Maybe it could be mentioned at the beginning of the novel (or maybe it was mentioned?) that Rick had read some negative things about scn but his ex girlfriend told him it wasn’t true and she thought scn was a worthwhile subject.

My “ruin” for getting into scn was that I hadn’t read a book in over a year and was feeling intellectually stagnant. Scientology gave me a lot to think about.

You are right Richard. 21 years is a long and unnecessary vacation. I only took 20 years this life to join the SO. Ahthough it appears (through auditing) that I was in Scn last lifetime., it was not the SO as the SO did not yet exist.

Wynski – I see your point. For all the authorities know at this point Rick might have locked Joan in the sauna and turned up the heat and roasted her.

Taking a 21 year vacation between lives is downstat. If somebody skipped that and got right back to it they might be able to retire a million years earlier. A lot of people skip vacation time so they can retire earlier.

Somehow, I expected them to use some cliché he would have been acquainted with at his level of indoctrination to persuade him to return with them, not empty threats of physical duress. Hey! he didn’t call the police to report two intruders who are threatening him and his guests? (Roxy & Dev)

That was 7 years not .7 years.

Vacation time? The last “vacation” I got was 10 days after not seeing any member of my family for.7 years. To get that nearly cost me my life.
The only real vacation you get is the 21 years after you die before you are to return to dury.

he he he Yes, that’s what I think. I don’t know that it would be that easy for Roxy to text especially since she would be so watched. I hope he takes Dev with him this time.

Bill – (from above) “. . . with a billion year contract I was never going to retire.” That’s true but you would accumulate a lot of vacation time.