Two times the great galactic wheel had turned; once again the great ship skirted the barrier beyond the ninth planet of system M492772.1.  Lere-21 directed her thoughts at the ships memory; "Review journal," she thought, and instantaneously a replay of her mission journal danced before her minds eye.  Common enough this process that was more of creative manipulation of the everyday physical world by microscopic implanted components than anything metaphysical or magical, the link nonetheless was an impressive accomplishment of the People's scientists of countless millennia, and its function so seamless that one was not consciously aware it's artificial construct.  Since nature had given the People powerful mental abilities through natural selection over the eons, the combination of biology and technology was a formidable synergy.  And now Lere-21 was in dialogue with the great ships memory.

Journal of Lere-21, Associate Commander
The People's Research and Reconnaissance Group
People's Vehicle 064

QUADRANT 4 SECTION 82 SYSTEM M492772.1
MISSION #3 DATE: DACA04.027.014:08
LOCAL :08.01.16 Left "Mother" bearing A21...
  "Forward," she thought.
LOCAL :05.01.24 Passed outer gas giant M492...
  "Forward to Local :08.02.08; visual display," she thought with some annoyance.  A warm glow of a display screen lit her soft face; the light could only but enhance her own glowing natural beauty.  Quietly, she scanned the journal.  Occasionally she would manipulate one of the small manual controls on the arm of her console chair which she stood next.  She worked the controls more as a therapy than anything else as they were obviously unnecessary - the ship and she could literally move mountains should they need to without lifting a finger, or warming a circuit.  She absorbed information streams before her.

"Edit," she thought, "at Local :08.02.16; Mission Two's prediction concerning the fate of the fifth..."  She interrupted herself, "Stop.  Postulate," continuing her thoughts, "about the fate of the fifth planet; about the progression, the process.  Nothing left but rock, dust, and gases.  She switched gears, "Continue recording.  New.  Local :now," she thought as the system re-initialized for a new journal entry.  "I sent a probe, and some plastic people to search for Jnaet's marker, or possibly a beacon, or remnants of any latent energy signatures amongst the rubble.  So far - Local Time Stamp - they've found nothing but more rocks, and dust, and assorted gases.  We'll continue the search; 'we're going to be here for some time anyway,' she thought in personal mode.  Personal mode was the only way to describe that inner most division of the psyche approachable only by the essence of the individual; no scanning, no ship memory, no tech, just blissful self.
"Local  :08.02.20;  forth planet beacon acknowledged, and scans show promising atmospheric conditions; much further along than predicted.  We'll have to reevaluate some of the parameters there.  There appears to be ice at the poles - lots of it, and free water in equatorial regions; much better than hoped for.  Lieutenant Commander Tsgufl-018 has augmented her landing team for more exploratory activities.  Installing seeding patch could prove fruitful; actually I could almost guarantee something will grow down there.  Tsgufl's party departs at Local  :08.02.24," she paused.

"Make a note," she said allowed, "package a copy of all forth planet report, and my recommendation that an orbital support platform be sent to the planet as quickly as possible," on review I'm sure they'll concur she thought.  "Beam that directly to 'Mother', authorization Lere-21, command code-you know the rest; Send."  She returned to her scans.

"Local  :08.02.21;" she continued thinking to the ship,  "The system has stabilized greatly since the last mission.  It now contains seven or eight true planets, and as yet an uncounted number of satellites; for now just note that there are many satellites, especially at the gas giants.  The general radiation level in the system has dropped substantially.  Currently we are still on approach to the third planet, and its single satellites."  Her attention shifted, and she spoke aloud.  "Let's hold on the rest of that for the time being.  Give me ship ops report for the last twelve work periods; omit game scores and other trivials, just a hard report and personnel status."

Lere absorbed the ship's report, and all was well.  One infant had been awakened from memory, production of new Plastic People was on schedule, Maintenance was maintaining things as usual, and Security reported one minor dispute between two over indulgent cadets.  All other operations were normal, and most of the ships compliment seemed to be engaged in preparatory functions for either a landing, or mission support.  Lere returned to her journal.

"Continue journal review," she thought, "Local  :08.02 -- where I left off please- and on screen."  She received a stream of data; local radiation had decreased, solar activity was nominal, and a wide variety of erratic orbits still persisted.  The third planet - the big blue one, was still transmitting data from the Mission One installation via a slightly damaged orbital platform.  Contact with the Seed Patch had been lost quite some time ago the information revealed possibly due to continental shifting, earthquakes, or both."  She considered the data for a moment.  This Mission called for an on the ground inspection of both sites, and the installation of several more, so the true condition of the Seed Patch would be know shortly   Also, the orbital platform could be retrofit, and several new ones were to added to form global network; the new Patches would be relatively equidistant around the surface of the planet to foster more diversity, and increase the probability of success.  The ship reported final approach data and estimated time of arrival to the third planet, and logged it as Local :08.03.12.  Lere requested the ship to place the ship and landing crews on alert status, and the schedule a department leader Mission briefing at Local  :08.03.18.  Finally, she thought, "End journal," took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.  It was time for a rest period she decided, and hopped out of her command chair stretching her muscles.
"Transfer shift command to Lereha-4," she said aloud, "advise her that I'm standing down for a rest period beginning now.  Wake me at Local  :08.03.16."  She run her hand passed the display screen which quickly displayed a run of statistics, and the went blank; she headed for her sleep quarters, her mind already set in personal mode with the ship's memory.

Personal mode with the ship's memory was a living fantasy.  It was an enhanced mental link with one's own private part of the ship's memory where imaginations soared, and one's creativity became boundless.  The physical feed back from this intercourse was both mentally and physically therapeutic.  The ship's memory in this  mode became one's closest companion, confidant, friend; ultimate trust, and a great reliance upon one another can develop.  The ship can supplement and strength an individual in times of emotional distress, crisis, or just relief from a stressful day; a calming source, an amplifier for the self-regulatory system.  As with any relationship, the one between a a member of the People, and their personal mode compartment in ship's memory were unique, and the rules for these relationships are developed over time between the ship and the individual.

The ship and rooms of the Seeding Vessel "Daughter's Tribute" were a microcosm of life back in "Mother's" care.  The ship of a million or so souls carried all of the amenities accustom to the People - if in a somewhat Spartan manner, but there was precious little that the crew was in want of.  But one could never forget that they were indeed aboard ship, and a crew member.  Also, every single member of the crew had an important job to perform, or they wouldn't have been part of such an honored Mission; except for the children.  They had a responsibility to learn, and be children.

The architecture of the ships private and public spaces both were still of grand scale; airy, uncluttered, and teeming with life.  The soft colors and shapes of nature defined every aspect of ship design.  A right angle could be found only in objects of utility that lend themselves to ridged dimensional design out of necessity.  Everywhere thing flowed, and bloomed, and sprawled meshed with its complimentary neighbor.  And water was of great importance to the People, and their thirsty ships.  Great quantities of water flowed wherever there was a place for it to gather to.  Vast lakes that dwindled into marsh, and then swamp lay at the center of each of the ships great forests.  The forests were skirted by the many miles of agriculture fields feed by river and stream both.  Dotted amongst the granaries, and food processing plants, as well as amongst the fabrication facilities and entertainment complexes were many public ponds, pools, and reservoirs.  Every home usually sported a miniature, soothing fall, and small catch of water.  Every office and every room kept a drink spill, or little trickling creek.  And near the far boarders of the habitable spaces are grand parks, and rocky high spires where loners and lovers, and families and friends gathered to relax, and cherish a fond farewell to the life force as it runs long over fall a thousand, and in some places ten thousand feet into the cleansing seas.  And the ship's seas, as seas everywhere did abound with every manner of swimming, crawling, darting, digging, sucking, dragging creature who blessed the waters.  Sand and rock, and coral and greens and salts renewed the liquid of life; pregnant cloud brought rain to the far mountain lakes.

Ninety percent of the ship's massive interior was devoted to the existence, sustenance, and enjoyment of the crew.  Almost all of the ship's outer skin - which was a honeycomb of activity running approximately a mile thick in most places, was devoted to the actual functioning of the ship, and support of planetary hardware, ship's defenses, huge complexes for the administration of ship's resources, and the up keep of hordes of planetary and interplanetary crafts of innumerable design.
The ship maintained a gravity with the spinning of the entire hull.  The land masses that made the many counties of the craft spread along the interior hull, and ranged from valleys sometimes a mile below the ocean level, to mountainous regions some two miles above that pointed at a central reactive light source that was a critical to the People as their water.  At their deepest, the seas plunged two mile.  The ship ran from stem to stern some twelve hundred mile, and had a radius of twenty mile at the center, narrowing to five mile at the very ends.  The rich, moist atmosphere of the ship matched that of 'Mother'.
As the ship's Commander, Lere was the central authority charged with not only the ship's mission, but the ship itself, and more importantly the care and nurturing, and saftey of her crew.  Pursuant to this, her offices where located in the center of the ship's largest administrative center, and her apartments were just a half mile from the command center in a high reach building atop one of the counties finest parks; she loved her little private spaces.

Lere thought that she should hear something soothing; nothing that had to be analysed, and the ship obliged.  Her favorite pastoral filled her thoughts, and she was instantly warmed, and relaxed.  She strolled about the main room of her apartment slowly removing the vestiges of the day, and attending to occasionalities, little life forms, and smaller joys.  Almost at a dance, Lere fancied up to tall fern near the large bulb window that overlooked the sprawling park below.  The window stretched from floor to ceiling, the fern half that, and Lere a foot again that for all of her sturdy eight hand high.  A snarp peered curiously at the  bare breasted visitor for a moment, and then returned to more serious grooming duties.  Lere stooped down to where small riverlets of water ran off the fonds of a spreading plant, and drew up the leaf for a drink.  The catch pond below tempted her as she shed the rest of the day flung across the spacious room, and stepped lightly down treaded rocks and slate so the lake covered her knees.  She splashed her way to a rock structure just a few paces at the other end of this little oasis, and pulled up a cupped hand of water from a fall between the rocks; the water was warm from the spring, and she draped it lovingly as a lotion across her chest and abdomen.  A small slate shelf covered with bedding mosses butted against the giant window.  Lere stepped from the  pool, and lounged on the bedding resting her back on soft rocks.  Delicate edibles hung overhead and became a quick snack as warm air eddied damp skin dry, and sprays of citrus perfumed and oiled her waiting softness.  This was one of her favorite spots in all the worlds, but since she was between duty shifts, and since he had a rather important meeting to awaken to, she thought - or some combination of herself and her personal ship memory thought - that she should get some proper sleep.  So reluctantly, she sloshed across the little pool wetting her hands, and splashing her face for good measure, and stepped back onto the carpet of the main room.  She crossed the large room to her sleep chamber; she was completely dry again by the time she reached to doorway.  The music in her head was gently switching off the day, one stressor at a time, each anxious decision forgotten for now, all the folders shut and files closed, a soft gown of pure white mist only dared to touch her silkness, and on a cushion of cloud of so soft warmth held her, and she slept.

Lere was not pretentious enough to occupy the top level of the highest spire in the county; her apartments were located on the level below that.  And although it was not her nature, her station dictated that she be pampered.  But instead of taking as some Commanders do - as entitled, Lere simply graciously accepted that which was given, and cheerfully.  She cherished her apartment.

The rooms she occupied were rather typical of most ship board quarters except that they were considerably larger, there was a small conference room located of of her main room - a minor command necessity, and some elaborate communication links that again were command necessities, and kept her in close immediate contact with 'Mother'.  The only extravagant, but little used amenity one in Lere's position enjoyed was a rather large and elegant entertainment facility located a on the level directly below her apartment for hold official ceremonies, receptions, parties, and other affairs of state.  But her personal spaces she relished the most.

Life's activities centered around a grand main room of open space, with a high, vaulted, arched ceiling that curved down on one side to form the rear wall of the room with several smaller archways and doorways leading to other parts of the apartment.  On the other three sides of the main room the ceiling meet the curve of the three huge bulbous windows that dropped to the floor forming the other three glass walls of the main room.  From here she could spy half the world on a clear day.  It was along the forward most - left of center facing the windows - of these windows that her small pond warmed gently.  The rest of the window space was left unobstructed with only a few dangling fruit vines with their swarming squadrons of cleaning bugs.  Life accompanied the People wherever the went, and in their homes they reveled in its splendor.  Tastefully so, most of the botanicals in Lere's rooms kept to the outskirts of the spaces, and the inner areas glorified only sparsely.  A cool carpeting wrapped the deck of the room surrounding a sunken feeding arena where the flicker of a flame revealed the occupant's devotion to the memories and traditions.  Food and flame need not mix during these generations, but the fire was a revered past to be respect.  Around the firekeep lined an arrangement of large bellowus cushions in many wonderful rainbows, and a table brought low, and of natural wood construct.  On the upper deck of the main room to the right of the sleep chamber door the floor made a gentle slope, and curved round becoming a wide ramp to the lower level entertainment area.  Lighting, except when employed, for artistic purposes, was magic; light gently bathed the room when needed, and came from everywhere and no where at the same time.  As a result, shadows were generally washed out as the center of a room was approached.  The last portion of Lere's main room wrapping around approaching the pond was an assortment of small control consoles, and a few batteries of communications equipment.  The general tone of the apartments was gentle blues, cobalt, and shifting into the greens of foliage, and the browns and grays of woods and barks.  The carpets were of natural greens and browns that adjusted their tones to temperature, moisture and light.  Moist air circulated on a warm, floral scented breeze.  A family of pet snarps kept Lere and her all too opinionated cat Fluffy company.  (In the language of the People, Fluffy literally translated to - that which destroys everything with sharp  claws, and is friendly when hungry) company.  Lere loved Fluffy; Fluffy loved both eating and sleeping with equity.

The Command Center for such a complexity of miracles that compromised the great ship "Daughter's Tribute" was a rather minimalist affair.  Stark beauty of design and function with attention to natures form, the requests of a stray avian, and the needs of a breeze to infiltrate unhampered patrolled contrast of the familiar blues, and cobalt, and green, and gray, and wood.  Trails of dangling bush mainly hugged the the arched beams that ran floor to ceiling to floor separated by backdrops of opaque glass bubbles overlooking the administration center far below this spire. Informational displays riddled the glass in three dimensional relief, and on command could be rendered transparent to display the world beyond with images and graphics enslaved by monitors, mind prints, and similar technologies.  A single commander's chair grew from a platform pulled slightly toward the windows, and was flanked by a small, low standing console festooned with all manner of knobbery and a witchcraft of lights all glowing, blinking, humming silent messages.  More centered in the chamber spread a small low conference table dotted with buttons, viewing devices, small spinning flowers, and a sea of cushions that complimented he ground cover.  On the far side of the Command Center a fall was birthed from a warm spring from a gathering of rock painted with moss and an occasional drupe blossom.  Heaven was cradled liquid splashed stone laid steps; a fountain and lake to admire in this space of authority and organization, of decision, a hospitality and an offering of civility amidst commands swirl of responsibility, and all official affairs.  And for all its simple austerity, this was the nerve center, and operational control for the environment, safety, security and well being of the vast ship, its million plus members of the People, and countless entities of the body whole, of the ecology and life of "Daughter's Tribute."  Lere was comfortable here, fortunately, as she spent the majority of her time in that room, or in one of its many auxiliary attachments.
 
Lere brought to her bedding the no more than the meaning of life, and the underlying structure of the multiverses.  Wrapped so loose in satin mists she lay open to her own mind, and was warmed and eased softly into a sleep.  This was one of the most delightful refinements of the personal memory; waking memories of the day, and trials and tribulations of command, could be recognized, compartmentalized, and stored for retrieval when the work cycle resumed.  But during relaxation periods, or sleep periods or social occasions where no command or work related business need be discussed or addressed, the mind would be free, and unencumbered to explore the inner universes, the inner realities.

She was being ridden wildly, and ecstasy filled her.  No port was being denied, and she was gasping every affection, and inviting every thrust, and every sense alive, and every sensory cell sparked a reaction in every muscle on the inner and outer surface of her ravaged body.  She was serviced and serving, and these delights she had never known to exist.  Both the elder and the younger of the boys, men, father type both elected and active, mothers, and daughters, and sisters she knew all at the moment sweet and bitter liquids alike bathed her mouth, and the smell sweet and bitter and humid and raw, and exploding, and she exploded again and again, and please more again.  Bodies radiated.  Heat, hot, electric, and sweat, and spent movements, oh the joy.  And the strangeness of the gathering.  There was not one kiss left wanting skin, or a mouth, or a warm place to discover.  And the tastes were of pleasure, and strange, and the salt and the stuff of communion; the clever fondling of all this beautiful splendor.  She quaked now, and shuddered, oh what magnificent joy.  All sounds could be heard and laughter and breathing and the hot breath of the fathers and daughter and boys and mothers breathed life in her.  And she rocked; she was being torn in two, she was being ripped apart, she was pulling, and drinking, and pushing, and sweat, and sweet and bitter romances, and touching, and the wonderful strangeness of it all.  And she was nothing but a virgin lay fallow a field yet turned the ground unbroken, and a field lay empty in the void, and the bluest of sky, and the deepest of oceans, and cold rock beneath her, and she was plunged deep, and she was filled, and she was being seeded now, and they were finished, and they told her she was complete, and this she understood, and she was loved.  And she crawled herself from out under a deep forest, out into the sun, out beneath the sky, out past the rocks, out beyond the ocean, out to the desert sands and she called the name of the father, she called the name of the man, and he was now deep within her, he filled her, and she call his name.  And there was girl of long reddish hair and the sun streamed her silhouette from behind and shone through the flying strands of her hair there was no air in the desert, there was only sand, and the man, and the girl adorned with all metal and leather devices, and she was filled, and she sank into a dream.

"Local  :08.03.16 Commander, shall I save your dream sequence?"  The ship touched her mind with a sweetness reserved for personal mode, attempting to gently nudging Lere-21 to a pleasant waking state.  This delicate but necessary intrusion into the psyche usually produced an instantaneous response, but Lere's mind was a wall to the ship's memory.  The ship tried nudging the Commander again, and her mind opened.

She stumbled back slowly, and once again reoccupied her gown of mists and drenched with strange and wonderful emotion, soaked with distant friends and lovers, back slowly across the many sleepy ions, back quietly, renewed.  A gentle breeze whispered to her across that great divide separating the sleeper from the face of the day, the dawn.
"Damn, I ah," she mumbled groggily.  "Damn, Save please," she added.

"Illuminate slowly," fighting her way to consciousness.  She ached, but felt refreshed.  But the world was still foggy.  She looked about her surroundings as if finding her bearings, and touched and felt her gown, her bedding, her body.  Her hands brought control to her hair, and she rubbed her eyes.  She was filled with odd sensations; waking was usually a much less cumbersome process than this,  but not that there was anything actually unpleasant about her current state, just unexpected, and strange.  Her mind became her own - her own with the ship - and she eased into life.

"Ease me into a shift report, please," she requested as her long legs spun of the bedding to hit the floor.  "Brief me while I wash and dress," she attempted to stand, briefly yielded to unexpected aches and pains in seemingly every muscle in her body, and then tried again and stood.  "Mission details only please," she thought with a muscle tensing stretch.  That felt better.  She smiled.  The disposition of her body and soul were improving by the second.  "I'll have a hot cup of leaf brew," which she could already smell the aroma of quaffing through the air, the ship being one step ahead of her, "in my ward room," she added smiling and heading toward the ward room entrance.

Waves of steam already floated from the entrance of the ward room which became more illuminated as she approached.  Lere nonchalantly raised her arms, and her soft gowns of mist and fog were stripped from her tightened muscles; she relaxed them with a shudder, and skipped into the haze.  She breathed in the moisture.  Just past the threshold of the room a friendly ramp lead her into the delicate pool of sound, where she let herself rest on a rock ledge while all that is foul, and all that is of waste to the body is sung from the person, and delivered on the winds to the healing places.  Delicious waters humored with good spice, things that worshipped the body flowed upon her, and were washed away in a whirlpool of warm liquids.  Lere yawned lightly, and shuffled through the haze to the friendly ramp into the mass of cleansing gel; warm, thick, slippery.  She cupped her hands together, and pulled up a great amount of the stuff, rushing it down upon her head, her shoulders, her breasts, and her back; at that spot on the ramp the gel rose to the top of her slender legs.  With another step down the ramp she waded deeper, and then she plunged head first and mouth opened hungrily breathing in lungs-full of the rich liquid.  Her eyes sparkled unseen submerged in the thick luster, and her lungs and sinuses, and her throat and esophagus were tingled with little things scrubbing and polishing every inch of her body.  She rose to the surface of the gel after a minutes swim, and made her way to another little rock ledge to the side of the friendly ramp, and sat as the gel returned to its trappings.  She was purged.  Stepping back again on the friendly ramp the ship provided gardens of scrubbing vines from an invisible source above, and they did take pleasure in their work, and great liberty performing their duties.  The vines worked the gel with a delicate frenzy, inspecting every pore for hazardous infestations, and cheerfully thanking each helpful germ and bacterium by name for a job well done.  Lere aided in the battle running her hands leisurely over her flesh.  She paid specific attention to her hair.  As she worked her body and the gel, the legions of scrubbing vine and assorted helpers would make way her hands clean motion, like some small flying thing stepping aside as a bullet wakes the air, and lowers the local air pressure; more self-preservation than anything else.  She gleamed of the gel and the freshening; again, warm streams of mist, and water, and air, and mild scents.  This cleansed her.

This cleaning wash a little more thorough than usual aboard ship, but with an upcoming visit planet-side she thought to the ship that she could afford to pamper herself - she was very frugal when taking privilege.  The vines had all retracted now.  "Yes, may as well pamper myself," she said aloud to no one as she left the mists behind, "planet-side is bound to be primitive," she added approaching a small pond.  "Music please," she said to the air, "Flhaet-5, Third Movement, audio only, and softly," she continued, "and lower the light a bit too."  She settled against sunken cushion mosses in a warm circulating pool of soft jet streams.  A small orchestra filled the sauna.  On a small ledge her hot beverage awaited her, and invisible panels of ships data floated in the air before her.  A spasm of fog whirled from the pool now and again, scent excited her.

Warm water swirled to just below her waist where she leisurely reclined.  The air perfumed her.  She sipped hot liquid warming her soul, scanned the floating reports, and allowed her thoughts to wander, as thoughts have a tendency to do with a mix of the water, air, scent, beverage, and lovely serenade.  She thought into the loving strains melody the point counter point frequency and harmony carrier and catalyst for spirit and emotion; so easy to travel this concert awash bliss.  Her thin muscular frame ablaze cooled by warm fall and rock and the pleasant accompaniment of a laughing brook her hands probing.  Images and readouts danced before her, but she found her mind returning to the portraits in her dream.  She could not distinguish if this was totally her will, or some part of the ship memory guiding her passion.  Mingled thoughts of Lereha-4, soft touches and the smell of her, and the strange practices of the boys and the mothers, and the fathers and daughters, and men and women strange but intimate now to her.  Exploring.  Her skin still gleamed; vestiges of gel.  Lost in thought she admired her physical self; she admired Lereha and her fullness.  Herself sleek, strong, muscular, but thin and compact, and gel slippery.  Lereha was all of wonderful curves and great secret places, like those mother dream nymphs.  Silkness; her hands lathered and searched.  She searched Lereha's secret places, and dream nymphs lathered those precious curves, and her hands probed her own secrets.  She lightly massaged her erect nipples jetting from her perfectly flat chest so smooth, and Lereha and the mothers and daughter gorgeously mound; she was the personification of a long and ancient line the People engineered for her position.  Lereha was of a mothering caste.  She soothed the gel memories across her arms and down her legs; Lereha tasted so sweet, and nymphs and the boys and the daughters and the fathers made strange attitudes on her own warming body.  Her world was clouded with sensation; the floating graphs and dialogues were at the periphery of her experience, and the ship too must be enjoying the adventure she thought intimately.  Great wells of passions and warmth and joy and unnameable circumstance filled her as  she filled herself.  Visions of Lereha; such sweetness she jealously kept to herself.  And the mothers and boys and fathers and daughters did their strange business upon her, and she suckled at the teat of Lereha for pleasure, and nourished from her touch.  The ambient music in the room pulsed with the rhythm of breath, and did emote to match her journey; the ship indeed loved her.  Her palms ran smooth across her firm flat stomach.  Water and moss she pushed aside her hands meeting narrow hips, and a firm, tight, round buttocks, her long legs parted, her delicate fingers found a warm soft secret haven; mothers and boys and fathers and daughters rejoiced, and the ship approved.  Lereha's gentle nape she loved, and she frolicked in the warm surprise of her mouth; her deep kisses.  The nymphs caressed them both.  Strong legs, full breast, wide hips of motherhood, and all of curves, beautiful lips, and shocking golden hair curled below her waist lay Lereha, and aqua eyes to stare into your heart.  

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