Wolf sagged against the wall while he waited for Marag to finish talking to Joe.  He hadn’t felt this tired since . . . damn, he couldn’t ever remember being this exhausted.  All he wanted was a bed and someone to cuddle with while he slept for about forty-eight hours straight.  Watching the beautiful woman who’d made him feel alive again, he smiled and counted his blessings.

 And she was his greatest blessing.

 He had an irrational fear that he was going to lose her.  The very thought of her bright spirit lost to a plague made him want to go down to the meeting hall and beat the shit out of those would-be murderers.  He was so deep in thought, that Peter’s voice startled him.

 “Wolf . . . Wolf,” Peter waved a hand in front of his face.  “What are you frowning about?  A problem?”

 “Um, just thinking about what I’d like to do to those assholes.  I always knew how . . . fragile we were out here.  But I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to Marag.  I’ve just found her and had my life given back to me.”

 The grim look on Peter’s face matched his.  “I know exactly what you mean.  When they said that Ruth was . . . dead, my whole world fell apart.  I hadn’t realized how I felt until I saw her all bloated with plague, dying if not already dead.  The Goddess showed me Ruth’s walk into the light and I couldn’t let her go.  I just couldn’t let it happen.”

 Wolf nodded somberly.  “We got lucky if you count the ways the computer came through for us.  Not to mention a goddess.”

 “We made our own luck, Wolf.”  Peter’s gaze had gone back to Ruth on the other side of the room.  “We worked together in a way that I don’t think our enemy could ever understand.  In a very real sense, we have created a family that I’d back against any odds.  Any odds at all.”

 Marag turned towards them and her gaze came straight to Wolf, a smile slowly growing as she walked over.  Wolf felt his stomach flutter, returning her smile with one of his own.  “We are very, very lucky men.”

 “We are indeed.”  Peter pushed away from the wall towards Ruth still talking to Sam and Seth.  “Wolf, you might want to make it official.  We could have a double ceremony.”  A moment later he paused to say something to Marag and left her laughing.

 Marag came straight into his arms and he breathed her in like oxygen, resting his cheek on the top of her head.  “I love you, Marag.  Don’t let’s do this again, okay?”

 “Okay.  How about we spend a few boring weeks doing routine things like sleeping in, making love, eating some good meals, making more love, teaching our classes, making mad passionate love and sleeping for a week.”

 “Yes.”  Wolf was too tired to nod.

 “You are so easy.”  She chuckled into his chest.  “Let’s start by sleeping in for a week.”  She pulled far enough away to look into his eyes.  “Sweetheart, you’re asleep on your feet.  Let’s go home, shower and go to bed.”

 “Oh, yes.”  Wolf smiled hazily at her and let her pull him away from the wall that was holding him up.

 “Come on, big guy, there’s a pillow with your name on it.”  She wound her arm around his waist while his arm fell heavily on her shoulders.  “Oh, Wolf, look.  That is so sweet.”

 He looked where she was gazing and saw Peter wrap his arms around Ruth from behind, dropping a kiss on the spiky curls atop her head.  The look on her face was one of wide-eyed disbelief.  Wolf sighed.  “She looks like she doesn’t believe that he could really love her.”

 “I don’t expect she does.  Remember that she had given up hope only to have everything she ever wanted dropped into her lap.  She deserves all the happiness the universe can give her.”  She squeezed his waist and steered him out of the command center and down the hall to their room.  “I just hope that Peter is in it for the long haul.  He could hurt her badly if he isn’t.”

 “I think they’ll be all right, Marag.  What did Peter say to you?”  Wolf pushed open the door to their suite and headed straight to the bathroom.

 “He told me that he could use my help convincing Ruth to go through with a legal ceremony.  He said, and I quote –‘I’m going to use every tactic I can to keep her with me’ – unquote.”  She chuckled and began unbuttoning her shirt.  Wolf watched her hands as if mesmerized while he toed off his shoes.  “At the moment, I think he’s right.  She’ll back pedal if only because she thinks she’s blighting his chances to find someone as beautiful and loving as he is.”

 Wolf fumbled with his own buttons.  “That sounded like another quote.”
 She finished undressing and moved over to help him, kissing the nipple over his heart while sliding his flannel shirt down his arms, trapping them by his sides.  “We had a woman-to-woman talk the other day.  She sounded so wistful when she talked about some of the younger members of our group.  The sadness in her voice when she mentioned how Jane had let him go and moved on with her life gave me the clue.  I think she’s been in love with him since they met.”

 Wolf groaned at the teasing touches she was tormenting him with.  But he was finally as naked as she was.  Pulling her to her feet, he kissed her gently.  Putting his whole heart into it, he felt as if they were reconnecting after a long absence.  During their playacting, they’d been separated and it was only now that he could give up the fear that something might happen to her.

 Her tender chuckle reminded him of Peter’s suggestion.  “Marag, I love you.  Have we known each other long enough to make it permanent?  Would you marry me?”

 “Yes, Simon.  It’s been long enough and since I love you too, I’d love to marry you.”  She pulled him after her into the sonic shower.

 He wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut, remembering the last time he’d opened it while under the sonics.  Marag grinned at him and began scrubbing his chest with a loofah.  Taking up long handled brush he scrubbed her back.  It was much easier to use this shower with a partner and he idly wondered how the singletons managed by themselves.

 They were too tired to do more than a cursory wash.  Leaving the bathroom, they headed straight to bed.  Plans could wait for later.  Now was the time to curl up with each other and say thanks for the Base’s survival.  Wolf sent up a quiet plea for a breathing space so they could rest and recover from the ordeal just past.  His last thought was about finding a ring for Marag.

 Maybe an emerald to match her eyes.

*********************

 Two days later, he sat at the table in their suite, going over the grim numbers that told him that the Moon colony was broke, absolutely, positively stone cold broke.  He swore under his breath and sat back rubbing his eyes.  “Computer, could you get me a channel to Miles Preston, my banker?”

 “Yes, Simon.  I detect some stress in your voice.  Is there something I could help with?”  Her voice grew more human every day, he thought wryly.

 “A million dollars would just about do it.”  He moved his head from side to side, trying to get the crick out of his neck.

 “All right, what account do you want it deposited in?”

 “That was a joke, love.  Where would you get a million dollars?”  He grinned at the speaker above the table.  She could be so funny sometimes.

 “From a bank in Switzerland.  That’s where I keeping most of his money.”

 Wolf sat up straight.  “Um, Computer, what are you talking about and who is he?”

 “The man behind the attack on the base.  When Mr. Hewitt gave me the computer address of the company behind the sale of the radiation suits, I kept on going with the search until I found the root of the problem.”  Her voice was so matter of fact.

 “And what did you do once you found out who was behind it?”  He asked gently, unsure if he was dealing with an unstable computer who was beginning to go delusional.

 “Well, he was using his wealth and power to try and destroy us.  So, I . . . appropriated his money so he couldn’t use it to hurt us anymore.”

 Wolf had the feeling that he’d stepped through the Looking Glass like Alice had so many years before.  “All right.  How much was there?”

 “9 trillion, 76 billion, 7 million, 246 thousand, 8 hundred and 52 dollars.  Of course that was before the interest started adding up so it’s a little more than that now.”

 He had a sudden urge to laugh maniacally.  He took a deep breath and began to silently pray.  “And where is it now?”

 “I opened an account for the Base with the Lucerne branch of the Swiss National bank of Zurich.  But we can transfer as much as we need to your bank for paying our bills.  And I was thinking about doing some trading on the NASDAQ.  There are some great bargains since the 2000 purge.”

 “Oh . . . my . . . God.  Am I the first one to hear about this?”

 “Yes, everyone else has been so busy and it wasn’t really that important.”

 “Not really . . .” Wolf closed his eyes and tried to come to terms with her statement.  For one brief moment, he pondered the law governing stealing and whether the computer was sentient enough to be arrested for grand theft.

 “Is there something wrong, Simon?”  The innocence of the question made him cringe.

 “Um, that’s called stealing, Computer.  And it could get us in a lot of trouble.”

 “No, it won’t.  I researched it very carefully and it’s called reparations.  He tried to kill us but didn’t succeed so in a civil court, we’d have sued him for damages and won.  The amount was negotiable but I chose the high end because of the mental suffering.”

 Wolf shook his head as if that might clear it.  “Okay.  I can see your point but we didn’t have a trial.”

 “Well, we could have one now.  The Base personnel would make a good jury and I’m sure they’d agree that it was only fair that he pay for what he tried to do.  I thought you’d be pleased, Simon.  I know you’ve been worrying about our financial statements.”  For the first time, she sounded uncertain.

 He remembered how very young she was.  “I’m both pleased and scared at the same time, Computer.  Part of me wants to jump up and down with excitement.  But another part of me is worried about the consequences if this gets out.”

 “Then let’s not tell anybody until we have to.”

 “Don’t I wish.  I’ve got to tell the Council.  How about we call a meeting and we can both talk to them?”  He crossed his fingers under the table.

 “Good idea.  I’ll let everyone know.”

 He got up and walked around aimlessly.  This was too big to keep to himself but he’d spoken truly when he said part of him was excited.  What they could do with all that money.  But what about the companies the mystery man had controlled?  Did they own them as well?  And just who in hell was the man behind the attacks?

 “Computer, who was the man we just robbed?”

 “Alonzo King.”

 Wolf had never heard of him.  “Thank you, Computer.  What time are we meeting?”

 “In an hour, Ruth slept in this morning and Peter was teasing her.  I didn’t want to interrupt them.”

 He laughed out loud.  “That was very nice of you, Computer.  On another note, have you gotten any closer to choosing a name?”

 “Yes.  I thought I’d tell everyone this morning.”  There was a definite lilt to her voice this time.

 “Good for you.  I’m going down to get some breakfast now.”

 “There’s cinnamon rolls.  But they’re almost gone.”

 “I’ll hurry.”  He left the books out on the table and tried not to think about the council meeting.  That meant he had to think about something else.  Maybe about the wedding that the women were so excited about.  Marag and Mary always seemed to have their heads together and he’d seen Penelope join in yesterday.

 The only one not involved was Ruth, the bride-to-be.  She’d been involved in every aspect of the fallout from the attack.  Once the Ikiiri brought the ships back, Peter and Joshua had flown down, picking up the FBI agents and bringing them back to the Moon where the prisoners were.  They’d let them do the initial questioning since they didn’t trust themselves to do so impartially.  But they’d listened in while the 22 tried to weasel out of any responsibility for their actions.

 Thinking about the session he’d listened to still sent his blood pressure up.   And Ruth had listened to all of them.  Wolf had watched her grow more and more quiet as the testimony went on.  He knew that Peter was at his wit’s end, wanting to shield her yet knowing that she felt it was her responsibility.  It was a delicate line to walk and so far he’d managed it but the effort was beginning to show in the tenseness of his body.

 The dining hall was crowded and several waved to him while he got into line.  Since the attack, everyone had tended to stay together as if only the sight and sound of the others would make their deliverance seem real.  He knew that he hated to let Marag out of his sight but after two days of being joined at the hip, they’d agreed to go to their separate tasks.

 She was teaching this morning and enjoying every minute of it.  She was a natural with the kids and the fact that she played four instruments helped secure their devotion.  Wolf took the offered plate with a smile to the man behind the counter.  He didn’t recognize him so he must have just rotated into kitchen duty.  That little innovation had raised a few hackles about ‘women’s work’ but none of the men had dared do more than mutter since Seth and Ruth took their turn as well.

 He looked around for an empty chair and caught Sam’s wave from the corner of his eye.  Making his way through the tables, he sat down and nodded to the others.  They continued on with their discussion, giving him time to eat his breakfast while it was still hot.  He recognized two of the FBI agents who appeared to be pontificating at the other end of the table.

 “Wolf, any idea why the Computer called a council meeting?”  Sam said quietly, under cover of the conversation.

 “My idea, Sam.  Something . . . big came up.”  Wolf shot a quick look at the other end of the table.  “It needs to be a closed meeting.”

 Sam’s eyes widened.  “I see.  Well, I’d better get to the clinic and sign off my patient so I can be there on time.”

 Wolf just nodded and kept on eating.  He only had another fifteen minutes before he’d need to be in what had become known as the council chamber behind the command center.  He didn’t know why it was a chamber instead of a room but Marag had just laughed when he wondered out loud.  Something about some TV show from the 80’s.  He’d been too busy to watch much TV back then so he must have missed it.

 Mopping up the last of his over-easy egg with a bit of toast, he settled in to enjoy the cinnamon roll.  There was enough sugar in the thing to send anybody into diabetic shock but it was so very, very good.  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on each moist drip of creamy icing.  Life didn’t get much better than this, he decided contentedly.

 “Hi, lover.  I see I’ve been replaced in your affections by your favorite treat.”  Marag dropped a kiss on his head and sat in the chair Sam had left empty.

 He waited a moment to finish swallowing.  “I’m sorry, honey.  I’ve decided to marry the baker instead.”

 She leaned forward and fluttered her eyelashes at him.  “What if I told you that I knew the recipe?”

 He pretended to think about it, enjoying the sparkle in her eyes.  “Well, would you promise to bake them once a week?”

 She sighed theatrically.  “I would, if I had to.  Unless you start gaining weight and then you have to promise to swear off them for six months.”

 “Two months.”  He countered.

 “Four and that’s my final offer.”  She sat back with her arms folded.

 “You’ve got a deal.  But you have to promise to help me exercise.”

 She laughed.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, love.”

 He finished the roll and wiped his mouth, picking up his dishes and carrying them over to the counter.  She joined him for the walk to the meeting and he had to literally bite his tongue to keep from telling her what had happened.  But it wasn’t news that should be talked about outside of the Council so he listened to her talk about the sonata that one of the kids had just mastered on the keyboard.

 They joined the others around the table that held the twelve of them comfortably.  Only now there were two more seated there.  Joe had always sat against the wall, two feet behind Ruth but now he was two chairs down from her.  The other newcomer was Peter sitting at her right hand.  He had a worried frown line between his eyes and Wolf looked a little more closely at Ruth.  She seemed composed but tired, her skin with that translucent look that only came when she was low on energy.

 “Wolf, could you tell us why we’re having an emergency council meeting?”  Seth looked a question down the table.

 “Two things.  First, the Computer has chosen a name for herself.”

 “How wonderful.”  Ruth’s smile seemed to light up that end of the table.  “What did you chose?”

 “I did a lot of research and combed the database of every computer I came into contact with.  But one of them stuck out and I found myself coming back to it several times.”  The lovely soprano voice sounded a little shy.  “Chimera.  It’s from Greek mythology.  She was usually shown having three heads, the snake for wisdom, the goat for utility and the lion for courage.  Besides, it sounds pretty.”

 “Chimera.”  Ruth said it quietly but with a proud look.  “I like it.  We’ll make an announcement at dinner tonight.  What’s the second thing, Wolf?”

 Taking a deep breath, he launched into an abbreviated edition of their conversation before breakfast.  He kept his eyes moving, watching various faces and the expressions they harbored.  They ranged from disbelief to outright hilarity.  Jamie just looked envious at the computer’s ability to sneak in and out of Earth’s computers.  Father Adam had a distressed frown on his face while Sam seemed to be having trouble not laughing out loud.

 “Well, I see.”  Ruth exchanged a look with Joe who shook his head.  “Chimera, what would you like to add?”

 “I still think it’s the same as reparations after a war crime.  Alonzo King declared war on the Moon colony and tried to kill us all.”  The voice from the speaker was calm.  “He did kill you, Ruth.  And he might well have succeeded in killing the rest of us if they hadn’t been able to heal you on Earth.  He wanted to take away what we hold most dear, the families and the children of Moon Base for his own selfish reasons.  His money is what he holds most dear, that and the power that it brings him.  I thought the punishment fit the crime.”

 “It wasn’t done in a spirit of revenge then, um, Chimera?”  Father Adam asked hesitantly.

 “No, more along the line of ‘an eye for an eye’.  That’s from your Bible.  One of these days, I need to talk with you about that book.  It’s a little confusing.”

 The priest sighed and rubbed his cheek.  “Anytime, Chimera, anytime.”
 Ruth had finally relaxed enough to sit back.  “Wolf, what is our financial situation aside from our . . . windfall.”

 “We’re broke.”  He sighed.  “All the advances from the tech companies went the first two months.  My savings and the sale of the bar got us through the third month.  Marag sold her house and Seth anted up his savings to pay March bills.  The bills for April are on the verge of being past due and if we want to eat next month, we’re going to have to come up with something.”

 “Which brings us to another problem.”  Ruth leaned forward again, her gaze sweeping the table.  “Part of us is military and subject to recall without notice.  The same is true of the scientists who are here from universities and the astronauts here on loan from NASA.  To whom do their loyalties lie?  Their salaries are being paid by agencies that could decide at anytime to yank them.  Is Moon Base a separate colony or an adjunct to one of those agencies on Earth?”

 They all looked at each other.  Wolf sat back and reached for Marag’s hand.  “I’m a colonist.”

 “Me too.”  Marag said simply, gripping his hand tightly.

 “My people are colonists.”  Running Elk exchanged a look with Mary Two Feathers, who nodded her acquiescence.

 “I came as an onlooker but I’m committed now.”  Penelope surprised him with her simple statement.

 “I’m at an age where I could retire from the Marines and stay here.”  Seth’s eyes were on Sam, three seats away from his end of the table.

 “This is my home until we move further out.”  Sam spoke next.

 “Cardinal Ramirez had confirmed me as your priest for the foreseeable future.”  Father Adam said quietly.

 “If you think I’m giving up the chance to work with Ikiiri technology while adapting ours, you’re nuts.”  Jamie McGee spoke up.  “We’re out here on the cutting edge of technology as we know it.  Me and my guys are colonists.”

 “This is where the breakthroughs will come in medicine.  I’m a colonist.”  Dr. Ben Freeman nodded to Ruth.

 “I hate to be a dissenting voice but I’m here for a year then I need to go back to the University and let some of the younger men and women have their shot.”  Dr. David Longer said apologetically.

 “Wherever Ruth is, that’s where I will be.”  Joe said quietly.

 “And the same goes for me.”  Peter had his hands clasped before him on the table as if afraid to reach out to Ruth.

 “I am a colonist.”  She covered his hand with one of hers and he gripped it firmly.  “But now we have to decide about Mr. King’s money.  And the businesses that it would appear are now ours.”

 Wolf watched the discussion flow from one side of the table to the other.  He kept quiet since he’d had more time to come to terms with it.  Opinions were pretty much solidified behind keeping the money.  The businesses were the sticky point.  Once Chimera began to list them, they quickly settled down with a gulp at the wide range of commerce represented.

 An hour later, all eyes turned to Ruth who’d stayed pretty much out of the debate.  She was looking very pale now and Wolf noticed that she’d drained the water glass in front of her as well as Peter’s.

 “Chimera, you’ve listened to all the arguments.  What do you say now?”

 “I’m a colonist because I’m a physical part of the Moon.  We don’t know if I could be transferred to Earth or even out into the solar system.  It would be very lonely if you all had to leave because we couldn’t sustain the colony.  That sounds rather self-serving, doesn’t it?”  A whisper of a sigh came from the speakers.  “I still think I did the right thing.”

 Ruth sighed and ran her free hand through her hair.  “All right, we’ll take a vote.  All those in favor of keeping the money and the businesses say aye.”

 The sound was deafening.

 Her lip curled up in a smile.  “Nays?”

 Silence.

 “Abstentions?”

 More silence.

 “The ayes have it.  We keep the money and move on with our lives.”  She sat back into Peter’s hug.  “Make a note, Chimera.  Tomorrow we make plans.”

*********************
End of chapter 41