Mitheral
"Growf!"
Alien Ship Blackout Friday, Jul 12, 2019
Duncan Moran’s family (except father) arrives Friday, Jul 19, 2019
Current date Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
HS Registration Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019
School Starts Wednesday, Aug 21, 2019 (less than a month from now)
Duncan Moran
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
This had to be the worst assignment his father had received to date. In truth Duncan was a little surprised that he hadn’t taken the assignment alone. Such a small base was on the remote side for his mother to receive medical care. That was going to suck. Duncan couldn’t for the life of him be certain as to why his father had been sent to such a place - except for one thing. His last assignment had been the Weapons Lab at Kirtland AFB.
Maybe his father had finally pissed off the wrong people. Or maybe he was getting shuffled under the carpet rather than dragging him through a court martial. With all the changes to the Moran family in the past couple months, Duncan would not have been surprised. He hadn’t said anything about the events that had transpired on the family vacation, but that didn’t mean his older brother or sister hadn’t. His older brother, William, now lived with their grandparents - or so he had heard. He had run away from home more than once. His sister was supposedly living with a foster family. What their father had done to her was unforgivable. At least Duncan was never going to forgive him for that.
The past couple days 21-22 Jul, 2019 (This part is a bit dry, and possibly disturbing to some. It can be skipped over.)
The summer has started out great, a tour of the Southwest US by way of a van and camper. The plan was for the trip to last a solid month. And it had, but not without incident. William and his father had almost come to blows. Then their father had done the unthinkable. He had driven off with their sister after she had talked back to their mother, dropped her off on the Las Vegas strip, and driven off. They never went back for her. Their sister was about to turn 14 years of age. It was … criminal.
Their father had always been abusive. Hardly a day went by when they were beaten for something. And Duncan’s mother actually defended the man. But then she had the twins to think about. The pair of young boys were turning 6 in October. Now, with his older brother and sister gone, all of his father’s wrath fell on him. So did all the chores.
His behind and back were still sore from the beating yesterday. Nevermind the older wounds that he was still healing from. The newest ones hadn’t reopened. He had balled up fists - as his brother had once done - when his father got started. That had really set his father off. Duncan had literally threatened his father. He NEVER did that - ever. He was the kid his parents never worried about. He never said a word at first. He just stood there and let his father hit him. But he refused to unball his fists. Instead he asked if that was all his father had. So his father locked him in his room - no dinner - and told him that if he tried to leave by the window, not to bother coming home.
The next day his father asked Duncan if he was hungry enough to behave himself. No concern about the stitches. Duncan defiantly asked his father if he was ready to listen because things had changed. That ended abruptly with his father locking the door again. For once his mother interceded and his father returned, this time to listen. The bottom line was that Duncan had had it with his father, the beatings over matters of chores. He agreed to do his dead level best to get chores done. But they had to be written down. Anything not on the list was something he would not accept a punishment for. And it would need to be in his Dad’s handwriting, legible, and detailed. He pointed out that he was one person, not two. And he was going to take time off as needed. And his school activities came first.
His Dad didn’t like being lectured like HE was the child. But he did like Duncan coming up with a reasonably mature solution. Orders in writing. Duncan didn’t stop there. He wanted to start a list right then and there. He admitted that they had just moved and expected a lot needed to be done. But he couldn’t read his Dad’s mind. Some task obvious to his father, Duncan might not even notice.
Then Duncan brought up the subject of “Extracurricular chores”. By this he meant to make college money. He asked his father to set aside some time for this later. Duncan said he had some ideas of his own. He had liked the money made for firewood. And the family made money from it… Duncan’s father said he’d think about it. There would probably be a problem doing that on base and it was too far to any larger populations. Duncan nodded. He admitted he had thought of that.
The Present - Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
Duncan hadn’t had much of a chance to even speak with any of the neighborhood kids. His father had kept him far too busy. But finally Duncan had gotten far enough ahead on the chores that he decided to take a little time off for himself. His first project was fixing his bike. His bike had a bent up front wheel and a dozen bent spokes. His brother had decided to steal HIS bike as his own had a flat tire when he tried to run away the first time. He’d ended up wrecking it when the police pursued him. Now Duncan had both bikes to mix and match parts. It took him a couple hours to tear them apart and swap out wheels, tubes, etc. But when he was done he finally had a working bike - plus a bunch of spare parts. That done he told his mother he was going to head to the PX to pick up a spare tire and browse a little.
Despite the fact that Duncan got out as little as he did, he had noticed the heightened security. Kirtland had had its own share of high security areas, but those were hardly noticed. The base wasn’t really built for families. That was the first thing he really noticed. The recreation centers seemed more geared toward adults. As soon as he strayed outside a certain area he felt eyes drawn to him more than usual. He experimented for about two hours as he rode a zig zag perimeter around base housing - and the Commissary and PX. Outside that … and invariably jeeps rolled past him every 10 minutes at most. More than once MP’s stopped to ask if he was lost. He just grinned and shook his head and told them he was exploring. Then he asked if the base had a general obstacle course open to civilians and dependents - or maybe ROTC students. That got him some smiles. After that he just told the MP’s he was headed to the PX and obstacle course - by the ‘scenic route’.
So why did it feel so weird at DPG (Dugway Proving Grounds)? It was like there was an unease, a paranoia.
At the PX he picked up a couple spares tubes and a repair kit. He looked hungrily at the candy and sodas, but walked on. His parents didn’t like letting him withdraw money. So he had to operate on very limited funds. Then he headed over to the guitar section.
++++++++++++++
Aliens
Matilda sent her thoughts forward again. Seer had assured them that they were secure where they were. The buildings they had found weren’t in use except in a few sections. And human security was woefully inadequate in this area. They had tracked their ship to this human military base arriving about eight planetary rotations after their crash (evening of 20 Jul, 2019). Their arrival had not gone undetected and the base had been put on lockdown again. That had been a rough night of playing cat and mouse - to use a human expression. Matilda was sure she didn’t like being the mouse in that equation.
They had discovered this building yesterday - after another night of moving about. This building - one of several - had a basement and tunnels. They had been locked, but that had proven no trouble. Snudge may as well have had the key. The only thing that slowed him down was his own ornery dislike of being rushed. So Matilda decided to teach him a human word.
Escargot. She explained it in gruesome detail. He eyed her tail, which did not corkscrew. That would have been a sign she was having fun. No it merely twitched. He chose to hurry. There was one thing he did hurry for and that was saving his own skin.
Seer explained the purpose of this building. It was devoted to teaching their offspring. That made a great deal of sense. Matilda nodded. “Human children do not generally continue their education throughout their maturation process. They take breaks - generally in the hottest months.” She watched as the others all nodded as if understanding.
Romulus spoke up. “How are we going to get our ship back? My readings suggest that it is right about where that big mountain is … and far underground. And it is getting more and more dangerous to move about.”
Matilda nodded. “I have a plan for that.” She was a little leery about her ‘plan.’ It was barely even formulated. She looked nervously at Seer. The Aurellian gave no hints as to what he expected of her. “I am going to gather data about the mountain. I just need to find the best sources of information. Seer, I know you would prefer not to interfere, but I do not believe an entire species should be judged on the actions of a few. I could use your help in the selection process.”
Seer turned to face her. A pulse of thought hit Matilda. “They attacked our scout ship. They chose their destiny. This is of their own doing.”
Matilda shivered. Seer always made her feel small. But she held her ground. “What if we had said hello BEFORE approaching their world? No, this is about their abuse of their world. I cannot argue that. If they must perish then it should be for that, not the fact that defended themselves against a perceived threat that WE caused.”
The rest of the crew edged away from Matilda.
Duncan Moran’s family (except father) arrives Friday, Jul 19, 2019
Current date Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
HS Registration Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019
School Starts Wednesday, Aug 21, 2019 (less than a month from now)
Duncan Moran
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
This had to be the worst assignment his father had received to date. In truth Duncan was a little surprised that he hadn’t taken the assignment alone. Such a small base was on the remote side for his mother to receive medical care. That was going to suck. Duncan couldn’t for the life of him be certain as to why his father had been sent to such a place - except for one thing. His last assignment had been the Weapons Lab at Kirtland AFB.
Maybe his father had finally pissed off the wrong people. Or maybe he was getting shuffled under the carpet rather than dragging him through a court martial. With all the changes to the Moran family in the past couple months, Duncan would not have been surprised. He hadn’t said anything about the events that had transpired on the family vacation, but that didn’t mean his older brother or sister hadn’t. His older brother, William, now lived with their grandparents - or so he had heard. He had run away from home more than once. His sister was supposedly living with a foster family. What their father had done to her was unforgivable. At least Duncan was never going to forgive him for that.
The past couple days 21-22 Jul, 2019 (This part is a bit dry, and possibly disturbing to some. It can be skipped over.)
The summer has started out great, a tour of the Southwest US by way of a van and camper. The plan was for the trip to last a solid month. And it had, but not without incident. William and his father had almost come to blows. Then their father had done the unthinkable. He had driven off with their sister after she had talked back to their mother, dropped her off on the Las Vegas strip, and driven off. They never went back for her. Their sister was about to turn 14 years of age. It was … criminal.
Their father had always been abusive. Hardly a day went by when they were beaten for something. And Duncan’s mother actually defended the man. But then she had the twins to think about. The pair of young boys were turning 6 in October. Now, with his older brother and sister gone, all of his father’s wrath fell on him. So did all the chores.
His behind and back were still sore from the beating yesterday. Nevermind the older wounds that he was still healing from. The newest ones hadn’t reopened. He had balled up fists - as his brother had once done - when his father got started. That had really set his father off. Duncan had literally threatened his father. He NEVER did that - ever. He was the kid his parents never worried about. He never said a word at first. He just stood there and let his father hit him. But he refused to unball his fists. Instead he asked if that was all his father had. So his father locked him in his room - no dinner - and told him that if he tried to leave by the window, not to bother coming home.
The next day his father asked Duncan if he was hungry enough to behave himself. No concern about the stitches. Duncan defiantly asked his father if he was ready to listen because things had changed. That ended abruptly with his father locking the door again. For once his mother interceded and his father returned, this time to listen. The bottom line was that Duncan had had it with his father, the beatings over matters of chores. He agreed to do his dead level best to get chores done. But they had to be written down. Anything not on the list was something he would not accept a punishment for. And it would need to be in his Dad’s handwriting, legible, and detailed. He pointed out that he was one person, not two. And he was going to take time off as needed. And his school activities came first.
His Dad didn’t like being lectured like HE was the child. But he did like Duncan coming up with a reasonably mature solution. Orders in writing. Duncan didn’t stop there. He wanted to start a list right then and there. He admitted that they had just moved and expected a lot needed to be done. But he couldn’t read his Dad’s mind. Some task obvious to his father, Duncan might not even notice.
Then Duncan brought up the subject of “Extracurricular chores”. By this he meant to make college money. He asked his father to set aside some time for this later. Duncan said he had some ideas of his own. He had liked the money made for firewood. And the family made money from it… Duncan’s father said he’d think about it. There would probably be a problem doing that on base and it was too far to any larger populations. Duncan nodded. He admitted he had thought of that.
The Present - Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
Duncan hadn’t had much of a chance to even speak with any of the neighborhood kids. His father had kept him far too busy. But finally Duncan had gotten far enough ahead on the chores that he decided to take a little time off for himself. His first project was fixing his bike. His bike had a bent up front wheel and a dozen bent spokes. His brother had decided to steal HIS bike as his own had a flat tire when he tried to run away the first time. He’d ended up wrecking it when the police pursued him. Now Duncan had both bikes to mix and match parts. It took him a couple hours to tear them apart and swap out wheels, tubes, etc. But when he was done he finally had a working bike - plus a bunch of spare parts. That done he told his mother he was going to head to the PX to pick up a spare tire and browse a little.
Despite the fact that Duncan got out as little as he did, he had noticed the heightened security. Kirtland had had its own share of high security areas, but those were hardly noticed. The base wasn’t really built for families. That was the first thing he really noticed. The recreation centers seemed more geared toward adults. As soon as he strayed outside a certain area he felt eyes drawn to him more than usual. He experimented for about two hours as he rode a zig zag perimeter around base housing - and the Commissary and PX. Outside that … and invariably jeeps rolled past him every 10 minutes at most. More than once MP’s stopped to ask if he was lost. He just grinned and shook his head and told them he was exploring. Then he asked if the base had a general obstacle course open to civilians and dependents - or maybe ROTC students. That got him some smiles. After that he just told the MP’s he was headed to the PX and obstacle course - by the ‘scenic route’.
So why did it feel so weird at DPG (Dugway Proving Grounds)? It was like there was an unease, a paranoia.
At the PX he picked up a couple spares tubes and a repair kit. He looked hungrily at the candy and sodas, but walked on. His parents didn’t like letting him withdraw money. So he had to operate on very limited funds. Then he headed over to the guitar section.
++++++++++++++
Aliens
Matilda sent her thoughts forward again. Seer had assured them that they were secure where they were. The buildings they had found weren’t in use except in a few sections. And human security was woefully inadequate in this area. They had tracked their ship to this human military base arriving about eight planetary rotations after their crash (evening of 20 Jul, 2019). Their arrival had not gone undetected and the base had been put on lockdown again. That had been a rough night of playing cat and mouse - to use a human expression. Matilda was sure she didn’t like being the mouse in that equation.
They had discovered this building yesterday - after another night of moving about. This building - one of several - had a basement and tunnels. They had been locked, but that had proven no trouble. Snudge may as well have had the key. The only thing that slowed him down was his own ornery dislike of being rushed. So Matilda decided to teach him a human word.
Escargot. She explained it in gruesome detail. He eyed her tail, which did not corkscrew. That would have been a sign she was having fun. No it merely twitched. He chose to hurry. There was one thing he did hurry for and that was saving his own skin.
Seer explained the purpose of this building. It was devoted to teaching their offspring. That made a great deal of sense. Matilda nodded. “Human children do not generally continue their education throughout their maturation process. They take breaks - generally in the hottest months.” She watched as the others all nodded as if understanding.
Romulus spoke up. “How are we going to get our ship back? My readings suggest that it is right about where that big mountain is … and far underground. And it is getting more and more dangerous to move about.”
Matilda nodded. “I have a plan for that.” She was a little leery about her ‘plan.’ It was barely even formulated. She looked nervously at Seer. The Aurellian gave no hints as to what he expected of her. “I am going to gather data about the mountain. I just need to find the best sources of information. Seer, I know you would prefer not to interfere, but I do not believe an entire species should be judged on the actions of a few. I could use your help in the selection process.”
Seer turned to face her. A pulse of thought hit Matilda. “They attacked our scout ship. They chose their destiny. This is of their own doing.”
Matilda shivered. Seer always made her feel small. But she held her ground. “What if we had said hello BEFORE approaching their world? No, this is about their abuse of their world. I cannot argue that. If they must perish then it should be for that, not the fact that defended themselves against a perceived threat that WE caused.”
The rest of the crew edged away from Matilda.
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