Miriam hugged the distraught, nude, black woman. Around them stood the woman's four children. The nine-year-old boy cried while holding his younger sister, who sobbed. The two younger children played behind them. The final page spat out from the printer.

The pickup at the Old Hickory Mall in Jackson, Tennessee, was winding down. The food court became the only center of attention. A group of Desert Storm Vets had been holding their yearly reunion. Half the men were already on the ship. Miriam knew that she and Alec would be heading home soon.

A soft grunting caught Miriam's attention. Turning, she saw an Asian concubine prospect worshiping the cock of a middle-aged white man. "I'll pop your eighteen-year-old cherry later," he stated confidently. He held the sides of her head. "You'll learn to like Dave's taste," he grunted. "Swallow." He reached for a large drink on the table beside him. "That's very good, little puta." He handed the drink to the girl. She drank deeply. He then pulled her up to kiss her. She wriggled a bit. "Up on the table," he patted where the drink had been.

Her voice protested sheepishly, "It's cold."

The man pulled her legs apart and slipped his finger along her slit. She shivered. "But, little puta is warm and wet." He pulled his finger away, licking it. He turned to Alec. "Let me know when the papers are ready." The man winked. "The little puta here needs some attention." He leaned in. The girl bucked twice, and then mewed.

Alec responded, "About seven more minutes."

The man raised up. "OK," he turned away and spit to clear his tongue, making a string of 'ththput-ththput' sounds. Then he looked up at the girl. "Little puta needs to be hairless." He dove back into her crotch.

The woman holding onto Miriam clutched her tighter. She whispered to Miriam. "If I knew what I did, back then... would cost me my kids."

"Jenny, we all have our secrets." Miriam whispered into her ear. "Alec and I were even once charged with subversion against the United States." The black woman turned to look into her eyes. "Alec was charged and held for a bombing at a recruiting center." Jenny pulled away a bit to better focus. "It was Vietnam, and the center was closed for Thanksgiving." Miriam adjusted the tubes stemming from her oxygen concentrator. "Alec was in pre-law. He never had the ability to build such a device. Besides, your children are more important."

Jenny sat up. She reached out to her oldest children. They embraced. "My babies, I want you to go with Mr. Dave." She pointed at the man with the teenager writhing under his tongue. Your cousin, Nicole will be with you."

"Mama no," the boy started.

Jenny placed a finger to his lips. Too many times in his life, her past had caused her to be 'brought in' for questioning. "Daniel, you need to grow up to be a warrior to save Earth. Mr. Dave will help."

"He said he would take you." Daniel countered.

"Daniel, he tried. Your mama did bad things before you were born." She hugged him and her daughter close. "I was responsible for some people dying. I went to jail. I can't go to the stars."

Dave wiped his face on his 'little puta,' specifically on her thighs. He wanted a bed to break her in completely; that would be later. He thought back to a half an hour earlier.

Jenny, the woman crying, had sexually attacked him, trying to get him to take her cousin. Before he knew Jenny was CAP ineligible, Dave had decided she would be his extra momma. Once she explained her situation, he tried out the shy cousin. Then the marine would not let him take Jenny's children.

An elderly couple then approached them. A retired lawyer and his wife had a proposal for Dave and the other veterans. He could create Guardianship Instruments to save the additional children. Dave's second choice luckily had been a notary.

The Marine in charge had called up to somebody. The old lawyer, Alec, had argued for twenty minutes with somebody over the radio.

"If you are interested in being guardians for children unable to be extracted," the marine's voice boomed from the overhead speakers, "or want your children extracted without you; please report to the food court."

The families with kids to save lined up, stringing from the food court towards Macy's. The sponsors' who wanted kids, mingled and matched with those families in the line.

Alec asked for some help. He requested a typist, a printer, computer, and Internet access. The Computer Place manager brought up a laptop and a printer. A college coed sponsor volunteered to type. A second marine appeared from the transporter pad with a small box with a network cable.

She attached the box to the laptop. Leaning in she clicked a few keys. "One gigabyte speed available," she walked away.

"My name is Alec." He shook hands with his typist.

She responded, "I'm Lucy."

The old man smiled. "We need to get to the online law library at Vanderbilt." He looked over her shoulder. "On the left should be a place for faculty login."

"Is this it?"

"Yes, all capitals, SKYLER, underscore, 65, hyphen, lower case ret. The password is lowercase method, underscore, 92."

"We're in." She hopped in her chair.

"Under the Pro Bono Section, let's look up Guardianship."

The coed's two new additions were hugging their mother and father goodbye. Dave's notary concubine was affixing her seal.

Alec was verifying the legal names of Jenny's four children. He verified the driver's license number on the form with the physical license.

"Miriam, bring her over."

Jenny shuffled her kids over to her cousin. They hugged. Miriam placed a hand on her arm. Together they moved over to Alec.

He was helping Dave. "Sign here and here." He lifted the document having Dave sign two more duplicates. "Dave, go over by the kids please." As Dave moved away, he stopped to hug Jenny.

Jenny sat down. "This is a transfer of guardianship. It gives Dave custody of your children. The wording also binds him to provide the best environment he can." Jenny looked at the man over by her kids. "This contract is valid and will be enforceable off world. Once they pass to the ship in orbit, Tennessee Law will no longer be preeminent.

Jenny signed on all three pages. The notary finished the process. Jenny put her head on the table. Someone touched her back.

"Smile and wave," Miriam's voice called to her. "Jenny, let your children know you love them."

Looking up, Jenny waved. She caught the kisses thrown to her. In a flash, they were gone.

The next morning, stories of the collective sacrifice popped up on every station. Depending on the direction of the network, the acts were either demonized or held up as triumphs of loving parents.

Once the guardianship instruments were delivered to the Madison County Courthouse in Jackson, the real scope of the effort came to light. Alec Skyler, Attorney at Law, was listed as the party responsible for the creation of these documents. Two days later a subpoena delivered by the sheriff ordered Alec to appear before the Circuit Court.

Thirty-two-year-old Desmond Miller represented interested parties ranging from parents-rights groups to the Earth First Defense Fund. The Reverend Jacob Bartle sat boldly behind Miller.

Bartle served as the face of the slowly evolving movement in west Tennessee. Clutching his bible he would raise his hands in silent prayer. The women of the Faithful Auxiliary from his Church of the Divine Body of Christ surrounded him. Jacob had never forgiven Alec for marrying his baby sister, Miriam.

Miller stood; taking a deep breath, he undid the buttons on his black jacket. He wore a tie designed to project power and authority. "We are here today to undo the injustice that has ripped children from the loving arms of their parents and cast them adrift in a sea of pedophiles." He walked over to a set of easels that had pictures of the children now in space. An enlargement of a signed Guardian Instrument stood among the faces. "Through malfeasance or incompetence of Alec Skyler, has enabled sixty plus children, the most precious of Tennessee's resources, to be illegally taken." He tapped the enlargement. "Nothing on this document is legally executed."

"Objection, your honor," Alec spoke aloud calmly.

"Furthermore?." The gavel stopped Desmond.

The judged recognized Alec. "Mr. Skyler."

"The signatures are those of the parents and guardians involved." Alec offered.

Desmond fired back. "What proof is there?"

"Mr. Miller, my court," warned the judge.

"Your honor," Alec offered. "Surveillance video will show each parent did sign in accordance with accepted practices. Is it not the purpose of this hearing to determine the legality of the document as opposed to the signatures or their verifications?"

The judge looked at the papers before him. "Mr. Miller, the motion filed to set aside these Guardianships does not address the signatures."

"Very well, your honor, I will only address the legality of the instruments."

Alec sat down. Jacob leaned forward and whispered to Desmond. Both of them looked at Alec and smiled. Miriam touched her husband's arm. Alec smiled. Jacob glowed red.

Miller walked back to the enlargement. "The implication that the parents were giving guardianship for medical evaluation and adoption upon abandonment is absurd." He stormed over to Alec's table. Pounding his fist, he hoped to ellicit a response from the gallery. "The clause that the governing body will be that of the child's residency after treatment is without precedent. I hope that the Federal and Tennessee authorities will charge Mr. Skyler with aidding and abetting kidnapping."

The theatric scene caused the women around Jacob to call upon the Lord's vengeance. One woman began flopping on the floor speaking in tongues. It took the judge five minutes to regain control of the court. After repeated stern warnings and the removal of the woman who still babbled, the court resumed.

Alec stood slowly. "Your Honor, I apologize for not being able to provide you advance copies of these briefs, as the petitioner has given less than the statutory time to respond before scheduling this hearing." He lifted a folder from his table. "I am both a competent lawyer and a retired professor of law history at Vanderbilt University." He moved to stand next to the enlargement of the Guardianship form. "During the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873, the state legislature enacted a specific Guardianship language to allow for children to be medically evaluated and be removed form a quarantined area. In addition, if the parent could not come to the new place of residency of the child, the guardian became the legal parent." He held up the folder. "Here is the medical diagnosis of each child and the steps taken to address each child's specific medical needs." He placed the folder in front of the judge. He walked back to the desk and picked up a second folder. "Here is my Declaration of Findings of Fact and Law research showing that the Medical Guardianship Act of 1873 is still Tennessee Law." He lifted a third folder. "A copy of the Treaty between the United States and the Galactic Confederacy that outlines jurisdictional limits of both entities' laws and procedures," he turned to look at Jacob, "none of which were violated." The last folder he lifted caused him to look at Desmond. "This is a list of the colonies where each child will reside. All siblings will remain in family groups." He placed those files with the others before the judge. "Your honor, I ask for a summary judgment in my favor. I have submitted before the court affirmative evidence that negates the essential element of Mr. Miller's motion to declare an injunction."

Twenty minutes later, Alec walked slowly out of court with Miriam. As the reporters rushed forward, a shot rang out.

Miriam knew she was alone before the ambulance even stopped to remove her Alec. He was the rock, that God-given rudder that kept her nature in check. Every day, she received a call from a Confederacy representative, a wellness check, they said. She wondered what her CAP score would have been.

A week ago, a brick was thrown through her front window. Jenny, the distraught mother that had touched Alec's heart, had been killed by a hit-and-run driver.

A knock at the door caught her attention. Looking through the peephole, she spotted her brother Jacob. He was alone. She let him in. "Sit, Jacob," she showed him the couch.

"Sister, I am afraid you are going to be unable to care for yourself." The disdain flowed from him in waves.

She retorted. "I can manage."

"You need to come back to the family before it is too late," Jacob demanded. "He that led you astray is gone."

"Taken by one of your flock, Jacob," Miriam wished she had the lungs to spit at him.

"Sister Delilah has shown us it is time to unloose the sword of the Lord." Jacob stood. "Come back, or the very law that was used by Satan to rip apart families will bring you to me. Choose by next Sunday." Jacob stood. "You could come to the meeting Saturday morning and repent. It would go a long away to furthering the cause." He walked to the door. "We will be discussing how to respond to those weak parents. I think that whore, Jenny, got off too lightly." He left.

Any incoming phone calls ended that night. Miriam understood her brother's motivation. The FBI had been much less subtle back in sixty-nine when she and Alec were under suspicion. She missed Hoover.

She used the yard scooter to work in the garden shed the next week. On Friday evening, she called to report her portable oxygen concentrator would need to be checked Monday, her house unit was OK, and she would just tow her bottles behind her scooter to church in the morning.

Miriam broke the law deliberately for the first time since 1998. She drove herself to the church. Using the lift controls her scooter was lowered to the ground. The tags on the parked cars were from at least six surrounding states.

Two large tanks were strapped in the rear basket; old scuba tanks that she and Alec had repurposed. The sign said the meeting was in the rear basement. Miriam negotiated the ramp to the social hall.

Entering the double doors triggered Jacob's hubris. "Behold the whore of Babylon, 'where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.' These aliens from other worlds are the heads of the beast."

Miriam's father would have never allowed weapons in the church. In this room was an arsenal. She recognized a few of the men. Others were unknown to her.

"I am here, brother." She called toward Jacob.

"Come forward and repent, daughter of my mother and father." That caused a tiny bit of a gasp.

She rolled into the middle of the group. "I have a confession and a declaration."

Jacob sported a smile that he wore when he was sure he had won. He stepped forward to hug her publicly. "Confession will make you right with God."

As always, Jacob only heard what he wanted to hear. "Alec never had the drive or the education to blow up that recruiting station. That was me."

"Is there not another statement you wish to make?" Jacob wanted his victory.

Miriam smiled so sweetly. "Jacob, our father used to state a verse and have us locate it to learn what he intended." She turned the key on the scooter to the off position. Then she let go the brake.

"I remember." Jacob eased a bit; she was making the contrition even better.

Miriam pressed a red button next to the key. She never looked down as she turned the key back on. The men had crowded closer. "Judges 16:30," Jacob's eyes opened wide, his mouth dropped open. Miriam released the button.