Kurgurii Alliance

Chapter 2

"What can I get for you, Sir?" The waitress batted her eyes at my Dad, and I rolled mine. Sure he was cute in an old man way, but he was my Dad for crying aloud. And Ummm, hello, I was sitting right here beside him.

Sure, I was only sixteen, but I could pass for eighteen any day of the week. For all, she knew he was my sugar daddy. The tramp. No, that was not fair. Dad had this natural magnetism that drew people to him. It was why he was head of the armed diplomatic forces.

It seemed that no matter where he went that everyone, no matter their race or species, wanted to be near him and tended to agree with what he wanted. Our government was still jumping in joy when discovering how valuable my Dad was in the trans-species negotiation.

Nothing had been said, but I was betting that is why I got into the program so quickly. The powers that be were hoping that I hit the genetic lottery and had that little extra something my Dad did.

"I would like 'moons over my hammy' Ma'am with iced tea to drink, and my best girl here is bouncing for some of your fine pancakes," he winked at me.

The server turned back to me, blinking owlishly as if she had only noticed that I was there. "Oh sure, darling, what would ya'll like to drink with that?"

The southern is strong with this one; my inner snarkiness chimed in. "I glanced at her badge and smiled instead. "Would I be able to have a glass of milk, Tammy, with an iced tea on the side?"

Yeah, she was eyeing my Dad up like a prime piece of beef, but my mama taught me manners.

"Of course, sweetie. Can I get you, folks, anything else?" I turned the conversation over to Dad, as I knew he would be able to send her on her way with a smile.

"No, thank you, Ma'am, that will be perfect." He turned to me with a wink, and faux whispered so the waitress could hear us. "It's amazing where you find the best service. I've been in some five-star places that could learn from small-town diners."

Tammy blushed while she turned from us with a massive smile on her face. "I'll be right back with your drinks, and it won't be long before ya'lls food is ready. Not long at all," she hurried away to the kitchen.

I tried my best to keep a straight face, but one glance at my Dad's raised eyebrow and I was lost. My hand flew to my mouth to hold back the giggles.

"Really, dad," I shook my head at him. "Don't you think you put that on just a little thick? If it wasn't for your ring and me sitting here, I do think she would have asked to take you home to meet her mama!"

Dad chuckled before looking at me straight-faced. "I don't think it was her mama she wanted to introduce me to."

I nearly choked. "OMG, Dad! You did not just say that!"

My hands flew up to cover my face while I mumbled into them. "I may be scarred for life. It's going to take years of therapy to get rid of the imagery. No, I've changed my mind. I will never get past this. NEVER!

He just looked at me and smirked. "Pumpkin, you are going to have to thicken up that skin if you want to make it in the diplomatic program. Sexual innuendos will be the least embarrassing thing you have to deal with."

"Daddy, It's not the sexual innuendos," I air quoted him. "It's the fact that my father, whom in my mind has never ever… ever," I emphasized. "Been sexually active, nor will he or my mother ever be sexually active, together or separately. So some things should not be spoken of."

Dad just smirked and asked, "Well then, how did you get here?"

"Immaculate conception, of course. If it's good enough for Jesus, who am I to knock it." I replied archly.

Daddy threw back his head and laughed. I loved seeing him so carefree and happy. Usually, he was so serious. It wasn't often that he was able to just be my Dad.

Tammy brought us our food and gave Dad one last hopeful look but shrugged and left us to it when he didn't respond other than to thank her. I briefly wondered if it was something he dealt with a lot; he was good looking for an older man. Dad was thirty-eight now and could probably get away with shaving a few years off that.

Mom probably would have laughed it off and preened at how all the other women had the hots for her man… Ewww again, but I had to wonder if I would have been so laid back. Not that I had a boyfriend, but if I did, the idea of some girl drooling over him did not sit right.

Dad broke into my thought when he brought up the program again.

"Meaghan," He began. "Breakfast was more than a daddy/daughter thing. I need to go over a few things with you."

OK, that sounded ominous, but I was ready to hear what was coming.

"As you know," he began. "Providence is crucial to the continuance of our relationship with the Kurgurii."

Providence was the name of the program I was joining. It was multi-national and multi-species. Right now, it was just between the Humans and Kurgurii, but from things dad had said in the past, the governments hoped to one day include many other species.

"I just wanted to go over what would happen once we get to the base Meaghan. Saturday morning, we will be leaving the house and going straight to the compound. It will take a couple of hours to get there.

Once there, you will be put into the system and given a quick debrief. Then, if I have time, I'll show you to your dorm and leave you to get settled."

"Dorm," I questioned. "I didn't realize it would be a dormitory that I'm staying in." a bit of nervousness crept in, but I shook it off, telling myself it would be like summer camp.

Dad laughed, but there was a hint of concern for me in his eyes. "Don't worry, Pumpkin. You will be with six other girls around your age. Plus, you have a bit of a home-court advantage. You know, with your Old Dad in charge of operations."

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Yeah, Dad, that's going to be really helpful. More like let's hate on Meaghan because her daddy is in charge and she is a spoiled princess."

I reached over and snagged one of Dad's fries dipping it in his ketchup before popping it in my mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"Can we pretend that you're not my Dad? Richards is a pretty common name, right?" Dad just arched his eyebrow and reached over, tugging on one of my curls. I had forgotten about the Bane of my existence for a while. Dad's genetics trumped moms when they made me. I had his curly black hair, blue eyes and golden skin tones. Dad's granny had been Cherokee, and great Gramps was Irish. He still had curly hair, but it had faded years ago.

Everyone said I was a female carbon copy of my Dad. The only thing I seemed to have inherited from mom was my slender build.

"Crud," I grumbled. "Think people would notice?"

"Yup," Dad deadpanned. "Besides, everyone on site knows you're coming, so there's no way it could be kept quiet. For a military installation very, little is kept secret at that place."

He pointed a fry at me and looked stern for a moment. "An excellent thing for you to remember. This is co-ed, and anything and I do mean anything that happens will get back to me."

"Dad," I gasped. I was mortified. "What do you think I'm going to be up to? This is a diplomatic facility. Oh my God, have a little diplomacy yourself!"

"Just saying, Meaghan, just saying." He then proceeded to eat his food, leaving me to wallow in parental horror.

After a few minutes of silent eating, the conversation started back. Dad asked me about school and how I was getting on. One of the requirements for the program was a 3.8 GPA. That is a lot harder to keep up than you would think. But after giving up any kind of social life, I was able to do it.

Tammy came back, cleared away our trays, and asked us if we wanted anything else. Her lashes were still batting at Dad, and I rolled my eyes at him. "Really?" I mouthed.

He just shrugged and thanked her for her excellent service and gave her a ten-dollar tip.

"You ready for school, kid?"

"Yup," I jumped up from our seat. "I have to grab Lisa and tell her about the program!" I paused as a thought occurred to me. "It is OK to tell her about it, right? I mean, it's not a secret or anything?"

Dad gave me a shoulder hug. "No secret, Pumpkin. However, it is good that you asked. There will be things that you learn later on that are classified. Even though you are underage, you will have to sign a non-disclosure contract."

"I'm good with that, Dad. I know how to keep my mouth shut when I need to."

"That's a good thing, Meaghan. Sometimes the best diplomatic action is to not say anything at all, no matter how bad you want to." He chucked me under my chin. "And Pumpkin, there are some really ignorant people out there that are in places of power. Those are the ones you must learn to hold your tongue around.