X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=blobdiff_plain;ds=sidebyside;f=agalder.txt;h=42be3c733d3a22eecaba6807eb4f6b30ab8664c9;hb=9665ed347c7002f31db4d3776c3315a07a20b30a;hp=924283e6a7616e0bf7472c276b5b235bd96b3313;hpb=f5051a6d93b8d483289a4fc14d3b7be9357f4ab4;p=universe.git

diff --git a/agalder.txt b/agalder.txt
index 924283e..42be3c7 100644
--- a/agalder.txt
+++ b/agalder.txt
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ guy."
 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." He
-picked up the woman, threw her over his shoulder, and trudged off.
+trudged off.
 
 Alfie stared after him, speechless.
 
@@ -1666,12 +1666,12 @@ 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. On one hand, she was to make
-herself acceptable to the detectives. She was 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?
+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
@@ -1758,4 +1758,422 @@ 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.
\ No newline at end of file
+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.
+
+==== Harlan: Thief, Resistance Operative ====
+
+Domosky and Harlan returned to their table where the younger man sat
+staring at his hands silently. Domosky waited.
+
+Finally, Harlan looked up at the big man. "Sorry. I'm a bit pissed."
+He looked at the barkeep. "Even the bartender knows more than I do."
+
+He rose from the table and headed for the door.
+
+Domosky stood up and followed. He caught up with Harlan in a few of
+his long strides. "If you go to the roofs, we won't be able to talk."
+His breath streamed out on the cold night air. "No one knows more than
+they need to. You are entering a new phase. And you need more
+information now. So you're getting it."
+
+He rubbed the back of his head. "I felt much the same as you do last
+week when they filled me in on a lot of minor details. Like Behan and
+Murphy."
+
+Harlan snorted. "Behan doesn't seem like a minor detail to me." He
+looked at Dom. "Who's Murphy."
+
+"The guy sitting across from the Boss at the table. He's an assistant
+to the President."
+
+"The President? The pirate President? Mahoney? That President?"
+
+"Yes. That President."
+
+"Jesus H. Christ on a hofsteader." Harlan stood for a long minute, his
+mouth hanging open. Then he shook his head vigorously. "I don't
+believe that. I don't believe any of those bastards could be turned."
+
+"He wasn't turned. He contacted us."
+
+"That proves it. He's a mole. He joined the Resistance to get
+information on us to pass on to his boss. He needs to be eliminated."
+He looked back at the tavern as Domosky turned him around and they
+walked back.
+
+"His wife would shoot you just for saying that." said Dom as they
+entered the pub.
+
+Harlan's head came up. "Who's his wife? And why should I care?"
+
+"Her name is Silver Santorini. She's the Boss's daughter." He leaned
+forward, scrutinizing the crowd. "In fact, that's her. Over by the
+bar. The one with all the panting men around her."
+
+Standing next to the bar was one of the most beautiful women Harlan
+had ever seen. Her hair was almost pure white, hanging loose and
+tumbling down her back like a waterfall. But she wasn't an albino. Her
+skin had a healthy pink tinge, especially on those high cheekbones.
+Her eyes were light although he couldn't see what color they were from
+this distance. Her rosebud mouth opened as she laughed over perfect
+white teeth. Her neck...
+
+Harlan forced his attention back to Domosky. "Holy shit!" he said.
+"That's the Boss' daughter?"
+
+Domosky had been watching Harlan's reaction to the woman. "Yep. Lots
+prettier than her daddy."
+
+Harlan snorted. "You're a master of understatement."
+
+Then he deliberately turned his back on the very distracting woman,
+shifting so that he faced Domosky. "Do you know what the high
+muckety-mucks have ordered me to do?"
+
+The big man grinned. "As I understand it, you volunteered to serve in
+whatever capacity they needed."
+
+"That was before I heard what the assignment was." He shook his head,
+taking a quick glance at the Boss' daughter. "They want me to organize
+the thieves, destroy the Syndicate, and bring any left alive into the
+Thieves' Guild." Shaking his head again, he asked "How in Hell am I
+supposed to accomplish that? Behan says I have friends who will be
+there for me." He took another quick look at Silver. "As far as I
+know, you're the only person I can call a friend. And you might not
+feel that way."
+
+Domosky chuckled. "You will probably be surprised when you find out
+how many friends you actually have." He leaned back in his chair,
+possibly to cut off the view of Silver Santorini, which was just as
+distracting to him. "And, yes. I am your friend."
+
+Harlan looked at the big man for a moment with a slightly crooked
+smile. Then he realized that Silver Santorini was standing next to
+them. Both men nearly fell as they hurriedly stood up.
+
+Silver's lips quirked. "May I join you?" she asked.
+
+"Of course." said Dom as he grabbed a chair from a nearby table,
+dumping the previous occupant.
+
+"Our pleasure." said Harlan as he moved his chair over to make room.
+
+Silver was chuckling as she stooped to assist the man who had been so
+unceremoniously deposited on the floor. Dom's face went pink and he
+lifted the man to his feet, apologizing.
+
+Silver offered her hand to both of the men. "Hello. I'm Silver
+Santorini. I believe you know my father."
+
+The two men had difficulty letting go of her hand, but she was able to
+extricate it.
+
+She accepted their offer of a brew as the waiter came over.
+
+Once they were alone, she leaned forward and spoke softly. "I have
+been assigned to your team, Harlan. It will be you and me and Dom."
+
+For the first time, Harlan was not pleased to see Mellie walk in the
+door to the tavern.
+
+==== Mellie: Detective, Resistance operative ====
+
+She really didn't expect to find Harlan in the Black Chaupoo. She
+certainly didn't expect to find him with a gorgeous woman with pure
+white hair and green eyes. She felt her own eyes narrow as she walked
+toward them. Harlan had turned and was looking at her. His eyebrows
+were raised as if he were puzzled. Or maybe anxious.
+
+He stood and reached for her as she came up to the table, but Mellie
+ignored his outstretched hand and smiled down at the woman.
+
+"Hello, Dom." she said without so much as glancing at him. "Hello,
+Harlan. Who's your friend?"
+
+The woman's perfectly arched eyebrows also rose and a little smile
+played around her lips.
+
+Harlan sighed. "This is Silver Santorini, the Boss' daughter." he
+said. "She's married to a guy named Murphy who's with the Boss in the
+back room."
+
+Now Mellie did look up at Harlan. Briefly. "I've heard of you." she
+said to the woman. "Everyone talked about how beautiful you are. I
+didn't believe them until now."
+
+Silver smiled again. "Thank you, Detective." She stood. "I had heard
+much the same about you. I see that the gossip was also true."
+
+They stood staring at each other for a moment. Then Mellie offered her
+hand and Silver took it. Their handshake lasted a bit longer than one
+between two men would have and seemed much more intimate. Harlan had
+the distinct feeling that they were saying things to each other
+without words.
+
+The women sat down and the men followed suit.
+
+Mellie stared at Harlan for a long minute, markedly increasing his
+anxiety. Finally she smiled at him and reached out and took his hand.
+Turning to Silver, she asked "Is that Liam Murphy you're married to?"
+
+Silver nodded. "That would be the man. We've been married for three
+years. He's a good man."
+
+"Except that he's a pirate and the President's assistant. That makes
+him a little bit suspect on this side of town."
+
+"I know. I've lived with those suspicions for years now." She
+grimaced. "But I know this man. I know him well. He is sincere. He
+wants to overthrow the tyranny and free the people of Agalder. He has
+the courage and brilliance to do it."
+
+Mellie raised an eyebrow. "Why would he betray his comrades?"
+
+"Because they are wrong and cruel and basically evil." Silver said as
+she took a sip of her brew. "There are another half dozen crew members
+who think like Murph does. They'll join him when it's time. But the
+majority of the crews are only interested in making their fortunes.
+This is supposed to be the last gig. When they leave here, they're
+supposed to split up and head for different parts of the galaxy to
+retire." She snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it."
+
+"What will you believe?" asked Harlan. "That they won't head off to
+different ends of the galaxy? Or that this is their last gig?"
+
+She smiled and Harlan couldn't help it. His heart beat a little
+faster. "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised to see them split up. They all
+detest each other. There is no honor among thieves." She shook her
+head. "No. What would surprise me is if this is their last gig. They
+are all the greediest of pigs. They might split up, but they would
+find another way to make money by harming and killing and raping and
+maiming anyone they can."
+
+Mellie shook her head and spoke - so softly that Silver almost missed
+it. "It will be their last gig all right. They will be much too dead
+for another."
+
+Silver met her eyes, green staring into blue, and she nodded.
+
+==== Silver Santorini: Resistance Operative ====
+
+Silver Santorini and Liam Murphy had been married over three years and
+were very much in love. Yet they had never lived together, never
+shared the small joys of preparing meals together, of planning
+vacations, of sharing their days at work and little triumphs with each
+other. They met every few weeks to report to each other and share a
+couple of hours of steamy sex. It was all they had at the moment. But
+they thought they could see the light at the end of the wormhole and
+prayed that it was not the inside of a star.
+
+They couldn't think about that future now. That could lead to
+inattention and carelessness and they couldn't risk that. They had to
+stay focused. That's why Silver only glanced at Murphy when the door
+opened and the men came out of the back room. He didn't even look at
+her. Behan had slipped out a window, the same way he had come in.
+Santorini came over and pulled up a chair at the table.
+
+"I see you've met my daughter." he said, looking at Mellie.
+
+"Yes. We were just getting acquainted." replied Mellie, her gaze
+steady.
+
+The Boss stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Don't worry about
+Murph. He's a good guy and dedicated to our cause."
+
+His eyes flicked from Harlan to Mellie and back.
+
+Harlan said "If you say he's ok, I'll trust him."
+
+Santorini stood and smiled. "He's ok, Harlan. You can trust him." He
+kissed Silver and left.
+
+Silver turned to Mellie. "Dad's assigned me to Harlan's team. It'll be
+Harlan and Dom and me." She waited for a reaction.
+
+The churning in her stomach didn't show on her face as Mellie said
+"Sounds like a good team." Then she looked at Dom. "Actually I came
+here to see you, Dom. I'm going to need some help when the time comes
+to take over APD headquarters. And I've already decided that you would
+be perfect in that role."
+
+"What about me?" Harlan's voice was just a little bit whiny.
+
+Mellie began to giggle and Dom and Silver joined in the laughter.
+Harlan looked indignant for a few moments and then chuckled. "That did
+sound petulant, didn't it?"
+
+"Yes." Mellie reached out and took his hand. "Two things, my love.
+First, you're going to be too busy for this. And second, I don't want
+you anywhere around when the time comes. You would be too distracting
+for me and vice versa. Neither one of us will be able to afford
+distractions then."
+
+"Dom's going to be busy, too." said Harlan, still not happy.
+
+"Not like you are. He should be able to help me then. I am going to
+need the second best thief in Crater City for a few hours."
\ No newline at end of file