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Samantha sat at the table eating breakfast. It was early, so she was surprised Roslyn was up. The older woman was in a pair of shorts and tank top. "You're up early."

Roslyn smiled. "So are you. I usually work out in the morning."

"Actually that is why I am up. Want to run with me?" Samantha asked.

"Sure, let me eat a little something." Roslyn said.

The other ladies woke up after the two had taken off. Jenny and Katie started cooking breakfast. Stacy, Alice and two other girls were sharing the RV with them.

"They must have taken off already." Stacy said as she came from the back.

"I thought I heard them talking earlier... They must have gone for a run or something." Katie said.

While Stacy and another girl cleaned up from breakfast. Alice and Katie worked on setting up their camp a little more. They had a large roll of green fake turf they rolled out, it looked like cheap plastic grass. It gave them something to sit on outside besides concert. Mainly it was silly stuff, that served no purpose what so ever. Lawn chairs and a table with an umbrella in the middle of it. They had just finished setting up a bean bag game, when Samantha and Roslyn returned.

"I like your style." Roslyn said as they walked over.

"It is a little silly to some, but I think it helps when we are gone for long stretches." Katie said.

Stacy and Jenny both blushed as Roslyn sat down to stretch after her morning run. The otter had amazing legs and ass, the stretching only making that point clearer. Both Samantha and Roslyn took a quick shower and they walked as a group over to a large covered area for the meeting.

Frank and Kathrin getting the group quieted down so they could quickly get started. This was the first cohesive meeting, make sure everyone was on the same page and to lay out a more detailed time line. The main focus of the day getting underwater welding started.

Alice and Roslyn were floaters at the moment. They would run people and supplies around the compound and lend a hand where needed. Jenny helped Katie get the divers suited up and their equipment checked.

Jenny checked the connections to Stacy's helmet. She gave Stacy the everything was good sign. Stacy gave her a thumbs up and pushed off the edge of the small dive platform they were using.

Kathrin and Jim were also onboard the dive platform. "All of my divers are in." Jenny said from her station. She had three divers to watch, Katie had the other three. Two of each trio would be doing the main work, the third bringing them tools or just lending a hand.

"Team one has reached the vault." They heard over the radio line.

"Team two is in position." Stacy said as she and the two divers with her reached the side of the vault they were working on. Visibility was excellent, they could see at least an 1/8 mile in every direction. The water temp was comfortable in the dry suit she was wearing. The time off was nice, but she was glad to be back in the water working again.

Jenny was just thrilled she did not see any jelly fish in the area. She was also glad to be out in the field once more, and while this was her second job, helping with diving, she still enjoyed it. They could see the salvage ship working off to the south, one of Professor Collins' ships.

"The first big project this year, I was getting bored sitting in that cube." Frank stood with Nodrog and Sherman in the small control tower. It ran nearly everything on site. They could see the entire flooded compound from here,

"I am just glad we are not digging around in the castle that was my tomb." Nodrog said as he scanned the horizon.

"I agree with Frank, it is nice to be out. Little change of scenery." Sherman said.

Nodrog smiled as he used his third eye to watch things the other two could not see even with binoculars. "Oh the scenery is certainly lovely."

Jenny turned and looked at the control tower. She knew he was watching them, especially since she was helping Stacy get partly undressed so she could eat some lunch.

"It is so eerie and pretty down there." One of Stacy's dive partners, Gail said as they sat in the shade. The dive platform had a covered area over half the equipment.

"Is everything going alright down there?" Kathrin asked as she brought over some sandwiches.

"We had a few small sharks come over and see what we were doing, but that was it." Another girl said.

"The coating on the vault is a son of a bitch to get scrapped off. I couldn't ask for better conditions though." Stacy said.

"I agree with you on that." Gail said and took a drink out of her water bottle.

"We had figured the coating would be a problem. Wish I could be down there helping." Jim said and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"It's okay Jim, don't worry about it." One of the two male divers said.

Jenny and Katie checked everyone's vitals before they got ready to go back down. The first day had been rather tiring for some. Stacy was pleased with how much more stamina she had now than before, still she was tired.

Roslyn and Samantha were preparing dinner when they returned to the RV. Alice had been tasked with preparing the vegetables for the salad, since she could not cook. "You okay there little one?" Roslyn asked as Stacy plopped down in a chair outside.

"Yeah, just tired. It smells fantastic out here." Stacy said.

"What is for dinner?" Gail asked.

"Grilled chicken, with a smoky dry rub on it." Samantha said as she checked the things on the grill.

"And grilled corn on the cob. Alice is chopping up some veggies for a salad." Roslyn said and brought out some plates.

"I made two giant things of sun tea." Alice said as she came out with a large salad bowl.

"That sounds fantastic right now. Anyone want some?" Katie asked as she spotted the two, five gallon glass jugs of tea.

Each group was in charge of their own meals. It allowed them to be a little more creative and it helped with moral. It also cut down on waste since not everyone would be free to eat at exactly the same time.

The women ate outside thanks to the silly looking tiki torches that kept the mosquitoes away. Due to the odd mix of married and single people, they were split up by gender. Katie's husband was one of the divers, but because of the male to female ratio, this was one of the few times they did not get to share a bunk. In that respect the few gay and lesbian couples lucked out, and the single people just had to deal with it.

The other reason was they were not the only ones using the area. And while there were arguments for different arrangements, sometimes the numbers just did not allow it. Sherman and Nodrog might have argued for different since they were stuck eating every meal in the mess hall with the other security personnel. And it left a little to be desired compared to other cooking they were used too.

When not on duty they were free to go anywhere on site or off if they needed to. The major airport was a three hour drive, but there was a college town much closer. Alice and Roslyn had made a quick trip to pick up a few more things for themselves and the others. As much traveling as they all did, sometimes they still forgot things. Alice forgot her contact washing solution, Gail had forgotten her tampons and Roslyn was without a tooth brush.

Katie and Samantha had already made their trip to town for the things they forgot. Sunscreen being one of them, they also bought food for the week. The following day went much the same. Roslyn and Samantha started the day with a run, before heading off for their duties. The others got around a little later and headed off for their assigned task.

The rest of the week went by with little change. The cranes did get delayed by a storm which while not directly effecting the area they were in. It raised the surf to a level they decided to just hold off on until calmer seas. With the cranes being later, they did not need to rush.

Sherman and Nodrog had sat down to play cards with Jim and a few other guys. While the women went to town to find someplace with some pool tables or music. Stacy was having a good time, even if they did tease her about the 'virgin' drinks she was drinking. The rest of them had a few drinks since tomorrow was Saturday and they did not have to do any work.

Roslyn and Samantha had gone to get them some nachos and another pitcher and returned to find a couple of jocks hitting on the others. "Hey ass hat, she said no and you are in my spot." Roslyn said firmly.

One of the jocks turned to look at her. "Aren't you a little old to be here grandma?"

Stacy and Alice were a little concerned at this point, because the jocks wouldn't leave and had just insulted Samantha. They were trapped at the moment, Stacy thought one of them should just go get the bouncer.

"I ain't going to tell you again. Get your punk ass out of my spot." Roslyn was getting really pissed off.

"Listen here you old hag, we are trying to get some action. And you are interrupting." Jenny figured a defensive lineman said. He was bigger than Sherman or Nodrog.

"Old hag? Hold this." Roslyn grumbled and handed the pitcher to Samantha. "The only fucking action you are getting is this..." As soon as the pitcher was out of her left hand she made a fist and just laid his ass out cold. It was a two hit fight, her fist hit his face, and his face hit the floor.

Another table of women loudly cheered and clapped as the big jock hit the floor, since they also had to put up with their advances. Stacy saw her opening and headed over to tell the bouncer, just as one of the other jocks took a swing at Roslyn.

"I got it." One of the security guys said and hopped up to answer the phone. Jim was shuffling the cards. "Um, no sir. Let me have you talk to my supervisor."

They all waited as the guy handed the phone to Sherman. It was a rather short phone call, with Sherman mainly listening. "I will round up a van and come get them."

"Something going on?" Jim asked.

Sherman handed the phone back. "Yeah, deal Nodrog and I out. We have to go downtown and pick up our female coworkers from jail for getting in a bar fight."

"Oh god damn it..." Jim said and started to get up.

"No you stay, Nodrog and I will handle it." Sherman said and stood up. "Can we just take your van?"

"Yeah." One of the security guys said and unclipped the keys from his belt.

"Lets go." Sherman said as Nodrog stood up.

As the door to the office was closing they heard someone say. "Ten bucks says they won."

Nodrog and Sherman found the jail pretty easily and the little chatter going on when they walked in, mostly died off. Granted both of them where in black combat fatigues, black shirts and armed. "Can I help you guys?" A skinny young officer asked nervously.

"We are here to pick up the ladies that got in the bar fight." Sherman said.

An older man walked over with a clipboard in hand. "So what happened?" Nodrog asked.

The older man adjusted his glasses. "According to witnesses some of the football players were hitting on every girl in the bar. When a fifty six year old female, and I quote 'knocked the shit out of a lippy defensive line man'."

The three paused and looked over at the group. Alice, Stacy and the other young girl looked innocently naïve and worried. Katie and Gail looked embarrassed. Jenny had a bandage around one hand and Samantha had an ice pack held up to her left eye. Roslyn, sat with her legs crossed, straight out in front of her and her hands behind her head. The smug look on her face making it clear she was pleased with kicking the crap out of jocks.

"Two twenty seven year old females joined the older female when the footballers decided to defend their fallen friend. At which point the brawl escalated as three other females joined the fight when the other jocks in the bar did. Not all of them were involved, just the three from each group. The bar tender had already called our office before it got out of hand." The older man said.

"Are there going to be charges pressed?" Sherman asked.

"No, the one sober jock confirmed what the witnesses said. The two bar tenders and the bouncers were so amused that the older woman laid a jock out in one hit, they are going to let it slide. The officers on call, were a little surprised to find the women the winners." The older man said.

"I take it nothing was broken and there were no serious injuries." Nodrog said.

"Just a black eye and a couple cut knuckles. Probably the only serious injury is the kid's pride getting knocked out by someone old enough to be his mom. All I need is a signature here, to release them." The older man said.

Sherman signed on the line and waited for his copy of the police report. With that done Nodrog and him walked over to the group. The look on their faces clear, they were not amused in the least. "Don't say anything, just come along." Sherman said firmly.

Alice and Stacy thought their silence was a little unnerving. Neither of them said a word as they walked out to the van and got in it. Nodrog and Sherman managed to make it almost out of town before they laughed.

"Christ that was hard." Sherman chuckled.

"So you're not mad?" Samantha asked.

"Of course not. Frank and Kathrin on the other hand will probably be upset. We did not want the police officers thinking we encouraged that behavior." Nodrog said.

"I told you they wouldn't be." Roslyn said.

Nodrog glanced back. "Actually, you are still in trouble young lady."

Now they all laughed as Roslyn sat in shock. Once back on site, Nodrog healed Samantha's and Jenny's minor injuries. Sherman filed the paper work before heading back to the card game.

"So what happened?" Jim asked. They had quit playing and were just sitting around.

"A couple of dumb jocks insulted the wrong pair of ladies. Roslyn knocked one kid out cold and the fight took off from there... And yes our ladies won." Sherman shook his head as they divided out the bet on that point.

Nodrog came back out of the RV and found Roslyn standing near the fire pit.

"You know he deserved it." Roslyn said as Nodrog came up behind her.

Nodrog put his arms around her and kissed the back of her neck. "I was just teasing about you being in trouble." He whispered and nibbled on her neck. "You will find quite the opposite is true."

Roslyn let out a soft sigh as he held her close. That playful little hunger in his voice, she did not resist as he led her along by the hand he held. He pulled her onto his lap as he sat under a tree. "This might be the first time a man rewarded me for punching another man."

Nodrog smiled as he held onto her firm ass. "Diamond in the rough... And few shine like you do."

Roslyn moaned as he pulled her closer. She could feel he was already aroused through their clothes. He pulled her shirt and bra off eyeing her with glowing eyes and lust. She felt something else as he ran his hands over her and licked and teased her breasts. An arousal she had not felt before was building inside of her. His every action and caress seemed more intense. She was going to climax before he even removed her pants at this rate.

Roslyn ground her hips against him, she had not been this aroused in a long, long time. She knew he was doing something to cause it, it had to be magic and she didn't care as she climaxed still partly dressed. The jock's insults had stung, she had not wanted to admit it. Partly undressed, under a tree made her feel like she was young and foolish again.

Roslyn lay on her back as Nodrog pulled off her pants and panties. She was laying on a blanket he already had out here... Meaning he must have planed something from the start, which made her feel genuinely wanted and desired. She could see the stars in the sky as she looked up as he went down on her. She moaned loudly as his tongue snaked its way into her. Roslyn moaned as he licked her, teasing her clit with a thumb.

Nodrog licked until she climaxed again, then kissed his way up her body. His teeth sending shivers up her body. His hot breath exciting her more as he gave her pleasure in ways she had not imagined. Nodrog lay next to her so she could be on top once more. Having laid with him a few times, she was not nearly as reserved and took all of him inside of her.

Roslyn ran her hands through her hair as she straddled him, having taken his knot. She smiled as she placed her hands on his solid abs to ride him. His lust filled glowing eyes looking up at her, taking in all of her body. She liked being so highly desired by him, since he could chose anyone. He had two nubile young women, but he still took her to bed, even seeking her company like tonight.

Roslyn laid down on him and kissed him as he kept her slightly faster pace. She still did not feel love for him. She loved the way he made her feel, the way he treated her. They were not an item or a couple, but they were more than friends with benefits... If that made any sense at all. Roslyn did not really care since he made her feel wanted. As his knot swelled inside of her, tying them together and bringing her to a third orgasm. He made her feel incredible.

"No work out this morning?" Stacy asked as she took a turn at cooking breakfast. Samantha and Roslyn were up and dressed.

"Got enough of a workout yesterday." Samantha grinned and cracked knuckles.

"I know I did." Roslyn said with a coy little smile.

"The look on those guys' faces when their buddy just fell over... I hope Frank and Kathrin are not too hard on you three." Stacy flipped over the Texas toast she was using to make French toast. She also hoped her attempt at making berry syrup turned out okay.

"The two of them I can deal with, I was more concerned with Sherman and Nodrog. They have stone cold poker faces... I thought they were really pissed off." Samantha said.

"I think we all did." Alice said as her and Jenny came out.

"Hey Jenny would you try this... I'm not sure if it is sweet enough." Stacy dipped a spoon in the syrup she made.

Jenny sucked on the spoon. "Did you make this?"

"Yeah." Stacy said sheepishly.

"Wow, that is pretty good. I think it is just right." Jenny said and gave her a squeeze.

"So what did she make us?" Gail asked.

"French toast and homemade berry syrup." Jenny reached over Stacy's head to get a big plate to pile all the toast onto.

"I should have started working with you ladies sooner." Roslyn chuckled as Jenny helped bring the food over to the table.

Frank and Kathrin did have a few words with Jenny, Samantha and Roslyn. However the police report made it clear they did not start the fight. Roslyn threw the first punch, but the jocks started the verbal fight first.

"I have to say for his and your age, you and Frank can still throw a punch." Samantha said, careful not to use the word 'old'.

"I still do a little mixed martial art training... When did Frank get in a fight?" Roslyn asked as they sat at their camp.

"On the second trip out to the castle they found Nodrog in. One of the young men made a comment about Jenny he had no place in saying. Frank gave him a fat and bloody lip." Samantha said.

Stacy came sprinting over to the camper, and rushed right inside. She came out just as quickly a camera in her hand. "What is going on?" Samantha asked.

"A couple of our guys are going to play volleyball against some of the salvage ship guys..." Stacy said and had to chase after Samantha and Roslyn.

There was a fair sized crowd when they got back to the beach, just in time to see the men pull their shirts off. Randy, Sherman, Nodrog and Katie's very well chiseled husband Rod stood on one side. The four men on the other side were also well muscled and toned.

"I think I have died and gone to man candy heaven." Roslyn said as she eyed them all.

"Hey, I recognize that ass anywhere. Fifty six and still got a butt firm enough you can bounce a quarter off of it." A thresher shark anthro said and swatted Roslyn's butt.

Roslyn recognized the lingering hand and voice. "Damn it Jaws, how many times do I have to tell you to leave my ass alone?"

"Fuck if I know, ain't been keeping track. I keep hoping you will switch teams." Jocelyn said with a very toothy smile. The six foot even shark anthro was clearly athletic, so much so she had an almost flat chest. Her black hair had streaks of cherry red, and she was wearing a tank top with a pair of cargo pants. Tribal tattoos ran up one arm and a pinup styled woman posed on her other. She had an actual shark tooth on her necklace along with dog tags. And she was apparently incapable of not smiling.

"You could just say hello like normal people. How have you been?" Roslyn asked as the crowd of mainly women sat down.

"Keeping busy. I had to fly in some parts for the cranes; that I see have not shown up... I was surprised to see my favorite otter out here." Jocelyn said and gave Roslyn a wink. "How about you?"

"I got shot down in the Congo several months ago, lost my plane. So I gave up that gig and I am officially flying for Marko now." Roslyn said as they watched the man candy play volleyball. It made her forget all about the jocks as real men played in the sand.

"I had heard your last mission went to hell, and I heard a certain dragon came and rescued you." Jocelyn said with a bigger smile.

"Actually the fine looking dragon playing volleyball saved me. I don't know how you can't want to play with some stud like that." Roslyn teased.

"Well, the dragon and the wolf look pretty tasty. That little lion you were running over here with, she is just too damn cute for words." Jocelyn said.

"She is a pretty good cook too. How long are you going to be around?" Roslyn asked. She shifted and was a little embarrassed how aroused she was.

Jocelyn pulled out her phone. "I got a couple days, we could go to town and hit the bar."

Roslyn laughed. "Fraid not, I sort of got kicked out the other night for kicking the crap out of some football players."

Jocelyn laughed. "Not only hot, but feisty."

Jenny turned back. "I have to agree with her Roslyn."

Roslyn blushed as Jocelyn laughed.

Chapter.

"Glad I am not the only one who thinks that way." Jocelyn said and laughed.

While Jenny and Jocelyn gave Roslyn a bad time. Alice and Stacy were busy drooling over the hunks with the other women. "I hope you are getting shots of the other guys besides Randy." Alice said as Stacy snapped several more photos in a row.

"Oh, I am getting them all." Stacy panned back to get a few of all eight men. However she did already have a large number of just her cowboy... She had her camera set to sport so it would take six shots a second as long as she held the button down. So all of those firm, muscular bodies were captured perfectly for every serve, set or spike.

Katie and Samantha were a little nervous having their men on display in front of this many women. Especially considering the fact they only had shorts on and nothing else. Also embarrassing to them was the fact they could not keep their eyes off the other men playing. There were several guys who were not playing that also could be considered good looking. It was still nearly three to one when it came female to males.

"So who is winning?" Kathrin asked as she sat down next to Roslyn and Jenny.

"Those of us sitting on the sidelines." Roslyn said and several women laughed with her. They all were thinking the same thing, Roslyn just had enough spunk to say it out loud. As much as she said she did not have a thing for the dragon, her eyes kept going back to the metal monster. Granted Randy did have that boy next door, cowboy charm that was hard to resist. And Sherman was certainly incredibly good looking, in or out of uniform. Rod, while in excellent shape, just was not her type.

Kathrin watched the current play. "Okay not the answer I was expecting, but I will agree with it."

The rules were simple and straight forward. The hard part was pulling his hits. Nodrog could flatten the ball if he hit it too hard, or seriously hurt someone. He found the cat calls and cheers easy to tune out. Actually he and Sherman started playing into them, which only encouraged the women to do more. That made it a little more fun, and a couple of the salvage ship guys caught on and egged the women on even more.

Randy held the ball as he waited to serve. He had turned his ball cap backwards to keep is shaggy hair out of his eyes. He did not like wearing it that way, but he couldn't see otherwise. They had come up this morning. Sherman and Rod had talked him into playing within an hour of showing up. All the noise the women were making was a little distracting, he wasn't used to it. He also felt 'small' compared to Nodrog and Sherman... He tossed the ball up in the air and gave it a hard hit.

While they had to pull their hits, Sherman and Nodrog still had vastly quicker reflexes. Sherman jumped up and blocked a spike attempt. He had been working on his sixth sense and this was good practice for it. He and Nodrog always knew where the ball was. It might be cheating... but how was anyone going to catch them? Also something he would not admit, was the fact he did like the attention they were getting.

After the game they ate a shared meal out on the beach. And started a fairly large bonfire in the fire pit. They could not convince the girls to play... Nodrog's team did win, but not by much. Stacy and Samantha made sure they were close to their men. Stacy going so far as to sitting on Randy's lap to make her claim known. Not that he minded in the least, because these women were a little more outgoing than the ones back home. And his quiet shyness only seemed to make the problem worse.

"Well he certainly is hard bodied. But can he fly?" Jocelyn asked as she shook Nodrog's hand when Roslyn introduced him. Roslyn had always been able to lure in studs, no matter her age.

Nodrog matched her toothy smile. "I have a few tricks, Roslyn could tell you about. I need to go check on something, it was nice to meet you."

Roslyn blushed as he gave her butt a little pat before walking off. She was a little concerned with the glare some of the women gave her since they must have thought she was dating him. Alice and Jenny remained neutral on the matter since they were keeping it a secret. It padded her ego a little more, since the jocks' insults did hurt. A fact she would never admit to anyone. Even Jocelyn's and Jenny's sexual harassment helped in that regard.

"How old is he anyways? Thirty something." Jocelyn asked as they sat around the bonfire. Thankful they had some beer on site, at least they let some rules slide off duty.

"You won't believe me if I told you." Roslyn said as she watched him walk away.

"As old as you?" Jocelyn teased and laughed when Roslyn gave her the finger.

"Actually he is much, much older than I am." Roslyn sipped on her beer. Samantha had gotten some earlier in the day, since they couldn't go back to the bar. One of the women from the other group picked up her bar tab for showing the jocks a thing or two.

Jocelyn laughed. "Just tell me how fucking old he is."

"I would say don't get your panties in a knot, but I know you never wear any... One thousand eight hundred and something... He is not an anthro human, he is one hundred percent monster." Roslyn said and glanced at Jocelyn. "I ain't making it up, ask anyone here. Hell even the bosses here will tell you as much."

"I think that crash fried your brain...And I do too wear panties, sometimes." Jocelyn grumbled. Just because she did not have any on now...

Stacy and Alice were sitting with them, going over some of the few hundred photos Stacy took. "No, he really is that old. And he is a honest to god monster."

"I woke him up from a four hundred year nap in an abandoned Russian castle." Alice kicked her shoes off. "The crew from the salvage ship do not know that, but anyone from our company will tell you the same."

"Are all of you crazy?" Jocelyn asked.

"When he gets back ask him for yourself." Roslyn said.

Nodrog made sure he was out of sight before teleporting out to the break water. He was pleasantly surprised to find that Mianth had accompanied Dallarth out. "Good evening ladies."

Mianth blushed since he was only in shorts. Dallarth laughed at her embarrassment. "It certainly is." Dallarth said with a smile.

"I had thought you were not going to arrive on world until tomorrow." Nodrog said.

"We still need to work a little on getting the two calendars synced... The ships are in orbit for the evening." Mianth said.

"Given the distance involved, a day is rather trivial. I have had a chance to back track on our little visit. It seems the grays have not given the humans anymore of the nullifiers." Nodrog said.

Dallarth gave it a little thought. "Perhaps they are rethinking the machines usefulness since it did not affect us."

"That would make sense, they don't know how many dragons are as strong as the two of you." Mianth oddly she found herself less nervous around the two of them, than any of the other dragons.

"I have to remain here, but would you ask Eryk and Perenth if Alyvia could take a small unit and search the gray ships in orbit? Marko's company is not allowed to salvage the ships and I do not want any of those machines to come into human hands." Nodrog said.

"I thought you trusted them?" Mianth asked.

"Not all of them." Nodrog smiled and crossed his arms. "I am glad to hear you speaking freely around me."

"She knows we will not tell on her, and we rarely hold our tongue when speaking. I will ask about it... They most likely could have the job finished before we had to land. It seems the grays do not have faith in their allies or the machines are difficult to produce. I have not heard of anyone else using them." Dallarth said.

"Still we came to tell you good news. The humans' treatment has proven very effective in slowing the illness in the Velopians. They are going to start mass producing it this month." Mianth said excitedly.

"Wish they would hurry up with their own treatment. That is good news, I am glad I convinced Eryk and Perenth to meet the humans I know." Nodrog said.

"What are they doing out here anyways?" Dallarth asked and the three looked towards the shore.

Nodrog looked over at the dive platform. "There are priceless artifacts down in a big vault, so priceless they are spending millions to pull the vault out of the bay. Humans really like their history."

"Seems like a waste of time." Dallarth said.

"Most mortal races are protective of their history. They cling to it like it is the only thing that defines them." Mianth said.

"Mortality does that, monuments and trinkets give a sense of immortality. Even if it is fleeting at best." Dallarth said.

"I will give them points for the tenacity they show trying. Some of their monuments have stood for a long time." Nodrog said.

"We will have to talk again later, Perenth is calling." Dallarth said.

"Best to not keep the boss waiting. Fair well." Nodrog said. The two bowed slightly and vanished.

Jocelyn and Stacy jumped nearly a foot in the air as Nodrog just appeared at the girl's RV. Roslyn laughed wildly when Jocelyn and Stacy screamed.

"I would think you would be used to it now Stacy." Jenny teased.

"I don't think I will ever get used to it. Quit scaring me, you big metal ass!" Stacy said loudly.

Nodrog only chuckled.

"What did you need to check on?" Alice asked.

"Mianth and Dallarth dropped in to let me know the treatment is working and the Velopians will mass produce it now. They arrived a day early." Nodrog said still chuckling about scaring them.

"The alien Velopians? The ones I saw on TV?" Jocelyn asked.

"Mianth and Dallarth are not Velopians, they are dragons who work with the Velopians. But yes the deer people you have seen on TV." Nodrog chuckled.

"So are you really as old as they say you are?" Jocelyn asked.

Nodrog scratched the top of his head. "I haven't been really keeping track, I might be getting close to nineteen hundred. A year here is different than a year on my home world. Or it could be, I really don't care. Age is trivial to me."

"I suppose you can breathe fire and all that other magic stuff too?" Jocelyn asked.

"Well yeah." Jenny teased.

"I should go see Michaela and let her know how I am doing, and thank her again." Stacy said, loving the feeling of being in Randy's arms.

"You should have said something last week, because she asked me about you." Nodrog said and took Roslyn and Samantha's empty beer cans and ate them. Freaking Jocelyn out in the process.

Roslyn snickered. "Its one of his oddities you get used to, along with the teleporting and never sleeping."

"No, there is that one you never get used to..." Alice shivered just at the thought of Jenny's neck in his mouth. She felt a little better when Jenny squeezed her hand.

"Anyways, how long are you going to be around Jocelyn? Maybe the two of us can pin Roslyn down and change her mind." Jenny said and seductively licked one of her fingers. Before yelping as Alice pinched her ass really hard.

"Don't either of you get any ideas about doing that. I'll kick both of your asses into next week." Roslyn said firmly. Which made most of them laugh. Although, Stacy and Samantha figured she could probably back that threat up.

"I like your thinking girl... Sadly I have been trying for a while." Jocelyn's usual large smile growing a little bigger.

Alice found it a little unnerving how those with mouthfuls of razor sharp teeth liked showing off said razor sharp teeth. Alice was thankful Jenny only had slightly more pronounced canines. Nodrog's smile was at times worse since his razor sharp teeth were metal. Being part mouse might have something to do with that.

"Just out of curiosity, how long have you know Roslyn?" Samantha asked.

"A long time, I was her second copilot back when she was flying water tankers. Just a snot nosed punk fresh out of the air force given to the gorgeous three year veteran. I learned more from her in a month than I did from anyone else." Jocelyn said.

"Which was surprising since I had to keep reminding you to stop staring at my tits." Roslyn said and leaned back.

"Well they are very nice tits." Jocelyn said to which, every male and bi or lesbian female muttered an agreement. And they all laughed as Roslyn blushed and grumbled.

Roslyn glanced over at Nodrog, who had that single toothed smirk he usually had when amused or was being playful. She smiled as he gave her a little wink, it did make her feel good. Even their teasing made her feel good; after spending years living and being alone, this was a nice change. A little like Nodrog, they didn't care about her age or what she used to be.

As she watched Alice and Jenny, she wondered what he meant when he said few shined like she did. Roslyn thought Alice and Jenny were very bright and lively, along with having endless amounts of youthful exuberance. She sat with Jocelyn, Samantha and Katie while the other women played the bean bag game. The men were tossing an old football around.

The weekend passed quickly and the two floating cranes showed up late Sunday evening. The part Jocelyn had flown in was not very big; but it was rather important since it was one of the many load sensors the computer used to keep the floating crane, floating evenly.

Roslyn blushed as Jocelyn gave her a kiss on the cheek and another swat on the ass. "Catch you later sexy. I will give you a shout if I am out on the east coast." Jocelyn said.

"Drop in any time, they haven't kicked me out of every bar for fighting." Roslyn said. She watched her friend taxi out and take off for parts unknown. She was rather surprised that she did not miss owning her own plane. A lot less stress and shit to worry about, and the dragon was a very enjoyable perk.

"You ready to head out?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah." Roslyn jumped in the golf cart with Jenny. Roslyn was taking Kathrin's place on the dive platform for an extra set of hands and emergency responder. She was not a dive expert like Katie or Jenny, but she was a well trained medic.

Nodrog and Sherman were standing with Alice, Jim, and rigging crew. Kenny would be stuck spotting since he broke his arm when a hydraulic line failed on the trailer. Randy and Chuck were also present to lend a hand.

"So are these 'hard hats' actually going to do us any good if something goes wrong?" Nodrog thought it was stupid since his head was harder than the hard hat.

"Given the weight we are dealing with, no. But they are the rules." Jim said.

"I always thought they were a little silly sometimes myself. The high visibility stuff, at least makes sense." Randy said.

Nodrog glanced over at Alice, who was calm and collected like she was before a race. Her blue jeans fit nicely and she even looked good in her overly brilliant safety orange shirt. Samantha and one other woman was all they were taking for guard duty. The barge was massive, but they needed to stay out of the way. That and two monsters with guns, tipped the odds greatly in their favor.

The last minute safety meeting before lifting the largest vault, was short and to the point. Alice climbed up and into the mammoth truck. She checked both gear shifters were in neutral and pushed the clutch to the floor. The truck rumbled to life and settled into the familiar clacking idle of a diesel engine.

Jim walked to the very end of the trailer and retrieved the largest remote control box Sherman had ever seen. A turn of a key on the remote started the engine mounted in one of the modules, to control the trailer's hydraulics. He waved to let Kenny know everything was ready on his end.

Randy walked down the middle of the joined barges to guide Alice onto the barge and the spot marked on it. "We are good to load. Ease her on, Alice."

Alice put the main gear box in first and the second box in second, starting out in sixth. She eased off the clutch and on the throttle getting the mammoth truck and trailer creeping along. Randy was thirty feet in front of her, Kenny to her left watching the gap between dry land and the barge. Jim was a hundred and fifty feet behind her steering the trailer. Given the tire size and the truck's weight, she didn't feel the transition from concrete to the steel deck.

"And the truck is completely on the barge." Kenny said over the radio they were using.

It took an hour to get the truck and trailer loaded, which combined with the hour it would take to get pulled out, gave the cranes plenty of time to get the vault rigged. As the cranes began to lift, the tugs turned the truck barge around so they could back the trailer under the load. That was safer than trying to move the vault and cranes; and kept them from lifting the vault higher than necessary.

Nodrog could see the cranes dip lower in the water as they pulled on the vault. It was a slow and tedious process. As large as the vault was, there was only a foot on either side of the barge he stood on and the cranes themselves. If he was not seeing it with his own eyes, Nodrog would have doubted something that big could be moved at all.

It was lunch time when they set the vault on the trailer. The security personal a little unnerved by how much lower in the water they now sat. Which Alice and Jim found all to amusing since two were monsters. Stacy and the other welders quickly set to work burning rod to weld anchor points on the vault. The riggers chaining the vault to the trailer before freeing the vault from the cranes.

"So this will officially be the heaviest thing I have ever hauled." Alice said as they took the slow trip back to land.

"This is in our top five... What are you thinking third or fourth?" Randy asked.

Chuck scratched his chin. "Third, it missed second by two hundred thousand or something."

"How much weight are we talking?" Sherman asked.

"One point six million pounds for the truck, trailer and load." Randy said.

"Always have to one up me don't you?" Alice teased.

"Of course, only thing motorized I will ever beat you at." Randy chuckled.

"I am going to have to ask our boss if he can fix that." Alice grumbled. Randy and Chuck just laughed.

"The whole idea of flooding something that is supposed to float is a little weird. Crazy people must join submarine forces." Samantha said as the tug crew flooded the ballast tanks to sink the barge onto the cradles.

"And you thought loading took forever." Randy chuckled as he and Chuck walked out to guide Alice off the barge.

Jim started the trailer engine. "Tug crew says we are good to go."

Alice put both transmissions in low. As she eased into the throttle and let out the clutch, the mammoth truck's frame twisted from the engine's torque. She had to up shift three times before the truck had moved its own length. It was odd to be using 1200 horse power and only moving a mile an hour. With truck and trailer on dry land and now late in the day, they shut everything off for the night.