From: Jason Self Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2022 13:21:30 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Apply some fixups X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?p=universe.git;a=commitdiff_plain;h=4254e3ea5b7301e8388f9b24a06bbf27467c8588 Apply some fixups --- diff --git a/agalder.txt b/agalder.txt index 95c8020..881b684 100644 --- a/agalder.txt +++ b/agalder.txt @@ -2941,9 +2941,150 @@ Harlan." Harlan remembered. Timmy Moreno. His father's friend. A man of honor and strength. Harlan had looked up to him. And he had played with -Timmy's son. Ned. +Timmy's son. Jake. -"Ned." he said. "I thought you died with your dad." +"Jake." he said. "I thought you died with your dad." + +==== Harlan: Thief, Resistance Operative==== + +Jake looked down at the carpet under his feet. "No. He protected me +with his body. I lived because he took the force of the blast." His +eyes roamed up the wall, seeing a time years ago and miles away. "When +the Guard came around to see if everyone was dead, I unfocused my eyes +like you taught me. Remember? And lay limp. I had enough blood on me +to look realistic." + +"Someone poked me in the side with a gun. It hurt, but I managed to +stay limp. They went on." + +His gaze met Harlan's. "I lay there for a long time." His eyes +sparkled with unshed tears. "My dad and me - we didn't get along well. +Part of it was the Resistance. He believed. I thought it was +bullshit." + +Running his hand through his hair, he said "We argued, sometimes to +the point of throwing punches. I couldn't sway him. And I was too +stubborn to open my eyes." + +He chuckled, a laugh with no humor in it. "Boy, did I ever have my +eyes yanked open that night." Looking at Harlan, he said "If I had +twitched, they would have shot me dead. Even though I was supposedly +on their side." + +He hung his head down and shook it. "Shit! I was dumb." + +"I think I lay there, between the cold floor and the cooling body of +my father, for at least an hour. At one point I started crying. Crying +like I had no tomorrow. And I didn't. I had no idea what to do, where +to go." + +Still with his head hanging, he said "The reason I survived had +nothing to do with my skill or knowledge. The Resistance came. I was +crawling out from under Dad at that point and was trying to get to my +feet." He smiled grimly. "I was as stiff as Dad was becoming." + +"Three men suddenly appeared - like out of thin air. One was +Santorini. I didn't know the other two." He sighed. "They obviously +knew me. One spoke up. He wanted to kill me. Santorini looked at me, +covered in my father's blood, tears streaking down my face, one leg +still stuck under the corpse. He shook his head and had them bring me +along." + +"For days, I slept or lay staring at the ceiling. I didn't eat much. I +didn't think much. Thinking was far too painful. I just lay on the bed +in a fog." + +He smiled then, a genuine smile. "Finally Santorini's daughter, Jade, +came into the room. I wasn't dead, so I noticed her. Brilliant green +hair and eyes and a smile that would light up the world. She kicked me +out of bed, forced me to dress, and dragged me back to the land of the +living." + +Harlan smiled. "I think I've met her." + +"At the Big House?" + +Harlan nodded. + +"Yeah. She's been undercover there for a couple of years." He leaned +back. "I don't like it. Hell. I hate it. But Jade's a big girl and can +do what she wants. I'm just her husband." + +"You're married to that witch?" + +"Yeah. Ain't she great?" + +Harlan grinned. "Hell, yeah." + +Harlan and Jake began to laugh. Mellie stared at them. "What's so +funny?" + +Harlan managed to say. "You'll have to meet her." + +When he had controlled his laughter, Harlan said "You'll have to +forgive me if I don't trust you implicitly yet, Jake. I'll let +Santorini okay you." + +Keeping their phasers centered on Jake's back, Harlan and Mellie +herded him out the door and into the garage, boarding a two seater +AirScooter. Mellie sat on Harlan's lap and guided the machine. Fifteen +minutes of discomfort and crowding later, they arrived at the Green +Palace. + +Santorini met them at the front door. He didn't even look at Harlan or +Mellie. He went straight to Jake and hugged him, holding the younger +man tightly for a moment. When the Boss stepped back, Harlan could see +tears in the eyes of both men. + +Harlan shrugged and put his phaser away. Looking at Mellie, he saw +that she was smiling and had already holstered her weapon. + +Santorini brought Jake over to them. He started to introduce Jake, but +they all interrupted, saying that they had indeed met. + +The Boss said "Oh, yeah. That's right. Thank you for not killing or +maiming him. Jade would kill all of us." + +Mellie looked at Santorini and asked "You got any more daughters, +Boss?" + +"Yeah. Two more. Why?" + +Mellie shook her head. "Nevermind." + +Jake carried a message from Cassidy. Cassidy could see what was about +to happen on his world and he wanted to be on the winning side. By his +calculations, the Resistance would win. He would be throwing all the +resources of the Syndicate behind the rebels. + +There were stipulations, of course, including a full pardon for every +man or woman who fought for freedom. + +Cassidy wanted that pardon. He had set up a legitimate business +several years ago, importing fashionable clothes from New Dessel where +they were made with cheap labor. To his credit, he had insisted that +all of his workers be paid at least a good wage by New Dessel +standards. He also managed to get them good health care coverage and +even two weeks vacation. They were basically indentured servants so he +forgave fifty percent of their debt and released them when the rest +was paid off. He even rehired them at a significant increase in wages. +All of this could be done on New Dessel and still save him money. + +He wanted to move to New Dessel and continue his reforms, but he +needed to be free of his past. Going straight was complicated. + +Cassidy also foresaw the need for their armories to be updated. He had +done that for the Syndicate. He offered the Resistance the same +advances - at a discount, of course. Cassidy was giving them a good +deal. If they could trust him. + +Jake thought Cassidy was sincere. He wanted to be a hero for a change. +And to make money at it. Jake said he could almost hear the cheering +of the crowds when Cassidy talked about his dreams. + +The Boss agreed to meet with the would-be hero. Each would bring their +most trusted associate and no one else. They would all be armed. That +was understood. Trust only stretches so far. ==== Santorini: Boss of the Resistance ==== @@ -2995,14 +3136,13 @@ 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. +The helmet came off and brilliant green hair spilled out. "Daddy." +said Jade. "You're such a spoilsport." -"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. +The four sat down and talked. Jade 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 @@ -3020,8 +3160,8 @@ 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." +They were packing up to go home when Jade 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 @@ -3207,7 +3347,6 @@ back. Be careful." She nodded and headed out the door. She needed to see Santorini. - ==== Mellie: Detective, Resistance Operative ==== Mellie Kaminsky was feeling pretty cocky after successfully taking