The Central Mountains Republic, part 9 by Joe Rathbone LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN, MISS PY NAE KOT SPEAKING . . . . . . . . Py Nae Kot's training done, the owner of a snazzy, ultra-modern air-craft, Py Nae Kot was ready! Let's join her, her immediate family and Sunn now, as they begin their vacation, flying the Friendly Skies Of Py Nae Kot Air Line! The day to begin the vacation finally came. Right beside Py Nae Kot's house they "checked" baggage and boarded the jet they were going to fly on. Both Py Nae Kot's Parents and Sunn were excited with anticipation of such a journey. Sunn found the idea of his big, Amazon Lady friend being the Pilot of such a sophisticated air-craft fascinating. They drove to the airport in the EX-2000. They entered the airport terminal area itself and parked to the side out of the way to allow the EX-2000 to "stretch its wings"! Py Nae Kot went through all the pre-flight excellently. She removed pitot cover, performed pre-flight check list, started engines. The sound of a jet-turbine being started sure is different from the typical automobile. Starting out with low-pitched hums of soft volume at first, the sound quickly increases both in volume and pitch. Jet engines hum, groan, buzz, whine, whistle and scream and all at the same time! It's a veritable symphony of sounds that come forth from a running turbine! And the sound is always changing, according to what the Pilot is doing with them. It's music to a new Pilot's ears. Their sound can be contagious. One's heart-beat very often increases when that turbine's scream increases, indicating even to the non-pilot that they are being revved! This is all especially so in a small jet. Her Parents upon hearing the weird mixture of various groans, hums, whistles and screams being emitted startled them at first. With the turbines singing low on warm-up idle, Py Nae Kot performed post- engine-start-up checks. Sunn admired his big, beautiful, Pilot Lady as she, with calm, professional demeanor, went through all the proper procedures. Sunn originally wanted Py Nae Kot to wear a Captain's hat. But she refused. Number one, she is NATIVE AMERICAN, and nothing is to obscure that beaded head-band she made sure was always there. And number two, she merely considered it a little pretentious. "I'll get plenty of uniform experience when I become an airlines pilot!" she said. Sunn eagerly imagined what a full fledged Pilot's uniform and hat would look like on his six-foot-six Amazon Lady! But for now, she looked keen in her black, sleeveless t-shirt, denim skirt split all the way up the sides, and her authentic Native American head-band perched in her long, black hair. Lucky him too, for he sat in the front seat where he could see everything. He could see her more obvious instruments; the artificial horizon, altimeter, computer terminal screen, another screen and others. He could see her major controls; the two large levers that controlled turbine thrust, flaps, wheels-up/down, and of course that familiar semi-circle "steering wheel". The seating arrangement was no accident. Py Nae Kot's Parents WISHED to sit in the rear seats... they did not want to see everything; it made them too nervous. On other hand, Sunn wanted a close-up front-row seat on his Pilot Lady's action! After some preparation they were ready to go. Py Nae Kot contacted the tower and they were on their way, taxiing to the end of the runway to await take off. Py Nae Kot's Parent's nervousness began to build. While taxiing, they observed a Lear jet take off. Gosh a mighty, it was SCREAMING! "Are WE going to go that fast during take off!?" asked her Mother, White Dove. "Yes! Come on, Mom! You've traveled by jet before! You know what it's like." "Yes, but not in something like this. And not with you... uh... driving..." "I'm okay Mom! I've been training on this for all these months now, I know what I'm doing. Now relax, and no talking to me once we start the take-off-roll. That's the busiest time and I'll need my concentration." "Okay Dear, just be careful!" Py Nae Kot wore head-phones so they could not hear what the tower was saying to her. Sometimes they heard her answer through her radio's microphone in some foreign sounding terminology that only Pilots understand. They continued taxiing, nearing the runway's end. Anticipation mounted. They stopped and waited in line behind three other planes, two prop types and a Lear Jet. The Lear was directly in front. One by one the tower cleared each for take off. As each plane took off, the one behind it would roll up to the edge of the main runway, and wait. Time came for that Lear in front of them to do so. When the Pilot of the Lear apparently received word, they could tell! He rolled it out to the runway, aligned, then revved engines! Its engines increased volume of sound and pitch quickly, culminating in a rumbling roar. Hot gasses and fire streamed behind it in front of them, causing anything behind the stream of gasses to shimmer as if under water. The Lear began moving, quickly gaining speed; before they knew it, the Lear was way down the runway, nosing up and leaving the Earth! THEY WERE NEXT! After that Lear Jet took to the skies, safely out of the way, the tower apparently gave Py Nae Kot the go-ahead. Py Nae Kot revved engines a little and rolled out to the runway, aligned her eager craft then waited a few seconds for it to settle. They could see now four other planes waiting their turn that had lined up behind them. The runway stretched out before them into eternity. It shimmered a little from the building heat of the day. Py Nae Kot's Parent's knuckles were white, Sunn's heart was pounding... They couldn't hear the tower, but they heard Py Nae Kot say into the mic, "Roger tower, SP1 rolling!" This was it. Py Nae Kot grasped the engine levers firmly and pushed them forward - WAY forward! It seemed like there was a slight delay in the engines' response, but it was normal "spool-up" time. All those turbine sounds increased mightily this time, rising to a rumbling, roaring crescendo as they felt themselves pushed firmly back into their seats! Ground moving underneath them increased speed rapidly, until all features on the runway were streaks! Sunn took a quick glance back at Py Nae Kot's Parents - their faces resembled somebody awaiting execution! Py Nae Kot had no reason for concern over their yakking at her during take off - THEY weren't saying NOTHIN'! Py Nae Kot's strong, brown hands had a good, steady grip on the controls as their aircraft increased to an eye-spinning speed! Yellow stripes, painted on the runway's edge and slanted toward the mid-point of the runway zipped by at ever increasing speed - their direction of slant changed indicating passed the runway's mid-point. "At this break-neck speed and the runway half gone!" thought Sunn in a flash - She pulled back slightly - the EX-2000 tilted upward - Sunn heard her Parents gasp - the rumble from the wheels ceased - a wafting feeling - the runway drew away below them - they were already high when the runway's end passed underneath them! The runway gave way to a small neck of woods, then an automobile dealer-ship, some factories with their broad, flat roofs, then a neighborhood - up ahead they were approaching a low, late-morning cloud, just a small one. The cloud approached at a boggling rate - they passed right through it and when they did, that cloud zipped by at dazzling speed, silently but it seemed to buffet their jet some..... Having passed the cloud, the land below distanced itself from their craft. Py Nae Kot eased back the engines a little - the loud hum decreased in pitch and they all felt a partial release of the force pushing them back and down into their seats - "PY NAE KOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WE'RE FALLING!" screamed White Dove. "Boy! Mama, you ALWAYS say that! When safely up, Pilots always reduce thrust some! Then you have to decrease the plane's rate of climb. That's what you're feeling! Everything's okay! We're still climbing and increasing speed. I reduced thrust from 110 percent to 90 percent. You don't want the engines to burn up up HERE do you!?" "Well, no! But..." "Take it easy Mom, everything is going normally!" Safely air-borne now, the action began to stretch out to a more gradual pace. Clouds partially veiled the world below but the land still could be observed. Relaxing now, Py Nae Kot's Parents each gazed out the window they were next to, surveying the sight down there. Both of them thought similarly as they took in this "big picture" of what used to be North-West-Indian Land below them. It spread out forever, disappearing into the haze. Street after street after street lined with houses or businesses contorted themselves over Seattle's hilly topography. The streets looked like gray ribbons laying on many rounded humps. Even with all that mess on it, the natural beauty of the land still managed to show itself. "Pitiful, poor Earth, raped then buried under that cacophonous mayhem of the White Race" approximated the thoughts of White Dove and Husband. They remembered what it was like, even in their life-times, not to mention their PARENTS' life-times. White Dove's Husband hunted, as a boy in some areas that were now built up. They could not tell where from up here, but one thing was clear, Seattle and surrounding areas were HUGE, filled to overflowing with White Race. It looked pretty hopeless they would ever get their land back. These kinds of thoughts only briefly zipped through Sunn's mind. He was too absorbed in the wonder of it all, the flight, the speed, the altitude, and the fact that his big, good looking, sexy Py Nae Kot was in charge! All their lives and yes, possibly people on the ground depended on Py Nae Kot's steady, strong hand and professionalism. She guided that jet through the skies confidently and aggressively as it climbed out and approached cruising speed and altitude. It was almost sexy in of itself; he felt a tugging in the crotch of his pants; "Come on! Cut it out down there, that's silly!" he tried to tell his own over-active genitalia in his thoughts.