by Jessie Wolf
Alice just looks over at me and giggles. “Maiha used her AIs to hack the video feed and record it all, then she uploaded it directly to the school’s net. If I know my dear wife I would also bet that she also sent it out as a school news update to all the parents.”
“OH wow, that is going to go viral in a matter of minutes!” Cissy exclaimed. “Do you know how much those girls are hated around here? The only reason they haven’t been kicked out is because of Mrs. Caroline. As much as I appreciate what you did, I am worried that you might get into trouble. If they track that video back to you they could scream entrapment or some other BS.”
“Don’t worry about that, I have it covered.” At her questioning look I decide to elaborate. “It is like this. From now on if one of the cameras goes down the security section is going to get a warning on their consoles. If they don’t investigate they will be replaced by some very loyal House guards within hours. You girls are now going to school with a very important young lady. If something were to happen to her the entire force of the Imperial Military will fall on this school and planet.”
“Oh you mean it’s not a rumor then that the Imperial Highness Princess Daniela is going to school with us.”
“That is very much the truth. Now would you like to meet her?”
The fact that I just offered to introduce her to Princess Daniela made her eyes bug out of her head. “You have to be kidding, right?”
“Cassidy, the Lady Maiha does not joke about things like that. Now do you want to meet Daniela?” Alice had already seen where I was going with this and decided to lend me a hand.
“Can I go change real quick? I don’t want her to think I’m some gornück.”
As I have never heard that term before I stop her. “Um… Cissy what is a gornück?”
She looks at me for a moment then giggles as she blushes. “I’m sorry. That is a term from my home planet. A gornück is another term for heck, red neck, and any other term meaning uncultured person for the backwaters of a planet.” From the looks of it she is from one of the Outer Rim systems. Her hair is a dark almost blue/black in color, she is about five-ten to five-eleven, slender as a rail, with green eyes. In short a very pretty girl with an athletic build.
“So where are you from?”
“Oh, I never said did I? I’m from the Ford System, I was born on Victoria.” When I hear she is from the Ford System I knew who her father might be. No wonder he wanted her to follow in in his footsteps.
“Are you by any chance the daughter of Star Fleet Admiral Christopher Pike?
“Umm… hey, he’s my daddy. How do you know him?” she was very guarded with who her father is. It must come from years of hiding who is to prevent someone using her against him or showing her preferential treatment. I can tell she just wants get by on her own work and not be held at a different standard.
“Oh no need to get upset, I was just wondering. Now if you plan on changing to meet her Imperial Highness you need to get going.”
“Oh yeah. That’s right, I’ll be back in a flash, just give me oh… twenty minutes to get changed and do my makeup.” And with that she was out the door like a shot.
Once we were alone Alice waves me over to our room’s com display. “Did they change your schedule this afternoon?”
“Yup, they sure did. You are looking at the new instructor for C and M, and Modern History for the junior and senior classes.” When she starts to giggle at hearing this I decide to drop the bomb on her. “Oh and by the way they also changed yours as well. It seems they need someone to teach the same courses for the freshmen and sophomore classes. Seeing as how you already have the needed credentials mama and I volunteered you.”
The look of pure shock crosses her face. “You did not do that to me!?”
Giggling I nod my head yes. “Sure did.”
“Are you out of your mind?!” she is damned near screaming at me by this time. “I do not have the needed credentials. How in the world do you figure I can teach those classes?!”
“Calm down pussycat.” I give her a minute to collect her wits, before I explain to her how she got the job of teaching the sophomore and freshman classes. “First, I want you to think about something. Are you or are you not a veteran or serving in an active Military Unit?”
“Of course I am. That is the only reason why I’m even here. So I can continue to serve in our House Guard as an officer.”
“I know that, love, now please relax and answer my questions when I’m done. Second didn’t you complete all four years of C and M as is required by the Ministry of Education with an average grade of three point nine. Next you have a Bachelor’s degree in History correct?” when she thinks over everything I have just listed she reluctantly nods her head yes. “So with all that going for you it is only proper for you to teach those grade levels.”
“Ok, I can see that, but what I want to know is why I am teaching them? I mean shouldn’t there already be a teacher here for those classes?”
Now it was my turn to sigh and look down at the floor. “Let me tell you what happened in the Headmistress office this afternoon. While we get dressed for diner. Oh wear your Storm Dancers kimono.”
“Why?” is all she asks of me.
“Let’s just say we are making a very formal declaration of war this evening on the Heathers.”
“Ok, this is going to be good. Do we wear swords as well?”
“Yes! That reminds me I need to let the others know how to dress as well.” I quickly contact Fuyuko, Nanase, and Nanami on our family combat frequency and tell them to put on their formal Storm Dancers kimonos’ along with their swords of office. We were going to show the ‘Heathers’ exactly who they were fracking with. “These bitches have thrown down the gauntlet and I plan on picking it up and smacking them with it. Now let me tell you about this afternoon.” For the next thirty minutes as we get ready I tell her about everything that went down in the old Headmistress office, and then how the new Headmaster was appointed along with the new Vic Headmaster. “Now you see why you get to be both a student as well as an instructor. They needed someone to fill in, who has the credentials and we fit the need. Besides we really aren’t here for the normal curriculum. We’re just here for those classes we need to be able to function in the High Society arena.”
“Ok, I’ll do it, but only because you are. If they try and stick me with some other BS I’m going home! Got me?”
“Yes, love I got you. Now let’s finish up and go meet Cassidy.” And with that I open the special cases that held the swords of our offices. Mine as the protector and Head of House for the Nakatoma House and hers as my wife and defender of House Nakatoma. Yes I know that there is a policy against students carrying weapons on school grounds, but I found a loop hole in the fact that for us they are basically ceremonial. As such they are exempted from that rule. The fact they can cut a man in half is beside the point. Besides our real armaments are hidden until we deploy them. Then the swords are the least of your problems.
If we were to really decide to fight back against someone with weapons they’re in for a world of hurt. As they’ll be facing five particle projection cannons, five pulse plasma lasers, and twenty antipersonnel lasers all slaved to five of the most powerful AIs in the known universe. In other words they are in a world of shit.
When we meet up with Cissy she looks at the swords at our waists and raises her eye brows at seeing them. “You can’t have those here. They’ll throw you out for carrying around weapons like that.”
Sighing I shake my head at her. “No they won’t, Cissy. You see these are part of our formal wear. For us to be outside without them in these kimonos would to be asking for a pan-galactic incident. They mark our place within our House Hold and show our rank amongst our House Military. So when we wear the kimonos that we are now, they have to be at our waists. Do you understand?”
She takes a few minutes then looks real hard at the designs on the left breast of our kimonos. It takes her a few minutes but she
finally realizes that it is a unit crest. “Whose crest is that?”
“That is the crest of the Nakatoma Wave Dancers. The command lance for the Nakatoma House Military.” Fuyuko and the twins had come over to meet us on our way to the dining hall. I watch as all three of them stand just a little taller, as if to dare someone to challenge their right to wear the kimonos and swords. I must give it to my little sisters when I told them that they were the next generation of Onna bugeisha they took it to heart. “All of us are members. The one person who out ranks Maiha is our mama, but since she turned over the Head of House to her no one does.”
“That is enough Fuyuko, she doesn’t know all of our traditions yet. So cut her some slack. That is one of the reason you three are to learn. Not everyone was raised the way we were, and you three need to learn how to work with others from different cultures.”
Fuyuko gives me a quick bow. “Hai, ane.” Turning to Cissy with a deep bow of respect. “Please forgive my arrogance, Cassidy-san. I did not mean to show disrespect to you.”
The fact that Fuyuko was using almost formal speech told me that my rebuke had got through to her. Unfortunately Cissy didn’t know how to respond to her. Looking over at me for guidance, I mouth that she should bow in return and tell it was alright. So following my directions she bows back to Fuyuko. “It is quite alright, Fuyuko-san you did not know.” I give her a thumbs up sign showing she did the right thing. When I get the chance I need to sit down with my sisters and explain how not everyone will understand some of the ways they were raised with.
“Ok, people, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Sissy, why are we all in our formal kimonos?” Nanase wants to know.
“Oh, it real simple, baby girl. We are ‘declaring war on the Heathers’.”
Chapter 4
The looks of total disbelief that crossed all of my sister’s faces were ones that would be committed to memory for a long, long, long time to come. “What?! You seriously didn’t think I was going to let the shaving cream balloons, honey bombs, toilet laundry, and all the bull shit they’ve tried to pull today go unanswered, did you?”
“Um… sissy, you kind of told us that you weren’t going to use violence. So how are you going to declare war on the ‘Heathers’ without using violence?” Nanami was just as confused as the rest.
Giggling I smile at them all. “You just sit back and watch. If there is one thing I have learned from my more than unusual back ground it is how to piss someone off so bad, that they make the first move allowing you to act freely.”
“You’re going to goad them into attacking you?! Are you out of your mind?! The ‘Heathers’ don’t fight fair. They’ll go after your sisters and wife, not you directly.” Cassidy was practically in a full blown tizzy.
“Goddess I hope they do! If they go after them, they have every right to defend themselves to the fullest extent of their abilities. In short they can fill body bags and the ‘Heathers’ will have only themselves to blame.”
“What do you mean, they can fill body bags?”
“Exactly that, if my sisters or wife get pushed they can flatten them. In other words they can beat the shit out of whoever is screwing with them. If they don’t back off they are free to send them to the morgue.”
“Oh wow, I didn’t realize just how pissed you were or how mean you can get.” Cassidy was in awe.
“Cassidy-san, trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to be on Maiha’s bad side.” Nanami was just looking at her with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “She has this nasty habit of turning those who have pissed her off into grease spots.”
“No joke, the last seven assholes to do that are either dead or behind bars serving life sentences,” comments Nanase.
“Little sister, you have a way of understating the obvious. Cassidy, the last time someone pissed her off to the point of declaring war, she rearranged the political structure of the Empire.” Fuyuko told her.
“You mean she is the one who started and then won that rebellion last month?” Cassidy was looking at me with real respect instead of hate for some reason. “Oh man, when we get the chance can you please tell me how you were able to sucker the seven rebel Houses into attacking you where they did? I mean you don’t have to, but I have spent my whole life going over all the classic battles and what you did was totally out there.”
I think it over for a minute, then nod my head yes. “Sure, I’ll be glad to talk about how, what, where, and why we did what we did. For now though just sit back and watch. You’ll get your first lesson in psychological warfare.”
I led them all over to the junior dorms to pick up her Highness Princess Daniela. As we walked across the school grounds more than one head turned to do a double take. It is not often the one sees five young girls dressed in identical kimonos, with full tang Dragons at their waists. To say we had the attention of everyone around us was an understatement. As we approached the junior dorms the Princess and her two friends stepped out I could tell that they had heard of our problems with the ‘Heathers’. All three were dressed in formal kimonos of House Nakatoma.
Before I could ask why they were dressed the way they were, Princess Daniela offered up their reason. “We figured that you were getting ready to go to war with the ‘Heathers’ so I had Susan and Lisa break out our House kimonos that you gave us. I figured a show of solidarity would go a long way to putting the little bitches in their places.”
“Why, Princess Daniela that is no way for a Lady of the Royal Court to talk. I know for a fact that that Lady Dai Etsu would not be happy hearing you talk that way.” I couldn’t help reminding her of her promise to mama about her language.
“Oh really, Lady Maiha; if I remember correctly you made a similar promise. If I had to guess I would say that you have broken that promise at least five times today, if not more. Am I wrong?” Her cutting reply hit home as if she had been with me every step of the way today. I swear she learned more from Gin, Kina, and Nia than should be allowed. I swear it was as if I was dealing with my personal ladies maids back at the estate. Her next comment confirmed my thoughts. “Just so you know, Gin told me all about your nasty habit of swearing like a star sailor when you become upset.”
“I think I need to have a private conversation with my maids the next time I go home.” I grumbled under my breath. All three of them must have heard me as they began to giggle. “Ok, you three, you have made your point. I will watch my language from now on.”
“Wow, I don’t believe it. The Great and Powerful Lady Maiha Nakatoma cowed by simple words.” Alice was almost in a fit of giggles herself.
“Oh, knock it off, Alice.” I glared over at her. “I am not that bad and you know it. Now, Princess Daniela, may I introduce Cassidy Pike, sophomore, currently ranked eighth in her class, and daughter of Star Fleet Admiral Christopher Pike. Cassidy, her Royal Highness the Princess Daniela, Lady Susan White Horse, and Lisa Van Perce. Now that everyone knows each other, shall we head over to the dining hall for dinner?”
They all quickly fell in behind me as I started for the dining hall, ironically named Joe’s. Now, I know that there are people out there who have a twisted sense of hummer, but this is twisted beyond even my abilities to understand. Why would anyone in their right mind name a diner Joe’s? it never made any sense to me, but then again I named a eighty-ton, thirty-foot tall, walking war machine, to be precise, an ML5-A3 Mountain Lion, Victory Maiden a.k.a. Vicky. So who am I to complain about what someone else names? Damned what I wouldn’t give to have her here now. For some reason a half hour with her and I don’t have a care in the world.
“You do know, Maiha, that your posting of the security video to the network like you did has already made you their number one target, right?” Daniela asked me. I could tell she was worried. “Did you have to put your own additive on the source point? I mean all you’re doing is antagonizing them by doing that.”
The giggle that escapes is one that I couldn’t have held ba
ck if I had tried. “Oh, I’m just getting started. Did you know that as an Instructor I can require any student to repeat any class I see fit. Especially if it happens to be one that they teach.”
“Um… why does that sound like you’re about to drop an S bomb on someone?” Fuyuko asked quickly from where she was.
“That’s because she has arranged for her and me to be the replacement instructors for C and M, and Modern History.” Alice spat from my right side.
“What?! You mean to tell me, that the two of you are now part of the Staff here?” Cassidy asked. “I thought you were supposed to be students?”
“Oh we are still students; it’s just that we are also instructors. You see there are certain classes that both Maiha and I need to take, they’re just not in the normal curriculum.” Alice told her.
“What classes are those?” Cassidy was quick to ask.
Unfortunately Fuyuko was the one to give her the answer. “Poise, decorum, you know all those classes where they teach us how to behave like ladies and not front line shock troops.”
“HEY! We’re not that bad!” both Alice and I yell at the same time. Our outburst embarrassed us both, much to the amusement of our little sisters. Even the Princess and her two friends were doing their best to keep from giggling along with our sisters. Ok there are times where we are that bad, but not always. Deciding to take the high road I ignored them. Thankfully Alice followed my example. I was not going to give my little sisters anymore ammunition to black mail me with, the little shits.
“Oh, so they’re here to learn the finer points of being a lady, then? Well they’ll either get their rough edges cleaned off or they’ll go screaming into the night.” Cassidy was almost giggling her head off. “When I showed up here last year I was without a doubt the biggest tomboy around. Just pray you don’t get Mrs. Lockhart for Etiquettes and Formal Dance. That woman is meaner than a razorback twofaced sand snake.”
Dee De gave me a quick update on who she was talking about. Mrs. Lockhart happened to be the teacher for grace and poise. From what I could gather off of the update she was a real stickler for the way a lady should present herself at all times. She had been awarded the Educator of the Year award for the past ten years in a row. It seems she had a habit of finding the biggest tomboy in every class and turning them into Stepford Wives. I think it is time to put all of mama’s teachings to work. Looking over at Alice and my little sisters, I smile. “Well, in that case, never let it be said that the women of House Nakatoma are a bunch of star drivers. Ladies remember we represent our House and Family.” With that I start walking the way that mama had so painstakingly taught me. As I started to move with the liquid grace of the Temple maidens that I so envied every one of my family quickly followed suit.
