backup team.
"Nice
to finally meet you officially Commander."
She
smiled. "Call me Joyce." She nodded to the aid. "I
take it Latisha is already in the Sim?” she asked turning to
the aid.
The
aid nodded. "She's been in there since team one cut out for
lunch ma'am."
The
commander chuckled. "Yeah, she can't wait to get flight time,
even if it is in a sim." She looked Mario over. "So what
are you in for?" she asked.
He
shrugged. "The usual. All of us are getting a short run through
the Sims to get a feel for the craft even if we aren't a pilot."
She
nodded. "Yeah, but it takes a pilot to do what I do." He
nodded trying to keep a straight face. In truth computers were flying
many missions. Remote piloted craft were even making inroads onto the
battlefield, making many throttle jocks uneasy. You didn't need an
aeronautical degree to fly, just a basic understanding and a heading
now a days. "Well, let's see how you do." She waved him to
the sim door.
...*...*...*...*...
"What's
this all about? Fitting?" Mario grumbled, tugging at the tight
fitting body stocking.
"Cut
it out Mario your stretching it," Wanda ordered. He stopped and
sighed.
"Mario,
chill. We're getting fitted for our skin suits," Commander
Longfeather replied, sitting back.
"Skin
suits. Great," Mario grumbled. "Better not give me a
wedgie," he grumbled. Wanda snickered; she knew he preferred
boxers over briefs.
"You
better pay more attention to the front end mate, too many late night
pizzas and you'll burst first time you try the suit on," Latisha
teased. He grimaced as Wanda and Joyce chuckled.
"Oh
ha ha," he sighed. "So we’re going to get what? Laser
scanned she said?"
He
looked over to Wanda who nodded confirmation. "They're also
going to use the data for our avatars and our video game characters,"
she replied.
He
pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, closing his eyes
and trying not to think of that. "Great. Guess I can't ask them
to cut a few pounds off here and there and make me all muscles can
I?" he finally asked, striking a weight lifters pose. "Not
that I already don't have the build of a Greek god," he joked.
Latisha snorted. Wanda chuckled. He mock glowered. "It's not
nice to pop men's fantasies ladies," he mock growled. Latisha
looked over to Wanda who started to grin.
"But
it's so much fun!" Wanda chuckled turning the grin on him. He
sighed.
...*...*...*...*...
"Did
I miss the intro?" Luigi asked coming up behind Mario. Now that
fittings were over they were getting to the little things. They still
had a couple of test flights to go. So far the basic hardware had
passed. Nothing critical had been in need of redesign, just tweaking.
Mario
scowled. "No, you just made it," he answered. He looked
around the desert area. Arid Arizona, go figure.
Luigi
sighed in relief. "Good, I got lost." He shook his head.
"Way out in the boonies!" He looked around to the barren
landscape. Some hills in the distance, the vehicles, a tent, chairs,
porta potty, and a pile of bricks were the only landmarks.
"Why
are we here again?" Joyce asked. Mario chuckled.
"Mars
Foundation is running a homesteader workshop on building a base,"
Mario replied. He shrugged as he looked around. About twenty people
were in the audience. They were the die hards, the people who really
wanted to make this happen.
"Ladies
and gentlemen, welcome to the Mars Foundation's hands on presentation
on building a Mars vault. Some of you will be walking on the red
planet, and it is our hope that you will open the way to future
generations by employing some of the techniques we are about to show
you..." Bruce Mackenzie waved to the pile of bricks. "We've
set up two demonstrations; the first is how to make bricks if you'll
follow me..."
He
paused. "Oh, you may want to change if you’re not dressed
for it, you’re going to get dirty," he grinned. Mario
chuckled rolling up his sleeves. His brother took his jacket off and
hung it on the back of a chair.
"Just
the way we
"Nice
to finally meet you officially Commander."
She
smiled. "Call me Joyce." She nodded to the aid. "I
take it Latisha is already in the Sim?” she asked turning to
the aid.
The
aid nodded. "She's been in there since team one cut out for
lunch ma'am."
The
commander chuckled. "Yeah, she can't wait to get flight time,
even if it is in a sim." She looked Mario over. "So what
are you in for?" she asked.
He
shrugged. "The usual. All of us are getting a short run through
the Sims to get a feel for the craft even if we aren't a pilot."
She
nodded. "Yeah, but it takes a pilot to do what I do." He
nodded trying to keep a straight face. In truth computers were flying
many missions. Remote piloted craft were even making inroads onto the
battlefield, making many throttle jocks uneasy. You didn't need an
aeronautical degree to fly, just a basic understanding and a heading
now a days. "Well, let's see how you do." She waved him to
the sim door.
...*...*...*...*...
"What's
this all about? Fitting?" Mario grumbled, tugging at the tight
fitting body stocking.
"Cut
it out Mario your stretching it," Wanda ordered. He stopped and
sighed.
"Mario,
chill. We're getting fitted for our skin suits," Commander
Longfeather replied, sitting back.
"Skin
suits. Great," Mario grumbled. "Better not give me a
wedgie," he grumbled. Wanda snickered; she knew he preferred
boxers over briefs.
"You
better pay more attention to the front end mate, too many late night
pizzas and you'll burst first time you try the suit on," Latisha
teased. He grimaced as Wanda and Joyce chuckled.
"Oh
ha ha," he sighed. "So we’re going to get what? Laser
scanned she said?"
He
looked over to Wanda who nodded confirmation. "They're also
going to use the data for our avatars and our video game characters,"
she replied.
He
pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, closing his eyes
and trying not to think of that. "Great. Guess I can't ask them
to cut a few pounds off here and there and make me all muscles can
I?" he finally asked, striking a weight lifters pose. "Not
that I already don't have the build of a Greek god," he joked.
Latisha snorted. Wanda chuckled. He mock glowered. "It's not
nice to pop men's fantasies ladies," he mock growled. Latisha
looked over to Wanda who started to grin.
"But
it's so much fun!" Wanda chuckled turning the grin on him. He
sighed.
...*...*...*...*...
"Did
I miss the intro?" Luigi asked coming up behind Mario. Now that
fittings were over they were getting to the little things. They still
had a couple of test flights to go. So far the basic hardware had
passed. Nothing critical had been in need of redesign, just tweaking.
Mario
scowled. "No, you just made it," he answered. He looked
around the desert area. Arid Arizona, go figure.
Luigi
sighed in relief. "Good, I got lost." He shook his head.
"Way out in the boonies!" He looked around to the barren
landscape. Some hills in the distance, the vehicles, a tent, chairs,
porta potty, and a pile of bricks were the only landmarks.
"Why
are we here again?" Joyce asked. Mario chuckled.
"Mars
Foundation is running a homesteader workshop on building a base,"
Mario replied. He shrugged as he looked around. About twenty people
were in the audience. They were the die hards, the people who really
wanted to make this happen.
"Ladies
and gentlemen, welcome to the Mars Foundation's hands on presentation
on building a Mars vault. Some of you will be walking on the red
planet, and it is our hope that you will open the way to future
generations by employing some of the techniques we are about to show
you..." Bruce Mackenzie waved to the pile of bricks. "We've
set up two demonstrations; the first is how to make bricks if you'll
follow me..."
He
paused. "Oh, you may want to change if you’re not dressed
for it, you’re going to get dirty," he grinned. Mario
chuckled rolling up his sleeves. His brother took his jacket off and
hung it on the back of a chair.
"Just
the way we
Similar Books
