in the alley three nights ago. It wasn't like her and he was worried.
He walked the same route she had that night through the safe zone
-around the headquarters, then into the dark alleys of Hollowtown, the
-area to the west of APD headquarters. He knew he was crazy to wander
-these alleys alone, but he had to see for himself. Garbage was piled
-high along the sides of the buildings. Some people just threw their
-refuse at the disposal openings and walked away, even if the noisome
-waste splattered against the side of the building. The openings to the
-trash disposals weren't all covered. He shuddered as he thought what
-could happen if a child climbed in there.
+around the station. He was headed into the dark alleys of Hollowtown,
+the area to the west of APD headquarters.
+
+But before the condos sprang upward to the sky, there was a large
+open, empty area. Anything that had been there before was gone.
+
+Looking around, he realized that he was in what had been the Gardens
+of Callough. He remembered the Gardens, filled with larkspur and
+hollyhocks, nasturtium and daisies, with fountains and a little stream
+running along the flower beds. There were dozens of flowers from
+Earth. There had been some from Agalder as well. The colors had been
+overwhelming: reds, blues, yellows, purples, greens, and every vibrant
+shade in between. All gone. The area was blasted. Grays and blacks,
+dirty browns were the only colors here now. He turned away. It hurt
+too much.
+
+There had been voting booths here, too, gaily decorated with the
+purple and green of Agalder. He had voted here, voted for Manchester.
+She had been by far the best candidate for President of the Republic
+and had won in a landslide. And then had been gunned down on the steps
+of the Capitol as she was taking the oath of office, along with her
+Vice President and dozens of others.
+
+On duty that day, he was standing at the base of the steps, thirty
+feet below the President-elect. She had stood straight and tall, proud
+to receive the honor. He had seen the guns coming out. How had they
+gotten them inside the barricades? He had pulled his weapon and
+started firing, already knowing it was too little, too late.
+
+Wounded, he had lain on the steps for hours before someone discovered
+that he was still alive. But he hadn't cared. Manchester was dead. He
+had heard much of the talk around him from the invaders. The coup had
+been a total shock to everyone on the ground. No one, including the
+security advisors, had ever heard of the group that took over. Tavis
+had learned later that they were a group of itinerant pirates who saw
+an opportunity and took it.
+
+Just because they were taken by surprise didn't mean that the people
+of Agalder didn't fight back. They fought. And they fought with a fury
+and a hatred engendered by the slaughter of Manchester and her people.
+
+The new President wasn't just wildly popular. She represented the
+whole history of Agalder. From the lost colony that was almost reduced
+to cannibalism before it was found to the exploitation by the Xei
+Empire and the rebellion, through the fall of the Empire and the Iron
+Wars, until a greatly reduced population on Agalder had banded
+together to throw out the remnants of the invaders.
+
+Manchester had come from the lowest class on Agalder. A street orphan,
+she had no idea who her people were. But she had understood the
+concept of a free society and its ramifications for all the people.
+She had educated herself and clawed her way upward. In many ways,
+Manchester had been the symbol of freedom on the planet.
+
+Ten years had gone into drawing up a Constitution, delineating the
+powers of the government with enough checks and balances to choke a
+chaupoo. The temporary government had agreed to step down when
+Manchester had taken office. Everything was going so well. And then
+the pirates struck. There was a fleet of them. Their soldiers had been
+off-loaded on an uninhabited island just off the coast. The first clue
+the people of Agalder had was seeing Manchester shot down. Then the
+troop carriers had skimmed by overhead. The tanks and JVDs had come
+rumbling into the city.
+
+Men, women, children, all had taken whatever weapons were available to
+attack the enemy. For a time the pirates were pushed back by the sheer
+ferocity of the attacks. The attacks came from everywhere. No pirate
+could walk alone in the city unmolested. Children as young as six
+would drop from windows with knives and razors, or spades and forks,
+whatever could pierce skin, put out an eye, or slit a throat.
+
+But children with box knives and sling shots couldn't defeat trained
+men with modern weapons. A lot of people died for nothing, thought
+Tavis. Yet the Resistance had persisted, Maybe soon they would take
+back the planet before the pirates destroyed it entirely.
+
+The spirit of revolution in the people of Agalder still flamed. But it
+had been nearly twelve years since the Pirate Regime had taken over.
+That's what Agalder called the usurpers. They called themselves the
+Democratic Advisory Council of Agalder. He shook his head. They were
+so good at putting their boots on the natives' necks. That was about
+the only thing the bastards were good at. Except of course, for their
+talent at taking every last cent you earned and their adeptness at
+making people they didn't like disappear.
+
+He knew he was crazy to wander these alleys alone, but he had to see
+for himself. Garbage was piled high along the sides of the buildings.
+Some people just threw their refuse at the disposal openings and
+walked away, even if the noisome waste splattered against the side of
+the building. The openings to the trash disposals weren't all covered.
+He shuddered as he thought what could happen if a child climbed in
+there. Kids got into everything, especially when told to stay away. He
+remembered his son climbing...
Movement to his right caught his attention and he turned, drawing his
laser gun. A shadow appeared farther down the alley. He had started in
back silently and sliced through his spinal cord. He dropped like a
discarded puppet, regretting that he wouldn't have time to finish his
work. He looked at the shoes next to him as a hand reached over him
-and twisted the knife. Then his eyes only saw eternity.
+and twisted the knife. Then his eyes saw only eternity.
==== Harlan: Thief ====
by, staring at them with open curiosity.
When he reached the little trail into the park, he disappeared along a
-faint trail that led to a clearing. By the time Alfie reached the
+faint track that led to a clearing. By the time Alfie reached the
clearing, he had discarded his female disguise, turning the raincoat
inside out and ripping off the lower half to form a leather jacket.
His wig turned inside out to become a leather cap and the scarf went
Cassidy sighed "I am not going to stand here and debate philosophy
with you. Suffice it to say that I think Harlan is a spy working for
-the cops. He's a traitor. He's not an innocent. Now goodnight."
+the cops. He's a traitor. He's not an innocent. Now goodnight." He
+trudged off.
Alfie stared after him, speechless.
told him to get rid of Harlan. He couldn't even confirm that the
orders came from the head of the Syndicate, Chas Hawkins. Cassidy
talked to him alone each time. No witnesses to what he said. It was a
-dead end unless they could get their hands on Cassidy.
+dead end unless they could get their hands on Cassidy. The woman from
+forensics had managed to get her ties off in just a few minutes and
+reported to the team. She backed Alfie up on what Cassidy had said.
But Cassidy lived in the big house and rarely left. When he did, he
was surrounded with his bodyguards. If they tried to grab him while he
"So why did you send Alfie to kill me?" he asked softly, his eyes as
cold as space.
-==== Harlan: Thief ====
-
Cassidy met his gaze. "We figured you'd come after us if we killed
-your father. So we decided to eliminate a threat. ‘Cept Alfie screwed
+your father. So we decided to eliminate a threat. 'Cept Alfie screwed
up."
Harlan leaned back abruptly. "You knew that the Chief was my father?
Mellie turned and gazed into his eyes. After a minute, she said "He's
already been hurt. He was shot with an old fashioned bullet by a
-sniper 2 weeks ago. And he disappeared today."
+sniper two weeks ago. And he disappeared today."
Her face crumpled. "I don't know where he is and I'm so scared for
him. I'm sure he was going after Cassidy." Tears coursed down her
again. Then he shook her gently. Then he shook her a bit less gently.
All he got was snores.
-With a rueful smile on his face, he undressed her and got her under
-the covers. Tucking her in, he kissed her gently on the forehead. Then
-he looked at her for a minute and lay down on the floor and went to
-sleep.
+With a rueful smile on his face, he got her under the covers. Tucking
+her in, he kissed her gently on the forehead. Then he looked at her
+for a minute and lay down on the floor and went to sleep.
He woke before she did and quietly left the condo after making sure
all the windows and doors were locked securely.
Harlan's eyes turned to Behan and held his gaze. "You think she can do
this and come out alive?"
-Behan nodded. "Yes. She really is that good."
\ No newline at end of file
+Behan nodded. "Yes. She really is that good."
+
+==== Mellie: Detective, Resistance Spy ====
+
+Mellie had been given what was probably the hardest role in the coming
+rebellion. She was to live a dual life. She had to make herself
+acceptable to the detectives, to become one of the 'boys', slowly
+insinuating herself into the group until she was accepted. She
+agonized on how to break the ice with nine young to approaching
+elderly men, not counting Behan. What could she say or do that would
+look natural?
+
+The detectives were playing traffic in a soccer match that night. She
+decided to go. She wore her hair caught up in a black cap, which
+matched her black pants and jacket. Sitting high up, she could see not
+just the field, but the mountains and the waterfall to the west. She
+had arrived early and the sun set in glorious colors. She was
+transfixed and almost forgot about the game.
+
+Tearing her eyes from the fading sunset, she watched as the men and
+women of traffic outran and outscored the detectives. She didn't
+cheer. She didn't even move. She just watched. After the game the two
+teams went off to the Oasis Chance Casino for dinner and a night of
+carousing. Mellie went home.
+
+The next morning she was reviewing a file on her tablet, feet up on
+the desk. She got a few looks from the 'boys' for this lack of
+decorum, but no one said anything.
+
+Biggers was entertaining the unit clerks with his version of the
+soccer game.
+
+"Hanson kicked the ball to me. The way to the goal was open. I started
+running, keeping the ball just a few feet ahead of me. I dodged
+Phillips from traffic and swerved around Jimmy Ricci. I was clear.
+When all of a sudden,..." he paused dramatically.
+
+"He tripped over his own feet and traffic got the ball." said Mellie.
+She didn't look up from her tablet.
+
+Biggers mouth dropped open. Every pair of eyes in the room was
+suddenly scrutinizing Mellie. She finally looked up at the astonished
+Biggers. "Right, Biggers?" and she smiled.
+
+Behan began to laugh, a couple others joined in, and soon the whole
+room was roaring with laughter. Biggers was a little hostile at first,
+but then he got a sheepish grin on his face and joined in the
+laughter.
+
+Mellie shook her head. It really hadn't been all that funny. She
+pulled her feet down from the desk and leaned forward and got back to
+work.
+
+A few days later, she had an opportunity to insert a comment about a
+case as she was walking past three of them. It was something that no
+one had thought of. "Did you check the time that it got dark last
+night? Dusk is divided into several segments. I don't remember all the
+names, but the last one is astronomical dusk when the sun is something
+like 18 degrees below the horizon and there's no sunlight left. Your
+visibility at that time is just about ten feet. If your witness
+claimed she saw the suspect clearly at that time from forty feet, she
+was lying." And she continued on her way. Hanson scurried to his desk
+to check the information.
+
+As she was leaving that night, Hanson stopped her. "Hey, Mellie." he
+called. She looked back and waited for him as he hurried to catch up.
+Hanson was in his 30s, getting a little thin on top and a little thick
+in the middle. He'd never said a word to Mellie before.
+
+"I wanted to say thanks. That little tip you dropped on your way past
+this morning made a big difference in the case." He looked out over
+Mellie's head. "The witness was definitely lying. You were right. We
+arrested her and she broke down a couple hours later and confessed."
+His gaze came back to Mellie. "Without that piece of information, we
+would have arrested the wrong person and gotten egg all over our
+faces. As it is, we're lookin' good." He tapped her on the shoulder,
+smiled, and said "Thanks." as he ran down the ramp to the street.
+
+Mellie watched as a good looking woman on a bright red Air Jumper
+picked him up. He hopped onto the back of the skimmer and they went
+roaring off into the night.
+
+There was a definite thawing in the attitudes of her colleagues in the
+next few weeks.
+
+==== John Behan: Detective, Resistance Fighter ====
+
+As Mellie slowly, carefully found her way into the brotherhood of
+detectives, Behan watched and silently cheered her on. He was
+delighted that she had discovered a way to get the 'boys' on her side.
+When she spoke, they started to listen, instead of talking over her.
+And they often acted on her advice, having found that she actually
+knew what she was talking about.
+
+He stopped worrying about her the morning he came into work and Mellie
+was sitting with one hip perched on Biggers desk, drinking a cup of
+coffee, and laughing with four of the detectives. He just smiled as he
+walked past and got to work.
+
+Behan had his own problems. He was conducting a covert operation
+within the department, searching for anyone who was being paid by the
+pirates for information on investigations and operations. He had
+started the work six months ago with the entire force as suspects.
+Most people were easy to eliminate. Either they were too low on the
+totem pole to have access to the information or they were in positions
+that simply did not have any need to know. However, he had noted that
+two of the supposedly 'benign' staff had received an influx of money
+recently. They were being watched.
+
+==== Mellie: Detective, Resistance Operative ====
+
+To her shock, Mellie discovered that she was beginning to like her
+colleagues. They had accepted her as an equal member of the team and
+were treating her with the same respect and rough camaraderie that
+they afforded each other. Well, not quite the same. They cleaned up
+their language for the most part when she was with them. Except in
+stressful situations and then the detectives noted that Mellie could
+be as foul mouthed as any of them.
+
+The difference was that they now liked her and that fondness was
+reflected in their attitudes. She fervently wished that she was not a
+Resistance spy. She just wanted to be a detective.
+
+Most of her colleagues appeared to be as apolitical as possible.
+Although with the pirates in charge of the planet, she didn't
+understand why her new friends didn't talk among themselves about the
+regime and the horrors they saw on a daily basis.. She wondered how
+many of the supposedly neutral police force were actually members of
+the Resistance. And then she thought that some might be in the pay of
+the Pirates. If they couldn't fully trust each other, then open
+criticism of the regime would be a quick way to get killed.
+
+So they avoided the subject altogether, kept their heads down, and did
+their jobs. No way to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
+
+She decided she had to be subtle.
+
+Two days later they were called to the scene of a multiple homicide
+that included children. Mellie didn't have to fake the deep anger and
+hatred she felt for the people who fostered this environment, who took
+away the education system, the teachers, the books, and gave poverty
+and crime in return. She tried to keep her voice down but wasn't
+entirely successful. She cursed every one of the members of the
+Democratic Advisory Board, the President, and was starting on the
+heads of departments, when one of her partners stepped on her foot,
+and another 'accidentally' elbowed her in the ribs.
+
+"Shut up!" they whispered urgently. "You never know where there are
+microphones or ears listening."
+
+She noticed two others had almost reached her and were just now
+turning away. Every member of this team apparently wanted her alive.
+Apparently.
+
+She gritted her teeth and got to work.
+
+That subterfuge accomplished nothing beyond getting her sore ribs and
+a sore foot. The next attempt was going to be harder and she would
+need help.
+
+==== Harlan: Thief, Resistance Operative ====
+
+Harlan had no idea how he was supposed to suddenly make friends with
+the people in the Thieves' Guild. He had been known for his
+stand-offish attitude since he had first started out. There were a few
+that he talked to at times when they ran into one another. He
+occasionally had a brew with Big Domosky and considered the man his
+friend. Big Domosky was called that because he was - big, that is.
+About 140 kilos and 206 cm, the man made Harlan feel like a child
+beside him. Short orange hair covered his scalp, going well with his
+dark brown complexion.
+
+Domosky was smart and well educated. He had had two major interests in
+college - astrophysics and classical literature and had gotten degrees
+in both. He'd gone on to get advanced degrees in the sciences and just
+when he was ready to go make money, the pirates had shown up. That
+never spoiled the big man's attitude. He just devoted his life to
+stealing as much from the pirates and their sympathizers as he could.
+
+Harlan decided that Big Domosky was as good a place to start as any.
+He went to track the man down. He found him leaning on the bar in the
+Black Chaupoo. The bartender looked like he'd rather the big man
+didn't lean so heavily but said nothing.
+
+"Hey, Domosky! How you doing?" called out Harlan.
+
+"Harlan! Are you all right? There was a rumor that you were shot. You
+look okay."
+
+"I get a cold and somebody starts a rumor that I've been shot." Harlan
+answered. "No. I'm good." He stepped up next to the giant and asked
+the bartender for a brew.
+
+Domosky raised his hand to slap Harlan on the back, but something in
+the thief's eyes stopped him. He laid the huge hand gently on his
+friend's shoulder. "Well, It's good to see you. Come sit at my table
+and catch me up on your doings."
+
+He led the way to a large table with colossal chairs in a corner. Once
+settled in, Domosky leaned forward and spoke softly. "You really did
+get hurt, didn't you?"
+
+Harlan glanced at the next table which was unoccupied. "How do you
+know that?"
+
+"I was going to slap you on the back, but your face went white, and
+you looked like a trapped marsck. You weren't sure you could tolerate
+it."
+
+Harlan chuckled. "I probably would have passed out. Thank you for not
+greeting me in the usual Domosky manner."
+
+Domosky nodded. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
+
+Harlan stared at his brew for a while. "Dom, we've been friends for a
+long time now, but there are things you don't know about me and..."
+
+"Like the fact that your father was Sam Tavis? That he was a member of
+the Resistance and that you are, too. That you're in love with that
+cute detective, Mellie, and that she loves you just as much."
+
+Harlan's eyes never strayed from the brew, but his shoulders
+tightened. "I'm not sure what you're..."
+
+"Yes, you are. You're just wondering how I know it and if I can be
+trusted." He glanced up at the bar across the room. No one seemed to
+be paying any attention to them. "Harlan, the Boss told me. Greg
+Santorini. I've been keeping a eye on you for a couple of years." He
+grimaced. "If you hadn't vanished into thin air recently, I'd have
+known what happened to you."
+
+"Why don't you know? If you're a Resistance member, then you would
+have heard that I was shot at headquarters and nearly died there." Now
+Harlan's eyes were locked with Domosky's dark brown ones.
+
+"Well, shit." said the giant. "I just got back from the mines up at
+Cannette's tonight. They had heard that you were injured but had no
+details."
+
+"What were you doing up there?"
+
+"Arranging for a revolution." the big man answered.
+
+"So you're saying you're a Resistance member and I'm supposed to
+believe that?"
+
+"Yes." Then Domosky shrugged. "But I do have proof."
+
+"Yeah? Let's see it."
+
+"Him. Come on."
+
+Domosky stood and walked to a door next to the men's room. He opened
+it without knocking and went in. Harlan followed. The Boss was sitting
+at a table with John Behan and three other men.
+
+Santorini looked at them "Whatcha need, Dom?"
+
+"This idiot is poking holes in my story and wants proof that I'm part
+of the Resistance."
+
+Quiet laughter ran around the table. "Yes, Harlan. You can trust this
+oaf. He's for real." and Santorini turned back to the table.
\ No newline at end of file
projects / universe.git / blobdiff