Question Charge of the Light Vignettes

1. Targets of Opportunity

Adalie with her father, promising to take special care of something which belonged to her grandfather, interesting. Whoa, Addy went all out for security on this precious cargo, it would take superhuman abilities to steal it.

Adalie rolled her eyes as she sighed. "I know, Papa. She is a delicate little flower, and you don't want any barbaric ... American ...boys to try to pick that flower, right?"

"She is only thirteen," Papa Vitesse said, his voice soft and full of concern. "She is too young for affairs of the heart."

Aww, how sweet to see him so concerned for his little girls.

Ah, so Nicole is going to have a baby boy, this kid will have an interesting relationship with his sisters. And the wedding is tomorrow, please tell me bigotted idiots aren't going to attack because of Adalie and Amelie.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - late-Afternoon
Train Depot, Dunwich

Yay, Addy and Alicia back together. A great year, I hope those words from Alicia aren't an omen of things to come, great doesn't always mean nice or good. Aww, poor Amelia having to hear tales of Whateley and now going there, I would be scared at first too. Melville on the freshman floor, please tell me Amelia is just being grumpy because of a long trip and a strange new place.

Hehe, Addy that well known by those at Whateley because of last year. Not even top 10, well, it was an exciting year.

"I'm Fred O'Connell, from shipping and warehouse. How can I help you?"

Very reasonable guy, letting Addy accompany the package. *eyes bug out* Just what is in that container, the size and length suggest some sort of rifle due to the length, just a guess.

Kane Hall, requires a secure locker and needing paperwork and arrangements with Mrs. Carson, the suspense of finding out what inside the container is eating at me. Forsythe says it is pretty rare, no hints still of what it is. Now that is a secure vault, guess at a place like Whateley it has to be or any student could simply swipe something. That is a lot of paperwork.

Alicia and Kayda at a table in Crystal Hall, but one of the girls from Melville came for Amelia, the old campus tour, she should find that interesting.

"And you can't watch her twenty-four hours every day," Alicia chided her friend and roommate. "She's going to grow up sometime."

Finally someone states some common sense. All of them excited about what is in the container, you know how to build suspense for a reveal, Elrod.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - Mid-Morning
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy

Madame Prudhomme, figures stories about their summer adventures are circulating at Whateley, you can't keep stuff like that secret for long. Hehe, wish there was a video of the museum incident, it would be popular at Whateley. Change one course and add another, guessing the one being added is firearms safety.

From how Prudhomme is reacting I think my guess is right, Addy was such a pacifist last year and even got in trouble for it. Hehe, I think the person on the other end of the phone is Mrs. Carson or Hartford, shocked at the change to Addy's class schedule.

Administration Suite, Schuster Hall

Ooo, Addy under the gaze of both Ms. Claire and Ms. Hartford, I'd be sweating bullets. And 2 minutes till she was called in to talk to Mrs. Carson, being a speedster sucks when having to wait, I can't even imagine what it must be like. And now in Mrs. Carson's office with her and Ms. Hartford, without knowing how upset either of them is that is torture. Mrs. Shugendo shows up and they think her class schedule is a prank, good grief.

Mrs. Shugendo rolled her eyes. "You expect us to believe that you really want to take these courses? What next? Joining the FSHA? Getting a job as a short-order cook in the cafeteria? Petitioning for American citizenship?"

Now that is needlessly cruel on her part, does she remember what being a teen is like, how words like that can hurt deep.

Addy was fighting tears, not totally successfully. "Madame, I am very serious! After spending time with my friends this summer, and talking with Papa, and learning about his grandpapa, I really want to take these classes, if nothing else than to 'onor what 'e believed and stood for!"

Sound like grandpapa was a soldier in WWI or WWII if not both. Meeting with someone at security and all 3 are going with Addy to sort this out, this is going to be interesting to watch.

At the Crystal Hall and Booker gets a text message which makes him not hungry anymore, oh boy. Ugh, better not be betting on Addy, and of course he is, even has a source in Security, wish Carson knew who it was. All those messages coming in, Bomber a regular customer, Booker got the info from Tweak, just great, can keep anything secret from that pest. Ugh, even getting Linda aka Tweak to go film and send the feed to his computer so he will have a pay-per-view he can sell, greedy little bugger. Memo knows it isn't a rumor but is going to let people make bets on if it is, now that is scumball behavior.

Beneath Kane Hall now, security officers carrying several large cases while Addy, Alicia, and Kayda lead, Carson, Hartford, and Shugendo somewhere, hhm. Oo, Bardue there, he is going to impressed with the firearm I think. Eep, having to pass Bardue's safety test and stand up to him, Addy has stronger nerves than me.

Betting going on back at the Crystal Hall, 6.5 to 1 on Headrush aka Alicia passing, just what is this test? 11 to 1 on Addy passing, now that is just mean and watching them like this.

Another upperclassman who was standing nearby, not participating in the frenzied mob of gamblers, chuckled to herself. "Around here, kids'll bet on anything!" she said with a snicker. "Oh, and if you decide to get in on it?" She'd read the newbie's expression. "Those who are regulars have established credit lines. Newbies like you? Pure cash basis until you show the bookies that you're trustworthy. And you don't ever want to stiff one of them. They have lots of friends who take care of welchers."

Like the mafia is right, I just wonder how far Carson would let them go before putting her foot down. That smile from the freshman girl, just what does she know?

And they passed, yay!

Bardue's eyes widened. "Is that a MAS-36?" he asked almost reverently.

Now that is a rifle, impressive. A Hi-Power pistol as well, wish her grandpa could have lived and known his grandkids.

The Cajun girl shrugged. "It's just a Remington seven-hundred in three-oh-eight."

And a Glock pistol as well, nice firearms for both girls. A 1903A3 for Kayda's rifle, whoa. Love how Gunny just examines their firearms like they are artifacts.

Final best back at the Crystal Hall, nearly everyone bet against the girls passing, now that is just mean. Wonder if they learned their lesson or don't think the girls can handle the firearms.

"Charge and Headrush aced the safety class. Their muzzle discipline was perfect. Their procedures on the range were nearly flawless. And their marksmanship ...," he held up one target with five small clusters of five shots each, one group per bulls-eye on the paper. Each group was very compact. "Judge for yourself."

I knew they could do it, but dang that highly impressive. ROTC marksmanship program, I should have known Gunny was up to something! At least all of Addy's class changes are approved. Addy a shooting enthusiast, I definitely wouldn't have seen that coming when she was first introduced.

Gunny chuckled. "Alicia is a damned good shot. She seems to be a natural. For having started just this summer, Adalie is better than average. And Kayda is pretty good, too." A wicked grin crept onto his features. "It's less for them and more for the Grunts. Some of them are piss-poor shots, and I want them to be ... inspired ... to try harder!"

I should have known, always trying to get the Grunts to do better. A reloading lab for custom ammo, dang, Addy is the most changed out of the girls and I like it.

Booker giving a cash payout to a freshman girl who had the same information he did, of course Amelia bet on her sister and friends. Plotting to figure out who she is and encourage her to use other bookies, I think Booker is going to be ruined by the end of the school year thanks to Amelia or I can hope so.

"Armadillo bet pretty heavily against Charge. He paid with two spots in Le Bistro tomorrow night. Interested?"

"Always. Now, since you've got dinner tomorrow night, how about I buy you lunch?" she asked with a smile. It was becoming a running gag between them - lunch was included in their fees, so 'buying lunch' was another way of saying 'cheap date.'

If I couldn't stand either of them I would think Booker and Tweak were a cute couple, just get on my nerves for some reason.

Great story, nice bit of suspense with the package and learning what was inside it. After their summer trip, it was easy to guess Addy was going to be taking a class on using combat rifles, she really loved it when they were at Alicia's home. Man, betting against Addy is one thing but against Alicia who is from the Louisiana Bayou, that was just foolish. Fun story, Elrod and glad to see more of your writing again. Can't wait to read more in the future.

The MAS-36 is a nice rifle. It doesn't have a huge reputation, unlike the SMLE-Mk4, the K-98, or the 1903a3, but that's because its service history was too short. I like shooting it. I also have a Mosin-91/30, which is the primary Russian bolt-action rifle and was fired by the girls in the summer adventures (Best Days of our Lives). As one site notes about the Mosin:

... recoil is useful to relocate the shoulder that was dislocated by the previous shot.

It's a bit of a brute, but nothing an exemplar couldn't handle.

I am confident that I am more likely to be knocked on my keister by a 12 gauge than a Mosin, but that's just me.