Qwin , are you alright?”

“ Yeah , he is just not what I was expecting. I thought he would look more like you. He would sure be hard to miss in a crowd. I felt like I was in the presence of a king.”

“ I reckon in a way Father is like royalty, but more. He has worked his way up to where he is now. No one has ever given him anything, but he has gotten softer since Kira .”

“ He is softer, NOW ?”

I can tell by her expression she does not believe me and I don’t have time to explain anything else to her as we walk into the room with all the other humans. Unlike when I was trying to get their attention, apparently, all Father had to do was walk in. Most are standing there with their mouths open.

“ Greetings all, my name is Commander DaR . I not only speak for myself, but for the Elders . The ruling factor that upholds all laws in this sector of space. We are happy to see so many of you have survived the perilous trip that has led you to us. I have come personally to help with the rebuilding of your culture and way of life.

“ I understand your fears and your hesitancy. Hopefully , in time, we will be able to prove we are the good guys. Especially since we are going to help you rebuild your lost world. We have located a moon that we believe will provide you with the means to advance, survive, and grow. It has all the same properties of your Earth , like atmosphere and water tolerances. Although it does not have the same aesthetics. It is orbiting a gas giant called Etherium , that is only a few rotations from our present location.

“ I am here to give you some insight on what’s coming. Why am I here? Well , first we are going to help set up your infrastructure. Things like essential power stations that will provide you with clean water, comfortable dwellings, and opportunities for trade.

“ Several of my sons will be stationed planet side with you. To help with the building and planning of your new world. We have a cargo ship full of essentials and building supplies already with us. Others will be arriving soon afterwards with more complex structures. Your safety is our first priority, second is getting a roof over your heads.

“ Because we will be spending a significant amount of time together. I hope to get to know all of you personally once we are on the ground. When we get closer a ship by the name of ANDI will dock with the Destroyer . Then several of you will take a smaller shuttle to the moon’s surface. Once you’ve determined where you would like to start your settlement, I will notify MeK and KyT to start heading our way. They are in the process of loading your personal dwellings, as we speak. Before I start taking questions let me advise you on my plan going forward.

“ I know many of you are worried about housing and sustenance. It is true that the food replicators will not work as of yet on the moon as there are no power stations established.

“ That will be one of our first priorities. You will be split up in groups. Some will help with power, others planting, more with the housing. However , those are not the only areas that will need staffing, there is also medical, food preparation, building design and safety. Each and every one of you will be working hands on to make your new world a wonderful and productive place to live. Once we get your infrastructure up and running. We will discuss things that can be used as trade with other planets in the many markets available throughout the universe.

“ I am open to all constructive ideas, so in the next few risings gather together your thoughts on what you can contribute. We will convene again once the volunteers come back from the surface. Until then, rest and recuperate, as the task ahead will not be easy. All who want to volunteer to go planet side, please meet me in the adjoining room.”

I watch as several of the males separate from the females headed towards the other room. The only two I actually know the names of, are the male Ricky , and Lacie because of Qwin’s discussions with them previously.

Father turns from them with a concerned look on his face. “ Where is LeX and Rafe ? I dismissed their absence in the beginning, but I expected LeX to at least be here for all the meetings.”

“ LeX and Rafe are currently busy with their own tasks. LeX is monitoring a female that won’t awaken and Rafe . Well , we have another that needs constant supervision, and he took on the task when no other was available to do so. I don’t believe either of these females will be headed to the surface anytime soon, Father . If they recover, we will discuss their options with them then.”

“ Do you have room for them permanently on board? You know unless mated, I normally do not allow unmated females on board a battle cruiser. They are a distraction.”

“ I have a feeling they won’t be taking up any more space than they already are, Father . Even though I would like you to take a moment to speak to LeX . He has become withdrawn, and this worries me.”

“ I will see to it before I depart.”

Ember walks up to Qwin , whispering something in her ear, both of them giggling like younglings before glancing back at Father . Walking over, I stick my head between them. “ What are you two up to?”

Ember bumps me with her hip. “ Nothing , just being girls. We were simply admiring the scenery, that’s all.”

Qwin rolls her eyes, laughing, when Ember turns skipping off with a big smile on her face.