The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]Ryan had never liked getting dolled up in dress uniform. His favorite duds in the U.S.N. had been his dungarees and boon-dockers. He did however appreciate the sense of tradition that a pair of crackerjack dress blues denoted. But this was a little ridiculous!

Charlie had informed him upon landing that he was to be inducted into the Starflyer Order of Exeonas as a Layman Starflyer. It was his first step on the long road toward gaining master status himself and thus his freedom. He liked the sound of that but the pomp and ceremony seemed rather formal and unnecessary to Ryan. But... he realized it was probability just his lumberjack upbringing in the Cascade foothills speaking. Still... he looked down at the strange garb he was decked out in... this was a little ridiculous!

First had come the body-sock, for lack of a more descriptive word. It was a one-piece white elastic jumpsuit that covered him skin-tight from neck to ankles to wrists, and it felt like it was a size too damn small, especially around the crotch! Over that was thrown a rough-knit black blanket, laying across his left shoulder, the tag ends running diagonally in front and behind to his right hip. There it was pinned with a decorative silver shield of about two-and-a-half inch diameter.

Over all this, an intricate silver cord ran horizontally across his chest, knotting just above his left nipple, the tag ends falling to his waist. Even his head was not spared from the indignity of the masquerade. A plain silver skull-cap perched there. He purposefully declined to look at himself in a mirror; his stomach was not that strong.

It wasn't necessary though, as Charlie was dressed identically... except that he had a few more do-dahs here and there. He was wearing three cords to Ryan's one and his skull cap had a pair of white feathers dangling over either ear. Both wore plain black knee-high boots.

Now they entered the small, open-air flier that Charlie used when on-planet, and headed toward a very large tower on the horizon. According to the master it was the headquarters of his order. Ryan hoped to hell this was not some elaborate practical joke or initiation rite... Oh, he was a shellback, having stood tall before Neptune after crossing the equator back on the oceans of Mother Earth. Accordingly he would not be in the least surprised if these alien folk had similar rites of passage... Guess we'll find out, he thought as Charlie landed in one of the large hanger bays of the order tower.