Twenty strokes against her bare bottom and thighs before being displayed for a full two hours in the square bound in a pillory. Birches soaked in brin...e stood beside each pillory for any who chose to administer additional punishment. She would endure this at each of the ten major cities over the next two months for a total of two-hundred cane strokes plus whatever the crowd chose to administer after her official chastisement.The girl trembled as she was brought toward the block, tears already. So the hits on CNC had only been because the mine had been in front of the ship, they had only rudimentary controls, I scanned through the sensor frequencies and detected a strange energy from the mines.I checked the sensors in the stasis room, sure enough there was residue from the energy the mines emitted, focusing on the readings I found that the energy resonated within the humans, could that have been why the ship was attacked, because it had live humans? I checked the readings on the. He iseverything I hoped he could become when I took on his case. Iwill keep him in skirts a while longer, because I like him thatway. Selfish, I know, but Karen likes it, too, and what Karenlikes, pleases your son. He wouldn't mind much, even if he had achoice in the matter.What I propose is that you plan to spend Thanksgiving here. Youcould have dinner with us, and see the lovely young woman yourdaughter might have been. You will see the fine young man yourson has become. You might also. ‘I want to try something.’ She pulled away from him slightly and looked up at him whilst he waited for her to explain. But instead of saying anything more, she stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. Mikael pushed her away a little, his heart breaking at the hurt in her eyes. ‘We can’t do this.’ ‘We can, I know you want to. And I want to as well, please, let me just be happy for a moment.’ ‘Ellie…’ He protested, but she hooked her hand around his neck and pulled his head down.