When they lathered suntan lotion over themselves, I bathed myself in sun screen. One injury was enough for me. Adding a sunburn to the mix had zero ap...eal.Keira and Pete showed up just after lunch, with Christina and TeeJay almost in tow. Moments later, we were joined by Cynthia and Manny, and soon there was a volleyball game in full swing. Because they weren't with anyone, Christina joined our team while TeeJay played on the other side. Christina might have been a little larger than optimum. And while one can say many things about Tarantians, at least they knew that wealth had a power all to its own.“I’m here for a telegraph,” I said. “For Virginia.”“Virginia who?” the operator asked.Virginia coughed. “Sir,” she said, then stepped forward. Then, hemming, she put her hands together. Then took them apart. She fidgeted with her robes. Finally, she said. “S-Sir, might you ... give me a moment?”I inclined my head. Sally and I stood near the opposite wall, ‘admiring’ the artwork. I tried. And watch the girls. They're going to be hanging on to their boyfriends, literally, as soon as they see you. I'll bet a bunch of the kids won't even recognize you."As we pulled into the school parking lot she looked at the kids plodding toward the prison of learning, then at me. "I hope you're right," she said as she gnawed at her bottom lip.Our high school was campus-style, with a main building for general classrooms, one for the science labs and a third was strictly arts, theater and music.We. ’ ‘Erred? You?’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘I believe I stated ‘might’.’ As if hearing them, the two cadets approached. Hrelle couldn’t contain his delight at seeing her, though this time he did manage not to reach out and pull her in for another fatherly embrace. He did offer a nod at Giles, when Sasha spoke. ‘Sir, Ma’am, Mr Arrington and I would respectfully request clarification as to why I was selected for Squad Leader and he wasn’t.’ ‘Crewmen,’ Tameris replied. ‘This social gathering is an.