Building a CAP Based FutureChapter 36 More School Hijinks
- 3 years ago
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The girls decided to run off with the sheets. I was still descending the ladder as they dashed through the trees. Ashley led the way, but Lenore was close behind as they scurried out of the grove. I kicked off the ladder and fell the final seven feet or so to the turf. Once I was on the ground I activated the remote and after verifying that the ladder was rising and the trapdoor closing I took off after the girls.
The head start the girls had was enough that they were at the gate leading to the backyard of Ashley's home before I finally caught up to them. Both girls were smiling and giggling as Ashley opened the gate.
The gate had only opened a foot when Angelique came out through the opening, scrambling a bit on the dirt and throwing her arms around Lenore's legs. "Mommy!"
Lenore handed the sheets she was carrying to me and picked up her daughter. "Angel, I guess you missed me."
"You didn't say you'd be back!" Angelique accused her mother. "I wanted to play and you weren't here."
"And she didn't want to go to the park with Letty and me," Jason said as he emerged through the open gate. Ashley dashed inside, carrying most of the sheets.
"Angel," I said calmly. "Your mother and I need to take a quick shower and then we'll play a game with you."
"We're you exercising again?' Angel asked. "I remember that Aunt Ash showered after we got home yesterday."
I looked over at Lenore who was blushing furiously. "Yes my darling," Lenore whispered. "We were exercising.
"Exercising?" Jason asked. "In that outfit?"
"Jason, not in front of an innocent child," I said out of the corner of my mouth.
Jason started blushing a bit. "Ah, right," he stammered. "That explains Ashley's bundle. Sorry, just smack me later."
"I'll just tell Letty that she needs to restrict your access for a day or two," I said with a smirk. "That will definitely get your attention."
Lenore laughed. Angelique was sniffing her nose and turning her head. "Mommy, something smells funny," she complained.
"Damn," I said. "Jason, who can watch Angelique for another twenty minutes or so? Lenore and I need to shower."
"Letty is here, and she's had some luck. I think I can now, I just couldn't tell Angel where her mother was," Jason said.
Lenore nodded. "Angel. I need to take a shower. Can you promise to be a good girl and play with Unca Jason until I'm done?"
Angelique looked over at Jason. She pouted for a moment, but then nodded. "I can, he plays Chute and Ladders with me."
The little girl struggled for a moment so Lenore set her down. Angelique walked over to Jason and looked up at him. "I move first!" she commanded and then grabbed his hand to pull him through the gate. Jason stepped back and waved with his free hand for Lenore to go first.
"No, ladies first," Jason said firmly.
Lenore looked at me. "Will we shower together?' she asked.
"No!" Jason screamed. "Not unless you want your daughter to hear things."
Lenore raised her eyebrow as she stopped and looked back at Jason. He blushed and looked at me.
I sighed. "Ashley can get very vocal and let's just say that the times we've showered together..."
"It haunts me," Jason said. "My innocent sister is definitely not so innocent. She proved it that first time and every time since."
"Every time?" Lenore asked.
"I always try to leave Ashley begging me for more or for me to stop because she can't take more," I admitted.
Lenore grinned. "I think I'll have to try that someday. But not today. Sorry Mark, but you shower alone."
Jason laughed as Lenore flounced off. I followed and then Jason closed the gate behind us as he led Angelique to a table on the patio in the backyard. A couple of game boxes sat there and Angel ran ahead to grab the box for Chutes and Ladders.
I kept going into the house. Inside the door Becky met me. She held out her empty arms. "Ashley warned me you had more sheets for the wash," she told me. "Use the shower on this floor and we'll drop your spare clothes by the door."
"Can do," I said as I handed the bundle of sheets to Becky. I turned and ran into the house and headed to the hallway leading to the ground floor shower. Behind me I could hear Becky saying something to Lenore.
The hallway was clear and I was able to slip into the bathroom without stopping. Once inside I stripped quickly and started warming up the shower. I wanted to get back to the group. I was holding a hand to check the temperature of the spray when there was a knock on the door. "Mark!" Beatrice called out. "A letter arrived for you here. The name on the return address is Concubine Parker."
"Does the envelope list a location?" I asked as I jumped into the water.
"It doesn't make much sense," Beatrice called through the door. "It says Poseidonat, or at least I think it says that. I've never heard of such a place."
"I'll hurry the shower," I called back.
I jumped into the shower and grabbed the soap. Normally I enjoy luxuriating under a warm shower, but this time I only wanted to scrub away the sweat and semen quickly so I could rush out and read the letter. I used frenzied motions to lather my body, turning so that the falling water could rinse each area the instant I was done.
Five minutes later I was rubbing my arms and legs dry with a towel and rushing to the door. When I opened it I found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on the floor along with some clean underwear. I grabbed the clothing and closed the door again. The instant the door closed I started dressing.
The moment I was dressed I opened the door to the bathroom and leaving my dirty clothes on the floor rushed out to the kitchen. "Bea where is this letter?" I asked.
"I have it in the TV room," Beatrice shouted back.
I walked into the TV room. Beatrice was sitting on the large couch with Becky by her side. A large multicolored envelope was sitting on the coffee table in front of them. Becky pointed at the envelope. "It arrived special delivery."
I sat down on the love seat and picked up the envelope. It was a standard express mail envelope. The first surprise was the address information. The return address did say "Concubine Parker owned by Sergeant Rex Morrison. Poseidonat System. Laburnum Sector."
"I've never heard of any of this," I said carefully.
"I'm still trying to figure out why they brought it here. Your mother would have sent it to your home address," Becky said.
"This is printed," I pointed out. "And I have this feeling that it wasn't mailed from wherever this Poseidonat system is."
"Open it," Beatrice commanded. "And read it."
I flipped the envelope over and pulled the tab that would open it. Inside there were two neatly folded sheets of paper. I pulled them out and held them in front of me.
Becky noticed my hesitation. "What?" she said.
"I never thought I'd hear from Mother again. And now Matilda isn't here to know I received this. She should be here for this."
"Read it first," Beatrice suggested. "Unless she says there's a section for your sister's eyes only."
I heard someone hum a few notes while standing behind me. I set the envelope to the side and carefully unfolded the papers. Surprisingly they were handwritten and I was able to figure out which one went first. My quick scan of the first page showed nothing exceptional so I started to read it out loud.
"Mark, my dear son," the letter began.
"That's sweet," Beatrice said with a sigh.
"Quiet," I heard Letty say from behind me. "I want to hear this."
I tried to ignore the chatter and continued. "I have no idea if this will reach you. Master Rex has permitted me to write this letter and transmit it, but no one seems to know how long it will take to reach Earth. They only promise to scan what I write and then send the created file out with any outbound ship. It took us six weeks to arrive at Poseidonat and all I was promised was that the letter would reach Earth eventually. Or at least the file would and they'd convert it back to a letter to be mailed to you."
"So that's how they did it," Becky said. "They don't mail a letter they just have message files that they print when they reach a destination. I'm surprised they didn't just send it to your e-mail address."
"I never told my mother my e-mail address," I replied.
"Did your mother know you spent a lot of time here?" Jason asked from behind me.
"No," I replied. "But I should continue."
No one spoke so I looked at the next section. "I've been told you can send a letter back the same way. Any testing center can scan and then forward a letter. I don't know if your sister misses me. You can tell Matilda that I miss her terribly, but now know that bringing her with me would have made her miserable."
"Why?" Letty asked.
"I never told you about the man who selected me to journey with him to the stars. Rex Morrison was a trucker who had stopped at Pizzaro's with an escort. The escort agreed to be his other concubine. I wish I could say that Chloe is a warm and loving woman, but she's very hardened and has a hard time relating to people. During our ride out here she was a dynamo in bed, but once Rex leaves for training it will be very lonely in our home."
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...
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...
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...
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....
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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,...
Chastity followed me as I walked over to the table. When I stopped to look around the room I could see a very nervous look on her face. “Problem?” I asked. “That orientation makes the ship seem very complex,” Chastity said. “It is. It has to be in order to allow us to travel into space,” I replied. “But I can’t even understand why I have the CAP to be a citizen. I always hated fighting. My parents were always fighting. I got into acting because there was a small theater group in my...
The rest of the weekend was in some ways idyllic. After we finished eating the pizza, Mrs. Roberts drove us home, stopping to drop off Walter. Jessica called her father, and had one of his employees come to pick up Kathy, Millie, and her. They promised to try to spend more time with us. Mr. Cunningham told us he would be showing up later before driving away from Harrard's. I rode home with Mrs. Roberts. Ashley let me know that she was not excited by the idea of spending a night in a cold...
"Your father is trapped in the Ukraine?" Becky asked. "That's what he told me last night," I said. "He said some kind of intelligence agency arrested Valery and he lost some of the paperwork required to leave." "Why the tour then?" Jason asked. "I guess the band owes the unions some favors," I said. "My father said they would make sure he can travel back here with the band. Supposedly they use a choir and he'd be part of it when they fly here." "Your father sings?" Jason...
Morgan's question stuck with me for the next two hours as we wandered the mall. Beatrice had handed out cash to everyone when we first arrived and told us to spend it as we pleased. Angelique had been given a twenty and begged to be shown where she might purchase a teddy bear. I found a children's store and took Angelique inside as my friends scattered throughout the mall. Angelique wandered the entire store, gazing longingly at a couple of the dolls before heading over to an area filled...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Ashley was the first to exit the mall, but I caught up to her as we came around the building and could finally see the small seating area for the outdoor café. Her mother was sitting quietly at a table sipping from a cup as she scanned something on a tablet. We could see Jason approaching from the other side. All three of us managed to reach the table at the same time. Mrs. Roberts did not look up. "I set up a pizza delivery back at the house in forty-five minutes," she told us as she...
The system was in standby as I turned the chair back to the front. I reached down to call up a replay of the engine repair when I felt a hand grasp the back of my chair. “Yes?” I asked. “Is it always like that?” Captain Prescott asked. “The simulations are supposed to be the absolute worst possible sequence,” I replied. “And the time is compressed a bit. I really doubt we could enter a system get into a fight, scan a planetoid as well as a Sa’arm controlled planet and escape in just under...
I waited for the door to close and then released a massive sigh. Tatyana immediately put her arms around me. “That was hard on you,” she observed. I feel like I’m the only sheep in a room filled with hungry wolves. There are quite a few members of the crew that would do their best to replace me if they thought I’d fail,” I replied as I stood up. “Never let them see you sweat?” Tatyana said. “Basically,” I agreed as I stood up. “AI, you can power down this room until the next training...
The next two weeks blurred together. Every morning was spent out at the park. Jason, Jessica and I always tried to get some exercises in first before we joined the others in a series of sports related activities. Soccer and kickball were the most common but we tried ultimate Frisbee and touch football as well. Sergeant O'Malley showed up occasionally and would drill us in unarmed combat techniques before having everyone run laps. At first the laps were small, but each time the Sergeant...
The instant the door closed, Ashley jumped up and waved to me. "Come take a seat Mark." "Ladies should be the ones sitting," I said carefully as I walked over and gave her a hug. "Humor me?" Ashley said coyly. I was surprised by how childish and adorable she sounded. She was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, so I sat down in the chair she had just left. The moment my butt was on the cushion Ashley jumped into my lap and put her arms around my neck. "This is a much...
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...
After such a rough start the rest of the vacation went surprisingly smoothly. Miki proved to be a huge asset. She knew places to visit that we might never have thought of. There was a small feeling of loss after Liz and Cassidy were picked up. None of us knew them well, but they had been friends. Her short tale of the conditions at the pickup had definitely impressed everyone. Maurice was at times fawning on Jessica. Fortunately the young lady just laughed and then had her minions pounce on...
My friends were relaxed at school. Ashley, Lenore, and Miki sat together at brunch and lunch, giggling. Matti was sitting on Jessica's lap during our breaks. My sister was still timid, but she clearly felt safe in Jessica's arms. The others tried to keep me from worrying too much about the meeting after school, but I still obsessed a bit over my father's tone. I knew he was intensely interested in finding a way to thwart the CAP system and worried that he would demand that I take him. I...
I watched my father until he finally vanished behind the fence enclosing the backstage area. Once he was out of sight I heaved a huge sigh of relief. "That was intense," Jason said. "I thought you were going to have to kill him." "I thought I might have to as well. He is going to try again if he can think up a way," I said. "So what do we do now?" Lenore asked. I reached into a pocket and pulled out a huge bundle of tickets. "We do have tickets to see the concert," I said. "But...
We returned to the lobby in time to meet the others as they started to board the vans. Vlad came over and gave Tatyana one last hug. He promised to tell her sister what had happened and to bring her sister into the troupe should she want to come to America. Several other troupe members also came by for a last goodbye. Tatyana was bubbly on the drive back to the house. She asked many questions of Miki and Lenore while playfully ignoring Ashley, but finding ways to answer her when talking to...
Over thirty hours later I was once again sitting in the Captain’s chair as the AI rang the klaxon for General Quarters. Blaine, Chaz and Kelsey were sitting at their stations. I could see Chaz fidgeting as we approached the end of the jump. “Problems?” I asked Chaz. “It’s just that I’m still not sure how to do everything. Right now we’re about to emerge into this system. We know that there likely will be Sa’arm ships. I’m covering for our lack of a tracking officer, so I have to watch a...
The sunny skies and warm air were attracting more and more people to the park as the day wore on. After lunch, Ashley, Lenore and I decided to avoid the growing lines on the slides and spend several hours in the wave pools and on the endless river. We woke Angelique and spent the next three hours splashing each other as we explored the park. We stayed at the park until the setting sun and diminishing light signaled that it was time for the park to close. Morgan gathered everyone up and led...
“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...
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....
100% fiction! Rebeca walked slowly into the studio, she was surprised at how small it was, only about twelve feet by ten, it was small, the floor was covered with a thick rubber mat which gave way slightly as she walked on it, she stood in the middle of the room looking around. She noticed a small window in the wall, the glass was dark, Rebeca walked over to it and pushed her face hard against it, she pulled back eyes wide open in horror, "oh my god, no, no no" she had seen her mother in there...
IncestWe took the two vans home and discovered that there was quite an accumulation of mail waiting. Beatrice had arranged for a neighbor to bring it in and drop it on the coffee table in the front room. Becky ran over to the table and started sorting the mail. Most was bills, but as she got to the bottom of the stack she found one large manila envelope with my name on it. She tossed it to me as she continued to work. "Is it a letter from mom?" Matti asked boredly. "Don't you want to hear...
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...
I knew of the grove and tree houses along Milford, but this was my first time looking past the road. The few times I had come out with friends, we had concentrated on the houses on the far side of the street. I scanned the trees ahead, watching for tree houses as Ashley and I moved away from the road. At first I saw nothing more than a couple of wooden platforms in the branches of a few of the bigger trees. Most of the trees on this side of the road were young and lacked the branches to hold...
Miss Kirke's revelations were the only thing that marred the dance and all of homecoming weekend. The girls met us at the decked out gym dressed in elaborate Victorian gowns. It meant that dancing to the faster songs was pretty much impossible, but the slow dances were great fun. Before the night was done, Kathy even won an award for the best costume. The next morning, Jessica reminded us that she was going to have her birthday on the upcoming Wednesday. Everyone in our group wanted to be...