People down below finally caught sight of the tower breaking apart and ran out to the streets to watch the rescue. What a bad fielding day. There were many things Malcolm couldn't do without his powers. Some mid-air engineering feats would have fixed the problem in minutes. But now he was just barely hanging on. The news crew, haggard and dazed had made it downstairs. The elevator must have broke down.
The brakes were out and so was the floor panel beneath me. The steering wheel was aglow in yellow. My feet charged with fission particles were the only friction that kept us from slipping off. A piece of debris came down at us. I called kids to duck just in time before it took the roof of the taxi off. The kids were as pale as ghosts. And the tower will not hold for long. Then I slipped and hung only by my hands on the wheel. The tower segment below us finally loosen itself from the news building, plunging down to the streets and taking us with it.
The strain was too great for me. My instrument on the dashboard sputtered and popped to pieces like corn kernel. We were in freefall. No instrument. No rescue. This was our end. Big time. I remembered graduation day. Malcolm presenting me a departure gift. It was his conductor's baton, broken in half. "Now this is the last lesson. Fix this up and send it back to me. Do it before my time on this planet ends," He said. I went away and never came back till this unfortunate day. So - all this while when I was out there Malcolm ran his business without ever using his stylus. And that means - I don't need really need my stylus at all.
I clenched my fists tighter over the wheel and concentrated. I felt the engine, the drive train and through to the tyres and the sprockets. The kids will have noticed that I had arrested our fall and the fission cinders emanated out from the doors and seats. The engine roared back to life. I kicked out the right door and we raced straight up the tower. We flew over gap to the next segment of the tower where we crashed on landing. I urged the vehicle on by charging and running like Fred Flintstone. I straighten the car and kept up our flight. The lift shaft was in sight and so was Malcolm.
Another hulk of metal stood in our way. I formed a pile driver from another mess of metal and cables above it and hammered it down out of our way. Wow! I never knew I was capable of something like this. I ran, jumped and soared over the debris like a lion dancer. With one hand on the steering wheel I used the other to pull in more debris, warped the gathered items into a giant tow hook and slammed it onto the bonnet. I fused them both together instantly. Then, I accelerated down onto my prize.
Malcolm saw me. I grabbed his hand and pulled him in. The hook catches hold of the lift and tears it free from the shaft. The fourteenth floor window came into view. We smashed through it to safety. A second bang told me Jerrod's lift also went through the window on the floor below. We broke through a wall. A stunned man in pyjamas dove out of the way. Everything was fine except for the ceiling pipe which came into view as my powers extinguished. There was a thud, a world of pain and then darkness.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 3 - Part 4A
I watched from below. The secure joints of the tower will still hold for another 4 minutes. They will be down in three. But there were still too many vibrations going on. And it was not from the tower. Cordy was tugging my shoulder asking if I could compensate the cabby boy to show him her benovelence. There was a loud crackle like thunder and a plume of concrete dust bursting out from the other side of the building. I saw a long 30 foot metal girder slide out and plunge 20 storey down to the road. The tower began to break free of the building. Not even his fine-core nano steel can save the day.
I got down from the perch at the car door and turned the engine back on.
"Strap up kids! We're gonna ride up there and pick a few passengers."
The cabby boy was stunned. "Oh no... Please Sir. Not agaaaaain!!!!!!" I barreled the vehicle straight at the wall of abandoned building where other half of the tower rested. As it's fire-escape stairway came into view. I stretched my right hand and ignited my instrument.
I popped off all of it fixtures to wall and made the zig-zag stairway tumble down to us. I found an old fuel cell service station and yanked out it's power drum letting it roll. A half-ton metal cylinder coming in from behind. It crashed into back of the taxi pushing us forward, but I have gotten hold of it. I flooded the back of the cab with fission cinders. I peeled off the outer coverings of the drum, leaving it's enormous spokes. I mounted the drum onto the car's spare to the back. I re-rerouted power directly from front engine, then formed the spokes into a turbofan.
A red button appeared at the centre of my steering wheel. I punched it and we flew foward at the speed of sound. The vehicle mounted the first set of stairs. I focused hard at the falling segments of stairs flattening them out to form a snake and ladder ride of sorts, but we were travelling up not down. I calculated the tragectory needed to intercept Malcolm and the jumper and on the last 2 segments over-clocked my instrument into afterburn. There was a scorching sensation on my hand. We went into a round-about and finally launched off the end of the line into air.
The tower was breaking apart in descent heading straight down towards us. The kids screamed again. "Hang on!" I screamed and turned the steering wheel sharply. I pulled up and banked the turbofan thruster at 45 degrees to do mid-air somersault clearing us of the tower and setting us right on top of it. I detached the turbofan as it succumbed to the rain of rusted steel debris and flamed out. We landed on the tower with a smash. I spotted Malcolm at the mid-section of the tower and put my foot down to the accelerator pedal. It was gone. My foot touched air.
Now, Malcolm had to climb higher. The lower half was going down fast. Things have never been the same since he stopped using his powers. But he saw it all coming. They can take away your powers. They can blow you out of your house, but they have forgotten that Fission sight was only a tool. It's the welder who was the key and the Galdanians never realised it. Malcolm put his hand to a bar to sense the remaining structural integrity. They were now in the middle of a teetering bridge that was collapsing on them from 2 ways. The only option now was to go down. And go down properly.
"Okay Jerrod. We'll have to ride this place down in the elevator! I will open the door and you get in first!"
Jerrod nodded. And Malcolm pulled 2 cables and secured them. One to the old fire-hydrant and the other onto a defunct gas pipe of the lift shaft. This momentarily arrested the buckling. Then, he kicked the elevator grille. Once. Twice. Three times. The lock gave way and Malcolm held it open for Jerrod to get in. At this juncture, the shaft lurched downwards. Malcolm slipped and hung on by his arms. Jerrod reached out to hold him.
I got down from the perch at the car door and turned the engine back on.
"Strap up kids! We're gonna ride up there and pick a few passengers."
The cabby boy was stunned. "Oh no... Please Sir. Not agaaaaain!!!!!!" I barreled the vehicle straight at the wall of abandoned building where other half of the tower rested. As it's fire-escape stairway came into view. I stretched my right hand and ignited my instrument.
I popped off all of it fixtures to wall and made the zig-zag stairway tumble down to us. I found an old fuel cell service station and yanked out it's power drum letting it roll. A half-ton metal cylinder coming in from behind. It crashed into back of the taxi pushing us forward, but I have gotten hold of it. I flooded the back of the cab with fission cinders. I peeled off the outer coverings of the drum, leaving it's enormous spokes. I mounted the drum onto the car's spare to the back. I re-rerouted power directly from front engine, then formed the spokes into a turbofan.
A red button appeared at the centre of my steering wheel. I punched it and we flew foward at the speed of sound. The vehicle mounted the first set of stairs. I focused hard at the falling segments of stairs flattening them out to form a snake and ladder ride of sorts, but we were travelling up not down. I calculated the tragectory needed to intercept Malcolm and the jumper and on the last 2 segments over-clocked my instrument into afterburn. There was a scorching sensation on my hand. We went into a round-about and finally launched off the end of the line into air.
The tower was breaking apart in descent heading straight down towards us. The kids screamed again. "Hang on!" I screamed and turned the steering wheel sharply. I pulled up and banked the turbofan thruster at 45 degrees to do mid-air somersault clearing us of the tower and setting us right on top of it. I detached the turbofan as it succumbed to the rain of rusted steel debris and flamed out. We landed on the tower with a smash. I spotted Malcolm at the mid-section of the tower and put my foot down to the accelerator pedal. It was gone. My foot touched air.
Now, Malcolm had to climb higher. The lower half was going down fast. Things have never been the same since he stopped using his powers. But he saw it all coming. They can take away your powers. They can blow you out of your house, but they have forgotten that Fission sight was only a tool. It's the welder who was the key and the Galdanians never realised it. Malcolm put his hand to a bar to sense the remaining structural integrity. They were now in the middle of a teetering bridge that was collapsing on them from 2 ways. The only option now was to go down. And go down properly.
"Okay Jerrod. We'll have to ride this place down in the elevator! I will open the door and you get in first!"
Jerrod nodded. And Malcolm pulled 2 cables and secured them. One to the old fire-hydrant and the other onto a defunct gas pipe of the lift shaft. This momentarily arrested the buckling. Then, he kicked the elevator grille. Once. Twice. Three times. The lock gave way and Malcolm held it open for Jerrod to get in. At this juncture, the shaft lurched downwards. Malcolm slipped and hung on by his arms. Jerrod reached out to hold him.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 3 - Part 3
The lattice tower was falling apart at many places. Malcolm leapt and swung around the criss-crossing steel bars. At this rate, this bridge will fall to pieces in 30 minutes. Malcolm reached out his right hand to ignite his own stylus but hesitated. Instead, he pull some steel wires from his coat and focused his attention on the lattice bars ahead.
In his vision, the chain of bars unfurled into a concentric stairway. He looked up and tapped lightly on the handrail and released into the white space around the stairway bolts and fasteners. He touched one of screws and it produced in bold letters, the manufacturer's name, date and composition integrity. He looked up once more and there was above a display of signages moving and indicating the "High Integrity" and safe areas of the way ahead.
Malcolm withdrew from the vision and pressed onward across the fallen tower. Turning to the nearest intersection of bars, he tied his steel cables to secure his way. Soon, he formed a network of wires tightening down the key cross-sections he passed.
I was not the least bit satisfied with this gesture. As I struggled with shuddering vehicle to drive it straight, I could only wonder just why wasn't he using any of his powers. Where was his stylus? The conductor's baton. The factory we had been to hours earlier had a conductor's dome which was the place where he showed me how to construct a jet from thin air with nothing more than metal ore, latex and paint powder sprayed from nozzles built into the ground. He would draw out the airframe, pitched it in mid-air and grow wires directly across the skeleton fuselage.
Then, he willl turn and bow and continue to play. Like throwing a volleyball into the air, he will fling his right hand upwards to turn on all nozzles to spray the ore powder at full jets. He conducts the final symphony with powerful strokes and flourishes catching every particle in the air. Sheets of metal appear with lines of running over their surfaces. They bend according to the angled measurements and form into the sheet casings. Cool cinders fill the room and disappear and the parts descend from the roof above us and rest over the fuselage. The bolts floated to the exact designations and secured the sheets to form a completed plane. He would let it down slowly till it sat safely on the floor of the dome. Then, he would ask me for an applause, which I obliged happily.
The dome which we visited was now manufacturing Chicago Typewriters for Albernia and Gulran. And the assembly and roll-out domes were abandoned. People have lost their jobs. It was unlike Malcolm to walk away from all these, unless he had lost his mind somewhere along the way. And I fear somehow he just did.
Malcolm reached the top edge of the tower. He sees the lone man in a blue suit sitting at the edge of the satellite dish. He wrote his final message into the air in glowing cursive letters, saved the message into his pen and hurled it down into the edge. Malcolm changed his accent and put up mock police name tag on his shoulder pocket.
"What are the chances of anyone picking up your message from down below?!"
The man startled and turned to him.
"Have you come to arrest me?"
"No. Not today. I was just thinking about the story you just threw down there. Must have been quite a shame."
"No. Detective. It wasn't a shame. Before I jump you should know that was 27 years of my life down there. Someone's gonna pick it up and read it. And know just how great it was."
"You think so? Do you see anyone down there stopping and having a look?"
He looked down and said, "No."
"Then, look at me and tell me just why would anyone else bother about what you've got to say? Why should my chief give me another minute with you when there are 2 jumpers on my schedule?"
He looked at Mal who read his past through his eyes. He was startled by what he saw but kept his cool.
"Because I built this tower! And worked up the company to be CEO! I did it all from scratch! You've no right to say that it was all for nothing!"
"Well. The police case files say a lot about what you did. I am sure not even the security guard who showed me up here knows that he has already lost his job."
"Wait a minute. I've never told anyone about that." Then he looked a little closer at the man in the coat.
"Hey. I know you! You're Malcolm Eddings! The celebrtiy guru of Breaking News! "
Malcolm at last breathed a sign of relief and dropped off his accent.
"That's right. Malcolm Eddings at your service. Come on down here so we can fix your problem."
"No! I am in this fix because of some small-time FS who claimed that Miners Initiative in Gulran would make me a trillion. He had some fanciful simulation skills, a rosy forecast and some fail-proof plan for market domination in the High North."
Malcolm caught hold of the hint which pointed some energetic young wannabe he once knew some years ago. Someone he had spent time training in the symphony hall. He almost did a face-palm in knowing that his apperentice was once again up to mischief. The dramatic exchange sent ripples through the tower that made the rusting structure groan. Malcolm heard and pressed in for the rescue.
"Look Jerrod, we all have problems. You must have read about mine. If you don't care for anyone else, then just focus on prospects of your untimely end. You will go down in this ship, and people are gonna be sad for a while. Then, they'll just get up and get on with their lives. And your story will end right here at this tower. What's your choice?"
"I want to go back to the time before I screwed up." He croaked.
"Then, come on down here. I will help you fix things." Jerrod relented and climbed down from the dish towards Malcolm. The steel wires tighten and strained as Malcolm began to feel more vibrations pulsating through the structure. "We better get off this wreck right now." He urged Jerrod as they clambered back down towards the Acadia New Building.
In his vision, the chain of bars unfurled into a concentric stairway. He looked up and tapped lightly on the handrail and released into the white space around the stairway bolts and fasteners. He touched one of screws and it produced in bold letters, the manufacturer's name, date and composition integrity. He looked up once more and there was above a display of signages moving and indicating the "High Integrity" and safe areas of the way ahead.
Malcolm withdrew from the vision and pressed onward across the fallen tower. Turning to the nearest intersection of bars, he tied his steel cables to secure his way. Soon, he formed a network of wires tightening down the key cross-sections he passed.
I was not the least bit satisfied with this gesture. As I struggled with shuddering vehicle to drive it straight, I could only wonder just why wasn't he using any of his powers. Where was his stylus? The conductor's baton. The factory we had been to hours earlier had a conductor's dome which was the place where he showed me how to construct a jet from thin air with nothing more than metal ore, latex and paint powder sprayed from nozzles built into the ground. He would draw out the airframe, pitched it in mid-air and grow wires directly across the skeleton fuselage.
Then, he willl turn and bow and continue to play. Like throwing a volleyball into the air, he will fling his right hand upwards to turn on all nozzles to spray the ore powder at full jets. He conducts the final symphony with powerful strokes and flourishes catching every particle in the air. Sheets of metal appear with lines of running over their surfaces. They bend according to the angled measurements and form into the sheet casings. Cool cinders fill the room and disappear and the parts descend from the roof above us and rest over the fuselage. The bolts floated to the exact designations and secured the sheets to form a completed plane. He would let it down slowly till it sat safely on the floor of the dome. Then, he would ask me for an applause, which I obliged happily.
The dome which we visited was now manufacturing Chicago Typewriters for Albernia and Gulran. And the assembly and roll-out domes were abandoned. People have lost their jobs. It was unlike Malcolm to walk away from all these, unless he had lost his mind somewhere along the way. And I fear somehow he just did.
Malcolm reached the top edge of the tower. He sees the lone man in a blue suit sitting at the edge of the satellite dish. He wrote his final message into the air in glowing cursive letters, saved the message into his pen and hurled it down into the edge. Malcolm changed his accent and put up mock police name tag on his shoulder pocket.
"What are the chances of anyone picking up your message from down below?!"
The man startled and turned to him.
"Have you come to arrest me?"
"No. Not today. I was just thinking about the story you just threw down there. Must have been quite a shame."
"No. Detective. It wasn't a shame. Before I jump you should know that was 27 years of my life down there. Someone's gonna pick it up and read it. And know just how great it was."
"You think so? Do you see anyone down there stopping and having a look?"
He looked down and said, "No."
"Then, look at me and tell me just why would anyone else bother about what you've got to say? Why should my chief give me another minute with you when there are 2 jumpers on my schedule?"
He looked at Mal who read his past through his eyes. He was startled by what he saw but kept his cool.
"Because I built this tower! And worked up the company to be CEO! I did it all from scratch! You've no right to say that it was all for nothing!"
"Well. The police case files say a lot about what you did. I am sure not even the security guard who showed me up here knows that he has already lost his job."
"Wait a minute. I've never told anyone about that." Then he looked a little closer at the man in the coat.
"Hey. I know you! You're Malcolm Eddings! The celebrtiy guru of Breaking News! "
Malcolm at last breathed a sign of relief and dropped off his accent.
"That's right. Malcolm Eddings at your service. Come on down here so we can fix your problem."
"No! I am in this fix because of some small-time FS who claimed that Miners Initiative in Gulran would make me a trillion. He had some fanciful simulation skills, a rosy forecast and some fail-proof plan for market domination in the High North."
Malcolm caught hold of the hint which pointed some energetic young wannabe he once knew some years ago. Someone he had spent time training in the symphony hall. He almost did a face-palm in knowing that his apperentice was once again up to mischief. The dramatic exchange sent ripples through the tower that made the rusting structure groan. Malcolm heard and pressed in for the rescue.
"Look Jerrod, we all have problems. You must have read about mine. If you don't care for anyone else, then just focus on prospects of your untimely end. You will go down in this ship, and people are gonna be sad for a while. Then, they'll just get up and get on with their lives. And your story will end right here at this tower. What's your choice?"
"I want to go back to the time before I screwed up." He croaked.
"Then, come on down here. I will help you fix things." Jerrod relented and climbed down from the dish towards Malcolm. The steel wires tighten and strained as Malcolm began to feel more vibrations pulsating through the structure. "We better get off this wreck right now." He urged Jerrod as they clambered back down towards the Acadia New Building.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 3 - Part 2
The factory was not closed, but bore the marks of past glory. Only a third of the factory was operational and outside Replicator manufacturing units all masked with the familiar orange tape and black words, "Under Embargo." A couple of large holes were visible in the areas abandoned, signs of some kind of trouble.
The visitor's booth manager with a bushy moustached and a straw hat looked at me and said, "We are now a type-writer factory. The CEO has sold the business to small-time contractors like us."
Now this was not possible. Even if Malcolm was closed for whatever reason. He would always moved onto something better.
I asked, "Did he moved onto something else? And dId he say where he was going?"
"Well. It's a pity that the good old grid is down. But you have come to the right place. I know exactly what he has been up to and I will do the honour of showing him to you."
He vanished behind the counter and brought up an improvised television box.
"Pardon me. But those thugs from Galdania are trying to shut our city down. This is how we keep in touch and get entertained. Let me find the news channel." He turned the knob.
This was horrendous. I never knew that even Acadia could fall into such a state. It was literally the stone age. I peered nervously at the static to see what other shocking truths I might find.
"Malcolm Eddings, celebtrity negotiator rides again!" The set boomed.
A tall lady with a long white dress with an overlay of chiseled black flower patterns and short finger wave dark hair asked the stranger off-screen.
"Malcolm Eddings. Many have said that Seers cannot be trusted, but you have proven yourself otherwise. And many of us are also tired with the word 'Controversy.' Do you anything to say about meteoric rise to good repute?"
Then came the familiar sharp anwers.
"I have nothing to prove to you or anyone, Miss Sanders. What I am bringing to the table is a whole new way of solving problems by getting to the root cause, past bureaucracy and past the cost constraint assumptions that so governs every facet of our community today."
I finally noticed Cordy waving at my face for attention.
"Lauren? Is this your friend? Malcolm Eddings? The Master Craftsman?"
Eyes opened, jaw dropped, my mind blanked. I answered her. "Yeah... He is my friend."
The man on screen continued.
"I believe all of us should get out there. Start a business. Help people. Solve problems. And be the heroes we need in the streets. If you're not able to do it on your own. Give me a call at 500-9-OL-44. My advisers will be ready to help you with your plan of initiative. And make good on it."
"So, is there anything else you can tell us about your business model? You say what you're doing within - the reach - of... Security. We are in a middle of a shoot!" The anchor asked, but stopped, distracted by something in front of her.
A voice called out. "It's Jerrod. He's outside on the tower and he's going to jump."
Malcolm shot to his feet and asked, "Where's the tower?!"
"23 floors upstairs. At the broken antennae relay. Nobody goes there!"
"Well. Take me there. We'll climb the stairs if we have to but take me there!"
Miss Sanders turned back to camera and finished the interview. "And that was Celebrity Negotiator Malcolm Eddings making good on his promises. Stay tune to the rescue attempt, live on Acadia Daily."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left factory as soon as we could and hailed a taxi. There taxi swung left to right through the traffic not because we paid more money, but I was at the wheel and Cordy and the driver were my passengers.
I clarified with the cabby boy, "You say the Acadia News Tower is 3 blocks right from Canal Street?!"
"Yes. Sir - P...p... please drive carefully." He muttered.
I looked up and found we were going to be sandwiched between two trams from opposite directions. Cordy and the boy screamed.
"Hold your breath!" I cried and held mine. I fired up my instrument and pound my fist onto the dashboard. At once, a flood of yellow fission cinders from my hand engulfed vehicle interior. I went deaf for a moment as I rubberised everything into the properties of a giant soccer ball.
The trams hit and launched us skyhigh. We could have screamed, but we were already rubberised. And I could feel nothing as we were pin-balled between the buildings among scattering pedestrains and dodging vehicles. The vehicle finally got into a steady bounce and the power effect expired. I came to my senses and caught my breath on the last bounce and the vehicle continued rolling onward.
"Anything broken!" I turned and asked. And I saw the children white-face, shaking their heads. "Great!" But he vehicle shuddered in protest and broke over with dents and scratches and began spewing white smoke. "Woe! Spoke too soon!"
I saw the tower of the news building. Judging from it appearance, it already came down for a year. There was indeed some serious issues when no one fixes the only lifeline of a city. The highest point of the radio tower rested on the top of another skyscraper. And I squinted closely enough to see a tiny Mal balancing his way across the beams to get to a lone figure sitting on a satellite dish.
The visitor's booth manager with a bushy moustached and a straw hat looked at me and said, "We are now a type-writer factory. The CEO has sold the business to small-time contractors like us."
Now this was not possible. Even if Malcolm was closed for whatever reason. He would always moved onto something better.
I asked, "Did he moved onto something else? And dId he say where he was going?"
"Well. It's a pity that the good old grid is down. But you have come to the right place. I know exactly what he has been up to and I will do the honour of showing him to you."
He vanished behind the counter and brought up an improvised television box.
"Pardon me. But those thugs from Galdania are trying to shut our city down. This is how we keep in touch and get entertained. Let me find the news channel." He turned the knob.
This was horrendous. I never knew that even Acadia could fall into such a state. It was literally the stone age. I peered nervously at the static to see what other shocking truths I might find.
"Malcolm Eddings, celebtrity negotiator rides again!" The set boomed.
A tall lady with a long white dress with an overlay of chiseled black flower patterns and short finger wave dark hair asked the stranger off-screen.
"Malcolm Eddings. Many have said that Seers cannot be trusted, but you have proven yourself otherwise. And many of us are also tired with the word 'Controversy.' Do you anything to say about meteoric rise to good repute?"
Then came the familiar sharp anwers.
"I have nothing to prove to you or anyone, Miss Sanders. What I am bringing to the table is a whole new way of solving problems by getting to the root cause, past bureaucracy and past the cost constraint assumptions that so governs every facet of our community today."
I finally noticed Cordy waving at my face for attention.
"Lauren? Is this your friend? Malcolm Eddings? The Master Craftsman?"
Eyes opened, jaw dropped, my mind blanked. I answered her. "Yeah... He is my friend."
The man on screen continued.
"I believe all of us should get out there. Start a business. Help people. Solve problems. And be the heroes we need in the streets. If you're not able to do it on your own. Give me a call at 500-9-OL-44. My advisers will be ready to help you with your plan of initiative. And make good on it."
"So, is there anything else you can tell us about your business model? You say what you're doing within - the reach - of... Security. We are in a middle of a shoot!" The anchor asked, but stopped, distracted by something in front of her.
A voice called out. "It's Jerrod. He's outside on the tower and he's going to jump."
Malcolm shot to his feet and asked, "Where's the tower?!"
"23 floors upstairs. At the broken antennae relay. Nobody goes there!"
"Well. Take me there. We'll climb the stairs if we have to but take me there!"
Miss Sanders turned back to camera and finished the interview. "And that was Celebrity Negotiator Malcolm Eddings making good on his promises. Stay tune to the rescue attempt, live on Acadia Daily."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left factory as soon as we could and hailed a taxi. There taxi swung left to right through the traffic not because we paid more money, but I was at the wheel and Cordy and the driver were my passengers.
I clarified with the cabby boy, "You say the Acadia News Tower is 3 blocks right from Canal Street?!"
"Yes. Sir - P...p... please drive carefully." He muttered.
I looked up and found we were going to be sandwiched between two trams from opposite directions. Cordy and the boy screamed.
"Hold your breath!" I cried and held mine. I fired up my instrument and pound my fist onto the dashboard. At once, a flood of yellow fission cinders from my hand engulfed vehicle interior. I went deaf for a moment as I rubberised everything into the properties of a giant soccer ball.
The trams hit and launched us skyhigh. We could have screamed, but we were already rubberised. And I could feel nothing as we were pin-balled between the buildings among scattering pedestrains and dodging vehicles. The vehicle finally got into a steady bounce and the power effect expired. I came to my senses and caught my breath on the last bounce and the vehicle continued rolling onward.
"Anything broken!" I turned and asked. And I saw the children white-face, shaking their heads. "Great!" But he vehicle shuddered in protest and broke over with dents and scratches and began spewing white smoke. "Woe! Spoke too soon!"
I saw the tower of the news building. Judging from it appearance, it already came down for a year. There was indeed some serious issues when no one fixes the only lifeline of a city. The highest point of the radio tower rested on the top of another skyscraper. And I squinted closely enough to see a tiny Mal balancing his way across the beams to get to a lone figure sitting on a satellite dish.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 3 - Part 1
Acadia was an old greying white city. It was a Franco-Dutch colonial platform, an artificial self-renewing city that can be programmed to grow livable structures of any era. The pioneers of Acadia chose New Orleans as their based model. Everything will resemble the city except for the underlying technology which had remain in the stagnant years of the late twenty-second century. A web of arches that grow from the top to touch the bottom. From there rested the foundation of every building. We were in the middle of Canal Street at a payphone. An electric tram rattled past us packed with commuters.
I was trying to connect using an operator. The broadcast provider had been shut down due to penalties imposed. Relay towers orange-taped with the words "Under Embargo" are still visible on the skyline. I acquired the address of Malcolm's factory and updated Cordy of our next itinerary to which she asked.
"Why can't you dial him telepathically?"
"With due respect princess, I only do thought reading by eye. I can't mind talk. It's just a myth."
"My grandpa used to say that you can signal one another from mountains and ridges and always appear at the right place at the right time. Can you do that?"
"I can. By eye, lots of hardwork, some climbing gear, radio and my loudhailer. When we do it fast enough, it does look like magic."
"So where are your friends?"
"They're gone. We went our seperate ways far away from one another. Times are bad and the last thing we want to do is turn on each other."
"Why?"
"Because I know I can."
"You're not all that bad. Why did you lie about the bag of money?"
"If you haven't notice, the colour of the moon was blue a couple of hours ago. It won't be blue again for sometime to come."
"Thanks for saving me."
"I was just trying. Now stop being sentimental or I will charge you for it."
"Guess I will have to wait for the next moon."
"You can bet on it. Now follow me." I hailed the tram and we climbed onboard. "We are heading to Malcolm's. He's my mentor and he can help us with the machines we need to rebuild your city."
We found seats and sat down. Cordy peered out window at other passing trams and improvised Model Ts. Bicycles and pedestrians stopped to make way for our passage. The thing was that all vehicles were electrically powered, another legacy of the sustainability revolution of the late 22nd Century. The occupants of the Roaring 20s would have been astounded by the nano-tech that had gone into every part of this city. But times were serious and this city had ceased to stand on its feet for the past hundred years.
"Does he have a big factory in this city?" She peered out the window.
"He used to. And he has the tools I need to build them for you. I will have to get them from him."
"What did he do for you?" She turned and faced me.
"He found me in the streets of Sevastopol out cold in the middle of a mob. He picked me up and fixed me. I got apprenticeship until I was ready start again. He's one heck of an exception. Last seer on this planet I will ever trust."
"Is he a real wizard?" She ventured again. My indignation rose, but for sake of the money. I responded professionally.
"No, your majesty. I don't think I have ever seen a real wizard before. I believe you should think of him as only a master craftsman. Allow me to illustrate."
Here it comes, basic customer education uploading in progress. I formed up my stylus and drew a solid line across the her lap in thin air. A miniature tram folded out along the line and chugged forward.
"Let's say if our tram broke down."
I touched it on the roof and one of it wheels came off and the tiny tram skidded off the track and the drive-train detached from the car.
"My stylus can help you fix this tram within 30 minutes."
A small wave of hatched light field swept over the tiny smoking wreck and the parts bounced up from the ground as if having a life of it's own. The drive train and the wheel glued themselves back onto the carriage and it's trolley pole straighten. A small burst of sparks from the antennaes signaled all is well with the tiny tram and it rushed towards the end of the line where it extinguished back into micro cinders of carbon particles. Cordy tried to catch it but it was gone.
"However." I wiped the line away with my other hand.
"In this same time, he is able to put up 8 city blocks, with power, running water and transportation."
For this, I used both my hands for the demo. I threw open my left hand and spread out a net of pipes and girders each one named and numbered. I closed my right hand pulled it in the other direction and from it appear of series of strings which shot from the foundation towards my right hand followed it. A piece of ground rolled over the pipes. The girders stood up and 8 buildings were raised from the ground like a pop-up book. More tiny trams plied the streets on the model ringing their bells to clear the crowds. It was a self-contained midget metropolis.
"This is really very cute!"
"Bingo!" I thought.
She caught herself, "I mean - this must be an impressive work of a master craftsman."
"That's right, your majesty. That's who we'll be seeing."
I was trying to connect using an operator. The broadcast provider had been shut down due to penalties imposed. Relay towers orange-taped with the words "Under Embargo" are still visible on the skyline. I acquired the address of Malcolm's factory and updated Cordy of our next itinerary to which she asked.
"Why can't you dial him telepathically?"
"With due respect princess, I only do thought reading by eye. I can't mind talk. It's just a myth."
"My grandpa used to say that you can signal one another from mountains and ridges and always appear at the right place at the right time. Can you do that?"
"I can. By eye, lots of hardwork, some climbing gear, radio and my loudhailer. When we do it fast enough, it does look like magic."
"So where are your friends?"
"They're gone. We went our seperate ways far away from one another. Times are bad and the last thing we want to do is turn on each other."
"Why?"
"Because I know I can."
"You're not all that bad. Why did you lie about the bag of money?"
"If you haven't notice, the colour of the moon was blue a couple of hours ago. It won't be blue again for sometime to come."
"Thanks for saving me."
"I was just trying. Now stop being sentimental or I will charge you for it."
"Guess I will have to wait for the next moon."
"You can bet on it. Now follow me." I hailed the tram and we climbed onboard. "We are heading to Malcolm's. He's my mentor and he can help us with the machines we need to rebuild your city."
We found seats and sat down. Cordy peered out window at other passing trams and improvised Model Ts. Bicycles and pedestrians stopped to make way for our passage. The thing was that all vehicles were electrically powered, another legacy of the sustainability revolution of the late 22nd Century. The occupants of the Roaring 20s would have been astounded by the nano-tech that had gone into every part of this city. But times were serious and this city had ceased to stand on its feet for the past hundred years.
"Does he have a big factory in this city?" She peered out the window.
"He used to. And he has the tools I need to build them for you. I will have to get them from him."
"What did he do for you?" She turned and faced me.
"He found me in the streets of Sevastopol out cold in the middle of a mob. He picked me up and fixed me. I got apprenticeship until I was ready start again. He's one heck of an exception. Last seer on this planet I will ever trust."
"Is he a real wizard?" She ventured again. My indignation rose, but for sake of the money. I responded professionally.
"No, your majesty. I don't think I have ever seen a real wizard before. I believe you should think of him as only a master craftsman. Allow me to illustrate."
Here it comes, basic customer education uploading in progress. I formed up my stylus and drew a solid line across the her lap in thin air. A miniature tram folded out along the line and chugged forward.
"Let's say if our tram broke down."
I touched it on the roof and one of it wheels came off and the tiny tram skidded off the track and the drive-train detached from the car.
"My stylus can help you fix this tram within 30 minutes."
A small wave of hatched light field swept over the tiny smoking wreck and the parts bounced up from the ground as if having a life of it's own. The drive train and the wheel glued themselves back onto the carriage and it's trolley pole straighten. A small burst of sparks from the antennaes signaled all is well with the tiny tram and it rushed towards the end of the line where it extinguished back into micro cinders of carbon particles. Cordy tried to catch it but it was gone.
"However." I wiped the line away with my other hand.
"In this same time, he is able to put up 8 city blocks, with power, running water and transportation."
For this, I used both my hands for the demo. I threw open my left hand and spread out a net of pipes and girders each one named and numbered. I closed my right hand pulled it in the other direction and from it appear of series of strings which shot from the foundation towards my right hand followed it. A piece of ground rolled over the pipes. The girders stood up and 8 buildings were raised from the ground like a pop-up book. More tiny trams plied the streets on the model ringing their bells to clear the crowds. It was a self-contained midget metropolis.
"This is really very cute!"
"Bingo!" I thought.
She caught herself, "I mean - this must be an impressive work of a master craftsman."
"That's right, your majesty. That's who we'll be seeing."
Saturday, July 6, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 2 - Part 2
Aldon removed his mask and Czapka and fixed them on the steel mount of his royal quarters. Above him was the Galdanian Standard, a sea serpent coiled around a faichon. The walls covered by a network of hatched stones. There was no bed. But soon enough, a flat metal serpent slithered to his side and opened up for him to sit down. Aldon's skin had tint of blue and he had long yellow brows and dreadlocked hair and a bald forehead. The tints were the latest cosmetic enhancements produced from mineral deposits harvested from the former icy region of the North Pole. Now, it was a sea of trade, the new fertile crescent, inhabited by the last of human civilisation.
He let himself fall onto the mouth of the serpent that caressed him and rose to ceiling of the room. The creature flexed and it sends great ripples through the wall of metal. Parts of the hatched walls begun to interlock, spin and seperate. The room soon formed into the replica of the same sphere of council chamber. The flags of the colonies extended from all the walls in circular glowing time pieces which stated their percentage of Ore extracts, population, raw materials and economic climate.
Pulling Deruwan's and Krosia's discs towards himself from of the wall. He punctured Deruwan's disc. It seperated into concentric coloured tiers showing it's weak population, resource and economic readings. And there was the tantilising purple ring which stated "Ore Valuation at 800%". He immediately drew up Albernia and Gulren time-pieces which were connected to Deruwan by a blue trail of light. He turned their discs in opposite directions and Deruwan's time piece began to scatter to the point of disintergration.
"Still toying the fate of unfortunate nations?" It was the same hollow voice of the hooded seer.
"I am just bending the rules in my favour. It is after all my symphony. I can decide just how the story goes."
The figure drew back the hood and removed her mask. A young woman with light orange tinted skin and purple-white streaks of hair.
"You didn't build the system. Our Commissar did. You only ensured that the colonies complied with its standards."
"Quosalis was a traitor. History will soon forget him for his crimes. I am the one who has brought this system to its full glory. And made all this - more profitable."
"By the Embargo proposal?"
"By consolidation, Gnesedia. To ensure that Galdania exercises it's full rights as the League's leadership so it gains what it deserves.Technology should always remain in the hands of the priviledged who know how to use it and realise its full potential. Deprivation of it to the inept is a strong measure to discourage abuse."
"And what if history doesn't forget."
"Gnesedia, I don't have time for riddles. What's your business today?"
"There was a fission signature near the camps of Psoriya yesterday. It belongs to an old friend of yours. A small-time nuisance by the name of Lauren Davis."
"Send a few deputies to deal with him. This upstart must be made to understand he's not recieving back his assets or his membership."
"The source of the Ore Ignition was from that man."
Aldon stopped his work and brought the serpent down to her.
"Gnesedia. Between the six of us including Quosalis. No other seer knows how to ignite the Ore."
"Perhaps someone had liberated the knowledge of the Ore from Atlas and sold it in the market. Or perhaps, the Commissar we know might be still be alive after all."
She said it with a sense of wonder and that infuriated Aldon. He glared at her.
"Are you saying that the work I did wasn't thorough enough?"
"I am saying that our Commisar will soon plot his return. I suggest that you start becoming more interested in your security than your obsession with Ore. I have sent the deputy in-charge of the last job. Please learn to treat your kind with a little more respect."
"My apologies Gnesedia. Proceed with the execution. I will monitor the events from here."
"Sleep tight. Commissar Aldon."
Aldon watched Gnesedia leave the cavern of time-pieces. Then, he rose from his seat and banged his fists on the arm rests.
"I have always been right about you. You can change your looks but you will never change who you truly are. We shall meet again. You can be certain of that my old friend - Commissar Quosalis. "
And before him on a circular screen was Lauren happily shaking hands with Cordy as they confirmed their deal for Heraldnesia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day was just amazing. Stocks rose for the first time in a year for Deruwan and for Albernia and Gulran. I was also making a killing with the sale of re-packed food on the streets of Acadia. I turned up my megaphone and sifted the crowd.
"Hey, mister. You with the hobble. It seems like you can use a meal. Hey, busy person riding the bike.You're gonna collapse in 5 minutes and still won't get to where you want. Forget the schedule and come fill your stomach. And you, Miss Wanna-be-on-top-of-things. Look no further. Here is the lunch you need for yourself and your entire office. Come on over!"
The customers plodded over mechanically, one after another, bought their food and left. Cordy was not please. She binned the ladle into the boiling pot and removed her apron.
"This is a robbery. In daylight. You read their minds and sell them things!" She protested.
"I am just improvising kid. Remember, this pays for our accommodations uptown. We'll leave as soon we find my friend, Malcolm. Excuse me for second. Thank you so very much for your support Madam. Have an excellent day."
Cordy honoured our agreement and forced herself to smile until the old lady was out of sight.
"You should have at least gave them a choice!"
"No one plays fair in my kind of business." I tried to enlighten her. "You gotta make use all chances and take the biggest chunk of the pie. A chance like this may never come again." I took a sandwich which I was having and bit off a huge mouthful of it to prove my point.
She was absolutely disgusted.
"I am going back to the motel. You can stay here all afternoon and keep selling them these second grade surplus food. I will have no part in this!"
Before I could make my defense, she grabbed her bag and stomped off toward the crowd. But, she stopped abruptly in front of the wall of people, unsure of how to make her way. Just as I thought, she was just a country kid. Now, all I need to do was to just talk her back into our agreement. One thing's for sure, I will never be the only one here doing all the work.
Then, a set of arms emerged from the crowd shoved her the ground. Now, that was uncalled for. I ran and helped her up. There were suddenly twenty odd burly men standing around us with wooden sticks. They were in grey cotton shirts, slacks with shades of black and brown and wearing driving caps and straw hats. This did not look good.
The foreguy loomed over me and said, "We heard that there was a new seer in town. And so we came down here to have a look."
"You're looking at one. Is there anything we can do for you?" I answered.
He extended his stick and pushed the lunch cartons, letting them tumble down into the soup pot.
"Nothing. We just feel you should know that seers are not welcome in this city."
I considered stuffing them in trash bins and launching each one 30 feet into the windows above us, but there were too many of them and they standing too close. I can't use my powers. These guys know who they were dealing with.
I tried diplomacy. "Woe there. This must some kind of mistake. I was thinking of paying you guys a visit this evening and talk about how we can share profit on your turf."
The man nearest to the leader leaned over to him and accused me, "He's lying Boss. I can sense it."
"No, you can't. You're not a seer and I am not lying." I defended. "Let's be cool. We're just here for 3 days and we're gone. I can give you a 70% cut of my profits. I am sure you won't be able to get this kind of money anywhere else."
"Sorry. But this deal's still a little short. I expect a 110%. Like the way you charge your clients in the bigger cities."
"Look, I've just opened for business today. Give me a little more time and you will your money by sundown."
He grinned and said "Not fast enough. I want it now. Boys, bring this place down."
Two men came from behind me, wrenched my arms with the sticks and threw me down on my face. The boss stepped on my face. I clenched my teeth so my jaw will not fall off. The rest of the mob fell on our store. They crumpled and crushed everything they found. The soup, chopsticks and cartons were scattered. The gang seized our afternoon's worth of paper credit and handed it to the leader.
"Where's the rest of it?"
"That's all there is. Can we go now..." I struggled to reply.
Number Two returned holding a money bag with Cordy hanging onto it with both hands.
"Boss! Look at this!" He tried to shake her off, but Cordy held on fast. He handed the bag over.
"Let go off my money." Cordelia hissed.
"It's no longer yours little lady. This bag of money is gonna feed us a month."
I turned my neck enough to meet his eyes of the man stepping on my jaw. I unravelled his thoughts. I saw him and his gang among the strongest of syndicates in Acadia. I threw my sight further at him departing from the gates of Malcolm's Corporation. And him, rallying other desperate and jobless individuals to take matters into their own hands. There was much anger. And a reign of terror in the streets soon followed.
I pleaded, "Whatever happened to you at Malcolm's was not my fault. If it's about my kind, I am sorry. You don't have to do this to us."
"That job, Mr Seer, was my life. My boys here also wanted it all simple. But you and your friends at the casino decided to take it out on one another with our stakes. Now, I do really want to show you how all this feels."
He turned to the bag he was holding with one arm. "Let go the bag, kid. Or I'll have to punch you."
"I am Princess Cordelia of Glender! I am not a kid! And how dare you seize hold of my property?!"
This was getting really ugly. I shouted just before he could throw a punch.
"A hundred million dollars! It's all in the bag! Take it! It's yours!"
"But..." Cordy was stunned. This was not me and she's right. I didn't know why I did it either.
"Let the bag go Cordy! We can always make money elsewhere." She relented, released her and fell to her knees.
"That's right." He lifted the boot from my face. "You two should make your money elsewhere."
He opened the bag, dipped his hand in expecting stacks of notes, instead scooped out a handful purple crystals which he promptly showed to me.
"This ain't money! What is this stuff?!"
"This is your free ride to the mountains outside this city. "
I threw my thoughts onto the Ore and a surge of candy and confetti blasted out the boss' hands like a geyser. I sealed the gang into individual 5 stage rockets, whch blasted off the streets and into the sky. If you're standing at the next city block. It will be quite a sight to see twenty rockets with cloud exhaust emissions of the colours of the rainbow leaving the city for the clouds. I could hear the boss scream as he and the mob departed the scene.
"Yeeaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
We will not be seeing them for some time. They will reach the mountains where they will be jettisoned out in parachutes with 30 days of supplies and hiking apparel. I hope these guys will change their minds about their trade when they get back to the city. In a mean time, my friend Malcolm owes me an explanation for the trouble he caused us today. I gave Cordelia her back and helped her back on her feet.
He let himself fall onto the mouth of the serpent that caressed him and rose to ceiling of the room. The creature flexed and it sends great ripples through the wall of metal. Parts of the hatched walls begun to interlock, spin and seperate. The room soon formed into the replica of the same sphere of council chamber. The flags of the colonies extended from all the walls in circular glowing time pieces which stated their percentage of Ore extracts, population, raw materials and economic climate.
Pulling Deruwan's and Krosia's discs towards himself from of the wall. He punctured Deruwan's disc. It seperated into concentric coloured tiers showing it's weak population, resource and economic readings. And there was the tantilising purple ring which stated "Ore Valuation at 800%". He immediately drew up Albernia and Gulren time-pieces which were connected to Deruwan by a blue trail of light. He turned their discs in opposite directions and Deruwan's time piece began to scatter to the point of disintergration.
"Still toying the fate of unfortunate nations?" It was the same hollow voice of the hooded seer.
"I am just bending the rules in my favour. It is after all my symphony. I can decide just how the story goes."
The figure drew back the hood and removed her mask. A young woman with light orange tinted skin and purple-white streaks of hair.
"You didn't build the system. Our Commissar did. You only ensured that the colonies complied with its standards."
"Quosalis was a traitor. History will soon forget him for his crimes. I am the one who has brought this system to its full glory. And made all this - more profitable."
"By the Embargo proposal?"
"By consolidation, Gnesedia. To ensure that Galdania exercises it's full rights as the League's leadership so it gains what it deserves.Technology should always remain in the hands of the priviledged who know how to use it and realise its full potential. Deprivation of it to the inept is a strong measure to discourage abuse."
"And what if history doesn't forget."
"Gnesedia, I don't have time for riddles. What's your business today?"
"There was a fission signature near the camps of Psoriya yesterday. It belongs to an old friend of yours. A small-time nuisance by the name of Lauren Davis."
"Send a few deputies to deal with him. This upstart must be made to understand he's not recieving back his assets or his membership."
"The source of the Ore Ignition was from that man."
Aldon stopped his work and brought the serpent down to her.
"Gnesedia. Between the six of us including Quosalis. No other seer knows how to ignite the Ore."
"Perhaps someone had liberated the knowledge of the Ore from Atlas and sold it in the market. Or perhaps, the Commissar we know might be still be alive after all."
She said it with a sense of wonder and that infuriated Aldon. He glared at her.
"Are you saying that the work I did wasn't thorough enough?"
"I am saying that our Commisar will soon plot his return. I suggest that you start becoming more interested in your security than your obsession with Ore. I have sent the deputy in-charge of the last job. Please learn to treat your kind with a little more respect."
"My apologies Gnesedia. Proceed with the execution. I will monitor the events from here."
"Sleep tight. Commissar Aldon."
Aldon watched Gnesedia leave the cavern of time-pieces. Then, he rose from his seat and banged his fists on the arm rests.
"I have always been right about you. You can change your looks but you will never change who you truly are. We shall meet again. You can be certain of that my old friend - Commissar Quosalis. "
And before him on a circular screen was Lauren happily shaking hands with Cordy as they confirmed their deal for Heraldnesia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day was just amazing. Stocks rose for the first time in a year for Deruwan and for Albernia and Gulran. I was also making a killing with the sale of re-packed food on the streets of Acadia. I turned up my megaphone and sifted the crowd.
"Hey, mister. You with the hobble. It seems like you can use a meal. Hey, busy person riding the bike.You're gonna collapse in 5 minutes and still won't get to where you want. Forget the schedule and come fill your stomach. And you, Miss Wanna-be-on-top-of-things. Look no further. Here is the lunch you need for yourself and your entire office. Come on over!"
The customers plodded over mechanically, one after another, bought their food and left. Cordy was not please. She binned the ladle into the boiling pot and removed her apron.
"This is a robbery. In daylight. You read their minds and sell them things!" She protested.
"I am just improvising kid. Remember, this pays for our accommodations uptown. We'll leave as soon we find my friend, Malcolm. Excuse me for second. Thank you so very much for your support Madam. Have an excellent day."
Cordy honoured our agreement and forced herself to smile until the old lady was out of sight.
"You should have at least gave them a choice!"
"No one plays fair in my kind of business." I tried to enlighten her. "You gotta make use all chances and take the biggest chunk of the pie. A chance like this may never come again." I took a sandwich which I was having and bit off a huge mouthful of it to prove my point.
She was absolutely disgusted.
"I am going back to the motel. You can stay here all afternoon and keep selling them these second grade surplus food. I will have no part in this!"
Before I could make my defense, she grabbed her bag and stomped off toward the crowd. But, she stopped abruptly in front of the wall of people, unsure of how to make her way. Just as I thought, she was just a country kid. Now, all I need to do was to just talk her back into our agreement. One thing's for sure, I will never be the only one here doing all the work.
Then, a set of arms emerged from the crowd shoved her the ground. Now, that was uncalled for. I ran and helped her up. There were suddenly twenty odd burly men standing around us with wooden sticks. They were in grey cotton shirts, slacks with shades of black and brown and wearing driving caps and straw hats. This did not look good.
The foreguy loomed over me and said, "We heard that there was a new seer in town. And so we came down here to have a look."
"You're looking at one. Is there anything we can do for you?" I answered.
He extended his stick and pushed the lunch cartons, letting them tumble down into the soup pot.
"Nothing. We just feel you should know that seers are not welcome in this city."
I considered stuffing them in trash bins and launching each one 30 feet into the windows above us, but there were too many of them and they standing too close. I can't use my powers. These guys know who they were dealing with.
I tried diplomacy. "Woe there. This must some kind of mistake. I was thinking of paying you guys a visit this evening and talk about how we can share profit on your turf."
The man nearest to the leader leaned over to him and accused me, "He's lying Boss. I can sense it."
"No, you can't. You're not a seer and I am not lying." I defended. "Let's be cool. We're just here for 3 days and we're gone. I can give you a 70% cut of my profits. I am sure you won't be able to get this kind of money anywhere else."
"Sorry. But this deal's still a little short. I expect a 110%. Like the way you charge your clients in the bigger cities."
"Look, I've just opened for business today. Give me a little more time and you will your money by sundown."
He grinned and said "Not fast enough. I want it now. Boys, bring this place down."
Two men came from behind me, wrenched my arms with the sticks and threw me down on my face. The boss stepped on my face. I clenched my teeth so my jaw will not fall off. The rest of the mob fell on our store. They crumpled and crushed everything they found. The soup, chopsticks and cartons were scattered. The gang seized our afternoon's worth of paper credit and handed it to the leader.
"Where's the rest of it?"
"That's all there is. Can we go now..." I struggled to reply.
Number Two returned holding a money bag with Cordy hanging onto it with both hands.
"Boss! Look at this!" He tried to shake her off, but Cordy held on fast. He handed the bag over.
"Let go off my money." Cordelia hissed.
"It's no longer yours little lady. This bag of money is gonna feed us a month."
I turned my neck enough to meet his eyes of the man stepping on my jaw. I unravelled his thoughts. I saw him and his gang among the strongest of syndicates in Acadia. I threw my sight further at him departing from the gates of Malcolm's Corporation. And him, rallying other desperate and jobless individuals to take matters into their own hands. There was much anger. And a reign of terror in the streets soon followed.
I pleaded, "Whatever happened to you at Malcolm's was not my fault. If it's about my kind, I am sorry. You don't have to do this to us."
"That job, Mr Seer, was my life. My boys here also wanted it all simple. But you and your friends at the casino decided to take it out on one another with our stakes. Now, I do really want to show you how all this feels."
He turned to the bag he was holding with one arm. "Let go the bag, kid. Or I'll have to punch you."
"I am Princess Cordelia of Glender! I am not a kid! And how dare you seize hold of my property?!"
This was getting really ugly. I shouted just before he could throw a punch.
"A hundred million dollars! It's all in the bag! Take it! It's yours!"
"But..." Cordy was stunned. This was not me and she's right. I didn't know why I did it either.
"Let the bag go Cordy! We can always make money elsewhere." She relented, released her and fell to her knees.
"That's right." He lifted the boot from my face. "You two should make your money elsewhere."
He opened the bag, dipped his hand in expecting stacks of notes, instead scooped out a handful purple crystals which he promptly showed to me.
"This ain't money! What is this stuff?!"
"This is your free ride to the mountains outside this city. "
I threw my thoughts onto the Ore and a surge of candy and confetti blasted out the boss' hands like a geyser. I sealed the gang into individual 5 stage rockets, whch blasted off the streets and into the sky. If you're standing at the next city block. It will be quite a sight to see twenty rockets with cloud exhaust emissions of the colours of the rainbow leaving the city for the clouds. I could hear the boss scream as he and the mob departed the scene.
"Yeeaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
We will not be seeing them for some time. They will reach the mountains where they will be jettisoned out in parachutes with 30 days of supplies and hiking apparel. I hope these guys will change their minds about their trade when they get back to the city. In a mean time, my friend Malcolm owes me an explanation for the trouble he caused us today. I gave Cordelia her back and helped her back on her feet.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 2 - part 1
King Delrowe held the flight stick tightly as the plane climbed to 10,000 feet. It was a strange experience being in sky when he had often led his people on horse back. He was once hailed as the horse back king to the affection of his people. And he gave the years of his youth to traveling the high mountains to survey redoubts for a home. Now, he was the only person in New Odessa who rides. Everyone else flew.
Today, the king was to appear before the league of colonies for peace talks with Krosia.
"What about the confidence of our investors?" He asked his seer in second cockpit behind him.
"Another 3 quarters before all of them pull out. I suggest we quickly lease them the Costol Mountains before Krosia takes them from us. That will extend the period to 6."
"Then, where do we go from there?"
"Build on what we already have. A quick airfleet to retake the Sea of Gurshan. The precious deposits will allow us to buy more stakes in the Exchange. Then we ally with Krosia's enemies and force them to shut down their factories."
"I understand. You must fight my case before the league. This will be the last time I seek council from your association. We must not lose our city to Krosia."
"I won't, your Majesty. I stake my life on this."
The plane sailed into the full view of a guard tower over the Sea of Odessa. Airlofts belonging to the League were anchored to it. Giant mechnical branches extended out to the Airlofts. Blue, yellow, green, orange and brown. The pastel coloured floating fortresses surrounded the largest craft anchored at the top of the tower. A black Galdanian heavy cruiser.
The biplane landed on its massive steel deck. A guard of honour bearing the flags of the League states saluted him as he climbed out of the cockpit. Then, a motorised carriage resembling that of Ford Model T pulled up in front of the plane. Delrowe waved off the offer, unfasten a hinge of a bulging compartment behind Schuber's seat. He pulled open the door and led Celeste, his white steed. He mounted the saddle galloped off from the parade. Schuber empathically told the distraught driver, "Please tell the host that my king still prefers riding to the council tower."
The delegates in the Board Chamber observed with silence at the spectacle played out before them. Delrowan biplanes were being shot out of the sky. Some went down with their pilots still trying to get out. The chamber was spared the rest of the carnage as image crackled, sputtered and stopped. The room lit up. A Krosian official was seated at the table with 3 fission seers. Delrowe and Schuber was on the other side. Between them, a hologram showed 6 blue Krosian fleet columns and 3 yellow Delrowan flight brigades. A robed hand emerged from the shadow and swiped away the lost aircraft. Another hand emerged nearer at the Krosian side, and with a lowering motion made 2 Krosian fleet columns disappear beneath the water.
The hall further illuminated to reveal showing 5 fission seers in red robes wearing glowing full-faced masks. The caps that sat on their heads with a wide forecrest that pointed backwards like a set of horns . A delegation of diplomats sitting behind them viewed the 2 parties with expectantly.
The largest of the seers in red motioned for attention.
"A reminder to all parties present here is that the League is united in keeping trade safe. We will deal openly, fairly and decisively with all who undermine and threaten what is left of known civilisation. I, Aldon Shrenar, declare this Assembly open."
"Last August, the Association of Halycon agreed that hostilities with Delrowan would cease by the start of winter. But, instead hostilities have grown and are now threatening the sea routes. Ambassador Silanus, you are aware of the penalties this will impose on Krosia. You have the odds in your favour and the Executioner by your side. Your guarantors have great expectations. We believe you will end this conflict soon for at stake is your membership in the High States."
Ambassador Silanus assured,"The Krosia Republic stands with the League. We will do nothing to threaten the peace and security of our Guarantor states. My associates will ensure that our agreement to end the hostilities within a month is honoured."
Associate Corbelus stands to address the League.
"Our forecasts percieve the conflict to end within a month. What is left is how the guilty party to accept the terms of surrender."
Schuber rose and intercepted the claim.
"I wish to counter-propose to the delegation."
"Motion accepted." Aldon granted.
"We wish to open lease for the Mountains of Costol. Any party willing to accept this offer will be entitled to full returns of investment once the war is won. We only ask in return free supply of rations and aircraft for the next 6 months."
"Objection! The terms are clear that hostilities must cease unconditionally within a month. The foundations of their reservoirs are collapsing due to over-use. Delrowan is making a promise it can't keep!"
"It is also noted in the terms of agreement that the time-frame within this year is the premise of the party under referendum. We are also entitled to the same rights as anyone in this court. Just as you have a chance to answer your creditors so do we have a chance to ours. Or do you wish to offend anyone here who could one day be your trade partners?"
Seer Provus struck back,"Delrowan is running out of time. Where is the feasibility of your counter-proposal when our army is already kilometres from Costol?"
"The bid is open! And all who dare to risk their future with ours shall be rewarded! I open this offer to all of you now!"
Commissar Aldon raised his hands for silence.
"This has been the most remarkable excursion for the day. Ambassador Silanus, the party under referendum will have a say in the date at which it will respond to your demands. I see great potential in this offer. Are there any parties interested in taking this bid?"
The delegation turned to their own seers and discussed with their eyes on Delrowe. Then, two hands came up. The state of Albernia and Gulren.
"Now it's time for us to put forward the stakes. Silanus, what is your pledge?"
"Twenty-seven Krosian warships!" Silanus barked. "All of Krosia's finest!" Provus formed 3 naval fleet divisions and pushed to the centre of the table.
"And you, King Delrowe?"
"I pledge my city, all my people and my life." Schuber drew the city New Odessa, a cloud of planes and a replica of the king's steel crown and likewise pushed them forward. Some delegates sighed and shook their heads at Deruwan's suicidal determination.
"Let the Executioner rise." Aldon commanded.
The red seer with a black hood rose from beside the Krosians and stood between the two parties. He spread out both his hands. He broke the holographic models down into hexagonal pieces and collected them into piles. He closed his hands into fists and threw them into the air. Great lines of yellow sprang from the floor of the chamber, surge towards the pieces and formed them into a cloud. If you crane you head upwards you will witness a spectacle of a great constellation of virtual clockwork and lever instruments spinning away efficiently. Among them sat the insignias all the colonies with circular charts that ran around them. Red for weak, orange for strong and white for dead. Krosia's sign was glowing a blazing orange and Deruwan a fading red.
In a deep and hollow voice he spoke,"The rules on this game are based on the general progression of all surviving colonies. The strong must rule to ensure the world will rebuild before the next Census Winter of the next 5 years. Protracted conflicts will not be tolerated."
"As the odds already favour Krosia. Galdania will provide an addition of 27 warships to continue the status quo. Deruwan has plead desperation. But the penalty as the losing party will limit Albernia to providing only aircraft and Gulren only essential supplies. Deruwan still must fight for its existence as much as for its shareholders."
Delrowe closed his eyes in agony. Silanus chuckled at his seemingly good fortune.
"However." The Executioner continued. "Should Krosia fail to end hostilities as promised. The penalties will be double of your new combined fleet. You will have to answer by the standards of the League and will see your position as a legitimate member in peril."
Corbelus whispered nervously into Silanus' ear and his smile evaporated.
Like a puppet master the Executioner drew the pieces of Krosia and Deruwan stakes back and formed criss-crossing field of dates planes and ships.
"In the natural progression of 723 possible outcomes for the conflict. Deruwan's resolve to win will
increase the shares of Albernia and Gulren to over 700% as compared to Krosia's 413% percent when it becomes the next regional superpower. Hydro purification infrastructure will greatly benefit the landlocked Gulren economy. Krosia's future is assured full possession of all Glender and Deruwan territories. New Odessa will burn to the ground. Creditor states for Krosia will be assured returns from every sector of a resurgent Krosian economy."
"Once conflict ends, the preparation for the next Census Winter will continue. All weaker states will be consolidated into a stronger League as planned. If Krosia and Deruwan fails, Galdania will be forced to intervene."
The seer folded his arms. The great mechanical sphere in the chamber broke apart and folded itself into the shadows. The chamber lit up once more and the Executioner returned to its place by the Krosian seer.
"As all grievances have been put forward and resolved. I declare this Assembly closed. Thank you for convening with us."
Aldon and his seers departed from chamber first followed by the delegation.
Silanus hissed. "I will burn New Odessa to the ground."
Schuber replied ,"We'll see about that."
The Krosians left.
Schuber tells Delrowe, "I have done all I can your majesty. The rest of the battle is your's."
Today, the king was to appear before the league of colonies for peace talks with Krosia.
"What about the confidence of our investors?" He asked his seer in second cockpit behind him.
"Another 3 quarters before all of them pull out. I suggest we quickly lease them the Costol Mountains before Krosia takes them from us. That will extend the period to 6."
"Then, where do we go from there?"
"Build on what we already have. A quick airfleet to retake the Sea of Gurshan. The precious deposits will allow us to buy more stakes in the Exchange. Then we ally with Krosia's enemies and force them to shut down their factories."
"I understand. You must fight my case before the league. This will be the last time I seek council from your association. We must not lose our city to Krosia."
"I won't, your Majesty. I stake my life on this."
The plane sailed into the full view of a guard tower over the Sea of Odessa. Airlofts belonging to the League were anchored to it. Giant mechnical branches extended out to the Airlofts. Blue, yellow, green, orange and brown. The pastel coloured floating fortresses surrounded the largest craft anchored at the top of the tower. A black Galdanian heavy cruiser.
The biplane landed on its massive steel deck. A guard of honour bearing the flags of the League states saluted him as he climbed out of the cockpit. Then, a motorised carriage resembling that of Ford Model T pulled up in front of the plane. Delrowe waved off the offer, unfasten a hinge of a bulging compartment behind Schuber's seat. He pulled open the door and led Celeste, his white steed. He mounted the saddle galloped off from the parade. Schuber empathically told the distraught driver, "Please tell the host that my king still prefers riding to the council tower."
The delegates in the Board Chamber observed with silence at the spectacle played out before them. Delrowan biplanes were being shot out of the sky. Some went down with their pilots still trying to get out. The chamber was spared the rest of the carnage as image crackled, sputtered and stopped. The room lit up. A Krosian official was seated at the table with 3 fission seers. Delrowe and Schuber was on the other side. Between them, a hologram showed 6 blue Krosian fleet columns and 3 yellow Delrowan flight brigades. A robed hand emerged from the shadow and swiped away the lost aircraft. Another hand emerged nearer at the Krosian side, and with a lowering motion made 2 Krosian fleet columns disappear beneath the water.
The hall further illuminated to reveal showing 5 fission seers in red robes wearing glowing full-faced masks. The caps that sat on their heads with a wide forecrest that pointed backwards like a set of horns . A delegation of diplomats sitting behind them viewed the 2 parties with expectantly.
The largest of the seers in red motioned for attention.
"A reminder to all parties present here is that the League is united in keeping trade safe. We will deal openly, fairly and decisively with all who undermine and threaten what is left of known civilisation. I, Aldon Shrenar, declare this Assembly open."
"Last August, the Association of Halycon agreed that hostilities with Delrowan would cease by the start of winter. But, instead hostilities have grown and are now threatening the sea routes. Ambassador Silanus, you are aware of the penalties this will impose on Krosia. You have the odds in your favour and the Executioner by your side. Your guarantors have great expectations. We believe you will end this conflict soon for at stake is your membership in the High States."
Ambassador Silanus assured,"The Krosia Republic stands with the League. We will do nothing to threaten the peace and security of our Guarantor states. My associates will ensure that our agreement to end the hostilities within a month is honoured."
Associate Corbelus stands to address the League.
"Our forecasts percieve the conflict to end within a month. What is left is how the guilty party to accept the terms of surrender."
Schuber rose and intercepted the claim.
"I wish to counter-propose to the delegation."
"Motion accepted." Aldon granted.
"We wish to open lease for the Mountains of Costol. Any party willing to accept this offer will be entitled to full returns of investment once the war is won. We only ask in return free supply of rations and aircraft for the next 6 months."
"Objection! The terms are clear that hostilities must cease unconditionally within a month. The foundations of their reservoirs are collapsing due to over-use. Delrowan is making a promise it can't keep!"
"It is also noted in the terms of agreement that the time-frame within this year is the premise of the party under referendum. We are also entitled to the same rights as anyone in this court. Just as you have a chance to answer your creditors so do we have a chance to ours. Or do you wish to offend anyone here who could one day be your trade partners?"
Seer Provus struck back,"Delrowan is running out of time. Where is the feasibility of your counter-proposal when our army is already kilometres from Costol?"
"The bid is open! And all who dare to risk their future with ours shall be rewarded! I open this offer to all of you now!"
Commissar Aldon raised his hands for silence.
"This has been the most remarkable excursion for the day. Ambassador Silanus, the party under referendum will have a say in the date at which it will respond to your demands. I see great potential in this offer. Are there any parties interested in taking this bid?"
The delegation turned to their own seers and discussed with their eyes on Delrowe. Then, two hands came up. The state of Albernia and Gulren.
"Now it's time for us to put forward the stakes. Silanus, what is your pledge?"
"Twenty-seven Krosian warships!" Silanus barked. "All of Krosia's finest!" Provus formed 3 naval fleet divisions and pushed to the centre of the table.
"And you, King Delrowe?"
"I pledge my city, all my people and my life." Schuber drew the city New Odessa, a cloud of planes and a replica of the king's steel crown and likewise pushed them forward. Some delegates sighed and shook their heads at Deruwan's suicidal determination.
"Let the Executioner rise." Aldon commanded.
The red seer with a black hood rose from beside the Krosians and stood between the two parties. He spread out both his hands. He broke the holographic models down into hexagonal pieces and collected them into piles. He closed his hands into fists and threw them into the air. Great lines of yellow sprang from the floor of the chamber, surge towards the pieces and formed them into a cloud. If you crane you head upwards you will witness a spectacle of a great constellation of virtual clockwork and lever instruments spinning away efficiently. Among them sat the insignias all the colonies with circular charts that ran around them. Red for weak, orange for strong and white for dead. Krosia's sign was glowing a blazing orange and Deruwan a fading red.
In a deep and hollow voice he spoke,"The rules on this game are based on the general progression of all surviving colonies. The strong must rule to ensure the world will rebuild before the next Census Winter of the next 5 years. Protracted conflicts will not be tolerated."
"As the odds already favour Krosia. Galdania will provide an addition of 27 warships to continue the status quo. Deruwan has plead desperation. But the penalty as the losing party will limit Albernia to providing only aircraft and Gulren only essential supplies. Deruwan still must fight for its existence as much as for its shareholders."
Delrowe closed his eyes in agony. Silanus chuckled at his seemingly good fortune.
"However." The Executioner continued. "Should Krosia fail to end hostilities as promised. The penalties will be double of your new combined fleet. You will have to answer by the standards of the League and will see your position as a legitimate member in peril."
Corbelus whispered nervously into Silanus' ear and his smile evaporated.
Like a puppet master the Executioner drew the pieces of Krosia and Deruwan stakes back and formed criss-crossing field of dates planes and ships.
"In the natural progression of 723 possible outcomes for the conflict. Deruwan's resolve to win will
increase the shares of Albernia and Gulren to over 700% as compared to Krosia's 413% percent when it becomes the next regional superpower. Hydro purification infrastructure will greatly benefit the landlocked Gulren economy. Krosia's future is assured full possession of all Glender and Deruwan territories. New Odessa will burn to the ground. Creditor states for Krosia will be assured returns from every sector of a resurgent Krosian economy."
"Once conflict ends, the preparation for the next Census Winter will continue. All weaker states will be consolidated into a stronger League as planned. If Krosia and Deruwan fails, Galdania will be forced to intervene."
The seer folded his arms. The great mechanical sphere in the chamber broke apart and folded itself into the shadows. The chamber lit up once more and the Executioner returned to its place by the Krosian seer.
"As all grievances have been put forward and resolved. I declare this Assembly closed. Thank you for convening with us."
Aldon and his seers departed from chamber first followed by the delegation.
Silanus hissed. "I will burn New Odessa to the ground."
Schuber replied ,"We'll see about that."
The Krosians left.
Schuber tells Delrowe, "I have done all I can your majesty. The rest of the battle is your's."
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 1 - Part 4
"If there's any deal not worth getting at all, that will be gold. You're really informed about what I am up to, so you must also know that under the Colonial Act of 2366, all essential resources now belong to the Exchange in Galdania. Either you walk there on foot or connect with the Altas. That is only way you can buy or sell gold. It doesn't matter if I hold a piece of it on this side of world, because none of it will belong to me. Why should I believe what you're saying?"
"Because I am not carrying gold." She bent down, drew out 3 large stones and tossed them to side of the road.
"Okay. So, you've taken both me and those bandits we saw along the way for a ride. What's your deal? Show it to me now!"
She reached in again and caught hold something. She drew it out slowly, long enough for me to see the size of it. I saw on it a familiar collection of crystallised metal. At closer inspection, you will see the familiar sign of hexagonal particles clotted onto one another. It was purple and black. As she pulled it out, the clusters rolled and arranged themselves downwards until it became a long bar.
"Mr Lauren. Here is the term of our agreement. Your payment - in Ore."
I pinched off a piece from the bar. Then, when my right hand, I focused with my stylus turned on. I touched my left fist to under my other hand and pulled out medieval rocket fully formed. I stuck it to the ground and ignited the Ore by striking it as if striking a match. I light the fuse behind the rocket and watched closely as it zoomed away from us into the sky.
A spectacular carnival of lights erupted as the rocket explode. Everything from the flights of fancies of my imagniation appeared. Circus tents, confetti, mechanical rides of all shapes and sizes, balloons and fireworks. I stepped away as a merry-go-round horse ride crashed onto the groud before me, turned itself on and began to spinning away.
There was no mistake. This is high grade Ore. A whole chunk of it is enough to last a life-time. With this material in my hands, no dream will be impossible for me. I could see myself right now walking down the streets of a Paris city of my own making. The Eiffel Tower and accordion music. Wow. I am rich - rich!
"What are the rest of your terms?" I said trying hide the sheer excitement of this windfall.
"I want you to return with me to Heraldnesia and rebuild my home."
"Heraldnesia is a dangerous place. I will build you a mobile builder's rig and you can go back to where you came from. I will have to triple my charges if you ask me to go with you."
I pretended to sound like I am bargaining. I needed the Ore, but I know better than to forget history. The fact is Heraldnesia is a dangerous place. It's a dead city. No one lives there, but the machines built to defend it still prowl the streets as if there were something there still worth fighting for. Heraldnesia is best known as a city of secrets.
"The entire island if you do not know is covered in Ore deposits. If you return with me I will quadruple your pay."
I considered deeply and peered into her hazel brown eyes. And I watched her life opened up before me on a white open field of black lines over the sea of time. Her formative years. Princess of the Colony of Glender. Student of the Institute of Royals. And Exile in the Heraldnesia Isle. At least she was being honest with me. This is the part of my profession I still found most uncomfortable, peering into other peoples' lives, but it is the starting point of how we tell the future.
I watched her as an Exile walking over a piece of ground, digging at it, pulling from it a purple stone and stuffing it into her money bag. I receded from the image and plotted my encounter with her in long straight red line towards the future. As a seer, our lives are not on a single straight path interlinked with others.
The line continued till I saw myself at the end standing beneath my Arc de Triomphe. Then I drew open my own life and laid even more paths in the same direction in the space all around me. Philantropist. Returnee to Krosia - not ideal. Prisoner?! Institutionalist. Healer. Each dream glowed specifically according to the physical and emotional reward it will give me. The dream ahead glowed a glorious autumn red signaling fulfilment of personal glory and ambition. I saw the years I will live and the life-span of my city. Five hundred years. It was very very satisfying.
And now came the risks. One path with me in straight jacket inside a Galdanian jail. Another as a traveling philantropist. These two crossed the straight red line. The philantropist glowed gold and the prisoner a distant black. What stunned me was the life-span of the man in gold. Nine hundred and twenty-three years. Why do I need to live that long?
The Philantropist was a path I could have taken, but it is now a loser's game. Seers today watch one another rather than work to fix the world. The Galdanian club is the worst of our lot. I will get even with them for what they did. No one's gonna take my dream. Not this time. Then one day, when this whole mess is over and I live to tell the tale. Perhaps, there might still be time for me to turn back and be who I always wanted to be.
I closed up my vision and returned to my negotiations with the Cordelia.
"I want tenfold. All the Ore you can give me. I will help you rebuild Glender and you will give the Ore I need for my city. You will make me advisor to the League of Colonies and I will free your country from debt."
"Deal!" She replied and slung the bag over her right shoulder. We crossed the river at low tide. She was heading homeward and I was heading for a collision course with a band of thugs.
"Because I am not carrying gold." She bent down, drew out 3 large stones and tossed them to side of the road.
"Okay. So, you've taken both me and those bandits we saw along the way for a ride. What's your deal? Show it to me now!"
She reached in again and caught hold something. She drew it out slowly, long enough for me to see the size of it. I saw on it a familiar collection of crystallised metal. At closer inspection, you will see the familiar sign of hexagonal particles clotted onto one another. It was purple and black. As she pulled it out, the clusters rolled and arranged themselves downwards until it became a long bar.
"Mr Lauren. Here is the term of our agreement. Your payment - in Ore."
I pinched off a piece from the bar. Then, when my right hand, I focused with my stylus turned on. I touched my left fist to under my other hand and pulled out medieval rocket fully formed. I stuck it to the ground and ignited the Ore by striking it as if striking a match. I light the fuse behind the rocket and watched closely as it zoomed away from us into the sky.
A spectacular carnival of lights erupted as the rocket explode. Everything from the flights of fancies of my imagniation appeared. Circus tents, confetti, mechanical rides of all shapes and sizes, balloons and fireworks. I stepped away as a merry-go-round horse ride crashed onto the groud before me, turned itself on and began to spinning away.
There was no mistake. This is high grade Ore. A whole chunk of it is enough to last a life-time. With this material in my hands, no dream will be impossible for me. I could see myself right now walking down the streets of a Paris city of my own making. The Eiffel Tower and accordion music. Wow. I am rich - rich!
"What are the rest of your terms?" I said trying hide the sheer excitement of this windfall.
"I want you to return with me to Heraldnesia and rebuild my home."
"Heraldnesia is a dangerous place. I will build you a mobile builder's rig and you can go back to where you came from. I will have to triple my charges if you ask me to go with you."
I pretended to sound like I am bargaining. I needed the Ore, but I know better than to forget history. The fact is Heraldnesia is a dangerous place. It's a dead city. No one lives there, but the machines built to defend it still prowl the streets as if there were something there still worth fighting for. Heraldnesia is best known as a city of secrets.
"The entire island if you do not know is covered in Ore deposits. If you return with me I will quadruple your pay."
I considered deeply and peered into her hazel brown eyes. And I watched her life opened up before me on a white open field of black lines over the sea of time. Her formative years. Princess of the Colony of Glender. Student of the Institute of Royals. And Exile in the Heraldnesia Isle. At least she was being honest with me. This is the part of my profession I still found most uncomfortable, peering into other peoples' lives, but it is the starting point of how we tell the future.
I watched her as an Exile walking over a piece of ground, digging at it, pulling from it a purple stone and stuffing it into her money bag. I receded from the image and plotted my encounter with her in long straight red line towards the future. As a seer, our lives are not on a single straight path interlinked with others.
The line continued till I saw myself at the end standing beneath my Arc de Triomphe. Then I drew open my own life and laid even more paths in the same direction in the space all around me. Philantropist. Returnee to Krosia - not ideal. Prisoner?! Institutionalist. Healer. Each dream glowed specifically according to the physical and emotional reward it will give me. The dream ahead glowed a glorious autumn red signaling fulfilment of personal glory and ambition. I saw the years I will live and the life-span of my city. Five hundred years. It was very very satisfying.
And now came the risks. One path with me in straight jacket inside a Galdanian jail. Another as a traveling philantropist. These two crossed the straight red line. The philantropist glowed gold and the prisoner a distant black. What stunned me was the life-span of the man in gold. Nine hundred and twenty-three years. Why do I need to live that long?
The Philantropist was a path I could have taken, but it is now a loser's game. Seers today watch one another rather than work to fix the world. The Galdanian club is the worst of our lot. I will get even with them for what they did. No one's gonna take my dream. Not this time. Then one day, when this whole mess is over and I live to tell the tale. Perhaps, there might still be time for me to turn back and be who I always wanted to be.
I closed up my vision and returned to my negotiations with the Cordelia.
"I want tenfold. All the Ore you can give me. I will help you rebuild Glender and you will give the Ore I need for my city. You will make me advisor to the League of Colonies and I will free your country from debt."
"Deal!" She replied and slung the bag over her right shoulder. We crossed the river at low tide. She was heading homeward and I was heading for a collision course with a band of thugs.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The Fisssion Seer - Chapter 1 - Part 3
"I am Cordelia the 16th of Isle Heraldnesia! And I warn you that this seer is mine."
I composed myself and re-fired my stylus.
"I can assure you, your highness, that I have not signed anything with her. What I can show you is -" I concentrated and gathered the dust particles in the air. They lit up and clotted together to form shapes and filled the entire tentage with a cloud of building materials of stone and wooden beams and metal arches.
"- the future."
I caught one of the glowing stones from the air and threw it into the centre of cloud for extra dramatic touch. The Tent City of Psoriya swept into view, building inwards from outside, just as Fulder has done.
"This is Psoriya!" He exclaimed. Even the burly guards opened their crossed arms and stared with their mouths gaped.
"Yes, your majesty. And within a few months."
I flourished my right arm to the outskirts of the model and formed cartwheel machine that rolled around encampment picking up stones and wire from the ruins from the ground it sat on.
"This machine relies on nothing but raw man or horse power. It's made up of a set of wheels and runs just like the watch you're wearing on your hand."
The horses laboured and pulled the colossal wheel and I accelerated the completion of the civilian complex. There was a colosseum, a cityhall, a port, a market and housing terraces.
"The colosseum may used to entertain guests from Galdania who are fond of your exotic ways. Deals may be brokered in between tournaments and a port where ships will call will play the part of furbishing your kingdom with the treasures of the world. You will also be admitted into the League of Colonies where you will trade directly with rulers from other nations and increase your standing among them for generations to come."
Pocketing my stylus, I concentrated a little harder. I pulled away at the side of the glowing model with both hands and threw it away like a covering of sheets. The model once built in thin air had now solidfied into a fully coloured miniature mounted on a wooden table.
"And, all this will be yours, if you make me the chief engineer of construction and your personal advisor to the Colonies," I added.
"Your majesty!" She interrupted. "This seer has already been commissioned."
"What does that mean?" He queried as he and his guards stood around the model city.
"It's means he's got a foot on 2 boats. If that's what he calls passion for the trade. You're only getting half what you've paid for!"
Now, that was uncalled for. But she read my mind. The good news is I know, she has had experience with other seers and was not a crazed wasteland wanderer. The bad news was that my deal was about to be shot out of the sky. Now, if I could just -
"Really?! How is that so?!" Fulder fumed.
"All seers are gifted by birth. But many including this one are trained in the High States like Galdania. They are accustom to creating cities from the ground to the stars. And they are all very rich. They are also business people and know how to price accordingly. That means we who rule outside the High States often end up paying the same price for a city, but end up getting less then we should because they agree to do our work for us, but two-time us when we are not looking."
I turned up my hailer and replied,"That's a lie!"
"Silence!" Fulder thundered. "Tell me, just what he should be building for me?"
"He should be building you that one instead." She pointed out through the tent opening to a Galdanian guard tower just outside Psoriya. It was megastructure 400 metres tall built to protect trade in the League of Colonies. It could dock up to 6 air-lofts.
"Thank you for telling me this. Guards, reward this princess with a bag of gold for her honesty."
Then, he turned on me. "As for this cheat and liar, throw him outside! I don't want to see him ever again!"
I was catapulted out from the tent with my town plan to a pool of mud oustide. I gagged, spit out the mud and clambered to my feet.
I protested, "You're gonna regret this! When the day is done and you've got just a tent city, no one in the High States is gonna trade with you! I promise you that! You're making the biggest mistake of your life! Then, one day, you're gonna wonder if anyone's gonna call you Fulder the Wise!"
One of the guards emerged from the tent. He had such a look of fury on his face that I swore that he resembled an image of a nomadic warrior belonging to Attila the Hun. He picked up the model city and shoved it down over my head and shoulders. Then he kicked me down the path leading from the king's tent. I was sent tumbling down the muddy path and was treated to a kaleidoscope experience of sky and earth until I laid outside the tent city.
When I came to my senses, the princess was standing over me with her bag of gold and her contract. "Neeeaaaarrrh!" I finally exploded in a violent eruption save for the lack of any molten lava. I tore the model city apart and threw the pieces skywards. It was raining blocks, arches and figurines.
"Little Lady - you've just destroyed my day! I am going to crate you in a barrel and roll you down the street! If you don't understand, I have made a promise to myself, that I will retire at 50 surrounded by my royal guard and marching through my own Arc de Triomphe. Now this dream is suddenly very far away from me! Convince me right now why must I listen to you and sign for a contract that has absolutely no return on my investment!"
She replied,"As I have said before whatever happens you'll always be the winner. This is the best deal you'll ever get outside the High States. "
I composed myself and re-fired my stylus.
"I can assure you, your highness, that I have not signed anything with her. What I can show you is -" I concentrated and gathered the dust particles in the air. They lit up and clotted together to form shapes and filled the entire tentage with a cloud of building materials of stone and wooden beams and metal arches.
"- the future."
I caught one of the glowing stones from the air and threw it into the centre of cloud for extra dramatic touch. The Tent City of Psoriya swept into view, building inwards from outside, just as Fulder has done.
"This is Psoriya!" He exclaimed. Even the burly guards opened their crossed arms and stared with their mouths gaped.
"Yes, your majesty. And within a few months."
I flourished my right arm to the outskirts of the model and formed cartwheel machine that rolled around encampment picking up stones and wire from the ruins from the ground it sat on.
"This machine relies on nothing but raw man or horse power. It's made up of a set of wheels and runs just like the watch you're wearing on your hand."
The horses laboured and pulled the colossal wheel and I accelerated the completion of the civilian complex. There was a colosseum, a cityhall, a port, a market and housing terraces.
"The colosseum may used to entertain guests from Galdania who are fond of your exotic ways. Deals may be brokered in between tournaments and a port where ships will call will play the part of furbishing your kingdom with the treasures of the world. You will also be admitted into the League of Colonies where you will trade directly with rulers from other nations and increase your standing among them for generations to come."
Pocketing my stylus, I concentrated a little harder. I pulled away at the side of the glowing model with both hands and threw it away like a covering of sheets. The model once built in thin air had now solidfied into a fully coloured miniature mounted on a wooden table.
"And, all this will be yours, if you make me the chief engineer of construction and your personal advisor to the Colonies," I added.
"Your majesty!" She interrupted. "This seer has already been commissioned."
"What does that mean?" He queried as he and his guards stood around the model city.
"It's means he's got a foot on 2 boats. If that's what he calls passion for the trade. You're only getting half what you've paid for!"
Now, that was uncalled for. But she read my mind. The good news is I know, she has had experience with other seers and was not a crazed wasteland wanderer. The bad news was that my deal was about to be shot out of the sky. Now, if I could just -
"Really?! How is that so?!" Fulder fumed.
"All seers are gifted by birth. But many including this one are trained in the High States like Galdania. They are accustom to creating cities from the ground to the stars. And they are all very rich. They are also business people and know how to price accordingly. That means we who rule outside the High States often end up paying the same price for a city, but end up getting less then we should because they agree to do our work for us, but two-time us when we are not looking."
I turned up my hailer and replied,"That's a lie!"
"Silence!" Fulder thundered. "Tell me, just what he should be building for me?"
"He should be building you that one instead." She pointed out through the tent opening to a Galdanian guard tower just outside Psoriya. It was megastructure 400 metres tall built to protect trade in the League of Colonies. It could dock up to 6 air-lofts.
"Thank you for telling me this. Guards, reward this princess with a bag of gold for her honesty."
Then, he turned on me. "As for this cheat and liar, throw him outside! I don't want to see him ever again!"
I was catapulted out from the tent with my town plan to a pool of mud oustide. I gagged, spit out the mud and clambered to my feet.
I protested, "You're gonna regret this! When the day is done and you've got just a tent city, no one in the High States is gonna trade with you! I promise you that! You're making the biggest mistake of your life! Then, one day, you're gonna wonder if anyone's gonna call you Fulder the Wise!"
One of the guards emerged from the tent. He had such a look of fury on his face that I swore that he resembled an image of a nomadic warrior belonging to Attila the Hun. He picked up the model city and shoved it down over my head and shoulders. Then he kicked me down the path leading from the king's tent. I was sent tumbling down the muddy path and was treated to a kaleidoscope experience of sky and earth until I laid outside the tent city.
When I came to my senses, the princess was standing over me with her bag of gold and her contract. "Neeeaaaarrrh!" I finally exploded in a violent eruption save for the lack of any molten lava. I tore the model city apart and threw the pieces skywards. It was raining blocks, arches and figurines.
"Little Lady - you've just destroyed my day! I am going to crate you in a barrel and roll you down the street! If you don't understand, I have made a promise to myself, that I will retire at 50 surrounded by my royal guard and marching through my own Arc de Triomphe. Now this dream is suddenly very far away from me! Convince me right now why must I listen to you and sign for a contract that has absolutely no return on my investment!"
She replied,"As I have said before whatever happens you'll always be the winner. This is the best deal you'll ever get outside the High States. "
Friday, March 15, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 1 - Part 2
"Laws of Persistence"
It was amazing how horses can be so effective, even in these times. I realised I am still very much spolit by the comforts in the High States to judge that I could actually outrun a horse. Boy, was I so wrong. Could this be the end? Will I soon share in the brief existence of the often reckless lives of my predecessors? Will there be no chance for my epic return? For the ought-to-be, Legendary Fission Seer Lauren Davis?!
Bam! A girl in a dress with a money bag crashed onto me from the rocks above. She got up and rattled,
"Hi, I have a proposal for you that you can't refuse. If you sign here, you will recieve a return of up to 300%."
I thought: "Of course! Why won't anything so remotely impossible wouldn't happen to me! Isn't this the path I chose from the beginning?! Face it Mr Lauren! Your life ends today!"
"Haaarrhhh!" I could hear the king's cuirassier shouting with unmistakable unsheathing of the rider's blade.
Then I heard more voices from rocks above.
"He is one rider! We can take him! Get down and after her, she's got the gold!"
"Aarrhhhh!" A swarm of bandits leapt down from the rocks and unhorsed the Delrowan soldier. He will now be busy fighting his way out. Looks like this isn't the end yet. I continued running for the Krosian barrier, glancing back to see the girl and the mob behind her. She and her money bag.
I saw the Krosian musketeers, sitting near their carriages at the foot of sail shape barrier. They stood up, bewildered, wondering if the treaty they made with North Delrowan had just been broken again.
"Don't shoot! I am a citizen of the Federation!" I bet on the fact that the Delrowan rider will catch up again. They're a stubborn people and won't give up easily. I was right. He was back on his horse right behind the mob.
"Get into your firing lines!" The soldiers ahead formed into a line. I ducked to the groud. The girl saw my cue and did the the same. The Krosians rammed their bullets down into their barrels and presented their muskets towards our pursuers.
Then something like tentacle shoved the soldiers out of the way as if wanting a piece of action for itself. It landed on top me on fours, regarded me briefly and turned at our pursuers. It let loose a hail of bullets at them and the bandits scattered back to the rocks. The rider had lost control his horse and it fled, dragging him along. He tried to bend up and shout for it stop, but was involuntarily dragged till the both of them disappeared into the forest.
The spider took off. I saw a dark shape moving behind the sails, it was like the back of a giant iron serpent, covered with tentacles which were aflamed in a mist of glowing red. It submerged slowly behind the sails and disappeared. "A dragon?!" I thought.
No, it was a Generatio machine, a weaponised power-plant from the Galdanian Empire, one of the High States I used to trade in. These so-called dragons are 400 metres in length. Now I knew why anyone who allied themselves with Galdania would always win a war. So, the rumours were true! The Galdanian Empire has a part in the Krosian Federation.
"Darn those Galdanians!" A Krosian cursed as he got up. "Don't they even care if we're on same side?"
"I am Corporal Aerilus." The soldier said and extended his hand. I shook it. "Welcome home to the Federation. I recommend you and your friend get behind our lines, so you can be safe."
I noticed her huddled at my side. Now, this is becoming interesting. I ignored her and turned to the soldier.
"I am seer, but I am too famous in the Federated colonies. So it will be better that I head out again."
The soldier said with much consideration. "Your lot are always in trouble. Why don't you just quit and get normal job. Be someone like us. It's pretty predictable out here. "
"Yeah. From the looks of all of this, you'll have many more victories to come. But you know the story, my kind and I are people that just won't give up. That's why I am in this business. Thank you for your concern."
I left the soldier standing there and head back out from the barrier. The girl with the money bag followed me with the contract.
"300%" She pestered.
The best returns I ever got was 150%.
"A city for you to build from scratch to last 300 years!" She screamed.
The average life-span of a self-sustaining city was at most 200 years.
I brought up my loud hailer and shot back, "I am not interested in your proposal! I am a seer, not a magician!" And there I left her or so I thought.
I had intended that I would try my luck with barbarian kingdoms of the southern Delrowan. King Fulder, the Redhead was ruler of the ruins there. People there lived a totally nomadic life-style with fire-wood and some coal from among ruins. They were strong and weathered people, only slightly civilised. The plan was simple, to establish a Roman-like civilisation. In that way, trade and diplomacy will be possible. After that, the money will come my way.
The exception was that I wasn't expecting her to be there with me as well before the king in his palace tentage. She insisted that she was my first contract customer and deserved to served first! All this, while we were standing before his royal bodyguards.
It was amazing how horses can be so effective, even in these times. I realised I am still very much spolit by the comforts in the High States to judge that I could actually outrun a horse. Boy, was I so wrong. Could this be the end? Will I soon share in the brief existence of the often reckless lives of my predecessors? Will there be no chance for my epic return? For the ought-to-be, Legendary Fission Seer Lauren Davis?!
Bam! A girl in a dress with a money bag crashed onto me from the rocks above. She got up and rattled,
"Hi, I have a proposal for you that you can't refuse. If you sign here, you will recieve a return of up to 300%."
I thought: "Of course! Why won't anything so remotely impossible wouldn't happen to me! Isn't this the path I chose from the beginning?! Face it Mr Lauren! Your life ends today!"
"Haaarrhhh!" I could hear the king's cuirassier shouting with unmistakable unsheathing of the rider's blade.
Then I heard more voices from rocks above.
"He is one rider! We can take him! Get down and after her, she's got the gold!"
"Aarrhhhh!" A swarm of bandits leapt down from the rocks and unhorsed the Delrowan soldier. He will now be busy fighting his way out. Looks like this isn't the end yet. I continued running for the Krosian barrier, glancing back to see the girl and the mob behind her. She and her money bag.
I saw the Krosian musketeers, sitting near their carriages at the foot of sail shape barrier. They stood up, bewildered, wondering if the treaty they made with North Delrowan had just been broken again.
"Don't shoot! I am a citizen of the Federation!" I bet on the fact that the Delrowan rider will catch up again. They're a stubborn people and won't give up easily. I was right. He was back on his horse right behind the mob.
"Get into your firing lines!" The soldiers ahead formed into a line. I ducked to the groud. The girl saw my cue and did the the same. The Krosians rammed their bullets down into their barrels and presented their muskets towards our pursuers.
Then something like tentacle shoved the soldiers out of the way as if wanting a piece of action for itself. It landed on top me on fours, regarded me briefly and turned at our pursuers. It let loose a hail of bullets at them and the bandits scattered back to the rocks. The rider had lost control his horse and it fled, dragging him along. He tried to bend up and shout for it stop, but was involuntarily dragged till the both of them disappeared into the forest.
The spider took off. I saw a dark shape moving behind the sails, it was like the back of a giant iron serpent, covered with tentacles which were aflamed in a mist of glowing red. It submerged slowly behind the sails and disappeared. "A dragon?!" I thought.
No, it was a Generatio machine, a weaponised power-plant from the Galdanian Empire, one of the High States I used to trade in. These so-called dragons are 400 metres in length. Now I knew why anyone who allied themselves with Galdania would always win a war. So, the rumours were true! The Galdanian Empire has a part in the Krosian Federation.
"I am Corporal Aerilus." The soldier said and extended his hand. I shook it. "Welcome home to the Federation. I recommend you and your friend get behind our lines, so you can be safe."
I noticed her huddled at my side. Now, this is becoming interesting. I ignored her and turned to the soldier.
"I am seer, but I am too famous in the Federated colonies. So it will be better that I head out again."
The soldier said with much consideration. "Your lot are always in trouble. Why don't you just quit and get normal job. Be someone like us. It's pretty predictable out here. "
"Yeah. From the looks of all of this, you'll have many more victories to come. But you know the story, my kind and I are people that just won't give up. That's why I am in this business. Thank you for your concern."
I left the soldier standing there and head back out from the barrier. The girl with the money bag followed me with the contract.
"300%" She pestered.
The best returns I ever got was 150%.
"A city for you to build from scratch to last 300 years!" She screamed.
The average life-span of a self-sustaining city was at most 200 years.
I brought up my loud hailer and shot back, "I am not interested in your proposal! I am a seer, not a magician!" And there I left her or so I thought.
I had intended that I would try my luck with barbarian kingdoms of the southern Delrowan. King Fulder, the Redhead was ruler of the ruins there. People there lived a totally nomadic life-style with fire-wood and some coal from among ruins. They were strong and weathered people, only slightly civilised. The plan was simple, to establish a Roman-like civilisation. In that way, trade and diplomacy will be possible. After that, the money will come my way.
The exception was that I wasn't expecting her to be there with me as well before the king in his palace tentage. She insisted that she was my first contract customer and deserved to served first! All this, while we were standing before his royal bodyguards.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Fission Seer - Chapter 1 - part 1
Once upon a time, we were invisible. If you studied the photos of your great leaders, you may find us standing among them. We used to call them presidents or emperors. But, these days, in this new world and in this new economy, it has become our turn to shine. You won't find us hiding among the chief of staffs, politburos or running after the Empress Dowager's horse carriage. Some said the technology has finally caught up, but I think we are worth much more than that.
My name is Lauren Davis. I am the last of my kind. Well, at least in my family of seers. People often see us as wise, religious or mysterious. But my ancestors have been running after glory and power long before anyone knew our existence. I am no different.
That's why I have come to this desolate place to seek my own fortune in this new economy. I headed to highway where I knew the king and his stragglers will see me plainly, I climbed up the boulder with my bare hands and stood up at it's highest point. I checked my loud hailer. 12 minutes worth of battery left. Not bad for a start. This, I admit, was not how we seers normally work, but where others saw misfortune, I see potential for a comeback for my enterprise.
Then, I saw my chance. a lone rider, King Forest Delrowe. The ruler of the North Delrowan colony. Behind him was his flying corps, a column of flightless and ragged individuals. There were young men and women from the colony, hands, legs and arms bandaged. Many wore checkered uniforms sown by their families, now drenched in mud and oil. Those who survived the battle unscathed were forced to push their brokem biplanes with their muskets slung behind their backs. Their eyes of hope bereft. It was a sorry sight.
I opened the palm of my hand and fired up my pitch. My right hand heated up as the machines exited the pores of my skin and formed into my Stylus, which was for me a miniature type-writer and music box. No seer can control how his stylus looks, but I loved mine. Rusty, weathered and full of magic and character. I focused my powers and the miniature machine with its tiny axles and key-top buttons began to chug away.
The young volunteers were stunned as a force lifted the broken biplane out of their arms. Parts floated out of the ground around them and connected themselves with the plane. The caburetter was replaced, the flight stick righted itself , the wings straighten and the flaps and fins begun swinging freely around the hinges. I was careful to float the plane over the group of dazed column and position it squarely before the king.
"Good afternoon, your royal majesty, Delrowe. I am SF Lauren Davis and I understand exactly how you feel about the battle you just lost. So I am here to propose to you a 500 year restoration-plan, so that you won't be bothered with anymore tributes to the Federation of Krosia. The hill region of Costol is rich in minerals which you may harness for your industries. I foresee great potential in the establishment of a tertiary-level production facility to out-build and out-grow your Krosian rivals. You will develop techno-marvels over 3 centuries with this new hyper-efficient production plant. And the next time you fight, you will be the one laughing at their horse-drawn carriages as you soar over them with an Airloft demanding tribute without firing a single-shot. So what do you say your majesty? Do we have a deal?"
The king looked at me and flatly gave me what my wishful heart hated the most. The dreaded thumbs down.
This sign means many things. From a dignified rejection where both the pitcher and the client part peacefully from one-another to an aristocrat hell-bent on sending you and your plans to the next realm of existence. I found myself running faster than any other individual from the foothills of Casardoria and straight into the jaws of trouble of the Krosia barrier from which king Delrowe had just retreated from. I think I will be safe there.
My name is Lauren Davis. I am the last of my kind. Well, at least in my family of seers. People often see us as wise, religious or mysterious. But my ancestors have been running after glory and power long before anyone knew our existence. I am no different.
That's why I have come to this desolate place to seek my own fortune in this new economy. I headed to highway where I knew the king and his stragglers will see me plainly, I climbed up the boulder with my bare hands and stood up at it's highest point. I checked my loud hailer. 12 minutes worth of battery left. Not bad for a start. This, I admit, was not how we seers normally work, but where others saw misfortune, I see potential for a comeback for my enterprise.
Then, I saw my chance. a lone rider, King Forest Delrowe. The ruler of the North Delrowan colony. Behind him was his flying corps, a column of flightless and ragged individuals. There were young men and women from the colony, hands, legs and arms bandaged. Many wore checkered uniforms sown by their families, now drenched in mud and oil. Those who survived the battle unscathed were forced to push their brokem biplanes with their muskets slung behind their backs. Their eyes of hope bereft. It was a sorry sight.
I opened the palm of my hand and fired up my pitch. My right hand heated up as the machines exited the pores of my skin and formed into my Stylus, which was for me a miniature type-writer and music box. No seer can control how his stylus looks, but I loved mine. Rusty, weathered and full of magic and character. I focused my powers and the miniature machine with its tiny axles and key-top buttons began to chug away.
The young volunteers were stunned as a force lifted the broken biplane out of their arms. Parts floated out of the ground around them and connected themselves with the plane. The caburetter was replaced, the flight stick righted itself , the wings straighten and the flaps and fins begun swinging freely around the hinges. I was careful to float the plane over the group of dazed column and position it squarely before the king.
"Good afternoon, your royal majesty, Delrowe. I am SF Lauren Davis and I understand exactly how you feel about the battle you just lost. So I am here to propose to you a 500 year restoration-plan, so that you won't be bothered with anymore tributes to the Federation of Krosia. The hill region of Costol is rich in minerals which you may harness for your industries. I foresee great potential in the establishment of a tertiary-level production facility to out-build and out-grow your Krosian rivals. You will develop techno-marvels over 3 centuries with this new hyper-efficient production plant. And the next time you fight, you will be the one laughing at their horse-drawn carriages as you soar over them with an Airloft demanding tribute without firing a single-shot. So what do you say your majesty? Do we have a deal?"
The king looked at me and flatly gave me what my wishful heart hated the most. The dreaded thumbs down.
This sign means many things. From a dignified rejection where both the pitcher and the client part peacefully from one-another to an aristocrat hell-bent on sending you and your plans to the next realm of existence. I found myself running faster than any other individual from the foothills of Casardoria and straight into the jaws of trouble of the Krosia barrier from which king Delrowe had just retreated from. I think I will be safe there.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Fission Seers
In this alternate reality, humankind had depended on a special group of individuals for thousands of years. There were fortune-tellers, astrologers and soothsayers. But none can compare with the highest of their kind, the Fission Seer. They are talented individuals who served imperial courts of the ancient world to nationalist governments of the 20th century.
Their uncanny ability to meld engineering, history and politics made them assets to the countries they lived in and served. And they were responsible for creating countries that will last for hundreds of years. In the new age, these seers no longer hide among the ranks of the elite statesmen, but are now CEOs of the day hired out to private governments of the post-apocalyptic 22nd Century.
The story follows Lauren Davis, a fission seer who began seeking fame and fortune, but, by a turn of events, becomes a hero who stands up against the destructive ambitions of old world that have once again resurfaced in his time.
The story follows Lauren Davis, a fission seer who began seeking fame and fortune, but, by a turn of events, becomes a hero who stands up against the destructive ambitions of old world that have once again resurfaced in his time.
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Fission Seer Project
The Fission Seer Project
My name is David Chia. I have been writing on and off as a hobby for much of my life. Now, I am thinking of doing it again and I look forward to start from scratch, though I've had prior experience. My day job as a visual effects artists puts a tremendous strain on how I can do it, but I will try my best. It's my wish to try for a story that is beneficial for my readers and bring joy and adventure to this messy and broken world of ours.
My creative career nearly ended as a result of my retrenchment in the financial crisis of 2009 and the characters I want to create will parallel experiences in my own life as I fight to get back on my feet. Hope you will enjoy this journey with me. And I hope I may press on to see this project to completion, even if it's just for a hobby.
My name is David Chia. I have been writing on and off as a hobby for much of my life. Now, I am thinking of doing it again and I look forward to start from scratch, though I've had prior experience. My day job as a visual effects artists puts a tremendous strain on how I can do it, but I will try my best. It's my wish to try for a story that is beneficial for my readers and bring joy and adventure to this messy and broken world of ours.
My creative career nearly ended as a result of my retrenchment in the financial crisis of 2009 and the characters I want to create will parallel experiences in my own life as I fight to get back on my feet. Hope you will enjoy this journey with me. And I hope I may press on to see this project to completion, even if it's just for a hobby.
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