Kelly Blake 3: Where the Stars Are Few and Far Between by Rodney Smith Page B
Authors: Rodney Smith
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things out. We will, too.”
Amy looked out the back and admired the pool. “It is a lovely place. You did such a wonderful job designing and decorating it. It would be a shame to give it up. How warm is the pool water?”
Candy told her it was probably right around 30 degrees Celsius. It was just right for hot or cold weather. She liked it about six degrees below body temperature.
Amy asked if she could borrow a suit. Candy laughed and said she didn’t have one and it wouldn’t have fit her anyway. She told Amy to just strip down and jump in – no one was going to see her. Amy laughed and said no way. Candy said she could get one tomorrow at the Base Exchange.
Amy asked, “Did you invite Moira Kelly to come help plan the wedding?”
“I asked Kelly, but he said whatever we two decided was fine with him.”
Amy pulled out her communicator, said, “Men!” in a disdainful tone, and called Moira.
“Moira, this is Amy Craddock. I’m at Candy’s place and will be working on a plan for the wedding. Could you break away from what you’re doing for a few days? We’d love to have your input. You can. Good, let us know when you get in and we’ll pick you up. Fine, see you then.”
She hung up and turned to her daughter. “That settles that. She’ll call when she gets in, on the next available shuttle. Candy, there are right ways and wrong ways to plan a wedding, and excluding the mother of the groom is a wrong way.”
Amy asked for a glass of wine, even though it was only 1000 hours. Candy realized it was, of course, later in Geneva. She poured two glasses.
Amy sat down on the couch and patted the seat for Candy to sit beside her. “Candy, I hope you don’t have some romantic notion of eloping or having a small, intimate ceremony. Your wedding will unite two important families. Your father is head of the RIA. The Blakes are the finest scientific minds of our time. We’re a spacefaring race mainly due to their inventions. FTL communications means I can pick up my communicator and have a near-instantaneous conversation with Moira fifteen light-years away. In addition, her baby brother is the Senate Majority Leader. Your wedding will be big news. Tri-Vid coverage, paparazzi, interviews – get used to being under surveillance around the clock. No more skinny-dipping, sunbathing, or gamboling about your meadow starkers – unless you want to see yourself on the evening news that way.”
Candy had indeed imagined an intimate ceremony on the meadow outside with a few friends in attendance. She saw now that that wasn’t going to happen. For the rest of the day, she and Amy planned a much more elaborate ceremony. Moira came in the next day and added her input, and also put in the money to hire a professional wedding planner. Candy’s wedding kept getting bigger and bigger.
* * * * *
Kelly ran the Orion through its fifth drill of the day. Damage control was doing quite well. The XO had done a great job preparing the damage control parties. Minor or major damage was dealt with properly and quickly. Sickbay was squared away due to a last minute change to the manning document, trading out one of the three corpsmen for a Physicians Assistant, Lieutenant Rajna Kumar. Rajna had been his corpsman on the Vigilant and had become a PA in the time he was in retired reserve status. Kelly was very happy to see him onboard.
Operations department showed the most improvement. Kelly had arranged for three scout ships to run exercises of their own against the Orion. The captains were quite devious in their actions against the Orion, for Kelly had promised a bottle of 20-year-old Earth scotch to the captain with the best attack.
The prize went to the captain of the Vigorous for shadowing a bulk freighter and popping out as they crossed paths. He made a head on run at the Orion as they were attempting to negotiate the Gagarin ring. Kelly cautiously laughed as the Ops Officer attempted to avoid the freighter, line up with
Amy looked out the back and admired the pool. “It is a lovely place. You did such a wonderful job designing and decorating it. It would be a shame to give it up. How warm is the pool water?”
Candy told her it was probably right around 30 degrees Celsius. It was just right for hot or cold weather. She liked it about six degrees below body temperature.
Amy asked if she could borrow a suit. Candy laughed and said she didn’t have one and it wouldn’t have fit her anyway. She told Amy to just strip down and jump in – no one was going to see her. Amy laughed and said no way. Candy said she could get one tomorrow at the Base Exchange.
Amy asked, “Did you invite Moira Kelly to come help plan the wedding?”
“I asked Kelly, but he said whatever we two decided was fine with him.”
Amy pulled out her communicator, said, “Men!” in a disdainful tone, and called Moira.
“Moira, this is Amy Craddock. I’m at Candy’s place and will be working on a plan for the wedding. Could you break away from what you’re doing for a few days? We’d love to have your input. You can. Good, let us know when you get in and we’ll pick you up. Fine, see you then.”
She hung up and turned to her daughter. “That settles that. She’ll call when she gets in, on the next available shuttle. Candy, there are right ways and wrong ways to plan a wedding, and excluding the mother of the groom is a wrong way.”
Amy asked for a glass of wine, even though it was only 1000 hours. Candy realized it was, of course, later in Geneva. She poured two glasses.
Amy sat down on the couch and patted the seat for Candy to sit beside her. “Candy, I hope you don’t have some romantic notion of eloping or having a small, intimate ceremony. Your wedding will unite two important families. Your father is head of the RIA. The Blakes are the finest scientific minds of our time. We’re a spacefaring race mainly due to their inventions. FTL communications means I can pick up my communicator and have a near-instantaneous conversation with Moira fifteen light-years away. In addition, her baby brother is the Senate Majority Leader. Your wedding will be big news. Tri-Vid coverage, paparazzi, interviews – get used to being under surveillance around the clock. No more skinny-dipping, sunbathing, or gamboling about your meadow starkers – unless you want to see yourself on the evening news that way.”
Candy had indeed imagined an intimate ceremony on the meadow outside with a few friends in attendance. She saw now that that wasn’t going to happen. For the rest of the day, she and Amy planned a much more elaborate ceremony. Moira came in the next day and added her input, and also put in the money to hire a professional wedding planner. Candy’s wedding kept getting bigger and bigger.
* * * * *
Kelly ran the Orion through its fifth drill of the day. Damage control was doing quite well. The XO had done a great job preparing the damage control parties. Minor or major damage was dealt with properly and quickly. Sickbay was squared away due to a last minute change to the manning document, trading out one of the three corpsmen for a Physicians Assistant, Lieutenant Rajna Kumar. Rajna had been his corpsman on the Vigilant and had become a PA in the time he was in retired reserve status. Kelly was very happy to see him onboard.
Operations department showed the most improvement. Kelly had arranged for three scout ships to run exercises of their own against the Orion. The captains were quite devious in their actions against the Orion, for Kelly had promised a bottle of 20-year-old Earth scotch to the captain with the best attack.
The prize went to the captain of the Vigorous for shadowing a bulk freighter and popping out as they crossed paths. He made a head on run at the Orion as they were attempting to negotiate the Gagarin ring. Kelly cautiously laughed as the Ops Officer attempted to avoid the freighter, line up with
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