Part 52: WETMOUTH

Wetmouth ran towards the tall man standing next to the Ultra Lux Flyer and he scooped her up.

“Missed you, girl!”

“I missed you too, Dad.”

She climbed into the Flyer on the pilot’s side and Rex Schwartz took the passenger seat. Wetmouth gunned the 25 million credit Lumina Lamborghini RS exclusive edition through the energy curtain accelerating faster than a Loki torpedo. “Where are we going, Dad?”

“Linda waits for us at our Pluribus Penthouse.”

She let go of the controls and said to the flyers Computronic. “Take us to the Penthouse.”

Only now she removed her wig and mask and leaned over to nuzzle against the cheek of the super tycoon. The richest man in the known Universe put his hand around her shoulders and said. “Is everything alright? You know you can come home anytime you feel the fleet is not for you.”

“Yes I know Dad. I made the most wonderful friends. There is an Archa, a Zulu Prince, an X101, a Headhunter from Guayas, the daughter of the Saran Queen, the biggest Saturnian you ever going to see, a real Dai and there is Eric, from Nilfeheim. We are Midshipmen now and live in a Dorm on the Devi. The challenges are not easy, but we are the best team.”

“Sounds like a colorful group and I am glad you made friends.”

“They respect me for who I am and never make an issue out of me being a Sojonit. It is never even a subject. Well sometimes I get grief from other Midshipmen and crew members, but they never try when I am with my friends. Just the other day a load handler made some bad comments and Har-Hi, that is the Dai Than I mentioned, made him apologize. Trust me dad when Har-Hi asks someone to apologize they do.”

Rex brushed over her hair.” Well he is a Dai, they are the best fighters and they are very strong.”

“Har-Hi is strong but you should have seen Eric as two other Midshipmen tried to force me to unmask during a Gym break. One of them needed to have most of his teeth replaced in Sick Bay and the other was on his knees, broken bones, bleeding and crying for his live. He is special, Dad. Eric I mean.”

The flier approached the SII Needle and he said with a warm tone in his voice. “How so?”

“He has an IQ of only 130 and yet I always feel he is my equal intellectually. If you would need a picture for the word honorable and straight, you could use his image. I doubt there is anyone aboard the Devi who is a better fighter. Did you know he has the Medal of Honor?”

“No I didn’t know.”

“Admiral Stahl let him command the Devi and he did real well too.”

“Oh yes I heard the Old Battle Ax does this crazy stunt once in a blue moon and you sound like the number one fan of this Eric.”

As the flier parked itself and the doors opened she sighed.”Yes I think I am.”