Chapter 9

Romance: Another country heard from:9.

"Jack? What are we going to do with all this?"

"I don't know," he answered, "All I wanted was some swords to train with."

"Why did you buy all this junk?"

That particular piece of junk was a Priest Gorō Masamune tachi, similar to one recently returned to Japan and worth half a million dollars.

"That Rheinmettal 88 is a pretty rare bird. I couldn't pass it up. It's a Flak 41. Uses a longer casing than the original Krupp designed gun."

"Wait? Flak? Like in Gimmie none of your flak?"

"No ... like Flugzeugabwehrkanone, anti aircraft cannon."

"What about the swords?" she asked, " ... I never saw a man shop with so much abandon. Jack ... you shop like a girl."

"Most of the swords are eighteenth century or earlier. The collector was a fanatic about taking care of the metal, so they're in very good shape. There's not one mass produced military blade in the bunch.

"All the cartridge weapons are unfired ... I wonder how he managed that? ... Those three Nambu's are representative of the three types ... but pre-war? Amazing!

"Shit! I'm going to have to pay a two hundred dollar transfer tax on all the automatics ... or donate them to a museum ... looking at what I can see ... the tax is a million dollars. Call the Pentagon in D.C., please. Ask them to send out an ordnance officer. We'll see what he says."

"You still didn't say why you bought it all ... and passed up the aircraft."

"Aircraft?"

"Hangar full."

"You're kidding."

"Nope ... the old lady says she doesn't have anyone to leave them to ... she'll probably junk them."

"Did you get a number? You're a wonderful person, Sultry"

"I'm certifiable for sure."

"Huh?"

"I married you ... planned it from the first time I saw you. I had to be crazy."

"Planned it?"

"Jack, you never had a chance."

"You still gonna love me when we get back from Chaos?"

"I been thinking about that ... it's all part of the job? Killing assholes and fucking damsels? Like renting out a stallion?"

"No adventure without the rulebook." Jack said, "Let me tell you what I was thinking when I got back from my first mission. Kick some of that junk off the couch and have a seat."

She did ... priceless Chokuto and Tsurugi/Ken scattered and rattled as they were mistreated for the first time in history.

"When I walked through the our portal after the Karen Entertainer of Cassandra said she'd killed the frog. I passed by my room, you were curled up to my pillow and sucking your thumb..."

"The hell you say ... sucking my thumb? I don't suck ... I do?"

"You were laying there so peaceful and I thought... Jack ... you're an idiot. You walk through the portal, three days tops and you're in the shit of Chaos. You only get to see Cassie ... and nearly have to die to do it ... once in three weeks. Cassie is unattainable. No matter what ... you'll never have a relationship. There sleeps Sultry ... the most beautiful earth woman ... and you can have a relationship with her. Children born of this earth. If you don't marry her you'll regret it all the rest of your life. And that's what I thought.

"I bade the Powers Good Bye, took a shower and climbed the stairs, I wrestled the pillow away from you ... you wiggled your way to me ... looking for the pillow ... snuggled up ... stopped sucking your thumb, grabbed my shifter, sighed and was immediately in REM sleep. I slipped into comfort and slept. You were still there in the morning ... smiling ... in your sleep."

"Ok ... you can go. I'm going to use the watch and train."

"You mean ... go ... like now?"

"If you like."

"I've only been back a week."

"But ... we went all those places."

"In the past. With the watch ... all we did was flicker."