My mom had tried to cheer me up with emails and stuffed animals and flowers and such, but it hadn't helped much. She wasn't able to come 'cause she ne...ded to keep her job – she was the manager at three Quik-Stop convenience stores on the highway outside Waxahachie, Texas, and just couldn't get to Germany. Where I was.Dad, as usual, was in parts unknown. He'd disappeared when I was sixteen – thirteen years ago – and hadn't been heard of since.On my second day here, the doctors told me and mom. "Here's the deal, Mr. Wizard. I will talk MY 'Mom' around to save yourmarriage. You can live here in luxury with Laura as your wife and if youbehave yourself I will transfer funds to your bank account and I willhelp you teach my classes." What! Me be a fuckin' husband to my MOM?" Yes, and if you don't behave yourself I can always turn you into a sewerrat - your natural form, by the way. I could feed you to Laura's cat orperhaps just put you in the sewers to run and feed and fight with. "Turn around," she said raising the maid's dress. "I told you one thousandtimes that the corset must be completely closed! This will cost you apunishment."Pulling hard on the laces Mistress made the ends of the corset meet,closing the gap; she closed the zip that covered the laces makingimpossible to undo them and buckled the belt around the waist. Sissy'shead was spinning when she heard the double *click* of the locks sealingthem."Deportment is essential," Mistress lectured locking the posture. He did not want to push them any further. The mighty Devastator would be of no help if she arrived at a crisis with damaged engines. Thankfully the Attikan Commonwealth was not only part of the Union now, but they had sent a full battle group to Fornax and all ships with the fast Attikan engines, but it would take them month to get there.Attikan and Union engineers already worked on Attikan type engines big enough to fit the Devi but they would not be ready until next year.The Devi still had.