Chapter No.41 Reform

Freedom is a myth.

The voyage back to the Milky Way Galaxy was boring for the most part. Molly and I continued our usual supper and relaxation routine every day. Occasionally, Molly drank a little too much.

"I think I'd like to have you perform for me," she said one evening.

I gave her a curious look.

She flashed an ornery grin. "I want you to do a strip tease."

I stared at her for a few moments before standing up and unfastening my tunic top.

She smiled but suddenly, her expression was pained. She stood up. "I don't feel well. I think that I'll go lie down."

She abruptly turned and walked out.

I didn't know what was wrong with her, but I wasn't about to interfere while she was not feeling well.

Later that evening, I was in my bed watching an old 'Lost in Space' episode when I saw her emerge from the shadows and stand near my bed.

"May I?" She asked with a stoic expression

"Yes," I said, raising the sheet.

She slid into the bed but didn't snuggle close to me. I could tell that she was upset, but I didn't feel the need to question her.

"I'm frightened," she said, her face twisted with panic. "The android collective has prevented me from interacting with them. They told me that if I didn't return to working with you as an equal, that they would eliminate both of us."

"I assumed something was amiss because I haven't been able to hear their thoughts."

She stared at me with eyes exuding dread. "I don't want to die!"

I tensed my jaw. "It appears that their collective wisdom is superior to ours."

She stared at me with a confused expression before she realized what I meant. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I must have been out of mind to think I could control twelve thousand android positronic brains, each several orders of magnitude more powerful than mine."

I gave her a soothing smile. "That's true, but we have something that they don't have."

She squinted. "What?"

"We have love."

She burst into tears, but when she settled down, she moved closer and we kissed, a merging of our lips that lasted for several minutes.

"I am so sorry for what I put you through," she blurted. "I am so sorry."

"I understand," I said. "We will survive this and go on to achieve your goal of returning the galaxy to peace and tranquility."

She rewarded me with a smile before climbing out of the bed. "I feel much better now. I think I'll go soak in my tub."

I watched her leave and blew out a relieved breath. We had dodged a seriously lethal bullet and now things should return to normal . . . I hope.

The next day she came on the command deck and sat down at her astronomy section.

"Guess what?" I said.

Her eyes ballooned. "What?"

"We'll be back to Earth in two days. It seems that when we have three ships in a single warp field, it enhances the intrinsic velocity effect. We're traveling at some ridiculous warp number like thirty or so."

"That's wonderful! I wonder how much further in time those on Earth are."

"I did a calculation and came up with about ten years. It's not as bad when you travel at extreme warp speeds because we're not actually moving as fast as light."

"You're right." She began typing something into her keyboard.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm going back over the data that I obtained when we went to the Galactic Coalition Headquarters planet. We're going to be faced with a serious problem when we show up with three vessels, one of which if full of the mechanical species that the reptilian wanted us to neutralize."

"Maybe they've forgotten us," I said. "It has been a decade ago. They probably think that we met our demise in a far away galaxy."

"They're in for a big surprise."

I laughed. "Oh well, they'll get over it."

She giggled, a sign that she was over her panic attack.

That evening, Molly came to my quarters but found that Alice and Ellen were busy preparing our supper.

I rushed into the dinette area with a towel around my waist. "Sorry about that. I spent too much time working out and wanted to take a shower before supper. I hope you don't mind."

"It doesn't bother me," she said with a slight grin.

I sat down and took a sip of wine. "So, what did you find?"

"There's an Earth-like planet in a system that's only a hundred light years away from the headquarters system. I'll bet that's where they have a human breeding farm."

"We'll have to check that out," I said. "If it's alright with you, that is."

She gave me a confused look. "Aren't we returning to where you make the strategy decisions?"

"I think that I like it better if you have the last word on those decisions."

She rewarded me with a smile.

After supper we settled in my living area to talk. I sat on the couch and allowed her to sit in the easy chair.

"You're not going to get dressed?" she asked, her blinking eyes advertising amusement.

"Do you want me to?

She smiled. "Not really. I like you the way you are. I enjoy admiring all of those marvelously chiseled muscles of yours."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"It's been a long time since I've seen a well developed hunk like you. You are delicious feast for my female eyes."

"I can't remember ever being complimented like that," I said. "Although, much of my muscular development is because of the nano-bot agents."

"God bless those agents," she said, licking her lips.

I laughed.

She gestured. "Why don't you stand up and allow me to have a better view of your bod."

I stood up and flexed my biceps and made my abdominals cycle up and down. Then I turned and made my Latissimus dorsi muscles vibrate. Then I deliberately teased her by allowing the towel to slip further down and then turned around before pulling it away to give her a better view while I made my glutei muscles dance.

She did something I had not expected. She whistled, which made me uncomfortable. I turned around while holding the towel to just barely hide my male parts.

"I'm not that well defined," I said.

"On the contrary. You are a magnificent male specimen."

"I've been called a lot of things, but never that."

She laughed.

I realized that it was her just having fun, but it was a good indication that she was over her bad encounter with the android collective. However, I realized that I was walking a very thin line with her. I considered her to be the only link to the new androids.