Scout Expedition

By Stephen Brandon

When a powerful group wants somehting done, they create a scenario. What happens when that secneario turns out to be real? Can the survivors adapt?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Brandon
• Release date: May 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476486345

Stephen Brandon

I've loved westerns and science fiction since I picked up my first book at the public library. I've been writing on my computer for years. I never planned on any of my stories being published, just to be read by myself, family, and friends. The base journal is on forty spreadsheets with links to about a thousand files of short one day paragraphs plus other stories. {My claim to fame, written by someone else. Thanks.} "As an earthbound retiree, Stephen writes mostly science fiction and short stories. He is a voracious reader and has written for a few years, publishing his stories on Smashwords."

Book preview

Scout Expedition

By Stephen Brandon

Copyright 2012 Stephen Brandon

Smashwords Edition

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Chapter 1: My name is Obadiah.

The doctor suggested that I start a journal. His reasoning was that I needed something to do while my legs heal.

Well, I'll start about telling how I got injured. If you know our history you know that we receive intensive hand to hand training starting when we are 9 or 10 ship years old. Our basic education is then completed. Along with the hand to hand training is technical training. I'm not bragging, but I was 2nd in my age group in most areas. Only Elizabeth was ahead of me in a couple. She's a little red headed that is only a month younger than I am, and I'll be 19 next month.

Anyway were were practicing for our semifinals and traversing from the low g to a high g area at full speed. I caught her and had her immobilized when I caught the outside edge of a transfer tube. I had a choice, let her take the full impact on her back or shove her off. I chose to shove her off and both of my legs took the full impact.

The surgeon told me that he quit counting at 23 breaks in my left and 19 in my right. He told me that in the old days he'd have simply amputated both legs. He also claims that I'll be back on my feet and able to run in the 1.5g area in 3 months.

I hope he's right, because I don't want to be assigned as mother ship crew. After all, I'm 3rd generation and we should be entering the target system in 4 1/2 years.

Last evening Elizabeth slipped into my quarters and entertained me. She said I didn't owe her, but she owed me because I had her immobilized. Well that's the rule. I haven't been immobilized by any of the girls since I was 17. Usually the prize is taken at first opportunity. When a guy immobilizes a guy or a gal immobilizes a gal they get IOU's. I've got quite a few IOU's in my book.

It's been 8 days and the surgeon told me after his exam that I could get up, but was confined to the 1g area for 5 more weeks, and then he'd determine what I'd be allowed to do or go.

I was sitting in the library reading ahead on my assignments last night when Elizabeth slipped up behind me and dropped an arm over my head and claimed she had me pinned. I argued that the library was off limits because of the equipment, but she insisted and dragged me over to the archives. When she was satisfied, she had to help me back to the computer room. I've got to check the rules for injured personnel because I think she violated several.

My 5 week check up was great. The surgeon says that I healing just fine, but I seemed to be exhausted. He was going to run a full panel of test until I admitted that I had a visitor in my quarters last evening and she didn't leave til 0300 hours. After looking at me for a minute he handed my a script.

I looked at it on the way out and discovered that it reassigned my quarters to the 0.2g hub.

I got Scott to help me move my trunk. When I told him that his help would take care of some of his IOU's he laughed and said that Elizabeth had told him that his were taken care of by her. She should have been in supply because she'd been trading and rearranging IOU's for the last month and as far as he knew no one owed me. She held all my IOU's.

I must have looked really shocked because he asked me if I was alright.

I then asked him not to let her know where I'd moved to because she'd been visiting me almost every night, and I needed my rest.

When he quit laughing, he told me that I was to late. Janet told him yesterday that Elizabeth had told her she was going to file papers on me.

I realized what she'd been up to. She was going to file on me as a mate. Now I'd never be able to take her down. I'd never be top of my age group because all I could ever do was collect IOU's. We would be teamed together for all the competitions. Her scores and mine would be linked together. I could never pull ahead her her.

It must have occurred to Scott as well. He was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes and it wasn't because he was rolling on the deck.

I kicked at him and told him he still didn't have a chance of beating me out. All this did was cause him to howl louder.

Then Elizabeth stuck her head in the door and announced, I'm here.

She grabbed Scott's leg and tossed him out in the corridor. Then she closed the door and wrapped her arms around me and quietly informed me that I was caught.

With a leg sweep I broke her hold and picked her up and dumped her in the hammock. After fastening the Velcro top I gave it a spin and wound her up so tight she couldn't move. Just for the heck of it I hit all her ticklish spots. None of them worked.