Scout Force

by Rodney Smith

  Kelly considered this to be a rhetorical question, because she slid across the bench seat and into his arms before he could respond.

  They eventually arrived in the vicinity of Candy’s property and the air car circled the spot, waiting for landing instructions. Kelly and Candy untangled and she told the air car where to land.

  The property was everything that Candy had described. Those peculiar almost palm tree-looking trees covered the edges of the clearing. It had a spring with pure, crystal clear water. The waterfall was a mere trickle now, but Kelly could see how rain uphill of it would cause it to become spectacular. The ground was soft and covered with a short, soft grass. The real selling point had to be the view. The slope faced almost due south and had a breathtaking view of a large intermountain valley and a mountain range to the south. The property ended in a heart-stopping drop of about a kilometer to the start of the valley below.

  Kelly turned around to see that Candy had pulled her duffle from the air car. She carried it over to near the stream and started pulling things out.

  “Kelly, come over here and help me set this stuff up.”

  Kelly walked over and she tossed a medium stuff bag his way. He opened it and extracted a tent and two sleeping bags with self-inflating pads. He made short work of the shelter, setting it up, and laying out the sleeping bags. Kelly looked up as Candy walked over with both of their duffles.

  “Give me a minute to change out of these work clothes and we can explore a bit.”

  Kelly replied, “I need to change, too. Hand me my bag.”

  The two changed out of their clothes and into shirts, shorts, and hiking shoes. Kelly got changed first and Candy sent him to continue setting up camp. He looked in her duffle and found assorted camping supplies, dehydrated rations, a couple of bottles of wine, and a small cook stove. He also found a collapsible water container and a water purification device. Kelly went over to the spring and started filling the container. Candy walked over as he finished. She was wearing a mesh knit halter top and mesh shorts. They didn’t leave much to the imagination.

  “Isn’t this place beautiful? Short of climbing up from below or down from above, there is no way to get here other than with an air car. I love the isolation.”

  She walked Kelly over toward the center of the clearing and said, “This is where I want to site the house.”

  She pulled a pocket terminal out, pushed a button and a holographic image of a house appeared.

  “This is what I am looking at putting here.”

  Kelly saw a roughly square house with wide eaves and open louvers for its external walls. A rectangular extension protruded from the front. The peaked roof had dormers on all four sides. The dormer above the front elevation had glass doors and a balcony over the rectangular extension. There was a cupola on the peak of the roof.

  “What does it look like on the inside?”

  Candy punched another button sequence and the roof came off the house. The upper story was three rooms. Stairs led up to a second floor gallery, bisecting the upper story. A large open area, probably open to a great room below, was in the rear middle of the house from the gallery.

  “The master bedroom is centered on the front of the house. I have a marvelous balcony here above the outdoor room. The room on the right is a dressing room and the master bath. The room on the left is the guest room with its own bath.”

  Another button combination and the first floor appeared. Three interior rooms and one outdoor room made up the first floor.

  “The kitchen is here in the front left, with a dining area behind it. The rest of the ground floor is one large room. My favorite spot will be the outdoor room or front porch, depending on what you want to call it. I see it as a great place to drink wine, eat cheese and watch Antares cross the southern sky. I figure I’ll be able to watch the sun rise and set from here. I want to have a pool put in just in front of the outdoor room.”

  “It looks fabulous, Candy. How long will it take to build? When do you think you’ll be able to move in?”

  “If I go with a prefab house brought in in sections, I can have it built in three months. If they build it on site, it will take six months or more. I’m really looking at having it prefabbed and brought in. It’s quicker and cheaper. My only concern is quality of workmanship. I have an appointment with the builder tomorrow afternoon. I want you to come along.”

  “Sure. How long to put the pool in and have you settled on a design?”

  “I’ve got a lead on a pool company down south. There aren’t any here up north. I’ll go meet with them in a couple of weeks. I’m looking at an organic design. I want it to look like it has always been here. I also have an idea for the spring in back. I want to dig out a small pool to catch more of the water. You felt how cold it was when you filled the water bottle. I’d like to use that water for a misting system for the porch for those really hot dry days that we get here.”

  “Sounds wonderful. I hope you invite me over once you get it built.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I want you to be a frequent guest. I’ll make you the same offer here that I did when I was living down south. If you can get here, you are welcome to stay, whether I’m here or not. My door will always be open for you.”

  “I thank you for your most generous offer.”

  “You’re welcome. Let’s eat.”

  Candy moved over to the wine and rations. She expertly put the camp stove into use, put water into a pot, and added one of the dehydrated rations.

  “We’ll have beef stroganoff here in a few minutes. Go gather some firewood.”

  Kelly went to the edge of the clearing and brought back an armful of deadfall. He had arranged rocks into a fire circle before Candy called out that supper was ready. She asked him to open the wine and join her at the shelter. He popped the cork and went over to where she was by the tent. She had managed to pull two small camping stools and a small table from somewhere. Knives, forks, two plates of beef stroganoff, and two empty glasses were sitting on the table. Kelly poured a nice red wine into the two glasses. Kelly and Candy dove into their food and wine as the sun started to set in the west.

  When they finished, Candy told Kelly to get the fire going while she cleaned up.

  Kelly stacked wood like a teepee and used a fire starter brick to get the fire going. Candy brought the stools, while Kelly brought the table and wine. While there was still light, he brought back another armful of wood, then sat down next to Candy and sipped his wine.

  The fire had a mesmerizing effect on both of them. They sat, not saying a word, and watched the sun set. It was a spectacular sunset, sending crimson rays into the sky off the far clouds.

  Candy drained her glass as the sun sank below the horizon. She held her glass out for a refill and said, “I love it here. I am going to really enjoy living here. I expect you to check out a flitter and come visit me whenever you can. Otherwise, it will get pretty lonely here.”

  Kelly threw some more wood on the fire and said, “Don’t worry, when I get time off this will definitely be one of my destinations of choice.”

  Candy picked up on that and asked, “What do you mean one of your destinations of choice? Oh yeah, you did mention that there were two other girls interested in you. Can you tell me about them or is that none of my business?”

  “There are two. One is a pilot on the planetary shuttle. The other is my former lead pilot on the Bolivar. Tammy, the shuttle pilot, is on her way back from transitioning to a new type shuttle. She should be here in a few days. Angie is my former lead pilot. She is here on Armstrong for a new equipment test.”

  Candy had a mischievous look on her face and said, “My, it’s a wonder you had time to fit me in your busy schedule.”

  “I swear this has never happened to me before. I must be emitting pheromones for all three of you to be interested in me. I had girlfriends in college and interest by classmates in the academy, but I’ve never considered myself a ladies’ man.”

  “Relax, tige
r, I’m just kidding. I’d love to meet your other girlfriends. I’m not concerned about sharing you with them. I like what we have so far. You are fun to be with and you fit my needs at the moment. I like the fact that you weren’t afraid of my dad. I like it that even though you had all the credentials, you didn’t come on with any typical fighter pilot lines. Your sincere interest in my mom’s landscape really sold me on you. I don’t normally kiss guys on first meeting. Your visit to my house in the south really convinced me that I wanted you around.”

  Kelly filled up their glasses. He looked out into the valley. “Do you have any idea how close your nearest neighbor is? I mean, I can see probably 60 or 80 kilometers east and west and I don’t see any lights.”

  Candy looked out at the view. “I guess you’re right, I don’t see any lights either. We are only 30 minutes from the base by air car. I thought there might be someone out here. It doesn’t bother me. I can handle solitude very well. Of course, this will make my clothes last forever.”

  Kelly arched his eyebrows and asked, “Why?”

  “Because I won’t be wearing any here.” Candy dissolved into laughter.

  Kelly and Candy continued talking until the fire went out. They stared at the dying embers for a bit longer. Candy got up went into the tent and came out dragging both sleeping bags.

  Candy said, “Come over here,” as she spread the two bags on the ground outside the tent.

  Kelly went over to where she was kneeling, smoothing out the sleeping bags.

  “Sit, Kelly, I want to look at the stars with you.”

  Kelly sat down beside her. She snuggled into his arms.

  “What stars are those?” she asked, as she pointed off to the south.

  Kelly looked where she was pointing and said, “I’m not sure. I’m not completely familiar with the constellations from this part of space. I think that is the back side of Taurus.”

  Candy snuggled closer and leaned back to kiss Kelly. The two spent the night outside the tent watching the stars, until they both dropped off to sleep.

  Kelly woke up when the sun rose above the ledge and hit him in the eyes. He sat up, looked around, and didn’t see Candy. He got up and saw her shorts and halter top laying on one of the camp stools. He walked around and found her over by the spring washing up. The sun lit up her auburn hair. The water glistened off of her skin. She was a vision of beauty.

  She looked up as he walked over and said, “Go back, get a towel, and shuck out of those clothes. I’ll wash your back.”

  Kelly, recognizing a good idea when he heard one, did what she said. The water was cold, bordering on icy, but it felt good anyway. After cleaning up, they helped each other to apply sunscreen on areas that are easiest reached by another. It also included some areas that just felt better when reached by another. They put on their hiking shoes and explored more of Candy's 100 hectares.

  They found the source of the spring. It came out of the mountainside about 50 meters above the clearing. They walked into the woods until they reached the cliff edge to the east and to the west. They found a pathway up the mountain side and walked up until they came up onto a large granite outcropping. The outcropping formed a shelf about 12 meters by 20 meters on the top of the mountain.

  They stood on the crest of the mountain and stared at the panorama before them. They could see 40 to 80 kilometers in all directions. They just stood there for the longest time staring at the beauty of the forests and meadows and lakes all around them. It was an awe inspiring view.

  Candy hugged Kelly around the waist, stretched up, and kissed him.

  “As much as I’d like to throw you down and have my way with you in my mountain aerie, I have to get back for an appointment with the builder. Come on. Let’s get the area secured. We can leave everything here. I’m coming back after the appointment. I want to fly around the area some and see what might be around.”

  Kelly followed Candy back down to the clearing. They secured the camp and then both dressed in casual clothes appropriate for a meeting with the builder. They hopped in the air car and headed back to base. In a short 30 minutes, they were slowing down to transition from flight to road operations. The wheels touched down and Candy directed the vehicle into a parking space outside a large industrial building.

  They walked into the building and were met by Klaus M. Krallen, the general manager of Antares PreFab, Inc. He sat down with Candy and Kelly and pulled up a hologram of Candy’s design.

  “Ms. Craddock, I’ve taken your ideas and worked them through our designers, and this is what we’ve come up. We have taken your design and broken it into these five transportable segments. We have hover ships that can carry these segments to your property. Our crew assembles the segments and bonds them together. When we're done, you won’t be able to pick out the seams. The house will be guaranteed to withstand winds of 250 kph. The building will be earthquake resistant. It will be heavily insulated and will be equipped with all the latest and most sought after features.”

  Kelly and Candy watched as the five segments were moved about in the air above the table, pushed together, and finished inside and out. The hologram continued to show a walkthrough from the outdoor room and front door to the rear, up the stairs to the second floor, and out through the master bedroom onto the balcony. It was very impressive.

  “I’d like to take you back into the shop and show you some of the projects we have in process. It will give you some idea of what we can do for you.”

  They both followed Mr. Krallen out onto the shop floor. There were about three or four houses in various stages of construction in the shop. Because they were modular, it was hard to pin down exactly how many.

  He walked them through one house that was being built in two sections. It was almost completed. The fit and finish was quite good. Kelly could see the workmanship in the joinery. All appliances were installed and the bath fixtures were in place. They walked over to one project that was just getting started. Kelly could see the plasteel framing and extra bracing used to keep the section in one piece for transport. He could see how it would be able to withstand such high force winds.

  They walked around for a bit more until Candy announced she had seen enough to decide to have her house prefabbed. Candy and Mr. Krallen went back to his office to discuss details and financing. Kelly tagged along. At the end of an hour, a contract had been drafted, checked, and authenticated and thumbed. In three months time, Candy would be the proud owner of a mountainside home.

  Kelly and Candy thanked Mr. Krallen and headed back to the mountains. Thirty minutes later they were back on the hill. Candy stripped out of her clothes and climbed back into her air car, carrying a couple of towels.

  Kelly asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to check out those lakes we saw from up top. I might want to go for a swim. Want to join me?”

  Never one to turn down a good offer, Kelly stripped and joined her. When he got into the air car, Candy had already lowered the top.

  “Hang on lover, here we go.”

  They lifted off the mountain and dropped down into the valley. They flew the north side of the valley from east to west and the south side from west to east. They saw no sign of habitation or evidence of human presence. The scenery was breathtaking, both inside and outside the air car.

  Candy gained altitude and turned the air car northwest to the larger of the two lakes they had seen. She flew up to the lake and then made a pass down the center of the lake. The trees were so thick that there were no beaches or shoreline wide enough to set the air car down.

  She made her way to the other lake to the northwest. This lake had two islands, one with a large central clearing. There were plenty of places along the shoreline big enough to set the air car down. They cruised along at about ten meters elevation above the lake looking down into the crystal clear water.

  She looked over at him and said, “I’m going to set down on that island with the big clearing.”

  In a moment
, they were down on the island and climbing out to explore. Kelly led the way through a break in the trees to the water’s edge. A warm breeze blew across the lake, causing small waves to slap upon the shore. Some sort of bird was singing in the distance across the lake. Candy walked down, shucked her shoes, and waded into the water. Kelly did the same and joined her. They both kicked off and swam a way from shore.

  The water was cool. Candy stopped a short distance from shore. Kelly swam over to her. Colder water from deeper in the lake swirled up around their legs. It felt marvelous.

  Kelly and Candy swam back into shallower water. When Kelly could touch bottom he stood up. Candy swam into his arms. Her warm body felt good against his in the cool water. Her lips met his. The kiss went on, but before it went any further she broke away and said, “Come on, let’s get back to camp. I’m not ready to be landing this thing in the dark yet. Besides, it will be a lot more comfortable on the sleeping bags than here.”

  Kelly and Candy went to the air car, dried off, and then flew back to the camp.

  They awoke in each others arms the next morning, tired, but sated. Kelly led her to the spring and they freshened up. They soaped each other up and took turns pouring cold water over each other to rinse off. It was exhilarating. Then they got dressed in anticipation of heading back to civilization.

  Candy made breakfast while Kelly tore down the camp and put things away. He was not as good at packing as Candy, so everything didn’t quite fit back into her duffle. Kelly packed everything into the trunk of the air car. Candy called him over for a breakfast of french toast and freeze dried fruit.