Living a CAP Based PresentChapter 23 So Many Square Pegs
- 3 years ago
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The ship was quiet. Ensign White and Ensign Munfree sat and adjusted their displays as Blaine began running his fingers over his controls.
“I need thrust,” he called out.
“Engines cycling up from standby,” I heard Lance Corporal Boddicker say. “Thrust will be available in ninety seconds.”
“Releasing stern connections,” Blaine said.
I watched the forward view screen. The screen showed that the ship was drifting a bit.
“Helm?” I called out.
“The port connection caught for a moment,” Blaine replied. “I’m compensating.”
The drift stopped and the ship returned to it’s original position. Ensign Munfree snorted. “I have a contact from Ipanema. Captain Prescott is asking when we’ll launch. He says there is a training course his crew completed.”
“I want to ask how bad his launch was,” I muttered.
“The ship is stable again,” Blaine said firmly. “Engineering, do we have thrust?” he asked.
“One moment,” We heard Boddicker call back. “We had some issues with the flow in the port engine.”
“I thought the starboard station was the problem,” I said.
“It was, but one of the regulators in conduit two on the port side was slow deploying. It was at standby power levels so there was only minimal damage, but Double A wanted to check the plate. He found a burr and has a drone clearing the problem. We need twenty seconds,” Boddicker replied.
“So many problems,” Ensign White moaned.
“It happens,” I replied. “All of the problems have been minor. I would actually have been a bit surprised if there had been absolutely no problems.”
“I’m not sure our missile crews are a minor problem,” I heard my weapons officer mutter.
“We have thrust, but keep it below thirty percent for now,” Ensign Daniels said. “Private Walton is having some trouble keeping both engines stable.”
“I’ll learn how to do it,” Private Walton called out. “But the controls aren’t really designed to handle both engines and I don’t have enough practice.”
“You are doing fine,” Ensign Daniels said. “Now clear the channel. Helm, you have power.”
“Cycling the engines to five percent. Releasing bow clamps,” Blaine said. “Corsica is backing out of the dock.”
The viewscreen showing the area in front of the ship showed Corsica slowly backing away from the bulkhead of the dock. The pace was slow.
“We’re moving slower than I thought we would,” Ensign Munfree said.
“The entrance to the dock is small,” Blaine said. “I have to make sure the ship doesn’t drift or I’ll brush the side.”
“I wonder if that happened to Ipanema,” Kelsey said.
“Bridge, Engineering,” I heard Ensign Daniels call out.
“This is the captain, go ahead,” I said.
“We are going to have to take the bow medical pod offline for twelve hours,” he said.
“Private Ripa stated that it showed a problem,” I replied. “What happened?”
“Somehow a couple of the emitters that handle the nanobots in the pod have corroded,” Ensign Daniels replied. “We’re having some new emitters assembled in engineering, but the only person who knows how to handle the replacement in the pod is Private Ambrose.”
“Make sure that Privates Ripa and Morrison are in attendance during the repair. They need to learn how to do it,” I said.
“We can do that, but only after we recheck all of the flow control plates,” Ensign Daniels said. “We’ve found problems on four already.”
“Carry on,” I said. “And how long until we can use full thrust?”
“Four hours to fifty percent,” Ensign Daniels said. “We’re not sure about full thrust. We’re still checking each component on the engines. Alex and Thomas are very upset.”
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“It could have been worse, but so far everything is repairable. It might actually have been fine. However, the crew back here wants the parts to be perfect. They don’t want a flawed part allowing a minor hit to turn into a catastrophe,” Ensign Daniels replied.
“I like how they think. Make sure they fix it right,” I said.
“I’ll have my crews check the weapons stations,” Ensign White said. “I’d hate to have a station fail in combat.”
“Make it so,” I said as the viewscreen showed that the walls to the port and starboard of Corsica ended abruptly. The ship continued moving backwards and then swung around with the bow moving to the left.
The ship slowed down and came to a halt a few hundred yards away from the dock. We could see the entrance to the dock off the starboard bow.
“Wow,” Ensign Munfree said. “Its real. We’re in space.”
“Helm, we’ve been told there is a training course. Is it showing in your navigation displays?” I asked.
“It is,” Blaine responded. “Do we want to try it when our engines are being repaired?”
“It might be the best time,” I said. “That way we’ll have some practice for when we have to handle a damaged ship in combat.”
“Good point,” Ensign Munfree replied. “Um, Captain, we have Ipanema’s captain wanting a word with you.”
“Put him through,” I said with a sigh.
“Captain Parker,” the voice of Captain Prescott purred out maliciously. “How good of you to actually take your ship out of dock. I was wondering if you planned on fighting from inside that rock.”
“I just offered my crew an extra night at home. Standard protocol was that all crew get twenty-four hours on the planet before the launch of their ship. I gave them an extra four hours or so,” I replied.
“Six,” Captain Prescott growled.
““Whatever,” I replied. “Look, I don’t answer to you. I answer to the Confederacy High Command. The terms they set allowed me to launch late.”
“You should not have been allowed to do that,” Captain Prescott growled.
“What you feel about my decisions does not matter,” I said. “We’ve already had that discussion. Now is there a reason for your call?”
“I just wanted to watch your first run through the training course,” Captain Prescott said. “Ipanema finished it in fifteen minutes with a fifty percent accuracy rating on the simulated shots.”
“This isn’t a contest,” I said. “Our opponent is the Sa’arm not each other.”
“What are you afraid your team will perform poorly?” he taunted me.
I hit the controls to mute the communications system. “Blaine, have you looked at the route? Can we complete it in the same time as Ipanema did?”
“Looking at the waypoints, we can do it in the same time even if we don’t use more than thirty percent power,” he said. “I can’t guarantee the accuracy.”
“I can,” Ensign White said. “It’s railguns only. Those teams I trust,”
“Let’s keep it simple then,” I said. “And I’ll respond to Captain Prescott’s challenge.”
I turned off the mute function. “Were going to head to the start of the course now.”
“Took you long enough to respond. Did you have to have the women find your balls?” Captain Prescott asked.
“My engineering department wasn’t happy with the status of the engines when we were in dock. They are limiting the engine output while they run a number of diagnostics,” I said. “I needed to confirm with my helmsman that he can handle the route with the limited thrust available.”
“Excuses,” Captain Prescott said. “You bragged about the training you put everyone through. There should be no reasons you can’t complete the tasks in front of you.”
“Who said we will?” I said. “And if you are paying attention, we are heading to the starting point. Make sure Ipanema stays out of the way.”
“She’s loitering in orbit around Crucible,” Ensign Munfree said. “In fact, based on the markings I’m seeing around the port engine, they had something overload. Oh, I’ve cut the communications link with Ipanema.”
“So both ships had issues,” I mused.
“Can you link my headset to the railgun teams?’ Ensign White asked. “I want to go over our plans for the firing range. I’ve checked and we can fire real rounds rather than simulated ones.”
“Go ahead with the real rounds,” I said. “I’ll authorize it. We can resupply from the dock.”
“They can even deliver,” Ensign White said. “I’ll ask for four replacement shots. But we should only need two.”
“Captain,” Blaine said. “We’ll be at the first waypoint in two minutes. The AI is recommending that I turn on the positional gravity.”
We were surprised to find that less than a third of the desks in the classroom were filled when we filed into the room of our German class. Jessica and Kelsey grabbed seats in one row and immediately started pointing to the seats around them. I started to walk around Jessica to the far side of the room, only to have Matti grab my shoulder and drag me to the seat in front of Kelsey. Jason sat down next to me. He shook his head as the others arranged themselves in the seats around Jessica....
The next two hours were spent quietly monitoring the ship’s systems as we continued to crawl towards Yulara and the orbital station. Blaine and I said little as we watched the one prototype ship circle its target. Only two more attack runs were attempted and one confirmed Kelsey’s comments about the weapon’s short range. The ship fired from what appeared to be about twice the distance as the first run only for every shot to fade away before they reached the moon. Blaine repeated his thanks...
When Ashley led me from the television room that night, I think I finally realized that my thoughts about just how crazy things might become had been wrong. Just the rumor of and few released reports about the Sa'arm invasion had been enough to get four hundred women into that room based on a very faint promise of protection. They had submitted to a televised humiliation on little more than a rumor and trust in the government. I was determined not to let the show upset me too much, but that...
“Captain Parker,” A voice growled out. “Dare I ask why you are in port today?” “Corsica ended its last patrol yesterday. The orders we received just before leaving Crucibleat were to visit several nearby systems and look for signs of Sa’arm incursions. We found none, although there was one system that my officers and I believe would be quite interesting to them. We left a warning buoy in the system as a way to provide advanced warning should an incursion occur. Our final orders were to visit...
Lenore ran over to join us. I nodded to her and then offered my free hand to her. She took it and we started walking towards the exit. It was sliding open when I heard a voice behind me. "Oh sure. You'll take the virgin to medical, but leave the girl who would do anything to have your cock in her cunt." I shook my head. "Aine, I have no clue where all the anger comes from, but its not very becoming of a young woman. I'm going to tell you now. I'm done with the nasty comments and the...
Major Greenfeld was standing outside the door. He looked at me and shook his head. “You are just fifteen?” he asked. “I might be sixteen now,” I replied. “I’ve lost track of how many days have passed and which day we are on anymore. But I also don’t worry about it much.” “You don’t?” he asked as we started walking back to Corsica. “My age does not determine how well I can do my job,” I said. “No, but it does determine how others will view you,” Major Greenfeld said. “At least initially....
I allowed Jason to lead me into the training center. We found Ashley standing near the service counter, chatting merrily with the young woman standing there. I was surprised to see that the woman was wearing what looked like a combination of military uniform and space suit. Ashley noticed us and waved. "Mark! Lieutenant Marakova here tells me that she's received transfer orders," Ashley called out. Jason and I walked up to meet the woman. "You're not going to be here longer?" I asked...
The rest of the night was not very exciting. Lenore was inside the restaurant for at least ten minutes. We sat quietly while we listened to the cries of anger coming from within the restaurant. The patio was not an exit, so we saw no other customers except the two women who had collapsed out on the patio shortly after the barrier had been removed. What we could hear made it clear that several married women had tried unsuccessfully to be picked up, and their husbands were not pleased. Lenore...
Once I sat down in the captain’s chair I found that the sleep training had shown me the location of every button. I tested out the ones activating the holographic data screens just in front of the chair. They came up, but showed no data. “AI? Is there a problem with the simulator?” I asked. “No simulation has been chosen,” the AI said. “Can we set up for a simple cruise in the Crucibleat system? We haven’t heard much about the system or the planet we will be on,” I replied. “Activating...
Sergeant O'Malley stepped to the center of the room and looked at me. "Son," he said. "You have to be one of the bravest fools I've ever met. Did you just tell this man that you wanted to make a sex slave out of his daughter?" "No," I replied firmly. "I told him that I would protect his daughter and love her. In my home she will be a partner, someone who can assist me in raising our children and providing a happy and enriching environment for all who live there." The Sergeant...
The meetings that Hank Swift and Kelsey White had requested proved to be much less stressful than the first two I had. Hank wanted to ensure that he was not going to be exiled from Crucible. From what I could decipher from his almost incoherent pleas, his concubines had made it clear that he needed to straighten up and fly right. I knew that they could not just walk away from him, but refrained from saying anything to the penitent man. It was clear that he needed their approval. Instead I...
Ashley and I were quiet on the drive home. We were pulling into the driveway at my place when Ashley quietly asked. "Mark? Should we have offered her a chance to leave Earth with you?" "No," I said firmly. "There was no connection. Both of us think Kelsey is sweet and adorable. With Lenore it seemed like we came to the same conclusion about her sadness. And we know they get along with each other. I liked that Connie was willing to help when I had to intervene in the fight at the store,...
Jason and I walked over and sat on the ground with our teammates. One of the sophomores looked over at me. I realized that it was Derek Goodman, one of the starting defensive tackles. He looked over at Maurice. "You brought a couple of freshmen over." "Why not?" Maurice replied. "They put more effort into practice than most of the sophomores. I expect them to make a difference on the field." "Not if Lucas and Terrence have their way," the other sophomore said. I realized it was...
I stepped out into the hallway. Immediately someone shouted. “On your right!” I turned to look and found an entire marine squad jogging down the passageway. They were carrying mock rifles above their heads as they rushed towards me. The door to the railgun simulation room opened and Ashley darted past me. I grabbed her around the waist and spun her towards the wall as the squad pounded past. “What was that?” Ashley asked. “The marines are out training,” I said. “So?” Ashley asked me. She...
The game ended up being a bit of a snooze. Carolina's defense created three touchdowns before the second quarter was half over and then cruised to the ending. The halftime show was loud, but otherwise forgettable. Angelique and Erica both ended up falling asleep during the third quarter. Angelique climbed into her mother's lap to sleep. I ended up with Erica in my lap. I had spent almost no time with the young lady, but she was smiling in her sleep. Thomas tried to stay awake. He...
The rout of Constance seemed to signal an end to any disturbances for lunch. Maurice hung around for a while at the other table in the courtyard, staring at us, but saying nothing as Jason and I cuddled with our girls and listened to Jessica bragging about how good the freshman cheerleaders would be this year. I had to laugh at that since Kelsey, Matilda, Kathy and Millicent had all made the cheerleading squad. Jason seemed a bit preoccupied, but volunteered nothing about his brief...
“My orders are as follows,” Admiral Redmill continued. “We are to complete the space trials of the new Africa class destroyers. As part of that trial we need to see the ship in combat. Thanks to the efforts of your scout ships we know that the Sa’arm are currently setting up an entrenched position in the Gee One Dash ... Six Five Eight system I believe.” I forced my hands to remain wrapped around Constance. Ashley groaned at hearing the Admiral name the wrong system. At her groan both...
After the morning break we had to head to German. Jason was clearly unhappy with the prospect of seeing Miss Kirke, if that was her real name now that we had discovered her previous occupation. However, Letty convinced him that missing class would only alert her to the fact that her activities had been discovered. My sister grabbed his arm as we walked from the courtyard. "I'll protect you," she whispered just loud enough for Jason and me to hear. "I'm sure Kelsey and Kathy will help as...
The television switched back to the same newsroom we had been viewing earlier. The same anchor now had a visible stack of notes in front of him, but was looking at a teleprompter. "Hello again, this is Martin Sherman, and I'm anchoring the lead-in to tonight's Defense Forces Special as some people are now calling it. This show is here to demonstrate how someone with a six point five CAP or higher will select his companions. We have been told that this is actually more organized than most...
My fears for my father's reaction proved to have understated just how mad he would be. The man destroyed every wedding picture he got his hands on and ripped all of my mother's clothing to shreds that night after Mrs. Roberts brought Matti and me home. Ashley did whisper to me that she had left her phone number with Lenore. The sad woman had tried her best to do a great job as a waitress while the group of us ate in stunned silence. We heard nothing from her for the rest of the week, and...
Jason was holding up his CAP card. Leticia exploded out of her chair with a loud cry of pure joy. She tackled Jason. They fell to the floor as the young woman covered his face with kisses. Ashley looked down at the couple. She kicked playfully at her brother's leg. "You scared us!" "I scared myself," Jason admitted. "Even knowing that I should score well, I was stunned by how often I couldn't answer one of the questions quickly. And the scenes I had to move through. You ever try to...
The rest of that first week of school quickly established a number of patterns. It started that night when Jason and Letty arrived home just after eight. Both were smiling. Neither one was willing to fully explain what had occurred over the dinner they had with Jana, however, the conversation that evening was interesting. It started when Jason knocked on the door at the top of the basement stairs. Ashley, Lenore, Angelique and I were downstairs playing a game of Chutes and Ladders. I had...
Some twenty-six days later, I was sitting in the captain’s chair as Blaine counted down the time until we emerged in the Yulara system. The intervening four weeks had been spent traveling from system to system and scanning the ones we entered. The good news was that the time involved had allowed Ensign Daniels and his men to tear apart every controls station and rebuild it. They had found few additional problems, but the work allowed them to optimize and personalize everything. The men...
Blaine just shook his head as we stepped into the first airlock chamber. We said nothing as the series of doors opened and closed allowing us to step through. When we finally emerged Blaine immediately raced off for the teleport pad. I stood waiting for the airlock door to close. “AI, Corsica is ready for repair. Am I correct that I have to be the first one to board when leaves are over?” “Correct,” the AI said. “Just confirming,” I said. I turned to follow the route Blaine had taken. I...
My weekend passed quickly. Not from a time perspective, but from a feeling that I never was able to give Ashley, Lenore, Angelique, Kelsey and my friends all the attention and time they deserved. A huge part of me was feeling a bit frustrated when we returned to school on Monday for Homecoming week. We had heard that the freshman were going to have a float for the homecoming parade and game on Friday, but Jessica and I had been unable to find out who was organizing the efforts. Jason...
The incident with Hillary left everyone a bit skittish for the rest of the trip. Sunday we packed the vans early and headed for home. Lenore was a bit worried that I would blame Angelique for some reason. I kept telling her that it seemed more a case of bad timing and a desperate woman. The others seemed to feed off of my indifference. The initial drive back to the hotel had been tense as everyone in the van looked over their shoulders. I had taken the front passenger seat, but made sure to...
By some miracle there were no bodies on the ground when the field vanished, and the crowd dispersed. Even the boy who had attacked me managed to crawl away to receive medical attention. There still was plenty of emotional trauma. Several young men ran out of the restaurant with tears pouring down their faces. Mall security stopped several of the men. Most were shirtless and two were carrying a collection of women's clothing. It soon became clear that the boys had lost girlfriends to the...
Football practice started two weeks before the first day of school. For the next two weeks Jason and I got up early each day and were driven to school. We would spend hours under the late summer sun following the orders of coaches who seemed determined to drill us into exhaustion. Jason and I spent the first three days involved in a number of drills that were clearly designed to allow the coaches to see what skills we had. They soon had both of us working primarily on offense. Jason was...
Captain Prescott was wearing the form fitting ship suit that the AI provided whenever someone asked for a uniform. However, I noticed almost immediately that he or someone in his command had modified the look. The shirt had red shoulder pads. There was a visible bar or what appeared to be gold thread across the shoulder pads. On his head was a rather elaborate hat that would have looked perfect in a movie about Horatio Nelson. He looked commanding while at the same time I had to fight not to...
Constance eventually left my arms. Miki was next to hold onto me. My little Japanese beauty had been the quietest over the past few hours. This did not change once I was holding her as she just clung to me and shivered. I just stroked her back and looked at the others as the pod continued to fall through the atmosphere. No one seemed interested in talking so we listened to a faint howl as we waited. Finally the motion stopped. It happened so suddenly that the silence accompanying it shocked...
Ashley jumped behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders. I reached up with my right hand to stroke her right arm. "Ashley, I don't think that's helping," I said. Ashley's mother glared at me, but quickly turned to concentrate on her daughter. "Ash, why are you hiding behind Mark? You came here to get tested. I'm not going to punish you for your score." "I agreed to have Mark take me," Ashley said. "My score isn't good enough, but his is." "What?" Beatrice squawked....
The next person to show up was Robert Bruce. He swept in wearing a set of fatigues. The only thing missing was a gun slung over his shoulder. Crystal dashed in after him. "Robert, please you don't have to be a jerk to every man you meet," she pleaded. "I won't be," he said with a growl. "But just because the law says you are a concubine doesn't mean that I have to accept offers to trade you for a night. I'm still not happy that we have to have Darla." "Robert, you are a great...
I did give Ashley a few minutes of attention once we returned to our home. Her prediction that we would be having an orgy proved to be correct. I woke up with all six ladies draped over my naked body. It took a few minutes and a bit of effort to lift their bodies enough to allow me to slide out from under them and make my way to the small shower in the back of the room. I was carefully washing off the remnants of our play when Miki stumbled into the shower. She put her arms around me and...
I had planned on going to be shortly after returning to the pod. However, the welcome I received turned into an orgy and strange form of reverse train. After I had fucked each of my ladies one time, they coaxed me to lie on my back so they could ride me more. A huge part of me knew that if I ever complained about my welcome, my entire crew would look to lynch me. At the same time my ladies drained me completely, finally just covering me with a blanket as I lay on the couch. I curled up and...
The varsity game ended in a huge loss for the upperclassmen. The crowd actually started to get uneasy with half of the fourth quarter still to play. Several recent graduates and parents started shouting at the players, cursing them for their poor play. It got bad enough that the faculty advisor for the cheerleaders sent them away from the field with two minutes left in the game. The exodus of the cheerleaders signaled to Morgan that it was time for our group to make its way out of the...
Jason lived up to his promise in the second half. He not only recorded two more sacks, but on the last one, stripped the football and then managed to recover the bouncing ball and run it in for a touchdown. Everyone on the defense was patting his helmet when he walked over to the sideline still carrying the football. "Take it easy," Coach Grisham told him. "There are only two minutes left in the game. We'll let the backups play." I walked over to the benches. Jason followed me. He...
My thoughts after the pickup proved true. Ashley and Lenore rarely let me leave their sight during the days leading up to the New Year. Jason and Jessica had the same issue. A simple plan to go for a run in the park quickly became an organized march as their companions demanded to go with them. Becky was the worst. She clung to Morgan. Beatrice had called their employer and tried to explain the issues, but was not sure she was successful. She succeeded in getting Becky a week off without...
I stood up and walked toward the door, leaving my unfinished drawing on the easel. Jessica gave a cry of annoyance, as I walked away. I heard her easel crash to the floor behind me as I left the building. Outside, I walked a few feet from the door and then turned around. A couple minutes later Jessica stormed out of the classroom. She walked right up to me and slapped me across the face. "How can you embarrass me like that!" she hissed. I said nothing. Instead I pointed to a bench set far...
I held Ashley close. There was a musical chime coming from the backpack at her feet. She giggled and looked down at it. "Mark, that's my cell phone. Can you grab my bag?" I shifted to the left so I could use my left hand to reach the bag. My right hand Ashley held pinned against her pussy. She was rocking gently against my hand as I picked up her bag and lifted it to the table. Once it was on the table Ashley dug through a side pocket to find her phone. "It's Mom!" she exclaimed as...
It must have been only a moment, but I came awake with my arms wrapped around Ashley. She was lying there senseless. I pushed my body off hers and rolled to the side. Once we were lying next to each other, I began offering loving kisses. "Will it always be like that?" Ashley asked with a sigh. "I wish it will be," I replied as I held her. "That was just about perfect." "I know," Ashley said as she put her arms around me and squeezed me. "I never expected that." "I love you," I...
Fortunately, the rest of the protest was rather peaceful. My brother stopped the few anarchists who had shown up hoping to use the protest as cover for some robbery attempts. Jason, Ashley, and I found that someone had already warned people on the route of the march. Buildings were closed, and many had placed boards over their windows to protect them. The three-mile march proved to be no more strenuous than a weekend jog. Jason was the first to notice that the marchers were having trouble...
The next two hours were a blur of exercise and pain. Sergeant O'Malley never broke a sweat as he first had everyone run around the clearing while he promised to train us to fight and then he proceeded to show us a series of dirty tricks and holds we could use to disable an opponent. When Jessica, Jason, Morgan and I were too tired to continue, he had us lay down while he took the ladies around and showed them how to break free from any hold a person might try. It was exhausting, but at the...
I was a bit worried about being late so I immediately started jogging. I was passing the next door when I heard Morgan shout. “Hey! Mark, what’s the hurry?” I turned back to see Morgan jogging down the corridor. I choked back a laugh as I shook my head and slowed down until he caught up. “I figure being late sets a bad example,” I replied. “And this matters to you,” Morgan said with a nod. “Do you want to wait for Jason and Jessica?” “They know to get to a meeting on time,” I said. “I...
The walk across the dark landscape took a few minutes longer than I had hoped, but it was only three forty-nine when we arrived at the administration building. The door opened up and we found ourselves looking at a small room with several doors and a large purple circle marking a gravity elevator. “Wow,” Ashley said as we entered. “Lots of space.” “Which way to the teleportal?” I asked. “Use the first door on the left,” the AI said. “Concubines must wait for their citizen or another...
Becky picked up most of us. Matilda and Kelsey were riding home with us for the first time all week. Becky noticed as they jumped into the minivan. "I have extra passengers," she said. "I'm glad I didn't bring Angelique. She wanted to come" "Awww," Kelsey and Matilda said in unison. "We wanted to see her." "I haven't gotten to play with her all week," Kelsey added. "You choose to go home with Jessica," Jason pointed out. "Well," Kelsey said. "I don't go home with...
I muted my cell phone. "Everyone is fine with this correct?" I asked. Letty giggled. "It sounds like you'll have fun. I'll stay out for the most part. I'm Jason's sex slave and should be seen naked and at his feet." Ashley laughed. "Oh, that's so wrong its right. I agree though. Mark, it should be mostly you with Jason, Jessica, and Morgan offering the most support. We already know it will probably be about you." "This song is not about me," I said firmly. "I never thought...
By the time the hour instruction was complete I think most of the people in the room had fallen asleep. I had followed along for a while and then found that the desk allowed me to zoom in even more on sections as the AI discussed them. The one thing I quickly noticed was that the ship was designed to not need a crew. Just about everything could be handled by the computer. Only the combat tasks like firing the weapons or making emergency changes to engine output would require human...
I had announced that the crew needed to show up at ten hundred hours. As was my usual pattern I walked into the bridge simulator thirty minutes before then. For once I was alone, as all of my ladies were still sleeping. The orgy that Lenore had demanded had run far past midnight. I was still a bit sleepy, but the content smiles on my slumbering concubines warmed my heart as I took my seat and powered up the displays. The displays were flickering into life when the doors opened up behind me....
Captain Prescott sighed as the two ensigns left. He waited until we could no longer hear their footsteps in the lobby of the administration building before turning to look directly at me. “I’m sorry.” I shrugged. “I understood why you reacted the way you did. I can see the pain in your eye when you remember how many members of your crew died in the last fight. Honor them by being a better commander in the future.” “Easy to say, but its going to be hard. I’m praying we find some good crew on...
My prediction that the next day would be hectic was proved earlier than I expected. A klaxon ringing in the bedroom woke me up. It felt like my head had just touched my pillow as the loud racous noise got all of my concubines to sit up. “What is that?” Constance complained. “AI? What is going on?” I asked. “A small fight has broken out in training room Sigma. The klaxon was being used to awaken all officers and senior enlisted,” The AI said calmly. “Were any of my crew involved in this...
I let everyone know about the reappearance of my brother. No one was very worried about him. Mike had proved to be a coward. The only worry was that he might try to catch one of the girls alone. Morgan used some contacts he had through his construction work and a week later gave everyone in our group pepper spray canisters. School continued. The teachers were increasingly distracted though, and the lessons suffered. Some of the teachers spent most of their time trying to chat up the students...
We loaded the suitcases onto the bus quickly. Once the bus was full, I informed the driver that we were going to head to breakfast. He said that he would park around the corner. Maurice, Jason, and I headed over to the restaurant. We arrived at the entrance and found that the rest of our group had already been seated. The hostess agreed to lead us to the private room where everyone was. I lagged behind the others as the hostess led us through the restaurant. Several of the patrons looked at...
We found the ramp and began making our way up the spiral. Ashley had her phone to her ear. "Yes, I know about it. I was filming ... No, I didn't put my video on YouTube." "Sooner," Lenore and I said in unison. "Look, we're trying to get to our seats," Ashley said. "No one here is hurt or anything." "No one?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder. Lenore giggled. "Morgan told us about how this security company has been known to try to shake down some of the luxury box ticket...
The next morning, I found myself wrapped up on my now unzipped sleeping bag with a young girl hanging on each side of me. I was dressed in boxers for sleep while my sister and her best friend had found long t-shirts they used to cover their bodies. They each had a hand on my chest and my hands were resting on their hips as we cuddled under a blanket. Absently I gave each of them a few tender rubs before I sat up and turned the alarm off. Kelsey shifted and growled in annoyance, but neither...
The rest of the day at school passed quickly. Jason and I sat with Julio and Walter at lunch. Jason spent most of the time trying to cheer up Walter. I said little, but did discover that Julio and Walter were going to attend a one-day seminar that was reported to help young men improve their scores. Both had scheduled tests for the upcoming Tuesday afternoon. Jason and I both offered to walk with them to the training center. Jessica did stop by during lunch. She teased Julio a bit. Her...
It was about nine when I finished my studying for the night. I was preparing a list of food items that could be hidden in the tree house when my father came home. He was shouting about untrustworthy politicians and corrupt bureaucrats. It was clear that the conference call had not provided the results he and his friends had hoped for. I went to sleep listening to him rant at Mother. The next morning Father was sitting at the breakfast table when I came down after my shower. He glared at me...
My three morning classes were quiet. The teachers seemed a bit distracted, and the students just wanted to whisper about the President's announcement. Most students were speculating on the special show to be on television in two weeks. No one seemed to have a clear idea of what to expect. I stayed silent as the others continued to gossip. It was not due to a lack of interest in the possibilities. My issue was that I wanted to have facts rather than rumor, and other than Jessica, there was...
The ground under the treehouse was hard and my right ankle protested the abrupt landing. I fell forward, putting my hands on the dirt, and dropping the bag containing the washcloths. A small cloud of dust billowed up. I inhaled some of the dirt and started coughing. Above me I could hear Ashley laughing. She waited for me to stop coughing and then shouted. "I'll take stupid human tricks for fifty." "It was fun!" I protested as I stood up and began brushing dirt from my shirt and...