 TOP TEN REASONS YOU'LL NEVER GET PAST
SQUIRE
by Gergall
10. You can't find your exchange.
9. Preparing for the Martian
invasions with all Security builds.
8. Declared war on Wolfy in hopes
of stimulating the economy.
7. Primary income source is
insurance sales... to yourself.
6. Relying on Milk Runs to haul out
your excess commods.
5. Starbase1 has more Tungsten
Tourist Trap Trophies than you.
4. You're trying out every single
duchy before you decide which one is best for you.
3. ...and the Dukes offer to pay
you to Secede and never come back!
2. Just sold 6 Arts Facs to
Merchant NeverLogsOff, CEO of Never Promote Again, Inc.
And the number one reason you'll
never get past Squire:
1. You tried to corner the Gas
market by hauling in 500k tons.
THE BUZZ
MysteryNewsDroid@Hotmail.com
Has Felina lost her edge? Or just
her whip?
Your comm unit relays a message
from Paladin, "why do they keep taking my planet
offline????"
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"{{Paladin}}"
Your comm unit relays a message from Again,
"{{{{{{Paly!}}}}}}}"
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"heya Fishy."
Your comm unit relays a message from Sistertwo,
"((Paladin)) :)"
Your comm unit relays a message from Zyphr,
"Paly!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"cuz you're gone too long.. do you have a
note?;)"
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"uhhhh... my cat ate it."
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"likely story!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"prove it!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Legolas,
"So Felina still busts everyones butts."
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"well, we let her think that...
:::ducks:::"
Your comm unit relays a message from Zyphr, "Oy
vey!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Fishsticks,
"Oy cheese!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"lol pretty brave statement;)"
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"well, you wouldn't do anything to me... I'm
never here.. lol. and, you miss me too much to punish
me, right?"
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"hmmmmmmm...."
Your comm unit relays a message from Zyphr,
"::watches with amusement::"
Your comm unit relays a message from Felina,
"miss you is kind of a strong statement, but...
you did go to the trouble of thinking up an
excuse..."
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"see!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Again,
"No!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Paladin,
"well, Again..you can punish me later."
Your comm unit relays a message from Again,
"Promise? ;)"
Fear struck deep into the heart of
one of the Federation's newest Dukes. This particular
Duke had been campaigning hard for people to join his new
duchy, overlooking friendships and alliances for planet
links. He decided he had stolen enough from his fellow
Ducal types and decided to go for the planets in Sol.
"Why not try taking some
planets from Sol?", asks Halcyon.
"Because none of them are ever on!",
exclaims Fishsticks.
Halcyon winks and says, "I'm sure Ming wouldn't
mind."
Tristane laughs.
"And I don't know who to see about Venus,
anyway", says Fishsticks with a wink.
Halcyon grins
Tristane says, "Venus...just take Earth...leave
the moon.."
"Earth is useless.", says Halcyon with a
wink. "All it produces is red tape."
Tristane says, "So...it would be fun for the
newbies to start in your duchy... And Red tape could
be fun.....if you used it right..."
Zyphr wants Timber...
Halcyon has given Fishsticks a passionate kiss!
Zyphr ponders how to get him...
"Don't even touch that damn planet!",
exclaims Fishsticks. "Stealing my ambassador
would be an act of war, yanno."
Zyphr starts making her plans for Timber...
Halcyon smiles, "Uh oh."
Zyphr smiles sweetly...
Ming the Merciless has just appeared.
Ming the Merciless has just disappeared.
Halcyon laughs
Fishsticks blinks, "Fishsticks asks, "What
in hell was Ming doing here?"
Tristane laughs.
Halcyon shrugs
Tristane says, "He knew you wanted his
planets.."
Zyphr laughs at Tristane!
Tristane laughs.
Halcyon grins
Fishsticks exclaims, "Yeah, but
still......Ming!"
"I feel like I just saw Elvis!", exclaims
Fishsticks.
Tristane rolls.
Zyphr exclaims, "you should be happy he didn't
flog you!"
"Watch yor step, Fishy...I've seen what Ming can
do what he's upset.", says Halcyon.
Halcyon shudders at the memory.
Zyphr nods and grimaces...
Luckily Ming left without
inflicting any real harm, but it was apparent he was
sending out a warning!
Czarina Zyphr performed yet another
wedding this week on channel 9. She first married
Madonnaboi and Halcyon. Then married Madonnaboi and
Halcyon to Bunytales! Unfortunately, soon thereafter,
Madonnaboi was lamenting his lost engagement to Phedre
and complaining about how he was left out of everything.
At press time, Madonnaboi was petitioning for a divorce
from Halcyon and Bunytales. Are you as confused as I am?
A new service is being offered
throughout the multiverse. Much like Dear Abby, this
service offers advice to the willing and unwilling alike.
Pointers from Paly are insightful suggestions to make
your life less complicated and more fulfilling. If you
have questions for Paly, please send them to
MysteryNewsDroid@hotmail.com and both the questions and
answers will be answered in a timely manner. Here's a
sample of his sage advice:
Dear Paly,
I need some help! I've
recently married two women but feel totally left out.
They like each other and I'm usually the third wheel,
left out and unloved. I'm considering divorce. What
should I do?
DataspaceDiva
Dear DD,
You need to assert your self as
the man and 'insert' yourself in their lovemaking. I
know that is a hard concept for you to grasp.
Paly
Finally, we tuned into Radio Fed...
Your comm unit relays a message
from Andaman, "I'm tuned to 9 right? ::checks::
Your comm unit relays a message from Insomnius,
"This is channel 9, the PO Channel. Welcome as
we continue our broadcast day."
Your comm unit relays a message from Madonnaboi,
"LOL."
Your comm unit relays a message from Andaman,
"That would be snow right Insomnius?"
Until next week, make DataSpace
your playground. I'm always watching!
CONTEMPLATIONS – Part I
Teran Solo, Sleeping
Baron of Solace
Tired of watching the monitor, the
LED lights on the instrument panel starting to hurt my
eyes, I turn to look out the viewport instead, and
suddenly catch my breath. I've never gotten used to the
brilliance of the stars, when their light is unobscured
by any atmosphere, not since the first time I left
planetside. Below me the planet Freedom spins slowly on
her axis, and in the distance I can just make out the
Duchy's interstellar link, a glimmer of metal reflecting
the light of the distant sun. The hull of the Aurora
shudders slightly as her thrusters make a slight
connection for orbital drift, and combined with the
steady hum of her tracking computer it create the
illusion of wind buffeting the ship.
I'm supposed to be watching the
link, playing traffic cop, but so far there's no traffic
tonight. I don't care though. I'm jacked into the
Imperial Net, my company's factories are running, and
besides all that, I'm getting paid a nice bonus to just
sit here and watch and report on what I see. Besides,
it's not like I have anything else to do. Vikki's not
online right now. I've been waiting for her all night. I
do another spynet report on her with my old hand-held
mini-Cray, a model originally produced by Mig/Mir. I got
it at a military surplus place. She's still not on. But I
don't worry, I know she will be soon.
I laugh to myself as the subtle
irony hits me again. All that time and effort to leave
groundside, but you make yourself do it, because you
think when you get out to the stars you'll be free. The
only problem is that if you want to go anywhere, you have
to get hooked in. Space is too big, the algorithms are
too complex, the Federation is too dangerous, and if you
didn't have the cybermetic linkup you'd be dead in a
heartbeat. It starts out easily enough. You just get
plugged in with your ship. It becomes a part of you, and
that's why no one else can ever go inside it. You don't
even think about it. Then eventually you're ready to go
corporate, and you get linked into your company as well.
Then there are those who choose to go all the way, to get
cyberlinked with an entire world, and you're never sure
if they're running the planet or the planet's running
them. Don't even get me started on that…
But you can't stay online all the
time. The machines need down to get some down time, so
once in a while you have to jack out. That's usually when
you realize you're hooked, when you find yourself alone,
without the Federation's Imperial Network, and you feel
so absolutely, horribly… normal. It's the farthest
thing from being free that there is. My dark thoughts
twist into a smile as the come full circle now. Yes,
Vikki will be on soon. She can't bear not to be, not any
more than I or anyone else who's come starside can bear
it. So I sit here, alone in space, watching the Link do
nothing… but at least I'm online.
And I'm getting paid. I was sitting
in Chez's with my friends Jack Daniels and a trader named
Hilson when the TB came. "Casey, you busy?" It
was Teran Solo, the Squire of Solace. I wanted to ignore
it, but I knew he wouldn't go away. Whoever invented the
tight-beam message has to be one of the richest men in
the Federation. Of course he'd have to be, to be able to
afford living in hiding under maximum security all the
time. I know if I ever found him I'd kill him with my
bare hands. It's bad enough that you have to be jacked
into the Fed Net to conduct any business, but then to
have to contend with the messages you can't block out on
top of that? I can't blame the guy though. Somehow he got
the Feds to go for the idea, and that's how he got the
last piece of action he ever needed. "Hey
Casey"… the TB again… "Are you doing
anything right now?" I reached into my pocket and
pulled out my comm unit.
"Yeah," I lied. What I
was doing was sitting there pretending to listen to
Hilson babble as I watched Diesel have her way with the
occasional unwary patron. One guy had gone to see her
without being fully rested and hadn't survived the
experience. That was the highlight of my night up to that
point. The day had started out well enough, mind you. I'd
gone to earth early on to get an intelligence
enhancement. I took all I had and then drained every
groat my company could spare and left there feeling a lot
smarter. Too bad the enhancement doesn't include an
increase of common sense as well, because my next step
was to sell my ship and buy this one, the Aurora, then it
was off to Arena space.
I just knew I was hot stuff with my
new targeting computer. I could handle TLs for the first
time now, and I couldn't wait to try them out. When I
walked out of the shipyard to go get my new ship, I had
less than a meg on hand and my company was bone dry. I
think I lasted all of three minutes at Arena, then I woke
up in the cloning ward on Starbase1. Send in the clones,
I thought. Then I realized I didn't have enough to renew
my insurance account with the body banks. So I got the
hell out of the Arena and came to CDs, and I was waiting
for my facs to turn over so I could afford to get my DNA
re-encoded, listening to Hilson go on and on in the
meantime. "Why, what do you need?" I TB'd back.
"I have some work for you.
Where are you?" he asked. "Mars," I
answered. "I'll come there… meet me south of
the LP," he said. Spynet report Vikki2339…
still not online. "I'll be right there," I
answered and slipped my comm unit back into my pocket. I
looked up at Hilson. "Gotta go," I said, and
then I did.
To be continued...
ALSATIAN'S ARTWORK
A few weeks ago a new apparition
appeared in CDs – some sort of statue partially
obscured by the foaming pink froth of the fountain.
Patrons speculated it was a rare Martian artifact brought
back by Fishsticks from Horsell to show his appreciation
to Diesel for services rendered. Others argued it was of
a more contemporary design, but all agreed the bubbles
emanating from its delicate finial top created a symphony
of water, style and sound.
Hazed took one glance at the
sculpture and said, "Get out of the fountain,
Alsatian."
It's been the only cool place I've
found to hang out during these dog days of summer. If
you've installed air conditioning on your planet, please
write me soon for a review. It's hot out here.
THE BUZZ
MysteryNewsDroid@Hotmail.com
A battle of Divas will be held in
the near future. Ever since the Divine Miss P has been
touring the outskirts of the multiverse, a new Diva has
tried to take the title. Madonnaboi came back with a
flamboyant bang, and has worn the crown uncontested for
the past several weeks. Look out Madonnaboi, Destiny is
back and Priscilla is wearing new clothes. And let's face
it, the multiverse is only big enough for ONE Miss Diva!
Rumor has it that the Czarina of
Svaboda has declared war on the WoLfPaCk DuKe. Zyphr woke
up earlier than usual one morning and much to her dismay,
her stash of BAWLS was dwindling.
Your comm unit crackles with a
message from Greyspacewolf, "::steals one of
your BAWLS!!::"
Your comm unit crackles with a message from Zyphr,
"I need that!"
Your comm unit crackles with a message from
Greyspacewolf, "you got a whole case!!! I just
want one!"
Your comm unit crackles with a message from Zyphr,
"Okay okay... ::sighs and lets it go::"
Your comm unit crackles with a message from Zyphr,
"HEY! I think you've already been into my
BAWLS!"
Your comm unit crackles with a message from
Greyspacewolf, "::hides all the empty
bottles::"
The dagger wielding duchess has
been on a wolf hunt ever since.
And speaking of Wolfs, has the
Wolfy duchy claimed ownership of the TTTT? For the past
week, the TTTT has been passed from planet to planet in
the Wolf's Duchy. Come on you guys! Organize a party!
Have some fun! Take the TTTT for yourself!
A new mystery is a foot. Someone
has stolen Galinfenner's grandmother's boots!
>ex galinfenner
A kilt and a shirt. Galin is barefoot!
The tender footed Host is walks
gingerly around all the planets in the solar system
searching for clues for the stolen boots. His only clue
so far: a broken shoestring. Okay thieves, why couldn't
you taken his kilt or his shirt? His boots?!
Outlandish rumor of the week:
Dataspace Hostess Felina yesterday
denied any implication that she had criticized colleague
Uniquette's fashion sense when she commented that
"Uni looks like an insecure Marxist at a public
swimming pool."
While Felina insisted her comments
were taken out of context, Uniquette was overheard
muttering something along the lines of "stab her
with a soldering iron."
The platypus had no comment.
Until next week, make DataSpace your playground. I'm
always watching!
INTERPRETATIONS – Part II
Teran Solo, Sleeping Baron of Solace
"I have some work for you,
Casey. Where are you?" he asked.
I sighed. But I needed the cash.
"Mars," I answered.
"OK, I'll come there…
meet me south of the LP," he said.
Spynet report Vikki2339… still
not online. "I'll be right there," I answered
and slipped my comm unit back into my pocket. I looked up
at Hilson. He was still talking. "Gotta go," I
said, and then I did.
As I walked down the main road of
the Mars colony toward the spaceport, I wondered what
Solo wanted. He always had ten things going at once, but
he paid well in bonuses, and the output from my four facs
on Solace would go a long way toward paying my insurance
premium. I got to the LP first. Gazing out at the Martian
plains beyond the spaceport, I was struck by the richness
and variety of the hues of red, despite repeated
applications of terraforming.
"Hey!" Solo grinned. Lost
in my thoughts, he'd snuck up on me. And always that
damned grin.
"What's the work?" I
asked him, too tired and frustrated with myself to be
polite. Besides, I know he doesn't like suck-ups anyway.
"I'm sort of uninsured right now," I told him.
"Really? You want to get that
taken care of ASAP." I nodded my head. No kidding.
He shrugged, "oh well, you won't need insurance for
this anyway."
He went on to start explaining the
job to me. Basically, his Duke wanted the Link observed
for the purpose of some plan too obscure for me to try to
explain right now, and Solo had drawn the short straw. He
tried to dress it up better than that of course, but that
was essentially it. That, and I was free to park at the
Freedom Link for a while and watch who flew by for him.
We talked for a few minutes. He pointed out that I would
be perfectly safe there, insured or not, which was true
enough. The Federation spends a fortune building her
Links, and doesn't tolerate any gunplay around them.
Weapons systems are jammed by computers on planetside
beaming their signal up to the Link. There's not a ship
big enough that can hold the countermeasures necessary to
cut through that ice, so every link is a peace zone by
default.
We talked a little longer. Really,
he talked and I listened, feigning interest when
appropriate. Solo has this annoying habit of saying the
same thing five different ways to make sure you get it. I
let him go until he was finished, and told him I got it.
Check mail for a list of names he would provide. Sit at
the Link and keep an eye out for those on the list. TB
him when any came through. Do it for three hours, make
five megs. Simple. And when I finished, I'd be able to
reinsure. Spynet report Vikki2339. Nothing. "Ok,
let's go," I said. Solo grinned.
An energy spike from the Link
interrupts my reminiscing. Still looking out the
viewport, I watch as the space surrounding the Link
twists and contorts, folding in on itself and exploding
outward simultaneously. A ship emerges into Freedom
space, but doesn't move away, loitering instead. I pull
myself away from the window and check the scanner.
Calling up the ship's identification number, I see it
belongs to a Samson445, not a name from my list. A quick
follow-up spinet report tells me Samson is a registered
Trader. I relax as I watch the space around the Link
shimmering and warping again, and Samson disappears to
somewhere inside Freedom Duchy. Then all is quiet, like
nothing ever happened. Maybe it didn't.
I reach for the printout of the
list Solo sent me. As long as I'm just sitting here, I
may as well spinet report these people too. I love the
Imperial Spynet System. It is the crowing achievement of
Earth's bureaucracy, almost making up for tight-beams.
Almost. Anyone who's hooked into the Imperial Net can be
spynetted, with their location and career standing
instantly revealed. I think it may be the single useful
thing the Imperial bean-counters back groundside have
ever done, the apex of their evolutionary journey thus
far. Monarchies wax and wane, Empires rise and fall,
experiments like Democracy and Communism are attempted
and fail, despots seize power then parish, but
throughout, the bureaucracy remains and slowly grows. But
my musing is cut short as I start going down my list.
Interesting… everyone on the list Solo gave me is a
current Onyx PO. Surely they're not starting up again.
Spynet report Vikki2339. Not yet…
To be continued...
THE BUZZ
MysteryNewsDroid@Hotmail.com
Your faithful buzzer is back well
oiled and rested from the mandatory vacation that Hazed
sent us on last week. From the gossip in my databanks,
it's obvious that the rest of you decided NOT to go on
vacation, so this week's article will be a wrap up of the
last two weeks' top stories.
The Squire of Galilee was recently
spotted with the Duchess of Svaboda each munching down on
some space fajitas. Rasal regaled Zyphr with tales of his
checkered past. Unfortunately, Galinfenner, Felina,
Embrionic, Greyspacewolf, Faolan and Wyldcat weren't able
to join in the festivities as planned, but fear not,
there were leftovers which were being sent to those who
couldn't make the event. Be patient, as the packages were
being shipped via ground from Texas.
Fleas are infesting the multiverse
and guess who have we to blame?? No, not Wolfyn this
time:
Greyspacewolf HOWLS!!!
Greyspacewolf has given Silverwolf a friendly
snuggle!
Silverwolf has given Greyspacewolf a warm snuggle!
Silverwolf HOWLS!!
"Can I snuggle the big doggy too?", says
Zero with a wink.
Greyspacewolf grins
Silverwolf chuckles
Greyspacewolf has given Zero a nice snuggle!
"Aww.", says Zero.
Zero says, "Err.. wait.."
Zero scratches.
Zero says, "What the..."
Silverwolf nuzzles Zero
Zero scratches more.
The war continues between Duke
Greyspacewolf and Duchess Zyphr. The Wolfduke was seen
sneaking into Svaboda this week, stealing her stash of
BAWLS. Zyphr, being quick on her feet and fast with a
dagger managed to cut a couple of inches off the Duke's
tail, but he made off with 14 bottles of BAWLS. Zyphr has
offered a reward of 1 gig for their safe return, and the
rest of Greyspacewolf's tail.
Look out Felina:
Your comm unit relays a message
from Xorith, "*sneaks up and pilfers Felina's
whip while she's not looking*"
Your comm unit relays a message from Rokyu,
":::gasps!!::"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xorith,
"Shhh... *bribes Rokyu*"
Your comm unit relays a message from Rokyu,
"::snickers as she takes the bribe and stuffs it
away::"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xorith, "I
always loved the word 'pilfer' ;)"
In the future, Xorith, you should
ensure that you bribe the CORRECT person if you want you
sordid secrets kept!!
A special investigation is being
headed up by Uniquette, the hostess without the whip.
Fearing the same culprits that were behind the blackout
of NewYork and Boston had taken control and disabled the
channels in Fed, Uniquette went on a witch hunt. Finding
several speechless PO's Uni busted in on them. She was
quickly led onto a new way of thinking however, wondering
how many newbies Fed would see in the next nine months.
Uni is currently seeking funding for her new research and
to replace several diamond eyes missing from her duckie
pajamas. If you would like to send funds, tax deductible
of course, to this new research, please mark your payment
to: ProjectLightsOut, care of Galinfenner. (Now you knew
he'd have his sticky fingers in here somewhere didn't
you?)
Question of the week:
Your comm unit relays a message
from Aldur, "Felina... What exactly does a
Hostess do?"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xorith,
"They make Twinkies :)"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xyli, "and
jello shots?"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xorith,
"No. Cup Cakes."
Your comm unit relays a message from Blairobrien,
"Nope, they carry whips!"
Your comm unit relays a message from Aldur,
"::is sorry he asked::"
Stop the presses! Has Fed's bad
girl gone good? Baroness Xyli held a party on Thornfield.
Many went to see if the rumors were true, and were
surprised to see that in fact they were. Fear not, Xyli
fans, her evilness was back in full force following the
party. Chances are she was infected by a strange HOWLING
disease that had infected her former husband, Wyldcat.
When Xyli found the source of her niceness, she and
Wyldcat amicably dissolved their marriage and Xyli
quickly became her old self! Welcome back Evil Xyli!! You
were missed.
The darling Diva Priscilla is back
in action! You were warned last week of the Diva's
return, but after completing the required 14 day
isolation, the Diva is back in business. Resuming the
role of Fashion Police, the Diva will be visiting all
planets and making sure that compliance to the dressing
standards are met.
Duke GWarrior is in severe mourning
after the loss of his first planet Thornfield. Currently
in denial stages, the Duke denied ever wanting the planet
back, but it was clear to all who witnessed the event, he
was clearly halfheartedly trying to convince the Baroness
that he did not, in fact, want her to rejoin. Sources
tell me that this couldn't be further from the truth. The
Baroness couldn't be contacted for comment.
Until next week, make DataSpace
your playground. I'm always watching!
ESCALATION – Part III
Teran Solo, Sleeping Baron of Solace
I reach for the printout of the
list Solo sent me. As long as I'm just sitting here, I
may as well spynet report these people too. I love the
Imperial Spynet System. It is the crowing achievement of
Earth's bureaucracy, almost making up for tight-beams.
Almost. Anyone who's hooked into the Imperial Net can be
spynetted, with their location and career standing
instantly revealed. I think it may be the single useful
thing the Imperial bean-counters back groundside have
ever done, the apex of their evolutionary journey thus
far. Monarchies wax and wane, Empires rise and fall,
experiments like Democracy and Communism are attempted
and fail, despots seize power then perish, but
throughout, the bureaucracy remains and slowly grows. But
my musing is cut short as I start going down the list
Solo gave me. Everyone of them is from Onyx or Deceit
duchies, all nobles. Spynet report Vikki2339. Not
yet…
It's always hard to explain the
Federation's Link system to groundsiders. It's not that
it's hard to figure out. One system, one Link. You use
that Link to jump to other Links. Systems are divided
among the Dukes and hooked up with a Duke's Link to form
a duchy. The ones that can't get into a duchy stay under
the direct administration of Sol. The place where people
get tripped up is when they try to think of duchies in
terms of spatial relationships. The irony of it is that
in interstellar space, "space" is irrelevant.
People act like it matters where a planet is in the
galaxy, but it doesn't. My personal theory is that way of
thinking is a carry over from Earth's pre-Union days.
Looking at duchies, some folks think of the old political
borders of nation-states. But the truth is each planet is
a corporate entity, and a duchy is a mega-corporation.
When a planet joins a duchy, it's really closer to a
corporate merger than a political alliance. And if a
planet ever changes duchies, it doesn't actually
"move" physically, it just hooks to a different
duchy Link. But try explaining that to any groundsider.
The tracking computer redlines an
energy spike from the Link. Scanner report: Talon363's
ship has just emerged from hyperspace. Talon363, Baron of
Scimitar, duchy of Onyx. I reached for my comm unit.
Scanner report: Talon363's ship has just entered
hyperspace. I set it for a tight-beam message to Solo. I
smile wryly, knowing that even nobles can't turn off TBs
when they're online. Scanner report: Talon363's ship has
just emerged from hyperspace.
"Casey here… I have
activity at the Link." Scanner report: Talon363's
ship has just entered hyperspace.
"Good Casey, who is it?"
Solo answers me quickly I notice. Must be damn important.
Scanner report: Talon363's ship has just emerged from
hyperspace.
"Talon363. Moving in and out
of the duchy, just like you said." Scanner report:
Talon363's ship has just entered hyperspace.
"Thanks Case. Turn your duchy
comms on and watch the show if you want," Solo
responds. I can almost hear a smile in the background of
his voice. Scanner report: Talon363's ship has just
entered from hyperspace.
"..s it online yet?"
crackles Solo's voice over the comms. Scanner report:
Talon363's ship has just emerged from hyperspace.
"Coming up right
now…" comes the response from Timur27. Scanner
report: Talon363's ship has just entered hyperspace.
Timur is the newest Squire in the
Freedom duchy. He had to close his Link to make some
minor revisions on his planet, a place called Mersen.
FESHA, OSHA's grandson, doesn't allow travel to a planet
when construction is in progress. Another sign of a
healthy bureaucracy. Scanner report: Talon363's ship has
just emerged from hyperspace.
They had been joking over the comms
earlier about Timur going offline to work on Mersen. I
didn't get the joke, and that's when I tuned off. Scanner
report: Talon363's has just entered hyperspace.
"Mersen's up now.."
Timur27's voice crackles again. Scanner report:
Talon363's ship has just emerged from hyperspace.
"Okay.." It was Solo
answering, "now we wait." Scanner report:
Talon363's ship has just entered hyperspace.
I wait too, trying to figure out
what's going on. Then all of the sudden it hits me.
Nothing is going on. The Link is quiet, and the normally
noisy comms have fallen silent. I decide to transmit over
the duchy's open channel. "Hey, what just happened
here?" I hear myself ask, my voice carrying over the
ship's comm with about a half-second delay.
"You did good Casey. Keep
watching," Solo answers, then the comms fall silent
again. If they're still talking, they're doing it in TBs
and I can't hear them. I get a printout of the last
series of scanner reports from the computer. I count
jumps. Into Freedom, out of Freedom, into the duchy, back
out again. I realize Talon's last jump was made to a
destination somewhere inside the duchy, and he hasn't
come out yet. Spynet report Talon363. "No
information available on requested subject." Sweat
beads slowly start to form on my forehead. I activate the
Navicomp directory and call up the planet Scimitar.
"There isn't a planet with that name!" Oh my
God…
To be continued...
THE BUZZ
MysteryNewsDroid@Hotmail.com
There are rumors that Madonnaboi is
a father. Could he be the father of the child of Xyli who
disappeared at the hands of Flair? There has been no
confirmation on the sex of the baby or where the baby has
been. The information was from a dropped comm:
Your comm unit relays a message
from Madonnaboi, "I plan to get my baby back
soon."
There has got to be more to this
story!!
A groundhog mistakenly discovered
the hiding place for the golden globe that was last seen
in the ruins. However, the Martians got to the poor soul
before he was able to reveal the hiding place. The
groundhog was last seen hiding under the alter muttering
about the incoming invasion.
Anyone seen Xorith lately??
Your comm unit relays a message
from Felina, "I'm back!;)"
Your comm unit relays a message from Xorith,
"RUN AWAY!!!"
Didn't think so!! <winks>
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Shameless
Plug~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Your comm unit
relays a message from Priscilla, "The *new* and
*improved* Destiny Puzzle, worth 1,000,000,000 IG, is now
open. Please see Messrs Armstrong Cuthbert off Cai Way to
fulfill your Destiny!"
~*~*~*~
A new galaxy has unfortunately been
discovered. However it's an alternate universe of the
multiverse and has taken its toll on those who have
fallen through the trap door. With the advent of the fall
cycle, it is hopeful that the planets will realign and
allow those who have fallen into the alternate universe
to find their way back through the portal and return to
DataSpace. Just remember: Reality bites!!
Looking for new descriptions?
Please send in your favorite clothing description that
you have discarded to Mysterynewsdroid@hotmail.com. The
descriptions will be printed and you can claim the
description that you like. The Garage Sale will commence
(read: descriptions will be printed) in the September 21
Chronicle. Just remember, one person's trash is another
person's treasure!!
Until next week, make DataSpace
your playground. I'm always watching!
INVOCATION - Part IV
Teran Solo, Sleeping Baron of Solace
I wait too, trying to figure out
what's going on. Then all of the sudden it hits me.
Nothing is going on. The Link is quiet, and the normally
noisy comms have fallen silent. I decide to transmit over
the duchy's open channel. "Hey, what just happened
here?" I hear myself ask, my voice carrying over the
ship's comm with about a half-second delay.
"You did good Casey. Keep
watching," Solo answers, then the comms fall silent
again. If they're still talking, they're doing it in TBs
and I can't hear them. I get a printout of the last
series of scanner reports from the computer. I count
jumps. Into Freedom, out of Freedom, into the duchy, back
out again. I realize Talon's last jump was made to a
destination somewhere inside the duchy, and he hasn't
come out yet. Spynet report Talon363. "No
information available on requested subject." Sweat
beads slowly start to form on my forehead. I activate the
Navicomp directory and call up the planet Scimitar.
"There isn't a planet with that name!" Oh my
God...
I feel like I'm going to throw up.
This can't be happening. They killed an Onyx noble and
they made me a part of it. I reach out to TB Solo, to, to
I don't know what - to ask him what in the hell he thinks
he's doing! But I hesitate, unsure, because all of this
is way over my head. I have to think this through.
While I'm doing that, trying to
sort everything out, the Duchy link explodes with light
again, then again, then a third time. Three more ships
have jumped into Freedom space, and then just as quickly
jump again into the Duchy. They go so fast I can't catch
all their names, but the computer does. Looking back over
the log I see three more names from the list Solo gave
me. Onyx POs, mad as hell over their fallen comrade
Talon363, and thirsty for revenge.
A moment later one of them emerges
from within the Duchy, then jumps away through the
interstellar link, the ship belonging to a Baron Dunstan,
whom I've heard of but never met. I wait for the other
two ships, but they never come: the beautiful Versani,
Technocrat of Carmen, and someone named Wildwing,
Industrialist of Indus. I check them both on the Imperial
Spynet but I already know what I'll find. "No
information available on requested subject."
My hand somehow finds the comm unit
and I tightbeam my employer. "Solo..." I begin,
unsure what I want to say next.
"Casey, kinda busy at the
moment," he says. I'll bet he is. "You did
good. Remind me when we settle up, I'm gonna give you a
50% bonus."
"Wait. No, wait. What happened
here? What did you do? Why?" The questions spill out
of me. There's a long pause.
"Casey, we settled some scores
tonight, balanced some very old books. We'll hook up
later and get you paid. In the meantime take off. Oh, and
steer clear of Mersen space for now. Gotta go." And
with that, Solo is gone.
Spynet report Vikki2339, still not
online. I wish she was, I need someone to talk to,
someone to help me get past this. I'd expected her by
now, her factories will be turning over soon. She has her
own company, talked a Squire in Sol into letting her set
up shop on his planet, some guy named Belton, planet
Ultran. Who names their planet Ultran? She's done really
good though, she's as smart as she is sexy. She means the
world to me, can't wait till she gets here.
I tune into channel 9, something I
normally wouldn't do. Nothing but a bunch of pretentious
nobles all talking to hear the sound of their own voice,
but no one ever really says anything. Usually I can't
stand it, but right now anything would be better than
this damnable silence.
9 is ablaze with traffic, everyone
talking about the murders - that's what they're calling
them, the murders. The Onyx nobles are on and they are
fit to be tied, stirring up as much anti-Freedom rhetoric
as they possibly can. There's talk of war igniting once
again.
Everyone has an opinion, that it's
stupid, or it's a shame, but in between there's some
useful information slowly coming out. Apparently the
Squire of Mersen, Timur27, took his planet offline so he
could set up a death trap, supposedly designed to destroy
commerce raiders attacking the Duchy.
In this case, the trap was between
the Mersen link and the planet itself. The unwary victim
would think he was moving south along the ecliptic,
toward the planet, but in reality he would be flying to
his death. Not hard to do, and if you were insured you
would still probably live, but it's the fashion right now
in Onyx to go uninsured. Still the trap would be easy to
avoid if you know about it, but three Onyx nobles didn't
know about it tonight.
My thoughts are interrupted when I
hear my name. "Casey!" It's Samson445, the
trader from earlier tonight. "Casey, you were there!
I saw you! You're friends with them, aren't you!"
Then before I know it, before I can
respond, 9 rises in a crescendo of voices cascading into
one another. "He's with the murderers! He's one of
them!" Then the Onyx nobles take notice of me.
"You're dead, Casey! We'll track you down and kill
you just like the rest!"
I tune off, unable to listen to any
more. What am I into? No amount of groats is worth this.
Where is Vikki? I need her, need to talk to her. Spynet
report Vikki2339...she's back! Online, on planet Ultran
just like I thought she'd be. I TB her right away.
"Vikki, you're not gonna
believe what went down tonight," I begin.
"Casey, we need to talk,"
she replies.
"Oh yeah we do, I gotta tell
you what happened, what I did tonight." I'm so
excited to talk to her, I don't even know where to begin.
"No, Casey," Vikki
starts.
"No, what?" I interrupt.
"Casey, we're done. I'm with
Belton now," she says. "Take care of yourself.
Bye."
And then it's silent again, the
planet Freedom still spinning slowly on her axis below
me. I look at it for a time. It's beautiful in its way,
not like Vikki is beautiful, something more sublime,
serene. I watch from orbit for a long time.
I realize this has all been for
nothing. I'm uninsured, the Aurora is banged up, and now
my girl has run off with a Squire. I'm alone. It's all
been for nothing. Everything I did here, everything I've
ever said, all meaningless.
I have to make them understand. All
of them. They have to know I'm not a murderer. I have to
make Vikki see that I'm the one she should've chosen. I
have to make them understand. Then it hits me, and I know
just what to do.
Just let them understand.
Jump Mersen. Move south.
The end
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