She wasn't lying about what happened next. An absolute avalanche of alien, bizarre images, sounds, sights, concepts, even pure thought poured into his mind, so fast that he couldn't' make out anything but a confused cacophony, unable to see the individual parts because they made up a confusing and bewildering whole. It was like a school of fish, or a waterfall. He couldn't make out any one part, but he could see the whole. The problem was, the whole made no sense to him, even though he made no effort to try to make sense of any of it.
He had no idea how long it took. It seemed that one minute she was filling his mind with dizzying information, and then she simply stopped. He felt her presence ghost around the fringes of his memory, coming close but not close enough to make him feel worried, almost as if she were checking her work. He could feel her drawn to the darker tunnels of his mind, where all those things she wanted to learn about him lurked, but she stayed away from the temptation, keeping her word of not going anywhere or seeing anything he did not want her to be, or see.
I'm finished, she announced. I'm going to pull back now. It might make you a little disoriented for a second or two, but then again, what I put in your mind's going to do that anyway. Oh, by the way, the next time you imagine me naked, get it right.
Just before she withdrew from his mind, she shared with him an image, a visual memory, one that almost made him blush. It was a very, very detailed memory of Jyslin looking at herself in a full length mirror, in what looked like a bedroom behind her.
Wearing nothing but combat boots.
It wasn't a dirty pose, or even very provocative, it was just the idea of it. Had Jyslin got up from that desk and stripped naked right there in front of him, it would have been no different than this. She showed him her full glory, and the knowing little smile on her face told him that she planned to do it when she stood in front of that mirror and memorized how she looked, just so she could show him. She stood there, one hip raised sensually, and posed for the mirror, posed for a mental picture she shared with him now, and she was enjoying every second of it, both when she made that memory and now, as she shared it. He could tell. And he could only go over that memory with what could be called a fine toothed comb, admiring her ample chest--but not too large--and her sleek, flat belly, and her curvy hips, and her quite splendid legs, and being a male, he could not ignore that neatly trimmed patch of dark red pubic hair which stood out against her soft blue skin.
But she wasn't done. Quite deliberately, she turned around and looked over her shoulder, showing him her sleek, willowy, thoroughly sexy back and a marvelous heart-shaped backside, with long, long legs that seemed to go all the way down to China.
She was absolutely gorgeous, both in face and body. Jason never thought blue skin could be so damn sexy before that.
And then she pulled away from him, and he felt that presence of her, that suddenly seemed much less hostile now that she had shared so intimate a memory with him, vanish from within his mind. She had done everything she said she would do. She had behaved herself, had kept her promise not to invade his mind any more than what was necessary to do what needed to be done, though he could clearly feel at one point that she had been sorely tempted. Then, as she broke contact, she gave of herself freely, shared with him something private, intimate, personal, something she did not have to do.
If she did that to curry his favor, well, it worked.
Then came the dizziness. The ceiling traded places with the floor, and he felt himself sway dangerously. She slid her hands down to his shoulders and steadied him, and his grip on her arms gave him a foundation on which to cling while the earth seemed to bounce around wildly. "There, now," she said in a low, gentle voice. "Better?"
"A little," he said woozily. "I think I'm getting sick."
"It'll pass in a second or two," she said, then she giggled like a little girl. "You're speaking Faey. It sounds very nice to hear you speak a real language. English is ugly."
He wouldn't be able to tell her one way or the other what he was speaking, because his brain felt like it was smothered in day-old mashed potatoes.
The dizziness did ease, and it did so with amazing speed. In a matter of a minute or two, he felt stable again. It was a little hard to think, like he was on medication, but at least he wasn't dizzy anymore. He blinked and looked around, and saw that he was the last student in the lecture hall, and all the instructors except for Professor Tia were gone. She must have waited to make sure things went smoothly. "Is he alright, Sergeant?"
"He seems to be a bit sensitive," she answered. "But I think he's alright now."
"Are you alright to get back to your dorm room, Jason?" she asked him with sincere concern.
"Yeah, yeah, I think I'll make it alright," he said in a disjointed manner, which made Tia give him an amused look. "What?"
"You're speaking Faey," she chuckled. "You're suffering from a case of mnemonic transposition, where your brain can't figure out if your implanted memory or your natural memory is the one that's supposed to be accessing, so it's sorta jumping back and forth between them to try to make sense of it all. Don't worry, it's a common enough side-effect for it not to be too much of a surprise. While you're suffering from it, you're going to jump back and forth between English and Faey, and you won't be able to read anything. Even English will look like gibberish to you. So, go back to your room and take a nap, and your brain will straighten everything out. After a nap, an evening of rest, and a good night's sleep, you'll be just fine."
"But I have a test tomorrow in Plasma Dynamics," he objected.
"Postponed," she told him. "The waiver's already on the schedule. All homework and tests due tomorrow are pushed back, so you can recover. No studying tonight, Jason, and that's an order."
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.
"Now go home," she told him. He stood up, and his legs felt a little weak. "Woops, I think I'll have a car take you," Tia said quickly.
"No, I'm alright," he said quickly, getting his legs back under control. If everyone else walked out of the classroom, then dammit, so would he.
"I'll make sure he makes it safely," Jyslin offered.
"I appreciate that," she nodded. "See you on Monday, Jason. Enjoy your weekend."
Jason felt better after taking a few steps, until his strides were confident and long. Jyslin scurried to keep up with him as he made his way out of the building and onto the sidewalk leading to the dorm, which was the next building over. It was a walk of only about thirty yards. Jyslin followed him quietly, into the dorm, up to the third floor, and literally right into his room, closing the door behind her. "I'm here," he told her. "You didn't have to follow me into my room."
"Bed," she commanded, pointing imperiously at the narrow bed hugging the right wall of his cramped dorm room. "Now!"
"Don't order me around, woman," he said jerkily, unsure of what language he was speaking. "Trust me, as muffled as I feel right now, taking a nap is exactly what I intend to do." He sat down on the edge of the bed and slid his hands over his face in a slow, deliberate manner to try to clear the sand out of his thoughts. It was so hard to think!
"Well, I did what I promised," she said with a smile. "Think you'll trust me a little more now?"
"A little," he admitted.
"Want to go out with me?"
"No," he said immediately. "No matter how I feel about you, you're a Faey, and I'm a human. You represent something I protest, so I can't socialize with you. End of story."
"So, it's not personal," she pressed. "If I were human, you'd go out with me."
"Probably," he admitted again. "There are a couple of professors I'd be friends with, if it wasn't for the fact that they're Faey."
"I'll change that," she promised with a wink. "Remember, a week from today. You, me, fancy clothes, and a Faey opera. It's already been set."
"In your dreams," he scoffed. "I don't care what you do, Jyslin, I will not go out with you. Period. End of story."
"They're so cute when they think they have a choice," she said in a lilting manner as she opened the door. "Tomorrow it's Ilia and Sheleese. This time, try not to make such a mess," she said, then she leaned against the door. "So, what did you think of my little gift to you?"
"I think you need to get out in the sun more," he said boldly.
"I was in your mind when I gave it to you, Jason," she purred. "I know how you reacted to it. You think I'm dead sexy. You like me, and you like me a lot, you're starting to get interested in me, and you want to get to know me better. The only thing standing between us is a stupid point of technical philosophy, and I'm not going to stand for it."
She gave him a very serious look. "I'm Faey. I admit it. But don't hold that against me, Jason. Don't blame me for what happened to your planet. I'm stuck here, where I was placed, the same as you are. What is it your people say? Oh, yes, I just work here. And when I come back when I'm off duty, I won't be Sergeant Jyslin of the Imperial Marines, upholding her Imperial Majesty's honor, I'll be Jyslin Shaddale, a single girl trying to get a date with a mysterious, fascinating, handsome boy," she said with a wink. "You think about that. And keep thinking about it as you do whatever unholy evil things you're going to do to Ilia and Sheleese tomorrow morning. I'm dying to see it," she laughed and winked again.
"I'll make sure it's suitably entertaining," he said dryly.
"Good. I'll see you later. Get some rest, and think about what I might look like out of those boots," she said with a naughty little smile just before she closed the door.
Confusing woman. Or was she? Jason laid down and closed his eyes. It was hard to think, but not too hard to consider what she said. In a way, she was right. She was in the same position as him, and it wasn't her fault. He was blaming her, and every other Faey, for what happened to Earth, and to him personally. It really wasn't fair.
But, on the other hand, she was a Marine. She was in the military, a direct representative of the power that had conquered them. And then there was also the telepathy.
Quite simply, he just couldn't bring himself to trust any Faey because of that overwhelming advantage. At any time, all Jyslin had to do was put a hand on him and find out everything he was thinking, everything he felt, and violate the utter sanctity and personal domain that was his own mind. Jason had an intense hatred of that, burned into him after two years of having Faey try to burrow into his thoughts every day, day after day. Faey telepathy was the only reason nobody had managed a rebellion--not that it would really work, given the formidable Faey weapons and armament--but at least someone could try.
Part of that was his own self-loathing, he guessed. If his father could see him now, he'd slap him. He was cooperating, being a good little slave, because he didn't want to end up on a farm. Or even worse...being shipped off planet like some humans were, off to work in mines and other equally unpleasant and dangerous places. His father would have stolen an F-16 and taken on the entire Faey military by himself.
And now he'd been taught their language. Just another step down the road of making him an obedient subject of her Imperial Majesty.
He drifted off to sleep with that image floating in his mind...wearing one of those flowing robe-like upper garments the Faey favored, loose shirts with tails that dropped to their shins and flared sleeves with tails on them themselves nearly a foot long, and those loose-fitting pants, or robe-like skirts that both sexes occasionally wore. That would have been even worse. Wearing Faey clothes, speaking the Faey language, and standing in front of the featureless figure sitting on the throne of the Empire, bowing like an obedient lapdog.
That was a nightmare.
Jyslin did in fact stop in to see him after work, wearing a red tank top and shorts this time, but not sweaty. She'd stopped in before her workout, and she didn't stay long. Only long enough to see how the implantation went.
Perfectly. He had a complete and utter command of the Faey language. Jyslin wasn't joking when she said she knew more about Faey than most, for her vocabulary was immense, and her understanding of the intricate nuances of the musical language was profound.
He didn't have to study, so he spent most of that afternoon watching INN, which made it more interesting now that he could understand what they were saying. They talked about a surprising range of topics, covering the important news from many of the seventy-two planets in the Imperium. An earthquake on Aurile, a hurricane on the ocean planet of Jaxan, an explosion at a metals facility on Denet. Then they went into the arts phase, and he was surprised that they spent so much time on it. They tracked the movements of many theater troops, singers, and musicians, telling people where they were headed and when they would perform. The arts seemed rather important to the Faey for the movements of the performers to be covered by INN.
Earth even made it into their news. "The Empire-famous Triellian opera company is making its first visit to the newest addition to the Imperium, Terra," the roguishly handsome news anchorman said in a voice that feigned enthusiasm, which made Jason look at that corner of his screen. "It's the first visit from a famous performing company for our newest member of the Imperium. If you're in that part of the Imperium and would like to make reservations, access Terra's Civnet. There are still tickets available at most of their venues."
Jason was about to drift back to the other side of his panel, where he was going over tomorrow's little surprise, when the news distracted him once again. "For those of us in the Imperium who haven't heard much about Terra, we here at INN think that your interest in our newest planet might increase. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that the newest shipments of Terran food have passed bio inspection, and will be hitting your local markets by the end of the cycle," he announced. "In addition to all the more common plants and grains, a new group of Terran-specific products will be made available, as will all the old. This includes a large crop of the newest food craze among Faey, strawberries," he said in English.
"Oh, I know, Deren," the female anchor said with a laugh. "I tried some at the unveiling of the new Terran foods last year, and they had to take the plate away from me!"
"I'm partial to their lobster myself," he replied. "In other Terran news, the Ministry of Security has announced that certain areas of the planet have been approved for tourist passes. If you're interested in seeing our newest farming planet in action, or you'd like to soak up the local culture and mystique of the indigenous population, contact your nearest travel agent and Ministry of Travel offices."
"And here with a report on what you might want to see on Terra is Lini Timira," the woman called.
Jason watched as INN ran a report on the "vacation getaways" of Terra, showcasing most of the places that humans liked to visit on Earth. Hawaii, Alaska, Yellowstone, the Alps, Africa, the Himalayas, they all rated on the natural scenery, and to his surprise, the reporter suggested visits to Paris, London, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Johannesburg, New Delhi, and even New Orleans for people curious about the culture and customs of humans. The reporter, a sharp-featured woman with dark blue skin-tanned from her travels-and hair the color of mud, made sure to point out that the local population was not telepathic, and virtually none of them spoke Faey, so a certain amount of care and caution when interacting with the natives was required.
Jason frowned and cut it off, then absently turned on the television, and switched it to the same channel. He had no idea why he was watching it on his panel when the TV carried the same stations. He wondered absently if they had stories on Earth every day, or if it was just starting to get into the news because the Imperium was about to allow civilian Faey to visit the planet. He had no idea, because up until now, all he could really go on were the pictures.
He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of the Faey getting so…cozy with Earth or not. They'd taken it over, and now they were going to have Faey tourists milling around. Faey developing tastes for Earth food, Faey getting more and more common…it was like the beginning of the end of the fact that Earth was the home of the human race.
There wasn't much he could do about it, so he blew out his breath, changed it over to the local station, and went back to his plan.
It was ready and waiting for when Ilia and Sheleese arrived promptly at seven the next morning. They'd parked their hovercar on the other side of the street, and came boiling out of it with their helmets on and their rifles on their shoulders. They were taking no chances with this crafty human, fully intending to march him up and down the street like a new recruit and make him sing bawdy cadence songs. He'd already outsmarted the squad sergeant, Jyslin, and made a laughing stock out of Lyn and Bryn yesterday by encasing them in crash foam, forcing a mechanic to come down from the motor pool and use a dissolving module to get them out.
The little battle between Jason and Jyslin was quickly becoming all the talk among the Faey stationed in New Orleans. The rules were clear; no telepathy, no doing injury. They were rules that both sides seemed to be following, as well, and Jyslin made sure to warn them not to cheat. It was a battle of wits, and peeking into his mind and seeing what he was up to was cheating. If they even could peek into his mind, for she'd warned them that he had amazing, almost phenomenal mental defenses for a mundane human. She even warned them that he'd know if they tried, which surprised both of them. A non-telepathic human, sensing it when Faey used their talent? That was certainly something to talk about!
At precisely seven thirty, they were ready. They were entrenched behind their hovercar on the other side of the street, waiting for him to come out. They weren't about to get anywhere near him until he was halfway to the campus, which seemed only smart. This was his home territory, and they had no idea what manner of clever little traps he had waiting for them on that side of the street.
Seven thirty came and went. Then seven forty-five. At five minutes to eight, they started wondering if he was coming out at all, since he had a class at eight o'clock.
"You think he overslept?" Sheleese asked absently.
"We should go check," Ilia replied. "We don't want him getting in trouble. This may be fun, but it's not worth it if he gets punished for it."
"He may not appreciate us barging into his room."
"He'll appreciate being late for school even less."
"That's a good point."
Neither of them felt the very light, almost negligible touches on the backs of their armor. "Good morning, ladies," a voice addressed them, right behind them! Both of them whirled around and found him standing immediately behind them, and neither of them heard a thing! They didn't even sense the presence of his mind! By the gods, this human was amazing!
They stared at him in slack-jawed shock as he lobbed two little things that looked like a coin to each side of them, each of which struck the hovercar and stuck to it with a light thunk. He reached into his pocket and took out a tiny black box with an illuminated red button on it, shifted it so they could see, then pressed the button with his thumb.
So fast, so hard, that neither could resist it, they both found themselves suddenly getting yanked down. Both of them slammed into the side of the hovercar with enough force to make it rock slightly, and both of them found that they were stuck fast by something that was attaching their breastplates to the car, something they couldn't overwhelm!
He put the little device back in his pocket, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and then started walking away like he had not a care in the world. "Have a nice day," he said absently over his shoulder.
That should hold them. Those were quarter-sized devices that were like exclusive magnets, what the Faey used to control raw, magnetically reactive high-energy plasma before it was phased and sent into conduits. The little devices were self-annealing to whatever they touched, and it took a special tool to demagnetize them, something that Marines didn't carry around in their pockets. Until they did, the backs of their breastplates would be stuck to that car until Doomsday.
Sure, they could take the breastplates off, but he knew for a fact that Marines didn't wear anything underneath the armor. So, to get free, they had to strip to the waist.
It wouldn't hold them all day, but it would be enough for him to get to his first class.
He glanced behind himself, and frowned. One of them was already halfway free of her breastplate, and the other popped the seals of her own and removed the front half, exposing her breasts to all of Audobon Park. They really were going to do it! They were going to walk him to class topless!
As fun as it would be to make them do it, he figured that it would make them short-tempered, so a little discretion was in order here. Grabbing the strap of his pack, he bolted across the street and onto the campus, fully intending to be in the Plaid before that other one got her breastplate off. He glanced back and saw that they weren't trying to follow him. The first to get free was inspecting the other half of her breastplate, trying to see how he did it. She rose up and laughed, then gave him a sly grin from across the street.
You clever little fox! she communicated with him with her mind, a communication laced with wry amusement, strong enough to overwhelm his outer defenses and push the thought through. It gave him an immediate, splitting headache. You wait, Jason! I'll be outside your class when it's over, even if I have to stand there naked!
He staggered slightly, putting a hand to his head. God, that hurt! It was like a semi was banging back and forth inside his skull, but the pain eased almost immediately after she finished her mental communication.
He shook his head to clear out the last of the pain. It hadn't hurt when Jyslin did it. Then again, Jyslin had already been inside his mind. What she did was different, something like forcing her own thoughts into his head as a form of communication. Sending, that was what they called it, sending thoughts to other people. It was just one of the tricks the Faey used with their telepathy.
It had been the first time that a Faey had ever done that to him, and he certainly didn't want it to happen again.
He managed to get to the Plaid, and hurried through the classroom door right before Ailan closed it. Ailan gave him an amused look, and he quickly took his seat and the class began. He drifted in and out of paying attention as he worried about what those two Marines were going to do, and if they really were going to be standing outside the door topless, or even naked, ready to follow him around and annoy him until his next class. Were they really that brazen? Or would it just be another way to play the game, trying to embarrass him by having a pair of topless Faey following him around. That was what all this was about, after all. Jyslin was trying to embarrass, annoy, or aggravate him to the point where he would finally cave in and go out with her, if only to make her stop. The way those two were talking before he nailed them showed that they thought it was tremendous fun, and that, surprisingly, they didn't want it to cause him any real problems. That they were willing to brave whatever traps he had laid and make sure he didn't oversleep, to get him to school on time, did touch him a little bit. But not enough to make him feel sorry.
He drifted through most of class, so much so that he didn't hear Ailan clap and dismiss them. "You know, there were two Marines sending to try to find you about a half an hour ago," he said with a chuckle as Jason rather jerkily started packing his things. "They're outside the door, waiting for you."
"Great," he growled, reaching into his pack for Plan B. "Ailan, explain something to me."
"Certainly."
"Why won't Jyslin get the hint?" he asked. "Do I have to break her arm to make her understand?"
"Yes," he said, quite seriously. "You don't understand Faey very well, Jason. Remember, the females are the dominant gender. They chase, men play hard to get. It's how we do things. The more you run from her, the harder she's going to chase you, because that's how a man tests a woman to see how serious she is about him. She doesn't see you saying no as no, she sees it as 'impress me with your interest in me more, and I'll go out with you.' She won't stop. That's why I told you that it was best just to go out on the date and get it over with. That's how you get rid of an unwanted suitor," he winked.
"How?"
"Make it clear during the date that you want nothing to do with her," he answered. "You can be blunt about it and tell her not to ask for another when it's over, or you can be a total ass during the date and make it a bad experience for her. Just so long as she leaves the date with an understanding of how you feel, that's all that matters."
"Hmm," he mused. "Well, I will not go out with her. I'll just have to impress her suitably that I'm not interested. Even if I do have to break her arm."
"Good luck," he chuckled. "You'll need it."
"Why are the others helping her?" he asked curiously. "The other Marines."
"Because they're in her squad, and Marines do these kinds of things for each other. They're very tight-knit. They see it as great fun, as would most Faey. We enjoy little games like these, and that's what this is to them, Jason. A game. A grand and clever game where they're pitting their skill against yours. And from what I've heard so far, you're winning," he chuckled. "The whole school knows about that crash foam. Where did you get it?"
"I took it out of the physics lab," he answered.
"What did you do to those two today?"
"Plasma directional magnets with shock-annealer backings," he replied, which made Ailan laugh. "I didn't count on them taking off their breastplates to get free, though," he admitted. "I guess Marines don't have much modesty."
"Faey women aren't modest like human girls are, Jason," he answered. "It's not considered taboo to go bare-chested in Faey society. It's quite common on planets with hot climates, actually, and there are no laws about nudity. On those hot planets, it wouldn't be too uncommon to see Faey going about totally naked. Faey here simply don't show anything more than what humans do because of human customs. We don't want to offend you, so we abide by your customs."
"There was my mistake," he grumbled. "I didn't know that."
"If you want to embarrass a Faey woman, you don't make her show it off, you make fun of what she has," he told him with a conspiratorial wink.
"Well, that's handy to know, but it's not going to help me right now," he said, hefting the little glass canister in his hand, filled with a dark liquid. Plan B. "In fact, it's going to make this even less effective than I thought it would be."
"What is that?" he asked.
"Something that's about to get me in a heap of trouble," he answered honestly.
"What is it?"
"You'll see," he promised, standing up from his desk and picking up his pack, looking like a man about ready to do war.
He went to the door and opened it, and found both the Marines standing there waiting for him. They had managed to get their armor off the hovercar, and had left their helmets and their rifles in the car as well, for they didn't have them now. "Well, now," the taller one with a faint scar on her cheek said with a wolfish smile. "It's about time. We were about to check and see if you managed to walk through a wall."
He didn't even glance at them. He turned his back to them and started down the hall, then, just as he heard their armor shifting as they moved to follow, he tossed the canister over his shoulder.
"Catch it!" one of them barked aloud. He didn't look, but heard one of them try to grab it, only to have the glass cylinder disintegrate in her hands, unleashing a sudden angry cloud of grayish smoke that smelled like rust mixed with limes. They coughed raggedly and staggered towards him, then came the sound he was waiting for, the sudden angry hissing of their vandirium alloy armor bubbling and sizzling as the reagent dissolved it.
Both of them gasped and started to panic as the grayish smoke ate at their armor like acid, then they both seemed to relax when they realized that it was doing them no harm. The gray cloud was some kind of chemical that only reacted with the metal of their armor, eating it away, but doing nothing to harm anything other than their armor.
"Have fun finding new clothes," he said over his shoulder as he walked towards the door, intending to head to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Much to his surprise, instead of angry cursing or them running after him, they were both laughing. It was laughter mixed in with the clunking of pieces of destroyed armor hitting the floor, but it was most certainly laughter. Delighted laughter.
Faey were too weird, he thought to himself as he turned out of the hall into the building's atrium and headed for the door.
Thus came the fatal flaw in this particular plan.
The two Marines were utterly unaffected by what he thought last night would be a devastatingly effective tactic to make them leave him alone. They marched into the cafeteria about ten minutes later wearing nothing but their helmets with the visors down, to hide their faces, but not hiding much of anything else. They were also carrying their rifles, slung behind their right shoulders. All activity in the cafeteria absolutely stopped when they marched in, followed by fierce whispering and buzzing as the two rifle-toting, naked Faey positioned themselves solidly behind Jason's chair, to either side of him, and simply waited.
"Couldn't find clothes?" he asked in what he hoped sounded like an unruffled manner, though he was privately quite disturbed by this little upping of the ante here.
"We figured this would embarrass you more," one of them replied in a low whisper, in Faey, and her words were absolutely dripping with sadistic amusement.
"I can take it if you can," he shrugged casually, going back to his breakfast of a ham omelet. "I'm not the one whose bare ass is going to be fueling human men's fantasies for the next few weeks."
"So long as they don't know who I am and they can't see my face, why should I care how much of the rest of me they see?" the other one returned with a chuckle.
He had no real defense against that particular angle of attack, so he fell silent and went back to his breakfast.
They followed him all over school all day, stark naked, and drawing absolutely every eye to him. They decided that just being there was all it took to make him uncomfortable, so they never talked, never annoyed him, never did anything other than follow him everywhere he went-except inside classrooms. And that meant everywhere. The two of them nearly caused a riot when they marched right into the men's bathroom behind him after his second class.
Jason had no other prepared tricks, and to be honest, their incredibly bold move had put him off kilter, so he did nothing more than go through the motions that day and endure it. He couldn't just give up, though, because then they'd know that they found something that got to him, and they'd all start showing up naked every morning to escort him around class.
Jyslin had to have a long arm, since the professors and other school administration did nothing to intervene. They just watched from a distance and enjoyed it, like everyone else did.
So, he did pull tricks to get away from them after each class, but they weren't up to his usual standard, and they didn't get him very far from them. Sneaking out a window on the first floor, hiding in a cabinet and slipping by them as they came in to search for him, and in once case climbing through a large air conditioning duct allowed him to sneak past them, but he didn't go very fast, and allowed word to get back to them very quickly concerning his location. In actuality, he didn't want them to get too far away from him, so he could keep them under control. Two naked Faey had the potential to cause unmitigated chaos on a campus attended by human students, and he wanted to minimize the potential for multi-car pile-ups, broken noses from walking into streetlamps, and bicycles crashing into pedestrians. So he steered them away from the largest concentrations of students and didn't go anywhere near Saint Charles' Avenue, confining himself to the Plaid, the cafeteria, the library, and the main campus building, using the sidewalks well away from the street.
One thing was for sure. The boys on campus were very happy for this odd occurrence.
After his last class, in a sort of grand finale, the two of them sidled along behind him as he walked back to his dorm, clearing the path in front of him and causing a traffic jam behind them as people stopped to look, then walked along behind to keep looking. He reached his dorm and went up the steps, then turned around and looked at them. "Have fun with your sunburn," he told them as he reached into his pocket and took out the little black remote once more.
"We're done here," the taller one told him with a sly smile, just visible under the mirrored visor.
"Not quite," he said, then he pushed the button.
There was a sudden squeal of metal against concrete, and their hovercar suddenly flipped over on the side of the street, making sparks on the asphalt as the metal ground over it, then vaulted up into the air. It went up nearly fifty feet, then simply stopped, hanging upside-down in midair.
"Have a nice walk," he told them, then turned and went into the dorm.
To his surprise, to the sudden applause and whistling of the people who had followed them back to the dorm.
Both the Marines stood there in chagrin and looked at their hovercar, hanging in midair well out of their reach, as the humans around them laughed and clapped and whistled.
Up until that point, the Marines had been winning, damn it all. It didn't take telepathy to see that their counterattack of going around naked all day had him on the ropes. They were but one more task of walking him home to come away the victor in that day's skirmish, and he gets them right at the end! Trust that clever Jason to have the final trick up his sleeve!
Sheleese laughed. "Well, not only will the squad be coming to pick us up, but we'll have to explain how he got us out of our armor," she told Ilia.
"How did he do that?" Ilia said aloud, in English no less, staring up at the floating hovercar.
"I'm sure the techs'll explain it when they come to get it down," Sheleese said with a cheeky grin. "Until then, we're naked and without a ride back to the barracks."
Ilia laughed. "Jason three, Marines zero," she admitted.
"This is starting to get a bit ridiculous," Sheleese declared. "The honor of the Corps is at stake here, and he's playing with us like we're just babies."
"Maybe Yana and Myri will have better luck tomorrow."
Sheleese chuckled. "The way things are going, he'll have them in dog collars by lunchtime."
Ilia giggled girlishly. "What a man," she announced.
"Jyslin has all the luck," Sheleese agreed with a nod.