Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pg. 2
Ray Gun Revival
Table of Contents
Overlords (Founders / Editors): 2 Table of Contents
Johne Cook, L. S. King, Paul Christian Glenn
3 Overlords’ Lair
Venerable Staff: 6 The Pasadena Rule, Part One of Six
A.M. Stickel - Managing Copyeditor by Ben Schumacher
Shannon McNear - Lord High Advisor, grammar consultant, listening
ear/sanity saver for Overlord Lee 13 Space Monkey Flash Fiction Contest
Paul Christian Glenn - PR, sounding board, strong right hand Special Mention - Outer Space Theater
L. S. King - Lord High Editor, proofreader, beloved nag, muse, by Viktor Kuprin
webmistress 14 Space Monkey Flash Fiction Contest
Johne Cook - art wrangler, desktop publishing, chief cook and bottle Third Place - A Thousand Splendid Monkeys
washer
by Lyndon Perry
15 Space Monkey Flash Fiction Contest
Slushmasters (Submissions Editors): Second Place - Monkey Madness
Scott M. Sandridge
John M. Whalen by R. L. Copple
David Wilhelms 16 Space Monkey Flash Fiction Contest
Shari L. Armstrong
Jack Willard First Place - Never Forget Some Things
by G. A. Semones
Serial Authors:
Sean T. M. Stiennon 17 Featured Artist: Benjamin B. Boozer IV
John M. Whalen 19 Deuces Wild, Chapter 15
Ben Schumacher Strange Bedfellows, Part Two
Lee S. King
Paul Christian Glenn by L. S. King
Johne Cook 27 The RGR Time Capsule
Cover Art: “Those Specks Aren’t Snow” by Benjamin Boozer IV August 15 - August 31, 2007
Without Whom... Bill Snodgrass, site host, Visit us online at http://raygunrevival.com
Web-Net Solutions, admin, webmaster, database admin, mentor, confi-
dante, liaison – Double-edged Publishing All content copyright 2007 by Double-edged Publishing,
a Memphis, Tennessee-based non-profit publisher.
Special Thanks:
Ray Gun Revival logo design by Hatchbox Creative
Rev: 20070901c
Ray Gun Revival magazine Issue 29, September 01, 2007
Pg. 3
Overlords’ Lair
If I ever get to go back to that thing I was for the SFWA presidency, saw the apology, as and we developed a great rapport with the
writing about moderation, there’ll need to rendered, as a positive first step. That does Scribd leadership. However, after Friday, we
be a section about dealing with internet PR carry weight with me. also enjoyed the added bonus of being right
disasters. A rudimentary notion of it: in the midst of the unfolding PR firestorm, and
When this all shakes out, I think Friday, August garnered much additional attention for our site,
(1.) Get out there and say something, fast. 31st may end up being costly for the SFWA our publication, and our talented artists and
(2.) Acknowledge that there have been because of the loss of face (with the sloppy authors.
screwups. Avoid passive constructions. (3.) way this happened in the first place), the loss
Explain what you’re doing to help fix the of members (and their dues), and the loss of So back to where this all started. As I crafted
problem. Be telling the truth when you do credibility on the issues of appropriate digital and sent my first call for help on Tuesday, the
it. (4.) Give up all hope of sneaking anything rights in changing times. two authors I copied on that first e-mail were
past your listeners. You’ve screwed up, the Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi. It is perhaps
internet is watching, and behind each and From where I sat, some folks got it right away, fitting that as I look back over the events of
every one of those pairs of eyes is a person and some didn’t get it at all. Some are firmly Friday, August 31st, 2007, Cory kicked things off,
who knows how to Google. (5.) Corporate- in favor of protecting their own intellectual and for all intents and purposes, John wrapped
speak will do you more harm than good. property. Some are in favor of giving away their things up.
Instead, speak frankly about what’s going works as a loss leader to spur other sales, to get
on. React like a human being. Talk like one, their name out into the public arena, or simply On behalf of all the little guys stuck in the middle
too. out of the love of the work. Somehow, we have through all this, thanks for a really good day.
to find some common sense middle ground
There. It’s not much, but evidently it’s more between the two stances. It shouldn’t be an On the lighter side, Steven Brust, as usual, had
than ________ and ____________ and ____ either / or thing. a unique take:
know.
If it is true that obscurity is more lethal than SFFWA: Predictions
For what it’s worth, SFWA President Michael piracy—which would be difficult anyway, as 1. I predict there will very soon be a new
Capobianco did try to get out in front of it during we freely give away our publication—the organization replacing the SFFWA.
the day on Friday, but it came across to many as inadvertent takedown of our two issues has
too little, too late. This may be an artifact of garnered far more publicity for Ray Gun Revival 2. I predict the president and vice-president
the blistering speeds of how events can unfold, than we ever could have hoped. of the new organization will be John Scalzi
flourish, and die on the internet. However, the and Will Shetterly
fact that Mr. Capobianco didn’t deliver the Whether that attention will have legs and pay
SFWA apology until after the firestorm was off in new readers remains to be seen. However, 3. I predict this will result in a great outcry
well and truly underway—and even then, in I can tell you this much—hits on the RGR site because they are both white males.
stages that suggest corporate wordsmithing were up by nearly 600% yesterday—the traffic
—suggests to me that without Cory’s article, no on my own humble writer’s blog was double In the same thread, John Scalzi posted an
apology might have been delivered. We will that—I believe we represented ourselves well equally unique comeback:
likely never know. in the discussion as it unfolded across the major
geek sites. The mind reels.
On the other hand, that Mr. Capobianco
The RGR Overlords thought RGR was already in a We’d have fun, though. Right up to the
personally apologized on my blog, Lee S. King’s
winning position before Friday even happened; moment we TORE OUT EACH OTHERS’
blog, and to the other unfortunates caught in
we filed our DMCA counter-notifications and THROATS.
the middle also speaks well of him. Also, John
Scalzi, who ran and lost against Mr. Capobianco will be getting our issues restored at Scribd, Which would totally happen.
I was right—Scalzi really did get the last word. The Pasadena Rule by Ben Schumacher Madeline hesitated. When she spoke, her voice
was flat. “Something has happened on the
Johne Cook A note about this story. Ben is a by-God surface. There’s been an accident.”
Breezeway, WI physicist, and can also write like nobody’s
September 1st, 2007 business. We were introduced to Ben by
Lyndon Perry, proprietor of the righteous
Residential Aliens publication, an online The winners of the Ray Gun Revival Space
magazine devoted to quality speculative Monkey Flash Fiction contest!
fiction. No, I’m not telling you more than that here.
If Lyn tells you that we stole Ben right out They’re less than 500 words each.
from under his feet, well, that’s pretty much We have third place, second place, and first
true. What can I say? We really are set up
for serial stories, and this is a roaring good place stories. And for added fun, we included
a special mention story.
serial story! So, for Lyn’s sake, please do me
a favor and go check out Residential Aliens. Read ‘em for yourself, for crying out loud!
And then when you’re done there, come They’re fun!
on back here and buckle down for the best
golden age sci-fi story you’ve read in ages!
Jack and Katya are part of a space exploration Deuces Wild: “Strange Bedfellows, Part
team, out where ‘science’ and ‘adventure’ Two” by L. S. King
are the same thing. ‘Danger’ wants in.
Tristan fights Myers. Myers cheats.
“Jack? What is your status?” It was Madeline
Whitten, our skipper, calling from inside the “There’s no way out, MacCay,” Myers shouted
gondola. while Betts shrieked wordlessly.
“Dieter freed the snag,” I said. “The probe should Tristan stood to one side, as far from any line of
be inboard within the hour.” fire as possible, in case Myers decided to blow
the wall in. His right leg, injured on Eridani,
“Yes, good,” said Madeline shortly. “You need to ached again from his acrobatic dive into this side
come inside.” room.
“We’ve just started pulling the probe back in. He eyed the ventilation shaft near the floor. He’d
That’s going to take a little while.” previously checked out this building one night,
and as he’d discovered on his first visit to this
“Let Dieter finish the job. Bill is getting his suit on planet, the older buildings on this planet all had
and can help him. But you have to come back commodious ductwork. He could pry the cover
inside now.” loose; he only needed about ten seconds to get
inside and escape, if he had the chance. Would
There was a funny edge in her voice. Myers shoot first or talk?
“What has happened?” I asked, suddenly afraid “Myers, you do tend to make a splashy
to hear the answer. entrance.”
console, and he clapped a gloved hand on copilot’s station in his sleepers, sipping a mug Orbiting overhead, the Aphrodite was our
my shoulder as he went by. A queer feeling of something hot. Everybody on board is awake, mission control.
brushed past me and was gone, like the touch I realized. They all know something I don’t.
of a passing shadow. “What has happened?” I asked, suddenly afraid “Get it back,” Madeline snapped.
to hear the answer. I wasn’t listening. I had my elbows on my
# knees and my head down. Something was
Madeline hesitated. When she spoke, her
voice was flat. “Something has happened on wrong with my breathing.
The airlock cycle seemed to take forever. I the surface. There’s been an accident.”
peeled off the outer shell of my pressure suit, “My God, Jack, I’m so sorry,” Madeline
the one that protected me from the sulfuric said. I just nodded, unable to answer. Max was
acid of the clouds, then unzipped the heated # barking something into his mike, but I couldn’t
coveralls. The surface of Venus might be as hot concentrate on the words. I stared at the deck
as a flash oven, but this high up it was sixty There’s been an accident. It was like stepping plates between my shoes. An accident. On the
degrees below zero. I shivered in my long johns into free fall. I felt sick. Some detached part surface. An accident in a place where, even in
until warm oxygen and nitrogen replaced the of my mind said: This is exactly what you’ve the best of times, it took a hundred technical
chilly carbon dioxide of the outside air. When always imagined death would be like, a dizzy miracles to keep you alive at all.
the pressure came up to normal I slipped off slide into confusion before the darkness. Except
my helmet and breathing mask and gathered that you’ve always imagined that it would be #
up my gear in a bundle in my arms. your own death, not hers.
Madeline grabbed my arm and steered me So Katya was...dead? But they hadn’t said
Bill was standing in the ready room in his it, not quite. Everyone believed that she was
pressure suit, looking as if he’d been roused into a chair before I fell down. Far away, I heard dead, but they hadn’t put it into words. I knew
from a sleep period. He made a nod in my myself saying, “What about Katya?” too much about the landing mission and the
direction, nothing more, before disappearing
into the airlock. What is wrong with him? I “WeHer answer came with a terrible slowness. surface conditions to entertain any hope. In
don’t know many details yet. There was a the place inside me where hope would have
wondered. I sat down on the bench and began quake on the mountain and then a rockslide at been, I just had this nagging question: If she’s
to stow the high altitude gear in my locker next the landing site. The lifesystem on Virgil is still dead, why don’t they say so?
to the bulkier, silvery surface suit. intact, but there was some damage to the ship.
It was impossible to think about it. My
Madeline appeared at the door of the ready The landing team was outside in hotsuits when inner voice chattered to fill up the void. Yes, it
room. “Just stuff that out of the way,” she said. it happened. Contact was lost.” said, this is definitely the shock phase. Sense
“You can sort it out later.” “How far from the ship? When it happened?” of unreality, sense of detachment. Unbelief.
I shoved the rest inside and shut the locker My own voice sounded disjoint, peculiar. Was What comes next: Anger? Denial? Human
door. “What’s up?” I asked. “Problems with the it my voice? reflexes are so constant. Just look at Max over
props?” Gamma’s engines were my specialty. there, squinting at the computer display and
“Several hundred meters, I gather,” Madeline cupping his earphone with his hand. You can’t
Madeline turned and led me into the said. “There just wasn’t time to do anything, improve the resolution of a display by squinting,
control pod. Scattered sunshine streamed in Jack. It happened without any warning at all.” you can’t help the reception in a headset by
the wide windows, making the cabin seem cupping your hand over it, but you do those
Max said, “Aphrodite has taken the
gloomy by comparison. Max was sitting at the telemetry things anyway.
feed from Virgil off the relay satellite.”
Shut up, I told myself as firmly as I could. Virgil,” he said. “The outer airlock hatch is engineer, meet Ekaterina Rudenko, the pretty
being opened. Go ahead, Aphrodite.” geologist in the next seat over. I had just spent
“Take this,” Madeline said. A small pink six months in Earth orbit, flying engineering
capsule rested in the palm of her hand. “This I stopped breathing while Max listened to test prototypes at the ends of long tethers,
will help.” his contact. “Just one person entering the lock,” learning to deorbit and deploy the hydrogen
he said at last. “They should be plugging the dirigibles that we needed for the exploration
I shook my head. “No.” hotsuit systems into the ship. We’ll know in a of Venus. The major problems with the airship
second.” systems were ironed out, and we’d finished the
“I think you should. You have to be able to
function. We’ll need you.” program by establishing the High Jump, our
A second. A long second, followed by training platform, thirty kilometers above the
“I won’t take it,” I said, through gritted teeth. another, and another. tropics. I was still getting my “ground legs” and
“Put it away.” Eventually, I would have to start breathing preparing to move to another job.
“Jack, come on,” she said. “There’s no again. Katya had also just returned to Earth, but
point.” “It’s Katya!” Max shouted. “The hotsuit is from much further away. She was a volcanolo-
gist who had spent most of four years on Mars,
I looked up and met her eyes. “Please, hers. She’s alive! She’s back inside the ship!” hopping all over Olympus Mons and Tharsis
Maddie. I can’t. I have to be wide awake and “Oh, thank God,” I whispered. I leaned back in one of those little peroxide rocket jumpers,
all here. No shortcuts, no soft landings. She in my chair and sucked in the air and clapped trying to piece together the queer geologi-
would do as much for me.” my hands on the top of my head as if holding it cal history of the planet. The Russians had
After a moment she nodded. “Okay,” she on. Relief poured through me. I let my breath summoned her home to be part of their con-
out in a whistle and took in another. I grinned tingent for the Venus mission, to extend her
said, closing the pill into her fist. “If that’s the like an idiot. Katya was back in the ship! Alive! volcanic expertise to yet another world.
way it has to be.” Safe! The universe rolled over and turned back
We liked each other from the first, even
“That’s the way.” I knew that Katya would right-side-up again. though—or maybe because—we were such
approve. She believed in facing life, the good But when I looked over at Madeline and opposites. She was a scientist who learned
and the bad, with clear eyes and no chemical saw the expression on her face, reality kicked engineering to get along in space; I was an
comfort. But she would never find out, would me in the stomach. Better to be dead now, engineer who had boned up on planetology to
she? She would never know that I was drinking quick and clean, Maddie was thinking. Better qualify for the Venus mission. She was slim and
this hour in without covering up the terrible that than to be alive in Hell with a broken ship, dark-haired; I was square-built and red-head-
bitter taste of it. And it struck me that there beyond any hope of a rescue. ed. We were both on the descent planning
were going to be a lot more things like that, a group, where we spent long hours together
lot of things that Katya would never know. I felt my moron grin turn to stone. marrying the abilities of the landing flier with
the goals of the landings. I enjoyed Katya’s
# company, admired her competence, appreci-
2. ated her sharp Russian irony. But that was as
“Stand by,” Max said. His voice made my far as it went until later, when we were training
head snap up. He was halfway out of his seat, I had met Katya during the run-up to the in Hawaii.
crouched very still over the panel, his hands mission, back on Earth. Our acquaintance
gripping arms of the chair. “Telemetry from at first was alphabetical: Jack Ross, airship We spent two weeks offshore in a deep
habitat under the Pacific, learning to use the So I agreed to tag along with Katya for the the volcano.
high-pressure breathing gear. Our special day, not quite realizing what she had in mind.
life-support systems linked directly into our We rented a car and headed for the Hawaii Except today it didn’t seem very active.
bloodstreams, through surgically implanted Volcanoes National Park. “Take a look at that, Jack,” Katya was saying,
fittings in our skins. The good news was that pointing.
the system made us almost immune to the #
problems of changing pressures. The bad news I took a look at that. From where we stood,
was that it made our lives miserable while we Kilauea was a vast caldera several kilometers Halemaumau was a deep funnel leading down
used it. The apparatus itself was uncomfort- across, dug out of the southeast side of Mauna into the bowels of Mauna Loa, its bottom
able and awkward. Even worse was the stress Loa, and within its walls was the strangest and hidden by steam and the curve of the slope.
on the half-dozen members of the dive team, most menacing landscape I’d ever seen on The pit was evil-looking and utterly lifeless.
crammed into a tiny living space without Earth. It was a wilderness of jumbled lava flows “Lovely.”
privacy, helping one another cope with the and steaming vents, like a Doré engraving of the
equipment and its unpleasant side-effects. A Inferno. The ground underfoot was solidified “There is usually a lava lake there,” she
fortnight at the habitat was about all that a lava, sometimes smooth and almost polished, said. “Sometimes it is a hundred meters across,
group could take and still be on speaking terms sometimes extremely rough and jagged. I took sometimes much larger. But now the lava level
by the end of it. great care on the rough areas, because a fall on has gone down quite far.”
When our training rotation was over, we the sharp rocks would mean nasty cuts, even “Good,” I said. “Sounds safer.”
through the fabric of my clothing. But Katya,
boarded the submarine taxi for the ascent to whose legs
the surface. Our life-support units scrubbed the strode alongwere bare below her hiking shorts, “But not as pretty. Kilauea produces plenty
sure-footed. Every so often she of lava but very little explosive activity. It is
dissolved gases from our tissues, decompress- had to stop and wait for me to catch up.
ing us in just a couple of hours. When the top usually pretty safe.” She paused for effect. “Of
The whole trek increasingly seemed like a famous volcanoes
hatch opened, the sunlight and sea air came course, can surprise you. The most
pouring in, and we climbed out into the most bad idea. For one thing, the park rangers had violent eruption here in the last two
beautiful morning I have ever seen. The docs temporarily barred all of the ordinary tourists centuries was preceded by a very quiet period.
on the support ship fussed over us for a while, from driving down into the caldera. The The lava level in Halemaumau had dropped
then pronounced us fit. A hydrofoil whisked us eminent Dr. Rudenko, of course, had used con- considerably. Then, suddenly, ka-boom!”
over to Hilo and put us ashore for a couple of nections to get us in. The folks at the volcano “Oh.” Oh damn, I meant to say.
days’ R&R. observatory loaned us impact helmets, radios
and other gear, and we hitched a ride with a “You begin to see. That is why they are
Katya found me on the quay as we collected field team down the road into Kilauea itself. The keeping visitors away from the caldera.
our gear. “What are your plans?” parking area at the bottom was empty except Whenever a volcano does something unex-
I shrugged. “A bath maybe, and then a long for three or four vehicles used by the geolo- pected, it becomes dangerous.”
walk on a beach. Nothing definite.” gists. We parked next to them and continued
on foot. The people who had driven us down “Then what are we doing here?”
“I am driving inshore for some sight-seeing. hiked off toward the east; Katya had other “Satisfying our thirst for experience,” Katya
Does that interest you?” ideas for the two of us. She headed toward said,
the edge of Halemaumau, the kilometer-wide seeingwith a breathtaking sort of gaiety. Then,
I did not really care what I did—almost crater-within-the-crater, the active heart of that I was not as happy as she with the
anything outdoors sounded good right then. prospect of being blown to smithereens, she
added, “Relax. You will see that I am right. lying on the ground, holding my chest, thinking, We inspected each other’s injuries as we
Volcanoes are the most magnificent things Now this is a hell of a thing. The others turned waited. We were pretty banged up. Katya’s
in nature. Active ones are best of all. This is around and came back for us, God bless them, right ankle looked bad, probably broken, and
where the crust of the planet is made, Jack.” picked us up and threw us into the remaining she also had a number of cuts and gashes on
She added, in a philosophical tone, “We are jeeps. The motors whined and we were on our her legs. I had bruises everywhere. My hands
fortunate to live on such a geologically active way once more. were a mess, and I’d probably broken one or
planet.” two ribs in the back when we’d crashed the
# jeep. It hurt to breathe deeply. My hard-hat
That was the very moment, I swear, when had an impressive crack that almost split it in
the first earthquake hit us. two.
At the observatory, under cover, Katya and I
sat in a corner and waited for the ranger medic
# At length she said, “You know what will
to finish with the more serious injuries. Out of happen when we go back.”
a small slit of a window next to us, we could see
And that is how we happened to be in the enormous fire-fountains spurting up into the
bottom of Kilauea at the start of the worst air, and great clouds of smoke and ash roiling “TheI had been thinking about the same thing.
docs are going to go nuts. They’ll put us
eruption in a hundred years. To tell the truth, upwards. It was terrifying and magnificent. I on the injured
I do not clearly remember everything that would not have minded looking at it from an ribs are brokenlist—two or three weeks, if my
and your ankle is as bad as it
happened. A shrill emergency signal screamed even more distant vantage point. looks.”
on the radios, a sequence of very strong
shocks knocked us on our backsides, and we Katya said quietly, “Christ, that was stupid.” “The final crew selection is in twelve days.”
made a frantic scramble to the vehicles. Teams
were converging on the parking lot from every “Was it?” I asked. “I thought you volcano I nodded grimly. “Too many people, too
direction. We had almost made it when the people did this sort of crap all the time.” few places on the crew. The committee will be
first explosion came. From a dozen places but looking for ways to shorten the roster. If we
“Not really. Maybe once, in Kamchatka, aren’t
from Halemaumau most of all, huge blasts of when on the ready list when they meet...”
I was a student. But I was much more
fire and smoke billowed high into the air. We of an idiot today.” She shook her head. “I have “Oh damn,” said Katya, leaning into me on
stared around us in awe; but our apprecia- been working on Mars too long, Jack. The big the bench. “Jack, I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
tion was diminished by the urgent business of volcanoes there have been dead for half a
getting the hell out of there. The survey teams billion years. I have lost my respect.” There wasn’t much to say. Katya and I leaned
jumped into the vehicles and powered them back against the wall for a time. We weren’t
up. “Respect?” going to Venus. But I could not just accept that,
“For nature. If you are careless, volcanoes and
About that time, it started raining rocks. my mind kept running in circles. If we had
gotten banged up a month ago, or a month
“Bombs” of all sizes came hurtling down are not forgiving.” from now, it might be a different matter. Our
from the sky and smacked the ground around I looked at the fire-fountain through the injuries were not that severe. We could be fully
us. The driver of our jeep torqued the wheels window. “Are we far enough away?” operational in a week, though the project’s
and zoomed up along the access road. But one medical people would add their usual massive
of the rocks hit the road just ahead of us, too She eyed the eruption. “I think so. This safety margin. Our problem, therefore, was
near to avoid. We skidded, crashed, rolled, observatory has been here for a long time.” simply one of timing.
went flying in every direction. I remember
“You know,” I said, “there is an alternative.” the same place. I was assuming that—” hill with a mediocre view of Kailua Bay—not
a high-class resort property, but just right for
Katya looked at me blankly. “What are you “Americans,” Katya said, sighing. “You are the purpose. Could arrangements be made to
talking about?” definitely inferior to Russians in conspiracy. stock the kitchen before we arrived? Yes, for
You lack historical experience. Trust me, the an added fee. We fed our account codes into
Instead of answering, I asked, “Do you have plan is perfect.” the phone.
any leave time coming to you?”
Our eyes met. I returned her smile. Last of all, we called a florist and sent a
“A couple of weeks, I think.” dozen roses to the doctor.
“About the same for me. What if you and I #
took about ten days’ leave?” #
The ranger doctor took us together into
Her eyes grew wide. “You mean right now? the small dispensary at the observatory. We I sensed even then, I think, that our
Don’t even go back, just call in and—” explained the situation to her. Finally the doc deception would soon become something else,
said, “I will have to file a medical report even- that by the end of our ten days together we
“—and tell them that we’re taking ten tually. The two of you need complete histories would be lovers in fact as well as reputation.
days’ leave here in Hawaii. We have the time on file if you go on your mission. But your Katya claimed afterwards that she had known
coming, and all that we will miss will be a few injuries are not serious, and there is no reason from the first—and that it took considerable
boring meetings on the mainland. No sweat. why that has to be done immediately. Would patience on her part to get me to lower my
Meanwhile, we find someplace where nobody three or four months be long enough?” guard and let it happen.
will drop in on us. We hide out. We eat, sleep,
put your ankle on ice, and just heal up. In ten She dismissed our thanks with a shrug. In Maybe her version is correct. I was nervous,
days we can be functioning pretty normally, fact, she was far more interested in the skin- and strangely shy. I say “strangely” because
so we go back and report in before the crew embedded fittings for our high-pressure respi- we had just spent weeks on the dive team
selection. And we stay on the ready list the ration gear, something she had never seen. We together in the deep habitat. Privacy down
whole time.” chatted about life-support technology while there had been nonexistent. How could you
the doc wrapped our injuries, sealed our cuts, be bashful after that? But I remember, on that
Katya nodded thoughtfully. “What happens and stimulated bone repair for Katya’s ankle soft night above Kailua when Katya and I first
when they find out?” and my ribs. Eight days, she estimated, and came together, how astonishing it was that she,
we’d be presentable. She dug up some antibiot- whom I thought I knew so well, could be so full
“We won’t tell them. And after the crew is ics and pain-killers, and loaned Katya a crutch. of mystery and surprise.
selected, it won’t matter.” We thanked her again and quietly slipped out
She smiled a wicked smile. “Jack,” she said, of the observatory.
with feeling, “that is a beautiful idea!” Her eyes The rest of the arrangements were made
glinted with amusement. “Naturally you realize from the car. We called the duty officer at
what people will think. Everyone will assume the training center, who recorded our change
that we are lovers, that we are shacked up of plan with a shrug and an off-hand “okay.”
together somewhere. And we will be shacked Next we punched up a tourist agency to find a
up together, of course.” place to stay. We settled on a small bungalow
“Oh,” I said. “We don’t have to, uh, go to a couple of kilometers from the water, on a
Ben Schumacher
I am a physicist who teaches at Kenyon
College in Gambier, Ohio. My major
research field is quantum information
theory, though I have also dabbled in
black hole physics and thermodynamics.
I’ve been a science fiction writer longer
than I’ve been a physicist, however,
having sold my first (and so far only)
story to Analog magazine at age 16.
Featured Artist
Benjamin B. Boozer IV
Name:
Benjamin B. Boozer IV
Age:
16
Hobbies:
PC gaming and digital art
When did you start creating art?
In all honesty, I didn’t have a real interest in creating art
until I signed up for a digital arts class at my high school
last year.
What media do you work in?
Digital, but I occasionally do sketches with a pencil and
paper.
Where should someone go if they wanted to view /
buy some of your works?
http://x717x.deviantart.com/
Where your work has been featured?
Currently only on DA, but I have plans for a mod
for Unreal Tournament 3, and possibly Supreme
Commander.
How did you become an artist?
One of my all time favorite games, Unreal Tournament
2004, came with this nifty program called Maya 5 PLE,
and the rest is history.
Ray Gun Revival magazine Issue 29, September 01, 2007
Featured Artist: Benjamin Boozer IV Pg. 18
Have you had any notable failures, and how has failure affected
your work?
A ‘failure’ is only truly a ‘failure’ if nothing is learned from the
experience; which has not been the case for me thus far.
What are your favorite tools / equipment for producing your art?
Maya, Photoshop, and occasionally Terragen
What tool / equipment do you wish you had?
My own private render farm would be nice.
What do you hope to accomplish with your art?
To inspire, to impress, and to some day reel in the cash. :)
“T
ly.
here’s no way out, MacCay,” Myers
shouted while Betts shrieked wordless-
“And what might that be?”
He’s talking. Now we’re on my turf. “You
“You...and me? We’ve had a feud for
years.”
want to deal with the Mordas, yes?” “Merely a misalignment of our goals at the
Tristan stood to one side, as far from any time. We have talents which compliment each
line of fire as possible, in case Myers decided “They’re in a perfect set up to smuggle other. Think about it.” Take the bait...take it...
to blow the wall in. His right leg, injured on weapons—on the edge of two major powers— give me time... Tristan held his breath as he
Eridani, ached again from his acrobatic dive three if you include Pegasus, with no real tried to ease the grille off without making any
into this side room. opposition.” sounds.
He eyed the ventilation shaft near the “Then what you need is a person running “You have a point. Come on out, and we’ll
floor. He’d previously checked out this building the Mordas who knows how to play the cards,” talk.”
one night, and as he’d discovered on his first Tristan said. “Lyssel was sloppy, this ex-madam
visit to this planet, the older buildings on this doesn’t understand the rules. She can’t see “I don’t mean to throw cold water on the
planet all had commodious ductwork. He could further than worrying about the destruction of beginning of a new business relationship, but
pry the cover loose; he only needed about ten a mere door.” just a minute ago you were intent on killing me.
seconds to get inside and escape, if he had the Walking back through that door does cause me
Betts let out a string of blue language, and some trepidation.”
chance. Would Myers shoot first or talk? Myers yelled at her to shut up, probably backed
“Myers, you do tend to make a splashy up with a weapon’s aim. Tristan grinned while A slight scrape—he held his breath—and
entrance.” carefully, quietly working on the vent’s cover. the cover came off.
His smile congealed as the grille stuck.
His adversary gave a wicked chuckle. “Thank “Another point. How do you propose we
you. But do you come out, or do we further In the sullen silence that followed, Myers solve the problem?”
demolish this lady’s place of business?” asked, “What are you suggesting?”
“I’ll leave that to you.”
“I’ll thank you to not do further damage,” “I’ve been studying the dynamics of the
Mordas,” Tristan said, trying to get a firmer grip His heart thudded in the silence as he
Betts yelled. “And you’ll pay for what you did
on the cover; it was rusty and didn’t want to listened for any movements in the next room.
do!”
give. “The intricacies of their power structure, He could hear murmured discussion still going
“Ah,” Tristan called, his leg twinging as how the rich leech off them in a semi-symbi- on as he slid into the shaft.
he squatted by the shaft’s grille cover. “Take otic relationship, and the control they wield “All right, MacCay. One of my men will open
note of that response, please. I think we have over the Guilds and Merchants. I know the the door to the room, and...” the voice faded
something to talk about before you try again smuggling racket, as you well know. I think we as Tristan made his escape.
to kill me.” could work together.”
# When she finally let him go, Ewan said, and nursed him to health. How he had gone to
“Come inside, Son.” Zanti City, met Tristan, and left the planet with
Slap slowed Príncipe and stared at the him. He didn’t tell much of what happened
homestead in the valley below. How could Slap nodded back toward his horse. The with Tristan, just how he had wanted to come
he face Shallah’s father after letting her die? stallion was flicking his ears back unhappily, home. He mentioned nothing of Eridani.
But he had to do this. He took a breath before stamping his feet, and sidling around. “I have to
descending. see to Príncipe first. He’s not used to people.” His gaze kept drifting to Shallah’s younger
sister Aylish. She was growing up fast and
The house grew closer, and before long, Ewan’s eyes lit up. “A beautiful beast! looked so much like her oldest sister. His heart
one of the children playing in the yard saw him Where did you get him?” ached to look at her, yet he couldn’t stop.
and ran to the barn. Ewan came out followed Slap hesitated. “He was...a gift. I’ll tell you
by two others, all carrying weapons—one had He wound down the story and concluded,
about it later. Can I use your corral for him?” “I was afraid to come here. I thought you’d
a pitchfork, two old-fashioned rifles.
blame me for what happened.”
“Aye. Let’s see to him. Then we’ll talk.”
As he drew near, the older man’s mouth
dropped open, and he gave the rifle to the “Why would you think that?” Aillil asked.
#
young man to his right. It took Slap a moment “If I’d just taken them and left...”
to realize the young man wasn’t a hired hand
but Ewan’s son Sean. He’d grown a foot since Tristan brushed himself off and sauntered “You were fighting for your home.”
last year! The almost-grown youth on the left around to the front of the building. Two guards Ewan lifted his chin. “I wouldn’t have done
was Aillil. stood by the limo alight at the curb. He walked different.”
up to one and held out a data card. “Give this
Slap felt his stomach shudder as he slid off to your boss when he comes out.” Slap’s throat tightened up, and he couldn’t
the stallion to face his father-in-law. answer.
The guard took it with a frown, and Tristan
Ewan stepped forward, breaking into a grin. continued down the sidewalk. He ducked into “We’re glad you’re back home now, Son,”
He threw his arms around Slap. “We thought an alley and began winding his way through Brìghde said softly, breaking the silence.
you were dead!” His accent was thick with the maze of streets.
emotion. “Aye. Will you be rebuilding your place?”
He wished he could see Myers face when asked Sean.
“No, I—” the guard gave him the card.
Slap gaped at his brother-in-law. “Rebuild?
Sean ran up and pounded on Slap, whooping Now the fun began... On Shallah and Evan’s ashes? How can I?”
for joy. Children swarmed out of the house
along with Shallah’s mother Brìghde. The # Brìghde stepped close and put a hand on
whole family backed up a step as she rushed his shoulder. “We buried them on the hill with
into his arms, weeping. Slap drank the strong tea as he told how your family,” she whispered. “We...we didn’t
the Mordas had beaten him, broke his back, know what to think when we didn’t find you.
“Awww, shh, Bree. Don’t. You’ll get me and forced him to watch as they burned his We thought the Mordas had taken you away
crying,” Slap murmured, holding her tightly, home—his family inside. Then left him for and left you dead somewhere else.”
tears stinging his eyes. dead. He brushed away tears and continued, “Your return is incredible timing,” Ewan
telling how the Zendians had taken him away
said, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. knows what he’s doing.” seen what the enemy can do. They don’t play
“The Mordas have started sending their men by rules, and they don’t care who they hurt
around again, like they did before Lyssel died. “That’s where you come in, boy,” old man or kill. Women.” He stared at one man and
Last week they were at Chandler’s place. They Russell said. “You’ve fought them. You know on to another, his young son’s face wavering
burned his barn down. We used to think we them. We want you to be our Chefe.” in overlay. “Babies. You have to be as dirty as
could just go about our business, that they they are. And you can’t back away once you’ve
“I was nearly killed by them,” Slap yelled,
wouldn’t really do anything. But last year...” committed. That would be suicide.”
banging a fist on his knee. “My family murdered!
His father-in-law stopped, pain in his eyes. Slap If anything, that shows just how much I don’t Ewan stood. “Aye. He’s right. It goes down
felt the tears welling up again in his own. know about how to fight them.” hard, but we have to be as ruthless as they
Ewan inhaled roughly and continued. “We are. I don’t want more of my children killed by
“That was last year. You’ve been around
know now we have to fight. You are a symbol those ruffyans.”
some since then, and with a man who, from
of what we are fighting for. You will help us, what all the gossip says, knows how to fight. “It was only my barn burned this time.
Son?” You had to learn something from him.” They told me it was a warning, that next time it
“Fight the Mordas?” Slap felt his heart would be my home.” Chandler nodded at Slap.
Slap shook his head. If only Tristan were
speed up. Now he had something to live for. “I thought of you.” He straightened. “I don’t
here, but he had long gone by now.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll help.” want it to happen again. Not to anyone.”
“You’re the best we’ve got, Son,” Ewan said.
# Russell came forward, his weathered face
“We’re not trained fighters, but we’re strong. alight as he met Slap’s eyes. “I’m with him.” He
We’re not all very educated, but we aren’t turned to face the crowd. “Are you with us?”
Slap gathered with his fellow ranchers and stupid, either. Give us some direction. That’s
homesteaders around a fire in Chandler’s yard, all we ask.” Chandler stood, his chin high. Several
a plate piled high in one hand. The women had others jumped up quickly. Slowly, the rest got
brought food enough for two barn-raisings. Slap stared at the fire. He couldn’t begin to to their feet.
It had been a long day, but one filled with guess what Tristan would do. That man’s mind
purpose. Now, with the task done, it was time could think in twenty directions, and not one Ewan grinned. “Some of the Merchants,
to talk. of them expected. and Guild members too, want the Mordas’
stranglehold broken.”
The men all regarded Slap with grave He sighed. He’d fought mercenaries,
respect. Granted, his people looked more at Confeds, Eridani; perhaps it was all to get him “Yes, and since they’ve found you’re back”—
achievement than age, but he wasn’t used to ready to tackle the Mordas. He looked around. Chandler nodded at Slap—“they’ve been
being treated as if he were one of the elders. Would his people—quiet, living off the land, cooperative. Willing to pass on information,
He ate, listening to the discussion of how to law-abiding—be able to do whatever needed and—”he paused, his brown eyes sparkling.
fight the Mordas. to be done? “All right. But you understand, this “This morning, hidden in a wagonload of
can’t be a fair fight. Not against them. Not if supplies was a crate of weapons. All we need
Finally, he swallowed the last of his meat you want to win.” now, is a plan.”
pie and said, “This won’t work. You can’t go
against the Mordas without some plan, and His neighbors exchanged looks. A few Movement in the shadows caused
without weapons to at least match theirs. Not wagged their heads. everyone to freeze for a moment. But they
to mention, you need someone to lead, who resolved into—off all things—Zendians. They
“Look,” Slap stood, glaring around. “I’ve
came forward; the Separatists stepped back, on Eridani—his leg especially. He flexed his foot were on the rooftops.
confusion on most of their faces. Slap was just to stretch the impaired calf muscle and slowly
as confused. got to his feet. He waited, assured they couldn’t find him.
*We have listened,* one of the Zendians— Time was running out; he had to hurry. He Soon, movement at the open end of the
Slap couldn’t begin to pronounce his name had to get to the meeting place unseen—and street caught his eye. Myers. But—Tristan’s
and just called him Kohn—said. *The Evil must before Myers’ minions. He knew the merc would stomach sank into his feet. Myers held a small
be driven from our world. The Avenger is not have his men surround the meeting place the child against his chest, a handgun pointed at
enough.* moment he received the next message from her head. Her eyes were large with terror, but
Tristan. she was silent, her face, framed by dark curls,
Slap translated, and Kohn stared at him pale. Vile, just vile. But that was Myers all over.
saying, *You will lead, Young One. We will He peered over the edge and saw pipes Tristan had done his best to keep this conflict
help.* running down the side of the wall. He stretched away from innocent victims; it hadn’t been
his fingers inside the gloves before swinging enough.
Slap scratched his chin for a few moments. over the side and shimmying down.
“All right...all right...” His mind’s eye filled with the image of
He landed in a squat, watching and listening: another child from years ago, when he had
# clear. He kept moving. thought himself hardened to everything. But
despite his black soul, he still hadn’t been able
The block of old, brick buildings stood to kill that little one—even for his own survival.
The rooftop opposite had a steep slope empty, near the edge of Zanti City in the Dray called that being weak. Perhaps he was
and more height. Tristan couldn’t successfully warehouse district. Tristan had chosen and right.
make that leap. prepared the area as soon as he left Betts after
But he had to get across this alley without Myers’ call. “Come on out, MacCay, if you don’t want
being seen. He wondered how long until Myers to see this sweet little girl killed.” Myers
He scanned the dead-end street and the voice echoed slightly. “I know you’re here
figured out he wasn’t the cat in this cat and windows above as he maneuvered into his somewhere, even if my men haven’t flushed
mouse game. He’d baited the mercenary hidden vantage point, in a narrow, shadowed you out.”
before, but never had he gotten the man to ledge above a ground story window, and set his
personally come after him. This was finally the camo-net in place. From here, near the center, “You are assuming I care if you kill the kid,”
time. he could see the entire cul-de-sac. Tristan called. “If you do, then you have nothing
The building across and farther along the to keep me from taking you down.”
Much rested on whether he truly under-
alley had a lower roof. He sprinted to the end stood how Myers thought. He’d seen him in “I mean it, MacCay. Come out now and
and gauged the distance. Acceptable. He took action before, several times; he was a creature drop your weapons. Or she dies.”
a breath and leaped—his right leg collapsed of habit. Tristan let his breath trickle out slowly
on landing. He rolled, grit grinding into his Rage boiled in Tristan, making his whole
and prepared to wait.
clothes. body shake. No choice. Myers did not bluff.
Before long, the mercenaries arrived and Damn, damn, damn! He turned off the
Tristan sat, rubbing his leg for a moment. fanned out in groups of threes, crouching and camo-net, stood, and jumped down to the
He refused to even think he was getting too old leapfrogging each other as they searched for street.
for this sort of thing anymore. It was just not him and attempted to secure the area. More
being recovered from the wounds he received
Myers laughed. “I sorta figured you’d have Delay meant Myers might make a mistake. He Myers laughed. “Oh, no! I won’t fall for
a trick like a ‘net up your sleeve. In your effort obeyed the mercenary, gauging distance to his one of your tricks. Not this time. You’ve been
to keep me from being able to ambush you, you weapons and to his opponent with every step. a thorn in my side for years.” Myers aimed
chose a place where you couldn’t hide either. the handgun at Tristan. “This is going to be a
Now,” his voice lowered, “drop your weapons. “That’s close enough,” Myers said when pleasure.”
All of them.” Tristan was about twenty-five feet from him.
“I wanted to clearly see your face when you In the next fraction of a second, Tristan
Tristan lifted one hand, and Myers made a die.” would die, standing still or attacking. The gun
show of re-gripping the handgun. “Easy. Thumb wasn’t aimed at the child in this moment. He
and forefinger.” Tristan didn’t answer. The child was likely dove for the ground, a moving target.
only spared from death for the amount of time
He splayed his hand, and made a pincer as it took to kill Tristan. But perhaps, perhaps An explosion ripped up the ground where
ordered, reaching carefully into his vest. The Myers would—no, the child had no chance. Tristan had been standing. Tristan rolled to
PBG came out, dangling from his fingers. This world had no chance. Tristan’s failure protect his face from the rubble raining down.
condemned them all. Condemned Slap and He had no time to run back to his weapons; he
“Toss it—carefully.” his people. Myers would take over now, either jumped up and raced toward Myers through
keeping Betts as a puppet, or installing one of the cloud of dust.
It wasn’t Tristan who’d die if he tried his own, thus guaranteeing his power in this
anything, it would be that girl. He did as he was Screams came from the little girl crumpled
sector.
told. onto the street, and Myers staggered up,
He was letting one child condemn a world. stunned. Tristan dove at the mercenary,
“Next?” Yet he could not make himself act and bring knocking him back and flipping the gun away,
Tristan lifted his eyebrows, and Myers about her death. Weak, he could hear Dray out of reach. Myers grabbed Tristan and
grinned. “I know you have more weapons. sneer at him out of his distant past. pulled into a roll, landing on top of him. Hands
Don’t play games.” grasped and tightened around Tristan’s throat.
“You coward,” Tristan said. “You unmiti- Myers’ sweaty face grinned into his, his weight
One by one, Tristan emptied his inventory. gated coward.” pinning Tristan down.
“Stim-blade too.” “Referring to the kid?” Myers snarled. The gloating face and beady eyes were too
much. Tristan wove his arm around the mer-
Damn. Tristan slid the blade out from its “To her, to your men. You haven’t the guts cenary’s and twisted, breaking the hold. He
hidden sheath within his vest, and tossed it to face me alone. That’s why I knew I had to wormed out from under his opponent, striking
down. find a place to keep you from ambushing me.” him in the jaw. Myers grabbed for him, but
“Quite right. An army isn’t safe attacking Tristan rolled away and up to his feet.
“Good boy. Now, you walk—slowly—to
the middle of the street. Don’t forget, my men you head on. This isn’t cowardice—it’s survival. The merc rose, his head swiveling as he
have you covered from all angles.” To prove the Doesn’t feel good being the target, does it?” looked around the ground. Tristan wasn’t going
point, two men stepped forward, PBRs trained to give him the chance to look for the gun. He
“What doesn’t feel good is losing to a lesser
on him. leaped up and spun—his foot connected with
man. One who hides behind children. And
weapons. I’ll take you with my bare hands, if Myers’ face. The man went down with a groan.
Why didn’t Myers just kill him? He wasn’t
you have the guts.” Tristan landed next to him and drove his fist
about to ask and give his adversary any ideas. into the mercenary’s throat. He felt the crunch
and knew the blow was fatal—but not fast. had the satisfaction of taking as many with him He looked up at the rooftops again.
Myers clawed at him, trying to breathe. as he could.
Silence. He waited, looking for any
The ground around him began to spit and But as their companions fell, the remaining movement.
pit with weapons’ fire. He dove at the girl and mercenaries threw down their weapons and
covered her with his body. It was only a matter lifted their hands. “Don’t shoot us!” one called, Nothing happened.
of time before he was hit, but perhaps his body while another shouted, “We surrender!” He picked up the little girl. “You’re safe
could save her.
“Take ten steps backwards and kneel,” now,” he murmured. He heard the sounds of
Another explosion battered his ears. He Tristan ordered. “Hands on your head.” sirens. “You’ll be going home soon.”
turned his head to see part of a building col-
The irony of seven men on their knees, She wrapped her arms around his neck.
lapsing. Some of the mercs were firing up at
held at bay by a mere handgun, wasn’t lost on It had been years since he’d held a child, any
a roof, while more ran past Tristan, trying to
Tristan. He felt a tiny hand grasp his left leg. He child. The last one he’d carried in his arms—he
get away. He saw Myers’ handgun just within
didn’t dare look down, but his free hand found pushed that memory away. At least this one
reach and grabbed it. He rolled and aimed at
the top of her head and stroked her curly hair. was alive. Anger rose inside, churning up until
the fleeing men and dropped several. The rest it nearly choked him. Myers was as bad as Dray,
kept running. One of the men looked at the girl and up as bad as the Mordas. This place needed to be
Who was up there? Who had fired at him, at Tristan. He gazed over his shoulder. “Your made safe for little ones. The Mordas needed
and had blown up that building? friend up there won’t kill us, will he?” to be destroyed. But how? The hydra had too
many heads to fight from the outside. He had
Tristan had no place to put the little girl to Tristan spared a quick glance at the to look deeper...
keep her out of harm’s way. He had to trust buildings. Who was up there? Would Betts
she would be safe near Myers’ corpse if he ran have sent someone to help? No, this seemed A thought occurred to him as the police
to get his weapons. He knelt by the child and to be the same weapon that had been fired at arrived en masse, brandishing their weapons.
said, “Stay here. Do you understand? Stay here him before. He wasn’t even sure if the person’s This time, he’d fight from the inside.
and don’t move.” aim had improved. He hadn’t been hit—again,
but neither had Myers. Who was the target? #
Boom! Another wall crumbled onto the What did he want?
street. More men appeared, running toward Slap grinned as the fires roared through
the exit of the cul-de-sac, but they stopped as “Well, now, I can’t say for certain,” Tristan the warehouse, the heat on his face mirroring
they saw him and raised their guns. said. “Perhaps if you don’t want to become the heat in his heart. This was the third Mordas
another hole in the pavement, you’ll be very target they’d hit in two days. They were
No time to run for his arsenal. Cowards. still.” drawing closer to Zanti City with each one.
Murderers. Lending themselves to the evils
They stared at him, eyes huge. He stared But the Mordas, for all their fancy means of
Myers perpetrated.
back as he slowly stepped forward. Among transportation, would find it hard to flush the
He rose and took a step forward, aware the armament they’d dropped was a stunner. warring Separatists from their hiding places in
that only his presence protected the little girl Perfect. He picked it and thumbed it for wide the hills.
behind him. His heart icy, he raised the handgun dispersal. Without a word, he fanned them and Especially with the Zendians’ help.
and picked off a man. And another one. They watched them fall.
would get him in one of the next shots, but he After the second attack, a small group of
Mordas tried to enter Zendi Valley, but the immune to feminine...blandishments?” she killed one of those aliens. I think that got their
Zendians met them. Slap didn’t know what asked in exasperation. attention.”
they did to them, but no one was hurt on either
side. However, the Zendians sent the men, Tristan stared at her with a stoic expres- “Yes, and that brings us back to their
naked, back across the desert to Zanti City. sion. “My body or my heart?” leader.” Betts gazed over at Tristan. “Are you
willing to take the job?”
Not necessarily a death sentence, but close. Betts fingered the goblet in her hand. “You
It did send a clear message to the Mordas. Slap once said you had no heart.” “I usually don’t commit assassinations.”
hoped he was prepared. And this isn’t how I imagined myself allying
“You remembered.” He lifted his drink in a with the Mordas.
salute, took a sip, and set it on the table.
# “Any price.” Her smile became seductive.
She sighed and shook her head. “If I didn’t “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“So you still don’t know who the unknown need you right now, I’d be deeply offended.
person was on the rooftop?” Tristan asked as But business first.” She leaned forward. “We I doubt it, he thought but kept his face
he accepted the glass. He eyed Betts as she hear the Separatists have a new, strong chefe, bland. “Assume, hypothetically, I decide to take
poured herself a drink. or leader, now. We’d offer a lucrative deal to the commission. What’s the leader’s name?”
anyone who would get rid of him for us.”
“No.” Her red lips pursed tightly. “I take it “William McCarty.”
you haven’t found out either?” “You have the Guilds and Merchants sewn
up.” Tristan crossed his arms. “The rich who Tristan’s stomach flipped, but he remained
“I searched the area, and found evidence reside here are all in bed with you—” impassive. They want to kill Slap!
of where the person had been. I am of the
feeling this is the same one who shot at me in “Nice way of putting it,” she said with a
the street last week. It’s the same weapon. I’m laugh.
as stumped as you.” Which has me on edge;
why can’t I get a handle on this attacker? He “So,” Tristan continued, “I don’t see how
tries to drop me, then stops Myers and his men the Separatists can possibly cause you much
on the next go round. What is his angle? What trouble; they have no money. They have no
does he want? voice, no say.”
Betts sat on the sofa and crossed her legs. “They have land.” Betts sat up straight, her
“We’ll keep searching and asking questions. eyes glittering. “Most of the good land—all To catch up on previous episodes of
But for now, I have a new proposition for you.” that green, lush land across the desert by the the adventures of Slap and Tristan, visit:
She patted the cushion next to her. Zendi Mountains. And one other thing that http://loriendil.com/DW.php
gives them clout. The Zendians have come
The word and gesture made Tristan’s out of their holes in the mountains. When
hackles rise. He crossed and seated himself on we’ve tried to move against those backwater Deuces Wild is dedicated to the memory of
a chair opposite her. He wanted to worm into dirt grubbers, the Zendians actually protected my best friend; my inspiration for an enduring
the organization, but—ugh, no!—not through them. It seems they listen to Chefe.” friendship...
her bed.
“I think you have Lyssel to blame for that.
Betts eyes narrowed. “Are you completely He attacked one family and, in the process, http://loriendil.com/Starsky/
L. S. King