Chaytok and Alexa reached Vesta Three two and a half weeks later. They hadn’t spent the whole time naked in bed but probably a better chunk of it. Chaytok checked many times to be sure Destiny was doing the job properly, which she was. They were right on course, so there was little more to do than wait for the ship to get them there. They had plenty of sex, but also long conversations.
Chaytok finally told her his suspicions about how he had landed on Earth.
“You mean the ship made a conscious decision to detour to Earth and faked the star drive trouble?”
“I can’t figure out a better explanation. There was nothing wrong with the part we switched out. Nothing wrong with the navigational subroutine, either.”
“What do you think made her do it?” Alexa wondered.
“I talked to her, she talks back. I was in space alone for weeks. It got lonely. I think I said I wished I’d found meomee so I could start a family after we got settled,” he explained. “Then things started malfunctioning, so I landed on Earth.”
“Right, less than a mile from my home. Then you just happened to decide to go exploring when I was riding down the trail, and a grouse scared Jetson, so he threw me.”
Chaytok shrugged. When she put it that way it sounded, contrived. “I wanted to see your farm. I was getting bored cooped up in the ship. Had I gotten close enough your scent would have drawn me in as it did when I found you.”
He went on to explain his whole theory about her genealogy which was available in the national genealogy registry. “The AI is capable of learning and formulating a plan of action by analyzing the data available.”
Alexa chuckled. “That gives online dating a whole new meaning. But that doesn’t explain my dreams.”
“Why, or even how, doesn’t really matter now that we are together, meomee.”
“But, if Destiny did what you think, it might be worth notifying your Matchmaking Service of this lower tech way to match your kind to mixed parentage sapiens on Earth. Not everyone depends on DNA testing to trace their ancestry. Even though it’s gaining popularity, I’m sure more people are still doing the old fashioned way or at least researching online.” She paused thoughtfully. “I would be interested in learning where my feline DNA came in and when. Without it, my genealogy is incomplete.”
“Destiny, please send the Narovian Matchmaking Service the information Alexa, and I discussed about her genealogy. Ask them to let us know if they determine the identity of her feline ancestor.”
The AI acknowledged with two beeps. Chaytok and Alexa went back to reviewing the properties that were available on Vesta Three and put in a bid on the one they preferred. It came back approved with just two days before they landed at the Vestal Point Starport. As immigrants to the new colony, they were required to register intent to become legal residents of the colony before they could move the ship to their site. It was the easiest way for them to move the modules that Chaytok had brought to build their new home. They were folded flat and compressed in his cargo bay forming Jetson’s stall.
With the vague hope of a family one day, Chaytok had purchased enough modules for a four bedroom home. The house would not be very glamorous on the outside, as most of the homes on Narova. It would be built into the side of a hill and covered on top and three sides with soil planted with native grasses to prevent erosion. On the inside, however, it would be as modern and attractive as they desired.
Chaytok used one of the modules of his utility building as a stable for Alexa’s horse. They kept him in stasis for the time it took to set up a proper shelter for him. Native grasses on their land were similar enough to those on Earth that Jetson found them palatable and they were safe for him to eat.
Because the building supplies took up most of the cargo bay, there was no room for heavy equipment to construct their dwelling and outbuilding. It was more practical to bring a medium-sized multipurpose robotic farm machine and hire the construction done. The colony was growing so fast, that they were scheduled for mid-summer construction. With modular construction, I would only take a week.
Chaytok and Alexa constructed the small stable for Jetson with the help the farm robot. Although they left Earth in the fall, they arrived on Vesta Three just before spring planting season. Chaytok brought the recommended grain and vegetable seeds to plant their first crops, and Alexa brought her own seed stock for a kitchen garden.
While most people on Narova wouldn’t consider cooking their own food without an automated food processor, people in the colonies were not adverse to it. Semi-automatic processors were readily available. They would produce fully prepared meals or allow traditional cooking as Alexa had done on Earth.
Once Jetson was settled, Chaytok set up his farm robot to prepare the fields for planting. Their farm was small by Narovian standards. Chaytok’s family farm on Narova was 100,000 hectares while his and Alexa’s farm was only 15,000 including about 1000 hectares of woodland. While they were getting it up and running, he still had his share of income from the family farm on Narova. Fully automated, none of his family lived there any longer.
Chaytok and Alexa had lived on Vesta Three for three months when the received news that the Drayids attacked Earth. It was the last thing Chaytok wanted to tell her. She had only begun learning the Narovian used in the interstellar new feeds.
“Only about a dozen major cities were damaged before the Alliance forces drove them back, but at this point, they have no idea how many were killed. There are no bodies. Whole sections of the cities attacked were vaporized.” He told her this in a calm even voice, bracing himself or the tears that soon filled her eyes.
He took her into his arms and held her as she sobbed softly. “None of the damage done was anywhere near your home area or the Alliance base there,” he added, rubbing her back.
“Chay, do you think they will come here?” she asked when she had calmed.
“Not likely, Vesta Three is on the far side of the Alliance territory from their border. There is a strong defense presence in this sector,” he reassured her. “The Alliance has already built up defenses in Earth sector. The world governments have rallied together to open full diplomatic relations with the Alliance.”
“That will certainly change things,” she murmured, “What does that mean for Earth?”
“They will have access to space travel, medical technology, and colonial settlement like Vesta,” Chaytok explained. “The Alliance announced their proposal on all public broadcasting media, so all the world governments know what’s out here.”
“Do they know why the Drayids attacked Earth?”
“They were trying to annex the Sol System into their empire. Once the Alliance offered recognition, their chances were practically nil of getting Earth to join their empire. They are an insectoid race with no value for humanoid life. Humanoids to them are like cattle to humans. They look upon us as a food source. There is no compromising with them.”
“The Alliance has never been the aggressor against them, but our forces have driven them back enough times that we got them to agree to stay in their territory and we will stay in ours. They have broken that agreement.” He continued, “The Alliance won’t go into their territory after them, but they are building up the Defense along our border and increasing Law Enforcement patrols. Earth is facing some tremendous changes.”
“Something needs to change,” Alexa said. “I quit watching the news a long time ago because it was all bad.”
“And I just brought you more bad news,” he lamented. “I was just glancing through the headlines and saw Earth mentioned.”
“Maybe having a common extraterrestrial enemy will unite them, so they will stop fighting among themselves.” Alexa sighed. “I’m glad we came here. I love our new home. It will be a great place to raise our children.”
“Are you saying? Are you?” he asked staring into her eyes.
“Yes, I think so. I checked with one of the test kits I brought. It was positive. Can the med scanner in your tablet confirm it?” she asked.
Chaytok was so excited that he forgot which pocket he kept it in, checking the wrong one first then he pulled it out and called up the menu by voice command in Narovian. He made the proper choice and watched the screen for it to assemble the result on the small screen.
“Meomee, you are carrying our---son!” He dropped the tablet on the table and hugged her fervently. “We are having a son!”
He held her tightly for a long time as he was overcome with emotion. When he set out for Vesta Three, he had a vague plan to build a home, and a farm then find a mate to start a family. Then fate intervened in the form of Destiny and brought him to Alexa James, his meomee. Now, through the love that blossomed between them, they created a child. His and Alexa’s dreams were coming true. The reality of their love was even better than they dreamed.
THE END