About time I got to this. I can tell Diablo is going to be interfering with
my writing, assuming my stupid computer quits screwing up when trying to
load the game. :(
I decided to Episode 5 in half due to its length.
Good idea. This promises to be big, even by my admittedly long standards.
FOX Squadron
by G.L. Sandborn
Episode 5 - Bar Scenes
Ah yes. A place where even a guy who's never even ridden in an aircraft can
get shot down. :)
Colonel Jeffrey Lawrence was the last to leave Thirteen
Squadron Headquarters, such as it was. Unlike previous evenings,
he decided to knock off early and hit the Officers Club on the
way home. He knew his wife, Kay, would understand.
If you could call plates thrown at one's head 'understanding'
She was an
officers
officer's
wife and used to his occasional bouts of depression that
could only be cured by liquid libations in the company of other
RDF officers.
'Cured'? Nah. Just pushed to the back of the mind in favor of killing brain
cells. :)
As he drove across base, he recalled the eventful day and
pondered what lay ahead.
Even worse, since we haven't hit the climax of the story yet.
In a claustrophobiac interview room, amidst a potentially
hostile audience, Lieutenant Missy Robins made her full report to
General Emerson and the intelligence folks.
'folks' sounds too familiar. I'd subsitiute with 'personnel' or something
along those lines.
killing her guard. Missy's story checked, at least as far as the
Miami part went. The rest, was still suspect; especially the
part about fighting off Migs over the Arkansas Protectorate. She
was the first to report EBSIS activity in or around the former
Zentraedi stronghold. There was no reason for them to be there.
Except to cause problems.
By late afternoon, he was in his own office interviewing Sgt
Nancy Montoya. Her case was a little harder to figure out.
Mainly because she refused to say what happened to get her
grounded in the first place.
Meaning it's either very bad or very embarrassing. :)
was certain she could train in thirty days. Then there was Sgt
Graywolf. He had no idea how he was going to use her. Although,
he had to admit, she had his computers working better than ever.
He was even surprised to catch Lt Wallace surreptitiously poking
around in parts of the logistics data base he thought was secured
to only a few.
Heh. You think he would know better by now.
He wondered what other tricks Miss Graywolf had
up her sleeve.
She can pull a rabbit out of her hat and can put her legs behind her head.
:)
Idly checking out the other patrons, he saw the usual
mixture of paper-pushers, techies, and other assorted non-combat
types. Few wore wings on their uniforms, those that were dressed
in uniforms, and fewer still were recognizable as operational
squadron members. They were the usual flotsam and jetsam that
haunted headquarters bases.
Like Jeff.
He was just tucking into his first drink when a particular
blonde caught his eye.
Tsk, tsk. He's a married man. Oh, wait, that's why he did it. :)
Standing at the bar with her back to him,
there was something familiar about her. It was just a feeling
but
might need a comma between 'feeling' and 'but
it intrigued him.
When she turned around, he almost dropped his drink. He
most certainly *did* know her. Almost immediately, their eyes
met and she let out a squeal of recognition before charging
across the room towards his table.
Nice wording. I can really picture that reaction in my mind.
"And you're still the flatterer," Jeff said resuming his own
seat. "Can I buy you something to drink?"
"I'd rather have a new wardrobe." Gail giggled.
Need to find a sugar daddy for that. :)
"What, RDF issue not good enough anymore?"
"Not for a civilian, it isn't."
Jeff rocked back in his seat and blinked. "You're getting
out? The last time we heard, you were the Maintenance Officer
for Skull Squadron."
Fixing up Rick's plane is it always gets shot up.
"Well, that was then and this is now." She ran a delicate
hand through her shoulder-length blonde hair. Her blue eyes
sparkled when she smiled again. "Miriya took off for the stars,
the squadron turned over, and my service obligation was up. Time
to get on with life and find out what I'd missed."
"You and Miriya were quite a pair."
O_O
Did Max know about this? ^_^
Where Kay was darkly tanned with hauntingly beautiful brown
eyes, Gail was light-skinned, blonde, and looked nothing like her
father. While both were relatively short, under five and a half
feet, and shared a common sensuality that harkened back to the
days of buckskin and buffalo robes,
and having to crap outside all the time, and no toilet paper, and no decent
immunization.
The 'good old days' are never so good when you get past the glossy surface
of them. \
the younger Gail was always
more outgoing and sociable than her quiet, thoughtful sister.
Got laid more too.
Gail sighed and shrugged. "I've gotten over it. You know,
the funny part is she'd probably still be alive if she'd stayed
with Dad. Of course, she would have been miserable. She never
fit in and I don't think the Lakota ever fully accepted her."
BTW: it sounds more like she and Kay 'half-sisters' then step sisters as you
mentioned them before.
"Another squadron. This time, I'm headed for the Ozarks."
Gail gave a low whistle. "Talk about your raw deals. What
ever possessed you to take such an assignment?"
General Stupidity. He get's people to do all sorts of foolish things.
"I really shouldn't do this, but..." She bit her lower lip
trying to force her decision. "What the hell. You're family,"
she said with a sigh. "You see those two young ladies at the
bar?"
Jeff: Yeah. Do you think they're available?
It took Jeff only a moment to identify the two she meant.
Even out of uniform, the taller one looked like a warrior.
But was in reality an accountant.
"I don't know, Gail." Jeff slumped deeper into his chair.
"The RDF has changed a lot in the last few years but I doubt
they'll go for family members serving under me."
Having relatives whacked under your command is a bit depressing.
Linda, on the other hand, sat quietly, almost as if she felt
out of place. Her eyes rarely left the table in front of her,
even when Jeff asked her a question.
Gail reached over and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"It's okay to talk about you," she said in a motherly way.
It turns
turned
especially appeared to be at home in the primitive conditions.
Unmicronized, the fifty-foot giants roamed over a territory that
extended hundreds of miles, striking outposts and villages and
making off with supplies almost at will. All attempts at
pacifying them failed, leaving the RDF with no choice but to
fight.
Heh. I'm used to the term 'pacifying' usually meaning 'eliminating'
"I live for the day someone pops you good," Linda growled,
her eyes flashing.
"Ain't gonna happen cuz I'm the best there ever was."
Another uncomfortable pause settled over the table as the
two girls glared at each other.
"Well, you two ought to get along just fine with the Mills
sisters,"
Indeed.
"I think so. You interested?"
"You goin' to the Ozarks and fightin' bandits and stuff?"
"We're going to the Ozarks to keep the peace," Jeff
corrected. "We fight when we have to but
might need another comma here
our primary job is
protecting those who just want to live in peace. That includes
Zentraedi as well."
"Zentraedi," Karen spit. "They don't want peace. All they
want is to kill and keep killing. The only good Zentraedi is a
dead Zentraedi."
"You sound like General Sheridan," Jeff said with a look of
pity.
Actually sounds more like Leonard to me
"Who's he?" she challenged.
"The guy who ordered your people onto reservations and had
those who refused, killed."
Ooo. Low blow
"Very sensible." Gail sipped her drink and gave him one of
her mysterious little smiles.
She give 'mysterious smiles' often?
Jeff caught the look and frowned. "What?"
"I was just thinking of what Kay said about you after you
two were married."
"You know, about the sex being boring and lousy," she clarified.
He felt Gail's hand on his arm and her fingers squeezing him
lightly.
"I can't even remember his voice." Jeff hunched over the
bar and stared at his drink. "Mom died a couple of years later.
She just wasn't the same after Dad disappeared." He shook his
head, like he was trying to shake off the whole issue. He hated
dwelling on the past. Too many bad memories. "Anyway, Jen and I
were old enough to enlist. Neither of us wanted to join the navy
- we just couldn't.
Besides, they're just waterlogged fishbait swabbies anyway. :)
Gail hugged her brother-in-law. "Don't worry. I will."
"And tell the Crowkiller sisters I'm sorry for leaving so
abruptly. Its just..."
"Karen's a bitch," Gail finished.
His voice trailed off when he ran out of
ways to explain what he was feeling.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Gail patted him on
his broad shoulder. She switched to running her hand slowly down
his arm. "If I could only meet a guy like you," she cooed.
"Good looking, tough *and* sensitive. You don't find those
anymore."
Not that that's what a woman really wants even if she finds it. :)
Jeff chuckled and bent over to give Gail a light peck on the
cheek. To his surprise, she stopped him and instead drew him
into a most unsisterly kiss.
Oh dear. That's not good. And I have an ominious feeling we haven't seen the
last of Kay's dear sister either.
> His mind swirled with conflicting orders. One part of him
screamed to escape; run away and never look back. This was his
sister-in-law; his wife's sister. The woman who always treated
him like an older brother.
Regrettably, it appeared she was very much into incest. :)
"Come on, Ona," Cindy chirped. "If want to get to the Crash
& Burn before they close, we gotta get going now."
"Are you sure about this?" Ona's voice sounded hesitant
coming from the bathroom.
"I promised to show you what makes guys so special and the
only way I know of to do that is to make sure you *attract* the
right one."
Not at some place dubbed 'Crash+Burn' you're not.
"You wearing the thong I gave you?" Cindy asked when she
finally found her voice.
Heh.
Ona squirmed some more. "Is it supposed to feel this
uncomfortable?" she asked, reaching under her skirt and adjusting
the back strap.
"You'll get used to it. Just don't adjust it after we leave
the room." Cindy walked slowly around her friend, taking
inventory. "Hmmmm, it needs something," she said thoughtfully.
"Like more material," Ona suggested. "Maybe a jacket or a
flight suit."
Heh, again.
Cindy moved around and began pulling the top open a little
more so it was easier to see what she was talking about. "Well,
whatever they modeled you after was as close to perfect as it
gets. What I'd do with boobs like that," she said wistfully.
end up fighting gravity as time goes on. :)
Ona's feet, her toenails painted baby pink, were clad in
black sandals with straps the wound up her legs almost to the
knee. A black skirt and thong that barely covered her shapely
hips topped by the new sleeveless midriff-exposing blouse, helped
transition her color scheme from black to pink to her deep blue
hair. Perfect. Absolutely perfect in every way.
So Cindy jumped her.
Daisy, feeling Ona's gaze just rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm
going to hit a bar or two. Maybe play a little pinball or
something. I just thought you and Little Bit
Already picked up a nickname, I see. Such affectionate terms get coined when
one joins such organizations.
would like to come
along."
"Little Bit?" Ona asked, stepping aside so Daisy could
enter.
"Yeah, you know, your room mate."
'roommate' is one word.
Cindy's face brightened. "Yeah, I noticed that. Of course,
the fact we're both camera bait doesn't hurt."
Not familiar with that term.
"What's pinball?" Ona asked trying to remain perfectly still
for Cindy.
"You've never seen a pinball game?"
"I've never even been to a bar," Ona admitted.
"Oh, this is gonna be fun." Daisy grinned. "Dressed like
that, we'll probably be comin' home without you."
"What do you mean?" Ona frowned causing Cindy to halt her
facial artwork and sigh.
"You'll probably get lucky."
Boy. It's not anywhere near as much fun when you have to spell things out.
:)
"Lucky?" She frowned again. This time Cindy gave her a
dirty look and paused long enough to plant her fists on her hips.
"Sorry," Ona mumbled.
"Yeah, like in spending a romantic evening with some stud."
"Stud?"
"A part of the wall you can hit nails into," Daisy explained.
When she noticed, Ona swallowed hard and felt her legs press
together. Daisy's smile made her look absolutely... She took a
deep breath and shuddered. Reminding herself that's what got her
in trouble the first time, she flushed all thoughts she was
having about the big-busted Lakota and submitted to Cindy's
makeup job.
Cindy finish
finished
Ona's eye shadow and stepped back to admire her
handy work. "Perfect," she pronounced and turned Ona so Daisy
could see.
Ona noticed on the one bra-covered breast peaking out from
behind the denim there was now a thumb-sized bump. She blushed
and looked at Daisy's feet instead.
Ah, so it wasn't a man Ona got a fight over with?
Ona and Cindy scowled at the person outside the door. Daisy
did a low growl and bounded off the bed to confront whomever made
the comment about her new friend. She jerked to a halt when she
saw who it was.
"I should have known," she said with a snort.
Nancy Montoya, her arms crossed and wearing a saucy smile,
rocked to one side as she regarded Daisy. "Well, well, well, BB
herself.
Hmm. Would have thought 'DD' would have been a more likely nickname.
"You haven't changed a bit." Nancy's expression sagged into
a challenge.
"Neither have you." Daisy proved she was equal to that
challenge.
Time to butt heads until one's unconscious. Winner is the one still
standing.
The two glared at each other for a terminally long time.
'terminally' doesn't really work as an adverb for me here. I'd go with
something else, though nothing's coming to mind at the moment.
Cindy slowly backed behind Ona who's expression had returned to
one she usually wore going into a fight.
With a sudden whoop that sounded like a cross between a
battle cry and a squeal of delight, the two pilots threw
themselves together into an impossibly tight hug.
"DAMN! It's good to see you," Daisy snarled pounding the
smaller girl's back.
Oh. Had me fooled there.
"I have to take my ID and stuff," Cindy protested. "Where
do you carry yours? What if you get stopped?"
Daisy turned and put her hands on the wall like she was
being arrested and wiggled her butt. "I just make 'em search for
it."
Heh
Jeff arrived home as quietly as possible. Hoping to get to
the shower and ditch his clothes before his wife had a chance to
examine him closely,
Yeah. Scent of perfume on you and the wifie-poo's get jealous, like their
sister kissed you or something.
"Well, I guess we better find a table so the others will
have a place to crash after they get burned," Cindy suggested,
setting off through the smokey, noisy, crowded room. Ona
followed, but kept glancing around when she felt like she was
being stared at.
Well, she probably is being stared at.
Ona pulled out a chair and frowned as a small furry creature
jumped down and scampered across the floor, heading for the pool
tables.
Nice place.
"Well, uh...," Cindy looked at Ona who appeared to not have
a clue. "What do you have?"
The waitress shifted her weight from one leg to the other
and sighed. "We got the house draw, assorted bottle beers, and
just about any of the hard stuff ya want," she droned.
"Four draws," Cindy said.
"Four?"
"There's two more coming," Ona added.
"Well, I hope so. The house brew gets a little testy when
it gets warm."
or when someone drinks it.
Cindy looked around, her body lightly bouncing to the beat
of the music. "So, what do you think?" she asked the
uncomfortable-looking Ona.
The tall Zentraedi squirmed in her chair. "My bare butt is
touching the chair."
Heh
"That's good," Cindy said in a reassuring manner. "That
means your skirt is just right."
No arguments here.
Cindy wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Now *that*
would be too obvious."
Not by much, though.
"No need," Nancy replied standing back up and leaning over
the chair. "I checked it out as I approached." When she bent
over, Ona saw a wet spot the size of her fist on the butt of
Nancy's jean shorts. Ona just sighed and shook her head.
Heh
"We fixed for music tonight?" Cindy asked.
"Yup, they got some new stuff in the box."
The music changed tracks as she spoke. A Minmai original
softly crooned from the speakers overhead.
Of course. Although I am listenting to the Macross Complete Collection,
ironically enough. Battletheme from the movie just popped on. Much better
than Reba's 'versions.'
"Hey," she said, holding her hands up in front of her,
"that's not one of mine."
Faster than a fire drill, the dance floor emptied. Most
silently endured the tune, drowning their pain in whatever the
bartender could quickly pour in a glass.
Heh
Only a couple of men,
probably micronized Zentraedi, leaning on the bar with glazed
expressions and silly grins, seemed to be enjoying the torture.
Hehehehe
Nancy used her hand to squeegee the spillage off the table
then licked off her hand. "Hmmmm, not bad," she pronounced.
Cindy made a tiny noise like she was about to loose her cookies.
Ona picked up her glass and took a tiny sip. With a nod of
approval, she gulped down the entire glass.
"Whoa, sister," Nancy warned. "Go easy on the firewater. I
hear it'll turn your hair blue."
Nah. Getting her trashed makes things more exciting.
"Hell, I wonder if they ever really get drunk."
Ona reached the bar with most of her dignity intact.
Rubbing against all the moving human bodies was... inspiring.
Whatever was in those 'house draws', she *had* to have more.
Yes, I would say Zenraefi can get drunk. Very much so, and probably very
quickly. :)
"Twenty credits," he growled.
Ona smiled knowingly. Since her outfit contained no
pockets, she had to improvise. Pulling up the side of her short
skirt, she examined the credit notes she had earlier stashed
under the elastic of her thong. Acting like she didn't hear the
gasps of surprise on the side she was holding up, she lingered a
bit before releasing her skirt.
"Here you are," she said, smoothing her skirt back into
place and handing the note to the bartender.
The man rubbed his three-day growth of beard and greasily
licked his lips. "Honey, you do that again, and I'll give you
the next one for ten credits."
Saw it coming, but still amusing.
Ona grinned slyly as she scooped up the mug in both hands
and gulped it down in two sustained gulps.
two 'gulp's close together. I'd change the first to 'drained'
True to his word, the bartender provided another mug just as
big as the first. Gratefully accepting the ten credits, he
grinned, displaying a number of green-tinted teeth, and said:
"Sweetheart, if you got any those credits in front, the next draw
is on the house."
Heh, again
She wondered why Cindy made this guy hunting business sound
so complicated.
Depends on the quality of the catch.
She was just beginning to enjoy the sensation when 'it'
happened.
Heh. Here it comes.
In a flash, her left hand dropped from the bar, her fingers
gripping the bulge in the front of his jeans. She heard him suck
in hard as her fingers, like claws of a bird of prey, crushed
whatever they gripped.
Ouch.
Mindless of what it was exposing, Ona started to climb over
the bar, intent on extracting another draw from the bartender
with her bare hands.
Really should have kept a closer eye on her.
"What?" Ona demanded.
"Look up there," Daisy said pointing to a spot above the
mirror behind the bar. When Ona did, Daisy muttered her
apologies and slugged the blue-haired woman square in the jaw.
Ouch. That should work.
"Oh, absolutely. It's a hall of fame butt if I've ever seen
one," Nancy said reaching behind Ona and patting her firm fanny.
"You have a nice touch," Ona cooed.
Heh. So it's okay if the ladies do it. I see.
"I figure we'll do about three potty stops on the way home
and another for when she throws up."
Nancy pushed open the door outside and paused. "Good thing
it's your car," she chided.
Heh. I've said that before myself about transporting those with alcohol
problems.
"As I understand it, cold water causes Zentraedi to... ah,
purge their systems faster," Daisy said with authority. The
sounds of Ona retching and moaning confirmed Daisy's prognosis.
"How long do we leave her in there?" Nancy asked.
Until she stops moaning and thrashing.
"I read a lot," Daisy said, tucking one of Cindy's teddy
bears under the Zentraedi's arm. "That's why I'm a lieutenant
and you're still a sergeant."
Heh
Very nice work. Will try to get to the rest later.
D.B. Sommer