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Joined in Mind and Body

Chapter 17

Andrew whimpered softly as Gerarrin turned and apologetically took hir leave. He'd love to stay like he was and just snuggle the two lovely little Kats, but time was ticking away on any potential ways to get his parents there. But staying this way while he conferred would be fine. "Okay... Brainstorming. We need to figure out what to do about this. My parents are on Terra. It takes more time than we have for a flight here and I need to convince them to come, as well as give their permission for this."

"Maybe the consulate already thought of it and has them coming?" Serina offered. "You could ask your keeps, since they seem to have an idea about things."

"I can't exactly call the ship," Andrew said with a frown. "Besides needing official lines into military ships, they'd wonder why I'm not on the ship."

"Telepathy, silly!"

"Oooooh!! Er... This far away?"

Shi just sent a mental grin and rocked hir hips slowly, "What, need more energy for it? Should be easy enough. Just try. Scan for their mental signatures and go."

He decided to try before shi distracted him too badly. He let his mind extend and found that his affinity for Tyrin and Kelia allowed him to locate them even across galactic distances with relatively little trouble. Well, that was informative. Thankfully they were in their suite and open to contact, according to their shielding tags.

"What's up, Andrew?" Tyrin sent in response to his querying thought.

"I've just been informed that my parents are going to need to be here in person to give permission for me to join the clan. They live on Terra. That's more time to fly them here than we have. We're hoping that somebody there knew about this already and made preparations. If not, have any ideas?"

"Er... Let me check..." Tyrin sent back. There was a short pause, then the reply didn't feel happy. "They said they weren't aware that that clan required the candidate's parents' approval also. Too little notice. If they can't figure out something within the next few hours, we might have to try to get you in another time. But that will cause more questions. There's already enough work keeping your absence hidden and explaining why the civilian ship was rerouted to dock and take Serina."

Andrew sighed and sent thanks to Tyrin before dropping the connection. "No good news, trus."

"I heard..." Shi snugged him warmly and sighed, thinking furiously.

"Don't be too sad," Chari murmured, twisting hirself about to stroke Andrew's hair. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Andrew... When you teleported, you arrived with your clothes on," Serina murmured. "That means you can teleport other things with you. Some Kats can only teleport themselves. I mean, I get the feeling you teleported yourself accidentally, but you should try to do it on purpose and see if you can take others with you."

"You mean like you two with me across the bed?" Andrew grinned. He looked across the bed and tried to engage the part of his mind that had previously done the teleport to the docking bay. The result was impressive! Well... No... absolutely nothing happened. "Nothing," he sighed. "Maybe I can't do it at will."

"Are you psionicly sensing to where you are trying to go? You can't just look or know the place," Serina told him.

"Oh?" Andrew considered. He reached out with his mind instead of just his eyes and sensed the details of the other side of the bed. This time, when he tried the teleport again, he felt things start to work properly. He could feel the energy flow through his body and await orders to act. Carefully he extended the energy into Serina and Chari as well, which increased his sensing area at the destination, and made adjustments for the pillows for the two Kats. He let the energy engage.

The first thing he learned was that he should have his eyes closed when teleporting. The teleport was instant, but it left odd visions in his mind from what he saw in between. The next thing he learned was that taking two 600-800 pound Kats with him was no problem. All three of them arrived safely and in good condition. The third thing he learned was that the difference in angle relative to gravity of their arrival was something he should have taken into consideration first.

He had teleported them from almost flat in the middle to well up the sloped side of the bed and the position they ended up in caused Serina's weight to be on him from behind. His breath came out in a woosh as he was a bit too sandwiched for a moment before Serina caught hirself with hir own telekinetics.

"Ooo! That was really nice and deep and good!" Chari exclaimed with a purr in reference to the extra pressure that had been put on Andrew from behind.

"I'll be sure to push him extra-hard next time we do this then," Serina said, "But less on his lungs."

Andrew chuckled. "You two... Paying attention to the sex instead of the fact that it means I can take people with me. I know my parents together are less than even just one of you, so it should work." He blinked and sighed. "Assuming I can muster the energy to get across the galaxy."

"It doesn't take extra energy, Andrew," Serina said as shi got hirself better positioned to support hir own weight physically. "It's better than wormholes. Same energy regardless of the distance. But you do have to get a remote sensing fix on the place. That's the main problem with teleporting larger distances, especially interstellar. The further you have to scan for your destination, the much longer time it takes to find the specific place."

"Why's that?"

"You end up expanding your awareness as a sphere, unless you have a good grasp of astronavigation. So you have to deal with the volume of the sphere going up substantially as it goes."

"Eww..." He shook his head. He wasn't too good at just figuring out the night sky from Terra, let alone figuring out the direction of Terra from here. "How long are we talking?"

Serina sighed. "The best Kats still take a few weeks without some way to guide them, like a psionic signature they know near the location."

"So I need some way to get a linear fix on there, or it's likely to be useless," Andrew said. Then he had a thought. "I do remote sensing via electronic signals. A lot of the communications in computer systems is via RF energy and other transmitive methods, but I could still follow them. So if I make a call to my parents, I bet I could get a remote fix that way."

"You can use our com," Chari offered helpfully. Serina reluctantly extracted hirself from Andrew and carefully climbed off the pile. Andrew just as reluctantly extracted himself from Chari and soon they were hunting for his clothing. After quickly throwing that on, Chari led the way to the com and pulled up a stepstool made for younger Kats to be at the proper height. Andrew climbed up on the stool and picked up the headset for private voice-only calls.

Activating the com, he tried for a moment to make sense of the Kat-based controls, then gave up and reached into the system directly with his mind. It was definitely becoming easier to do stuff like that. He toggled some things and set to make a call to Terra to his parents. He was pretty sure it was early afternoon or so there. The system confirmed that for him as it worked on connecting the call.

As he waited patiently for the interstellar connection to form, he had a thought that back a few hundred years ago, around the beginning of the millennium, just calling from country to country on Terra itself was prohibitively expensive. Now placing a call to the next galaxy didn't even cost anything extra. Gotta love that.

"Um... Hello?" came a confused-sounding female voice from the other end. Yep, that was his mother.

"Hi, mom, it's Andrew."

"Andrew? What are you doing calling from Katarus?! Or are you screwing around with the call ID or something?"

"Not precisely. Mom, is dad there? I need to come visit and pick you two up for a very important quick trip." He was concentrating on the com call as he spoke and quickly traced through the link and the permanent communications wormhole to his parents' house. "It's really a pretty serious emergency." Yep, his father was there, behind his mother.

"Well, yes, your father's here. What's going on, Andrew? Not something too bad I hope. How long will we be out?"

"Shouldn't take too long, mom. It's something good at least, just a major time crunch." He had the fix. "I'll be right back, trus," he sent, setting the headset down as he heard his mother conversing with his father.

"Stay safe!" shi sent with hir love. Then he was teleported and reeled as he realized he had just traveled most of the way across the galaxy without so much as a penny spent or tiring himself out.

He arrived just after his mother had turned back to the comm. "Andrew, honey, we'll be here waiting when you arrive. I do hope it's nothing bad."

"Better not be in trouble," his dad growled under his breath.

"Already here!" Andrew announced, causing both his parents to spin around in surprise. He was already working his mind back along the link in reverse to get the fix on getting back to Katarus.

"Andrew! Shit, don't scare me like that!" his father exclaimed. "Wait, how did you...?" The man was obviously wondering how the heck Andrew got in the front door, let alone from wherever he was calling to here so quickly. But Andrew's attention was caught by his mother reaching for the disconnect switch for the call.

"No, mom, wait!" he said in a panic. But he was too late. Her hand hit the switch and the call disconnected, cutting his mental link from its route as well. Shit! How the fuck was he supposed to get a remote fix back on Katarus without that?

"What? You're here, why keep the call open?" his mother asked.

"Hard to explain... Might be a problem though," Andrew said with a sigh. "Hi mom, dad. Give me a moment to figure out how I'm going to get us back. I used that call to get here."

His father looked at him like he had gone crazy, "What? What are you talking about? Andrew, has all that computer work gone to your head? You're not a criminal or anything now, are you? I won't have my son breaking the law!"

"Andrew? The call disconnected. Are you okay?" Serina sent. Yes!! He grasped that mental link and traced back along it, getting a fix on the place in Katarus again as he sent back thanks and reassurance to hir.

"No law breaking on my side, dad," Andrew reassured his father. "Some worries that others may break the law against me, or make up new laws just to abuse me specifically. I'm in kind of a unique situation. Take my hands." He held his hands out to his parents.

Both of them looked at each other. His mother took his hand first, then his father sighed and took the other hand. Andrew already had his teleport energy ready and simply extended it to cover his parents and their apparel. "Just a quick trip," he warned them. Then he let the teleport engage.

He should have warned them in more detail. The shock of the instant change in their location and the somewhat screwy visual effects had his father spinning to him and cussing him out in a heartbeat. He could make out questions about what sort of new transportation device and wow what a great development between the comments questioning his sanity and other such blunt remarks.

"Your dad knows some interesting curses," Chari observed. "Especially that one about..."

"I know! Don't remind me... Never was sure where he picked those up." Andrew interrupted hir. "Dad... Dad!" Andrew got his father's attention and pointed out the two Kats who were staring at him. That got the string of cussing to stop pretty quick.

"Where are we?" his father demanded.

"Katarus. Um, in a home on the Alathir clan estate land," Andrew told him.

"How the hell did we get here?!"

"I teleported us," Andrew answered, noting the incredulous look from his father. "That's the issue. Mom, dad, I'm psionic. Not just a little bit, but seriously blast-the-needle-off-most-of-their-meters psionic. Apparently I'm the ONLY psionic human that the Kats have ever known of. And for more fun, if more humans find out, I'm likely to be turned into a lab rat, or worse."

Both of his parents just stared at him, then his mother shook her head slowly, "You're... psi..."

She was interrupted by his father. "Yep, sounds about right for those shitheads in charge these days. Find something new and interesting? Destroy it. And just how do you expect to get yourself safe from this, kiddo? This isn't like the bully that wanted to beat you up in high school. Planning on hiding out here and causing an interspecies incident over Kathari trying to keep you?"

"Yes, mom, I'm psionic. And dad, actually I'm going to try to join Serina's clan here," he gestured to his mate. "That will make me legally a Kathari citizen and the humans would have to create an interspecies incident to try to do anything to me."

His dad snorted. "You're going to try to join this Kat cub's clan? Why through the cub and why the hell would her clan have you?" Andrew could feel Serina seething at being called a cub, but he sent soothing thoughts to hir and shi calmed down.

"Shi's not a cub, dad. Shi's just small, like midget humans are small. Hir sibling there, Chari, is a cub. See the difference in paw sizes and body structure?" Andrew managed to derail his dad with that. "And hir clan will have me if you two give permission."

"Why?" his father demanded again.

Andrew sighed. Guess he had to tell. "Because we are pair bonded, dad. We're permanently joined in our minds. The Kat thing like soul mates, but much stronger than just humans who love each other. Joining hir clan is like getting married on Terra."

He frowned. "And before you say a word, yes I really am psionic, this is not some hoax. Mom, you're worried about grandchildren. Kat's can't bear children until they are around 40 Terran years old though, and Serina is about 24, sorry. Dad, you're wondering how the fuck this all happened. Well, that's a long story, but in a nutshell, I've probably always been psionic without knowing it. I've got the ability to work with electronics and computers. I got pulled into a civilian job aboard the Karenthis to repair the ISABEN. Paid really well too. And yes, apparently we humans leak like mad, so our surface thoughts are right there for any Kathari to see whether they like it or not." He turned to face his dad and grumbled, "Plaid butterflies on blue and yellow polka dot steamrollers eating granite jam and rubber biscuits. Seriously dad, where do you come up with random stuff like that?"

The man blinked and his eyes narrowed, "Shit, you really are psionic."

"Wait, WHAT?!" his mom demanded, while both Kats in the background were trying to keep from laughing.

His dad looked at her, looking somewhat embarrassed, "Er, I was challenging him in my mind to know that I was thinking about that to prove he was really psionic."

"Your dad still thinks this is a hoax," Serina sent worriedly.

"Let me make introductions," Andrew said with a sigh after acknowledging Serina's observation. "Mom, Dad, this is Serina, my mate, and Chari, hir younger sibling. Shi has two more siblings and hir parents living here, and they are likely to be up from naps soon. Serina, Chari, these are my parents, Jacob and Sarah." He could sense the rest of the Kat family approaching, Varessina more quickly than the others. "Shit, about to be a confrontation," he sent to Serina.

"Mr. Foster, or Jacob, whichever you prefer... I take insult in the fact that you would be so callous as to think that either of my younger siblings are humans in Kat suits," Varessina said quietly from directly behind his father as shi padded in. The other three Kats came to a halt at the door, too late to stop the oldest youngling. Andrew watched his father turn to look up at the other Kat, then groaned internally as his father's accusational thoughts changed for the worse.

Varessina blinked and took a step back on one paw. "'Fake Kathari of all sizes now'??" In a heartbeat shi reached down and picked Andrew's father up physically, opened hir jaws, and stuck his head in hir mouth. Andrew's jaw dropped and his mother cried out in alarm that her husband was about to have his head bitten off.

"Hey!" Jacob complained, muffled inside the Kat's mouth as his face was slavered by hir tongue before his head was released from hir jaws. The man sputtered in surprise and wiped the slickness from his cheek, looking at his hand as Varessina continued to hold him up.

"Try to say THAT was done by a costume, Mr. Foster." The Kat muttered. "And if you're not convinced yet, I can do it again, in greater detail." Shi licked hir lips. "Oooo... You ate something minty recently."

"No, no... don't... I give up, you're a real Kathari. Shit, don't SCARE me like that anymore! I wouldn't trust a costume to not accidentally bite my head off."

"Good," shi decreed, giving his face a good lick to get the excess slobber off and leave him just damp. Then shi sniffed. "In fact, you have that minty stuff on you. In one of your pockets, I'd assume. I would like them please, as payback for the insults."

Andrew's father fished through his pockets and extracted a pack of Tic Tacs, "What, these?"

The Kat set him back on his feet and snagged the Tic Tacs between two claws. "Thanks!" All three humans looked on bemusedly as Varessina distributed Tic Tacs to all the Kats present and ate one hirself.

"What?" Serina sent to Andrew as shi sucked happily on the tiny candy. "Kathari happen to like mint."

Andrew managed to hold in his chuckle while his father shook his head lightly. "Okay, so you guys are the real deal. Shit, Andrew, I don't know what you've gotten yourself into here in the big picture, but I'll take your word on it. Just one question though... Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

Andrew did chuckle this time. "They had me leave my shoes in the car. The ground here is really soft and feels good on your feet." He declined to mention the psionicly reactive property of the dirt. "Anyway, Dad, Mom, these are Arith and Ralinda, the parents of the other four, and Gerarrin and Varessina, Serina's next younger and older siblings respectively."

His mother looked worried. "You really love her?"

Andrew smiled slightly. "More than just love, mom. It's completeness. It's a total interlink between us. We share sensations, thoughts, happiness and sadness. We would sacrifice anything for each other." He walked over to Serina and put his arm around behind hir back, leaning against hir lightly. "If either of us gets hurt, the other feels it just as strongly. If either of us dies, the other is soon to follow. But at the same time, as long as we live, we won't age, so we never have to worry about death pulling us apart."

Jacob sighed. "I'll give my permission if you give yours, dear. As long as we don't have an orgy or anything. Not getting me into anything like that, and I've heard Kats do that."

His mother nodded, walking over to him and taking his hand. "It sounds like you've made something for yourself, honey. I'll support you in this, Andrew." She turned to Serina, "You take good care of my boy."

"I will, Mrs. Foster," Serina assured him. Shi smiled and nabbed the woman for a hug, much to Sarah's surprise. Andrew's mother stood stiff for a moment, but was soon soothed by the purr of the little Kat and hugged hir in return.

Sarah looked over her shoulder at her husband. "She has really soft fur. I think Andrew got a good Kat."

"Well, I think Andrew has got good parents," Serina observed in return. "Even if his dad thought we were fake."

"Don't rub it in," Jacob grumbled.

"But rubbing is so nice!" Chari exclaimed with feigned innocence, sidling up to him. "Back rubs, and belly rubs, and plenty of other fun rubs." Shi rubbed his lower back, making threatening motions towards his bottom as shi snuggled against him with a grin.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Kat's share, humans don't. My wife and me only."

"I know," Chari assured him, giving his cheek a lick. "I'm just teasing and flirting. You didn't think that was a human-only thing, did you?"

"Okay, okay. So Andrew has our permission," his father said. "Do we need to tell somebody in an official capacity? Attend a special meeting or ceremony? I do have work in the morning, so I can't stay too long."

Arith shook hir head. "No, we just needed you to say so in front of any clan member willing to let the clan know that you approved. All of us fit that bill. So we can get you back home as soon as you want to go."

"I definitely want to come back to visit sometime," Andrew's mother said.

"Right," Andrew disengaged from Serina and nodded. "I guess I'll try calling Chris to get you home." He climbed up on the step to reach the com and worked on it.

"Call Chris?" his father asked.

"Teleporting such vast distances requires a remote lock. Damn hard to get without a psionic person I know at the location," Andrew explained as he requested a call to Chris's house. "Since I work psionicly through computers, I can remotely sense through the call link itself. So that allows me to teleport there."

His father considered this for a moment, then whistled. "Damn. That's impressive, honestly."

The call connected. "Hello?" He sounded just as confused to be getting a call from Katarus as Andrew's parents had been.

"Hey, Chris, it's Andrew. Just calling to check in and get something taken care of."

"Damn, all the way from Katarus? You're getting a lot of travel in, man. Bet you must like the fact there are a lot of Kats there. Getting to ogle a few tails?"

Andrew had the remote sense through the link to Chris's house and then worked from there to his parents' house. "Nah, mostly just one that I'm mated to. I'll tell you the details later. Got the lock I need. Thanks!"

"Wait... Lock you need? Mated to a Kat? What the hell are you talking ab..." Andrew grinned and cut the line. Chris would expect no less. He set the headset down, climbed off the step, and held his hands out. "Ready to go guys?"

His parents nodded and took his hands. "You be sure to call more often," his mother chided him, not even noticing that the second half of her sentence was told in her own house on Terra.

"I will, mom, when things calm down a bit," Andrew promised her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, then reached out for Serina. Finding hir with no problem, he teleported himself back to Katarus.

"Instant interstellar travel for the cost of a com call. This'll take some getting used to," he muttered.

Serina snagged him from behind and scooped him up into hir arms. "It also costs you energy, so you need to make sure you recharge well. And often."

Andrew made a face, "Well, I don't think it's using that much energy. Doesn't feel like too much of a drain on me, now that I know what to look for."

Shi just stared at him, a somewhat cross look on hir face. He peered at hir blankly as hir gaze burned into him and then he realized just what shi was upset about. "Oooooooooooooooooh... Sorry, yes... recharge well and often."

"Good!" shi decreed and kissed him happily.

Strange. For a change it seemed like everything was working out just fine. No dire emergencies, no tough problems, no held breath while waiting to see what happens next. For the first time in so many events over the past few days, he didn't feel like he was hanging by his nails from a sheer cliff face, about to fall.

It should have cheered him up... but somehow it just made him uneasy. Change a trend once, and you never know what may happen if it continues to be changed.

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