Chapter 6: Clarice

The San Juan Mountain Sanatorium has a beautiful view and a pleasant environment.

There is even a small lake in front of the courtyard where Reynolds lives, surrounded by a coniferous forest.

Reynolds likes it here.

Sitting on the balcony, a glass of Tsingtao in his hand, he looks out over the lake as the sun sets in the distance. Fish leap in the sparkling water; a few squirrels are jumping around energetically in the trees. A fox paws through the forest and comes to sit by the lake.

It looks at Renaud on the balcony with big, sparkling eyes.

Renaud waves his glass at it.

He takes a long drink.

'His name is Jerry,' a beautiful voice says from the side.

Renaud turns his head and sees a girl standing on the balcony next door.

She had short blue hair, was wearing a black backless tight skirt, and had a peaceful expression with a hint of laziness, as if she had just woken up from an insufficient afternoon nap and still retained an infinite fondness for the bed.

It's full of temptation.

'Sorry... were you talking about it just now...?' Reno looked back at the young fox in the distance and asked with a puzzled expression.

The girl shrugged her shoulders: "You can't be named Jerry.'

Reno laughed: "My name is Jonny Reno, commander of the second mech brigade of the main battle starship Aphrodite of the seventh fleet of the Sequoia star domain, and temporary captain of the Aphrodite.'

'Clarice Austen, environmental investigator from Hastings, was invited here to conduct an environmental analysis.' The girl paused for a moment, then a strange light shone in her eyes, and her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, as if she had discovered something new: "You just said you were a mech commander, but you are still the temporary captain? I've never heard of a mech commander serving as a temporary captain before. What made you sit in that position?'

After thinking about it, Renault replied, "Destiny.'

The girl laughed.

She said, 'Considering that you're still standing, I guess you didn't sink the ship.'

Reno replied, ' piloting a starship is actually quite simple. You aim in a direction, activate the accelerator, and the ship flies back. The most interesting part is that you only need to give orders, and all the actual work is done by the officers under your command. So in a way, the captain of a starship can be the only person on the ship who knows nothing about anything and can still pilot the ship...'

'Just like the President can run everything because he knows nothing!' the girl interjected.

The two looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.

What they had said was a folk song that circulated among the people, which people used to ridicule the government.

Obviously, Renault's joke did not fool the girl.

Just as Renault was about to say something, the girl suddenly said, 'Oh my, it's almost time!'

Then she did something: she lifted her skirt and climbed up the wall.

Reynolds was shocked by the girl's behaviour: 'Miss Austen, what are you doing?'

'Leave me alone, I'll be fine!' Clarice Austen was already standing on the ledge of the wall and then climbed up little by little, looking like a spider dressed for a dinner party.

Reynolds watched her as she continued to climb, her goal seemingly a terrace above. He muttered, 'Damn it.'

He pressed a watch on his wrist.

A jet of black liquid from the watch landed on Reynolds, covering him as if with a black film. Soon, Reynolds was completely covered in this black film, looking as if he were wearing a nightshirt.

Once he had done so, Renault jumped off the balcony with a single press of his hands. As he fell, he pressed both palms against the wall, and they were firmly attached. Renault quickly moved upwards.

A gust of wind blew Clarice's long skirt around. She trembled, and her body swayed. She lost her balance and stepped into thin air, her body slanting towards the ground.

'Ah!' Clarice screamed in terror.

Just as she was about to fall, a strong hand pressed against the small of her back and sent her back towards the wall.

'Stand still,' said Renaud, appearing behind her. His body was like a wall, giving Clarisse a sense of security.

Clarisse let out a long breath. "Okay, I admit it, I was a bit reckless. But there's no time to lose. Can you help me get there?'

'Of course," replied Renaud. 'Hold on to me.'

Clarisse turned around, hooked her hands around Renault's neck, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

They were face to face, so close that Renault could feel her fragrant, inviting breath.

Then he helped Clarisse up the wall, climbing towards the top terrace.

Clarisse looked at Renault, her big, charming eyes. 'What are you wearing? How can you climb walls?'

'Licra-su II protective film, designed for use by Starfleet personnel. It's not very strong, but it has good climbing ability, insulation and cushioning properties. Starfleet ships are huge, and when they're in battle, the distance they travel in a roll can be equivalent to a fall from a ten-storey building. In addition, the gravity system on the starship can also be damaged. The adsorption function can ensure normal operation in weightlessness. Finally, when we accidentally fall to places with large temperature differences, its good thermal insulation can save our lives... Of course, it can also be used to guest star in Spiderman occasionally.'

'Isn't this equipment handed in when we leave the ship?'

'The temporary captain can occasionally seek some benefits for himself.'

Clarisse smiled slightly, 'Your welfare saved my life.'

While talking, Reno had climbed onto the roof terrace.

Reno put Clarisse down.

Clarisse had already hurried to the corner of the terrace with her skirt held up.

There was a telescope set up there.

Clarisse exclaimed, "I almost missed the time.'

Reno asked incredulously, "You climbed up here recklessly just to look at the stars?'

'No, it's a frigate,' Clarisse answered, holding the telescope. "The Laclazare ground frigate. Every day at this time, it starts its periodic low-altitude cruise. When it starts cruising, it turns on all its lights, and it's the only time people down here can see it through the clouds.'

'So there's a friend of yours on that frigate?'

'My husband," Clarisse answered.