The Independence Mutiny

Chapter Eleven: That Moon Had Turn To Gold...

 Three days early. It would be three days before the Navy Academy's midshipmen would arrive for Summer training, get their stipends, and spend it at their bazaar. They had landed the boat on Lake Armstrong and tied up in a backwater, careening the INDEPENDENCE on the beach so as to fix the bow. Everyone put on bathing suits and began to set up for a long stay. Camouflage nets set up and every effort made to look like a bunch of kids on summer vacation. After setting up the volleyball net and the horseshoes, Emma, Shifty, Millie, and Alice began to restore the bow, including making a ball turret with two hundred and seventy degree travel in all directions, and a radome. Deb and Jimmy set up a campfire and planned to cook outside as much as possible. Ed, Hera, and Dennis had no duties other than keeping their area clean. The Franks decide to keep busy by keeping a photo journal of their time on vacation. The girls were initially suspicious, and after holding Big Frank down and looking through the camera, were shocked to find decent photos, evenly split between the boys and girls, with no shots down cleavage or upskirt.

Things settled down to a grueling routine of games, campfires, swimming, and s'mores until the last night, when a boat landed next door and set up shop.

"They'll blow everything, we gotta scare them off," said the two leaders to their crews.

INDEPENDENCE struck first. Their strategy was to awkward them out. Johnny and Alice, Deb and Jimmy, Hera and Ed, and Shifty and Millie began to make out. Frank decided to have a normal conversation with himself, and Dennis sang an off key duet with Emma. The new guys kept working. The new guys retaliate by having CSM Anton cook his camp beans, which was used only in hazings and rougher interrogations. The smell should have made those teenagers pack up and leave, so Anton added some classical folk songs of old Russia into the mix. Nothing! These kids are made of sterner stuff. A different world and he might offer them a job.

Johnny took a breather and realize what they were doing wasn't working. Man, he thought, I did not want to change tack. He signaled the others to cool it, taking about three minutes to get everyone's attention. Millie handed everyone a shotgun and they began to shoot skeet. This was met by the other crew playing skeet as well, and generally outshooting them. LT Sergetov and Johnny squinted at each other.

"What brings you to these parts?"

"We are college students. We save for tuition. You buy from us, no?"

"No. And that guy looks a little old for college."

"Anton is going for doctorate. You never told us what you are doing here."

"No, we didn't."

"Well?"

"Well we were here first. Maybe you should go." It was a statement, not a question.

"This is, as you Feddies say, a free country. How about we play for it, fairs and squares? Three out of five games, loser shoves off." The two leaders shook hands.

Game one was a shootoff. Millie got a perfect score with her new rifle, Painstick. Sgt Kamov could not get close even with his scope and match grade barrel. LT Sergetov and his custom Five-seveN beat Johnny and his standard M1917. Ed and his over-under outshot Cpl Yuseko and her Saiga-12. One point for the INDEPENDENCE.

Game two was arm wrestling. Both sides brought out their secret weapons. Hera took her position, ready to be a nasty surprise for any man they sent. Was she surprised by Cpl Yuseko across from her. They began with the thought of no mercy. Both were shocked they were evenly matched.

"You're strong for a girl," grunted Hera.

"Daddy worked in the government. Two years in Olympia, then grew up in Cassini. Do some krav maga and Scottish claymore drills to stay in shape." This was a mistake. The quickest way to die on Jupiter was to tell someone you were from Saturn. And Taekwondo and kendo was way way cooler than krav maga and claymores.