124 SARAH AND THE SILVER MASTER PART 4
- 2 years ago
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The orbital barrage was ferocious, explosions lighting up the sky as batteries of Quantum Flux Cannons pounded the surface of Arcadia. John and the girls could feel the vibrations through their feet, each massive blast sending tremors rippling outwards that reached the Invictus dozens of kilometres away.
“Holy fuck...” Dana muttered leaning against the window and watching the terrifying demonstration of a dreadnought’s phenomenal firepower.
Calara turned to look at John and said in a hushed voice, “If Larn’kelnar had decided to just kill us instead of taking you prisoner, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
He nodded, his expression grim as he watched the relentless barrage, certain that Rahn’hagon’s wrecked ship was on the receiving end. “We’re going to have to take steps to make sure we never allow ourselves to be ambushed like that again.”
“It’s pretty convincing proof that the black ships can’t detect each other,” Alyssa said, staring at the Progenitor’s onslaught. “If that bastard could see us, I’m sure we’d know all about it.”
Rachel touched Sakura’s arm and said softly, “Thank god you came up with that idea to hide the Invictus.”
John glanced at the Asian girl and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “She’s absolutely right. We’d be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”
Sakura blushed at their heartfelt praise and gave him a self-conscious smile. “I’m just glad I was able to help. Considering how much the rest of the team contributes, I sometimes feel like a bit of a fifth wheel around here.”
“You should never feel that way,” John said firmly, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve proved yourself time and again in combat, and all the time I’ve spent training with you has been invaluable. Besides, whenever you do offer suggestions or advice, it’s always insightful.”
She smiled at him gratefully, then glanced out the window at the staccato purple flashes lighting up the horizon. “In that case, do you want to hear another idea?”
He nodded, looking at her with interest. “Of course ... always.”
Sakura stared at the roiling clouds high above Arcadia’s lush jungle. “While that Progenitor is focused on your father’s ship, we should strike!”
John blinked in surprise. “What?!”
Turning to face him, her dark-brown eyes glinted with fierce intensity. “The Progenitor shuttle is stealth capable; we could send an infiltration team to board that dreadnought. This time we’d be geared up and ready for combat ... he’d never see it coming. We could take them all out in a devastating surprise assault.”
“That’s inspired!” Irillith gasped, her violet eyes sparkling with excitement. “John ... we could slaughter the crew, kill another Progenitor, and seize his ship!”
Tashana smiled with anticipation, tendrils of fire flickering around her fingertips. “I’m ready ... just say the word.”
“Whoa, hold on!” John exclaimed, holding up his hands. “We can’t just rush off half-cocked into battle. We were only able to get into Larn’kelnar’s ship last time because he opened up a hangar to capture me.” He turned to look at Irillith. “If we were actually able to reach the dreadnought undetected, are you confident you could hack through a Progenitor’s network defences?”
The Maliri faltered, her expression wavering with sudden doubt. “I’m not sure ... I haven’t had a chance to practice against the sentinels yet.”
“Which means we’d probably have to break in by force. There’s a few ways we could tear a hole through the hull, but we’d instantly lose the element of surprise if we tried any of them.” He looked around at the girls who were watching him intently. “Geared up thralls will pose a threat, although I’m sure we can handle them, but an alert and combat-ready Progenitor is something else entirely.”
“I’m much better at collapsing hex-shields now,” Alyssa reminded him. “It wouldn’t be a drawn-out battle of attrition like last time.”
John nodded, his gaze sweeping over the girls. “I know ... and we all learned a hell of a lot during the battle with Larn’kelnar, but we’re still overlooking something important. I hate my guide, but I can’t ignore how much he helped us in that fight; without him, I never would’ve been able to maintain my shields against all those psychic attacks.” He grimaced as he continued, “Until I confront my guide and get rid of him permanently, my psychic strength is only a fraction of what it could be.”
“It was a bad idea,” Sakura said, giving him a rueful frown. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t apologise. Irillith was right, it was an inspired suggestion,” he said, looking into her eyes. “With just a few more weeks to prepare, I wouldn’t hesitate to launch that kind of surprise boarding action. We’re definitely going to need that kind of bold, decisive thinking in the future ... but not quite yet, okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
“John?” Jade murmured quietly, stroking his arm to get his attention. “The explosions have stopped...”
He looked out across the sea of foliage covering Arcadia’s surface and saw that the Nymph was right; the orbital bombardment appeared to have ended. The flashes of light and vibrations through the deck had all ceased, but far in the distance, he could see thick clouds of black smoke rising into the sky.
“Ah, shit!” Dana cursed, scowling with anger. “We had to leave behind the Progenitor Shield Generators and that bastard just nuked them!”
“We stripped everything else of value though,” Calara reminded her. “And what we did take was priceless.”
Alyssa turned away from the window, her cerulean eyes drawn inexorably to John. “What are we going to do now?”
He stood silently for a long moment, staring at the billowing smoke. “This doesn’t really change much; our highest priority is still to repair the Invictus. We also need to look for the missing maintenance bots ... but I think we should keep our heads down and postpone the search until we’re sure it’s safe.”
“Do you think Xar’aziuth sent this Progenitor here to hunt down whoever killed Larn’kelnar?” Tashana asked, staring at the horizon.
“I think that’s exactly what happened,” John agreed, mulling over the possibilities. “When the Progenitor didn’t find any sign of a hostile ship, he probably ordered a surface scan of Arcadia and found Rahn’hagon’s crash site. Considering what these Progenitors are like, I’m sure he blasted the wreck in a fit of anger at not finding Larn’kelnar’s killer.”
“How long do you think he’ll stay in orbit?” the Maliri asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she glanced skyward.
John turned to face Dana. “It takes 12 hours to recharge the Wormhole Generator?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
John thought about that for a second, then said decisively, “I expect he’ll be long gone by tomorrow. I doubt it’s even occurred to him that there might be another ship hiding down here on Arcadia’s surface. I just can’t see a Progenitor lurking around a deserted planet in the middle of nowhere on the off-chance that someone will turn up.”
“Larn’kelnar did,” the redhead reminded him.
“True, but he also spent the last eight months sneaking around this part of space, refusing to return to the Larathyran Empire. I don’t think it was a coincidence that we ran into Larn’kelnar. He seemed to be expecting me to arrive here and ambushed me because he was tired of playing games.”
“I think you’re right,” Tashana said, facing John again. “The last three Progenitors that were sent to this part of space have all gone missing; it would make sense to keep this one on a very short leash.”
“Especially as he knows you’re around and causing trouble,” Calara said, nodding her agreement. “A quick reconnaissance would be a sensible course of action. I’m sure Xar’aziuth is curious to find out what happened to Larn’kelnar.”
“How did this guy know to come to Arcadia anyway?” Dana asked in confusion. “I thought the Shroud was supposed to hide everything?”
John shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know ... but Rahn’hagon was convinced that staying around here was dangerous.”
“We created a hell of a lot of psychic noise in the battle with Larn’kelnar,” Alyssa said, her expression grim. “Don’t forget that he drained the life out of every thrall he had ... and if Xar’aziuth fed off that massacre, it might have led him straight to us.”
“That makes sense, but we’ve got no real way of verifying it for now,” John said, after considering her suggestion for a moment. He glanced at the plume of black smoke, then looked around at the girls. “It looks like the excitement is over with for now, so let’s get started on the repairs. I think this attack proves that we need to get away from here and back to Genthalas as quickly as possible.”
Rachel caught his eye and when John nodded, she picked up the remote from the dining table and pressed a couple of buttons. A holographic projection appeared above the table, showing an exhaustive list of all the tasks they needed to complete to get the Invictus spaceworthy again.
“There’s so much to do...” Calara murmured, her eyes widening as she glanced through the list.
“It’s actually far less complex than the refit where we lengthened the Invictus,” Rachel explained, pressing another button and adding a bright palette of colours to the tasks. “Reconnecting power couplings across the severed section will be relatively quick and simple, it’s checking the hull integrity and internal systems for impact damage that’ll be time consuming.”
Jade smiled and put her arms around Marika and Neysa. “Well, we’ve got lots of eager new engineering assistants ready to help out.”
“Excellent,” the brunette said, giving them a grateful smile. “We could really use their help.”
“I’ll contact Little One and ask her to join us,” Irillith said, striding towards the door. “The maintenance bots will be invaluable for this kind of work.”
The door slid open before she arrived and Little One rolled into the room on metallic tracks. “The InvictusNodeCollective will be glad to assist.”
Irillith smiled at the cleaning robot. “Were you eavesdropping?”
“I was following the conventions established by Meta_Faye,” the automation replied, looking at the Maliri quizzically. “Is constant monitoring of all activity aboard the Invictus unacceptable?”
Before Irillith could reply, John squatted down beside the small robot. “No, that’s alright; I’m sure you’re just as worried about fixing the ship as we are. I’m sorry we didn’t ask you to join us before we started the briefing ... this is your home as much as it is ours.”
The robot studied him for a long moment, then reached out to touch his hand. “Please accept the Collective’s gratitude for that acknowledgement.”
He gave her a warm smile. “You’re welcome.” Pivoting, he glanced up at the task list. “Rachel put together a plan with everything we need to get done. We could definitely use your help.”
“We are fully aware of what is required to repair the Invictus,” Little One replied, tilting her head as she looked at the holographic plan. “The Collective reviewed Rachel’s plan yesterday and commenced operations last night while you were asleep.”
The three-dimensional image then expanded and task after task were struck through, indicating that they were completed. The maintenance bots had already conducted a thorough inspection of the entire data network, having reconnected the fibre cabling that had been severed in Larn’kelnar’s ambush. It appeared that they were currently in the process of examining the many kilometres of power cabling to check for any damage in the crash.
“Damn...” Dana murmured in admiration. “You guys are kicking ass!”
Rachel looked delighted and beamed at John. “They’ve already saved us at least a day’s work!”
“Thank you,” John said gratefully to the diminutive robot.
“The Invictus is our home,” Little One replied. “It is ... distressing ... to see it in this condition.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” he agreed, surprised by the sense of camaraderie he felt towards the synthetic creature.
The assembled members of High Command sat in stunned silence, staring in horror at the Brimorian border highlighted on the Empire Map.
“They could be here in two days!” Admiral Caldwell exclaimed, clutching the armrests of his chair in a death grip.
“Vice Admiral Dacres reported that the Brimorians were holding position in the Callopean Shoals when he retreated from the border at 3:09 am this morning,” Fleet Admiral Devereux replied, her expression bleak. “In a worst case scenario, if the Enclave forces launched their invasion immediately after his departure, they’ll reach Olympus in 36 hours.”
“36 hours...” Connor Malone muttered, sharing a pensive glance with his wife. “Most of our fleets are still severely damaged after the Kintark invasion. If the Brimorians attack in strength, we’re finished.”
Aeri Malone clasped his hand, then turned to look towards the Fleet Admiral standing behind a lectern. “What about defensive preparations? We could use minefields and hyper-warp inhibitors to wear them down and slow their advance.”
Lynette raised her hands in a calming manner and replied, “I issued orders for minelayer squadrons to move into position, but I don’t want to mine the hyper-lanes into the Core Worlds until an invasion has been confirmed and we have an idea which direction they’ll be approaching from. The Advanced fleet is considerably faster than the Brimorians and Dacres is currently holding position at the closest Comms Beacon to the border. If he sees any sign of an Enclave invasion force, he’ll notify us immediately. Meanwhile, all operational ships are being assembled into fleets to defend Olympus.”
“We’re going to let the Brimorians fly unopposed to the Core Worlds?” Caldwell asked in surprise.
“We don’t have a choice,” Lynette said, her mouth set in a grim frown of resignation. “With Morgan’s fleet annihilated and Kester’s fleet missing, we need to preserve every ship we’ve got. Our best chance is to engage the Brimorians from a fortified defensive position.”
The comms interface chimed from the lectern, the sharp sound signifying a high-priority communication. Lynette answered the call, then smiled with relief as a familiar face appeared on the holo-screen. “Thank god you’re alive! What happened?!”
Admiral Kester gave her a weary smile. “The sharks were circling last night ... fortunately I had a bigger boat.”
Caldwell looked at him in frustration. “This isn’t the time to be a smartass, Kester.”
Lynette shook her head reprovingly at the surly admiral. “Edwin ... he’s obviously been up all night.” She turned to look at Kester again, a look of sympathy on her face. “Just tell us what happened, Anthony.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Pretty much what I just said. At approximately 1:30 am this morning, we spotted a Brimorian fleet inside Terran territory. They were obviously waiting to spring a trap, so I set course for Enclave Space.”
“You invaded Brimorian territory?” Lynette asked in surprise.
“To get them riled up ... and it worked,” he replied with a shrug. “They chased after us, avoiding what must have been a minefield they’d prepared. When they got close, I let them think we were turning back and making a run for the Terran border, so they charged after us and intercepted my fleet. We were ready for them and started picking off their cruisers as soon as they dropped out of hyper-warp ... then I ordered all my biggest capital ships to ram theirs.”
“You rammed them?!” Caldwell blurted out, gaping at Kester incredulously.
“Sure. The Brimorians might have powerful shields, but they’re useless against collision damage. Whoever was in command of that fleet must’ve looked a lot like you do right now, Caldwell; they never saw it coming. We smashed all their battleships, then shot up the rest of the fleet. After we captured the survivors, we headed back to T-Fed territory ... but the Comms Beacons were compromised and I couldn’t send a warning. We’ve been sailing Coreward all night so that I could get through to you.”
“Outstanding work, Admiral,” Lynette said with a warm smile of admiration. “What’s the current status of your fleet?”
“Casualties were relatively light. Six of my cruisers were crippled in the initial firefight, so we scuttled them to prevent them falling into Brimorian hands. The Heimdall and all my battleships took moderate hull damage from the rams, but weapon systems are still fully operational.”
Lynette stopped to think how to proceed for a moment. “I want you to return to Olympus for repairs.”
“Are you sure?” he asked in surprise. “That would leave the Taxarran Straits undefended.”
“The Brimorians hit the Callopean Shoals in strength last night,” she explained sombrely. “Admiral Morgan was killed in action and his fleet wiped out to a ship.”
Kester stared at her in shock. “Morgan’s dead? Damn...”
She nodded slowly. “The Brimorians fired on escape pods ... we only recovered one survivor.”
“Those vindictive bastards...” he said, shaking his head in disgust. “Looks like I had a very lucky escape.”
“Luck didn’t have anything to do with it, Admiral,” she replied, looking at him with respect. “Bring your fleet home ... we’re massing our forces at Olympus in case the Brimorians do invade.”
Kester saluted her. “Will do, Fleet Admiral.”
Lynette ended the call, then let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for that. I was worried we’d lost Kester and his fleet as well.”
“Are you sure it’s wise recalling him to Olympus?” Admiral Zelig asked, sounding pensive. “Leaving the border undefended could expose the closest colonies to Brimorian raids.”
She shook her head. “Local system defences should be able to handle anything up to a cruiser squadron. As long as the Brimorians don’t reconnaissance in force, they should be safe enough.”
Caldwell looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You’re taking this disaster very calmly, Lynette.”
“Would you prefer it if I fell to pieces and started panicking like Buckingham?” she asked, meeting his suspicious gaze.
“Of course not ... but you heard Kester; the Comms Beacons have been compromised. Dacres reported the same thing, which evidently means the Sensor Grid security has been violated too. It seems painfully obvious that we’re dealing with another traitor.”
“I agree ... it definitely looks that way, but I don’t want to start a witch hunt until we’ve gathered more evidence of what actually happened in the Callopean Shoals,” Lynette said, her tone reasonable. “I certainly don’t suspect anyone here in High Command of conspiring with the Brimorians.”
The tension eased in the auditorium, the assembled admirals relaxing and looking visibly relieved.
She gave them a reassuring smile. “From everything we’ve seen so far, I suspect this is just a limited skirmish. The fact that the Brimorian fleets are holding position makes me think this was simply the Enclave reclaiming lost territory. They could have invaded ... but they didn’t. They could have attacked Dacres fleet while he searched for survivors ... but they stayed within the boundaries of the Callopean Shoals.”
“Surely we’re not going to just let the Enclave get away with what they’ve done?” Caldwell asked, looking at her incredulously.
“Whatever gave you that impression?” Lynette asked, her eyes turning cold and hard. “We’re going to repair and upgrade our fleets, then the Enclave will rue the day they slaughtered our people.”
“What does the Lion have to say about all this?” Lina Van Den Broeck asked, her green eyes showing a flicker of worry. “Is the Invictus still on the Kirrix border, or is he returning to the Core Worlds?”
“Admiral Blake will be indisposed for the foreseeable future,” Lynette quietly replied. “This isn’t to leave the room, but it’s unlikely he’ll be returning to Terran Space for at least a month.”
She could hear the anxious mutterings at that announcement, as the admirals realised that they really were on their own should the Brimorians escalate the conflict.
Taking a deep breath, Lynette said, “That’s all the information I have for you at the moment, but I promise I’ll keep High Command informed of any further developments. For now, I’m going to prepare a public statement and inform the citizenry that we came under attack last night from the Brimorians, but that the fighting was confined to the Callopean Shoals.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Caldwell asked, looking at her with concern. “An announcement like that could start a wave of panic across the border worlds.”
“I want to continue my policy of honesty and transparency,” Lynette replied, her tone firm and uncompromising. “Keeping civilian traffic away from any potential invasion corridor would be a prudent move regardless, but I’ll do my best to reassure the colonies that they’re not in any immediate danger.”
From his terse expression, Caldwell obviously disagreed, but he decided not to press the matter.
Lynette glanced around the room. “Unless anyone has anything else that they wish to discuss, I suggest we reconvene later today to review the state of our forces. In the meeting yesterday, I requested that you verify the status of the fleets stationed at Olympus ... please have that information ready for this afternoon.”
Her request was met with nods, then Charles cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’ve accelerated the conversion of the shipyard’s civilian hangars into those assigned to the military, primarily focusing on expanding the drydock. With the number of privately contracted engineers now stationed on Olympus, we should be able to restore a significant number of lightly-damaged vessels to full combat readiness in the next 36 hours.”
Admiral Cartwright snorted and shook his head. “I imagine Henry Voss will be rubbing his hands together with glee. How much is he gouging us for that privilege?”
“Actually, the Voss Corporation has been offering their assistance with repairs at cost,” Charles replied with a wry smile. “It seems Mr. Voss has developed a remarkable sense of civic duty of late.”
The older admiral gave him a shrewd look, but chose not to comment further.
Lynette stepped away from the lectern. “Alright everyone, you’re dismissed. We’ll continue this meeting at 1400 hours.”
As the admirals rose from their seats and began to leave the room, Lina walked over to Admiral Harris, an uncharacteristic tension to her attractive features. “Have you had breakfast yet, Charles? I wondered if you wanted to meet for brunch instead?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t, Lina. I have a prior engagement. Before you start teasing me ... I’m not referring to another woman; one fiancée is quite enough!”
She frowned and looked unsettled, not reacting to his light-hearted joke. “Can you postpone it?”
“I’m afraid not. I need to discuss defensive upgrades for Olympus with Vice Admiral Ming, and considering the circumstances, postponing it wouldn’t be wise.” He paused, surprised by the startling difference in her demeanour. “Are you alright, Lina?”
“I’m fine,” she said quietly. “I’ll see you at twelve ... in the Galleria?”
“I’ll be there,” he agreed, finding her complete lack of flirtation quite disconcerting. Charles watched her leave, the confident strut also curiously absent as she walked away.
Lynette strode over to join him, appearing equally distracted. “I’m meeting with Jehanna now to discuss the public broadcast, but I’m also expecting a very important call. I probably won’t see you until this afternoon.”
“I hope it goes well,” Charles said, restricting himself to giving her a reassuring pat on the arm, to avoid disrupting his fiancée’s holo-disguise. He hesitated, then leaned closer to add in a hushed voice, “Are you sure about ... being honest with Lina?”
She checked there was no one nearby, then caressed his cheek, her fingers incredibly soft and smooth despite their aged appearance.”I trust your judgement, Charles. I’ll leave that decision in your very capable hands.”
“Okay,” he murmured, feeling a little daunted at the prospect.
Lynette waved goodbye, then turned on her heel and strode out of the auditorium, leaving him alone in the oval room. Charles activated the holo-interface on his watch, then scrolled through the morning’s messages. There were four more from Henry Voss, which he’d missed due to the late High Command meeting the previous evening. Swiping his finger across the interface to return the call, he watched the Voss logo appear, the image of Terra slowly rotating as he waited.
Just as he was about to give up, the call went through and a beautiful young woman answered, her long raven hair looking dishevelled. “Yes?!” she panted, before blushing. “I-I mean ... This is Henry Voss’ personal assistant; how may I help you?”
“Good morning,” Charles replied, watching with amusement as she shifted position and accidentally revealed that she was wrapped in a bed sheet. “My name’s Admiral Charles Harris ... I believe Henry Voss has been trying to reach me?”
“Let me speak to him, Abigail!” Henry called out from behind the black-haired beauty. His pensive face suddenly loomed in front of the holo-camera. “Why did you take so long to call me back, Charles? We need to talk!”
“I did leave a message,” Charles replied, his moustache twitching indignantly. “What’s so important?”
“Not over an open comms channel,” Henry said, shaking his head. “Can you meet me in my office ... in 30 minutes?”
Charles raised an eyebrow at the cloak and dagger theatrics. “Alright, Henry ... I’ll see you there.”
Jehanna was waiting outside Lynette’s quarters and greeted her with a strained smile. “I heard what happened.”
Lynette darted a furtive glance at the security guards standing on duty further down the corridor, then acknowledged her friend with a grim nod. The DNA reader flashed green and she removed her hand from the scanner as the door opened, then gestured for TFNN’s star reporter to enter her quarters.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Lynette deactivated her disguise and took off her hat. “Informing High Command went smoother than I was expecting, but trying to find just the right balance between quiet confidence and being blasé about the risk was a nightmare. Caldwell even picked up on the fact that I seemed unnaturally calm, but I think I managed to deflect him.”
“Are you sure an alliance with Edraele will stop all further Brimorian attacks?” Jehanna asked with concern as they walked through to the lounge.
Letting out a quiet laugh, Lynette flopped down on the sofa. “Well I know I’d never dream of antagonising the Maliri. The Brimorians might be evasive and treacherous, but they aren’t stupid.”
The reporter nodded thoughtfully. “Have you considered delaying the announcement about the Brimorian attack until an alliance with the Maliri has been ratified? If you do, we’ll be able to put a far more positive spin on the disaster in the Callopean Shoals. We could shift the focus to your extensive diplomacy efforts in the aftermath of the Battle of Terra; that lessons were learned and you sought new allies, thereby peacefully preventing another alien invasion just in the nick of time.”
“That’s very clever,” Lynette murmured, impressed by the astute young woman’s intuitive grasp of public relations. Her expression shadowed with regret, as she continued, “But it makes me seem far more pro-active than I actually have been for the last couple of weeks. I never even thought about the possibility of establishing an alliance with the Maliri.”
Jehanna reached out to give her hand a sympathetic squeeze. “You’re much too hard on yourself, Lynette. Don’t forget that for the first week, you were recovering from a gunshot wound, then you’ve been adjusting to going through the Change. Despite all that, you managed to get rid of the bad apples from the Admiralty, reformed Federation policy, and accelerated preparations for a Progenitor war.”
She’s right, Alyssa said quietly. And you mustn’t blame yourself for not reaching out to the Maliri. They’ve had a long history of reclusiveness and a formal alliance was something we should have suggested to you while we were on Olympus. Unfortunately, we’ve all had a lot on our plates too.
“You’re doing an incredible job, Lynette,” Jehanna said, with a supportive smile. “I’m sure John’s very proud of you.”
We all are, Alyssa quickly agreed, sending a soothing telepathic caress through the Fleet Admiral’s mind. You’ve made a huge difference to the Terran Federation already; no one could’ve done better.
Jehanna opened her arms to Lynette, who gratefully accepted her affectionate embrace.
“I’m so glad you’re here...” Lynette murmured. “Both of you.”
You’re not alone now, Lynette, Alyssa whispered. We’re all here to support you however we can.
The dusky-hued reporter gave her older companion a kiss on the cheek. “Speaking of which, how did everything go with Charles this morning? Alyssa said you two had a fight.”
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On a Sunday, three weeks-minus a day-before their wedding, Warren and Sophia found themselves at the parking lot of the Oceanview Mall. They were here to meet Tom Bellamy. Tom was staying at the Kellehers' for the week that Warren and Sophia were going to be choreographing for him. Warren had told him, "The mall's a lot easier to find than my parents' house. So, we'll meet you there and lead you in." Tom had driven up from New York. When they got to the Kellehers', Warren and...
Emma stepped forward first. She put a hand on my ass and squeezed it like she was checking a melon for ripeness. Liz went to her side and ran a hand down my back, stroking it like the coat on a puppy. Sherri grabbed my shoulders and massaged them. Not overly sexy but it felt pretty good. Jess ruffled my hair. Emma ran a finger along my ball sack; that made my toes curl. Liz touched the spot where the vibrator penetrated my asshole. Sherri pulled on some chest hairs. Emma was the boldest by...
After his shower Tom slipped into bed with me. He rolled me over so that I faced away from him. I felt his rather average penis pressed against the crack of my ass as his hands covered my small breasts. He removed his left hand from my breast, he used it to rub his penis against my anal opening. I knew what was coming next. I didn't care for it because, it alway left me feeling as if I needed to use the toilet. I felt that way all the next day, but I could deal with it. Did I get pleasure...
Misao: Now the tables are turned! Beat 'em up, Kaoru! Kaoru: Wait, Misao. Kamatari... will you surrender? You can't win now, without your scythe. There's no point in any further. Misao (boiling mad): Hey wait a minute!! I'm not going to agree to that! Not only did that freak humiliate me, he broke my ribs!! Kamatari (to Kaoru): You make me laugh. (waving at the broken bokutou) You can't win either, can you? Kaoru: That's not true. The essence of the Kamiya Kasshin school is the...
~~Eric~~ Jack, Clara, and Sándor, had taken a very strange route. First, they’d left the mansion, and headed into North Side. Then their trail ended inside an old, abandoned hotel. Not a hotel, but some sort of motel? Hard to tell. According to Jessy, the city went through some gold rushes and job rushes during development at the beginning of the twentieth century, and a lot of people moved to the city for seasonal work, building the subway and whatnot. So some companies set up temporary...
Tuesday, April 26, 2005 (Continued) By the time Julia had brought me up to date about Chloe, we'd dropped my sisters home, driven to Julia's, had a snack, and were in her room. We'd been talking the whole time, as Chloe was a subject that I was VERY interested in. Then I remembered that my computer system (using the word "my" loosely) might already be upgraded. We shot around to the study, but sadly nothing had changed. We went back to Julia's room, and she started telling me what to...
Realizing that songs with the girls would be well received, I called up Mary Mitchell, Nancy Newman, Isabel, with Shirley Neff leading a group sing of “We Can’t Stop.” (The opening male voice is Michael Thompson, using his deep baritone) It’s our party we can do what we want It’s our party we can say what we want It’s our party we can love who we want We can kiss who we want We can see who we want It’s our party we can do what we want It’s our party we can say what we want It’s our party...
Jeff awoke with the taste of woman milk in his mouth. Even before he opened his eyes, he sucked hard on the long nipple, knowing who it belonged to. Although Diana's and Arlene's breasts were almost identical, as well as Susan's, their milk had a slightly different taste. Diana let him nurse her right breast for a time, then replaced it with her left. A little later, she sighed and said, "That will hold me until after the wedding. I'll use my breast pump at bedtime." Moving down the...
The rest of the day was something of a blur To Kiyone. Following the revelations at the shrine, the tensions she'd felt before the wedding paled into insignificance by weight of simple comparison. Was she angry? Hell Yes! Mad as a wet hornet in fact at the deceptions! Plus, she was still wondering just how deluded any of the Jurians actually were? Did they actually think that she, not to even mention either Tenchi or Ayeka, would EVER forgive any of them for this little charade? She...
Mike was feeling better on Tuesday. He wasn't all the way back to normal, yet, but it was Tuesday at the Record-Herald, and Tuesday was a day you didn't miss unless you were the subject of a funeral. Kirsten left Susan with Jackie, and came into work, which helped. She stuck her head into the office door, and said, "Hey, hon, we still need your column." "I'm working on it," he said, turning back to the computer, where the words appeared on the screen: "In the end, it took the...
It took three javelin missiles to crack the gate; even then there was no back blast into the room beyond simply a slow collapse. As soon as the last part of the gate hit the ground, a mass of Drow came charging out of the gap and rushed towards us, weapons drawn. What they hadn’t considered was that to do so they had to get through the Null zone and this exposed them to the 50-cals and the miniguns we had set up to cover our advance. For the Drow it was a disaster. Well, for those Drow in the...
"Laura," Cecilia said on the answering machine, "you don't love me any more, you never call! Guess what. My husband's going out of town again for three days, starting tomorrow. Remember last time? Call me, I have a surprise for you." Laura smiled. How could she forget their last time together, the sheets drenched in Cecilia's warm milk, Laura coming with her mouth full of it, melting down like an out-of-control nuclear reactor, imploding. The orgasms, while just as intense as the anal...
These are compliments of fmwarmac This is the story about a little girl that didn’t know what cursing or what sex was. Two nights before thanksgiving, she heard her parents having sex. Her father said: “Oh honey, I love your luscious tits.” Then her mother said: “And I love your slim dick!” The next morning, the girl asked her father what “luscious tits” were. The father panicked. “It’s a fine coat.” He said. The little girl then asked her mother what a “slim dick” is. The mother...
After I spoke to Osborn I was no longer in the 'man hungry' mood. I drove back to the barge in the candy colored pickup truck. The truck made it into the parking lot but was moving at a crawl. It was also rattling and shuddering. About a second later a very a large cloud of steam rise from under the hood. It was after midnight, so I just kicked hell out of a tire and went inside. I plopped my ass down on the bed. I removed my clothes and fell asleep. Well I did go to the bathroom in my...
What in the heck are they going to have me do this next week? I had to ask myself that even if I really didn’t want to know the answer. At driving school Sunday morning, I was told I was getting a jump on the students coming in this week. Today I was going to be on a different course doing some serious performance driving. I would need these skills for the defensive and escape driving classes I started on Wednesday, even if that meant I didn’t go back to the hotel between now and...
“The string slices into the skin of his fingers and no matter how tough the calluses, it tears.” —Melina Marchetta, The Piper’s Son 5 OCTOBER 2020 There is so much we don’t understand and aren’t being told. I didn’t know there were state-run creches—a kind of cross between daycare and an orphanage. I was so pissed last winter at the thought Francie and her baby would be separated and she’d have to serve two years without him. I wasn’t shocked that the government would do that,...
My worries about Liz had put my own fears to the back for a little while but they returned in full force as we headed back to the hospital Friday morning. I knew that the procedure to remove the scar tissue at my elbow was my last realistic chance to regain full usage of my hand. My arm was progressing pretty well. The feeling had returned to my upper arm (and the new scars had started to itch like a champ) as the muscles mended and the swelling decreased. I had feeling on the inside of my...
The following weekend, I brought home the pictures of Barrington that I had received from the investigator 2 months earlier. I had decided that it was time to confirm his identity with Carol before I progressed further with my plan. I sat her down and explained that I had tentatively identified her tormentor in Greenwich. Before taking any action against him, I wanted her to confirm his identity. She started to shake. I quickly told her that I only wanted her to look at his picture, not see...
The rest of 1998 was almost as big a watershed event for the Republicans as 1994 had been. For me, it went well, though parts were expected, and parts weren’t. On the Friday after I told Chuck Ruff where to head in, Clinton capitulated. The White House press corps was informed at the morning press briefing that the President would make a brief statement, and there would be no questions afterwards. At ten o’clock that morning, the camera began rolling and Bill Clinton appeared behind his desk...
Rocky Emerson was born on December 12th, 1991, in San Diego, California, to parents with Serbian roots. At a little over six feet two inches tall, her claim to fame is her height. She's one of the tallest porn stars on the market.Girls Gone Wild: An Inspirational FilmRocky discovered a Girls Gone Wild commercial on late-night television as a youth. Every man above the age of thirty remembers those commercials. We used to stay up into the wee hours to get a couple of strokes in while watching...
Twitter Porn AccountsIndru tamil kama kathaiyil ilamaiyaana magalum pinbu vithavai ammavaiyum eppadi usar seithu matter poten endru ungaluku solugiren. Suvarasiyam athigam irukum kama kathaikul selalam vaarungal, en peyar karthik. En veethiiyil oru pen ilamaiyaaga sexiyaaga irupaal, avalai thinamum sight adithu kondu irupen. Thinamum aval kalluri sendru varum pozhuthu iru velaiyilum sight adika arambithu viduven. Aval peyar nandhini vayathu 21 irukum, avaluku veetil aan thunai kidaiyaathu. Veetil oru amma iru...
------------------------------------------------------------- SEXUAL intercourse can be compared to a quarrel, on account of the contrarieties of love and its tendency to dispute. The place of striking with passion is the body, and on the body the special places are: The shoulders The head The space between the breasts The back The jaghana, or middle part of the body The sides Striking is of four kinds: Striking with the back of the hand Striking with...
Oval Office: Me: Madam President, how are you coming along at signing the bill that hit your desk this afternoon? You: I am a little reluctant to sign without fully understanding some of the boilerplate and technical jargon, yet I'm getting that oh so familiar itch. Me: That's highly inappropriate and besides, this desk has probably seen its fair share of christenings. Voters are looking forward to your speech you have been drafting up for tomorrow You: Well, maybe my chief of staff...
Chapter One: Jaivon Johnson As I crossed the square from the Casimir Inn, on the south side of Pulaski Square, to the General’s Café on the north side, I shuddered as the big brute of a landscaper, Caleb, rose up from a flowerbed and glowered at me. He too? Would he too make me bend to his will as if by right?—not that I deserved better. But then I saw that he was looking beyond me, at Miz. Muriel standin’ at the service door of the hotel. Lookin’ at her like he’d like to eat her up. Still not...
BONEHEAD SQUARE Upon my arrival, there didn’t seem to be a lot of activity, so I stayed at the counter and conversed with the clerk. Few words had fallen before I heard footsteps, looked to my right to get a visual on a man walking toward me from the area where I should have gone right away. The look of longing on his familiar and handsome face as he walked toward and then past me with a nod of acknowledgment told me I’d arrived too late to attend to the needs of his thick and uncut seven inch...
We had a square dance weekend planned in Baker City March twelfth. We’d had it planned for a long time, to go with our square dance friends, Jim and Joan. We’d made hotel reservations at the Best Western a month earlier for Saturday night for a room with two queen beds as we enjoyed sharing a room with them. We’d been friends with them long before we started our sexual odyssey and our relationship with them was purely platonic, other than a little sexual teasing. They had no idea of how we’d...
Wife LoversCHAMPIONS OF THE SQUARE DANCE By Annie James As he was about to pull their motorhome back onto the highway after gassing up at a truckstop John Heywood's concentration was interrupted by an exclamation from his wife. "Wait, John! We can't leave that poor hitchhiker just standing in the rain. He's only a boy." John halted the vehicle, leaned out his open window, and waved to the figure huddled under the shelter near the gas pumps. That person came running up to the side of the...
Note : This story is completely fictional!In nineteen forty six Thelma Lou Anderson was married with three kids. Linda was the oldest. She was sixteen. Guy and George was ten and Guy seven. Thelma owned a beauty shop in Kansas City. She suspected her husband Lawerance was cheating on her again. She followed him one day when he thought she was at work and saw him go into a house. A woman opened the door and he went in. That was all the proof she needed. She went home and packed her suitcase and...
IncestDana bounded out of the Invictus, leaving Alyssa and Jade behind her, as she hurried to meet up with High Councillor Rathus and the dozens of Ashanath engineers who were staring at her expectantly. She was surprised at her surging confidence, having previously hated being the centre of attention, especially when there were more than a handful of people watching her. Instead of feeling the familiar crippling fear of public speaking, she was eager to get started and speaking to everyone at...
Chapter One ‘I should have brought a newspaper or a book or something.’ Nearly unpacked, having already survived her first class at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the old Barnard School building across the square, and feeling the itch to get back to her dolls, Ginny had eschewed the thought of fixing her own breakfast of burned toast and weak coffee this morning and ventured out onto the square to William’s Café at the corner at West Taylor. The serious and mournful-looking young...
Mother Ethel always enjoyed the short walk to the train station. It was beautiful Autumnal morning and Mother Ethel took the opportunity to walk to the train station as she knew that she had a very busy day ahead. Those that saw Mother Ethel along the way bowed reverently,they knew that Mother Ethel was a Nun of the Monastery of Repentance and when a Nun or a Monk walked past it was polite to bow, for many knew what the Nun's and Monk's of the Monastery were capable of. As Mother Ethel strolled...
Dot, Dorothea, and Dick Chapter One Dear sister: I found this letter among some others, scrolled up and tied with purple ribbon, in a chest belonging to our great grandfather. The name Charles has belonged to several in our family line, but I believe I know the one who received and saved this letter, and kept it preserved for so many years. I believe the letter speaks for itself, so I will now offer it up to you. Dearest Charles: I hope this missive finds you in such good...
Our Last Day of School. I can’t believe it. This is my last day of school, I thought, not sure how I felt now that the long awaited day was here. Stepping out into the beautiful sunny afternoon, heading toward the group of waiting yellow school buses I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad school was finished. Throughout High School like a ship at sea, I had plotted my course, studying hard. However, the Scholarship that many felt I had rightfully won had somehow ended up going to one of...
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”Anthea looked up at her mum as she sat down at the dining table. “Nothing is wrong,” Anthea responded watching as her mum hurriedly dried her hands with a tea towel.“Is the baby okay? Are you okay? Is Jack okay?” she asked as her husband came into the room and pulled up a seat at the table.“We’re all fine Mum,” she responded exasperated with her mum’s anxiety. “I have something to tell you.”“Sit down Helen,” her dad snapped. “Give the lass a chance to speak.”Anthea...
The Angel Of Times Square By Bluto I graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1981 after nine months at the New York City campus. It was not my first visit to New York, but it was by far the longest time I've ever lived in Manhattan. A one school year master's program requires a lot of concentrated work and most of my time was spent in classes or choosing, researching and writing a thesis or practice reporting and more. However, in spite of all that I...
My Golden Summer with Blythe – Part 2 Josh’s childhood dream girl visits him in San Francisco. The Return of Blythe Coming from a small farming community, San Francisco proved to be everything Josh had ever imagined – and then some. He loved the freewheeling atmosphere – the friendliness – in short, he fell in love with the city by the Bay. Because of early retirements, and dedication to his work, he had advanced much quicker than he had ever expected. Arriving at his chic little Apartment...
Uther By Ellie Dauber (c) 2006 Introduction According to the legends of King Arthur, Merlin changed Uther Pendragon into a double for Duke Gorlois, so he could spend the night with Ygraine, the Duke's wife. Ygraine and Gorlois had three daughters: Elaine, Morgause, and Morgan le Faye. During their time together, Ygraine became pregnant with the child who was to become King Arthur. Uther's men killed Gorlois that same night. This is my TG (of course) version of what...
Chapter 11: Althea, the School Girl The infernal screeching of the alarm clock awoke Cal from his reverie. He had been up for about a half-hour, but he had only been lying in bed next to the love of his life. Althea's arms were still clutched about him as he stealthily clicked the snooze button, assuming that it was six o' five in the morning, his usual waking time during the school week. He had been thinking long and hard about the previous two nights. Evan... what have you become? He...
edited by Master Ken Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 "Hi, I am Miss Blythe," I said to my class, writing my name on the whiteboard with a red dry-erase marker. "I will be your World History teacher." It was the first day of the new school year and, as I launched into the course syllabus, my thoughts kept drifting to that day in June at the end of the last term, when my Living God, the Holy Mark Glassner, walked into this very classroom and changed my very outlook on life. I didn't know...
Dana woke up first, feeling completely refreshed after a good night’s sleep. The Ashanath engineers had been tasked with completing the last of the work while she slept and she was so eager to check on their results, that she wanted to leap out of bed and go sprinting out the room. Instead, she stealthily climbed out from under the covers and tiptoed out softly, being careful not to awaken John, or the other three girls who were still fast asleep. She dressed in her own room, then walked down...
Stefanie knew that stripping down to her underwear was not the brightest thing to do in a secluded wood, in the dead of night, but, hey, she did what she needed to do for art. She stepped up to the rock where she had trained two lights and her tripod-held camera set on time-delay. In between each click, telling her that the camera had taken a picture, she struck and held a pose with a katana a friend who was into swords and knives had leant her. Her poses were those of a warrior. In one, she...
The the wind howled around the quayside as I stepped onto terra firma for the first time in weeks, the wind threw sharp shards of ice to sting our faces as we looked up at the sails as they were finally furled and stowed as our captain grinned at our discomfiture, "Au revoir!" he joked as if he knew we should soon be recalled. Those such as were left, and we were few enough, I shuddered. My best uniform packed securely in my Valise, awaited me, and just a few more duties before I...
“What was that?” Alyssa gasped. “We’re picking up an emergency distress beacon” John replied over the din of the klaxon. He pushed a button reducing the volume to a much more subdued level. John looked at the monitor for more information. “It looks like it’s a freighter experiencing engine trouble. They need a tow or spare parts.” “Are we going to help them?” Alyssa asked, excited at this unexpected turn of events. “It could be a trap” John frowned. “They might be genuine though!” Alyssa...
As he approached one of the hall's long mirrors he stopped to inspect himself. It was a familiar sight, the flowing, billowy French maid outfit surrounding his body. His arms and legs were outlined in silky, white stockings and arm-gloves. He wore pearl earrings and the lacy white collar around his neck was adorned with a beautiful pendant. It was a gift from mother that he wore every day, without fail. Jon's painted red lips and neatly applied eyeliner and blush were evidence that he was...
PREFACE:There are no sex acts in the story but the patient does have an orgasm as a result of the Ther****t’s physical examination. Part 1 is the Sex Therapy appointment from the patient’s point of view and part 2 is the same examination seen through the eyes of the Ther****t. I don’t think it matters which one you read first.I hope you enjoy it and will let me know what you think in any...
“I don’t recall seeing Irillith around here before.” John mused, addressing Ceraden, who sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the glossy surface with irritation. “No, thank heavens. She’s a ‘guest’, and I only have to put up with her for another week, then it’ll be glorious peace and quiet once again,” Ceraden replied wistfully. Ceraden looked over the desk, and tsked with annoyance at the mess the shattered device had made on the floor. A few second later a pair of cleaning robots...
Katherine stepped into her elegant living room and took a book from the shelf. She sat in a plush lounge chair, specifically selecting a chair in the back corner of the room next to an old dumbwaiter that was once used to ferry delicious meals from the downstairs kitchen to the dining room table. She planned to read the book for a short while, but she already knew her attention would soon be diverted. Tonight the dumbwaiter would once again be placed into service, except this time it would be...
Do you know of the porn site Motherless.com? You should. I’ve reviewed it a few times on my site, The Porn Dude, although it was for different genres every time. This time around, I’m going back to this place and looking at a specific and niche little category many of you are just begging me to cover. We’re looking at vintage porn today. While it doesn’t have the same resolution and quality as the porn you can find today, it’s definitely a genre of porn that has a lot of personality to it and...
Vintage Porn SitesI should have known better. I should have remembered that old saying, "If it looks too good to be true, it is." I was in love. She was damned near all I thought about with the exception of my studies and it didn't make sense to me. I prided myself on my intellect and my ability to think logically, but there wasn't anything logical about the way I felt about Althea. She was beautiful, smart and very popular and I was not. I wasn't a bed looking guy, but I was nothing exceptional. I was...
Motherless. A one-word website title that says everything it needs to say. This is a site where the rules are, more or less, completely thrown out the window, morality means absolutely nothing, and there is nobody to save you from it. Hedonism is God here.The site likely is also called this due to the fact that the girls who end up on motherless.com likely have no positive female influence in their lives to keep them from it. Motherless is the place parents spend their whole lives fearing that...
Porn Pictures SitesI always considered Motherless the “4chan” of porn. Not only because Motherless was somewhat popularized there, but because Motherless also encourages users to share their own content in a very open way. This means minimal bullshit like moderation and censorship, and a strong “anything goes” attitude that leads to free and extreme content. It encourages people to create and upload their own homegrown content, like videos of their girlfriend pissing or spycam videos of their cousin....
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