<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Jerrod McKenzie</strong></span><br/><hr/><br/>When it came to that, the McKenzies had absolutely<em>no one</em>to blame but themselves.  Every family has its flaws, its sins which carry down from one generation to the next, and as esteemed and privileged as their family was, in that regard it was no different from any of the rest.  We could discuss the numerous things which had allowed this to happen, but for the sake of time and conversation, let's just talk about the big three that enabled this entire scenario to begin with, yes?<br/><br/>The first was unquestioning respect for the authorities, whether they be civil or SolForce.  Now, the respect wasn't the issue here, reader.  It's the<em>unquestioning</em>part that is the problem.  "Jerrod, the Marshals and the people of SolForce are what enable society to function," his parents had said to him over and over again.  "If they have a request to make of us, it's our duty to help them in whatever way we can."  Of course, what was about to happen to Jerrod was certainly<em>not</em>covered in that particular line of thought, but the fact that they had taught their children never to question left them wide open for simple but reasonable deceptions like Alice had used on their youngest son.<br/><br/>The second was the family insistence on total, and some might perhaps say brutal, honesty.  You did not lie, not even a little bit, you were always clear with your intentions.  Again, this is normally a good thing, but it combined so poorly with the third - and perhaps greatest - sin that it left Jerrod without much guile or defense when it came to being lied to.<br/><br/>The last was the fact that, quite simply, the family had chosen to shelter Jerrod, the opposite of what had been done with the other five McKenzie children.  Though to be fair, some of them had no choice.  Eddard, being the eldest son (never mind firstborn), had been slated from the very beginning that he was going to be groomed to take over the paternal side of the family business - the dry goods stores.  Then came the four daughters - and with both mother and aunt coming from a SolForce family, as well as both being former Lightspeed operators, it was pretty clear that at least the eldest was going to have to join up.  She did, and then her three younger sisters followed in her wake, as a strong sense of civic responsibility had been instilled in them from the get-go at home.<br/><br/>That left Jerrod.  The youngest, sensitive (at least, by the family's definition, which might need some updating), not really interested in the typical ways that McKenzies found to make their mark on San Miguel.  Given that, had it really been much wonder that patriarch and matriarch had chosen a different way for him?  Tutors rather than schools?  Checking up rather than trust when it came to friends and other 'outside' things?  (The philosophy was that Jerrod was not your typical McKenzie, so he couldn't be handled like your typical McKenzie.  And in one respect, that became blindingly clear.<br/><br/>As Alice had mentioned, all four of Jerrod's older sisters - especially the two younger ones, who were still part of Battalion - watched carefully the girls he interacted with.  Any girl.  And the truth of the matter is, most people don't like to be constantly spied on - it has this strange way of making them feel judged and inferior compared to the people doing the spying.  So, as it stood, while Jerrod wanted to have a girlfriend, wanted to go out on dates, that had never really happened - any girl who might be more than a friend scared off by his rather intimidating sisters.<br/><br/>"Oh, you're welcome," he replied as she thanked him.  "Anything to help out."  In his mind, though, the Lightspeed Girls just,<em>just</em>might be the solution he was looking for.  They wouldn't be so easily intimidated by his family, and who knew?  One of them might even like him!  "Yeah," he sighed when she spoke again.  "<em>Everyone</em>knows my sisters.  You can't really miss them - beautiful and strong and very, very McKenzie."  Poor kid.  It sounded like he lived his whole life in the shadows of his family, and now he was never going to be allowed to make his mark as a man...<br/><br/>...but maybe, maybe this would give him the opportunity to break out from that.<br/><br/>Jerrod gasped as he felt the hand slide up to cup his crotch - Alice was pretty, and the hard lump she felt there certainly showed that he thought so.  "Yeah...yeah, I, I would..."  He was surprised, he didn't think someone could come to like him<em>that</em>quickly!  But...she was a Lightforce Captain, so maybe...