Chapter 1

It was a good crowd for a Sunday morning meeting in Hapsburg R.I. Standing room only in the town council chambers. The coffee pot to the right was doing a brisk business. Mary Lou J. and Tim R were welcoming folks at the door. One Horse Bob stepped up to the podium. "Welcome to the Hapsburg Sunday meeting. Would those of you who care to, join me in a moment of silence."

He went through the usual meeting notes, asking about newcomers and announcements. I surveyed the room as I always did. My group had the commitment and I was the chair. Our members were scattered about the room. We were all volunteers. I had two other officers, two sergeants and two enlisted. We were here on a mission. I was junior, but was in command of the room. After all, it was my idea.

This was to be a pick up, the first of several in my hometown. If these worked out we were going to be staging more. My name is John K. and I have been sane and sober for almost 30 yrs.

I got picked up when they got our pizza shop in Slackville Mass a few months ago. They were not coming for me, they were coming for my boss, Big Bill, and little Margie. Bill stands 6'3" and has a build to match - a 6.8 and headed for the NCO academy.

Little Margie is Hispanic fireball. A new mother, she is headed for the Navy. Her 8.5 made her a shoo in for a top command slot in a few years.

Me, at 5'10 and 56 yrs old am still on the nerdy side. My prior service was Army artillery but I was a walking disaster. That was when I was drinking. 28 yrs later and one ex wife to my name earned me a 7.1. I showed good people skills and was headed for civil service.

We grabbed most of the staff and a few customers out of the store before we left. I got two girls, Maria and Tammy. Maria is Margie's sister. Where Margie is prim and proper, Maria is just about dead on delightful. Tammy is a downright sex goddess -- all the right curves in all the right places and talented as hell in bed. Neat thing is I know these girls and they know me. I anticipate a very happy home. Fred, the store owner qualified as a sponsor. He grabbed his kids and a couple of the girls. Bill grabbed his wife and one of the other girls. Not a surprise, the rest of Bill's family made it on board. He has a daughter with an 8.0 who is a real knock out.

We only left a few folks behind. Pigeon Stanley was the store manager with a 3.1. My girls told me that they had enough of him, as did both Fred's and Bill's.

Once everyone was on board, "The Dough Ball" things started settling in. Everyone went for med checks and we started planning changes. I was just getting my age dropped and the girls were staying as is. Why mess with perfection?

A couple of days of this and I was not happy, even with my sweeties and training, I was still restless. Something was missing.

"Sam, are there any more members of twelve step programs on board ship?"

"John, when you went through the med tubes, your body was cured of your addictions to alcohol and tobacco. You can now drink like a normal person."

"Okay Sam, what happens the first time I get drunk and do something stupid?"

"You are subject to normal sponsor disciplinary procedures."

"Then what you are saying is that I am not cured? That I cannot drink alcohol safely."

"That is correct. We currently have only limited abilities to deal with mental disorders. Untreated alcoholism is a disqualifying characteristic. You are here only because there was no trace of alcohol in your system at the time of pick up."

I sat back and thought about it. I had at my fingertips, the best in German beer, the finest wines and my favorite Kentucky whiskey. All I had to do was to take one drink and that would endanger my mission, my friends and my life.

"Sam, run that list I asked for. I want to know if there are and how many crew, concubines and volunteers are members of recovery programs. Cover the entire list of programs on file. I do not need to know any details."

Two hours later, Bill and I were relaxing over a couple of coffees. Bill had his usual cream and 8 sugars. Mine was my normal with cream only. Tammy slowly slipped under the table. After greeting Bill's girl Sara, she started doing a fine job on my boner.

"Why so unhappy, John? You got what you wanted didn't you? You got two of the best looking ladies on the ship and that stupid Pigeon is going to be Swarm chow."