“Wow, not even an I’m so sorry to hear that?” Ashton was hurt by her apathy.“Ash, we both know they were bad for each other. I fail to see why...it’s your problem.”“It’s my problem because of the brat.” He gestured back toward the bedroom. “They dumped her on me. No, they dumped her on the police and they dumped her on me.”“Okay, things are starting to make more sense now,” Shelly began to calm down.“Now you see what I'm dealing with? I could really use your support right now, Shelly,” Ashton was. “But I’ll certainly eat something!”“Me?” she asked quietly.“No chance. You’re engaged! And you can stop with Samantha’s little tests now.”“Oh quit being a stick in the mud! I was teasing!”I wasn’t so sure about that. It felt like a test. Actually, that wasn’t quite right. It felt like a real offer. One I had no interest in for a multitude of reasons.“Sorry, I’m just a bit on guard.”“Have a good time here!”By the time Wayne Messmer sang the National Anthem, the box was full. It was mostly men in. Once higher priority projects are completed, I will build an external ore processor. At present I am storing the excess ore in cargo hold one.The game theory sub-routine convinced both my primary and secondary processors to build an enhanced radiation weapon, often called a neutron pulse in Empire historical records. This is an outlawed weapon in the Empire, but we're not in the empire; star patterns clearly show this solar system as unknown space and logic dictates until this system is. "Sybil took a breath and added, "But I'm glad it is now."Alex was unsettled to see that the new business was a... um... sexparaphernalia shop. The window was somewhat discrete, being mostlylimited to displaying lingerie, scented oils, eye masks with feathers onthem, and other relatively innocent stuff. But a pair of handcuffs hereand a collar with leash attached over there suggested that much moreawaited inside. Alex shuddered as he followed the other two through thedoor and saw his worst.