+"Ned." he said. "I thought you died with your dad."
+
+==== Santorini: Boss of the Resistance ====
+
+Santorini chose Harlan to come with him. While Harlan was surprised,
+no one else was. Harlan was the best second story (or third or fourth)
+man in Crater City and, therefore, the best guard the Boss could have.
+
+They set out the next night two hours early in an AirSedan, black as
+the darkness around them. It was roomy and comfortable inside and
+well-equipped with weapons. They flew to the meeting point and waited
+a kilometer away, scans probing the area to give warning when anyone
+approached. The car was well hidden in some ruins.
+
+Harlan slipped away into the rocks and disappeared.
+
+The Boss was surprised when Cassidy and his assistant showed up and
+pulled in next to them. Cassidy raised his windscreen and grinned at
+him.
+
+"Good evening, Santorini. You can tell your young assistant to come
+back in from the wilds."
+
+The Boss raised their car top and glared at the Syndicate head. "I
+thought the meeting was later and over there." He waved vaguely in the
+direction of the proposed meeting place. Turning his head, he yelled
+"Come on in, Harlan."
+
+Cassidy laughed, a real laugh, full of humor and good feeling. "You
+seemed to have gotten lost. And out here, one place is as good as
+another." He climbed out of the Sedan and sat on the front and
+signaling his associate to join him, effectively eliminated any threat
+from the vehicle's armament. The associate was wearing a helmet,
+obscuring the identity.
+
+Looking at the Syndicate chief, Santorini grunted. "Gutsy, aren't
+you?"
+
+He climbed out of his vehicle and walked over to Cassidy and the
+other. He already knew who the helmeted other was. He had known as
+soon as she moved.
+
+Positioning himself between the Syndicate representatives, he leaned
+against their car and looked up at the stars. "Nice night." he
+commented.
+
+They were all looking at the spot where they expected Harlan to
+appear. Cassidy jumped and even Santorini gasped when Harlan touched
+them on the shoulders from behind.
+
+Cassidy and his associate looked at the thief and at the Boss, then at
+each other. Santorini reached out and hugged the helmeted associate.
+The helmet came off.
+
+"Daddy." said Emerald. "You're such a spoilsport."
+
+The four sat down and talked. Emerald had ordered sandwiches and
+salads from the kitchen and a couple of bottles of wine. It took two
+hours, but they hammered out an agreement that would allow for amnesty
+for freedom fighters and their families.
+
+They also discussed a land agreement. Everyone who fought for the
+Resistance would be eligible to buy land on the planet. Good land at a
+good price. The world had been devastated by the Iron Wars, The
+population outside of Crater City consisted largely of roving gangs of
+bandits. There were no other towns. Not anymore.
+
+Santorini wanted to rebuild not just the city but the whole world.
+
+Cassidy had his hopes set on New Dessel. He wanted to free the
+indentured servants and provide them with a living wage. He wanted to
+build a middle class that did not yet exist on that planet.
+
+Santorini wished him luck. The Syndicate chief would run into a lot of
+opposition from the factory owners on New Dessel. They liked the
+status quo.
+
+They were packing up to go home when Emerald spoke softly to her
+father. "I'll be going with him when he leaves for New Dessel, Daddy."
+
+Santorini went very still for a moment. Then he looked at her. "I
+know. But relations should improve between the planets, both
+communication and commerce. We'll see each other often."
+
+He grinned at her. "By the way, your mother's pregnant again."
+
+Leaving her with a shocked expression on her face, he hopped into the
+sedan and took off.
+
+==== Cassidy: Newly promoted head of the Syndicate ====
+
+Cassidy and his crew were pounding at the doors of the Green Palace at
+dawn the next day. They were ready to do the upgrades on the armory. A
+firefight almost broke out when Resistance members saw the Syndicate
+people.
+
+Cassidy was at the head of the Syndicate group and had his hands up
+high. "Hey! Hey! We're here to help you, not fight you. Where's
+Santorini?"
+
+A gruff voice down the hall called "Right here. I'm having to fight my
+way through."
+
+A path cleared and Santorini came trotting up to bring the delegation
+inside. He pushed his way through to the lifts and they climbed
+aboard, relieved to be away from the house guards.
+
+Cassidy looked at the Boss. "They didn't get the memo?"
+
+Santorini grinned. "I didn't expect you this early. I was just
+starting to inform everyone. Sorry about that."
+
+Santorini took them to the armory and left them on their own, a show
+of trust that Cassidy hadn't expected.
+
+Emerald showed up a few hours later. She walked up to him. Actually
+she did something between swaying and gliding. And then she kissed
+him. Thoroughly, The men cheered and Cassidy turned bright red.
+
+It took seven hours to install the new equipment and ammunition. By
+the time they were finished, several friendships had been formed
+between Syndicate guys and Resistance guys. After all they were in the
+same business - getting rid of the pirates. A large group went out to
+eat together that evening.
+
+Santorini and Cassidy watched from the third floor office as the young
+men left, pushing and shoving and laughing. Cassidy said "That bodes
+well for relations after we kick the pirate asses off the planet."
+
+The Boss laughed and agreed. "Who'd a thunk?"
+
+Harlan opened the office door and stuck his head in. "I can't find
+Mellie. She's not responding to her communicator. I'm going to police
+headquarters to find her."
+
+As he pulled his head back into the hall, Santorini yelled. "No!
+Harlan. Get your ass back in here. NOW!"
+
+A moment later, the young thief slipped back into the office, starting
+to argue. "Look, Boss, I know I'm not supposed to be over there. But I
+can hide in stairwells and bathrooms. I won't get caught. I..."
+
+The Boss put his hands on Harlan's shoulders and guided him to a
+chair. "Look. She's busy. She's not answering her com unless it's Lt.
+Marks or higher. She's on her own at the moment. We're keeping an eye
+on the situation and she seems to be doing well." He pushed Harlan
+back down in the chair. "Now don't you get yourself involved over
+there. She has her work and you have yours. Leave her alone."
+
+"Now you either get to share a bottle of supposedly real Scotch
+whiskey with me and my new best buddy here" touching Cassidy's
+shoulder "or get out and go foment riot and rebellion."
+
+Harlan couldn't help himself. He laughed and took a drink before he
+left to do some fomenting.
\ No newline at end of file
projects / universe.git / commitdiff