Active Duty and 

                    Intro to the Escape from the Tuna Fish

    

    Both Rinny and Shep had added reserve officer training to their study rosters in 

college. It saved them time and allowed them to enter their active duty at a higher 

rank. Military service had become compulsory in the US since the 50's because of 

the widespread terrorism from the East. Both young men and women who reached 

the age of 18 had to serve in the military, the men for four years and the women for 

two.

     Six months of concentrated training, and they were posted with a working unit

in their chosen specialty. Often, because of the need for personnel, they were 

appointed more or less arbitrarily to units well outside of their experience. This was 

often the subject of much humor. Taking care of guard dogs for example became 

known as "Zoo Duty". The dogs were notorious for their nonstop hyperactive 

"playing" with their caretakers. They had been trained to immobilize terrorists and 

they would play at this with their caretakers. If you started to move, they'd growl 

and bring you to the ground. Unless you blew the whistle. This you had to learn. 

     Another "all hands" activity was "shield and baton" combat which had been 

developed to a fine art and which no terrorist could stand up to for more than a few 

seconds. The problem with this was that it often turned into serious brawls with  

broken necks and limbs following clashes. They called this "The Rodeo". 

     

     Both Shep and Rinny had a shared interest in something else they learned in 

their advanced training. "Real Space Sliding". They added "life saving techniques" 

to their list of personal interests in their early surveys and found themselves on 

similar courses jumping from a helicopter-type craft into water, as well as high 

altitude gliding in body suits that featured extendable "wings" and navigable "sails", 

again allowing maneuverability into otherwise physically forbidding terrain for 

similar type rescue efforts. This would develop into personal techniques which 

were great fun for the both of them and which they called "real space sliding" This 

would prove extremely important to them in their escape from "Tuna Fish" which is 

what they called the prison-like lock up they found themselves in later. 

"All they want to do is skeeze;" Rinny pleaded. "That's what they say. Let them

skeeze wherever and whenever they want. We're getting out of here!" Shep

answered sharply. "The next time they move us up the ski slope, we go. There's

three feet of fresh snow. We slide down. You know real space slide down,"

That was it, they were going to jump right out the side doors! And that's exactly

what they did, on Shep's count. "Three, two, one - jump"

There's never been so much commotion on Stowe's slopes - ever!

"We were abducted by aliens who wanted skeezing lessons - I swear," said

Shep.

You can imagine the laughter. "Sure, what have you been drinking, and who was

flying that helicopter?" The rescue team asked. "Never mind" - Rinny joined in,

nudged Shep, and said "we were just playing around" 'Yeah, you're lucky you're still

alive. That must have been twenty to thirty meters. The snow saved you!"

     

 

                                                                The Abduction

     It was early April and great weather for skeezing. Bret Halloway had been 

credited with designing the first pair of practical skeezos. "You can skeeze all day

or for a hundred yards", he'd say, "whichever comes first". Then he'd laugh. The 

entire skeeze population would laugh too. Skeezing had a rough but intensely 

enthusiastic start. Built somewhat like ordinary skis, they had rotating wheels with

plates that bit into the snow, built-in under and behind the boot area, that propelled 

the skeezos forward. They were powered by a mixture of liquified hydrocarbon 

gases they called "go-juice" which drove a generator that powered the skeeze 

rotors. The entire generator fit neatly onto a backpack and would, in fact, power the 

skeezos all day if needed. "The days of ski lifts were over. The world is your 

mountain." The ads would say, 

     Maybe these ads had made their way to a far off galaxy and tickled  the curiosity

of two teenage aliens who found it a simple matter to cruise their little sport 

spaceship to the ski mountain area of Stowe Vermont. 

     More interesting, perhaps, was how the two had managed to dress in the 

appropriate skeeze custom and position themselves at the top of the new skeeze 

slope, SKEEZOO, bodily and hurriedly painted out in six foot red lettered signs, 

and pointed to the slope entrance which required a modest payment before 

entering.

     It was here that two galactic cultures held their first historic meeting of minds.

"Excuse me sir, how do we get through the entrance here?" Rinny, immediately 

realized that these guys were new here and were also probably from another state 

altogether judging from their accents. "Don't worry about it, follow me. Be my 

guests." This is what happens to even the best trackers when they simply don't 

follow up on their hunches. An hour later, both Rinny and Shep found themselves 

in a large salon, of very unusual proportions and furnishings. One very large 

"window" and an incredibly beautiful "sunset" if you can imagine a deep violet-blue 

sun setting against a blue sky and another pale yellow "sun", not so far from it, 

setting as well. 

     "Is this a dream?", Rinny asked. "No", came the reply. "It's just the way we 

transport you." Both Rinny and Shep threw up and were given towells and 

something like tea to clean up and settle their stomachs.