SaturdayScene for June 29 two cyberpunk mini tales

     #saturdayscene    June 29th. After my birthday and two days before the end of my E-book sale-which is Sunday the 30th. Great adventures with a twist-fun reads. Urban Fantasy and Steampunk action adventures. 

       Someone one a writers’ group on FaceBook wanted to see my cyberpunk story about two “sisters”. Here are two very short tales about them. The first one is more an introduction than a story and I may have a third tale someone but I have to find it. Both were inspired from a picture.

      For quite a few months I wrote short stories from pictures. One set was a weekly challenge: writing a story less than 600 words based on a pic of the week. Another set were inspired by Charlie Hoover’s Geekscape daily picture. I seem to have lost touch with the web site so I have not done any for a while. Others did the same but my tales ended up being the longest usually. A couple did some very good 125 to 250 word mini stories. Mine usually began with 250 to 400 words but than later I expanded on them to make stories 500 words to 3,500 words or so. 

So these two I believe came from the Geekscapes pics. I describe the scene in the pic in every story which is one reason, but not the only one, they were so long. 

Both of these two together have  908 words. I might expand on the second one later. Or if I find that third one. 

I am a pryotech and my metal friend can make holograms appear, some are very solid and can hurt if they hit you. Sometimes they explode with the same energy that makes the hologram. 

      She is from a Western City-perhaps on another earth-while I grew up, as a half breed, in an Eastern city. The poor section of that city. 

      I do not have almond eyes but I still have an Asian cast to my skin and face. My hair would be good for a lion's mane even though I am fully female. My braids go down past my bosom almost to my hips. I have the forehead cut high to look alien. 

      My companion has no hair, even though her measurements might be the same as mine. She even likes to show off her belly and her bare arms as I do. They are blue, though, and show the metal panels and joints her limbs are made of. She likes to tie a sweater around her waist though while I like a belt with pouches. Powders, food and weapons fill the pouches. She doesn't need those. She does have a couple of hidden panels with weapons-two of the same type I carry.  

     We met by accident. Some type of rift opened between our two cities. They happen at times and no one knows if they are natural, the result of an accident, or if someone does them on purpose. When this one opened we stood there and stared at each other. Ready for a fight but somehow we each knew we would not need to. We talked and later reveled to the other our childhoods, struggles and powers. Now we get together to go on missions; sometimes to help someone, sometimes to smuggle or do a two story job. Of course that last is more like a ten to fifty story jobs, but everyone still calls that type or work a two story job.  

     We take turns in the other person's home-if you can call them that. Mine has many buildings two to ten stories high, even though few past five, and those in the richer areas. There are staircases and tents plus awnings on each level for most of the levels are open or have very large and long balconies. Hers buildings are taller, even though they have short ones too, with holographic and 3D signs that show what you can get on any level. Hers city has laser cars and holographic neon signs everywhere. It does have a few markets like mine does but most are on the street level with a couple on second and third level what was once parks. 

     My city gets much of its water from a small lake they built it next to.  Hers does to even though they have other sources too for it is a larger city. We are both wanted, and unwanted, we have each other's backs though. We could be sisters.

Second mini story

We were in town together again, we like to visit other cities even other earths to do our work. My sister from another city and me, who has a power not like mine. She has no hair though, even though she can use illusions to make it look like she does. 

     This time we had gone to a big city in my Eastern World. The market in this city was lighted with glow sticks, energy bubbles, battery torches, and whatever light floats down here from the tall buildings that surround this area. It smelled strongly of herbs and spices with apothecary added on. Strangely an odor of Rosemary was strong here. There is an added scent of the pollution of the city here but that wasn't what I smelled. That could be why the one booth owner we saw had an air mask on. I burnt the air in front of me to make sure. I tasted when I breathed in. My sister could stop her breathing when needed.

     Maybe the odor came from the man in the white robe who stood there as if he waited for us.

     A warlord who lived here had something we wanted. A very small, basketball size, fusion reactor. He uses it for emergency energy. We know someone who seems to have their own continual emergency, and so would pay for it a lot for it

     Evidently one of his guards found out that we take what we need, especially from the likes of him. I think this guard does not know us that well, which isn’t surprising. This will be tricky but we can outclass him. Once he is out, or worse, we will head directly for the Warlord's place, high in the building ahead of us. That building has a bridge high up to another highrise. We can use the bridge to escape but not the usual way. 

    My sister looks at me, I nod she produces the ball of blue light between her hands I prepare a concussion out of my powders, and filings. I wait to activate my heat power until he is distracted. 

   At my nod we come out of the shadows and head his way as if we were just out here to buy something. He may suspect us but his stance shows arrogance therefore overconfidence. He has won too many battles but that is good for us.

     We near him ready for whatever unfolds for we make a good team.    

#indie #freestories #shortstories #fun #reading #cyberpunk #femaleleads 

Set of five very short tales in different lands

Been a while since I have posted anything new. As some of you may now I post stories each week on Google +, part of an ongoing event every Saturday with other writers there. Any genre is possible. And if you are on G+ they are posted in a Collection called something like SaturdayScenes 2018.  

This week I decided to post stories that take place in other lands. Each one is a flash tale, or a bit longer, based on a picture. Lately I have been doing a lot of those and hopefully this year I will publish an anthology of around 22 of these stories. But with these stories I considered stories that take place on spaceships or another planet, but I wanted other lands here, not in space.

The first takes place in Africa and was written many, many months ago. The last takes place in Japan and was written not that long ago. The others are in-between. I revised them all today so they will be a bit longer and, easier-hopefully-to read. In case you have read them before. They are 3,069 words long totally. They are historical, general fiction and science fiction. Two take place in Africa, one around Norway but more North, one in the Middle east three or four centuries ago and is part of my Dark Castle series-which are posted on G+, and the last one in Japan. One takes place during the War of Roses or one of them.



So without further adieu here is story one:


The Tower
The boy and girl, tall and lanky, even though in their early teens, walked toward the end of the hills. For now they were called Esiankiki and Loiyan, but that would change as they grew.
Both felt not right for the mountains they were leaving were strange to them. Not at all like the Savanna. They feet ached from the hard rough surfaces they had walked on.
They stood the beginning of one side of the part of the Savanna where they came from. The trees they knew still grew here and some of the animals they killed or competed with came here too. The air felt warm as it should. The scents of grass, the droppings of lions, and desert air all grew as they walked closer to the natural border. Loiyan thought he heard the cough of a lion far in the distance, but little of any other sounds.
It would be good to get back to the foods they knew, bread made from the grains they had grown with.
Before going home though both had wanted to see the Tower. It looked manmade shape under many and many years of grime, but very few stories passed down to the next generation told of it. No one knew when it had been built or why. To worship the Red god or the Black one maybe. Loiyan thought it was something the evil Red god would like. Esiankiki wasn’t sure. It had different levels, each one with what looked like walls that swooped up to a sharp point. The oi-boni had never restricted the Masai from going there but he had given warnings, as far as they knew no one had climbed to the top-fear maybe or that it was just different?
Both had some honey to eat so they did not worry about food. Water might be a problem later. It took them two hours or more to get to the tower. Up close it looked both man made and natural. Neither knew how that could be but each agreed on that.
Loiyan placed the palm of his hand on it: rough like the huge rocks they had just climbed over but warm. Esiankiki placed her ear to it. She thought she heard something but so faint she couldn’t be sure: she said that she didn’t like the roughness against her ear’s skin. She pulled Loiyan back when he wanted to taste it with his tongue. Too rough for that she said.
Around the other side they saw a way in, or up. What could be very old steps, worn smooth by feet and weather. With very careful steps they went up. The first level had a place to walk but they couldn’t see over the edge of the wall even as tall as they were. The same with the second level. As far as they could find there was no way in, and no places to sacrifice offerings mixed with grass. Maybe that was on the top. But once they reached as far as they could go still nothing. The inside of the walls looked and felt smooth. The bottom had smelled of age and something neither one liked. But up here only air. They saw lions and tall grass further on, for the walls had grown shorter on the way up.
No blacken areas with very old ash so no sacrifices up here either. So what was this used for? To watch the lions, to see if any enemies were coming? The People did sometimes fight.
They examed the walls carefully for long minutes. Loiyan found lines in the inner wall like a doorway, The People used curtains over doorways, but they knew others had wood and metal doors, some with metal and what was called glass. They both had been to cities, ridden in cars and a train. They had seen a helicopter land. That had been noisy, worse than a very large pride of lions Loiyan had been trapped in when very small. All of the beasts roaring at once had deafen him. The helicopter’s noise had been louder than a big rain storm with lightning and thunder. But if this was a door he nor Esiankiki had seen any way to open it. He tried to slide his fingernails into the cracks but something stopped them. Esiankiki noticed the indentations near waist level on one level, but they didn’t seem to do anything. Loiyan who had the hearing of a warrior thought he heard clicks from inside when he pressed then indentations, but nothing happened. Both felt tiny vibrations in the door but they did nothing. Esiankiki thought she tasted in the air something like what flavors the air when lightning strikes. The space in-between the lines grew warmer but only a little. That made no sense.
After a while they gave up and walked down. Back at the bottom they saw more lines in the tower but they were shaped wrong for a doorway for any person. And they all went into the ground. So they knew the Tower went deeper like a huge rock. These doors looked like something that slid out maybe. Esiankiki stated that she wasn’t sure why she thought of that. Loiyan thought it would be something larger than a hut if so. With a final shrug-that the People had picked up from the shorter white visitors-they left and finally headed home. The People or someone else had lived in the Tower many many ages ago, they were now sure of but who? And how did they get the doors to open? They would never know. Maybe The People had climbed those steps and but they came away with more questions that could not be answered so they either forgot them or decided not to bother others with unanswerable questions. Maybe when Loiyan became a warrior he would ask and come back with others who knew more than he did. For now though they would just go home, it had been too long since they had seen family.

end


The Last Viking

The Viking looked over the side of his ship. The mountains rose out of the ocean, higher than he would want to climb anymore. The day looked cloudy and cold even though he was viking and therefore used to cold. While not as deep as in some places the water here was still deep enough to hide monsters, or even an angry whale.
Askell glanced along his longship. The wood looked aged, it had nicks, claw marks, and blacken areas. That last fire they barely got out in time. He supposed he could get one of the new style of ships with multiple masts but he, and his crew, were too old to change that much.
He stroked his grey beard, looked down.
"To port now!” He shouted
Something scraped the hull as the longship turned too slowly.
So this ocean was not deep, those rocks were hard to see. Movement under the water, Oh oh, something huge lived down there.
It neared the surface and before he could cry out for them to raise oars, three of them hit it. It thrashed, caused water to splash into the longboat. Cold water that soaked their footwear. The oars didn’t break, thank Odin.
He snarled, spat bile out. Nothing would sink them in this cruise.
Once the water settled again he ordered them to head for the distant bit of land. It had what looked like a strip of land they could beach the longship. Further in lay the base of a tall cliff They might be able to build housing right next to the cliff and have fish, birds and seals and maybe even smaller whales to eating and to use for tools and clothes.
He looked around. No one would be chasing them this far, but if they did they would pay for that with their blood, for his crew still kept their weapons sharp.
Askell double checked the depth and for any other movements. He would have to be on his toes to make sure nothing else hindered them.

end


Congratulations


Jacob snarled, he wouldn’t let them smash him into the mud. He shoved against one man the same age as himself. That worthy went “ufff” as another two bodies jumped on top of the others. Some of them let out exclamations too. His lighter brown skin could easily be identified among their black skin. They all were from around here while he came from somewhere different.
He twisted his body one way then another, kept his legs moving so they couldn’t be grabbed. He sneezed: someone wore an awful cologne. Probably Kensu.
Someone used both hands to shove him harder, forced his face toward the mud patch on the parade ground. The whole area was plain dirt, not even grass. Mud holes were not rare even though most of it was dry dirt. Light metal bleachers filled one side. But they would be of no advantage to Jacob, nor would the various light and speaker poles around the area.
Jacob surged his back upward to flip off whoever was on his back. It didn’t work. He thought it was time to start punching and jabbing. A second thought, no one used fists, hands or feet as weapons. They all depended on brute strength, and their weight, to get his face into the mud.
Their grunts and heavy breathing filled his ears, but no name calling or obcentaites, which surprised him. He managed to get his feet and hands on the ground: one hand and knee splashed the mud around. He shoved upward and managed to stand as his attackers fell off. However his victory lasted one-second for someone tackled him and rolled with him toward the mud. Kerrich, he thought for. Sweat matted his hair, the clothes of those that touched him were clammy with it. He spat out the mud in his mouth-at least they used fresh water and mostly clean dirt.
Again he tried to get his hands under him so he could shove off the ground, but two more joined in the, what was still called, a dog pile. His face inched closer to the mud. No! These guys weighed a lot even though he had proven himself the better, stronger fighter.
With a snarl he surged upward, but only moved an inch, more poundage landed on him. He could smell the mud, at least it seemed to be just water and dirt. Before he could take a breath his face smashed down into the mud. It filled his mouth when he breathed in, splashed up his cheeks, got in his ears and hair. A roar of victory followed that and with a suddenness that surprised him all of the weight vanished.
He jumped up, turned to face them. Eight young men stood in badly formed semi-circle. Their formation instructor would not be happy with that a part of his mind said.
Half of them looked unsure, would he attack them?
The leader stepped forward but only so close.
He said, “Congratulations, you will be the first cadet to become Captain.”
Jacob blinked, they knew that?
“We honor you with our traditions.”
He nodded, for he knew of this one where they congratulated another cadet to raise in rank, but never expected to have it done to him. They had never really excepted him.
He spat though, to get the taste of the mud out of his mouth.
Jon-Wel said, “The commissary has a new batch of Mars Malt beer. You can wash out your mouth with a bottle. I will buy the first one.”
Jacob didn’t know if that was part of the tradition or because Jacob didn’t usually have much money unlike them. But…
He smiled, “I would be happy to wash the mud out that way,”
Some of the men looked relieved.
The leader nodded and motioned toward the store.
Jacob thought, He may never be one of them, but he had their respect and well wishes, that was good.

end


The Way Stop Castle


Jounn turned in his saddle to face his friend Brock. He felt glad they had stopped. The horses hoofs had been stirring the sand dust. It made his mouth dry when he breathed it in, not to mention making him cough.
“There is the castle I told you about.”
After he spoke he looked back down from the small dune they both had stopped on. Night covered the desert which is what they wanted. It cooled quickly here after the sun went down. But the dark made it better not to be seen.
The castle, a ruled by a neutral Duke far from England, sat on a hill. The neutrality though will probably have to change to one or the other roses, he thought. The structure looked gray tall and narrow with a full moon behind it. A village in front of it. Guards walked the wall. The gate looked still open even this late.
Brock said, “That wall, most be a good ten feet hight and what? Three feet thick. It would hold an army for a while. If one came here at all.”
“I am not fearful of armies, but of sudden changes of neutral Dukes. Or of an assassin.”
“You think they would really send one after us?”
Jounn shrugged, “They have done it before. During the last bit of fighting, which I can barely recall, my cousin was challenged to a duel by someone who turned out to be en expert swordsman. After the duel the man disappeared but left a rose. I have heard of that all my life with warnings to be watchful.”
“But if you don’t trust the Duke, why stay here?”
“We are not staying here. We present ourselves and the Duke gives us a suite of rooms. He knows me so will not think it strange that I would come here. We say we need to mediate over the conflict so we need to stay in the rooms without being disturbed. Once settled we change to less conspicuous clothes, bathe and be rid of traveling odors then head down to the stables. In my last two visits I learned that there is a back gate through the wall. It is small but a horse can get through. We get our horses and leave that way. Even if a guard sees us and if he should report it the Duke would be still able to say that he gave us rooms and then we left without even a proper thank you or good bye. That he knows not when, or where we went. Or even if we left the castle. We could be hiding among the vassals and others that live here.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“I believe it will, but we still need to be on our toes and watch. We will be able to get supplies for a long trek through the desert, but we hide our trail and head South, which might further confuse anyone that is sent after us.”
“Well, that plan is better than no plan, or just running.”
“As I said we will watch and keep our hands close to our swords and daggers. If he portrays us we will sell our lives dearly. If he is still neutral than we go as I said and leave him with an excuse.”
His friend nodded and said, “Than we should make sure we have no roses on us then he can say he did not realize we had chosen sides.”
Jounn nodded, picked off a brooch off of his chest, while his friend ripped off a fastener on his cloak, and started his horse down the dune.

end

Way of the Samurai

“You are late.”
“I know, Father, I have no excuse,” even though I did-saying good bye and finding my round hat had not been easy. I had tied my waist long hair into one braid. My long dress would be help against the cold. I wore a lighter outfit under it, if it warmed. I suspect that my Father had on something under his armor. His helmet with the grimace face hid his face as it should. He wore his two favorite swords and I am sure a third. He stood between the posts of the gate as the sun sank. He looked magnificent.
He grunted and nodded once.
Our road led between two tall strands of bamboo over a rough surface. No one had come this way in years so they had not kept it up. The wind blew leaves around.
Father was a hard man, but a tough, experienced, brave and honorable warrior. He showed his love in training me well so I would be able to defend myself and in teaching me honor. I have only the one sword though. I am not a Samurai so can not wear the armor but I am not sure I would want to.
The air smelled strongly of bamboo and growing things. Maybe we should take some of the shoots to eat later, but Father is ready to leave now.
I sighted, I have already defended myself. That group of three thieves had shown surprise when their heads rolled to the ground. The last one had been a fair fighter-he lasted five swings. And months later, the first man I had killed for trying to dishonor me-he had been someone important. Later when questioned Father acted like he didn’t know who had killed him.
Now we go-to somewhere else. He has not told me where but I trust him. Maybe it was to protect me, or because he was tired of this place and just wanted to go to some place new, or he knew of something bad coming to this area soon. He would train me more in the way of the Samurai as we go. Maybe I would be able to make my own armor by the times we get there-if I decided to wear some.
I am glad I had brought two skins of water and two bags of nuts and cooked rice, they would last if we found nothing else to eat later and didn’t collect the shoots here. He would have something on under his armor too.
I kept my eyes on him and did not turn for one last look.

end

Second half of Alternate Universe story

Part two of my Alt universe story from last week. This one had a lot more conversations and I didn’t revise a lot so that may mean I missed stuff.
A short paragraph from last week to start it.

But enjoy:

The one comming him was dressed in the same tasteful clothes as Samuel was and had his hair in the same style. Samuel eyed the other warily, pressing a button that traced the comm signal back to its source. He wasn't surprised that it led back to a vessel very similar to his. It was one of the black ones and had exactly the same power readings as his vessel.
The other smiled warmly, which did not reassure Longrian, and said, "Hello, brother traveler. Is this what you expected?"
Samuel said, "Yes and more. This is wild."
**
Samuel’s eyes went wide when a double beep came from his computer, he almost jumped to it see what the problem was but realized that the second beep had come over his comm speakers. Both computers were reporting that a new arrival was about to enter the asteroid belt.
He glanced at his sensor screen than to a certain screen on his computer.
He said, "So another arrival at this party."
The image on the comm screen said with a humorous smile, "Yes it looks like it. I wonder if we will know him, or not."
A second later the other person said, "I wonder how many that makes."
Samuel said, "I think some where between sixteen and twenty-one."
The other said, "My approximation also."
Samuel said with a smile, "That’s not surprising."
After contacting the newcomer they found it was a woman in her thirties. Her red hair and green eyes, made her a striking figure. Both of their eyebrows raised as they saw the first female to appear at the gathering.
Samuel hadn't really considered the possibility, but he realized he should have. He saw the same look mirrored in the face of the guy he was talking to and knew he had just thought the same.
After greeting her, they went back to their conversation. Chatting for a minute, the double click sounded again. The other again reached off screen this time for longer period of time. At the same time he glanced at something off screen, his face showing puzzlement.
Oh Oh, Samuel thought.
The other looked at Samuel, than back to the side. His face clouded over, his joyful expression turning angry.
Definitely, this isn’t good.
The other asked in a low sounding voice so familiar to Samuel, "What are you doing?"
Knowing he was caught, he just mentally shrugged and said, "Getting some information I need back home."
"So," The other said, "That is why you have been asking some of your interesting questions?"
"I was hoping to learn something I could use."
"For what purpose?"
"I think you know. Let's just say that I hope to find something I can use to further my ambitions."
Here the other pressed another button.
He said, "So, you not only use our comm links to steal information from my computer, but you also want to use it to get advantage over other people."
"Better me than someone else. I have the brains and natural skills needed to be a leader."
"A leader who forces himself on other?" the contempt was dripping from the others words.
"Someone has to do it, just as well be me."
The other again reached off screen, pressing one, or two buttons. Thinking that something wasn’t right, Samuel looked at the same screen. What he saw shocked him. Files were appearing, than being deleted, almost faster than he could see. He scooted over quickly and started typing commands on his keyboard.
Soon the files slowed down and he typed some more. Finally the process stopped altogether. He smiled and moved back over to the screen.
He said, "That was tricky. Your program got in under my antivirus, anti-hacker program without sounding an alarm, but my advanced ‘ICE' got it."
"Hopefully, it got to enough files to hinder your plans. Maybe I can hinder you even more."
"I cannot allow you to do that."
The other smiled for a second, than said, "That’s my line. I cannot allow you to steal from anyone here, to use that info to hurt people."
"We could rumble, but I would win of course."
"I won't bet on that. We’re comparable."
Longrian looked at his sensor readings again and saw that it was true. Both ships had the same power readings and probably the same armaments. And his potential foe, no doubt, had experience using them. It would be almost like fighting himself. If he was ever able to fight himself, there would be no telling who would win. Of course he would have an advantage since he would not be averse to fighting in ways some called dirty. He called it winning. The other had already shown that he did not mind being underhanded, but he could not anticipate the things that he, Samuel, could come up with.
So Samuel G. Longrian said three words, "Computer, fighting mode."
Immediately his vessel changed. Not in any obvious way, but in attitude. The ship's lighting dropped down to battle levels, weapon emplacements popped up, and hatches slide open revealing more weapons. Shields came into existence.
Even before he had finished speaking the other on the screen had said the same three words. Now Samuel's eyes narrowed when he saw the exact same weapons appear along the other ship's hull.
His new foe asked, "Do you really want to fight me, in here?"
Samuel said, "Not really." And he was surprised to really mean it.
Suddenly his comm bleeped, as did his new foe's.
They both pressed their respective receive buttons. The loud voiced newcomer appeared on the screen. His face was red which almost matched his hair.
He said, "What are you two malcontents think you are doing?!"
 Automatically Samuel said, "It was just a misunderstanding."
He had spoken it a little too fast, and the image's face showed the speakers unbelief.
Samuel thought quickly and spoke again, "It was a
misunderstanding, he thinks I am going to hurt someone."
Hid potential foe said, "He said he wanted to use information he was stealing from us to force people to accept his rule.”
Samuel said, "That was the misunderstanding. I don't want to rule people, but even if I did it would be my business, not the gathering’s."
The loud mouthed one said, "Except for the fact that how you are thought of can put a bad light on the rest of us, and what happens to you might effect the rest of us in ways we can not anticipate."
Samuel just waved his hand, in a way to say that he thought that idea irrelevant.
He said, "It's still my business."
By now the rest of those present had noticed the two ships now had "hot" weapons and shields. Most tuned into the conversation to see what was happening.
When they realized that there could be a fight between two ships, groups split up, with each person rushing back to their own ship. Some of the ship moved out of the way, while others joined one side, or the other. One of the smallest ships zipped first to one of the twin ships than to the other, probably after its pilot realized he had gone to the wrong ship.
In one vessel two men were talking face to face. One of these two men was from the small runabout that had been standing off by itself. His ship was now docked with one of the larger ships.
That man said, "I th-think we should get out of here, in case they do fight."
The one he was talking to said, "That might be a good idea."
The first speaker said, "I-I knew I needed a bigger ship to check out this meeting."
As the nervous one spoke the other stepped to his controls
and started moving both ships away from the gathering. The two ships cautiously moved as one, though the wall of asteroids. Soon they were in the clear and after a few seconds later the owner of the ship they were in touched a control that
sent a special signal. Very soon, off to one side, a large strange ripple effect begin. An object began to solidify in certain places. Than, as the process increased speed, within seconds a ship appeared. It was rather large and streamlined. It looked very much like Samuel’s ship, but much larger.
The one who had sent the signal said, "I did bring a bigger ship."
His guest started with surprise and said, "So you are n-not
alone."
"Correct I’m not, but back to the point I was making, you will have noticed that some here have different characteristics.
Those two for example. One is the Boy Scout while the other is a manipulator. That loud mouth with the speedy ship is the brash one."
"He-he-he almost scraped my ship when he arrived. I thought he was going to ram me."
"You would think that. Anyway as I was saying, I’m the cunning one and you, my guest, are the nervous one," he said as he manipulated his controls maneuvering his ship closer to the larger one.
"Th-there should be a brain around here than."
"Hmm, you’re right... I wonder which one it is. He could have been here from the beginning."
Sweat formed on the nervous man's forehead but he said, "Your ship m-m-most have a large Process engine."
"Yes it does, but you will be able to see it soon."
"No, I-I'm n-not, I am going back to my ship."
"You could come with me, I could use a decoy where I come from. We would make a great team."
"I-I-I wouldn't m-make a g-good d-d-decoy."
"Yes, with your nervous stutter, they might see though you."
Suddenly the speaker noticed that his captive seemed to be pressing something in his pocket.
He said, "If you are trying to control your ship from here, it won't be able to do anything while under my tractor beam."
"I am not trying to control m-my-my ship."
"You’re not a good liar."
Suddenly though the observation window each could see light spill out of an opening in the side of the ship they were approaching, as a hanger door slide up.
A few seconds later, just as suddenly, a number of ships zipped in from behind the larger ship. They quickly came along both sides of the ship the two were in, stopping in perfect
formation. From their appearance they were defiantly military warships. There were ten ships in all. Seven were a flat half moon shape and had crews of ten men. Two were larger cigar shapes with crews of thirty. The last ship had a basic cigar shape, with a slightly bulging top and snubbed, swept back wings. It had the appearance of being very streamlined, even with the bulging top. It carried fifty crew members.
The nervous man said, "I told you I was not trying to control my ship. Th-these are my ships. I was pressing a panic button to call them. Now you will let me go in my small craft."
"Hey, you can go, I wasn't going to kidnap you."
"Perhaps not, but I-I wanted to make sure. These are from an elite fighting unit. Isn't that correct Major?"
A new voice sounded, coming from a brooch looking device on the guest's lapel, "That is correct, sir. I apologize for
appearing a little late."
The cunning man said, "I warn you if you do try to attack me after you are gone, my ship out there is powerful enough to destroy, or damage many of your warships."
"We won't," the other replied. "unless you fire on me. If you do plan on f-firing on me, as I leave remember, they will take y-you out. And don't think going into stealth will help you. This force has had experience fighting stealth vessels."
The other inclined his head in understanding, as he said, "I wasn’t planning on attacking you."
The strutting one made his way though the airlock and into his ship. It undocked and zipped very quickly to the largest military warship. Once on its hanger deck he got out and made his way to the bridge.
The major was standing there and as soon as he came out of the lift the major spoke, "I again apologize for being late. We
had to go around another force which came with another member of
the gathering."
The major's boss nodded then said, "I'm glad I insisted on
having your people join me out here."
He paused for a moment then said, "It’s p-p-probably a good time to leave."
Suddenly a flash of light caught their attention and they turned and looked at the view screen located in the front of the bridge. The vessel belonging to Samuel G. Longrian had just come though the hole leading to the clear area. It zipped by them heading for a clear area where Samuel activated his process drive. It was followed by the one owned by the Boy Scout, but Samuel’s ship disappeared, before the second ship could get to it. Many other ships were in the process of leaving also.
The nervous follow continued, "Looks like the party is over anyway."
The major said, "I will give the necessary orders."
Just than the large ship they were still surrounding rippled and very quickly disappeared. One of the bridge crew members reported that it looked like they had joined the others and had fled.
The major said, "Good, he really didn't want to fight," here he turned toward his boss and asked, "Was joining the gathering worth the trip?"
The reddish haired nervous man turned his green eyes to the major, "I think so, Major, but I need to go make me report with it all fresh in my mind, and than I need to relax."
The major answered, "I understand, sir. I will look forward to reading your report."
The other just nodded and turned toward the lifts glad to be out of that gathering. He had been studying a new type of experimental engine that was supposed to have a very interesting
process, few light years away when the authorities had come to him. They had wanted his help to infiltrate this meeting they had spied upon with stealth probes. It turned out that some high energy flares had attracted the attention of the military officer in charge of protecting this area of space. She had sent in the stealth probes, than had sent for him to join the gathering. He hadn’t understood why they thought he was the only one that could get in. Now he did, but he still was a nervous wreck.
As he started to fill out his report his warships rotated half way around a circle and zipped away in a perfect formation. Ten-seconds later they disappeared in a shimmer caused by their faster than light drives.
Soon afterward after every other ship had disappeared in a burst of light, another vessel rippled into existence.
Its lone occupant flipped on a diary begun to dictate, "Hmmm, the warships belonging to that nervous guy may have had experience fighting stealth ships after all. My sensors detected a drive unit moving away from where that large ship went stealth, but according to the same sensors it was still there. I noticed some of the war ships played sensors over where the ship had been, but most kept painting the area around the large ship with targeting sensors. Just enough to let that guy know they hadn't been tricked.
“It does look like the party is over, in that case I should probably get going too. I'm glad I listened in on some of their conversations. The one with the stealth ship was right, there was the evil one, the good one, or boy scout, the brash one, but if he was the cunning one that most mean that I am the sneaky one. They never knew I was here, even the first one who made careful use of his sensors, missed me. But who was the brain? Maybe we all were.”
"Hmm, the nervous one was the only one without a process engine, which probably means he was local. Not surprising all those energy flares, from the process engines, would attract attention. Somebody moved fast to get him out here so quick. Very impressive even though it won't be surprising, that he had been near by doing some research, I suspect it on the Process Drive. But his nervousness caused him to go slower then the rest of us. Now though he knows it will work.
“That could mean that someone will show up late. But if so all of the energy from temporal energy releases left behind will alert him that he is late.
“Now it’s time for me to go home."
“But a second thought. I am curious about what form of government they have here. I will stay just long enough to learn that but even so I need to watch those troops they know stealth vessels.”
Just as the nervous one finished a short preliminary report and signed his name Samuel G. Longrian, the sneaky one said, “Samuel G. Longrian signing off”.

end