The next, all of them appeared. I cannot explain it, sir." Your sensors failed! Clearly, they have not been properly maintained!"The new communication... officer was no friend of the instruments officer, but this did not seem to be the right time to let Weelock execute him, so he spoke up. "Sir, if I may, the other ships are reporting the same phenomenon." That cannot be!" Weelock remembered the tales. Creche mothers used them to scare misbehaving cubs into compliance. The chofries will get you.. You caneven ask my girlfriend Sh... Shhhh."Oh crap. I had gotten upset and almost let slip her name. His hand movedhigher on my thigh.He wanted to know, "Her name's Shawna, ain't it? I heard you talking toher a couple times. Good looking girl. That long blond hair and paleskin. Kind of slim but with a good big set of jugs. Heh. Are they allnatural?" Of course they are," I blurted out. Then, catching myself, I told him,"Listen, if you're trying blackmail, it could be a bigger risk for. Hell, if she liked him, I should be able to find some qualities in him that I could like. Right? Right.Besides, he knew he had lost. He was bright enough to understand that. He could either storm out in anger, or he could swallow his pride and take the gift that was offered, pale though it might be in his eyes.He turned to me. "What would have happened if Kayla had said no to you?" he asked quietly.I looked him straight in the eye. "Molly and I would have danced the night away. Tonight is for. Her face shone with perspiration even as her expression remained blank. She couldn't even muster the energy to look terrified.What had happened to her? How had this happened to her? What did that voice on the phone do to her? Before she could even speculate on why, or what else he might have in mind, Janice heard the front door rattled and open. Janice heard steps in the hallway. She couldn't turn, but the mirror's reflection showed the entrance to the front room. She felt a jolt of genuine.