at all."
* * *
"Avonlea, Avonlea! You're off course. Repeat you're off course." The moon base operator was screaming at him over the communications port.
Levits decided to have a little fun. He linked in. "Yeah, well, how's this? I'm stealing your freaking ship, so I don't give a shit!"
RJ skidded to a stop beside him. "Change course for Beta 4."
"What?" Levits screamed at her.
"Change course; we're going to Beta 4," RJ said.
"For shits sake, RJ, I just told moon base
. . .
"
"What the hell did you say?" the moon base operator asked.
Levits cleared his throat. "Ah, we ah. . . Just a little ship humor, sir." He shrugged silently in answer to the look that Topaz gave him. "I'm making that course correction now. Thanks I sure wouldn't want to get lost out here in hyperspace."
"You OK, Thomas?" The operator asked.
"Yeah, just a little constipation. Happens every time I spend any time in a space station. Over." Levits cut the transmission and turned to face RJ.
"You want to tell me what the hell's going on?" he asked.
RJ smiled at him and bent down to kiss his check. "Now if I knew that we wouldn't have to go to Beta 4, would we?" She straightened, turned on her heel and started out of the room.
"Damn it, RJ, would you give me a straight answer? What happened to your big win the Argys over plan, and why in hell's name are we going to a hole like Beta 4?"
She was gone and obviously wasn't going to answer him.
Levits turned to Topaz. "OK then, answer this one for me. Why does she keep kissing me when I'm screaming at her?" Levits asked.
Topaz and David both laughed.
"She does it because you find it unsettling," Topaz said.
"I think she does it because she likes him," Poley tossed out and then left obviously to go look for his sister.
They all laughed now. "Better take your vitamins, Levits," David teased. "Think you're up for it?"
"I'd certainly find that unsettling," Levits laughed.
Chapter Four
Taheed looked out the huge window at the bright red and gold striped sunset and smiled. "Exquisite!" he exclaimed, waving his handless arms around in circles. "Don't you think so, son?"
"Oh, yeah, great," Taleed said with no enthusiasm. He sat staring not at the sunset, but at a spot on the floor.
"Can't you enjoy anything?" Taheed turned an annoyed face to his son. "Must you continue to walk around the palace with your chin dragging on the ground? Haven't you punished me enough?"
"I have a right to disagree with your policies, Father, and I very heartily disagree with this latest trend."
"Oh, yes, how terrible! The kingdom grows richer each day
. . .
"
"It's the way we grow richer that bothers me. Father, you are selling our people into slavery. I do not trust the motives of this Reliance. I do not think they are dealing with us in good faith," Taleed said. "For generations the priests warned us against trade with the Reliance. Slowly, reluctantly they agreed to trade lizard skins, beads, other handmade items to the Reliance for farm implements, utensils, and light bulbs. Now, however, they push us to trade our people for this gold metal. How does this serve the people? How does it serve us? We are taught that The Ancestor wanted nothing to do with the Reliance. There had to be a reason for it, and a reason for the priests to be reluctant to trade with them."
"And there is a reason for us to trade with them now," Taheed said in an exasperated voice.
"Father
. . .
They are taking all our best warriors. What's to stop them from waiting till most of our good fighters are gone and descending on us in droves? Conquering and enslaving us all as they have done to countless other worlds," Taleed said.
"Son
. . .
Someday you will be King. You must learn to make the tough decisions. I think you are losing sight of the big picture. We have an over-population problem. A
* * *
"Avonlea, Avonlea! You're off course. Repeat you're off course." The moon base operator was screaming at him over the communications port.
Levits decided to have a little fun. He linked in. "Yeah, well, how's this? I'm stealing your freaking ship, so I don't give a shit!"
RJ skidded to a stop beside him. "Change course for Beta 4."
"What?" Levits screamed at her.
"Change course; we're going to Beta 4," RJ said.
"For shits sake, RJ, I just told moon base
. . .
"
"What the hell did you say?" the moon base operator asked.
Levits cleared his throat. "Ah, we ah. . . Just a little ship humor, sir." He shrugged silently in answer to the look that Topaz gave him. "I'm making that course correction now. Thanks I sure wouldn't want to get lost out here in hyperspace."
"You OK, Thomas?" The operator asked.
"Yeah, just a little constipation. Happens every time I spend any time in a space station. Over." Levits cut the transmission and turned to face RJ.
"You want to tell me what the hell's going on?" he asked.
RJ smiled at him and bent down to kiss his check. "Now if I knew that we wouldn't have to go to Beta 4, would we?" She straightened, turned on her heel and started out of the room.
"Damn it, RJ, would you give me a straight answer? What happened to your big win the Argys over plan, and why in hell's name are we going to a hole like Beta 4?"
She was gone and obviously wasn't going to answer him.
Levits turned to Topaz. "OK then, answer this one for me. Why does she keep kissing me when I'm screaming at her?" Levits asked.
Topaz and David both laughed.
"She does it because you find it unsettling," Topaz said.
"I think she does it because she likes him," Poley tossed out and then left obviously to go look for his sister.
They all laughed now. "Better take your vitamins, Levits," David teased. "Think you're up for it?"
"I'd certainly find that unsettling," Levits laughed.
Chapter Four
Taheed looked out the huge window at the bright red and gold striped sunset and smiled. "Exquisite!" he exclaimed, waving his handless arms around in circles. "Don't you think so, son?"
"Oh, yeah, great," Taleed said with no enthusiasm. He sat staring not at the sunset, but at a spot on the floor.
"Can't you enjoy anything?" Taheed turned an annoyed face to his son. "Must you continue to walk around the palace with your chin dragging on the ground? Haven't you punished me enough?"
"I have a right to disagree with your policies, Father, and I very heartily disagree with this latest trend."
"Oh, yes, how terrible! The kingdom grows richer each day
. . .
"
"It's the way we grow richer that bothers me. Father, you are selling our people into slavery. I do not trust the motives of this Reliance. I do not think they are dealing with us in good faith," Taleed said. "For generations the priests warned us against trade with the Reliance. Slowly, reluctantly they agreed to trade lizard skins, beads, other handmade items to the Reliance for farm implements, utensils, and light bulbs. Now, however, they push us to trade our people for this gold metal. How does this serve the people? How does it serve us? We are taught that The Ancestor wanted nothing to do with the Reliance. There had to be a reason for it, and a reason for the priests to be reluctant to trade with them."
"And there is a reason for us to trade with them now," Taheed said in an exasperated voice.
"Father
. . .
They are taking all our best warriors. What's to stop them from waiting till most of our good fighters are gone and descending on us in droves? Conquering and enslaving us all as they have done to countless other worlds," Taleed said.
"Son
. . .
Someday you will be King. You must learn to make the tough decisions. I think you are losing sight of the big picture. We have an over-population problem. A
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