RoustWriter: Blog

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...When Selina went to assist the women in getting everything ready for bed, Junior eyed the portal as it hung in the air. It was just hanging there near the wall doing nothing that he could see, but curiosity got the better of him and with the assistance of his wings, he hopped up and pecked at the, to him, simple white ball that moved around on its own. The portal that had looked so insubstantial only moments before was suddenly so hard that his beak slid off. Junior didn't like that, so he tried landing on the sphere.

That should have worked. After all, the ball was only six inches or so in diameter, so his long toes tipped with claws should have given him easy purchase when he landed. But… the portal was intelligent and directed by its AI that decided now would be a good time to have a near-frictionless surface. Junior's grip turned out to be nonexistent. Since he had been so confident that his short flight would land him on the sphere, he slipped off and slammed into the wall. Only with his excellent reflexes did he manage to recover before landing with a flutter of wings, albeit a bit harder than he intended.

Now Junior being Junior, his temper began to show itself. After all, he had no intention of damaging the thing that seemed to hang there with nothing holding it up. He was just curious. This time, he circled, and at the last instant, beat hard with his wings so that his taloned feet extended before him. He would show this thing who was boss rooster around here.

The ball was suddenly three feet to the side, and Junior, feet extended before him, hadn't planned on missing, and he didn't miss… the wall, that is.

Since he had squawked loudly as he attacked, all the hens were watching as he hit the wall butt first before sliding down to land ignominiously on his rear.

"Junior, what in the hell are you doing?" Morales yelled out.

Junior sheepishly untangled himself and strutted off, his body language screaming out, "I meant to do that. I meant to do that."

"That rooster is nuts," Jasmine said as she tried to stifle a giggle...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Selina looked as if she were holding back tears. "No," she quietly said, even as her hands trembled. "I particularly want to stay here tonight," she insisted as a shimmering formed in the air a few feet from her.

"Whoa," Morales said as he came to his feet to stare at the shimmering, his comment having come a split second before everyone else's startled exclamations. "What the hell is that?" he asked no one in particular.

"It is… what we have been searching for," Selina replied, her expression unreadable.

"Well, whatever it is, it's scaring the crap out of me," Ashley said as she eased closer to her husband only to realize that Jasmine and Christine had decided to do the same thing.

"Back away from it," Jeff instructed Selina.

She did, but almost reluctantly. "My Prime, I did not mean to do this. The honor should have been yours," she said mysteriously, a tremble in her voice.

"Selina, what the… heck are you talking about?"

"I thought it had… uh, communicated with you. I do not want this. It should be a privilege reserved for My Prime," she said while already on the threshold of tears.

"What should?" Diana demanded.

"That," Selina said, pointing, as her eyes filled and tears spilled down her cheeks...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

..."We know that it's sending out some type of subroutine that's basically saying, 'I'm here,' or some such. Now we just have to figure out how to respond and tell it that 'we are here and ready to transmit,' or some such thing. How the heck do I tell that thing that I want to learn how to talk to someone halfway across the galaxy? Who says the beings that used that thing even used speech? Maybe they did it mentally. Maybe I don't have the equipment built into me, but, by damn, I'm going to find out. If that thing back there can do it, I'm going to find out how, one way or another."

"Or we are," Selina inserted as she walked over and sat beside Jeff.

The Prime let out a sigh. "Look, there are probably people better equipped to talk to that thing than we are, but I don't know who they could be. Selina has had some success, but I'm reluctant for her to go in there again."

"I am not worried about it hurting me," she assured Jeff.

Jeff blew out a breath as he spoke to her. "Perhaps not, but I'm far from being comfortable taking you back in there. I want you to promise to stay close to me."

"I shall stay close," she answered when she realized how serious he was...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...By the time Arlene and Ann arrived, both young women beautifully coiffured with ponytails that arched sexily high off the back of their heads, their makeup perfect, and wearing loose, soft-appearing blouses that tended to drape over their breasts, with pants that hugged their tight little butts suggestively, and wearing low heels, the ashtray and dessert dishes were gone. The General, startling both, came to his feet.

"Ah, the ladies of the hour," he said, which caused a slight frown to knit the teenagers' brows.

With a quick glance at their husband, who shrugged almost imperceptibly, the two beautiful young women sat as the General assisted with their chairs. Arlene glanced at Ann, then, with a grin, spoke to the General. "No," she said with emphasis.

Jeff, who had started to sip his coffee, hesitated, then grinned himself before taking the sip. General, you keep forgetting how sharp they are, he thought.

"I haven't even asked yet," Whitworth grumped. "I just need your input - both of you, well, among a few other minor things."

The two must have mentally ordered coffee because it appeared in front of them.

"Thanks," they told Ship in unison.

The General didn't say anything; Jeff didn't say anything.

Arlene finally puffed out a sigh. "Okay, I know we're being set up, so let's get it over with. What do we have to do?"

"We need," the General began, but hesitated, "well, Earth needs a victory parade."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...It took quite a while for Ship to process all the alien women, but as Diana directed, Ship completed the task before she brought the alien males aboard. While the females were being processed, Diana had a quick meeting with her sister-wives, including Aiko and Tosha, to get everyone involved in what had to be done. Most of the alien women were afraid and expecting to be killed - except for two that seemed to understand things much better. In the short while that the Clan Queen had with them, she realized that those two were much more aware of what was going on, and it took only a few minutes for her to learn from them how much they cared for the First Officer, and generally what he had done for them.

Jeff and Diana were standing in the hallway near where the First remained in the lounge. Her boil hadn't been for what the First had done, but for what had apparently been done to the female population of the Miadax race - probably for generations.

"I know, Baby," Jeff said, "The First told me. He isn't the bad guy in this. He apparently found out about it when he rewarded the two females he liked by giving them some of his food. I gather that was a major no-no with his race."

Diana stared up at her husband. "What do we do? I will not stand to have these women treated like this. And by the way, other than their faces being a little flatter, which is not that far out of the norm for humans, the brow ridges, and having three vertically spaced breasts, they could almost pass for human."

"Uh, yeahhh," Jeff tentatively agreed while stretching out the word, obviously amused...

Have a goodun;

Roust