Disclaimer: Idea taken from 80's film, Spacecamp', but set with Labyrinth in mind. Jareth
belongs to Henson, the rest is Spacecamp. As for the unlucky listians I tormented, Oops! *g*
Better luck next fic. note: I followed the movie VERY closely, so if you have seen it...Shoosh!
_____________________________________________________________________________
Everyone at one point in their life has wanted to obtain the unthinkable. Achieve what some
would think merely insane. So goes with a few of Jareth's listians. Only difference is he usually
gave them the opportunity, whether they wanted it or not.
First they thought they needed therapy. Major mistake on his part to let such a thing happen.
Next came the dreaded slumber party which he will never live down again. Then there was the
Garage Sale idea that never took flight. Last time he spent much time with his listians, he got his
butt whooped by a bunch of women playing softball. That thought had not settled too well with
him. There had to be one thing he could do that would show them that he was better.
As he sifted through the many thoughts of all his listians, Jareth pushed aside their smuttiness and
concentrated on the tangible ideas. A grin lighted his face as he realized the perfect plan. They
would spend a summer together at camp. Not just any camp.... SpaceCamp. He knew far too
well that most of them were adventurous enough to want to challenge fate.
In an instant he was gone. Many preparations had to be taken care of, soon his listians would
show up eager for their chance to humiliate him. Appearing on a runway, Jareth stood there
watching the planes flying over head. A smile on his face, he waited patiently for the pilot to land
so he could have a word with them.
"Did you hear?" a voice called out to the man coming up behind him as he stood there shielding
his eyes from the harsh light.
"I heard," he replied as Commander Bergstrom walked up beside him.
"I'm not going up!" she exclaimed, walking toward her husband and Jareth. "Those blockheads
chose that pompous moron over me," she continued angrily. "He gets airsick in cars for heaven's
sake!" she finished, a look of utter disbelief filling her features.
"I know Andie, and I'm sorry. Better luck next time," Zach stated with a smile.
"You're damn right I will. You're not going to be the only one in this family to walk on the
moon," she answered quickly.
"Well look at the bright side of this one. Now you'll get to spend the summer with me at
SpaceCamp," Zach mentioned, watching as she stopped short.
"Zach, I don't want to babysit a group of kids this summer," she noted.
"They aren't your ordinary kids," Jareth interrupted.
"And you are?" she asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Jareth," he replied coolly.
"He's sending a group to SpaceCamp this year," Zach offered. "You promised."
"So? Terrific, I get to play Let's pretend I'm an astronaut' with a bunch of kids," Andie replied
sarcastically.
"Come on Andie. These aren't just any kids you know? They're clean cut, all American kids,"
Zach replied, shutting the door behind her.
Jareth cleared his throat. "They aren't all American."
Andie laughed. "Of course not," she replied, not sure what to make of the whole situation. She
wasn't ready for another summer of headstrong kids.
"Let's get back to meet the kids," Zach stated, sliding into the seat and waiting for Jareth to get in
as well before heading back to the awaiting kids.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A white Volvo pulled into the parking lot, taking up residence in one of the Commander's spaces.
Oasis music blaring, the young woman moved to the beat without a care in the world. She didn't
notice a little red sports car pull up behind her.
"That looks like one of your clean cut kids now. Oh yes, I can spot them a mile away," Andie
stated, getting out of the car and walking toward the building.
Jareth followed close behind. That music sounded so familiar, even the back of the head looked
familiar. Nearing the Volvo, he rolled his eyes. There sat one of his listians.
"Hey there tights! What's up big guy?" she shouted, noticing that Jareth wasn't in his standard
issue clothing.
"Hello to you too Selah," he spoke through clenched teeth. Turning, he followed Andie toward
the building.
Selah laughed. She had a knack for getting under his skin, and she loved every minute of it.
Glancing over her shoulder, she could faintly make out another man just before he stopped by her
window. With a smile, she greeted this new arrival.
"Would you mind turning the music down?" he asked, his voice rough and ragged.
"Wha?" she replied, cupping her ear to hear better.
"The music, turn it down," he stated again. When Selah nodded and decreased the volume of her
radio, he smiled and asked her how she liked it so far.
"What's not to like? I haven't been here that long," she replied, a goofy grin lighting her face.
The sound of a single engine plane fell on their ears causing Selah to look up. "Whoa, got a real
handle on technology, eh?" she chuckled.
"Yes," he grimaced. "Now if you don't mind, get your car out of my parking spot."
"Oh, sorry. Truly sorry about this, won't happen again," she apologized, starting the car and
moving to another spot. Turning off the ignition, she watched the plane land with interest.
When she witnessed who got out, she flew from the Volvo on a set course to the plane.
"Jade!" she called, her voice carrying across the open air.
Jade glanced up and smiled. "Selah!" she called back. Jumping down from the wing, she headed
toward her friend. "What brings you here?" she asked.
"Same thing that brings you I suppose. Jareth," Selah stated.
"He helped, but I really wanted to come," Jade replied. "This is going to be great!"
"Let's go. We have so much chaos to create, and little time to do it," Selah smirked. "Besides,
we have to see who else is here."
"Bye dad! Oh, you need to have that left mag checked out. It's been sticking a bit," Jade called
back, then followed Selah off across the parking lot.
As they walked up the steps, they never shut up one bit. Even though they were from the same
state, they couldn't have been much more different. Selah was always the comedian and Jade was
the opposite, always dramatic and serious.
Picking up their badges and uniform, they moved on to find the lucky one to be graced with their
presence. A voice over the intercom ushered them outside into the rocket park to meet the other
members of their team and the counselor. Finally finding where they needed to go, they waited
and talked some more. Without a moments notice, Selah screamed when an unfamiliar hand
grabbed her shoulder. Turning quickly, her fear soon dissipated when Jade spoke.
"Lisee!" Jade exclaimed.
"Hey," she smiled in return. "Didn't mean to scare you like that Zigster."
"S'okay. Mesa forgive yousa this time," Selah grinned.
"Oy, Gungan." Leelee stated.
"Hey there!" a voice called.
"Brat!" Jade called out. "How the heck are ya Kara?"
"Fine," she replied. "Which one of you nuts gave dad this idea?"
"That would be Jade," Selah answered quickly.
"Hey," Jade giggled.
"Years ago SpaceCamp was created not only to provide you with hands on access to space
hardware, but also to teach you how to work together as a team. Hi, I'm Andie Bergstrom," a
new voice cut through their discussion.
"Ah an astronaut, first female pilot," Jade stated, surprise and awe filled her face.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" Andie asked, completely taken aback.
"I've read all about you. Lets see, you were the backup pilot for the first Discovery flight. Coats
got it instead?" Jade rambled.
"Yeah...I remember," Andie replied.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Andie moved on, not wanting to go into detail about it. "Hello," Andie said with a smile. "And
what is your name?" she asked, looking down at her clipboard.
"Lisa King," Leelee replied. "But most people call me Leelee." she finished, swaying back and
forth in place, humming the theme song to Scooby Doo.
"You look like a gal with a lot of energy. I'm making you Mission Specialist number one;
Equipment function and operations," Andie said, making a note on her board.
"Oh wow," Leelee gleamed.
"Great, let a Sith at the controls and we're all doomed," Selah mumbled. Leelee stuck her tongue
out at Selah and smiled wickedly.
"Hi Andie I'm Kara," Kara offered, then pointed to her name on the clipboard. "Kara Benton."
"What brings you to SpaceCamp Kara?" Andie asked.
"Well I did this audit at JPL in radio astronomy. Unbelievable... I mean can you imagine an
extraterrestrial disc jockey? Like listening to radio waves from space?" Kara spoke, not realizing
how crazy she sounded at that precise moment.
"I know the feeling," Andie replied, still studying the girl in front of her, then continued. "I'm
making you Mission Specialist number two; communications."
"Oh, cool!" Kara grinned.
"Hey, I'm Gemma," a new voice added.
Andie took in the 5 foot 3 inch form of a young girl smiling back at her. "What are you doing
here? Shouldn't you be in juniors?" Andie asked.
"Oh come on. I'm not an iccle kiddie," Gemma whined. "I can see that you're gobsmacked and I
can't blame you. Please don't send me away, I'm really supposed to be here. I swear!" Gemma
stated.
"Alright," Andie conceded with a sly smile. "Gemma Coward, right?"
Gemma nodded her head gleefully then made a face at the others as soon as Andie turned her
back.
"Selah Specht," Andie said, wondering if she pronounced that name right.
"That would be me," Selah piped up happily.
"I'm Jade, and it's an honor to meet you," Jade stated, shaking Andie's hand.
"I have two positions left; Pilot and Shuttle Commander," Andie said, looking the two of them
over with interest. "Selah, why don't you tell me why you'd like to be Shuttle Commander?"
"Oh, I wouldn't. I was thinking more along the lines of mission regent or sovereign maybe?
Something like that?" she smiled.
"Jade, what about you?"
"I know a lot about the space program. I want to be the first female Shuttle Commander," Jade
stated.
"And you think that's more important than Pilot?" Andie asked.
"Oh yeah," Jade replied.
"S'okay, let Jadey have it. I don't care," Selah offered.
"Really?" Andie asked.
"Yeah," Selah replied.
"Well now that you're Shuttle Commander you're gonna have to start to care, aren't you Selah?"
Andie threw back. "Jade, you can be pilot."
"But?" Jade interrupted.
"Pilot." Andie stated firmly, ending the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leading her group on a tour of the facilities, Andie explained everything from the cargo bay and
storage palettes to the remote manipulator system used in repairs or satellite link ups.
"This is a zero gravity chair, rides on a cushion of air which creates the feeling of weightlessness
you would encounter when you leave the Earth's atmosphere." she explained. "Come on Gem,"
she called back to Gemma as she stood there staring at the chair.
Gemma took one last look then followed the group quickly, failing to realize Jareth watching the
small group with interest. Gemma started up the ramp of the flight simulator and squealed in
delight. "I wonder if Maul knew how to fly one of these things?" she giggled.
"This is the Shuttle Simulator which you're gonna learn to fly at speeds of up to mock
twenty-five," Andie explained.
Leelee sat down in the pilot seat and looked over the console with a wide grin and one hand on
the yolk. Gemma sat opposite her as she looked around and Andie continued on with her
explanation.
"I know it looks complicated now but when you get the basics down it's real easy. In fact, the
computer does most of the work. Now the first lesson that I want to teach you..." Andie started
but broke off as the simulator shot up quickly, throwing everyone off balance. Regaining her
composure, Andie continued. "Why I won't touch anything until I know how to use it."
"By Lisa King." Leelee stated softly with her hands in the air.
"Right," Andie replied.
"Yeah Leelee," Selah mumbled.
They emerged out of the simulator and continued on their way with Andie continuing the lecture.
"This is the Mercury Sigma Seven. When they were building these capsules, the astronauts
demanded the Engineers design a way for them to be able to pilot the capsule back through the re
entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Otherwise they'd feel like monkeys in a zoo."
Selah stood against a nearby exhibit with her head propped up on her arm listening to everything
that was going on. Trying to keep track of all the data that Andie kept throwing at them, she felt
as though she were back in school again. All of a sudden she got knocked in the head by
something and quickly moved from where she was standing.
"Ow!" Selah exclaimed, "What the hell was that?"
Gemma laughed heartily. "Prototype maintenance droid. NASA built them for the space station."
"When's it going up?" Selah asked, watching as it moved ever so slowly from its hiding place.
"He's not. They blew it on the shielding. His chips become unpredictable in about two hours,"
Gemma offered. She noticed the glances she was getting for knowing that. "So I read a lot, sue
me."
"He's such a complex piece of machinery, NASA hasn't been able to iron out all the bugs. So he
helps out here and at Kennedy." Andie explained.
"Jinx!" a shout called out. Immediately the little droid took notice, getting down from its position
and wandering across the floor.
"A midget extraterrestraial!" Kara exclaimed as Jinx rolled past her.
"No, he's the world's only twenty-seven million dollar handy-man," Andie replied, chuckling
softly at their interest.
Jinx extended a small arm and latched onto an object then spun around to an arm wiggling in the
air out from under a metal platform.
"Where the hell is that ratchet?" the man's voice asked, slightly irritated.
"In...your...hand," the metal voice of Jinx replied, dropping the ratchet in his hand.
The group of girls giggled softly at the reply from the tiny droid. "And quite literal. Come on,
you've all met Jinx," Andie stated, leading them away.
Gemma remained where she was. With a small smile, she watched the droid moving around the
floor and wondered what it would be like to have one. Hearing her name called, she tore her eyes
away from Jinx and trotted off after the group. Glancing back once, she shook her head at the
warped ideas that ran through her mind.
Jareth stood in the shadows, a grin on his face. So his little Gemma liked the robot. Perhaps he
should see to it that they became buddies. Ah yes, maybe his listians would do marvelously and
look back upon this experience and thank him.
Voices in the hall caught his attention as he glanced toward them. Here come more of his lucky
listians. Leading the pack was none other than the Smut Queen. Her burgundy hair shining in the
light, she was laughing with Dee and Christy. Fairy followed behind them talking with Meghan.
Not far behind them came the next group lead by the resident Sith Lord Easy' Essy. Spidey
looked everything over as Jen laughed at Mairead picking on Paola. Jareth noted they seemed to
be the loudest of his listians so far. Disappearing into the shadows, his work was done for the
day. Soon they would all rest so that they would be ready for the next day.
~~~~~~~~~
The barracks were buzzing with the eager discussions between friends. The listians had all found
each other and talked about the day they had and why they thought they were there. Of course
they blamed Jareth, but they had come to terms with his silly idea. A short time later, they went
their separate ways. Some went walking to take in the fresh night air. Others went to raid the
guy's barracks just to see if they could get away with it. The rest stayed in, content with a quiet
evening of rest.
"How many pounds of thrust does the Shuttle produce at lift off?" Christy asked, sitting on the
top bunk of her bed and looking through her booklet. Shaking her head she set it down in her lap.
"Six million, nine hundred eighty-one thousand, four hundred," Kara answered as though recalling
the numbers from a distant memory.
"How did you know that?" Christy asked.
Kara shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "I have a knack for remembering odd things."
"Odd is right," Jade laughed, returning her gaze to her book and flipping through the pages.
"What are you doing?" Kara asked, getting down to sit on the bottom bunk with Jade.
"I'm trying to figure out how to run this thing," Jade replied, looking the pages over carefully.
"What, the multi-axis trainer?" Kara asked, reading the page.
"Yes," Jade replied, her attention still on the pages. "One of the toughest parts of the training.
Scary for a pilot," she stated. "Know anything about it?"
"Three concentric circles spinning in different directions simultaneously; object to stabilize from
central point utilizing hand controls," Kara rattled off. Blowing a bubble, she noticed Jade's stare
of unbelief. "Do you want a piece?" she offered.
Jade took a piece of gum. "How did you know all that?"
"I remember everything I read. It's a real bother sometimes, my mind gets totally cluttered." Kara
replied. "Do you ever talk about anything other than learning stuff?" she asked, watching Jade go
to her locker. "What's your essay going to be about?"
"Why I'm going to be the first female shuttle commander," Jade grinned.
"That's going to go down real big," Kara laughed.
"Yeah, Andie will get a kick out of that," Jade replied, with a slight chuckle. "What's your's
going to be about?"
"I'm going to do I want to go into space to contact life forms that exist on chemicals other than
carbon and oxygen'." Kara replied.
"You should visit some high schools," Jade laughed. "What about you Christy?"
"I'm still thinking on mine. Most likely something kid related," she offered.
"No doubt," Kara replied.
"Hey, kids are people too. Poor little dears," Christy went on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking up at the stars, Paola felt as though she were a million miles away. So many different
solar systems, beauty beyond anyone's conception. Breathing in the cool night air, she turned her
attention to the small group of listians she had walked with.
"P-chan, how did you manage to get away to come to this?" Fairy asked, running a hand through
her short hair.
"Jareth," Paola snickered. "Just wouldn't take no for a answer."
"Same here," Mai added.
"Why do you think he went to all the trouble?" Meghan asked, glancing around as though he were
there watching them.
"Just to see if we could hack it most likely," Paola answered. "He should know by now that we
are stronger than he knows. Right onna?" she asked, walking up to Fairy and patting her on the
back.
"Right!" Fairy piped up.
Mai shook her head. "Won't he ever realize that he gets nothing but trouble when we're all
together?" she laughed.
"Maybe he likes to learn things the hard way," Meghan replied, a smile crossing her lips.
The group of women cracked up laughing as they continued walking along the pavement recalling
all the adventures that they had encountered so far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shhh..." Leelee hissed, putting her finger to her lips for emphasis. "They catch us, they'll kick us
out for sure," she mentioned, waving her hand to indicate the offices not far away.
"You're learning apprentice," Essy smiled wickedly as she took up the lead.
"They'll learn not to mess with us," Spidey grinned.
"Right!" Gemma piped in. A grin crossed her face as she thought about what they were doing.
"Why is it that Jade and Kara didn't come?" she asked.
"Because Jadey's a lightsider and won't stoop to such things," Essy replied.
"Hey!" Selah interjected. "I'm a lightsider you Sith wannabe," she stated.
"Yeah, but you aren't a goody-goody," Essy snickered.
"Oh cut it out," Smut Queen interrupted.
"Yeah, ten to one she's sitting in the barracks studying," Leelee stated with a smirk.
"We're here, be quiet!" Gemma whispered, glancing around to see if the coast was clear.
Grabbing the door handle, she silently pulled the door open allowing the other entrance into the
building.
Poking their heads into the darkened room, the women were met with the pleasing noises of
sleep. Snores and deep breaths filled their ears as they stepped quietly into the room. Sending
hand signals to each other, they proceeded to booby trap the unsuspecting sleepers.
Gemma strung string from post to post, pausing slightly to partake of the view. Right in front of
her was a Christian Bale look-alike. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at the creature lying
peacefully in front of her.
Selah carried the buckets quietly through the room until she found her final destination. Securing
them in place, she glanced around hoping that in some odd way she would find a Jedi there
smiling back at her through the dark. Instead she was met with snoring.
Essy smiled wickedly as she watched her apprentice tying a few of the studs down to their bed.
Carrying a roll of duct tape, she taped all the lockers shut, snickering as she watched Spidey
deposit glitter on the naive enemy.
Gemma stood still, watching the man in her eyesight. Licking her lips, she wondered if she dare
touch such a wonder. Reaching out a gentle hand, she lightly traced the outline of his face,
holding her breath at being so close to such a fine creature.
Essy's eyes grew wide when she saw Gemma bending down over a figure. "Stop!" Essy
whispered harshly.
Leelee's head snapped up to see what Essy was carrying on about. "Selah, stop her!" she called
out, heading toward the door. They would be caught for sure.
Selah took off quickly toward Gemma, but reached her too late.
Gemma smothered his mouth with hers, wanting to drink of his lips thinking only thoughts of the
beautiful Christian. A startled cry from beneath her and a set of hands pushing urgently against
her shoulders, Gemma snapped back to reality. With a gasp and speed she didn't know she had,
she ran from the building in haste, her cheeks flushing bright red as she followed her counterparts
away and back toward the barracks.
Bursting into the building in a fit of hysteria, the group of women collapsed on the beds. Jade,
Kara and Christy immediately took notice of their entrance, wondering what went on. After being
filled in on the events of the evening, they all calmed down and settled in for the night.
Gemma snuck from her bed and opened her locker. With a soft giggle, she kissed her fingertips
and reached out to touch the cool metal of her new friend. "Friends forever, right?" she asked
softly, her eyes shining with hope.
"Friends....for..ever," his metallic voice replied.
Gemma smiled and looked around to make sure nobody heard them. "Nan night Jinx," she
whispered softly, closing the door and climbing back into bed.
~~~~~~~~~~
belongs to Henson, the rest is Spacecamp. As for the unlucky listians I tormented, Oops! *g*
Better luck next fic. note: I followed the movie VERY closely, so if you have seen it...Shoosh!
_____________________________________________________________________________
Everyone at one point in their life has wanted to obtain the unthinkable. Achieve what some
would think merely insane. So goes with a few of Jareth's listians. Only difference is he usually
gave them the opportunity, whether they wanted it or not.
First they thought they needed therapy. Major mistake on his part to let such a thing happen.
Next came the dreaded slumber party which he will never live down again. Then there was the
Garage Sale idea that never took flight. Last time he spent much time with his listians, he got his
butt whooped by a bunch of women playing softball. That thought had not settled too well with
him. There had to be one thing he could do that would show them that he was better.
As he sifted through the many thoughts of all his listians, Jareth pushed aside their smuttiness and
concentrated on the tangible ideas. A grin lighted his face as he realized the perfect plan. They
would spend a summer together at camp. Not just any camp.... SpaceCamp. He knew far too
well that most of them were adventurous enough to want to challenge fate.
In an instant he was gone. Many preparations had to be taken care of, soon his listians would
show up eager for their chance to humiliate him. Appearing on a runway, Jareth stood there
watching the planes flying over head. A smile on his face, he waited patiently for the pilot to land
so he could have a word with them.
"Did you hear?" a voice called out to the man coming up behind him as he stood there shielding
his eyes from the harsh light.
"I heard," he replied as Commander Bergstrom walked up beside him.
"I'm not going up!" she exclaimed, walking toward her husband and Jareth. "Those blockheads
chose that pompous moron over me," she continued angrily. "He gets airsick in cars for heaven's
sake!" she finished, a look of utter disbelief filling her features.
"I know Andie, and I'm sorry. Better luck next time," Zach stated with a smile.
"You're damn right I will. You're not going to be the only one in this family to walk on the
moon," she answered quickly.
"Well look at the bright side of this one. Now you'll get to spend the summer with me at
SpaceCamp," Zach mentioned, watching as she stopped short.
"Zach, I don't want to babysit a group of kids this summer," she noted.
"They aren't your ordinary kids," Jareth interrupted.
"And you are?" she asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Jareth," he replied coolly.
"He's sending a group to SpaceCamp this year," Zach offered. "You promised."
"So? Terrific, I get to play Let's pretend I'm an astronaut' with a bunch of kids," Andie replied
sarcastically.
"Come on Andie. These aren't just any kids you know? They're clean cut, all American kids,"
Zach replied, shutting the door behind her.
Jareth cleared his throat. "They aren't all American."
Andie laughed. "Of course not," she replied, not sure what to make of the whole situation. She
wasn't ready for another summer of headstrong kids.
"Let's get back to meet the kids," Zach stated, sliding into the seat and waiting for Jareth to get in
as well before heading back to the awaiting kids.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A white Volvo pulled into the parking lot, taking up residence in one of the Commander's spaces.
Oasis music blaring, the young woman moved to the beat without a care in the world. She didn't
notice a little red sports car pull up behind her.
"That looks like one of your clean cut kids now. Oh yes, I can spot them a mile away," Andie
stated, getting out of the car and walking toward the building.
Jareth followed close behind. That music sounded so familiar, even the back of the head looked
familiar. Nearing the Volvo, he rolled his eyes. There sat one of his listians.
"Hey there tights! What's up big guy?" she shouted, noticing that Jareth wasn't in his standard
issue clothing.
"Hello to you too Selah," he spoke through clenched teeth. Turning, he followed Andie toward
the building.
Selah laughed. She had a knack for getting under his skin, and she loved every minute of it.
Glancing over her shoulder, she could faintly make out another man just before he stopped by her
window. With a smile, she greeted this new arrival.
"Would you mind turning the music down?" he asked, his voice rough and ragged.
"Wha?" she replied, cupping her ear to hear better.
"The music, turn it down," he stated again. When Selah nodded and decreased the volume of her
radio, he smiled and asked her how she liked it so far.
"What's not to like? I haven't been here that long," she replied, a goofy grin lighting her face.
The sound of a single engine plane fell on their ears causing Selah to look up. "Whoa, got a real
handle on technology, eh?" she chuckled.
"Yes," he grimaced. "Now if you don't mind, get your car out of my parking spot."
"Oh, sorry. Truly sorry about this, won't happen again," she apologized, starting the car and
moving to another spot. Turning off the ignition, she watched the plane land with interest.
When she witnessed who got out, she flew from the Volvo on a set course to the plane.
"Jade!" she called, her voice carrying across the open air.
Jade glanced up and smiled. "Selah!" she called back. Jumping down from the wing, she headed
toward her friend. "What brings you here?" she asked.
"Same thing that brings you I suppose. Jareth," Selah stated.
"He helped, but I really wanted to come," Jade replied. "This is going to be great!"
"Let's go. We have so much chaos to create, and little time to do it," Selah smirked. "Besides,
we have to see who else is here."
"Bye dad! Oh, you need to have that left mag checked out. It's been sticking a bit," Jade called
back, then followed Selah off across the parking lot.
As they walked up the steps, they never shut up one bit. Even though they were from the same
state, they couldn't have been much more different. Selah was always the comedian and Jade was
the opposite, always dramatic and serious.
Picking up their badges and uniform, they moved on to find the lucky one to be graced with their
presence. A voice over the intercom ushered them outside into the rocket park to meet the other
members of their team and the counselor. Finally finding where they needed to go, they waited
and talked some more. Without a moments notice, Selah screamed when an unfamiliar hand
grabbed her shoulder. Turning quickly, her fear soon dissipated when Jade spoke.
"Lisee!" Jade exclaimed.
"Hey," she smiled in return. "Didn't mean to scare you like that Zigster."
"S'okay. Mesa forgive yousa this time," Selah grinned.
"Oy, Gungan." Leelee stated.
"Hey there!" a voice called.
"Brat!" Jade called out. "How the heck are ya Kara?"
"Fine," she replied. "Which one of you nuts gave dad this idea?"
"That would be Jade," Selah answered quickly.
"Hey," Jade giggled.
"Years ago SpaceCamp was created not only to provide you with hands on access to space
hardware, but also to teach you how to work together as a team. Hi, I'm Andie Bergstrom," a
new voice cut through their discussion.
"Ah an astronaut, first female pilot," Jade stated, surprise and awe filled her face.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" Andie asked, completely taken aback.
"I've read all about you. Lets see, you were the backup pilot for the first Discovery flight. Coats
got it instead?" Jade rambled.
"Yeah...I remember," Andie replied.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Andie moved on, not wanting to go into detail about it. "Hello," Andie said with a smile. "And
what is your name?" she asked, looking down at her clipboard.
"Lisa King," Leelee replied. "But most people call me Leelee." she finished, swaying back and
forth in place, humming the theme song to Scooby Doo.
"You look like a gal with a lot of energy. I'm making you Mission Specialist number one;
Equipment function and operations," Andie said, making a note on her board.
"Oh wow," Leelee gleamed.
"Great, let a Sith at the controls and we're all doomed," Selah mumbled. Leelee stuck her tongue
out at Selah and smiled wickedly.
"Hi Andie I'm Kara," Kara offered, then pointed to her name on the clipboard. "Kara Benton."
"What brings you to SpaceCamp Kara?" Andie asked.
"Well I did this audit at JPL in radio astronomy. Unbelievable... I mean can you imagine an
extraterrestrial disc jockey? Like listening to radio waves from space?" Kara spoke, not realizing
how crazy she sounded at that precise moment.
"I know the feeling," Andie replied, still studying the girl in front of her, then continued. "I'm
making you Mission Specialist number two; communications."
"Oh, cool!" Kara grinned.
"Hey, I'm Gemma," a new voice added.
Andie took in the 5 foot 3 inch form of a young girl smiling back at her. "What are you doing
here? Shouldn't you be in juniors?" Andie asked.
"Oh come on. I'm not an iccle kiddie," Gemma whined. "I can see that you're gobsmacked and I
can't blame you. Please don't send me away, I'm really supposed to be here. I swear!" Gemma
stated.
"Alright," Andie conceded with a sly smile. "Gemma Coward, right?"
Gemma nodded her head gleefully then made a face at the others as soon as Andie turned her
back.
"Selah Specht," Andie said, wondering if she pronounced that name right.
"That would be me," Selah piped up happily.
"I'm Jade, and it's an honor to meet you," Jade stated, shaking Andie's hand.
"I have two positions left; Pilot and Shuttle Commander," Andie said, looking the two of them
over with interest. "Selah, why don't you tell me why you'd like to be Shuttle Commander?"
"Oh, I wouldn't. I was thinking more along the lines of mission regent or sovereign maybe?
Something like that?" she smiled.
"Jade, what about you?"
"I know a lot about the space program. I want to be the first female Shuttle Commander," Jade
stated.
"And you think that's more important than Pilot?" Andie asked.
"Oh yeah," Jade replied.
"S'okay, let Jadey have it. I don't care," Selah offered.
"Really?" Andie asked.
"Yeah," Selah replied.
"Well now that you're Shuttle Commander you're gonna have to start to care, aren't you Selah?"
Andie threw back. "Jade, you can be pilot."
"But?" Jade interrupted.
"Pilot." Andie stated firmly, ending the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leading her group on a tour of the facilities, Andie explained everything from the cargo bay and
storage palettes to the remote manipulator system used in repairs or satellite link ups.
"This is a zero gravity chair, rides on a cushion of air which creates the feeling of weightlessness
you would encounter when you leave the Earth's atmosphere." she explained. "Come on Gem,"
she called back to Gemma as she stood there staring at the chair.
Gemma took one last look then followed the group quickly, failing to realize Jareth watching the
small group with interest. Gemma started up the ramp of the flight simulator and squealed in
delight. "I wonder if Maul knew how to fly one of these things?" she giggled.
"This is the Shuttle Simulator which you're gonna learn to fly at speeds of up to mock
twenty-five," Andie explained.
Leelee sat down in the pilot seat and looked over the console with a wide grin and one hand on
the yolk. Gemma sat opposite her as she looked around and Andie continued on with her
explanation.
"I know it looks complicated now but when you get the basics down it's real easy. In fact, the
computer does most of the work. Now the first lesson that I want to teach you..." Andie started
but broke off as the simulator shot up quickly, throwing everyone off balance. Regaining her
composure, Andie continued. "Why I won't touch anything until I know how to use it."
"By Lisa King." Leelee stated softly with her hands in the air.
"Right," Andie replied.
"Yeah Leelee," Selah mumbled.
They emerged out of the simulator and continued on their way with Andie continuing the lecture.
"This is the Mercury Sigma Seven. When they were building these capsules, the astronauts
demanded the Engineers design a way for them to be able to pilot the capsule back through the re
entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Otherwise they'd feel like monkeys in a zoo."
Selah stood against a nearby exhibit with her head propped up on her arm listening to everything
that was going on. Trying to keep track of all the data that Andie kept throwing at them, she felt
as though she were back in school again. All of a sudden she got knocked in the head by
something and quickly moved from where she was standing.
"Ow!" Selah exclaimed, "What the hell was that?"
Gemma laughed heartily. "Prototype maintenance droid. NASA built them for the space station."
"When's it going up?" Selah asked, watching as it moved ever so slowly from its hiding place.
"He's not. They blew it on the shielding. His chips become unpredictable in about two hours,"
Gemma offered. She noticed the glances she was getting for knowing that. "So I read a lot, sue
me."
"He's such a complex piece of machinery, NASA hasn't been able to iron out all the bugs. So he
helps out here and at Kennedy." Andie explained.
"Jinx!" a shout called out. Immediately the little droid took notice, getting down from its position
and wandering across the floor.
"A midget extraterrestraial!" Kara exclaimed as Jinx rolled past her.
"No, he's the world's only twenty-seven million dollar handy-man," Andie replied, chuckling
softly at their interest.
Jinx extended a small arm and latched onto an object then spun around to an arm wiggling in the
air out from under a metal platform.
"Where the hell is that ratchet?" the man's voice asked, slightly irritated.
"In...your...hand," the metal voice of Jinx replied, dropping the ratchet in his hand.
The group of girls giggled softly at the reply from the tiny droid. "And quite literal. Come on,
you've all met Jinx," Andie stated, leading them away.
Gemma remained where she was. With a small smile, she watched the droid moving around the
floor and wondered what it would be like to have one. Hearing her name called, she tore her eyes
away from Jinx and trotted off after the group. Glancing back once, she shook her head at the
warped ideas that ran through her mind.
Jareth stood in the shadows, a grin on his face. So his little Gemma liked the robot. Perhaps he
should see to it that they became buddies. Ah yes, maybe his listians would do marvelously and
look back upon this experience and thank him.
Voices in the hall caught his attention as he glanced toward them. Here come more of his lucky
listians. Leading the pack was none other than the Smut Queen. Her burgundy hair shining in the
light, she was laughing with Dee and Christy. Fairy followed behind them talking with Meghan.
Not far behind them came the next group lead by the resident Sith Lord Easy' Essy. Spidey
looked everything over as Jen laughed at Mairead picking on Paola. Jareth noted they seemed to
be the loudest of his listians so far. Disappearing into the shadows, his work was done for the
day. Soon they would all rest so that they would be ready for the next day.
~~~~~~~~~
The barracks were buzzing with the eager discussions between friends. The listians had all found
each other and talked about the day they had and why they thought they were there. Of course
they blamed Jareth, but they had come to terms with his silly idea. A short time later, they went
their separate ways. Some went walking to take in the fresh night air. Others went to raid the
guy's barracks just to see if they could get away with it. The rest stayed in, content with a quiet
evening of rest.
"How many pounds of thrust does the Shuttle produce at lift off?" Christy asked, sitting on the
top bunk of her bed and looking through her booklet. Shaking her head she set it down in her lap.
"Six million, nine hundred eighty-one thousand, four hundred," Kara answered as though recalling
the numbers from a distant memory.
"How did you know that?" Christy asked.
Kara shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "I have a knack for remembering odd things."
"Odd is right," Jade laughed, returning her gaze to her book and flipping through the pages.
"What are you doing?" Kara asked, getting down to sit on the bottom bunk with Jade.
"I'm trying to figure out how to run this thing," Jade replied, looking the pages over carefully.
"What, the multi-axis trainer?" Kara asked, reading the page.
"Yes," Jade replied, her attention still on the pages. "One of the toughest parts of the training.
Scary for a pilot," she stated. "Know anything about it?"
"Three concentric circles spinning in different directions simultaneously; object to stabilize from
central point utilizing hand controls," Kara rattled off. Blowing a bubble, she noticed Jade's stare
of unbelief. "Do you want a piece?" she offered.
Jade took a piece of gum. "How did you know all that?"
"I remember everything I read. It's a real bother sometimes, my mind gets totally cluttered." Kara
replied. "Do you ever talk about anything other than learning stuff?" she asked, watching Jade go
to her locker. "What's your essay going to be about?"
"Why I'm going to be the first female shuttle commander," Jade grinned.
"That's going to go down real big," Kara laughed.
"Yeah, Andie will get a kick out of that," Jade replied, with a slight chuckle. "What's your's
going to be about?"
"I'm going to do I want to go into space to contact life forms that exist on chemicals other than
carbon and oxygen'." Kara replied.
"You should visit some high schools," Jade laughed. "What about you Christy?"
"I'm still thinking on mine. Most likely something kid related," she offered.
"No doubt," Kara replied.
"Hey, kids are people too. Poor little dears," Christy went on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking up at the stars, Paola felt as though she were a million miles away. So many different
solar systems, beauty beyond anyone's conception. Breathing in the cool night air, she turned her
attention to the small group of listians she had walked with.
"P-chan, how did you manage to get away to come to this?" Fairy asked, running a hand through
her short hair.
"Jareth," Paola snickered. "Just wouldn't take no for a answer."
"Same here," Mai added.
"Why do you think he went to all the trouble?" Meghan asked, glancing around as though he were
there watching them.
"Just to see if we could hack it most likely," Paola answered. "He should know by now that we
are stronger than he knows. Right onna?" she asked, walking up to Fairy and patting her on the
back.
"Right!" Fairy piped up.
Mai shook her head. "Won't he ever realize that he gets nothing but trouble when we're all
together?" she laughed.
"Maybe he likes to learn things the hard way," Meghan replied, a smile crossing her lips.
The group of women cracked up laughing as they continued walking along the pavement recalling
all the adventures that they had encountered so far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shhh..." Leelee hissed, putting her finger to her lips for emphasis. "They catch us, they'll kick us
out for sure," she mentioned, waving her hand to indicate the offices not far away.
"You're learning apprentice," Essy smiled wickedly as she took up the lead.
"They'll learn not to mess with us," Spidey grinned.
"Right!" Gemma piped in. A grin crossed her face as she thought about what they were doing.
"Why is it that Jade and Kara didn't come?" she asked.
"Because Jadey's a lightsider and won't stoop to such things," Essy replied.
"Hey!" Selah interjected. "I'm a lightsider you Sith wannabe," she stated.
"Yeah, but you aren't a goody-goody," Essy snickered.
"Oh cut it out," Smut Queen interrupted.
"Yeah, ten to one she's sitting in the barracks studying," Leelee stated with a smirk.
"We're here, be quiet!" Gemma whispered, glancing around to see if the coast was clear.
Grabbing the door handle, she silently pulled the door open allowing the other entrance into the
building.
Poking their heads into the darkened room, the women were met with the pleasing noises of
sleep. Snores and deep breaths filled their ears as they stepped quietly into the room. Sending
hand signals to each other, they proceeded to booby trap the unsuspecting sleepers.
Gemma strung string from post to post, pausing slightly to partake of the view. Right in front of
her was a Christian Bale look-alike. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at the creature lying
peacefully in front of her.
Selah carried the buckets quietly through the room until she found her final destination. Securing
them in place, she glanced around hoping that in some odd way she would find a Jedi there
smiling back at her through the dark. Instead she was met with snoring.
Essy smiled wickedly as she watched her apprentice tying a few of the studs down to their bed.
Carrying a roll of duct tape, she taped all the lockers shut, snickering as she watched Spidey
deposit glitter on the naive enemy.
Gemma stood still, watching the man in her eyesight. Licking her lips, she wondered if she dare
touch such a wonder. Reaching out a gentle hand, she lightly traced the outline of his face,
holding her breath at being so close to such a fine creature.
Essy's eyes grew wide when she saw Gemma bending down over a figure. "Stop!" Essy
whispered harshly.
Leelee's head snapped up to see what Essy was carrying on about. "Selah, stop her!" she called
out, heading toward the door. They would be caught for sure.
Selah took off quickly toward Gemma, but reached her too late.
Gemma smothered his mouth with hers, wanting to drink of his lips thinking only thoughts of the
beautiful Christian. A startled cry from beneath her and a set of hands pushing urgently against
her shoulders, Gemma snapped back to reality. With a gasp and speed she didn't know she had,
she ran from the building in haste, her cheeks flushing bright red as she followed her counterparts
away and back toward the barracks.
Bursting into the building in a fit of hysteria, the group of women collapsed on the beds. Jade,
Kara and Christy immediately took notice of their entrance, wondering what went on. After being
filled in on the events of the evening, they all calmed down and settled in for the night.
Gemma snuck from her bed and opened her locker. With a soft giggle, she kissed her fingertips
and reached out to touch the cool metal of her new friend. "Friends forever, right?" she asked
softly, her eyes shining with hope.
"Friends....for..ever," his metallic voice replied.
Gemma smiled and looked around to make sure nobody heard them. "Nan night Jinx," she
whispered softly, closing the door and climbing back into bed.
~~~~~~~~~~