Chris Hechtl's Blog, page 36

ISOP Snippet 2

Okay, sitrep:
Rea just emailed me and said she should have the manuscript back to me sometime tomorrow. Cool.

Spider tank:
So, I found the model on Thingiverse and couldn't resist making it. Here is the original:
https://karanak.deviantart.com/art/MBT-Firewalker-187160519

Here is my version:
  For the most part I had fun with it. The basket, not so much. I added a few little bits of my own. The spotlight and antenna. There are magnets in the turret and main gun so I can pose them if I wish.
The diorama base is made up of bits from Thingiverse and Myminifactory. The model isn't attached to it so I can repose it if I wish.
Sorry my camera in my phone sucks sometimes.
  After printing the model parts and diorama I used the hot acetone method on most of the parts to harden them and get rid of most of the print lines. Unfortunately, the process blurs some of the nice crisp lines and edges in the model. Oh well.
   It is now taking up a lot of room in my curio cabinet with the T-rex skeleton I did looming over it. :)

  I'm working on a couple side projects too, off and on. One of them has turned into a monster. Some of the projects I've tabled since last year have popped up too. I'll post those later. On to the snippet!


Still in chapter 1:


Deidra looked over her shoulder to where the skipper was sitting and looking at a tablet, and then back to her own station. As a bridge officer and department head, she had her hands full as both the ship's navigator and chief helmsman. And, on the side, she was also a shuttle pilot she reminded herself. Even after months of it, she was still dealing with the double duty. Sure, Io did a lot of the calculating for her and suggested routes, but she also missed Lessa. She occasionally leaned on the other woman when she could get a signal through to Fortuity.She, Io, and Lessa tended to congregate and discuss the star map at every opportunity. Despite the captured database and the intel Vanessa had accumulated, they still didn't have a clear route. They knew some star systems were still there, and others might be, but they didn't have detailed data. Not the level of detail they wanted at any rate.Fortuity had been a tramp Clydesdale class freighter. Her database had been corrupted by viruses, much like Io 11'shad for years. That was why her data was patchy and they barely trusted it. The ship's navigational database had information for about forty jumps but all in the low octaves of alpha band. That didn't help them much when they traveled in the faster beta and gamma bands.She pulled up the map again and then rubbed her brow with one hand as she scrolled through the intelligence reports with the various cover-your-ass probabilities of what areas were still there and which were dead and gone.{#}^{#}
Fortuity
Captain Lessa ran her hands over the captain's chair again. She still hadn't had it rebuilt, though she kept meaning to. There was always something else that needed to be done, some other priority that took precedence. Her fingertips picked at the frayed riggers tape on one armrest and then she reached up to touch the pillow taped to the headrest.The chair was much like the ship, a work in progress, so was her crew. She had learned a lot since she'd taken the hot seat. Fortuity was her chance to shine, and she was eager to prove herself.The problem was; the old ship required a deft hand on the bridge as well as in engineering. She had some good people, but she had some very green people with them. The captain picked up a few people to man the ships from time to time, but she had learned they needed to pick the right people. Some of the people they'd picked up had just wanted a working passage and had jumped ship once they'd landed somewhere they liked.A few hadn't worked out at all, and they'd been dumped on the next available planet with just about everyone thinking good riddance.She frowned thoughtfully as she considered the problem. It was a delicate balance. She and the captain were more open to families, aliens, Neos, and men but only barely. She knew the captain still preferred women, and if they were in dire straits then they had no place to negotiate. Vanessa called them her “stray kittens."Her lips pursed as she realized she had been one such stray kitten. And she also realized she kept deferring to the captain when she herself was one. She could take Fortuity off anytime the mood struck her.But, they were a team. Also, the big Clydesdale was helpless against the pirates that infested space. She was designed to haul bulk freight from point A to point B; she wasn't really suited for the life of a free trader. For the moment, her ship was a roving warehouse for Io 11 to stockpile goods.That thought made her sit back and feel the pillow behind her head. She wondered briefly what was going to happen when they maxed out their cargo-carrying capacity. Would they dig up an empty star system again and stockpile it? Just how much goods did they need? Sometimes she wondered about Vanessa. The older woman loved a bargain and kept buying stuff even when there was no purpose to it. Or, at least no purpose she saw she thought.“Jump exit coming up in fifteen minutes,” the helmsman warned, breaking her out of her woolgathering.She sat up straight and then checked the navigational way points. She nodded and then ran her eyes over the ship's systems as they finished the last translation into the lowest octave of Alpha band.{#}^{#}
Io 11 & Fortuity
Io 11 took the lead as the two ships jumped into the P35d4409 empty star system. The star system was a crossroads with four jump points. One led to a dead-end but another led to a chain of jumps that led to a planetary system. The fourth jump, the one they were headed for, took them further into the sector and to another planetary system. It took a few minutes to update their sublight navigational charts and plot a course. Once they were clear of the jump point and underway, the plot began to settle down.Within an hour of their departure, CIC picked up the ion trail of another ship's recent passage. The decay ratio told them it had been within fifty-five hours, which meant the ship should still be in the star system. However, she wasn't showing up on gravitics. When the ship didn't show up on sensors, the captain ordered an active scan. Emily realized the ship had gone into stealth and was lurking there, somewhere out ahead of them. She informed the captain who had apparently come to the same conclusion.“If she's got stealth this good, she almost has to be a warship of some sort,” she warned. “That means it is most likely a pirate,” she warned.Zoya nodded. The obvious concern was that it was a pirate. “They know we are here and went into stealth before our flash dissipated.”“And by now they know we're two ships traveling in company.”“Yes, but one isn't armed.”“They don't know that. Comm, hail them,” the captain ordered. “Transmit our IFF on an omni directional broadcast. Let's either warn them off or draw them in.”They received a response back twenty minutes later. It was an IFF. They were surprised to find it was from a navy light cruiser, the North Hamptonclass Chic'ch'll.Io picked up on the IFF transmission and checked her database. She had received an updated war book database during their stop in Syntia's World. “The information matches, Captain,” she stated, showing the snippet of data in a window on the captain's screen.The captain looked down and studied the information and then grunted. “They are a bit far out,” she said.“They are the first patrol of the sector, ma'am,” Io stated.“Ah.”“I for one am glad to see them. With them around, the pirates must be headed out,” Zoya murmured.Deidra frowned and then nodded. “I was going to say there goes the neighborhood but you are right,” she said.“As you were,” the captain scolded gently.“Aye aye, ma'am,” the girls said softly as they went back to their duties.“Comm, record a message. “This is the Io 11 and the starship Fortuity to Chic'ch'll. If you'd like to chat, or trade information, let us know.” She made a hand sign over her throat to indicate that was it.“Good copy,” Zoya said.“Then send it,” the captain ordered.“Something tells me they'll want to do more than talk,” Io replied dryly.{#}^{#}

ISOP Snippet 1

Okay, first up, a sitrep:

1: No surgery. I went to the Orthopedic Surgeon (who is now keenly interested in my books and writing is own!) yesterday, and he diagnosed I have a "Frozen Shoulder" due to the previous injury. No surgery required, so that is a relief.

2: I sent ISOP off to Rea the other day. I'm shooting for it to be published the first week of May.

3: I watched The Last Jedi last night. (Yes I'm slow, I don't do theaters) I... wasn't thrilled with it. Definitely a dirge. There were a lot of technical mistakes (like air flowing into the ship from a vacuum when Leia gets back into the ship!)
   ...But the 1 thing that really caught my eye was the Vice Admiral's sacrifice. It's not a mistake, but it is tactically and possibly strategically important. Possibly even vital. Did anyone think about the implications of that? I hope so. Can you imagine what sort of weapon that is? Load a missile the size of a shuttle or small ship with mass, point it at a target ship and have it jump to light speed. (hyperspace) It then tears through any ship in front of it, plus sprays the area with debris which causes a chain reaction to destroy neighboring ships! Dang! That would make capital ships obsolete! You'd need to maneuver your capital ships big time to keep from getting hit!

  I will admit I liked Thor Ragnarok a lot more. I definitely finally like Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song. It finally fit into something right!

4: I am near the halfway point of Pi Fight.

5: The spider tank diorama is finished. More on that in another post. I'm also making small progress steps on other backburner projects.

Anyway, on to the snippet: WOOPS! I almost posted Pi Fight! Okay, let's get this right...


Act I
Chapter 1
P35d4409 star system
The North Hampton class light cruiser Chic'ch'll was on the return journey of her loop into Pi when the captain decided a delay was in order. The ship was low on supplies but the place he picked to stop had little in the way of easily attainable materials."This looks like a good place to set up shop," Captain Eddie Sejong said, surveying the star system with approval. It was on the road north from the enemy's Daikoku base that was reportedly nearby. He wanted to get in closer, hell, he'd love to set up shop one jump closer but he also wanted a healthy reserve of fuel in case it did come to a battle.By setting up an ambush in the star system and laying in wait they might bag them a pirate. If the enemy did pick them up they'd think they were their own kind. Not that he expected the pirates to be on guard. They were probably not expecting someone to be hunting them.At least, not as long as word didn't get around about them. And the best way to do that was to knock the bastards out once and for all to make sure word didn't get around."Sir, is this wise?" the XO asked softly.The captain turned in surprise to his XO. "You have a problem Shannon?""It's just; we're supposed to be headed home. Vampiring a prize is possible, but we don't know if and when one will come around. We are expending resources here sir," First Lieutenant Shannon Minaj stated."Understood. We'll give it a week and then I'll reevaluate the situation then. Do give it a little time.""Yes sir."It was a little frustrating that they hadn't gotten as far north as they'd hoped. That honor had fallen to Meridian. But they had an excuse, they'd been ordered to set up caches of fuel and material for other naval ships to use in the future. They had also blazed a trail for others like Meridian to follow.It had been something of a bit of a chagrin moment to find out the extended range prowler had indeed confirmed Daikoku's presence. Their report was intensely studied by the officers. The TAO had gone so far as to load the files into the tactical computers to find a way for Chic'ch'll to try to take the pirate nest out. So far he hadn't found a single way of doing it safely.According to the report the orbital hotel had been turned into a small resupply base. There were weapons platforms protecting it. Meridian hadn't seen any ships in port, but they had seen enough troubling firepower for him to hesitate on pulling the trigger. If any of those missiles got into the inner star system, it wouldn't be good for anyone on the receiving end.Which just meant they'd have to get back to Tir na Nog, resupply, and then whistle up some help, Captain Sejong thought. He was pretty sure the navy would be intensely interested in taking the pirate base out and thus denying the enemy a port so close to the Federation's expanding northern border. He was pretty sure he'd have no end of volunteers to go along for the ride. It would suck if someone came along who out-ranked him and took it over and thus the credit, but that hadn't happened.Not yet at any rate."Find a nice place to set up shop and then we'll wait and watch and see what comes by," he said cracking his knuckles.{#}^{#} Io 11 After breakfast the captain took a stint on the bridge. She took the captain's chair and pulled out a tablet. It only took a moment to go through the ship's logs and status report. Not that she expected to see anything there, if anything untoward would have happened she would have been informed.Still, it was good practice to check. Once she did that, she turned her eyes outward and checked the status of Fortuity. Lessa had stepped up as captain, much to her surprise. She was grateful, and she had to admit, the young woman had done an excellent job there. Meeting up with the ship in Senka had been something of a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Anytime two ships met, they would meet up and perform a trade. Along the way, they had found out from Io's electronic hack into the other ship's electronic network that they'd been hijacked by pirates.Emily had led a boarding party under the guise of a trade. They'd taken the ship with little bloodshed. There had been few of the surviving crew, not nearly enough to man her.So, the captain had taken charge in her usual way and taken over the ship. She'd shuffled the postings around to allow them to man all of the ships. Io had taken up some of the slack on Io 11.Since the ship didn't have an A.I., she'd sicced Jedzia and some techs over to her to clear her computers and to do something about that. The girls had learned a lot in their fields, but they were still a ways away from replicating Io and her core programming, if that was even possible. But they were trying to approximate something to alleviate the load.The capture of Fortuity, rebuilding her, and manning her had given the girls another project, another ship to rebuild. But it had also shown them that they didn't need three ships. She'd been tempted to leave the new ship in Rho sector. She almost had; she'd even worked with Vanessa on plans to send the ship to their secret B448c shipyard to be rebuilt.But instead, Faith, Clarissa, and the others had come to her with the proposal that Molly stay behind. And she'd agreed.Sometimes she regretted that, and not just because Fortuity was so slow and in constant need of work of some sort. They'd overhauled the ship three times, but it still wasn't enough. But no, that wasn't her only problem. She missed the girls on that ship and Molly from time to time.“One loop,” she muttered. They were going to do one loop, up and around Pi and then back again to Rho. Hopefully along the way, Admiral Irons and his navy would make some headway and on the return journey they would run into an ansible so they could check in. She knew Faith. Undoubtedly, they'd gotten up to some mischief in the absence of her keen eye. She was looking forward to hearing all about it.At least, she thought so. Sometimes she wasn't so sure. She did know one thing; they couldn't rely on her to dig them out of any trouble they got into!{#}^{#}

In Search of Pi

Okay, I was going to leave The Turning Tide up for another week, but on the spur of the moment I decided to do this. :)
Sitrep: I finished In Search of Pi several weeks ago and it is in the hands of the Betas. If any Betas who haven't been poked want a go at it, better let me know.

What is In Search of Pi you ask? Well...
Yes that is a tug and work crew rebuilding Io 11's flank engine pod. I made it from gear from DAZ3D since I'm lazy. :D

   In Search of Pi is the first of what is turning out to be another Federation spin off series. It will eventually combine with one of the others so it will be only a couple of books.
  Back story: See, when I wrote Hunter or Hunted (one of the Io 11 short stories in one of the anthologies! Go find it if you haven't read it!) I thought of it as a lead in to another story. Then I did 6BO and I thought, wouldn't it be fun if they met?
  This was supposed to be that story, but it grew. So, I took Hunter or Hunted and tucked it in there, added a bit of other stuff, and then remembered I'd planned to do a story about the Prowler team exploring Pi. That was waaay back in Pirate Rage, I'd set things up then if you recall.
  Anyway, I added that, and before I knew it I had a full on novel going. I decided to push it up the queue and I wrote it last month since I had more freedom to operate in Pi.
You saw a piece of it in The Turning Tide.

   So, not only do you get to see the events in Hunter or Hunted, but also the aftermath, that chapter in The Turning Tide, the Federation's work in Pi, and more.

  And, I'm already working on the next book already. Yeah, I found enough material to write a second book, Pi Fight and added it to the queue as well. I decided to dive right in with it since it has enough freedom to stand outside of Liberty or Death, the next Federation book. I've finished 3 chapters of it so far. (I started it last Thursday.) Ironically, 1 of the chapters I finished, the first actually, is a crossover with Liberty or Death as well as HL3. Enough said there.
:)

In other news, I worked on a single Zoid image in the 4 days off in between books:
  Mechmaster (He's more famous with his Daleks than mecha) helped me clean the ground up with procedural generated textures and displacement maps. Fun.
  I also have the Karanak Firewalker spider tank nearly finished. I printed a few bits yesterday but I can't get the basket to print right for the life of me. It is so spindly it comes apart! I admit, I'm too much of a fumble fingered idiot with fragile stuff okay? I'm about to give up and go with the best one I've got. 6 tries at printing it are enough.
I'll post pics when I'm done.
  No! (screaming in indignant rage) Dang it, I just glued the legs to the hull and I find someone had made a remix with moveable legs! GRR! ARGH!

   Anyway, I am not enjoying the heat. It is too fricken early for 95! I am going to fiddle about a little more and then see how much more of Pi Fight I can get done before lunch. :)

The Turning Tide is publishing now!

Finally!
The Turning Tide is now publishing. It should be live within the next 6-72 hours depending on the platform.


War rarely ever turns on a single series of events. But there is a sense, a feeling you get when the war changes. When the tide turns in your favor or against it.
Admiral Irons and the Reborn Federation believed the tide was shifting in their favor when Admiral White took Second Fleet into the Dead Drop star system. But the hand of fate is fickle, He was driven out by the untimely arrival of Horathian reinforcements. Second Fleet narrowly escaped the trap they had found themselves in.
Now the Federation must scramble again to reinforce his fleet while also dealing with news on other fronts. The Horathian Empire continues it's march into darkness with the determination to bring the entire galaxy down with them in the process.
One must be aware of the flow of the tide, how it ebbs in and out. Times are changing as the Tide Turns once more...

The Turning Tide Snippet 2

Sitrep:
Still nothing from Goodlifeguide.com
I just sent them a late correction. Hopefully it makes it into the manuscript.

Oh, as far as print projects are concerned, I finished the MSE droid and Quinjet. I tried to do the shield logo yesterday with stencils but it didn't work. A little bit of sanding got it off. The hairy Chewbacca is a mess. lol
I am printing my first mech now. Karanak's spider mech made by a 3D modeler on Thingyverse. :)

On to the snippet:


PROTODON
“Finally!” an ensign said excitedly as the ship prepared to move out. Captain T'roi of the Resolutionclass heavy cruiser Xiten'xha chose to ignore it.She and her ship had been stuck on picket duty for some time. At first she'd resented it; she'd joined to fight the pirates not to sit in Protodon and exercise other ships up to do the job. But, as she'd come to know Protodon and her job, she'd found she'd come to enjoy it. Not only was she the senior naval commander, but she'd also been on hand to see Protodon change and become a part of the Federation. She liked to think she'd played some small part in that.Recently she'd been a little uncomfortable because she'd been informed that a flag officer and staff were coming to relieve her. Instead of going to the front as she'd expected, she had been informed only the day prior that her ship would return to Antigua to stand-down for refit and resupply. Her crew would have been broken up with those who were most deserving of promoting getting them and being assigned to other ships.Her own fate had been uncertain, but she'd like to think she'd acquainted herself well in Protodon and would therefore have earned another command in a battle cruiser or dare she hope a super dreadnought?But, whatever plans the black hole minded BUPERS had in mind were on hold due to the recent crisis. So, for the first time she was headed to the rescue of Second Fleet with just about everything in the star system. Even ships that she'd thought were marginal due to damage that was still being repaired were going with her instead of on to Antigua. She had two CEVs, her mixed cruiser squadron, two destroyer squadrons, the partially repaired ships, and some support ships to contend with. Most of the repaired ships were unsuited for combat let alone a flat-out run so she counted them out.It wasn't enough to go up against the enemy capital ships she knew—not by a long shot. But, it was a start. They had taken on every fighter and bomber that could get to them from the orbital carrier fortresses near the jump point as well. The hangar decks were packed, but she at least had them on hand for Second Fleet. They'd have to do something about ordinance later.“ETA on the jump point, one hour ten minutes, Captain. All ships are forming up on our beacon. The rest will jump when they get to the jump zone as specified in our orders,” her XO stated.“Very well,” the captain said, settling herself in the saddle. Her people were anxious but excited. She couldn't blame them; she was as well. “Status on the hyperdrive?”“Hyperdrive is charging at 1 percent a minute. Current level is 40 percent, 40.15,” the OPS tech reported. “All systems nominal.”“Navigational systems nominal. Our hyper course is plotted and in the buffer,” her navigator stated.“Helm is ready,” the helmswoman stated.“Very well. Make sure you keep a running feed with the other ships, no sense anyone getting bumped. And remind people that even though there is some urgency to this, it isn't a race. We need to get there as a coherent unit.”“Yes, ma'am.”“In fact, XO, look into more working-up exercises. We can't do them in hyper obviously, but we can look into working-up exercises as we transit B-95a3.”“Yes, ma'am.”“Ma'am, fresh orders from the ansible,” the comm officer reported.The room seemed to stiffen a little.“Yes?” the captain asked. “Should I be expecting a download?”“No, ma'am. They are confirming that most of the picket in B-95a3 are enroute. We are to leave the two CEVs there as a reserve since they aren't fully worked up and ready. There is a confirmation from the B-95a3 picket as well as an update on their shipping schedule. The ships sent to Protodon should be arriving after we leave.”“Of course they will. Well, they can mind the store, as humans like to say, while we're gone,” the Veraxin stated.“Signal from the orbital fortress shell,” the comm officer stated.“Yes?” the Veraxin asked, clearly getting exasperated as she signaled first-degree annoyance. She swiveled all eyes on the communication officer.The Neodog shrugged as if to say don't shoot the messenger. “It is a simple wish for good luck and good hunting, ma'am. Shall I play it?”“Pass. Pass on our thanks to them, Comm,” the Veraxin replied.~~~^~~~

The Turning Tide snippet

Sitrep:
I totally forgot to put sitreps up! Grr, argth! Ulrich just thumped me to remind me!
Goodlifeguide.com has the manuscript. As soon as I get it, I'll publish the book. In the meantime:

NOTE: Some of the font won't change to white! I don't know why, it's being a butthead over it. Some may appear gray, others blacked out. Sorry.


Act I
Everything came to a screeching halt when the ansible came alive with a report from Second Fleet.The Admiralty received the flash warning, summary and then prepared for the download. Sprite received the flash notification and then briefed Admiral Irons, clearing his schedule as she did so.Admiral Irons in turn immediately issued orders to Admiral Pashenkov to move everything within range to Second Fleet as quickly as possible.Admiral Pashenkov didn't argue. Nor did he allow any argument from Admiral Champion as he issued orders for Sun Tzu, her division mate Sky Titan,and their escorts to expedite their movements to the jump chain to Protodon. It seemed like Second Fleet would be forever poaching First Fleet's capital ships, specifically her largest ship squadron. Bismarkand her division mate Quirinus were already in the hands of Admiral White. Now, two of their squadron mates would have to join them to shore up his forces once more.Second Division was the only capital ship unit immediately available, having just left dock after a resupply before another round of exercises a day before. Technically they were still months away from deployment. Sun Tzu had started a series of shock trials and was six months away from her IOC certifications, but that no longer mattered. Needs must drive when reality and the enemy struck back. Both ships were going to get a stress test as they raced to Second Fleet's aide. The crews were also going to have fun setting in and dealing with anything that cropped up along the way.While the Neowolf did that, Admiral Irons ordered all loading on the four carriers—the CFV Vishal and three CVs Lexington, Essex, and Stinger—to be expedited. They were to take on all available antimatter ordinance as well. One battle cruiser squadron, one CruRon, two DesRons, two additional CLVs, as well as a host of support ships raced to complete their own loading and get underway. Orders flashed out through the ansible to all ships in transit to speed up and redeploy to the war front if possible. All crew leaves were canceled.Like ripples in a pond the orders sent out shockwaves through the fleet. The deployment was roughly a third of First Fleet's ships. Everyone knew something was up, but they were too busy to spend much time asking questions. They also knew better than to say anything publicly.Orders were dispatched through the ansible to others to prepare for expeditious movement.While he did that, Admiral Sienkov and ONI began pouring over the latest ansible data, in some cases pulling it from the buffers as the information came in.~~~^~~~Once the Admiralty had the initial report from Second Fleet, Admiral Irons called a cabinet meeting to brief the cabinet about the latest turn of battle. “Not again,” Emily sighed in resignation. “Just when we think we've got them on the ropes …,” Iab agreed, flashing his simian teeth for a moment in disgust.“The enemy is going to fight to survive just like us. We never promised it would be easy. But it will get done,” Admiral Irons said firmly, letting a little command voice leach in for effect. He noted those in the room sat up straighter for it. “It is going to be this way, a see-saw battle over every star system until one side or the other commits enough forces and force multipliers to break the stalemate. At the moment, we're attritioning each other,” Admiral Irons stated. “I hateit. This isn't what I'd planned, but it is the reality we are in. No plan survives contact with the enemy, obviously," the admiral said bitterly as if to himself. He shook himself and then shrugged. "We'll deal with it.”Iab paused and then turned to wrinkle his nose in question at the admiral. “Sir?”Admiral Irons shot a look at Sprite who was giving him a reproving look at the distraction. He shrugged it off. She crossed her arms, but he dove in anyway. “At the time we started in on Antigua, I had thought we'd have some time. That there would be a delay, quite possibly years. I have a tendency to turtle. To fight defensively. My original plan was to sit and build up a massive fleet, a onetime knockout punch. It would have surrendered the initiative, but I was confident we could have absorbed their attacks. But then I went to Lemnos and plans changed.”“And things changed, sir?” George Custard prodded when the admiral fell silent. A few of the people in the room grew restive, looking at the admiral.“Yes,” Admiral Irons said, staring at the window. It was a simulation of a rain storm on the ground. “Admirals White and Subert wanted to kick off early. They weren't the only ones. Amadeus wanted to get in, hit them hard, throw them off balance, and fight them as far away from our population centers as possible. To take the battle to them, not fight defensively. To free everyone we could while we could.”His expression worked again and then he shrugged. “As I said, I'm a turtle; I tend to think in engineering and defensive terms.” He smiled and looked back at them. “I would have set up heavy defenses, let them come to us, and then break their teeth on our fortresses and stuff. But there was the chance they'd get in to too many places.”“I see, sir,” Moira said quietly.Admiral Irons shook himself. “There are arguments for and against both approaches. It doesn't matter. We're committed now,” Admiral Irons stated, looking at Yorgi and the other officers in the room. Sprite nodded.“Exactly. We have to remember the enemy wishes to win and live just as we do. They will keep committing forces, reacting as we do. As it is, we have some edges, but it is hard to effectively use them since we can't build up enough quantity to have an overwhelming advantage,” Sprite stated.“But Bek will make up some of the difference, right?” Iab asked hopefully, looking at the two flag officers in the room and then Moira and Sprite.“Some. We still do not know what the enemy has in reserve, not fully,” Yorgi cautioned. “We're getting dribs and drabs from Bek. They are also far away from the front line. Horath is a few jumps away from the front so they can reinforce faster.”“What are the Horathians producing? I remember reading something about they're now building ships? How is that possible?” Sandra'kall asked. The Centaurian's tentacles waved, briefly distorting her image but drawing attention to her.Yorgi nodded. “I'll send you the brief again since you are the Secretary of Industry. Briefly, a lot of what we have is second and third hand information. It is also out of date,” he stressed. More than one person grimaced at that qualifier. “We don't know how their building rates have changed. For instance, we do know they are producing Apollo class corvettes as of ten years ago. That has been repeatedly confirmed. They were also working on Arboth class destroyers as well as unknown classes of cruisers, CEVs, and even battle cruisers. Now?” He shook his head. “We don't know. We don't have assets in there to find out.”“How?” Sandra'kall asked.He blinked in confusion. “How what?” he asked cautiously. Was she asking him how she knew this or how would they find out? He wasn't certain.“How can they do that when no one could before? When they couldn't even do it before?” Iab demanded."Exactly," the Centaurian agreed.Yorgi turned to Admiral Irons and lifted an eyebrow to him as if to ask the engineer in the group.Admiral Irons drummed his fingers once and then came to a decision. It was easier than he'd thought. “El Dorado,” Admiral Irons replied.“This is classified Level Deep Blue,” Sprite interjected.Iab blinked brown eyes, apparently lost. “Sorry, what?”Yorgi looked at Admiral Irons. Admiral Irons nodded once. “Read them in,” Admiral Irons said, sitting back.“El Doradois a code name, one meaning city of gold. In this case, a place where everything you want is. A place of untold riches, in this case keys and the means to build ships and technology that had been up until now, locked,” Yorgi stated. “We have several confirmations that they have found a damaged derelict battle moon in Sigma somewhere.”There were gasps around the room, none of them feigned.“Obviously this is classified. We don't want a panic. What we know about it is sketchy at best. It has been repeatedly confirmed though.”“What he means is, we have confirmed that they have found something,” Admiral Irons stated firmly. “We are looking into where and exactly what it is. We doubt they can move it, but they can strip it of resources. Resources they can use as a turnkey upgrade to their existing industry. It levels the playing field significantly.”“Oh, that's just peachy!” Emily said in despair. “So, they can get around the lockouts?! How? How is that even possible??”“It appears so, but we don't know at what level. Coercion of any survivors might be involved.” Emily winced at that. “And remember, they've been pirates for centuries. Their ill-gotten gains have been funneled to Horath for that entire time period and quite possibly before it during the Xeno war. We know they have hefty stockpiles, entire orbital warehouse districts and bases chock filled with stuff from across the galaxy. Plus, a bone yard of ships they stole or salvaged,” Yorgi stated.“In other words, they can build ships just from the components and ships they've got on hand. They can use civilian grade hyperdrives and nodes for instance,” Sprite stated. “We've noted that in the past several decades they've invested heavily in their industrial capacity, working on reverse engineering what they can and building and stockpiling those components. Nuts, bolts, basic parts, any little bit they can do without the need of a replicator.”The Centaurian's holographic image gave a human style nod. As head of Industry, she well understood what Sprite was talking about.“They have quite a stockpile. And we know they have captured planets. Some of them had industry. Not quite up to Antigua's level, but close enough to easily update them to make parts they need,” Yorgi stated, picking up the narrative again.“Oh.”“So, you are saying they are on par with us?” Emily asked carefully. “Thousands of ships?” she asked very carefully. “Capital ships?”“As Yorgi pointed out, they've only just begun to produce Apollo class corvettes and releasing them for use on the war front. But small escort ships have no place in the wall of battle. They can act as scouts, pickets, and do other missions, but in fleet combat, it is the big boys that matter,” Admiral Irons stated. “We know they've been salvaging warships for centuries, but we don't know how many are ready for combat. Obviously, they've made an effort to rebuild them. Before though, those ships had no hyperdrives. They used a temporary one to get them to Horath and then pulled it to install in the next ship they found.”Emily's image grimaced. “Oh. So, a sublight fleet up until this El Dorado? You were counting on their big boys staying at home until now?”“Yes. They've become a lot more dangerous in a short period of time,” Sprite stated.“So, what do we do?” Moira asked.“We're going to have to commit more of our forces. We were building them up to a Sunday punch, a heavy force they wouldn't see coming. We were also keeping them in reserve here to train and to cover this star system. But, we can't wait. Not if we want to recapture the initiative. If we wait they could push Second Fleet all the way back. Quite possibly to Protodon and we'd have to fight for that territory all over again,” Admiral Irons stated flatly.“Not to mention the people we've got invested in Nuevo Madrid. We have the time to pull them out, but we've liberated that world. We have a commitment to protect the people there,” Moira pointed out. She had just launched a state department mission there now that the Marines had cleared the way for them. “Our reputation is on the line. If we walk away now we would be destroying it.”A few of the cabinet members hesitated before nodding in agreement.“And they could choose to not do a direct assault but go around to Senka. We can't be strong everywhere,” Sprite stated. “The picket forces there can't handle a capital ship attack.”Moira winced. She could already envision enduring calls from concerned Senka delegates, senators, and the governor. All demanding she do something and get the military to reinforce their star system to make it impregnable. Finding a way to explain the Admiralty's logic wasn't going to be easy. No, scratch that, explaining it wouldn't be hard. Getting them to accept it would be, she thought.“So, if we get the ships moving now, you are saying they can cut them off and go back to a stalemate along the way?”“Yes. Based on Admiral White's report the enemy has a lot of capital ships, but his carriers pounded two into debris with antimatter weapons. That might make them cautious,” Sprite stated.“Might,” Emily stated, voice flat.“Yes, might. I realize it is a qualifier, but it is all we have now,” Admiral Irons said with a pointed look at Emily to quell any more outbursts.“If the carriers are what are needed, why not send them more?” Moira asked, looking from Yorgi to the other two officers.“We intend to along with the capital ships. In fact, we already sent those that are available as some of you might know.” A few heads nodded around the table. “But it was antimatter weapons that got Second Fleet out of Dead Drop and made the enemy hesitate. And let's remember, the enemy committed one of their premier units, their vaunted Skull Squadron. They did a number on our people who weren't exactly fresh to begin with when the enemy reinforcements showed up,” Yorgi stated. “It's fighters and bombers that carry the antimatter to the enemy. Those have been torn up. No doubt they have taken the time to reforge themselves during the retreat transit time. We'll see what Admiral White has to say about committing them to further action.”“It boils down to we're going to send whatever we can as quickly as we can. Anything in Protodon will be moving forward right off less a small picket. They'll have to move cautiously in case Second Fleet is bounced out,” Sprite stated. She was well aware that Admiral Pashenkov had already issued the orders to the forces in Protodon as well as left orders to each ansible for any passing military unit to expedite their movements.“What about the enemy getting behind the lines and harassing shipping again?” Iab asked carefully. He looked around the room. “I mean, it's a real threat now, right?”“It can't happen with Second Fleet in the way,” Yorgi stated. “We're now aware of that trick of bypassing the normal route by going through B-97b so Admiral White is setting up pickets to watch for it.”“Okay, but what about coming in from the north through Sigma sector through Finagle and then up and around through Pi? Or hell, didn't we read about how they stole water dwellers from ET? What about a straight jump?” Iab persisted.More than one person flinched around the table. There was a long brooding silence. Yorgi tapped his fingers on the table as he looked down and then over to Admiral Irons.“All nasty thoughts that we're aware of,” Admiral Irons said carefully. “We have a small picket in star systems linking to Sigma and Pi. We also have a picket in Protodon. There is a carrier force, the Kittyhawk, moving to reinforce Second Fleet. They'll be watching for ships as well.”“We don't know if they've put the surviving water dwellers to use or how many survived. We have some tentative numbers on the missing persons, and we know a few that are accounted for, but we don't know how many that got to Horath—if they even got there. Any sort of mischief could have happened along the way,” Yorgi stated.“If they got there yet. Remember, water dwellers push a ship hard. If the ship isn't up to the demand, it can fail. And no matter how good your engineers and helm team are, if you break something you can't fix you are SOL. Or, if you do manage to salvage something, you are stuck at a slow pace,” the T'clock captain interjected in support.“But we can't count on any of that, can we?” Emily asked.“No,” Admiral Irons said. “We have to assume they got through. We don't know what they are doing with those people. Obviously, nothing good. But, remember, they'll only have a few, which means only a few ships can raid if they try it. And blind jumps are not for the faint of heart. It is a good way to throw away assets. Their recent experience with Fourth Fleet's retreat will remind them of that. You don't gamble a fleet like that.”“But it was done before. Before the Xeno war. During the founding of the Federation …,” Lawrence Martindale said, sounding exasperated.“That was as you said, before the war,” Captain Broken Antenna interjected before anyone else could. Captain Herschel nodded in agreement. “Now there are all sorts of problems. Hyper mines are one thing to contend with. The energy from destroyed stars and such, the changes to hyperspace, it's a mess. There is a reason people stick to the safe known travel routes,” the T'clock stated, waving her remaining antenna.“Oh.”“But you did it before. And we all take risks. Can they take the risk? Blaze a fresh trail?” Emily asked.Admiral Irons spread his hands apart. “Anything is possible given the right navigation and helm team. We're working on it on our end. We know the enemy is now trying to do it too with their assault on ET,” he stated. There was a fresh round of grimaces at that reminder. “So, I think we need a break. But, to recap, we're going to stop the enemy. We're going to fight a fighting withdrawal if necessary, but the goal is to stop them cold before B-95a3.” Moira nodded in agreement. “Can I say without reservation that I have your support on this?”Heads nodded around the table.He waited a moment and then nodded once himself. “Good. Let's adjourn for a moment and stretch. I need another cup of coffee and we all need to check on things in our domains anyway.” Emily chuckled but nodded.~~~^~~~

Rest in peace

  With a heavy heart we had to put our beloved cat Baby, short for Baby Tiger down today.

   I knew something was wrong beyond the thyroid issue. We took him in Thursday and got blood work but everything was fine. But then he came home, took a massive poop and then started to blow up over the following week, eating less and less each day.
   I called the doctor today thinking he was constipated or something. It turns out he had 2 massive tumors and a lot of fluid that had crushed 1 lung and was slowly crushing his heart. There was nothing we could do. It was time. The doctor offered to give him antibiotics and pain killers but he gave him less than a week and said he was in pain. As much as we wanted to hang onto him another day longer just to have him, we had to make the tough call.
Nosy! Baby wanting to be fed. Every 2 hours, day or night. (Yes this happened in front of my computer while writing too!)
   Dad and I are still struggling with the grief. That was dad's buddy, the other old man in the house. They stuck together even though they'd argue. (which was funny to watch. I'll miss it.)

   He was mischievous, loved dogs more than catnip, and loved to cuddle. Most of these pictures are 1-2 years old, he faded a lot in the past year. In the past week he refused to leave dad's room more than 1-2 times a day. I had to pick him up and put him in the litterbox and coax him to go. I had to carry him out to feed him or bring food to him. He got into wanting to drink from a cup in dad's bathroom sink.

I like to remember him like this.
I know Loki and Red will miss him. Loki hasn't let me out of his sight since we got home. Anytime dad was going somewhere he had to get into the suitcases and bags. Loki and Baby have been buddies since Loki came home as a kitten. Loki hissed his head off at Baby. Baby wrapped the little guy (at the time) in a headlock and then bathed him until he calmed down. Lil Red had been something of a trial for the old man. But occasionally he did get the energy up to romp and play with her in 2015-2016.  He was such a loveable brat sometimes. He led and the other 2 followed. I'm not sure I'll miss the 2 hour feedings, but I will miss him cuddling with me terribly. We all do. 12/1999 -2/24/2018
Love you seat thief buddy.

Delays...

Okay, sitrep:
I finished the rough draft of TTT last Friday and sent it out to 4 Betas. I'm getting some input but it is slow. I am hoping to get it to the next line by this week. So, getting The Turning Tide out this month is a no. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

What sucks is next month is going to be insane with stuff coming out. (Thor, The Last Jedi, Agents of Shield, David Weber, etc) I'm a small fish with a lot of other big  fish all schooling at the same time. Ugh. I'm either going to get eaten or ignored. Oh well, I'll deal with it as it comes.

Anyway, here is the cover. I just sent it to the Betas in a Beta Blast:

I did a scene from the book as usual. I left the explosions as stock since playing with the colors would have made them blend into the lettering. -I am currently bouncing between various things, including updating my notes and adding scenes to Liberty or Death and Scout. I usually take a week off between writing manuscripts but since I'm behind I'm going to try to get into writing Scout sometime this weekend. It has morphed into a full novel from the short novella I'd expected. (yipe?) -I think Wayne's ramping up to update the wiki. He got me to make and render an image of Admiral De Gaulte. I'm thinking about making more characters today. I have a rather long list which keeps getting added to for some reason. lol -The writing schedule has changed. The current plan is to write Scout next. Shelby 2 Shiver Me Timbers has been pushed back to 2019 after Liberty or Death. (which has the Convoy chapter 35 scene in it and has been moved up to this year) I still don't know if I should start the Ragnarok series or finish the Founding series off.  -In printing news, I updated my Da Vinci Pro's hot end after the old head clogged up bad. The V6 head works well now that I've got the bugs out. I also added a way to print vendor filament to the 1.0 and it works too, though the filament is cheap. (and I bought 15kg of it!)    I was recently talked into trying to print a full size BB-8 for a friend for a birthday gift. (what can I say, I'm a sucker for a single lady who wheedles things out of me with batting eyes, giggles, and gives me a challenging grin)    Geesh! I found out the hard way that I could only print one up to 75% in size. She was okay with that. After a full day of printing I gave up. It would have taken 12 days to print the entire beast, (with both printers running 18 hours a day) then a ton of sanding, priming, sanding, filling, painting, gluing, etc. Some of the parts warped and the fit was bad too so I would have been forced to print do overs. I thought it'd run me $20 in filament... boy was I wrong! I re-ran the numbers and came up with $70 in filament. I pointed out that the same static thing (same size) is $45 on Amazon with sound fx and lights to her. Needless to say, it is coming in tomorrow. (yes the lazy man won)   I did print her a Porg earlier though, (it's a surprise) so I guess that's some commiseration. That is still in need of finish work, plus the other SW droid I printed for me is on the work bench in pieces. (I'm annoyed that I bought the wrong RC car for it and I found the blasted droid 2x bigger on Amazon for $65!) I'm waiting for the temperature to get above 50 degrees to glue, sand, patch, prime, sand again, and paint it. Pictures coming eventually. That's it for now!

Sitrep

Sitrep:
  Okay, so, oops, I forgot to update the blog. I am killing time tonight before giving Baby his meds before bed and I remembered I'd promised the Colonel and others to prove I'm still alive here. Here I am! Better late than never??

   Now that I got that out of the way, I'll get into the update. I have been struggling with The Turning Tide. This is the first book that required not 1 but 3 rewrites. EVER . I apparently completely forgot the ending of TGS. That's also never happened. Gotten 1-2 details wrong yes. but not that bad.

I hate getting old.    The Betas, especially Wayne have been good about calling me out about my mistakes without rubbing my nose into the age thing too much. (probably because some are older than I am!) But the mistakes and inevitable frustration over them have slowed the pace down. (that, my shoulder injury, and chronic sinus problems that crop up around this time giving me sinus headaches and migraines)
  Anyway, I had thought I'd be done by now. Instead I am on the cusp of the first climax. (the second is finished) Hopefully I'll have it finished by this week and into the hands of the Betas. From there on to Rea and then GoodLife and then you the reader.

   In other news, I finished a couple of minor print projects after having to rebuild my Da Vinci Pro hot end with an E6. I turned them over to their intended recipients at my sister's 40th Birthday Party. (Hey, if she had to push me over that hill a couple of years ago I'm going to retaliate and drag her butt kicking and screaming over it!)
  The party was fun. Tiring, but fun. It was a pity not more people showed up but those that did were definitely boisterous. (this from a guy who has social anxiety disorder.) We all had a grand time. :)

Grr.. upon checking my phone I have found some of the images didn't get saved. I don't know why, I distinctly remember taking the pictures! So, I don't have the pictures of the Genji bust from Overwatch, or the Legend of Zelda stuff I did for Ashley, or the Kylo Ren minifig. the flower thing I did for my sister's birthday, or some of the others. GRR.
My phone sucks. The camera sucks. I admit I have a bad habit of trying to take pictures with it in low light.
Okay, 3 things that did come out:
I got this guy from MyMinifactory for my youngest nephew who is a Red Panda fan. He loved it.
2 of my older nephew's friends are avid Star Wars fans like I am. They are interested in cosplay and I decided to make them their favorite lightsabers. I have since overheard a request for Tenel Ka's rancor one. GRR.
Oh, they wanted them unfinished so they could add lights and detail each themselves.
I also did this for the Kylo Ren fanatic. (he even has the hair!) I had to fill in the seam and repaint it since the body warped during printing.
I tried the acetone vapor on the cockpit hatch and wingtips. It came out okay but they lost detail so I decided not to try it with the bigger parts. (besides, they wouldn't fit in the rice cooker!)    And finally, 1 some of you Halo fans will recognize. I bought a ton of white ABS that was on sale and wanted to try it out on something. (okay, only 15 kilograms) This is the result. I found out that it warps and bubbles though, so I just acetone treated the skull. I then dirtied it up with some brown acrylic. I think it came out pretty cool, as did my friend and his son. (who went bananas I'm told. :))

  Speaking of all that ABS, a friend at the party saw everything I did and asked if I could make a BB-8 for her girlfriend's birthday. I said okay if it was a static one and small. I tried to talk her into just buying one but she wanted a hand made one.
  Then last night she texted me about making a full scale version. (yipe!) I downloaded the files and no, not going to happen, sorry. Crazy I am, but I'm not that crazy! (I think. Maybe. I hope not. Okay, I'm not sure?) Besides, my printer isn't big enough. (The print volume for each is 200mm cubed and some of the parts are 300mm and up!)
And no, that's not um, okay, let's not go there, shall we??
So, yeah, sorry Giggles. I'll make a smaller one and make it up to you with someone else I just did.

   Oh, back to the books, I've been talking with Wayne about the graphic novel (and looking into buying hardware/software or hiring an artist to do it with me) as well as looking into a cross section book of ships and tech. I doubt either of them will happen this year, my schedule is pretty full and I'm already behind. You will note one of the stories in the comic was mentioned at the end of TGS and in TTT. Eventually I'll get around to filling that void. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm rambling so that's it for now.

Happy Holidays!

  So, it is nearly 8:30pm here on the west coast of the U.S. and I just survived another torturous Christmas Eve party. The guests are gone and I am still putting my house back together. The gifts are loaded in the truck, My sister left with the stuff for the stockings, and my feet and back are killing me! This is literally the first time I've sat down since 7am I believe. Whichever neighbor gave me the gingerbread, thanks, I have no clue who you are. Thanks though. I didn't get any, but it's all good.
Whatever is sticky on the floor in the dining room can wait. If the cat's get stuck... their problem. :D
I'm pooped. But, I still need to take a shower and post this before I can crash:
  I had considered doing another shot, this one from "A Christmas Intervention", but I ran out of time. The same could almost be said about my Reindeer project. I started it last January but I choked in the home stretch. Perhaps next year I'll figure out the problems and get it finished. Hopefully.
  I have to be up at 5am tomorrow and at my sister's by 7 to start a busy and crazy Christmas day.

Do you like the new theme? I'm not sure I do, they made it a pain to figure out how to post! It is different though.

  So, anyway, here is a big gift, you can read it in Multiverse 3 if you haven't already. And yes, it will play a part in Shelby 2 and the greater Federation. When I don't know. (I'm too frazzled to think straight anyway!)
There was initially going to be a very different version. This one is more down to earth I guess you could say. Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone!

Carol and her husband Charles scouted the governor Magistrate's mansion one final time. All was in place; none of their hidden spy systems had been found by the small staff. Their ship, the Oliver Twist, had been in orbit of the agro colony in Tau-Bin63a4 for a week, picking up the feed and setting up the virtual world to come based on the real mansion and master bedroom. They had visited the planet a year before and had put it on the candidate list. Carol had been tempted to push to do an intervention right then and there, but her husband had put her off. Oliver their A.I. had sealed the deal by insisting he needed more time to prepare. Instead, they had left spy devices in the governor's mansion and office when they'd last visited. Reactivating the probes was simple once they'd gotten into orbit. Having Oliver go through the various feeds had taken precious time however. He had much more on his plate than simple surveillance.She stuffed her hands in her pockets and switched to the office feed. Charles quietly stood beside her, doing the same. They watched Bob try to warm himself and his ink pen but get chased back to his stool. The Bonobo male had fur, but they could see his breath clouding around him.“He won't even heat the room? He's that much of a tightwad?” Charles murmured.“Apparently,” Carol murmured.They watched as a visitor came. Two men tried to get the magistrate to shift funds to help the poor, especially during the recent plague. But the man refused and wheedled them into leaving empty handed.Before they were fully gone, a familiar face came to the threshold. He stopped his uncle from slamming the door shut in his face and then came in. “What are you doing here?”“Is it wrong to come see my relative?” Fred asked, eyeing his uncle.“If you are here for money …”“No, no, I'm here to invite you to our Christmas party!”“Are you going to have …?”A passerby bumped into Charles. He instinctively turned to the side but kept a firm check on his wallet in case the other man was a pickpocket or mugger. But the man only mumbled an apology and kept going. The way the governor treated his own kin, let alone his family, burned Carol. "That tears it."“He rejected them?”“Was there any doubt? He's so wrapped up …,” She shook her head.“How is Doc doing?” he asked.“Better. She reported the plague was responding to her efforts. She's run through a lot of medical supplies though, not to mention medical keys,” Carol replied.“And she'd run through a lot more or not have any patients to treat if the governor hadn't instituted strict quarantine protocols,” he said.“Okay, so the ruthless old bastard has that going for him. But he left people who were sick to die. He didn't allow them any support. They either lived or died on their own.”“Carol, you can't have it both ways. Someone delivering supplies to someone infected with an airborne virus would have become a carrier and passed it on breaking quarantine.”“I know. It still isn't right,” she grumbled.“Did she confirm that it was a biological attack?”“It almost has to be with so many viruses striking at the same time, doesn't it?” Carol demanded.“Then, should we be doing this at all? Maybe we should come out and help?”“The vector points to a space-born attack. The natives have noted that in their primitive social media,” Oliver said. “Our coming forward would make them suspicious of our generosity.”“Nice to hear another voice,” Charles said. “Are you done?”
“Just about. Doc released the counter viruses. Most of the first phase viruses have already passed. The counter viruses will help counter resurgence.”“Hopefully,” Carol said. “We're still going through with this,” she said firmly. “He was okay with the quarantine, but the man is a bastard. He could have done more.”“I'm surprised he has a Neo in his office at all,” Charles observed with a shake of his head.“That's because he's too cheap to hire anyone else. Bob could technically replace him. I suppose it could be that he doesn't want to look like humanity is pushing the Neos out.”“Possible. The Neoapes were least affected by the plagues,” Charles said with a thoughtful nod. He waited until a couple passed them to continue the conversation. He paused and then his jaw worked when he saw the subject chastise the bonobo for trying to put a brick of compressed coal onto the fire."Seen enough?" Carol asked. "If there is anyone more deserving who fits the profile for redemption, it's him," she said.Charles frowned. She had the degree in psychology, he didn't. He did know that most people didn't change like you wanted. They'd had mixed results with other targets."We've got a narrow window to pull this off before we have to pull out. You sure this is worth it?" He asked her, glancing her way."Yeah. It fits perfectly," Carol said."Okay," Charles replied dubiously. "I have to admit there is a sort of poetic justice about it," he said with a resigned shake of his head. When his wife got that way, it was best to just roll with it.“So, that's a yes? We're going forward?”"Not now. Tonight as we planned," Charles warned, “which means we need to get some rest soon.”"Oh, I know. I'm looking forward to this one," she vowed, picking up her pace.He nodded. "Okay, lets' do this. I'll give the team the final signal to prep.""Roger that," she replied with a ready grin. "And don't be such a downer. This'll work.""We'll see," he said dubiously. A lot had to go right to for them to have any chance of success.
^3^
A half hour after the occupants of the mansion went to bed, Charles and Carol approached the great stone edifice. It was imposing with the stone blocks and big windows and doors. They ignored it, intent on the task at hand.
While Carol kept a lookout, he used the key he had made to open the door. They had used holograms and a bit of handcraft to get a copy of the key. He still had to pick the lock to the master bedroom; Ebenezer never let that one out of his care.
It was a simple matter to infiltrate the governor's mansion, though the creak of the door made Charles pause. The unoiled door hinges were its own alarm in a way. He switched on the ghost hologram once they were inside.
He pulled out his chains and let them clank on the tile floor, most likely waking the guard. The guard snorted awake and looked about himself blearily. Charles made sure to scare the occupant with the first ghost and then Carol stunned them into unconsciousness before they could cry out or flee.
As they moved through the building, they scanned each room to be sure to make it as it was by the time they left. They already had scans of the building to use in the event ahead; they just wanted to make certain their entry was not noted.
^3^
“They are in,” Oliver said over the net link.
Doc sucked in a breath and then nodded. She wanted to go in with the team, but it was too much to try to hump in all the gear they were going to need. Just getting it out again was going to be a pain. She stayed close enough to the rooftop ledge to watch the building but not so close as someone on the street below might see her if they happened to look up.
“Are you ready, Doctor?” Oliver asked.
“As ready as I can be. I know, I'm still tired, I know you are monitoring our vital signs. But I'm good. I can still do this.”
“I understand. Still, I know you are concerned about the subject and your own fatigue blurred reaction time.”
“It is what it is. Carol is right, the psychological impact of this night is too important to waste if we're going to get this right.”
“Okay,” the A.I. replied. “They are about to penetrate the inner sanctum and move to the next step,” Oliver reported.
“Oh goody,” the Doctor murmured.
^3^
Charles managed to infiltrate the old man's room by using his hologram in cloak deception mode. The creak of the massive door's opening and closing were enough to stir the old man. He hastily set up the holo emitters and then waited until the old man stirred. When the clock ticked to midnight and then gonged, he grinned. “Showtime,” he murmured.
When the old man was ready and rousing, he began to set the stage with the first phase. “Cue the chains and moans,” he murmured through his implants.
He heard the sounds of the chains and moans outside the door. The haunting steps coming closer and the liquid nitrogen vapor slipping under the door, coupled with the unearthly light and the ladies shaking the door were enough to get Ebenezer out of bed. The old man griped about being woken and that it had better not be because someone was having sex.
“Who's there?” he demanded when Carol knocked loudly.
“It's me old friend, Jacob Marley,” Oliver said through the audio system outside. Getting the late Neohound's image had been easy; they'd picked it up during the scan of the newspapers. Making a VR avatar had also been simple.
What hadn't been so simple was approximating the voice. They had the vocal structure of a base Neocanine to start with. By utilizing the 3D model of the Neohound, Oliver and Doc had created a virtual larynx and from there their best approximation of the dog's voice.
“No!” the old man denied in fit of panic. He tried to look through the keyhole, but he saw an eye on the other side. That sent him on his rear, skating across the cold wooden floor hastily.
“Ebenezer!” the A.I. said, and then cued the next step. The liquid nitrogen and deep shadows were prefect for the holograms to do their magic. Charles moved into position and saw the form of a ghostly Jacob Marley, Ebenezer's old friend and mentor form around him. Ebenezer's eyes and expression of horror were so comical he almost laughed out of character.
Instead he stuck through his prepared speech, reacting as the old man threw a crock at him by letting it pass through the hologram to shatter against the door.
He even inflated the hologram to terrorize the old man, sending the man further back to cower in fear. “You will be given a chance at redemption. On this night, you will be visited by three ghosts,” he said, going slightly off script. He knew Carol or Oliver would razz him mercilessly for adlibbing about it later when they did a post mission review. So be it.
He opened the door and then paused to remind Ebenezer as the old man went around to his bed to put as much distance between the intruding apparition and himself as possible. “Remember, Ebenezer. Three spirits will come. The first will come at the sound of the gong,” he said, pointing to the clock.
As he kept the subject's attention Carol slipped in under her own cloaking camouflage. She crawled up to the old man's bedside and waited for her husband's exit.
He watched the old man quivering under his duvet for a long moment and then left, making sure to drag the ghostly chains with Oliver's sound effects for good measure. He even got one caught on the door and had to open it to get it unstuck. His bumbling was in character according to his research.
Carol watched her husband's exit and grinned. “Jacob, exit stage, front and center. You're on, Carol,” Oliver murmured through her implants.
She listened to the old man blubber and climb deeper into bed. She rose slowly to her feet but stayed behind the curtain in the deep shadows of his room and the four-poster bed he occupied.
She hefted the stunner after his second look at the clock. When he began to mutter about it being a bad dream, she shot him.
“Got him,” she reported once the old man slumped. She went over and checked his vital signs by placing two fingertips to his carotid artery. “He's out,” she said quietly, easing the subject in his nightgown to lie on his back.
"Okay, ready, phase two," Charles said, entering the room once more. He pulled his bag off and began to set up the equipment as the rest of the team moved in. Carol opened a window and shot a line to the nearby rooftop. She set up a pulley system and then waited as Doc zip lined gear over and then came over herself.
The last time they'd done that they had used antigrav. The high winds had made them miss a load. This time they'd learned to take the added insurance of the guiding zip line.
^3^
The team quickly set up the VR headset system, computers, battery generators, med station, and sleep teaching system. Charles hooked up a wire to the antenna on the roof and then linked Oliver into the network. The A.I. was in the ship, and there would be a bit of a time delay. Oliver was a class two dumb A.I. with a few upgrades.
They had tried to get him upgraded to a smart A.I. before the war, but it hadn't happened in the rush of everything going on. As he watched the feed, the A.I. established himself into the network and brought up programs and bots. “Virtual rooms constructed and loaded. Updating now. Two minutes,” Oliver stated.
Charles nodded silently and turned to the others.
Doc was busy setting up her system on the subject. She began by attaching sensors to his chest, sticking them under his nightshirt. She then pulled additional ones off for his temples, and then switched to hooking up an IV. She took a blood sample and then began to run a quick and dirty blood screen with her equipment.
Charles knew Doc really wanted to use their limited supply of nanites over the old-fashioned medical equipment. And, if they could, do the entire thing in a regen tank on the ship. But, that wasn't going to happen. They were stuck doing the job in the field. Attempting to move the subject to the ship would be noticeable. It would also burn up too much time in transit. They had a narrow window.
“Clock is ticking,” he murmured as a reminder to her.
Doc nodded. “Tox screen is good so far. No surprises. He's had a bit of alcohol, but surveillance knew about that. Not enough to be too much of a problem,” she warned.
“Good to know,” Carol said as she worked on setting up her VR headset and got comfortable on the blanket on the floor.
"Are we really going to do this?" Doc asked.
"Sure, why not?" Carol asked as she paused to look up to the doctor. She needed no external monitoring system since she had implants.
“It's just cruel,” Doc said. “And I think we could find some other way. The drugs to leave in him a suggestive state … and subliminals are involved and …,” she frowned pensively. “He's also old,” she finished, feeling like she was sounding lame.
"It's an intervention. If there was ever a perfect candidate, he's it. He's a tight-ass old bastard. He's a nasty man to be around, but he's not brutal. He's ruthless in business affairs but isn't corrupt. This planet is ripe for a revolution. He's it. I'm for it," Carol said firmly.
"That's because you get to stay in the present. I have to go into the past, and you get to play in the future," Charles growled, eyeing the two women.
Carol snorted. That was a familiar complaint. "Yeah, well, next one we'll switch it up."
“No, we won't. I hate seeing the future you created,” Doc said, making a face. She paused and then looked up with a look of concern.
“I'm serious about this though. He might be ripe in some regards, but I don't like his vital signs. He's got issues with his cardiovascular system too. You are going to stress test him to the line. That could make or break him. I don't want a DOA,” Doc said with a shake of her head.
“Then work on that as you monitor his vital signs. It's up to you to keep him alive, Doc, you know that.”
“Yeah. Easier said than done with this dinosaur. Do they even know what’s to eat around this place?” Doc asked as she continued to hook her equipment up.
“Initial neural map commencing,” the A.I. stated as Doc finished setting up the neural web lattice over the subject's head. “Sync will take some time,” the A.I. warned.
“How much time?” Carol asked, pausing in her task to look up with a frown.
“You will need to run the past section slow. I'll let you know when we're in sync. We'll need him to take the lead.”
“What about prodding? Have you gotten anywhere with his profile and past history?”
“Still working on it. The present is ready. And the future is of course canned. Charles and I already modified it for this subject's world.”
“Great. So, the middle and ending are done, but the beginning, our foundation isn't?”
“You knew that part would be tricky. Run with it,” Charles warned her. “Or do you want to abort?” he asked, eyeing her.
She shook her head and settled her resolve to get the job done. There was no way they were going to back out now.
^3^
With Doc monitoring them, Charles went and checked on the other people in the mansion. He made sure they were comfortable; they were going to get a nice full rest. He was amused by how the guard was snoring with his head back. He eased the old man into a more comfortable position. He checked each of their vital signs before he returned to the governor's suite.
^3^
Carol and the A.I. showed Ebenezer the planet and the Federation's past during its golden age before the Xeno war and fall. A lot of the imagery had been culled from their own ship's database and personal albums. The subject was testy about it all, impatient and not very receptive to the idea that his world could be like that again with the proper guidance and investment.
Carol stubbornly stuck to the program however. The more obstinate the subject was, the more difficult it would be and the harder a shock he would need to break the cycle of bad habits and behaviors he was wallowing in. But she had to get through to him.
Once the basics were laid out, they were ready for the next step. While he had been watching the feed, Oliver and doc had mapped his memory centers. They used electrical and chemical stimulation as well as the neural feed to direct him into his own memories. With a couple hints and some stimulation in the right nerve clusters he took the lead himself. They filled in the blanks as he began to describe them. Fortunately, the architecture hadn't changed much since the old man's youth.
Carol almost felt sorry for the old man as she watched some of the most shaping times of his psychy play out. He was filled with such bitterness! She could see he had once loved as a young man. Was it all due to the spurned love affair? He was also not much to look at, what with the beak of a long-pointed nose, blue lips, red eyes, scraggly hair …
^3^
While Ebenezer was experiencing the history lesson, Oliver was feeding him subliminal sleep teaching about various concepts, as well as ideas on how to create more growth in the economy. They had done similar things with Bob his assistant several days prior. The concepts wouldn't be triggered in that young man until his boss changed his tune and became receptive however.
If it worked, the duo would lead the planet and its population into a new Renaissance. If, was the big thing there though.
Charles watched the feed warily. Based on Doc's readings, Ebenezer was drinking it all in and was fully receptive to Carol's role. That was a relief; he'd wondered about that. Some of the feed was from the intel Oliver had gotten. Unfortunately, the planet lacked computer support, so they'd had to scan newspaper articles into the database in their last visit. That had been a tedious process but one that might pay off.
“Don't get too thrilled,” Oliver said, cutting him off before he opened his mouth fully to say something. “Remember, this is just the first step. The first among many. He can easily trip and fall along the way.”
“Reading my thoughts now?” Charles asked in amusement.
“You're like an open book. And no, not so much your thoughts as your vital signs,” the A.I. replied. “Besides, you've made comments about how well it was working usually around this stage, then cursed yourself for cursing the mission prematurely.”
“So, you decided to cut me off.”
“Pretty much. Gotta go, ticklish bit here,” Oliver replied, disconnecting for the moment.
Charles frowned and then crossed his arms and watched the show. Pretty soon it would be his turn.
^3^
Doc shook her head as she realized the first step was working. She always wondered why the subjects easily accepted the idea of a ghost when they hadn't experienced them. It wasn't quite superstition, at least she didn't think so, though she couldn't rule it out since the civilization had fallen on such hard times.
She had signed on to the yacht since it was a nonprofit and at the time they had been doing a lot of work with helping distressed colonies. Occasionally, they did upgrades and she had greatly enjoyed their time carrying a theater troupe around to introduce the backwaters to more civilized culture and entertainment. It was during that time period that they had all learned about holography and had been introduced to some of the classic plays.
When the war had started, the ship and crew had moved to help with war orphans as well as haul mail and the usual high priority person around if necessary. Their past caught up with them when the Xenos began to destroy worlds; the ship had been given an upgrade to try to pass on more advanced tech to some of the systems they visited in hopes of maintaining civilization.
That had been all well and good, but Carol and Charles were ex-military. Carol had worked in the army psych ops when she had been younger and both of them had wanted to contribute more to the war effort. Too often they'd run into greed and corruption while running around before and during the war.
During a trip through the sector, they'd triggered a hyper mine. It hadn't even been a Xeno one it had been one some stupid civilian had whipped up and dumped in hyper to drive anyone and everyone away. They had been fortunate to do a crash translation as the mine went off; however, the ship hadn't gotten away unscathed. Her hull had been buckled and torn, and she'd suffered a severe fuel leak. They'd been unable to patch the leak until they had gotten out of hyperspace and put a team together to assess the exterior damage.
By that time, they'd lost a majority of their remaining fuel. What they'd had couldn't get them back into hyperspace again, so Carol and Charles had ordered the organic crew into stasis and had set the ship on course to the nearest star system. Like everyone she'd been upset about trying the journey on ballistic with such a low impulse, but they'd had no choice.
It had almost worked too. They'd gotten halfway there when according to Oliver's records he had detected the explosion of the star system's planet. He'd then changed course to another unoccupied star system tripling their time in stasis. By the time they'd gotten to the outer edge of the star system, centuries had passed. He had woken the crew, and they had sucked a nearby comet dry to refuel themselves.
Their hyperdrive and systems had been degraded, but they'd gotten back into hyperspace and made for the nearest known port. And what they had found appalled them. Over six centuries had passed, and the galaxy had been torn apart by the war. What had remained was firmly stuck in the dark ages, filled with Neo pirates and misery.
The fact that anyone had survived was luck in her eyes. Luck and because Tau was such a backwater. They'd tried to help too, at first giving away technology in a naive attempt to get the colonies back on track.
Instead, they had seen their gifts and aide go to waste as the leaders turned to greed and hoarded the treasures for their own comfort and security. The top 1 percent had limited the resources and had strict control of too much.
She closed her eyes briefly in pain at the memory. So much wasted. They had been given replicators since they had been doing government work, plus keys and other tech, but they'd given a lot away in the first two attempts to restart the Federation.
That was when Carol had hit on the idea of switching from the carrot to the stick. Specifically scaring the leaders straight or at least guiding them to where they should be. There were ethical concerns, but Doc didn't care. Carol had been right. And although they'd had some hiccups along the way, they'd gotten the system down now.
They were slowly working their way to the jump to Rho sector, doing loops if they identified a potential target world. They wanted to do as much as they could in Tau before moving on. She knew the others had time shock and issues with survivor's guilt. But, there were times like this when they felt relief from such things.
She heard a soft beep and accessed the subject's vital signs with her implants before she opened her eyes and got back to work.
^3^
Carol prompted Ebenezer, teasing information out of him. It was easy to see what was a lie and what was truth by monitoring his vital signs intently. She was grateful though that Oliver kept the woman's form indistinct, as if the memory was clouded. “Belle,” Ebenezer murmured. She saw the subject's lost look of longing as he looked on to a woman he'd loved and had spurned. “Spirit, take me away, please!” Ebenezer implored, near tears.
That was her signal to let him off the hook and move on to the next phase. She triggered the return sequence. “Remember, Ebenezer, those are the shadows of things that have once been. They cannot be changed. They are what they are, blame me not!” she said and then felt herself being disconnected from the feed as Oliver triggered her avatar's departure animation.
 
Ebenezer stared as he sat in his bed. He could feel it, but the room seemed hollow. He fought the feelings that had been brought forth from his tortured past. “Why, why do they torture me so? And why on this night of nights?” he murmured.
^3^
“Okay, my part is done,” Carol said as she pulled herself out of the VR feed. She watched the virtual Ebenezer on the bed. He was finally coming to grips and settling back in. “Damn! That takes a lot out of you,” she said, sitting back and then flopping to the floor to stare at the ceiling. “Is it just me or is it getting harder to do?”
“We're getting better at it. Adding more detail to ramp up the realism,” Charles said as he looked over to Doc. “How is he?”
Doc frowned but then nodded. “He's stable; the distress is fading. I'm going to give him the hour to settle down and then I'll take my turn. You can monitor him though, right?”
“Yes. Yours is the least stressful anyway,” Charles replied with a shrug.
“He still needs to be monitored,” the doctor scolded. Charles nodded.
“Your electrolytes are low. You need a pep and some rest. You've got the beginnings of a migraine,” she said, turning to Carol and putting an injector to Carol's neck to administer medication. Carol turned her head and elevated her chin to allow it.
“I'll be okay. I may take a nap,” Carol admitted, barely suppressing a yawn.
“Eat something first or you'll have a hangover like last time,” Doc warned.
“Yes, Mom,” Carol joked.
“Don't say I didn't warn you,” Doc said with a shake of her head as she shot Charles a meaningful look. He nodded. He got out the drinks and snacks and handed one to each.
“Oh, all right,” Carol sighed, sitting up and then propping herself up on the edge of the bed to allow herself to drink and nibble.
^3^
At the sound of two bongs announcing the beginning of the second hour past midnight, Oliver triggered the Ghost of Christmas Present's introduction animation into the VR setting. Doc took control of the avatar once it was settled. The A.I. had supplied her script with plenty of material. She moved the subject through the virtual world, showing him live feeds of various people in his life.
He seemed a bit contemptuous of the little people, the peons who were poor but still celebrating the coming holiday. He became interested in the games at his nephew's party but was touched when his nephew held up a toast. “To my uncle Scrooge. I will forever keep trying to invite him to our parties.”
Finally, she switched to the Cratchet household. It was pitiful to see, a shack with a large family. Tiny Tim sat there, and his father gave him his portion of his meager Christmas Eve meal.
Tim was one of the few Neo and alien children to somehow survive the plagues. He hadn't come through unscathed, however; he'd been heavily scarred by the horrifying experience. According to Doc's report, he had a twisted right leg, kidney issues, and respiratory problems. Without her intervention and with the meager diet he was on, she had estimated his chances of making it to puberty let alone to his next birthday as rather bleak.
The Neobonobo looked at the portion and tried to beg off, but his mother quietly smiled and reassured him with a touch. He finally nodded and ate the best he could.
“Spirit, what will become of the boy?” the old man asked, already dreading the answer.
“I fear a shadow will fall upon the lad. He is not long for this world if things do not change,” Doc intoned darkly.
She then went on to the next part, driving the message home about ignorance and want. She hoped silently that he was receptive to her message.
^3^
Carol watched as her husband checked the subject's vital signs and then the perimeter through his implant feed. She loved him; she smiled fondly as he checked everything over. Scaring the leaders straight was her plan. He'd gone with it, following … no, that wasn't right. He didn't quite follow, though sometimes she did need him to follow her lead. No, he was in this her partner, right by her side and she loved him ever more for it.
They had to do something to get the Federation back. Or at least some semblance of order and a restoration of what had once been. Medicine, education, all of that was there, waiting but the descendants who had inherited the dark times were too wrapped up in feeling sorry for themselves and not even trying to dig themselves out. Or, those that were kept getting slapped down by one thing or another.
Well, they couldn't do anything about the pirates that seemed to plague the space lanes in the sector, but they could do something about others. On some stops they provided data, sometimes anonymously. Sometimes they contracted inventors and prompted them. A few times they inspired people by using the teaching system.
But she had found that sometimes the most effective thing was to go to the top. To hit the leadership, to get them to lead by example. And combining that with the other methods they employed increased the odds of success exponentially.
She just hoped some pirate or some other monster didn't come around to make all their work futile.
“She's done,” Charles announced, startling Carol out of her reverie. She blinked and looked over to see Doc coming out of the VR. She went over and checked the woman over.
“I'm fine,” Doc muttered. “My throat is scratchy. I know we use the voice alteration program, but I still try to lower my voice to stay in character. It's a pain,” she said in a hoarse voice.
“Here,” Carol said, passing over a canteen.
“Thanks,” Doc said as she took a sip. “How's the patient?” she asked.
“She seems stable,” Carol said with a grin, making a show of checking the doctor's vital signs.
“I mean the other patient smartass,” Doc grumbled. She smiled ever so slightly at Carol's wit however.
“Doctors do indeed make the worst patients,” Carol said in mock resignation as she looked over to her husband.
“He's stable. A bit distraught but calming down. I can't read his intentions though, it's all coming fast,” Charles warned.
“He might slip into denial, which means we need to make sure we slam it home to him,” Carol said firmly. She knew the other two would try to squirm out. It was best to nip that in the bud. If they just went with the two ghosts, Ebenezer would know something was wrong.
“Okay, okay,” Charles sighed as he came over to them.
“Not so fast. Give him the hour to settle down,” Doc said, trying to push herself up.
“And you the time too I suppose,” Charles said, kneeling at her side.
“Yeah, that too,” Doc admitted, taking another swig from her drink.
^3^
Then it was Charles' turn to show him future with more dark ages, misery, and destroyed worlds. Again, some of it had been culled from their database during the Xeno war. Carol was quick to look away; she couldn't bear to see the broken and shattered worlds, let alone the faces of the people, however long dead they were.
This was a delicate step however; the subject had to be scared straight but not thrown into a depression and give up with the thought that it was inevitable. He had to be convinced through his own will that he could change. They then had to reinforce that. It was a tricky procedure.
“Sometimes I wonder if we should have gone the other route. Scare them and then show them what they could do,” Doc said. “This seems cruel.”
“You've got to be cruel to wake them up. Humans have a thing about negative memories making a more lasting impression in their neurology than positive ones. It is a filter. Don't do this or you'll get hurt.”
“The burned hand. Yes, I know of it.”
“How is tiny Tim by the way?” Carol asked, looking over to Doc during a momentary lull. She needed the distraction.
“Better. I did a scan during my visit and did what I could for the lad. He'll make a recovery soon. I'm going to give him another dose of medicine soon.”
“Ah.”
“I installed the medpack in him. We're down to two more left in inventory,” Doc warned. “The nanites will be released to make the major repairs tomorrow. I wish you'd let me do it tonight. It's always better now.”
“No. Let it reaffirm the old man's wish to care for the boy to anchor him,” Carol said with a shake of her head.
“We're talking about a little boy's life here, Carol,” Doc scolded.
“And weighing that against the rest of the boys and girls on the planet if this works as it should,” Carol said in rejoinder as the subject's vital signs hit a bump. “What's that?” she asked, pointing to the scope.
“The first big “oh shit” of the night,” Doc said, getting to work prepping gear. “Nothing ever goes as planned, least of all when we're in this phase. I hate it.”
“We've got to scare them straight, Doc. You know that the carrot doesn't work with everyone,” Carol said as alarms began to go off. “Charles, trouble. Wrap it up!” she said urgently, touching her ear and looking at the feed.
“What miserable wretch is buried here, spirit?” Ebenezer asked in a quavering voice.
“Why you are, Ebenezer!” Charles said, playing the role as he cackled in a bass voice, and Ebenezer was pushed into the burial pit and then hellfire sprang up around him. He immediately began to beg and plead, promising he'd change.
“I'm on it. We're at the last bit now,” Charles replied. Carol glanced at the vid feed. They were in the cemetery. The idea of being buried and forgotten while his soul roasted in hell was getting to the subject.
“If he was healthier, I'd go with the feelings of being eaten alive, like with Xeno nanites,” she said as the subject twisted and writhed in the bed and then began to drool. He suddenly shuddered and went still.
“Frack. Cardio … I knew it! Heart Attack! I'm busy here. Lend a hand?” Doc said as her hands began to flash with fast but precise movements as she administered medication and triggered equipment.
Charles pulled out aghast just as Ebenezer flatlined. “Frack. What did we do?” he demanded.
“Clear!” Doc said, triggering an electrical pulse into the subject's heart tissue. She had to do it three more times, each time upping the amperage until he convulsed and then settled into a stable heart rhythm.
“Okay, we've got him going again. He's had a minor hiccup,” she said. “I'm giving him more nanites now,” she warned.
Carol bit her lip at the expense. Nanites were impossible to come by in the fallen times. Once they were gone, they were gone for good.
“It's just a minor heart attack,” Charles said, voice rough from projecting like he had. He took out a drinking canteen and took a sip then screwed the lid back on and put it away. “You're on top of it though, right, Doc?”
“Yeah. I got it covered but only barely,” the doctor said with a shake of her head.
“That was a close one,” Oliver said over the link.
“I was going to do a minor tune-up before we left. But now …,” Doc's hands moved. She was clearly on top of the problem. She flushed the patient's system to clear out the plaque in his arteries and made repairs on the fly. She even added a pacemaker.
They stared at her until his systems set up a normal rhythm. After a few minutes, they even showed signs of improvement.
“Okay, he's stable,” Doc said, sitting back on the edge of the bed. Despite the cool chamber, she was sweating profusely from the intense sudden work out to save the man's life.
“Good, that scared the dickens out of me,” Carol said with a giggle of relief.
Charles leveled a look on her. “Not funny, dear. I find that hard to believe, I really do,” Charles said with a shake of his head, but his lips quivered in a suppressed smile.
Doc snorted.
Carol smiled and patted her husband's shoulder and then gave it a squeeze.
“Will this happen again, Doc? I don't want this to undo our hard work. Or sideline him,” Charles asked, concerned that their night’s work could be undone in a moment of stress. The man had a lot to do.
“I cleaned his systems out and gave him the best overhaul I could with what I've got for time and gear,” Doc reported. “Based on that and the food and stuff they've got here, I estimate he'll live another two or more years. How long I can't guarantee of course. He could get hit by a truck or slip and break his neck,” Doc said with a shake of her head.
“Yeah, Murphy always has to be involved somehow,” Charles muttered.
“Shh, don't saythings like that!” Carol scolded, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Serves you right if he kicks your ass. I just don't want to be along for the ride,” she grumbled.
He snorted. “Too late. You already had your chance to bail, remember, wife?” he asked with a smile.
She stared at him but then slowly smiled as well.
Doc cleared her throat, breaking their look. “It's too soon to celebrate. He could write this all off as a dream, remember?”
“Okay. Time for Phase 4. Time to pack up and bug out before the roosters crow,” Carol said. She stretched and yawned. “The others will wake soon.”
“Right,” Charles agreed as they got to work packing up. They had to be sure to leave everything as close to the way it was when they first entered as possible.
^3^
A few hours later the couple was watching anxiously from across the street for signs of life. They finally got it on their implant feeds when the old man began to stir in his bed. Carol was the first to stiffen when the subject stirred. He didn't quite wake though; the light of the dawning day hadn't penetrated his windows.
“I knew we should have opened the shutters,” she muttered.
“He would have noticed any changes,” Charles said.
“The wait is killing me.”
“Anticipation can be fun. Have patience dear,” he said, kissing her hair and hugging her to help with the cold. They had modern cold weather gear under their camouflage of woolen coats, but it didn't quite stop the bite to their exposed hands and heads.
Charles had a more pragmatic approach to waiting. The planet didn't have popcorn to eat while they waited and watched but they did have vendors selling food. When a passing hot nut vendor came by he stopped her and ordered a couple bags. He paid for them and then silently handed one to his tired wife.
“What?”
“It's not quite the proper breakfast but it's something to nibble on while we wait,” he said as she went from blowing into her hands to combat the cold and to look like they were playing the right role to clutching the hot bag.
“Oh, hot!” she said in wide eyed appreciation.
“Good,” he said, eating one of the nuts carefully.
“Long night,” she mumbled.
“Yeah,” Charles mumbled, trying not to itch. They had to blend in, which meant native period dress too, with the long drabby woolen coats. The snow and bitter cold made it hard to endure standing there. “You know we can get the same feed from the warmth of the shuttle or ship, right?” he asked teasingly.
“Yeah, I know,” she said, eyes still on the window and their implant feeds. He saw her stiffen as the governor stumbled to the window and then threw up the sash and flung the shutters open. He looked around and then down to a passing lad. “You there! Boy! What day is this?”
“Why, tis the giving day!” the boy said, pausing in confusion. “Christmas,” he offered.“Then I'm in time,” the subject said eagerly, bouncing about. “Here, here,” he said, reaching in and pulling out a bag of coins. “Go and get the grandest meal you can. The biggest bird and have it delivered to the Cratchet residence. The rest you can keep for yourself, lad!” he cackled.The boy caught the bag and stared at its contents. “Yes, sir!” he said with a wide-eyed grin as he took off.“Hopefully, he doesn't just keep it,” Charles murmured, leaning in to breathe the statement into Carol's ear and hair.“Don't curse us I said,” she scolded, but her eyes were shining. “It worked,” She murmured.“Too soon to tell,” he murmured, but the old man came bustling out of the home in a coat and top hat, still in his nightgown and slippers. He had bags of money with him though and his cane and was rushing off gleefully. “But, you could be right,” he said.“I'm right. You know it. You just don't want to admit it,” she said, knowing he was teasing her.He smiled. “Of course, he could catch hypothermia or pneumonia going out like that.”“Yeah, not good. But it worked,” Carol replied with a grin as she moved deeper into his arms.“What possessed you to do this? Oh, his name?” Charles asked, thinking about it. “Scrooge?”“It does give a bit of sense of poetic justice to things, doesn't it? I thought about it, I wondered if the gods of space were involved, having a joke at our expense. It gets better when you factor in our last name. I think we gave the people here a good Christmas gift,” Carol said, stealing a few of his nuts as she looked about them. He started to protest but sighed in resignation when she smiled up impishly to him in challenge. “To be honest though, I got the idea because of our last name," she said as she popped the first nut into her mouth. “I told you, the scare program works the best,” she said before she began to chew the nut."What is the end game? What do you hope to accomplish? What did you stick in his subliminals this time?" Charles asked as she popped a nut into her mouth and chewed it. She chewed and swallowed, looking thoughtful as they turned and began to walk to the spaceport."You of all people should know the drill, honey. I wanted to inspire him to help his people, not rob them of their heritage. He's good at what he does; we just needed to temper his greed and give him a mission other than getting as much money as he could,” she answered.“The one with the most money when they die just dies rich. They are still dead. Is that what you mean?”“Pretty much,” she said. “I don't know. He's a bit old to change. And we have no back up.”“Oh, it'll work,” she vowed." …Or our last name is not Dickens," Charles said as his wife smiled at him and rubbed her nose tip against his. “Merry Christmas, babe,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers as he drank in her scent and felt her returning wave of love.“Best Christmas gift ever,” she said with an answering grin.