Chapter 2

The space shuttle was ferrying a load of passengers from Two.the space ship Nomad to Earth Brianna Jones realized her journey to Earth Two was nearly at an end. She sat back and wondered what life would be like on the newly discovered planet.

She knew practically nothing about it as regular communication from it to earth was confined mainly to the ruling elite who only announced essential information. The rest of the communication came in the form of a few letters sent to Earth families who had relatives that made the two month journey to the new planet. The writers always boasted about the new life they had created and considered themselves to be pioneers settling Earth Two. They said life was tough as it took lots of hard work to carve out a life on a brand new planet but everybody was alive and doing well.

Brianna hadn’t paid too much attention to the Earth Two which was first habituated two years earlier, but she had to admit she was curious. However, as an investigative reporter for a major news source she was too busy tracking down stories on Earth, to do much more than occasionally wonder how exciting it would be, to be one of the first pioneers who helped establish the new planet.

Then just as her relentless investigation was blowing open the blatant crimes of a huge conglomerate, she was summoned into her boss’s office.

The tall, muscular, middle aged guy with rolled up sleeves looked like a quintessential old time editor. His pants were held up with braces, he wore a solid colored dress shirt, the knot on his tie was loose, and he always had a stubby pencil stuck behind his ear.

‘Nice job, Brianna. You got some very important people running for cover, like rats deserting a sinking ship.”

Brianna smiled broadly and thanked her editor. As a reporter trying to make a name for herself, she was over the moon about the uncovering of a host of businesses doing illegal work.

The editor stopped and eyed her. “What?” she asked.

Tom Peter shifted through some papers on his desk and handed one to her.

As Brianna scanned it, the editor explained. “You heard about the discovery of that new planet which is as livable as Earth? Well, we got an invite to send a reporter to it and since life may be pretty tough there, I thought a go getter like you would be interested.”

Brianna eyed her editor, a frown of concern crossed her pretty face, and her blue eyes blinked rapidly. “What about my story. I uncovered so much about those bastard’s activities I got them all shitting their pants.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, you did a great job but now that the heavy work is over, we can finish them off by sending out a couple of regular reporters to follow them to the gallows.”

Tom watched Brianna’s reaction. There was no doubt she was a hell of a reporter who had beauty as well as brains. Some called her a blond haired, blue eyed bombshell. Others complained she was nothing but a tease and a ball buster, out to send any man who dared to even stare at her too long into oblivion. She stood five foot seven and weighed 135 pounds with a trim figure, long legs and a set of tits that were guaranteed to catch the attention of every teenage boy and man in the universe. However, she treated every male with scorn and maintained a how dare you attitude to any one of them that dared to approach her in what she thought was a sexual manner. This resulted in constant sexual harassment complaints. Out of the occasional few in the office that Tom had to deal with, Brianna’s list of complaints set a record.

If that had been the only problem, Tom might have put up with her. Unfortunately, there were others. He had constant complaints about her being under handed, tricky and using her feminine wiles to trick men into compromising situations, and then complaining about them. There was also the fact that she was way too zealous and didn’t care whose toes she stepped on when investigating a story. Tom put up with that too because she was such a good reporter, but this time she’d gone too far and higher ups, including the owner of The Post thought it was time for her to go. They complained she was like a bull in a china shop, or like a killer tornado that roared through town and left a wave of destruction in its wake. They insisted Tom get rid of her one way or another.

Since she wouldn’t go quietly into the night, Tom had dreamed up another way of getting her out of every body’s hair. He’d send her to the new planet where she could investigate all she wanted without being a complete pain in the ass and destroying the lives of people on Earth. His bosses eagerly agreed.

“A fine place to keep her out of the way and from I heard there’s certain forces on that planet that might be able to show her, her proper place,” one of them noted. The rest of the men winked, laughed and nodded at each other as if they were in on a secret.

Tom thought he knew what it was. Shortly after the new planet was established he’d heard rumors that rebel elements had over thrown the original rulers sent from Earth to maintain control, and created their own society. Rumors indicated it might have been turned into a slave planet but, with no statements from proven sources, he shrugged them off. After all, hundreds of families were continuing to leave Earth to find a new life there. If anything about the slavery story was true, surely talk would have drifted back to Earth by now.

“Wow, this sounds really exciting and I’m grateful for the opportunity but I think I have to refuse,” Brianna said.

“Why?” Tom demanded. “It’s the opportunity of a life time. Just think of the wealth of stories you could send back to Earth.”

“Sorry, very interesting but not for me. I got two girls to look after, you know, I certainly won’t leave them here alone while I take off to a new planet for who knows how long. I want to watch them grow up, get married and give me grandkids.”

Tom nodded in understanding, but frowned at the new wrinkle his reporter presented. It was typical. She wouldn’t be Brianna Jones if she didn’t throw a wrench into the best laid plans. “I understand. Let me make a phone call and see if they will somehow let you include your girls on the trip. Would that satisfy you? How old are they, anyway?”

“Holly is 16 and Emma has just turned 13. As you know I’m been raising them on my own, ever since my husband left me for a gold digger half his age. They are kinda young so I gotta think twice about yanking them away from school and their friends to take them to an unknown world.”

Tom watched Brianna’s fabulous ass wiggle its way out of his office and thought about whether he should try to include her girls in their mother’s disappearing act. He made a few phone calls and discovered the two teens had the same bitchiness as their mother. Some claimed it must run in the family. Apparently, the older one, Holly was complaining about her science teacher touching her inappropriately because he patted her on the shoulder to say good job after acing a test. Not to be outdone, Emma had lodged a complaint about a student who stared at her too long.

Of course his bosses jumped at the chance to get rid of the girls too. “As far as I’m concerned, the whole damn family is a pain in the ass,” one of them muttered.

Tom found Brianna at her desk and motioned her into his office. “Guess what?” I talked to my bosses who are paying the whole shebang for the excursion and they agreed to include your girls. I think they said something about it being heartless to separate a family. Think of what a great experience it would be for them. It will last them a life time.”

Brianna was still in doubt because she was more interested in delivering the knock out blow to the illegal business practices she uncovered. However, ambition controlled her. She thought of how opportunities like this one that would allow her to be the sole reporter on the new planet, and they didn’t fall into anyone’s lap all that often. It was way too good to turn down. She breathed deeply and took the plunge. Tom breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded in agreement. Getting rid of Brianna and her girls was going to make everybody happy, and Earth might be far better off with the whole damn family gone. As far as he was concerned, they were all a giant pain in the ass.

“Great, but you realize you have to move quickly. The next space ship leaves in two weeks, so you’d better hustle and wind up all your affairs on Earth or you’ll be waiting months for the next one.” Tom smiled.

And that was it. Brianna hurriedly made arrangements for the care of the possessions she would be leaving on Earth, gathered up her girls and boarded the Nomad for the two month journey. The only shock so far had been the maximum one suitcase per passenger rule due to space and weight requirements. It forced them to hastily decide on priority items and abandon the other six suitcases they had lugged to the departure lounge. When authorities had assured them, the abandoned suitcases would be returned to her house, she reluctantly agreed to their terms.

Brianna stirred as the space shuttle neared its docking station and nudged her girls into action. Emma, a petite blond teen with a sweet, innocence look and a nubile, young body that already showed promise of making her a knock out, shook her long blond hair and tried to look out the small oval window. She frowned in disappointment and turned to her mother with a petulant look. “I don’t see anything. It’s like looking into pitch black midnight. What kind of place is this anyway?” It was a perfect display of a bratty child already imitating her mother’s natural bitchiness.

Holly laughed. “That’s because your looking out into space, goofy. “Don’t you get it? There’s nothing to see in space,” she explained with her usual sassy, know it all attitude.

Emma made a move to slap her older sister. “Don’t call me goofy, it’s not a nice word,” she sniped at her older sister.

“Yeah, but if the shoe fits, wear it,” Holly laughed at Emma. She stood five foot three, weighed 120 pounds, and had a body that already boasted big, youthful breasts that stuck out on her chest like twin torpedoes, long, slender legs and an ass that would make any man’s mouth water. Her straw blond hair was cut short in a page boy style with strands of it spreading across her forehead. She had the same big, blue eyes as her mother and acted like the biggest snob ever. She was the kind of girl that ran with the clickiest of clicks in high school, and who was used to getting everything she wanted. Although she wouldn’t let many of them touch her much, she did love the attention all the boys gave her, and wasn’t above taking full advantage of her obvious beauty.

“Girls stop fighting and grab your suitcases so we can get in line to disembark.” Brianna ordered. She tossed back her long blond and sighed in frustration, sometimes raising a couple of willful teenage girls could be so taxing.

One half hour later, her family and a dozen others trudged through the dock and set foot on the new planet.

Brianna, always curious, tried to look around at her surroundings as they were ushered through a gate and had an attendant scan their documents. However, nothing looked interesting. So far the new planet looked quite ordinary. Brianna hoped that wouldn’t hold true for very long, or long trip would be for nothing.

Since she still had no idea what kind of nightmare she was walking into, she applied the usual bossy, no nonsense attitude she reserved for those she considered beneath her. She shoved her credentials at the young, pimple faced male attendant, gave him a withering look and rudely demanded. “Where’s our quarters? I’m a reporter for The Post on Earth and we’re extremely tired after our long journey.”

The attendant didn’t give a rat’s ass about the woman’s exalted status. He knew she’d be soon be losing much of her arrogance. Looking totally bored, he stretched, yawned, and took his time studying the documents. All the while he was casting an appraising eye on the newest passengers from Earth and saw a beautiful, but haughty, mature woman and two pretty, but very snobbish teens. He couldn’t help but smirk when the oldest girl scowled at him when she caught him ogling her over-sized tits. Perhaps after the head masters grew tired of her, she’d offer him the chance to take a much better look at them.