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Luna 1: Drafted Chapter 3 Poe A Whateley Academy tale By Irvine This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity. If you would like background information on the 'cannon' characters, see: http://crystalhall.wikia.com/wiki/Table_of_Contents For a copy of the campus map I am using, see: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130114152730/crystalhall/images/d/ de/Map_v052.jpg For a plan of Poe Cottage freshman floor, see http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130203095354/crystalhall/images/3/ 39/Proposal_2_Poe_floor_layout.png Authors Note: In what follows, the phonetic spelling of Lieutenant is fairly self explanatory. However, because of certain plot opportunities it presented, I took artistic licence with sub-Lieutenant. In fact, sub- Lieutenant is a Royal Navy rank. For nearly a 150 years the junior subaltern rank in the UK has been 2nd Lieutenant, as it is in the US. My room I had been assigned to room 201 on the 1st floor, (what Americans call the 2nd floor.) Because of its corner position, it had two windows and was next door to the recreation room commonly referred to as the 'Sun Room'. It was a good sized double room, equipped much like you would expect of a college dorm, with two each of: beds, desks, chairs, wardrobes and bookcases. Dumping my stuff on the other bed, I childishly took possession of the bed under the south facing window by touching it and exclaiming: "Mine!" The nylon stockings really were starting to, not so much irritate, but rather feel decidedly unpleasant. Vamp had thanked me for pulling her cookies out of the fire, and was in the process of explaining the big secret that the Poe cottage was the home of the campuses gender challenged students. Basically, every one honest enough to admit in the confidential application form they were members of the LGBT community were placed in Poe. Given the nature of school-yard bullies, most Poe residents were closet members, but a few were open about their allegiance or past history. This was a matter of personal choice, however Vamp made it perfectly clear that if I ever exposed the overall nature of Poe, I would regret my actions for a very long time. As she spoke, she helped me unpack my purchases: For the moment, the tools were unceremoniously shoved under my bed; the bathrobe was hung on a convenient hook by the door; one of the bath towels was hung on a towel warmer while the rest were shoved in my wardrobe; my jewellery was dumped in one of the desk drawers; the cosmetics, along with related accessories were scattered across the top of my desk, the toiletries used to fill one of my bookshelves, and the strappy sandals joined the tools. With my new skirt, top and lingerie laid out on my bed, I had set my personal stamp on the room, and was ready to deal with the potentially unpleasant business of caring for my new body. I hadn't eaten for over six hours and was starting to feel quite hungry, but really wanted to wash the yucky feeling off my legs. Grabbing toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash and soap, I unpacked them into a little toiletries bag, and realising Vamp was here for the duration, de- manifested my robe. With the relief I felt at getting out of the nylons and suspender belt, (which after washing were to be gifted to Poe's emergency stash of clothing,) it barely occurred to me that I was standing completely naked, except for jewellery, in front of what, given the nature of Poe, was either a boy or a raging bull dyke. Maybe it was my succubus aspect, maybe I was just numb from my earlier exposure, or maybe I was just so bloody hungry and anxious to get my shower over with so I could get something to eat, but whatever the reason, Vamps presence didn't really bother me. Not even when she followed me to the shower. The most noticeable thing about the girls showers was a large sign: NO USING HYDROFLUX HARDWARE BETWEEN 6 AM AND 9 AM. WE HAVE TO GET TO CLASSES! ALWAYS TURN ON SOUND CANCELLATION SYSTEM BEFORE USING HYDROFLUX HARDWARE - YOU KNOW WHY! THE FIRST RULE OF HYDROFLUX HARDWARE IS YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT HYDROFLUX HARDWARE. Asking the obvious question, Vamp explained it was a gift to the cottage from the 'Goodthing', the nozzles and shower attachments being designed to simultaneously stimulate the many erogenous zones of a girl's anatomy. When she offered to show me how it worked, I primly declined. To be honest, I was mildly curious, but more interested in getting something to eat. Heading for one of the sinks to brush my teeth, I took a long look in the mirror. I was definitely all girl and would have to get used to it. Taking Selene's earlier comments to heart and coming to a decision to adapt, I quickly cleaned my teeth and rinsed out with some mouth wash. Looking at the damage, I decided that if I didn't muss it any more in the shower, all I would really need to do to get ready was touch up the lipstick and give my hair a quick brush. With that thought in mind, I dived into a shower cubicle and quickly cleaned off the gunky feeling on my legs; and NO! I did not stop to explore my new anatomy, nor play with the Hydroflux equipment. Back in my room, I got the vanity mirror I had bought in the campus store set up on my desk; and, remembering what the women had done in the Baron's castle, with a little difficulty, I managed a rough approximation of how they had arranged my hair. Taking a tissue, I wiped away a few barely visible streaks, before using a fluffy brush to reapply a bit of powder. The lipstick was more challenging, but using a very fine brush, I filled in the detail around the edges before finishing off the body of my lips. Strangely, the nail polish had survived my transformation into my succubus aspect undamaged. Asking Selene about this, she said she wasn't sure, but she thought that it was because the transformation was magical rather than true mutant shape-shifting. Basically, she thought that because the nail polish had bonded to my nails, the magic had treated it as being part of me. After a thoughtful pause, she commented that this, and the fact that my succubus aspect had been wearing the same piercings and make-up as my human aspect, suggested that there might be a way to bring my clothing into the transformation. Because my succubus aspect had been so new to me, I hadn't realised this about the makeup and piercings. In a strange way, it made a kind of sense. The two forms were remarkably similar. Apart from the more obvious differences, my succubus form was very much like a sidhe version of my identical twin sister Finally finished with the makeup, I looked closely at the results in the mirror. It was not perfect by any stretch of imagination, and I would obviously have to take the time to learn the skills of a beautician, but it was not a total disaster. Asking Vamp for her opinion, she replied that from watching me work, she could tell I really was new to the whole girl thing, though she thought the final results were quite passable for someone caught up in the hurly burly of arrival. Slipping on the silk bikini briefs, I can only say: 'Mama likes!'. The feel of the silk was amazing. The bra on the other hand, was a bit of a mystery and I finally had to ask Vamp for help. I was a bit nervous about this since I had the very strong feeling that Vamp was a very sensual person who swung both ways. However, she proved to be a perfect lady, and once the bra was properly adjusted, it felt even better than the bikini briefs. It wasn't just the feel of the silk on my nipples, it was the comfortable way in which they embraced and supported my assets. Taking a quick glance in the vanity mirror, none of the very fine blonde hairs of my, nearly invisible, bush were showing and at least for the time being, I wouldn't need to shave. So, with a quick squirt of deodorant under my arms, I quickly pulled on the skirt and top and sat at my dresser to put on the heels. One of the things I had noticed when the women at the castle gave me my piercings was that as a result of joining with Selene, my regen had received a significant boost. Instead of taking 24 hours to heal, even the belly piercing had healed completely after about twenty minutes. Luckily, nobody had realised the significance. As a result, not wishing to run the risk of them closing over, I hadn't removed the ear and belly rings before I showered. With the sparkle of the earrings catching my eye, I looked at my head and face in the mirror and surprisingly, I actually felt a bit naked without the choker. On impulse, I decided to wear the entire ensemble of jewellery. Unpinning my hair and brushing it out, I fastened the bindi in place and expertly refashioned my hair back into the original style around the bindi. Yes, I said 'expertly', I seemed to have mastered that skill pretty quickly. Idly noting this, I wondered if I would master the other skills of a beautician just as easily. After putting on the choker and bracelet, I stood and wrapped the sapphire belt just below the waist of my skirt so that it rested at an angle on my hips. There was a tall mirror on the door of my wardrobe, and looking over my reflection, I was initially a bit embarrassed, but strangely satisfied. With the bindi giving me a subtle, but very exotic regal appearance, the first thing I noticed was: I have legs! I was only about 5ft 2, but they were attractively long in relation to my height. Following the length up from the stiletto heels, the ankles, calfs and knee joints were well shaped and the figure hugging pencil skirt exposed enough perfectly proportioned thigh to tantalize and delight. There was no doubt I was a very beautiful young women. The gap between the waistband of my skirt and the bottom of the crop-top emphasised the curve of my narrow waist. The V of the crop-top displayed a not quite indecent amount of cleavage, and the way it hung off my assets was extremely provocative but still just this side of respectable. The choker and earrings gave my neck a gracefulness that, along with the make-up, spoke of class, while the belt drew attention to my curvaceous hips. With the bracelet on my left arm emphasising its femininity and the sparkling belly piercing drawing attention back to the curve of my waist, hips and long shapely legs. It was difficult to know where to look. This was greatly aided by the randomly patterned sparkles from the other sapphires, which would draw attention to my deep blue doe eyes that spoke of intimate delights ; then to my neck and cleavage; to my waist and... Well, I'm sure you get the picture. To put it bluntly, I was a veritable feast that would make a monk drool, and I liked it. Impulsively, I gave a quick fashion model twirl on the ball of my left foot, with my arms stretched out and my right leg bent up at right angles from the knee. Giggling I asked Vamp what she thought. Her jaw was flapping. Finally, she got herself under control, replying: "You know Fey has a magical aura that enhances her beauty, but I don't really feel it from you. I think it is completely natural." I blushed at the mention of a magical aura, and noticing, she demanded: "Is that blush the admission of guilt, are you working your sidhe mojo on me?" Wanting her to be my friend, I decided to be completely honest: "Not at the moment, and apart from that, my aura is more to increase the lust men feel for me than my physical beauty." Seeing the speculative look on her face, I quickly added: "Please don't ask me to show you, it's kind of dangerous, and anyway I am not even sure it would work on a girl." Selene intruded: Vamp, picking up on how I said it was dangerous, was asking: "Dangerous? How? In what way?" "Well, I haven't really got it under full control yet, but if you swung that way: At low power it would make you very tractable, and at medium power you would be completely incapacitated." "And at full power?" "If I really cranked up the wattage, it would leave you orgasming continuously on the floor until you either died from a brain aneurysm or had the mind of a cabbage." That made her blink, the emotions flashing across her face started with an initial smirk, that gradually changed to a look of horror as she processed what I had said. Giving herself a shake, and obviously not wanting to dwell on the imagery, she changed the subject: "I don't know about your lust aura girlfriend, but I think you are going to need a very, very big stick." Giving herself another shake to get rid of a few lingering images, she said in an irreverent tone: "Come on your Highness, lets go and get something to eat." Filling my wallet with my ID, credit card and passport, I threw it in the shoulder bag along with a hairbrush, powder compact, tissues and lipstick. I had seen girls at school dabbing a touch of perfume on their wrists and behind their ears, so I mimicked what they had done, and we were ready. When we were descending the stairs, Vamp blurted: "Look you can't possibly have been a girl for only 10 or 11 hours. You handle heels like you've been wearing them since you could walk, and you carry yourself as if you had spent years at some fancy European finishing school." Sighing, I replied: "I think it is the magic, I don't really understand it myself. There's a part of me that's really freaked out by the whole thing, yet mainly, I don't know.... I just feel very... mm... I suppose 'comfortable' is the right word." As I spoke, I started to put a few things together and went on: "You see I have two aspects the one I am wearing at the moment is my base form as human girl, but my true aspect is that of a succubus, and succubi are the epitome of feminine allure. The movements gestures and mannerisms that human women would spend years learning to master come as natural to me as breathing.... Does that make any sense to you?" Vamp was nodding slowly in agreement, when she suddenly realised what I had implied, asking: "Two aspects, human base form, succubus aspect.... does that mean you change into a demoness?" Argh! That girl could drive a saint to murder. Replying with some asperity: "Succubi are not demonic, it's just that the mythological caricatures of the demonic temptress were based on a racial memory of us. And NO! I am not going to change for you. I would have to take my bra and top off to make room for my wings, and personally, I think I have flashed my tits enough for one day thank you very much." Mrs Horton, who had just come out of her room, interrupted my little rant with: "I am glad to hear you don't make a habit of flashing your charms to the entire school Fiona." My rant was immediately cut off in a blush of epic proportions. Calling us down the stairs, she continued, while flourishing a camera: "Look at you dear, you are absolutely one of the most stunning creatures we have ever had at this school. I hope you don't mind if I take your picture for my private scrap book of past and present Poe residents?" After posing for half a dozen photos, both singly and together, we were finally off to get something to eat. Jadis As we were walking up to Crystal Hall, Vamp explained the flag colour codes. Well, Vamp was walking, with the pencil skirt restricting my legs, I wasn't so much walking as sensuously wiggling my delectable derri?re like a fishing lure. Anyway, pointing out a number of flagpoles around campus flying the school flag, Vamp informed me about their colour coded border: A red border meant there were strangers on campus and absolutely no using powers; an amber border meant that we could use powers if we were discreet, and green border meant anything short of blowing up the entire school was permitted. Hey, this was Vamp's interpretation of the rules! She went on to say that there was a similar system inside Poe cottage with panels of red, amber and green LEDs in each room and hallway. I had noticed them, but thought it was part of the fire-alarm system. Officially, as far as strangers were concerned, they were to indicate when it was safe to use our powers, unofficially they referred to open displays of same sex affection. In order to make this work, people not privy to the Poe secret had to sign in and out of the cottage with Mrs Horton. Finally, we arrived at Crystal Hall. It was an impressive geodesic dome grown as a single transparent crystal. During their senior year students were expected to carry out a group legacy project. The original hall had been the legacy of the class of 1985, with the class of 2007 making a substantial upgrade to the interior. With a ground floor containing a central fountain, there were two further tiers with grand-stand views of the mass of the student body. In typical school-yard fashion, seating was determined by your status and the status of your group or training team. Yes it does sound like formalised gang warfare, and as I was later to find out, the gang analogy was quite apt. Since I was not only a fresher, but a pre-freshman I would certainly be relegated to the ground floor. At least until I had my own team with the muscle to take over some other teams favoured place. The only other way to gain favoured seating, was the unlikely possibility of being invited to join an established team. It was self service, and was something in the nature of an all you can eat buffet. Given that a substantial number of the students were high level energisers and exemplars, and that meals were included in the tuition fees, this was very important for the budgets of many of the students. In a deadly serious voice, Vamp explained that more than a few of the students dispensed with plates and used trays instead, eating two, three or even four trays at a single sitting. Okay, I was an exemplar myself, and was well aware of the exemplar appetite, but what Vamp was describing sounded as if it should have been listed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Anyway, with the vast majority of the students still on recess there was no queue. For some reason, I was feeling even more hungry than what I had come to expect from my low level exemplar metabolism, and managed to cram onto a single tray: two soup course, three main course and two deserts. Once through the checkout, Vamp invited me upstairs to meet Jadis, explaining that since it was my first day, nobody would mind. Arriving on the third floor, I have got to admit that the view was incredible and I immediately saw why competition for favoured status was so intense. Heading over to a table by the edge of the waterfall, Vamp greeted those seated and introduced me with: "This is Fiona, the girl who arrived commanding her own private army while wearing lingerie." Ooh... how I wished we were in France, where 'crime of passion' was a legitimate defence to murder. Jadis greeted Vamps comment with a roll of the eyes, and I liked her immediately. This good impression was only increased when, inviting me to sit, she didn't immediately start to quiz me on my arrival. Vamp started the gossip session by asking: "Okay Jadis, your here because you're Melville's fixer, and Mal is here because he's your brother, but why are the Drow collective here so early?" Mal, her brother was the only other obvious near human, so that meant the Drow collective were the four girls with elf like features, slate- black skin, white hair, lavender eyes and hot pink lips. Selene was more than puzzled by their appearance, she felt them to be some kind of sidhe but they were not of any court or race that she knew of. As a newbie, I was too polite to ask the burning questions however. Meanwhile, Jadis was laughingly explaining that her Highness, (who I took to be the aloof individual intently studying a laptop,) had needed to escape the attentions of her 'Prince Consort' and sneaked out of the palace to return to the dubious safety of school. The rest of the collective only being in the palace because of their connection to Jobe, had no choice but to leave with her. This, Jadis explained, was why the other three girls were glowering at everything and everyone. Jadis's explanation raised foul looks from the collective, but Jobe didn't even look up from her laptop. I liked Jadis, Vamp, and even Mal wasn't that bad for a nerdy devisor. We were soon gossiping like old friends as they filled me in on the juicier scandals and the student version of recent history at Whateley. When I gave the obligatory, highly edited, account of my escape from Baron Blitzen. Jadis took it in her stride, casually mentioning that she had always found him to be an egotistical maniac with insane ideas of race purity and genetics. At this Jobe looked up and agreed wholeheartedly before returning to her laptop. The implication that they both knew the Baron personally was not missed, but again, I didn't really wasn't to upset a potential friend by intruding into her private affairs. My attitude was: 'If she wants me to know she will tell me.' When Jadis had mentioned in passing that students were expected to choose a code name, I knew immediately what I wanted mine to be. It wasn't prescience, it was an expression of the real love I was starting to feel for my new mother. Shyly asking if anyone had chosen 'Luna', there was an exchange of looks between everyone at the table, before Jadis replied: "That's a beautiful name and strangely appropriate for you, as far as I know, nobody has claimed it." It was then, I had a strong prescient hunch that Jadis had a lot of sadness in her life, with more to come, but she was destined to be a force for great good in the world. The aspect of the succubus was really working a number on my psych. Over the last twelve hours, I was instinctively behaving more and more like a natural born girl. My actions, behaviour and mannerisms were becoming so automatic that it would only be on reflection I would realise how totally alien they would have been just 24 hours previously. (Well 24 hours if you ignore the time I was in hospital apparently unconscious.) It was kind of scary, it was like my entire 'identity of self' was being rewritten. However, I could tell that what was changing was just a superficial shell, the central core of values, hopes, fears and strengths that constituted the 'real me' remained unchanged. I only mention this to clarify a few points about what follows. After I had finished eating, I had taken out my compact and was touching up my lipstick. I had done this without thought, and everyone at the table took it for granted; well except for Vamp who rolled her eyes ostentatiously. Anyway, I had the compact up to my face and was running the lipstick over my lips when Jadis muttered: "Heads up, bandits at four o'clock." Discretely scanning behind me with the compact's mirror, I noticed a student dressed in an armoured bodysuit with blue trim and a stylized 'wolf' helmet. I recognised him from my visions as Stormwolf, one of the security auxiliaries whose real name was Adam Ironknife. He was heading straight for me with a grim expression on his face. Pretending to be unaware of his approach, I was replacing the compact and lipstick in my shoulder bag, when he loudly announced himself by saying: "sub-Lootenant McCloud, do you really think it's appropriate for a security auxiliary to be associating with these people?" Okay that did it, the way he said 'these people' was as if they were something other than human. Turning to give him a flat look, I replied: "Security auxiliary Ironknife, if you are going to address me by my formal rank, don't you think a salute would be in order." He was looking at me in shock, spluttering when, still in a flat voice I continued: "My given name is Fiona, but you can call me by my codename 'Luna' if you would rather keep it professional." Keeping him off-balance, I attacked: "Furthermore, the correct military form of address is either 'sub-Leftenant' or '2nd-Lootentant. What you just said was the military equivalent of a 'mixed metaphor'. A faux-pas that is not only insulting to my rank, but clearly demonstrates your own limited education. Now would you like to try it again?" After a short pause, I demanded: "Well?" Barely managing to keep himself from erupting, he replied in a strangled attempt at a conciliatory tone:"Luna, do you really think it appropriate for you to be associating with the 'Bad Seeds'? They are the sons and daughters of known super-villains." Still with a flat look, I replied: "Stormwolf, if you really expect to make a career in law enforcement, don't you think you will have more success catching criminals if you judge people by what they do rather than who their parents are?" As he stared at me, obviously trying to work through what I had said and how it fitted into his rigid code of morality, I decided to help him out, saying: "You have a reputation for being firmly on the side of truth and justice, but in this instance you are out of order. Our shared Anglo-Saxon legal system enshrines the principal 'innocent until proven guilty', a principal you have obviously abandoned in favour of 'you are guilty because of your genetic patrimony." After a slight pause, I went on: "Although, I must admit that you are not alone in making this mistake. After all, I know from personal experience that the MCO feel exactly the same way. For them, inherited genetics is more important in establishing guilt than any evidence of actual misdeeds. Do you think we should follow their play-book and bundle the 'Bad Seeds' off to a lab for dissection, or do you prefer the vigilante approach of Humanity 1st and think we should sterilise the gene pool by burning them at the stake?" Like I say, most students were still on holiday, but in addition to the ones at my table there were probably about a dozen others at nearby tables. As he turned and stalked off muttering: "I'm going to be keeping an eye on you.", everyone within earshot broke into a round of applause. Needless to say, my blush response went crimson. I think it is grossly unfair that I can blush on demand, yet can't seem to stop involuntarily blushing like a schoolgirl. Once the applause died down, Vamp asked incredulously: "Are you sure your not pulling my leg about being a 'pre-fresher'?" While simultaneously Jadis said: "I approve of your sentiments, but I think you just made an enemy." Quickly followed by her making a neck snapping twist towards Vamp and incredulously demanding: "A what!" Et-voila, the flood gates opened: The full story of my escape from the Baron came out. Well, I did manage to hold back the bit about my recent change of gender and the fact I was incredibly rich, but the rest.... They weeded out I was not only a weapon but a succubus; I had bonded my own private army; I had been drafted as a security auxiliary with the rank of sub-Leftenant, and finally, that I was going to be undertaking a specially designed syllabus under the direct supervision of campus security, a syllabus modelled after the worlds top military colleges. Jadis was looking at me speculatively, and I thought to myself here it comes, she's going to ask if I really fucked my way to freedom. My prepared response was shot down in flames as she asked curiously: "The sapphire jewellery you are wearing, those are real sapphires aren't they? Did you steal them from the Baron?" Without thinking of the possibly consequences, I primly corrected her: "I 'liberated' them as well deserved compensation for the indignity of my near rape; and yes, they are real sapphires." Greed immediately lit the eyes of the Drow collective, except Jobe of course, who was still studying her laptop. Jadis however, pausing again for thought, finally said: "Well, that puts you in the same category as Vamp, I think we should rush you as an associate member of the Bad Seeds." Without looking up from her laptop Jobe announced: "Seconded." With Mal and Belphebe, agreeing, (the other Drow, 'Bova' and 'Freight Train', apparently didn't get a vote,) I was provisionally accepted as an associate Bad Seed. It would need to go in front of the whole group, but Mal pointed out that once they heard how I had put down Stormwolf, it would be a mere formality. Something with which the others, including Jobe, whole heartedly agreed. I had an entire list of good reasons not to object to becoming an associate Bad Seed: 1. Joining the Bad Seeds was my act of rebellion at being shanghaied by security. My new revolutionary slogan was: 'Give me liberty or give me death. You may put me in chains, but you cannot take away my freedom.' 2. I meant what I had said to Stormwolf about judging people by their actions not their genetics. 3. I had picked up enough hints, both prescient and otherwise, that, like most schools, students not having a powerful clique were very vulnerable. This seemed to be even more true at Whateley where school- yard bullies were super-powered mutants. 4. Being a member of a powerful group greatly affected ones social standing, the current seating being a case in point. 5. My arrival alone had already so badly tarnished my reputation, it was probably unrecoverable. 6. Once word got out about my being a succubus, just like the Bad Seeds, people would automatically assume I was bad, almost certainly demoniacally bad. 7. Once they found out I had bonded my own private army of super villains, well I didn't even want to think about the rumours that would engender. 8. Finally, I liked Jadis and Vamp and wanted them to be my friends. All of these thoughts were secondary though, I was much more interested in what they meant by my being in the same category as Vamp? It turned out that Vamp's story had a lot of parallels with my own. She had been framed by the Necromancer for murder and forced to join his band of decidedly un-merry villains. Trying to escape, she had contacted a local super-hero. This had resulted in a succession of blackmailers, all associated with law enforcement, who, with no interest in her personal safety, had turned her into a covert spy in the Necromancers operations. In the process of finally escaping from the clutches of everyone from: The Necromancer; to the local super hero; to an extremely unpleasant District Attorney; to her handler from the FBI, she had engaged in a number of pitched battles with various super-hero groups, including Whatley's very own 'Team Kimba'. The result being that most people on campus considered her to be a well established super- villainess, with a resume that would make Al Capone green with envy. I got the impression there was more; like, for example, a little incidental freelance jewellery theft, but: Hey! A girl's got to eat. So, as you can see, Vamp and I really did have a lot more in common than our shared Poe secret. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that joining the Bad Seeds was a not such a bad idea. Admiral (Samantha, call me Sam) Everhart What with Selene promising to show me how to make a reliquary, something she felt that I urgently needed, I had a lot to do that evening, and making my apologies to the table, I headed off to security to check up on my bondsmen. Entering Kane hall, I turned to the right and as I walked up to the reception desk, the duty officer visibly flinched when he recognised me. Before I could say anything, he dashed to open the door into the main security annex. Obviously an ex-marine, he ushered me in and barked: "Officer on deck." There were only three security officers currently in the control room, but they all snapped to attention. Oh man, I was so totally screwed. I wasn't sure what the game was; but, judging by his reaction, the duty officer was actually scared of me. Though that thought was just so ridiculous, I was sure they must be taking the piss. Lacking any other possible response, I barked, (or rather squeaked): "As you were." Saving me from further embarrassment Admiral Everhart appeared and waved me into her office. Appearing to be an 18 year old girl, she was actually a grizzled, ex navy SEAL who had been exposed to a combination of experimental nano-tech and an alien AI; resulting, among other things, in her gaining the appearance of her dead daughter. The Admiral, or Sam as I would later call her, wasn't human, but a hybrid construct that can best be described as a very advanced type of computer. As a result, she wasn't limited to thinking at the slow speeds of even exemplar humans. Permanently wired into the world's computer networks, she not only had the processing power and data capacity of her own internal systems, but potentially, the capacity of all the networked computers in the world. She also had almost immediate access to virtually all information in the world that had been stored electronically and was currently networked. More pertinent to my current situation was the fact she constantly monitored the campus security network; and, as a result, was immediately hip to any gossip that was spoken within earshot of an open security mike or passed over securities internal email system. As I entered her office, I took a quick glance around: Along with the expected filing cabinets, bookcases and other office sundries, there were two desks. The main centrally placed desk was empty except for the Admirals name plate and a writing pad; the other desk over in the corner was dominated by a computer screen and keyboard. Taking a seat at her desk, she invited me to sit, saying in friendly tone of voice: "I'm glad you stopped by Fiona, we have a lot to talk about." Then, grinning, she said: "I'm afraid the rump of security don't really know what to make of you. The campus grapevine works at warp speed around here, they've heard all kinds of rumours and know about Blackstar squad. Understandably, this makes them very, very nervous. When you walked in just behind the latest rumour, which has them painting you as not only a harridan, but a harridan who is a stickler for correct military procedure. A harridan, by the way, who, within hours of her arrival, has just finished ripping a straight arrow like Stormwolf a new one in front of the entire student body.... As you might expect, the results were fairly predictable. The sentiments among some of our more colourful rank and file officers run along the lines of: If you can do that to someone with the reputation of Stormwolf, they don't even want to think about what you would do to them." Clarifying a few things just to be sure of where I stood, I asked: "So, what you are saying is that the rank and file of security view me as: 'A demonic Borg Queen who, in a cunning plan to seduce them into the collective, has taken on the appearance of a hot exemplar babe with easy going morals. However, in reality, I am actually a dried up old prune of a battle-axe who could blister paint with my tongue.'" The wicked grin was enough of an answer. No spoken words were necessary. Oh man I am so screwed. Even if I survive Carson's punishment for using my rank, if that was how security saw me, then every male student who fancied himself as a stud was going to be bragging about how he had nailed me but managed to escape before he was assimilated. Even worse, every female student with 'issues' would be accusing me of using my powers to seduce their boyfriends into joining my collective. I was more than screwed, I had already been branded 'Queen of Sluts' and the vast bulk of the students hadn't even arrived yet. . Still grinning at my plight, she handed me a possible reprieve, well at least a reprieve from Carson: "The Chief and I know what really happened with Stormwolf and how he threw your rank in your face; but, for reasons of our own, we are keeping quiet about it." Before I could ask why, she continued: "Apart from that, Stormwolf is a good man, but he sees things in black and white. He's never really had to come to terms with the shades of grey that make up the real world. We think that once he calms down, your little lecture may be just what he needs." As I relaxed a bit, the Admiral went on: "I will give you one piece of advice though. By and large, what you said about the Bad Seeds is true, especially for Jadis, Vamp and Nacht, but some of them, Jobe in particular, have absolutely no moral compass, and a minority fully intend to follow in their parents footsteps." Pausing to let that sink in she finished with: "I am not saying don't associate with them, given everything that has happened and the way you arrived here, you will probably need their support. What I am saying is: Be very careful about getting too deeply involved... Do you understand me?" So much for my revolution, not even a damp fizzle to mark it's passing. When I told her I understood completely, she went on to tell me about Blackstar squad. They were proving to be very cooperative; anxious to please, and had given a full account of their past activities. Of course, because of the psychic nature of the bond, these confessions were inadmissible in court, and since none of them were currently wanted in the US, legally the squad was in the clear. After confirming with Circe and Mrs Potter that, given my orders, the bond would make it impossible for them to be a threat to either the school or the students, and more importantly, I actually needed them as nourishment, they were going to be inducted into security. Now came the harsh realities of my new life at Whately: The Admiral had been put in charge of the military aspects of my schooling, and working with Mrs Hawkins, my official academic counsellor, she was developing a core curriculum. In addition to a wide range of applicable courses offered by the schools mainstream academic departments, there was an ad-hoc collection of special topic practical courses supervised by gunny Bardue which were geared towards the needs of the training teams. Ominously, there was an obligatory combat training program, with an 'escape, evade and survive' option for pacifists. I say ominously, because it was aimed at the needs of the mutant community to protect themselves in a hostile world With this as suitable starting point, over my time at Whateley she was planning on developing a schedule of formal courses with college accreditation that would be open to other students. The initial foundation course she was currently preparing would cover introductory concepts in: 1. Small unit tactics. 2. Formations, manoeuvres and supply. 3. Strategic goals and the limitations of military force. As a further part of my training, she explained her roll inside security was a permanent, roving detached duty, and it had been decided to assign Blackstar squad to her on similar detached basis. In view of how my obligatory paid work study program was with security, she had decided to appoint me as her executive officer. Essentially, I would be expected to take care of all the paperwork involved in running Blackstar squad. As she said this, she pointed to the other desk, which, on closer examination, I noticed was bearing a name plate proudly stencilled with 'Sub-Lieutenant Fiona. McCloud'. Groaning, I banged my head on her desk. Laughing, she told me: "Welcome to the real world. Playing at being a soldier is all very well, but when push comes to shove, an army runs on paper." Looking up, I replied: "That's a new one, Napoleon said it runs on its stomach, Patten thought it ran on petrol, though personally, I always thought it ran on its feet." My attempted levity failed to move her, though she did have the decency to laugh as she asked: "How do you think the food; the gas, and the shoe leather get there? Logistics it's all in the logistics and that means paperwork, lots and lots of paperwork." There was no answer to that other than to groan and bang my head a few more times on her desk. Asking about my bondsmen and how they were being treated, the Admiral told me that, for the moment, they were being housed in one of the lesser used briefing rooms. I had already given this some thought, and even with the aid of the campus devisors, it was obviously going to take some time to build proper barracks. Tentatively, I explained this to the Admiral and suggested: "Could we get some kind of Portacabin emergency dorm for them." Her face lit up as she replied: "Very good Fiona, I'm pleased to see that you are taking the responsibility of bonding Blackstar squad seriously. I have already discussed this with Chief Delarose and Headmistress Carson, and we came to the same conclusion." Getting up, she ushered me over to my new desk and, after booting the computer, she interfaced with it in a way that was impossible for a normal human. Quickly bringing up a page of search results for the term 'Portacabin emergency dormitories', she clicked through to a company that offered a 'hire with an option to buy' contract. Asking me what I thought, I pointed to one capable of housing upto 20 people. The company could have it sited within 12 hours of the order being placed, and fully installed within 10 hours after its arrival. Explaining my reasons, I told her that since it was fully customisable and we only had six men to house, its size meant we would have plenty of space to use for a common-room; a small kitchenette, and a couple of showers and toilets. I also pointed out we would need: A television and DVD player; a fridge, micro wave, coffee machine and electric kettle; crockery and cutlery, along with a kitchen cupboard, tables couches and seats, bedding, beds, wardrobes and some carpets and curtains. Telling her a lot of the little things we would be able to get at the campus super-market, I thought there would undoubtedly be other things to take care of, but they would probably be best done on a case by case basis once we had got the squad settled in. As I spoke, she clicked open a link to IKEA in Berlin, (the nearest large town,) who could deliver within 24 hours, and the Berlin Walmart, who also did home deliveries to the outlying regions. Suspecting that she had already worked all this out, and what she was actually doing was partly a test of my command abilities, and partly a way of leading me into the down and dirty part of owning a private army. I just smiled and pulled out my brand spanking new credit card. The Admiral smiled in return; and, ordering my shopping list at network computer speeds, used it to make my first purchases. As she did this, I pointed out that in the near future, we needed to get together with my guardian and work out a proper financial plan, with appropriate financing and budget, along with a commercial bank account. Adding, that for legal reasons, if nothing else, I would need to see about paying Blackstar squad appropriate compensation, I asked her if, for a flat fee, Whateley would take care of the administrative details of said remuneration? Smiling as she said that would be quite possible, she went on to say she was very pleased with my performance and told me: "I think you might do okay as a battle leader. During my time in the service, I have known more than a few company commanders who, in this situation, would have had your squad making a bivouac in the woods in the middle of a New Hampshire winter. It wasn't that they didn't know what needed to be done, it was just that they were incapable of making the hard logistic decisions when the unsanctioned costs might impinge on their future careers." When I interrupted to say that it was obvious, she shushed me, saying: "For a teenager, that was a lot of money you spent with only a few seconds to make the important decisions. Many people fantasise about being high powered executives and military commanders, but when faced with the reality of having to take responsibility for spending money, they freeze and get bogged down in trivialities. You immediately saw what was needed; came up with a good working plan to implement it, and even though you recognised that 'technically', contractual expenses on that scale required the approval of your guardian, you didn't baulk at taking the responsibility. In fact, you actually came up with a plan to get retroactive approval. In the process I may add, you not only laid out a basic plan to implement budgetary oversight of the entire project, but you immediately honed in on the issue of compensation and your legal responsibilities as Blackstar squads commander. Don't knock it Fiona, there is not many students on this campus could have done it without days of agonising over minor unimportant details. The only one I could think of off-hand is Ayla Goodkind, and she has been groomed since infancy to run Goodkind Industries." My girlish blush at this complement was cut off as she abruptly announced: "When we get back from Dunwich tomorrow, you can deal with the paperwork and sign off on the installation." Finally getting in to see my bondsmen, they were very happy to see me. With the bond, I could sense that they really were like guard-dogs, with their psychic tails making violent propeller motions when I entered. What was even more noticeable, was the flow of essence increased with their excitement at my arrival. While I had been aware of the flow in the sense that I was aware I was breathing, I hadn't really taken note of it. Now, it was like a breath of fresh air, washing away fatigue poisons and leaving me feeling refreshed and mildly euphoric. Instinctively, I moved among them, lightly touching a face here, or a shoulder there, girlishly grasping an arm and discreetly pressing a breast into a hard masculine body as we exchanged greetings and small jokes about our arrival. As I did so, there were surges to the flow of essence, and a sense of their love and adoration for me was communicated through the bond. Like I say, it was mildly euphoric, though very proper and would not really have been out of place at a church meeting. Assuring them that proper accommodation was on its way and by tomorrow night they would have more comfortable quarters. They were grateful, but more concerned that I was settling in okay and had comfortable quarters of my own. When I mentioned I would be going on a shopping trip to Dunwich the next morning, and in my absence, they would have to supervise the initial installation of the Portacabins, they insisted on making an emergency extraction plan. Hoping for a bit of support in squashing this nonsense before it got out of hand, I looked over to Admiral Everhart. She just smiled sweetly and said: "The price of being a leader is that, for the good of the units moral, you have to put up with these little inconveniences." With virtually no input from either me or the Admiral, the squad quickly agreed between themselves that since Starlance could telepathically scan the area for potential threats, he should be the one to accompany us. In the unlikely event of trouble; he would radio the rest of the team, who would teleport in and pull my metaphorical cojones out of the fire. Cojones, I may add, whose absence I was missing less and less. Having very little choice in the matter, and with the Admiral concurring, I agreed. I couldn't stay very long, since I still had quite a few things to do that night. Explaining this to them, they assured me it was okay and that they were being well taken care of. As she escorted me outside, once we were alone, the Admiral exclaimed: "You handled them really well. If I hadn't known the truth, I would never have realised you have only been a girl for a few hours. Its been over 10 months for me and I am still trying to adjust." When I explained to her my theories about how the magic was affecting me, she nodded thoughtfully, saying: "I suspect that's probably what it is." Then laughing, she added: "After all a succubus that couldn't handle a group of battle hardened warriors with a glance and a light touch wouldn't be much of a succubus, would she?" Seeing me go crimson, she offered an olive branch: "By the way, I would be grateful if you called me Sam." When I nodded okay, she grinned again, saying: "That is unless you are in trouble, in which case Admiral would be more appropriate." On the way back to Poe, I decided I liked Sam and hoped that, despite the actual difference in our ages, the fact that there appeared to be, at most, two or three years between us would allow us to become friends. Enchantments Once back in my room, I realised I would have to do some proper unpacking. The first thing to do was to clear the desk. After pulling out the tools and toolboxes from under the bed, I was filling one of the plastic cantilevered boxes with my make-up kit when I remembered that my mum had always removed her make-up before bed. Since I had bought face cleaners and tissues, this proved to be fairly easy and I soon had all the gunk cleaned off. With most of my sapphire jewellery, lying on the desk, I filled the other cantilever box with jewellery and the unmounted gemstones. Looking at it, I realised that the sapphire ensemble at the very least needed its own padded case, and truthfully, the rest needed a proper jewellery box for safe storage. I had more important things to worry about though. Now that the gunk was off and the jewellery was put away, a proper shower seemed a really good idea. Like I say, I had a lot to do, and after a very quick shower, I came face to face with the fact that I had forgotten to get pyjamas. Ah well, I still had the bathrobe. Putting the jewellery and make up boxes under the desk, I unpacked the tools from their wrappings, carefully separating plastic from cardboard for recycling. Positioning the heavy toolbox beside the bookcase with the lid up. The hand tools and general supplies like fluxes, wire, chalk etc were soon packed away in a vaguely organised fashion. Similarly, the vice, anvil and the 60 pc mini drill/grinder set went on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. Now I was ready for Selene's first lessons on magical enchantments. Stripping off the bathrobe, and no it wasn't a magical necessity, it was practicality. I was going to be inscribing symbols with chalk and didn't want to get either the robe or the symbols smudged. With some excitement, I unrolled my blackboard, and started my first lessons. Because of my exemplar memory, things went surprisingly quickly. Explaining the outline of what we would be doing, Selene had me separately memorise the individual symbols we would use, along with their relationships to fancy pentagrams. We had two basic tasks that we had to do that night. The first was to place a 'ward of keeping and guarding' on the sapphire jewellery which would form the basis for my arsenal of enchantments. The nature of this ward was to protect the jewellery from damage and to bind it to me so that it couldn't be lost or stolen. The second enchantment was to form the belly ring into a reliquary to store the surplus essence from Blackstar squad. I would be able to us this essence as a magical power boost and an emergency reserve in case I was somehow isolated from other sources of naturally occurring essence. I would also be able to use the essence stored in the reliquary to quickly heal serious injuries and supercharge my strength, reflexes and stamina. At this point, we hit a slight snag, my basic mutant regen had increased even more substantially than when I had received the piercings. After removing the belly ring, it was only by fortuitous luck that I was able to get a temporary stud into the piercing before it had completely healed. Forewarned, after removing the earrings, I quickly had sleeper studs in place, but even then, the process drew blood The moon was now out and calling to me, putting aside the question as to why my regen was suddenly much more powerful, I shifted into my succubus aspect and opened the window to my room. After picking up the bags containing my jewellery and chalks, along with the blackboard, I was standing on the sill, half in and half out of the window, and my nerve failed me. I had never flown before and I wasn't certain I could gain control of my flight before I hit the ground. Selene reassured me though and offered to take control for the first few minutes. Leaping from the window, my wings opened and I was flying. I have talked to other flyers about this: Some, like Tenyo, generate their own inertial field so relative motion doesn't mean much to them; others, like the PK adepts and energisers, can go very fast but are severely limited by their inertia, for example Phase in particular has great difficulty in controlling direction and Mega-Girl once confided to me that she still crashes into things, even though she has been flying for three years or so; but for those of us lucky enough to have wings! We don't usually have the speed of the others, but we do have unbelievable levels of control. Believe me, I was born to fly. Twisting and turning, the slightest changes in wind, air pressure or thermal currents, were immediately communicated to me through senses I had previously been unaware of possessing. Flying high to bathe in moonlight, I made exhilarating dives and swoops till I was below tree level. Once there, I would glide silently from tree to tree before soaring back up into the night sky. Emanating from a couple of the dorm cottages, I could sense the essence being radiated by their teenage male inhabitants. Lingering for a while, I sucked the fresh essence into me, which only added to the sense of exhilaration. Unfortunately, I had things to do that night and my revelries were cut short when Selene indulgently reminded of the reason for my flight. As I drew closer to our destination, I could sense a welcoming presence and, when I alighted in a moon-dappled glade, it spoke: There was a hint of a question to the greeting, and not knowing what to say, I thought back: