Read Online Scouts by Nobilis Reed - Free Book Online

helped, some.
    I heard Shirley come down and stand behind me. She put her hands on my head, working on the knots in my temples. “Breathe deep,” she said. “Relax. Use what you learned in Physicality today. Let the tension go.”
    “Math always gets him like this,” said Valka. “I helped him through it, back on Stakroya Station.”
    The truth was she had practically taken my tests for me. Even with her coaching me every step of the way, I had barely passed. Crippling headaches are no way to go through a class. Math was the only blemish on my academic career, and the thought that it might get me sent back to Stakroya Station, never to see Valka again, gave my stomach fits.
    Shirley gave me a good five minutes with her strong hands. She knew exactly where to put her fingers. Within a few minutes, the headache had faded a good deal and, with it, the queasiness in my gut.
    When I sighed, she patted me on the back. “Good job, Challers. Are you ready to restart the lesson?”
    “Yes. Thank you, Shirley.”
    She returned to her place, and the lecture continued. Keeping the calm centeredness as much as I could, I managed to fend off the headache at the cost of some of my attention. Still, the result was better than before, and when the class was over, Shirley bent over her desk to ruffle my hair.
    “You did a good job there, Challers. I’m proud of you.”
    I smiled back at her. “Thanks for helping.”
    After a short break, we started on the next class. Valka and I were both certified for basic first aid, as was everyone on Stakroya, so we would be starting with more advanced material. Once again, the technology available to the Scouts surpassed what we had back on Stakroya by a huge margin. Since travel of any great distance, for a Scout ship, required two healthy bodies on board, they went to great lengths to make that a certainty. Every ship carried a “gentank” underneath the main passageway. If a Scout could make it into that tank, the robotic systems there could repair any damage short of brain failure. For this reason, our methods focused on ways to stabilize and transport people to the gentank.
    “Excuse me,” I said, “during the free hour, Valka and I met some people who called themselves ‘newgens.’ Does that have anything to do with the gentank?” I turned to look up at Shirley.
    “It comes from the same technology,” she said. “Gentanks can alter, as well as repair, all the way down to the cellular level. We’ll get into more detail about newgens in our other classes.”
    My curiosity was momentarily satisfied and the lecture continued. I had trouble paying attention. I didn’t much like the idea of being altered, especially as radically as the hermaphrodites I had met down by the water.
    “Pay attention, Challers.” Shirley tapped me on top of the head. “If you’ve got something else, make a note and move on.”
    I nodded and focused. This lecture was actually quite interesting. There was an “excursion kit” onboard the ship, with gear for treating any number of problems that might occur. This implied that Scouts didn’t spend their time cooped up on a ship day after day, and that prospect interested me. What kind of dangerous situations did Scouts find themselves in? Before Shirley could tap me on the head again, I let the question pass and went back to the lesson. The answers would come in due time.
    After Medical, our day would be rounded out with the third hour of Physicality. Instead of leading us to the gym, however, Shirley brought us into a circular room focused on a raised Scout-ship bed.
    “During this hour,” said Shirley, “we’ll continue our study of sexual response. Sex is the fundamental act at the center of your duties as a Scout. You will finish this training understanding it under a wide variety of conditions. For now, we will be studying each other. This may be a little uncomfortable, but I want you both to stay with me. It’s important not only to