Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Mr. Naltor

It wasn't easy being a boy on Naltor, when I was one. My mom was always very busy with her work as an architect, very involved in the community. She was close friends with the High Seer even. She used to get migraines a lot because her prophetic visions always had to do with her work and it's scheduling. She tried to be nice to me when I'd bring her a drink of kono juice, but mostly I felt like she was annoyed by me. My dad was great, though. He was the perfect husband and father, the perfect social coordinator for our family. It's all he'd ever wanted to do. He was always very helpful to me and my little brother. We were raised with very high standards of etiquette and image awareness. We exercised our bodies from a young age. Dad said we had to look nice for the ladies.

One thing that aggravated my father was that my visions often had to do with holo-art. I'd see beautiful images, so clearly. When I'd come out of my trances, I'd want to go to the computer and re-create what I'd seen in my mind. I was getting pretty good at it, and I kept asking Mom if I could get better and better programs, so I could create bigger and better sculptures. I think Mom kind of liked the fact that I had a hobby, I mean besides working out. Dad said that it was a waste of my time, that a boy my age should be busy playing outside. Holo-art was the one issue where my father and I did not agree. I always thought he'd like it if he took the time to really look at what I was doing. After a while, we just quit discussing it, and I'd spend more and more time alone in my room, creating. As long as I didn't start getting chubby, he'd leave me alone.

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when the High Seer, Kiwa Nal, died. Dad had taken my brother and I to the Tech Lake that day. Mom was at work. Dad had to message her to let her know. Kiwa was one of the most accomplished High Seers in Naltor's history. Naltor's economy and status within the United Planets grew tremendously during her tenure. However, there was a price for such success. Kiwa's second daughter, Mysa, was born blind, without the ability to glimpse the future. Hushed rumors spread across Naltor that the High Family was at risk. Truely, Kiwa began to show her stress. She aged unnaturally. My mother was devastated by the news of Kiwa's passing. She couldn't understand it, and she seemed mostly angered by it. I remember her saying bad things about Mysa, blaming her, I think. Kiwa's funeral pyre burned for several days, and one time, our family took Kiwa's first daughter, Nura, with us to watch it. Mom had two boys and Kiwa had two girls. I think Mom resented that a little bit. Dad said it was best that way, that she'd be too hard on a girl. I knew Nura in school, but wasn't in any of her classes. She was in a much more advanced program. I liked her, though, at parties and such. She wasn't mean like a lot of girls. She was fun. She liked to wrestle and run around and stuff like that. Mom hugged her and didn't seem like she was ever going to let her go. I remember that it was very serious and quiet near the funeral pyre, but when Mom was hugging her so hard, Nura looked right at me and made bug eyes and funny faces. I was giggling and my dad pinched my ear so hard, I think it's still bruised. I really started to like Nura after that day.

When Beren became the first male High Seer ever, on Naltor, I recall a lot of different opinions being bandied about. A lot of my friends were really excited about it. They'd say that it was a "Giant Leap for Mankind." I thought that was silly. My dad and his friends seemed to be a bit suspicious about it, that there might be new pressure on the men of Naltor. I didn't understand what that meant. Mom was, unsurprisingly, annoyed that Beren took Kiwa's place. Not that she wanted the job, just that she knew several other members of the council who she considered better qualified. I knew that what she meant was that they were women. As I grew into my teens, I began to see the difference having a male High Seer would make.

Indeed, there was pressure on men to do more with themselves on Naltor, now that a man had become High Seer. As is the rule on our planet, this new surge in the workplace flowed smoothly and was well organized. Industry leaders had visions of their staff changes and were more than prepared. It became clear that Naltor's population had a high percentage of people who showed aptitude for bio-engineering. Factory's were built (my mom had contracts to design several of them), facilities erected. Beren's reign as High Seer would build upon Kiwa's, placing Naltor as a potent force within the UP.

Socially, this was a transitional time for men and women. In general, the women of Naltor were open to this new wave of equality, but it seemed to fuel a certain....flambouyance in them. Outrageous clothing and hair and cosmetics became important to them. Meanwhile, most men still concerned themselves with being in great shape, but the major fashion trend was bland clothing that covered them up! I was very glad that was happening, because some of my dad's clothes were completely embarrassing! My mom liked him to dress sexy when they went out. Her favorite color was Polar Purple, so most of Dad's little outfits were that color. I was a bit too into name brand clothing as a young teen. Shooter Shirts, C. Swan Hats, Seigel Jeans. I couldn't help it. At least I didn't look like Dad. He just laughed it off, though. Dad and I had our generational differences, but when I turned 15, Dad changed my life forever. I never had a vision of it, but at my birthday celebration, I got my own space speeder!

Wow, Dean this is really good. Love the way you've gotten into detail on what life is like on Naltor. Good job!

Thoroughly enjoying this Dean, you've filled out a lot of detail of life on Naltor very well. I really like the main character and am looking forward to more, more more!

Thanks, you guys!

It wasn't until I got to go out on my own in my speeder that I'd met a non-Naltorian. Sure, there were plenty of tourists that would come to Naltor, but I never *met* any of them. We have some famous, beautiful bodies of water; Lake Cockrum, the Staton River, and of course, the Grell Seas. Tourism was alive and well on Naltor. In my young life, I'd felt like I knew these places very well, but preferred the private Tech Lakes. You can go to a tech lake anywhere, though. Dad put very strict limits on how far I could go in my speeder. Naturally, the on-board computer transmitted my whereabouts to our home computer, so there was no point in my even trying to break my restrictions. Plus, Dad's visions always had to do with my mother, my brother and I, so there was never any getting away with any mischief in our house. Sometimes I wish I had one of those dad's that had visions of the weather or sports or even natural disasters. But no, my dad fell into the category of "Domestic Seer." That's why it came as a great surprise to me when I crashed.

I was simply cruising along, within a standard orbit of Naltor, when several little green colored speeders clustered around me. There were seven of them. I was surprised they came so close. One of them contacted me, and said that they were the Emerald Dragons of Rimbor and that they wanted my ship! Naturally, I was very scared, and felt a bit panicked. I wished and wished for a vision to come, to tell me what to do, but... nothing. So, I decided to make a break for it. It meant leaving my orbit, but this was an emergency! Just as they closed in on me, I gunned it! I went blasting away from them, and found myself heading to open space. Though nervous, I was thrilled. Now I could see what this little speeder, this Win Mortimer 6000 was capapable of! The monitor kept flashing a "PERIMETER BREACHED" warning over and over, but it was weird that Dad never came on. Soon, there was no trace of the Dragons. I'd lost them, in sheer distance. I was excited! I was laughing, waiting for a vision of what to do next to come, when WHAM! I was hit! I began to spin head over heels, making me very disoriented, and I bumped my head. The spinning seemed to go on for a long time, but I think it was only seconds. That's when I abruptly stopped with a CRUNCH!

I had a headache, but was otherwise unhurt. My Mortimer, though! It was wrecked! I was on some sort of small asteroid or planetoid. There were several other ones nearby, too. They were remarkable, because they were in the shapes of sentients I'd seen in Encylopedia Galactica. This was the Mount Rushmore of Space!!! How far did my speeder take me? How long was I out of control? My space suit automatically went on when I was hit, so I was safe on the asteroid. (I think it was the head of ancient Earth President Jimmy Carter, but I get all those old guys mixed up.) I just sort of looked around and sat there, next to the crumpled remains of my ship. The computer was busted, so I couldn't communicate. Again, no visions for guidance.
I felt angry with the Rimborians. Dirty criminals! This was their fault. That's when I had a vision! Some people... vaguely my age...*flying*... and the Emerald Dragons....a struggle... that was it.

Sure enough, seven little green speeders came my way. That fear came over me again, but some anger, too. I motioned to them to come on over! The ships all stopped very near the asteroid. There were four males and three females. They each came out of their ships, toward me. I wasn't connected to my ship, so if I were to leave the ground of my new asteroid, I could drift off. This concern became less important when I saw that the Dragons had weapons. Ancient weapons like knives and clubs. I couldn't believe it! I knew that I'd have to fight if I wanted to survive. The adrenaline going through my body must have been intense because as soon as the first ganger came near me, I swung a right hook to his gut. He doubled over, to the ground. Now I had six more to deal with... something inside me let go, and I just began fighting and fighting! I had to beware of the knives, in particular, but I guess all that working out Dad had us do paid off because I never tired. The second Dragon came at me from my right, so I thrust the palm of my left hand up into his ribs. This shoved him away, but he came back quickly, he was tough. He hit me with his right fist, but I rolled with it, so the impact didn't faze me. Now one of the girls came straight at me, so I kicked her right in the stomach. A fourth and fifth one came at my left. I grabbed the arm of the big guy to my right and actually flung him over, knocking out the two on my left! They were all reeling, trying to right themselves, but they were tangled in their lifelines, so had a hard time. This kept them out of my way. The girl I kicked came back at me again. I kicked at her again, with my left foot. She ducked back in time to miss being hit, but lost her balance, and like the other three, flipped out of control. Gravity was my friend. The sixth Dragon was one of the girls. She had a ferocious look on her face. She negotiated the space between her ship and the asteroid better than all the rest, making me think she must be very strong. The seventh seemed to be an older man, he stayed near his ship. The fierce girl practically flew toward me and grabbed me around my waist, despite my attempt to move away. We tumbled to the ground, where she knelt over me, and began to pound my face. This savage Rimborian girl beat on me until I became groggy. My head was pounding. I was worried my space suit would burst. The others managed to get themselves untangled, and joined her over me. The older one seemed to be their leader and once on the asteroid, walked over to me and put his foot on my chest. "We don't care about your ship anymore Naltorian Wimp, this is a matter of principle now. NO ONE runs away from the Emerald Dragons!"

"LET HIM GO!"
I was relieved to hear those words. The flying teens from my vision! They were here, overhead! They were all wearing brightly colored costumes, but I recognized one of them instantly... Superboy! This was the Legion of SuperHeroes! The Emerald Dragons turned to see them, and I recall someone saying something like, "Aw, frek!" They made some feeble attempt to get into their ships, but were easily rounded up by Superboy and the other hero who looked a lot like him. A very pretty blonde girl in white and red asked me if I was alright. I answered "yes" and she sat me up. She told her comrade, a very overweight boy in blue and black, to take me to the nearest space station and have a medic look me over. I asked them if they could contact my dad on Naltor. I know now that the Legionnaires who came to my rescue were Superboy, Mon-El, Saturn Girl and Bouncing Boy, but there were several more Legionnaires in their ship as well.

Bouncing Boy, Chuck, was very entertaining to ride with to the space station. He told me that the Legion was in the middle of a conflict with someone called MASK MAN. I told him that I had heard of the Legion, that I knew that they were doing good work for the UP, but that I didn't really know much about them. Chuck said that even though some of their adventures were pretty dangerous, it was an overall fun experience being in the club. He told me several jokes along the ride, which was nice, because my head and face were really sore. I told Chuck that that Rimborian witch was to blame for this. Chuck said that I should not blame her being a Rimborian for her behavior. That he was buddies with a Rimborian himself. In fact, he was friends with a Durlan, too. He said it's best to just take sentients as you meet them and not pre-judge them based on their race. I couldn't help but find the irony in an Earthling giving a Naltorian advice about pre-judging. However, his words stuck with me. It was true, in one day, I met Rimborians, an Earthling, a Titanian, a Daxamite and a Krptonian. Best to keep an open mind about other worlders, now that I was getting so experienced with them! I thanked Chuck profusely when he left me at the medi-clinic of the space station. I had a quick flash of Chuck, but thin! I considered telling him, but I decided not to. I didn't really understand the vision. The doctor who treated me was a funny little purple (Polar Purple?) colored alien. He had three arms! I laughed inside, thinking about Chuck's words. This doctor was pretty scary, a bit intense. He shined some kind of ray over my head, and I felt instant relief. My parents shortly arrived to pick me up, and before I could hug them, the doctor got between us, demanding his credit voucher be signed. Dad hugged me tightly while Mom tended to the voucher. I understand she made a generous donation to the clinic, too. The doctor seemed very happy about that. On the way home, I told my parents about all the aliens I'd met that day, and the Legion of Superheroes! They were surprised I didn't care about the bruises on my face. Parents just don't seem to understand sometimes. I asked Dad why he didn't realize I'd left my orbit, he said he'd been deeply asleep, having a vision about my brother, playing BAT-BALL! I thought it was terrific. He needed *something* to do. Naltor had never been known for it's sports, maybe this will take off?

It was good to be home. I found myself obsessed with the Legion. I studied the Encylcopedia Galactica passionately, trying to learn everything I could about them. I even had this thought that maybe I could join them! I laughed that off, though, knowing that my classification as a "Creativity Seer" wouldn't exactly make a great Legionnaire. But there was someone I knew on Naltor who I believed did have strong enough precognative ability to become a Legionnaire. Her vision was beyond typical classification on Naltor. Her lineage was within the High Family. Her name was Nura Nal!

It was days and days before Nura responded to my message. We hadn't seen each other for a long time. I'd begun to think she'd forgotten who I was. She was very busy in her studies and her social life. Since Kiwa's death, Mom didn't spend as much time with council members. She still attended planning meetings and some social gatherings, but she just didn't care for Beren.
When Nura did respond to me, I told her all about my meeting with the Legion. She also seemed very interested in all the interesting people I'd met. She had to come away from the monitor, abruptly, because her boyfriend, Kenz, wanted to talk to her. I don't what what she saw in him. Kenz was part of a group of guys in school who called themselves Patriarchal Patriots. They wanted men to take over leadership of Naltor, inspired by Beren. Their ideas weren't radical enough to get them into any trouble, but they seemed overall disrespectful to the women of the world. Kenz was very confident, almost arrogant. Maybe Nura liked his rebel-like attitude? Seemed like trouble to me. I didn't trust him.

I never saw it coming! All the years I'd spent, alone in my room, making holo sculptures, I thought my parents weren't paying any attention. I was wrong! I woke up one morning, just after having a vision of a beautiful building, standing next to J. Forte park. It was a gallery. A gallery designed by Mom, to show holo-pics and sculptures by Naltorian artists, myself included. A gallery which my parents would have built, and give to me for my graduation gift! I ran to Mom and Dad in their room, telling them of my vision! Mom smiled and said, "I've been working on those plans for weeks, now." Dad looked totally confused and surprised. But he smiled at Mom, and gave her a nudge. This was my dream come true! Now I'd have to wait those torturous weeks for construction to begin!

Nura came to our house to say goodbye to me. We sat down in the living room and talked. She said she was leaving everything behind... school, Beren, the council, Kenz Nuhor, her friends, everything. She told me she appreciated my telling her about the Legion, that she had also become obsessed with learning about them and their exploits. She said that she had a vision about them, seven of them, having a terrible accident. She said she wanted to help them, to prevent the accident from happening. I reminded her that her visions always come true. That there was nothing she could do, but she said that she already had a plan. That she must go to them, become a Legionnaire, and save them. There really is no arguing with Nura Nal when she sets her mind to something, so I gave her Cassandra's blessings and said farewell. I strained and strained to have a vision about her and the Legion, and I actually had one. I saw her in a little white outfit with a red belt and a barrette in her hair. It was her Legion uniform!

NALTOR'S HIGH DAUGHTER--LEGIONNAIRE!

Mom read the holo-news article out loud to us. She seemed to be so proud of Nura. A tear came to her eye as she continued through the story. I felt a certain un-ease with all this, though. I wanted to be happy for Mom, since this made her so happy. "A strong Naltorian woman in the Legion! That'll really put us on the map!" In fact, it did. Because of Nura's allure as Dream Girl, there was universal media interest in her and Naltor. Mom even got several more contracts for Naltorian buildings on several planets. I wish my general sense of unease had manifested itself into a clear vision, because then I could have maybe done something about it, but all this Naltorian glory would soon come to a screeching halt.

Kenz Nuhor was impossible to ignore and impossible to be around. His anger and bitterness from being dumped by Nura only intensified when she became such a celebrity. He rallied his cohorts more and more often, picketing the Council. Beren had one meeting with him, but dismissed him as "disorganized." Soon, Kenz found himself with fewer and fewer supporters. At one point, I saw him having lunch alone in the cafeteria. I tried to just walk past him, but he stopped me. "You! Creative Creep! Have you heard from Nura?" I fought the urge to call him a name in return. Kenz had very weak prophetic powers. He was called a "General Omega Class Seer."
"Sorry, no." I said.
"Go draw a picture, nerd." He replied.

DREAM GIRL--OUSTED!!

Mom read this article aloud, too. She was definitely angered by it. She blamed everyone except Nura for the way this all worked out. Dream Girl had misinterpreted the vision she'd had about the seven Legionniares and their disaster. This led to a mistrust of her abilities and her departure from the Legion. Nura didn't come home, though. Naltor lost some credibility within the UP when this happened. I know that globally, several industries lost business, including Mom. Suddenly, the reliability of Naltorian goods and services was in question. I prayed to Cassandra for Nura to be safe, to not be hurt by all this. I wished for her to come home, but I knew that she needed to lay low for a while. No one I knew had heard of any visions of Nura's return to Naltor. I let go of that hope. I felt fairly sad about all this, but Dad helped me channel those feelings into my visions, which then became holo-art. This became the body of artwork I was most proud of, my XENON PERIOD.

"Take care of yourself, Deen!"
"You too, Nura!"

It was so great to hear from her. She was feeling fine. She had felt alone and afraid right after leaving the Legion, but she'd had a vision of being a member of the Legion of Subsitute Heroes, and felt the relief that only commaradarie could bring--away from Naltor. I understood that. The Subs were chiefly unknown by society at large, but Nura said that they did really good work. She said that she'd gotten excellent training with them, that Night Girl and Polar Boy were really top notch superheroes. She said she didn't understand why they had been rejected by the real Legion, but that the others still needed to work on their skills. I told Nura that Kenz had become quite distraught over her departure. She warmly cautioned me to keep my distance from him, but that she didn't see any more conflicts between he and I. She told me that he'd sent dozens and dozens of messages to Legion HQ. When she finally responded to him, he begged her to come home and he asked her to marry him! She told me that she turned him down, that she had feelings for one of the Legionnaires. She said that Kenz was very upset, but that he promised to let go, to move on. Nura seemed to be a girl in transition to me. Like she was getting ready for something big.

Hey Dean, this just gets better and better. Great story. Keep em coming!

I never understood how Nura never had a premonition about Kenz Nuhor. It seemed to be her strongest talent. Maybe she was too distracted by her training with the Subs? Maybe the Legion, maybe Star Boy, maybe something else? If she had had a vision of him attempting to kill Star Boy, maybe she could have been better prepared to stop it. As it was, she was too late. We all knew that Kenz was an angry, frustrated person, but no one knew that he was capable of murder. In fact, there's usually a buzz amongst Naltorians when a crime is about to be committed. No one on Naltor will soon forget the name Kenz Nuhor, but sadly, no one will remember the name Jan Barth, Kenz' victim. Barth was an Earthling, a surveyor for Encyclopedia Galactica. He was working on the planet Karak, alongside the Kallors, when Kenz' attack on Thom Kallor happened. It's noteworthy that Jan Barth is the first non-Naltorian ever to be killed by a Naltorian. Kenz Nuhor, the first Naltorian to commit murder off Naltor. When Star Boy, Thom Kallor, killed Kenz, it was the first time a Naltorian was killed off-world. A lot of sad firsts.

The Nuhors were a middle class family, fine citizens. Dahla Nuhor, the matriarch of the family, owned a casual restaurant, called, naturally, Dahla's. Her mother was the chef before her. Dahla's was known for it's great Moy Burgers. Moy, of course, is a fish found in the Grell Sea. It's a delicacy on Naltor. Kenz took great pride in the fact that a lot of the girls from school liked to hang out at Dahla's, and he could be rude to them there, since his mother owned the place. This became a problem, and Dahla ended up banning him from hanging there. Dahla's closed for a couple weeks when Kenz died. After that, Dahla picked herself up and got back to work. Kenz' father, Div Boyd, was humiliated. Div was a bartender in a club in another part of the city. He had lots of friends in the restaurant and bar scene on Naltor, and dropped out of sight after his son's escapade. Kenz had a brother and a sister, both of whom left Naltor, disgraced. Kenz bascially destroyed his family.
All that happened at school afterward, was a moment of silence. I think the administrators were ashamed of Kenz, and probably a bit embarrassed that there was no hint of this event. Naltor, again took an economic hit after this. In the media broadcasts, Nura conducted herself with dignity and pride. Thom Kallor was cleared of any charges in Kenz' death, but he was expelled from the Legion. This is when he and Nura became very, very close. He joined her in the Substitute Legion, and the two fell deeply in love.

DREAM GIRL TO BE REINSTATED!!!!

There were grand celebrations all over Naltor when Dream Girl and Star Boy were allowed back into the Legion after their Sir Prize and Miss Terious ploy. Beren attended a Ball thrown by the Seer of Culture, a ball my whole family attended. Beren gave a great speech. He cautioned the attendees that Naltor will only slowly be trusted again, as unfair as that may seem. He spoke of Naltorian pride. He spoke of our heroine, Nura Nal, Dream Girl. There was general optimism and joy. The best part was, Nura actually showed up! It was practically a mob scene. All these women in feathers and flowers and beads and mini-meteorites clustered around her! They all wanted to be holographed with her. The men were all posing and posturing for her, giving poor Star Boy the dirtiest looks. I got to meet him, myself. He was extremely friendly. I told him I was sorry for all he'd been through. He thanked me. I found the conversation to be a series of me asking questions, and him answering them. He didn't really add anything more. At one point, I even had a vision of him answering one of my questions before I asked it! The best part of the night, for me, was when I got to slow dance with Nura. She's extremely beautiful. In the lighting that night, she seemed to glow. Her crystal blue eyes mesmerized me. During the dance, our bodies were pressed together and I actually stepped back from her. She slid back to me and leaned her head on my shoulder, and told me that I was her best friend. I wanted to melt. I wanted to be more than friends. I loved her. I wanted her to love me, too. I knew that wasn't to be. I told her that I'd always be there for her. I told her I loved her. She said, "I love you too, Deen Ee Lee." Thankfully, the lights went shockingly back up, and they played the SHURG!!!! I stepped back, and luckily, Thom stepped in. She had her partner. I mouthed a "good night" to her and left the party. I went home, to my room. I tossed and turned and finally let out a might scream. I cried and cried and cried some more. A vision came to me. It was a vision of myself. I was dressed all in white, thanking the crowd, smiling that cheesy smile I can put on. This eased my mind and I drifted off to sleep.

Dream Girl's career as a Legionnaire was fairly unremarkable, at first. Once the excitement of her return faded, she wasn't seen much in the media. They didn't cover all the missions she went on. For Naltor, no news was pretty much good news. Naltor's Ambassador to Weber's World did a good job representing us before the UP. He was a former Ethics Seer, so he had a very solid reputation at home, which worked well in the bigger picture. He was able to resist such temptations as bribery for investment tips and such as that. Having a Legionnaire from your planet is good for the economy overall, though, just because of the exposure. My family was doing quite well. My gallery was near completion, and I was nearly finished with school. Dad was thrilled when he had a vision of me being crowned King of the Cassandra's Ball. The graduating class votes for their favorite boy and girl as royalty at the dance. I would be King and the daughter of a prominent attorney would be Queen. Her name was Lyn Lrok. She was quite a beauty, with very long, jet black hair. Lyn was classified as a Legal Seer, like her mother. We didn't have much in common. The night of the dance, Lyn wore a shimmering black dress and I wore a white suit. Dad had it made for me by a local designer. I had to fight him to have sleeves put on the jacket. I wondered if this event, in this suit was the vision I'd had of myself. Somehow, inside, I knew it wasn't. Lyn and I actually had a fantastic time the night of the dance. She looked so beautiful, and I never thought about Nura when I looked at her. We went to several parties after Cassandra's Ball. I realized that school was almost over, and I wouldn't be seeing most of these people ever again. Lyn and I said goodnight to each other, but it was actually early in the morning. The next week was graduation.

When Dream Girl was elected Leader of the Legion, there was an economic explosion on Naltor! Everything Dream Girl, White Witch, Cassandra, *Naltorian* became an instant collector's item. I could't keep any art in my gallery. Collectors from all over the universe were on waiting lists to purchase...anything... from my place. I'd have visions of my waitlist and transactions with clients that would happen months and months later. I'd never had a vision of anything that would take place longer than a year away, until this time. Nura's celebrity did all this. She shone through the Great Darkness crisis. I'm sure a fear of wild Daxamites made any lingering distrust of Naltorians disappear. It was during this time I was contacted by the Mr. Naltor Contest Board. They wanted me to compete to become Mr. Naltor. As Mr. Naltor, I would compete in several categories, including talent, interview, prophecy accuracy, formal wear and swimwear. I'd seen these contests all my life. Yes, they have to have their heads together, but everyone knows it's a beauty contest. I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it, but Dad almost went through the roof! He desperately wanted me to. I messaged my old friend Lyn Lrok, asking her what she could look up about all this. I didn't want to become a slave to some organization. After doing some research, she got back to me and told me that apart from several mandatory public appearances and some general conduct restrictions, I would still have plenty of freedom to be myself, to express what I wanted when I wanted. She thought I should really do it. I was still hesitant until Nura called.

Nura used to kid that my hair was only a shade darker than hers. When I began all this preparation for the contest, I agreed to have my hair dyed Dream Girl Platinum. I refused, though, to use Inertron Brand hair products. I'd heard they tested their muck on Proteans. I believed that Proteans should be granted sentience by the UP. I promoted my assistant, Krk, to manager of the gallery, once the vision of doing so came to me. Dad came with me to the Capitol, and we went to the first round. I have to admit that I liked the massages and the overall pampering they gave us contestants, but the worst parts were A) the constant fittings for clothing and B) the critiques given while modelling. A couple of my friends were models at home, but they never told me about any of this.

I made it through the preliminaries, on to the finals. Dad was very proud. When we messaged Mom, she seemed amused. Lyn checked in on me a lot. She showed a lot of interest in how I was doing. That made me feel good. Lyn was studying Seer Law at Naltor University. Very few people on Naltor go on to higher education, except those that study history or courses that require a lot of memorization. Our prophetic visions generally guide us toward our career opportunites, and when there, on-the-job training is also expedited by our visions. I found myself thinking of Lyn a lot, even when I was supposed to be concentrating on a precog quiz or practicing for an interview. Dad said he had a vision of me and Lyn together. He was irritated, I was pleased. I couldn't wait to see her!

I decided to go ahead and relax and enjoy being a candidate for Mr. Naltor. Dad and Lyn were there with me, and were soon joined by Mom and my brother. Because of my platinum hair and my mostly white wardrobe, the others began calling me Dream Boy. At first I was insulted, but decided to laugh if off. I'm sure Nura would be laughing if she knew. The other contestants were actually very interesting. One of them was a very muscular man named Kuli Jin. He was a Construction Seer. He said he'd heard of my mother. He'd worked on a site she designed. Kuli was very polite but not very wordy. He never called me Dream Boy. I didn't care for Fasolt Fon. He was a Wellness Seer and was quite a snob. I do believe he started the Dream Boy teasing. I kept wishing for a vision of him in a malpractice suit. Lyn couldn't verify. Fasolt was extremely handsome, perfectly groomed. He was married to another Wellness Seer, Sheena Lytl, a prominent doctor from the Capitol. Married men could participate, but none have ever won. Zac Nic was a lot like me, a Creativity Seer, but he was a writer. He wrote a great travel guide holo-book about Naltor, which became a huge hit when Naltor's popularity boomed. Zac was really intelligent and fun. He had long golden blond hair and tan skin. We became good friends. He could call me Dream Boy, and I'd think it was funny. I have to admit that my favorite competitor was Caan Don. Caan was tall, dark skinned, and didn't have a hair on his head. He was flambouyant and hilariously funny. I don't think I ever laughed so much as when Caan was around. When he called me Dream Boy, I took it as a compliment. These four: Kuli, Fasolt, Zac and Caan, would end up joining me in the top five of the Mr. Naltor competition.

Parading around in tight little bathing suits was never a hobby of mine, but it must have been for Caan. I actually let him give me lessons on how to walk down the runway. Caan would swing his arms and take very large, slow-motion steps to exaggerate how I could present myself. I guess he knew I'd boil it down to something far less dramatic than what he was doing. He did teach me to be a little more fun, which made me more comfortable. Kuli seemed to charge down the stage, Fasolt was very controlled and regal, Zac seemed the most natural, casual about it. Caan actually toned it down in competition. He came across as very fun and charming.

After the formal wear competition, Zac and Kuli were eliminated. I hoped for a vision to see if I'd keep in touch with them. Nothing.

Caan and I waited in a sound proof booth, as Fasolt was asked what his most important issue was. We didn't hear it, but he answered medical research. Fasolt joined Caan in the booth, and I went onstage and answered the same question. My answer was equal rights for all sentients. I went back to the booth and Caan received the question. He answered, "Continued research of non-sentient species, in order to confirm their sentience."

We all went center stage, lined up next to the MC, Coipel Con. Coipel was a singer in his teen years. He began hosting these contests about three sola-years prior. He read the name of the next contestant to be eliminated, "Fasolt Fon!"

Caan and I stood there, oddly not nervous. This was it! One of us would be Mr. Naltor. I looked down at the audience. Dad was grinning to hold back his sheer stress. Mom was even excited. There was a broadcast break before the big announcement, and several ladies went over to talk to her. I guess she liked all this attention. I noticed her looking at me with some pride, between comments. My brother made silly faces at me. I smiled back. Couldn't join in on the fun, even when on a broadcast break. Lyn had a very sultry air about her that night. When she looked at me, I actually felt nervous, but also alert, alive. Caan was smiling and waving to his family and friends in the audience. A suspicion I'd had was confirmed when I saw a handsome young man next to Caan's sister, blow him a kiss. "That's Mklay." He said with a grin. "We've been together for ages now." I smiled at Caan. "I think you're going to win." I said. He looked at me, without losing the smile, and asked if I'd had a vision. I told him no, but that I just thought he was the best. "Deen Ee Lee, you big Elva-Bird, you need to stop!"

Coipel came back onstage and asked everyone to take their seats. After explaining to the holo-viewing audience that everyone associated with the contest, and all theater audience members, had signed Mum Agreements about the results of the contest, Coipel turned to Caan and I. "The winner of this year's Mr. Naltor Contest is...."

"...CAAN DON!"
I think Caan actually let out a shriek. An ancient Xerox style crown was placed on his head, and a syth-fur robe over his shoulders. I gave him a quick hug, then he turned to the audience and laughed and smiled and soaked up the cheers and love being cast his way. Dad was clapping and smiling. Mom was too. My brother and Lyn were busy accepting condolences and well wishes from nearby audience members. Caan walked back and forth across the stage as the Mr. Naltor theme music played. I joined all the other contestants, in supportive applause for Caan. I wished to Cassandra for a vision of Caan, to see if we'd keep in touch. Nothing.

When it was over, there was a big party thrown for me in a nearby hotel. Old friends from school were there, new friends were there and several of my clients. Mom and Dad both cried when I made a speech thanking them for their support. This was the closest I'd ever felt to Mom. As it got late, and people began to leave, Lyn nudged me out onto the balcony. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, her hair flew in the breeze. "How does it feel to be a winner?" I looked at her, puzzled. I reminded her that I actually didn't win. I was first runner-up. "Not the contest... me. You won me." I smiled at her and pulled her close. We kissed deeply. I actually felt dizzy from it. A vision came to me. A vision of me, in white, and Lyn, next to me, in white, on our wedding day.

awww bless you Dean, that was very sweet! An enjoyable read, thank you