From: Jason Self Date: Sun, 8 May 2022 17:52:08 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Publish new installment X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=6bbd1e10e2992ab3a2971ca19823bbbb77bbe897;p=universe.git Publish new installment --- diff --git a/agalder.txt b/agalder.txt index 9cdf16c..7a81b93 100644 --- a/agalder.txt +++ b/agalder.txt @@ -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 +1758,169 @@ 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. \ No newline at end of file