Once again Tomcat conned his beloved Alessandrina’s Glory into Drakoton harbour, he had a message and request for Steve from Mother. Message delivered and arrangements made for the pickup of some of the Badger folk he headed to see if Serrenica needed anything.

‘Funny how names change,” he mused to himself, ‘especially when they’re new.’

Serrenica received him in her office, “Your company was right, a consortium of the more trade oriented names in those papers has charted three merchantmen from Filx, Mardew and Garrity. They have also contacted several other agent in town including me. They seem very keen to obtain fast ships, the idiot even dropped the word ‘scouts’. They want the ships for late summer.”

Tomcat nodded.

“Oh and you have a cargo to pick up for your CEO, what’s a CEO anyway?”

“Stands for Chief Executive Officer or something like that, didn’t know we had one as Mother’s the one and only boss.”

“Hmph, anyway a cat beastman like you has a cargo to deliver, he’s staying at the Golden Bells down by the waterfront, his name’s James Cruz, one of the Twiceborn and I’m glad I wasn’t asked to acquire them,” concluded Serrenica.

An intrigued Tomcat’s next stop was the Golden Bells, this proved to be a large rambling inn that had seen better days. A query at what passed for the inn’s reception soon produced James Cruz who was wearing some ridiculous uncomfortable looking boots and carrying a large oddly shaped hat.

“Howdy friend, you wouldn’t happen to be Thomas Felix would you?”

“Yes, but please call me Tomcat. What may I do for you?”

“Got a delivery for your CEO. Like your name, you from Earth?”

“No but I believe Mother is.”

“Heh, so am I, Me I was a proud citizen of the Republic of Texas and New Mexico and a subject of his serenity, President for Life JR Ewing.”

“Err, Right, don’t think you’re from the same world.”

They were walking as they went and not far from the dock they turned into a public warehouse and stopped in front of a sturdy cage containing two well fed Tigers.

“Well here y’are, all present and correct. Please sign here to acknowledge delivery, here’s a letter for your CEO and all that leaves is to pay for the transport.”

Tomcat signed mechanically and waved aside the offer of payment as he watched James Cruz strut away in his high-heeled fancy boots.

‘Now what does Mother want with these things and why didn’t she tell me they were on order.’

He was just coming in sight of the Alessandrina’s Glory when he heard a familiar feminine voice behind him, an angry feminine voice.

“Thomas you rat bastard why did you tell me I couldn’t get pregnant if we had some fun, just look at me you bastard.”

Tomcat spun round and yes it was Marinara, a very much dishevelled and pregnant Marinara. “But... I was always told...”

“Well you was told wrong. Father threw me out when your, our baby showed.”

There followed a long discussion which resulted in Marinara being settled in one of the passenger cabins on the Alessandrina’s Glory. The Tigers were loaded together with a hastily procured supply of fresh meat and after picking up Steve and a couple of his lieutenants along with most of the badger folk the Alessandrina’s Glory headed to Port Salvage for Victoria and a few of her folk then Home.

* * *

‘Tigers? What the beep! Is someone havin’ a joke at my expense?’

« Hey Tomcat, what gives with the Tigers? »

“Sorry mother, I thought you’d ordered them. There’s a letter.”

« ‘K open it, let’s see. »

« Mmmm... ‘K seems the System’s been offering to upgrade the existin’ cat folk so this Tiger guy is hopin’ if I create my version of Tiger folk he’ll win the lottery. ‘K Tomcat get the two little kitties to my lab caverns after you dock. »

“Um Mother, can I get human women pregnant?”

« Yeah ‘course you can an’ your genes are dominant too. Why? »

“Because the original cat beastfolk can’t. Why didn’t you tell us?”

« ‘Cause it seemed obvious to me, you are mostly human after all. »

‘Oh God, Clarrina, Brandalla, Daiasama, Glorissama, Jessarra, Tarandella... Heartshorn? How do I...’

“Um, Mother how about with... Elves?”

« Yeah them too, and ‘fore you ask dwarves too. Basically any race that is fertile with humans is fertile with you lot... And yeah that goes for the Wolf and Badger boys an’ girls too. »

* * *

Mary, well Trisha received Victoria and Steve and a handful of their subordinates in the new complex Mary had built for the comfort of her man-rats, the meeting room had numerous suitably sized comfortabe chairs scattered around and a reinforced window giving a view of her underwater realm. The last an almost unanimous request from the man-rats themselves.

« Welcome home, I must say I am very impressed with your efforts. Steve your project is still ongoin’ an’ will likely remain so for some time yet. What do you need an’ can you recommend anyone to head similar efforts in other towns in the Frezantel Archipellago. As for you Victoria, Port Salvage has been secured an’ the island should follow. I have another challenging task that needs someone with either your or Steve’s experience and talents. Would you be willin’ to undertake it? Do you have someone to pass the Port Salvage task force to? »

“Why yes Mother, Port Salvage is becoming decidedly boring, I’m ready for another challenge, Silas here can take over for me, he’ll probably do a better job than me now things are calming down.” Replied Victoria while Steve just nodded and said, “I’d rather remain in Drakoton and yes I have three of my folk that could handle something like that, I’m sure Victoria has too.”

« Victoria’s next job is going to need some of her best talent, between that and keeping a lid on Port Salvage I don’t want to draw on any of her people. So what will we need, but first I have something for you, Creevar came through and after some development I have some enchanted rings that will allow you to assume human size, well the size of a small human for two hours at a time. It takes six hours to recharge itself from ambient manna. »

Trisha handed two rings to each Victoria and Steve, “If you can find an enchanter you trust we can supply a skill crystal.”

Then they got round to planning and considering the merits of the various towns of the Archipelago with regards to their ambitions.

Then Mary made sure only Victoria and Trisha could hear her.

« Victoria you’re going to set up a major staging post in Garonmouth, you will have three tasks, the most important is setting up a general information hub, the second is to see if you can infiltrate the Adventurer’s Guild HQ, be very careful, I’d prefer not getting’ anythin’ from them than lettin’ ‘em know you exist and lastly see if you can make contact with the rat folk that are workin’ with Creevar. »

« Figure you’ll need cash to buy somewhere to set up a hidden docking cavern for the catamarans, badgers an’ meerkats for the tunnelin’ an someone to front for you up top. Let me know what you need ‘K. »

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Mary was sick and tired of the school councillor pestering her with irrelevant advice about her situation, mama might be a single parent but papa was there in the background still, sure a long way away usually but... and now the twit was sure she was failing in her studies... honestly why did the school have to employ this incompetent idiot and force the pupils to listen to him.

She sat back in a chair in the library after the frustrating meeting and gazed blankly into the distance.

Then she felt something off. She concentrated and it was as if she was seeing her jeep in the parking lot. Two guys were fiddling around, one of them attached something under the rear bumper whilst the second hid something under the dashboard. She knew she could destroy those things with a thought and more frighteningly she now knew where the frogs came from.

She looked back, just like scrolling back a film, oh well a thief and a vandal, no loss there.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Agent Amanda Tremillio learnt that she had been reassigned shortly after reporting in for the day, her new partner was the eccentric veteran Peppone who had been marking time awaiting his retirement.

They quickly caught up on the paperwork and Tremillio cursed Muller’s absence when they missed the British couple first at their hotel then at the airport. They phoned in a report th the Big Island office to see if someone could intercept them at the airport for questioning.

At least they managed to question everyone else on their list that day.

Back at the office they overheard on of the tech guys making excuses, apparently an attempt to bug and place a tracer on a car had failed spectacularly when the devices had shorted and burned shortly after installation.

Then she and Peppone plus a couple of other teams had to go to the hospital because Director Hutchinson had gone mad and almost killed a nurse, Muller, Muller’s girlfriend and did kill a security guard who tried to restrain him.

* * *

Muller left the room when a nurse arrived to examine Sandra. He was just in time to see another nurse enter director Hutchinson’s room, he only caught a brief glimpse but he could have sworn she had green hair.

Then he heard Hutchinson roar with rage followed by a bellow that might have been something on th lines of “kill you” a woman’s scream followed by a loud smack and a thud. Muller ran to the door of Hutchinson’s room and stopped appalled at what he saw. Hutchingson was reaching for the nurse who was lying slumped at the foot of a cracked wall.

“Director Hutchinson what are you doing?”

Hutchinson looked at Muller standing in the door and replied, “I’m going to kill the freak!” Then he once again screamed in rage and charged Muller slamming a fist into his ribs. Muller heard his ribs break as he flew backward and slammed into the corridor wall cracking his head against the wall and dropping unconscious to the floor.