"But if the troops take cover, they'll be out of direct explosive effect and most ejected material from explosions on the perimeter. It's a lot safer ...than a 'danger close' mortar barrage. The charges are meant to decimate the target by turning it into Swiss Cheese, not by turning it into secondary projectiles." So who gets to field test this thing?" CPT Mackay asked."You do," the Battalion Commander replied."Me and my big mouth..."Ned's squad trained with the weapon for a week in the 'local. " I took his trusting hand in mine and we walked for a few minutes talking about some of the characteristics of the various ships.We came out on the top level and Jeremy looked down at the thousands of Humans, Tandra and even some Softay working on the main floor. A small, one place flyer was taken apart and a lesson was given about its various functions. The tutor was great but Humans needed to see and touch things to make them real."What are all those people doing?" They are practising how to. That is why I have placed your naked body on your knees in front of me, and with an iron ring around your neck whose ends grow the size of your arms, so you have your hands at both ends, immobilized, so that you can’t put them in and prevent what I will do with you… Yes, I think Karla, you have earned your punishment for being rebellious and capricious, I will surely have an unexpected punishment from Marylou. "As it will take a while, you have the right to come closer, rest your face on my. They turned the other ground floor bedroom into an office/computer room so that we would all have a quiet place to to work once school started up again. It was a nice idea, especially because my dad was equally tyrannical about schoolwork, but it also carried the consequence of having to cram all of us into the remaining three bedrooms on the second floor.My parents naturally took the largest, and I was dismayed when my father told me that the other two rooms would be going to Lexi and Bridget..