First Command Read Online Free Page B

Administration Service, the civilian agency who managed the decommissioned parts of the base. Ms. Dufrey, a widower whose husband was a warrant officer who had perished aboard the RSS Virtue during the battle of Skellion Reach twenty years before, had offered Jonathan her recently vacated top floor room on a trial basis.
    Jonathan had proved to be a considerate and pleasant boarder. He was unbothered by the nightly ruckus, was cordial with customers and prostitutes alike, and even helped with the cleaning and shopping on weekends. The arrangement was highly convenient for Jonathan as Ms. Dufrey rented him the room by the week rather than forcing him into any kind of lease or contract. This was perfect should he be given an assignment and need to vacate. The price was unbeatable too, because she owned the building free and clear and had more than an ample income from the 20% she charged her other renters on their business. She only charged Jonathan 10 Solars a week, 300 a month in a city where a room the same size in a much less pleasant neighborhood started at 900 a month. Jonathan’s rent also included two meals a day for which he was eternally grateful. Finishing off his coffee, Jonathan rose and made an exaggerated bow to Ms. Dufrey doffing his cap.
    “Superior as always most exalted lady.”
    Ms. Dufrey mouth, full of waffles, inclined her head before swallowing and replying.
    “We are pleased our boarder appreciates the finer things, now go forth and earn us our rent.”
    Sumi burst into giggles, just avoiding spilling her coffee. Jonathan grinned and somewhat less dramatically tipped his cap as he strode out the door. Ms. Dufrey returned the grin and called out “Have a pleasant day dear” before returning to her waffles.
    Jonathan shook his head as he emerged onto the street. He enjoyed his morning by-play with Ms. Dufrey. She was a sharp witted and pleasant lady, and a better landlord one could not ask for. She had also recently been cast as Isabel the Queen Mother in a production of O Delay O Delay that the hospitality workers were putting on as part of the First Planting Festival, hence this morning's somewhat dramatic banter. Altogether Jonathan thought it was shaping up to be a pleasant day. The morning was cool and clear with bright blue skies.
    Singking laid on the edge Aboreia highlands. It was roughly three hundred miles from the coast along the Serentine and Agora rivers, in the southwest corner of the continent of Tiananmen, the largest of Solaria five principal landmasses. The original colonists had been somewhat surprised, pleasantly so to find the seasons in Solaria’s northern hemisphere followed the same pattern as those in Old Earth’s southern hemisphere. Solaria’s 400 day year also made it easy to use the old Julian calendar still used on Earth, by simply adding and subtracting days from months as needed.  In Singking, January was the middle of summer while June heralded the coming of winter. Singking in summer was as pleasant as one could get. The Aboriea highlands remained a cool 76 degrees Fahrenheit most days, rarely climbing above the mid 80’s. Heat waves were often offset by a gentle breeze that rolled off the Great Tanah Besar steppe from the north, particularly in the mild autumn. Of course Singking’s pleasant summer, spring and autumn climate gave way to a truly harsh and uncomfortable winter. The highland absorbed the moisture from the Sea of Vikaran to the south, and the cool Tanah winds became freezing cold fronts. In Singking, snow and ice began in May and did not cease till September.
    Navigating St. Mark’s Street in the morning shook Jonathan from his ruminations of weather, climate, and landladies . Like everything else in the Riverfront District the street was tightly packed, but the two-lane road was blessed fortunately with broad sidewalks. Monday morning in the District was an exercise in pure chaos. Everywhere people were starting their day - bars and bordellos