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Initial commit
2021-04-15 11:31:59 -07:00
NUMBER OF LINES: 999
001=Usr:0 Null User 06/30/87 20:34 Msg:0 Call:0 Lines:19
1$If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
2$************************* 27 JUN 90 **************************************
3$Welcome to BWMS II (BackWater Message System II) Mike Day System operator
4$**************************************************************************
5$GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS II IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6$ PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7$BWMS II was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS II is a privately
8$owned and operated system which is currently open for use by the general
9$public. No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the
10$system is privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all
11$messages which I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the
12$system, it will be periodically purged of messages (only 999 lines of data
13$can be saved). To leave a message, type 'ENTER'. Use ctrl/C to get out
14$the ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering
15$the message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to
16$replace the line. To exit from the system, type 'BYE' then hang up.
17$Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18$**************************************************************************
19$
002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 06/27/90 23:33 Msg:5344 Call:29848 Lines:2
20 Fear has the largest eyes of all. -- Boris Pasternak
21 *******************************************************
003=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 06/28/90 07:47 Msg:5347 Call:29849 Lines:7
22 &*&*&*&*'s
23 At the top. Looking down. Imagining the inevitable sound, of the floppy
24 drive which will start and stop.
25
26 An Astral Dreamer
27 &*&*&*&*'s
28
004=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 06/28/90 10:25 Msg:5348 Call:29850 Lines:6
29 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
30 Looks like you get the wards this time, AD. :)
31
32 'I... don't like birds.'
33
34 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
005=Usr:259 michel shannon 06/28/90 23:23 Msg:5349 Call:29861 Lines:6
35 [*=*] DELTA FIVE [=*=] L'homme- interesting developments and many delays. Final
36 bought a motorhome and am waiting, waiting,...for insurance settlement and then
37 will be on the road back to Orygun. No more Smogifornia! Are you on MCI? Please
38 leave voice number there for JANCKR.
39
40
006=Usr:92 Katherine Dohert 06/29/90 10:51 Msg:5350 Call:29866 Lines:3
41 *********************************************************************
42 Some things change, some things stay the same.
43 *********************************kathyD******************************
007=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 06/30/90 20:58 Msg:5351 Call:29883 Lines:98
44 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
45
46 "So here we are."
47
48 Michael started suddenly as a wave of hot desert wind exploded into his
49 face. The dry sand kicked up, tiny shards of glass raking against
50 raw, exposed flesh. The metal taste of sillicon tingled in his mouth as
51 he helplessly swallowed raw grit, his teeth clamping down in the shock of
52 his return to the corporeal, coming into contact with the brittle
53 resistance of the dried flakes of stone-skin.
54 The sun beat down overhead.
55 Michael slowly rose on protesting legs and feebly hobbled over the dune
56 towards the tiny encampment. Shakily, he withdrew his retracted staff and
57 extended it, the comforting coolness of the steel rod in his hands a kind
58 reminder of his successful return to what had once passed for the real
59 world, but now seemed less and more. Even as he walked, he could still feel
60 himself prodded along, scrolling, just hanging over the raw cold of the
61 Abyss, could feel himself prodded by the invisible strings of whatever
62 fearsome id dwelt in those dark halls, could feel himself dizzyingly slide
63 down DISKA and into his borderland of mentality, the mental state of Zephyr,
64 of the Medalic Prophet who, he realized, knew what the future held for him for
65 a reason. It was comforting.
66 *Michael! I saw what happened.*
67 In his musings, Michael had failed to notice the storm die down or the
68 arrival of his faithful companion.
69 "You saw DISKA? You saw the Abyss?"
70 Muklul regarded him, his head tipped to one side. *Abyss? I saw
71 the loop closed. You were brilliant. Speaking temporally.*
72 "Temporally." He laughed, as if the word held meaning, but the words
73 still came out hollow. He embraced his shaggy companion. "Mukluk... did
74 you see the Tower?"
75 *Yes.* the canid turned away and looked into the sky, watching the
76 storm flit into the arms of the deep horizon. *Or what began as that.
77 You did what you have to. I know now that Day's hold on the probabilities
78 has forever rendered that false dream as but the illusion it is.*
79 "His hold is not as strong as it appears... I have been..." he sought
80 the words. "...away. You know where I was."
81 *Obscure Time.*
82 "Farther. I journeyed to the borderlands that encompass our vision
83 of what lies in forever. I learned that a great battle of mind and soul
84 is being waged at the outskirts to our reality, and the battlefield is named
85 Backwater. Envision if you will a grand chessboard with hundreds of
86 subtle and crafty players, each vying for that which Day holds. His
87 will is great, his power greater, but he is not master of destiny, nor does
88 he hold sole ownership to the worlds of probability. His mastery is nothing
89 more than an illusion, yet reality for us just the same..."
90 *As I said, hopeless.*
91 "No. The Medalic Prophets of the 349 Worlds are now free from their war
92 against the Anglers. Day knows this. He let it be. The exodus of mind is
93 completed. But the war will continue on. Against the hated foes... the
94 whales call them the twin sisters Apathy and Ennui. They are far more
95 dangerous than any Anglertr threat of ursurpation of the Mainframe of
96 the Backwater." He shrugged when Mukluk looked puzzled. "I don't
97 understand it either. Mukluk, such knowledge fills my head as I have
98 never dreamed. I see billions of thoughts and minds and times and souls
99 and variety I never considered a possibility... I was made aguest at
100 time's passage from present to past, and watched a new present flitter in
101@and explode into --real-- around me
102 and explode into --real-- around me as I watched. I'm learning things even
103 I don't understand."
104 *What does it mean?*
105 "I know this. The Tower must rise soon. Day knows this. His hold
106 against it cannot continue forever. His private struggle against the dark
107 minions of the sisters is taxing him to his limits at present. But the
108 Abyss remains wide. With one of the Tanisian Whales I bridged the gap of
109 DISKEB, what was once DISKA, myself, almost. Others helped... but their
110 numbers are few... Parity, the Astral Dreamer, voyeur..." He held his staff
111 in a white knuckle grip. "Too few names! But they're there. And my
112 job would have been much more difficult without them... It's really so
113 paradoxial. We wait for Day to fail and relent his hold on Tanis, and yet
114 wee must continue our own struggle against his enemies, for they remain
115 our own as well. But we shall prevail, and I promise you that, with the Tower
116 and the A'aaalian Pool behind us, and your Thoughtthere, we'll find her."
117 *She may have perished. I didn't tell yyou what I saw in Tanis' void
118 when the Dragon sent me there. She was with th Destroyer...*
119 "You told me enough. You'd know if she were dead. Your link with
120 Pure was stronger than that and you know it."
121 *Where do we go from here?*
122 "I've learned some dangerous knowledge. No doubt the Technocracy
123 will have something to say about it when we get-"
124 An explosion pierced the night in an impossibly small beam, which
125 expanded outward in dim light until they found themselves in the orbiting
126 dimensional asteroid.
127 #Heavens! You're back! Michael! The anomaly has faded! And something
128 else! The energy fields around the Triangles have faded as well!#
129 "The Worlds are open!" He looked at the monitor. Each Triangle, all
130 53 of them, was opening up, spewing its world onto the barren, technocratic
131 landscape. Where desert stood new desert appeared, or snow and ice, or
132 forest land, or any one of 349 differenent combinations, each one ripppling
133 over the barren dust of Pyrrix A'aaal. "This is what Day wanted after all."
134 Crystals erupted from the chips that held the land in sway, the massive
135 fiberoptic wheatfields blowing away on a fruitful wind. "Lord, it's so...
136 it's..." The night sky trembled, and yet the people continued, as if
137 unaware of the change. "A Trajsition. It's a great Transition."
138 *Another?*
139 "Not like the last. This will remain Pyrrixall." He quirked, and
140 noticed the new emphasis he placed on the name. "Reality's threads are
141 coming back into order... Look at the planet..."
008=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 06/30/90 21:39 Msg:5352 Call:29884 Lines:56
142 What had been the technological wasteland of Pyrrix A'aaal was now a
143 vast panorama, a monument to the unique and original. Great continents, huge
144 rivers, mountains, lakes, shuddering crystal cities bathed in scalding
145 light, neighbors to the cold dark that had been. "The land has divided itself
146 to the minds of the Prophets... all 349 of them! Each one... is the
147 private domain of the Prophet who first birthed it in the Obscurities..."
148 *How do you know?*
149 "Somehow..." His hands were shaking. "I know. And the Obscure
150 lands are-" He heard a whalesong in his head. "- falliing, sinking back
151 into one great landscape, as this had once been... the Pool! That is the
152 Prime Obscurity... I should have realized that from the beginning... the
153 force that held Pyrrixall to Innisfall was the Pool. The Quantier sought the
154 Pool. Friar sought the Pool. Mukluk, you sought the Pool as well. The Pool
155 is the unifying element, tying the others back together, as the Obscure
156 lands were meant to do... Yet now the situation is reversed, and what was
157 at one time the Obscure has now become the reality...
158 "It's so... beautiful."
159 PRISM was scanning the grounds. #Michael, what remains of Pyrrix A'aaal
160 as it once was is the Central City. I have found it... it is surrounded by a
161 vast landscape of glaciers and trees.#
162 "As it should be. Pyrrix A'aaal as it was was always Zephys dominion,
163 the reflection of who he was. Others journeyed there, yet it remained
164 singularly his. I'm sure Friar's Prophet has his own domain there, and
165 the Astral Dreamer's' his... each one bordering all the others... unique,
166 intertwining words... strange and fearful, yet unified."
167
168 *As I said before, Michael... what are we to do now?*
169 "We've accomplished our goals. The Paradox is no more. Pyrrixall has
170 birthed itself as the Paradox had prevented it from doing. The borders
171 have been created, and yet the old order has found a home. As much as
172 I'd love to tarry among the worlds that await those courageous enough to claim
173 their place, I'd not feel proper taking a barony for my own... I leave that to
174 the Prophets. Zephyr has guided me this far, and I have a feeling he wants
175 me elsewhere..."
176 *And me as well>?*
177 "And me?" the falcon clicked its beak.
178 "All of you, and PRISM. There's yet a universe to explore, and a t
179 thousand thousand worlds yet to save. Fortune favors the bold, and all that
180 sort of ferverous nonsense. We'd best set about to doing whatever it is that
181 Zephyr wants us to do."
182 *And Pyrrixall?*
183 He chuckled. "Well, the ruling Technocracy is probably going to be
184 more than a little upset when they discover that they're only one small
185 government in a world of 349. But I think they'll get over it. As for the
186 rest of them, I think they've taken a step towards something beautifully
187 grand... and we'll probably want to come back here in a year or so and see
188 how things have worked out..."
189 *A promise?*
190 Again he embraced the canid. "A promise, and one we'll keep..."
191
192 FIN
193
194 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
195 Off to amazing new worlds... wish me luck everyone... aand have fun with the
196 mess I've left you.
197 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
009=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/01/90 09:11 Msg:5353 Call:29887 Lines:6
198 &*&*&*&*'s
199 Good luck Zephyr, and thank you for an interesting and thought provoking story.
200
201 An Astral Dreamer
202 &*&*&*&*'s
203
010=Usr:186 Wesley Smith 07/02/90 17:50 Msg:5354 Call:29906 Lines:2
204 Sterio fo sale.
205 I have a Sharp sterio in good condition, with turn table,receiver,cassette deck
011=Usr:252 TOM CROSS 07/02/90 19:21 Msg:5355 Call:29907 Lines:4
206@Mike, that sounds familiar...how would you like to make contact so I can
207@give it a test drive?
208 Mike, the drive emulation for CP/M - DOS conversion sounds familiar. How can
209 we get together so I can give it a test drive? (if that's all right with you)
012=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/03/90 15:41 Msg:5356 Call:29917 Lines:7
210 &*&*&*&*'s
211 I'm working on a story right now. If I can get 10 or so word perfect pages
212 into it I'll start to post it in parts.
213
214 An Astral Dreamer
215 &*&*&*&*'s
216
013=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 07/03/90 22:00 Msg:5359 Call:29922 Lines:190
217 696969696969
218 Iran-contra affair
219
220 The tangled U. S. foreign-policy scandal known as the Iran-contra affair came
221 to light in November 1986 when President Ronald REAGAN confirmed reports that
222 the United States had secretly sold arms to Iran. He stated that the goal was
223 to improve relations with Iran, not to obtain release of U. S. hostages held
224 in the Middle East by terrorists (although he later acknowledged that the
225 arrangement had in fact turned into an arms-for-hostages swap). Outcry
226 against dealings with the hostile Iranian government was widespread. Later in
227 November, Att. Gen. Edwin MEESE discovered that some of the arms profits had
228 been diverted to aid the Nicaraguan "contra" rebels--at a time when Congress
229 had prohibited such aid. An independent special prosecutor, former federal
230 judge Lawrence E. Walsh, was appointed to probe the activities of persons
231 involved in the arms sale or contra aid or both, including marine Lt. Col.
232 Oliver NORTH of the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL (NSC) staff.
233
234 Reagan appointed a review board headed by former Republican senator John
235 TOWER. The Tower Commission's report in February 1987 criticized the
236 president's passive management style. In a nationally televised address on
237 March 4, Reagan accepted the report's judgment without serious disagreement
238 and also accepted responsibility for the actions of his subordinates.
239
240 Select committees of the Senate (11 members, chaired by Democrat Daniel K.
241 INOUYE of Hawaii) and the House of Representatives (15 members, headed by
242 another Democrat, Lee Hamilton of Indiana) conducted televised hearings in
243 partnership from May to August. They heard evidence that a few members of the
244 NSC staff set Iran and Nicaragua policies and carried them out with secret
245 private operatives; that the few officials who knew about these policies lied
246 to Congress and others; and that the contras received only a small part of
247 the diverted money. Former national security advisor John POINDEXTER stated
248 that he personally authorized the diversion of money and withheld that
249 information from the president. William J. CASEY, the director of the Central
250 Intelligence Agency, who died in May 1987, was implicated in some testimony,
251 but the extent of his involvement remained in doubt. Clearly, however, the
252 bizarre events shook the nation's faith in President Reagan and tarnished U.
253 S. prestige abroad. The report of the select committees said, "The common
254 ingredients of the Iran and contra policies were secrecy, deception, and
255 disdain for the law."
256
257 Special prosecutor Walsh continued his investigation. On March 11, 1988
258 Poindexter's predecessor as national security advisor, Robert MCFARLANE,
259 pleaded guilty to criminal charges of withholding information from Congress on
260 secret aid to the contras. A year later McFarlane was fined $20,000 and given
261 two years' probation. On March 16, 1988, a federal grand jury indicted North,
262 Poindexter, and two other persons on a number of charges including conspiracy
263 to defraud the U.S. government. The trials were delayed by legal maneuvering
264 that in part involved questions of releasing secret information. In May 1989
265 a jury convicted North of 3 of the 12 criminal counts he was ultimately tried
266 on; in July the court fined North $150,000 and gave him a three-year
267 suspended sentence. More legal maneuvering further delayed the trials of the
268 remaining defendants. A wider and more surprising development of the affair was
269 22 by Attorney General Edwin MEESE, 3rd, who said information had been found
270 by his aides that millions of dollars from the sale of arms to Iran had been
271 diverted to the Nicaraguan contras, the guerrilla forces opposed to the
272 Marxist government of Nicaragua. This information was uncovered in the office
273 of Lt. Colonel Oliver L. NORTH, an officer in the NSC and a subordinate of
274 National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter. Attorney General Meese related
275 that both President Reagan and Vice President George BUSH had told him they
276 had no knowledge of the diversion of funds to the contras. President Reagan
277 announced on November 25 that Admiral Poindexter had resigned from the
278 National Security Council, and that North had been relieved of his NSC duties.
279 Meese stated that North had been in charge of the diversion of funds, and that
280 Admiral Poindexter was aware of the operation. The same day, the Israeli
281 government acknowledged that it had sent arms to Iran "at the request" of the
282 U.S. government. The following day, President Reagan appointed a three-member
283 committee--consisting of John G. Tower, former Republican Senator from Texas,
284 Edmund S. MUSKIE, Secretary of State in the Carter Administration and former
285 Democratic Senator from Maine, and Brent Scowcraft, a former National Security
286 Deputy--to undertake a study of the NSC and to recommend if any changes were
287 needed. President Reagan issued a denial on December 1 that he had any
288 knowledge of the diversion of proceeds from the Iranian arms sales to the
289 contras. On December 2, Reagan announced that he had requested the appointment
290 of an INDEPENDENT COUNSEL (formerly called special prosecutor) to look into
291 the case and to determine if any laws had been broken. He also appointed Frank
292 C. Carlucci, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and former CIA Deputy, to
293 assume the post of national security adviser. Admiral Poindexter, in a closed
294 hearing of the Senate intelligence committee on December 3, declined to answer
295 questions and invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.
296 Colonel North had similarly declined to answer questions, on December 1,
297 before the Senate committee.
298
299 BACKGROUND
300
301 The complex series of events that turned into the most serious crisis in
302 Ronald Reagan's presidency apparently began in 1984 or earlier, when North,
303 allegedly in an effort to circumvent Congressional restrictions on official
304 U.S. aid to the contras, made arrangements to funnel aid through other nations
305 and through U.S. private citizens and groups. Early in October 1984, the
306 Congress tightened restrictions under the Boland Amendment, forbidding any
307 official U.S. agency from providing military aid to the contras. In November
308 1984, Munucher Ghorbanifar, an arms dealer of Iranian origin who lived in
309 Western Europe and maintained contacts with the Iranian regime, made inquiries
310 of U.S. citizens with government connections about a swap of American arms to
311 Iran in exchange for Iranian help in freeing U.S. hostages held in Lebanon. In
312 mid-1985, Adnan Khashoggi, a billionaire Saudi Arabian businessman, arranged a
313 meeting between Ghorbanifar and several Israeli arms dealers. In August 1985,
314 according to National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane, President Reagan
315 authorized McFarlane to tell the Israeli Government that any arms they shipped
316 to Iran would be replaced by the United States. According to McFarlane, U.S.
317 Secretary of State George SHULTZ and U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar
318 WEINBERGER were opposed to any such deal, but presidential approval
319 nevertheless was granted. In August and September of 1985, two planeloads of
320 U.S. weapons were sent to Iran by Israel. Hostage Benjamin Weir was released
321 on September 14. Israel reportedly made another shipment in November, with
322 Khashoggi assisting in the arrangements. McFarlane resigned as national
323 security adviser on December 4, 1985, and was replaced by Admiral Poindexter.
324 President Reagan reportedly reversed his earlier decision and signed a secret
325 intelligence order in January 1986 calling for shipment of U.S. arms to Iran.
326 Colonel North allegedly set the prices of the armaments much higher than their
327 book value. Money from the weapons sale was deposited in Swiss bank accounts,
328 reportedly set up by the CIA and managed by Colonel North. McFarlane and North
329 flew to Tehran in late May 1986 in an aircraft supposedly containing military
330 spare parts, presumably expecting all remaining American hostages to be
331 released from captivity in Lebanon. McFarlane later reported that North told
332 him profits from the arms sales would be funneled to the contras in Nicaragua.
333 In June 1986, The U.S. Congress approved a grant of $100 million in military
334 and nonmilitary aid to the contras. On October 26 and 27, the U.S. government
335 sent its final shipments of arms to Iran. Although two more hostages had been
336 freed in Lebanon--supposedly through Iranian influence on the kidnappers--
337 three additional American hostages had been seized in Lebanon. Some political
338 commentators said they believed the overriding reason for the extraordinary
339 actions of the Reagan Administration lay in the president's concern for the
340 release of all of the Americans held hostage. President Reagan, however,
341 continued to deny that his motivation was a simple swap of arms for hostages.
342 His critics insisted that this was how the exchange was perceived by the
343 Lebanese kidnappers and by the Iranian regime that supported them. Other
344 critics charged that the Administration had in any case been swindled: the
345 Iranians had possession of the arms, but American hostages still languished in
346 captivity.
347
348 LEGAL QUESTIONS
349
350 Critics of the Iran-Contra operation said that several U.S. laws may have been
351 violated. They pointed out that the Congress--under the Boland Amendment--
352 prohibited any part of the U.S. government from "supporting, directly or
353 indirectly, military or paramilitary operations in Nicaragua." This
354 Congressional prohibition was in force from October 1984 to October 1986. The
355 National Security Act of 1947 required that Congress must be informed of any
356 international covert operation conducted by any U.S. intelligence agency. The
357 Congress, under this act, is to be notified "in a timely fashion" of any such
358 operation. The Arms Export Control Act forbids military aid to any nation that
359 supports terrorism. Other possibly relevant laws include the Antideficiency
360 Act, which prohibits shifting of government funds from one purpose to another,
361 and the Export Administration Act, which forbids the sale of materials to
362 nations that support terrorism.
363
364 INVESTIGATIONS
365
366 In late December 1986, both houses of the U.S. Congress established select
367 committees to investigate the Iran-Contra affair to establish what had
368 happened, who was involved, and what violations of federal law may have
369 occurred. The 11-member Senate committee was headed by Sen. Daniel K. INOUYE,
370 Democrat of Hawaii, and the 15-member House committee was chaired by Rep. Lee
371 H. Hamilton, Democrat of Indiana. After extensive hearings of numerous
372 witnesses over a period of three months, the proceedings ended on August 3,
373 1987, and a 690-page formal report was issued by the Congress on November 18.
374 The report was endorsed by all 15 Democrats on the committees, and by three
375 Republican senators. All of the six Republican members of the House committee
376 dissented from the conclusions of the report, and they were joined by two
377 other Republican senators. The majority report placed the blame for the arms
378 scandal on President Reagan, faulting him for supporting a policy that was
379 surrounded with "secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law." The report said
380 that it was unable to determine the extent to which the president was familiar
381 with all the details of the scheme--particularly the use of proceeds from the
382 arms sales to support the contras--but stated that if the chief executive did
383 not know what his advisers were doing, then a serious lapse of responsibility
384 had occurred. The committee blamed Admiral Poindexter for guiding the covert
385 operations of Lt. Col. North, and for withholding essential information from
386 President Reagan. Under the Independent Counsel Act, Attorney General Meese
387 had asked early in December 1986 a three-member panel of federal judges to
388 choose an INDEPENDENT COUNSEL (formerly called a special prosecutor), to
389 investigate all aspects of the Iran-Contra affair. Their choice, made on
390 December 19, 1986, was Lawrence E. Walsh, a former judge and prosecutor,
391 former deputy attorney general, and a former president of the American Bar
392 ~rAssociation. In an interim report issued on April 28, 1987, Walsh replied to
393 query from Sen. Warren B. Rudman (R, NH), saying that the independent
394 counsel's office had "ample basis" to implement a wide criminal investigation
395 of the arms scandal. ROBERT SHOGAN
396
397 Bibliography: Bradlee, Ben, Jr., Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver
398 North (1988); Cohen, William S., and Mitchell, George J., Men of Zeal: A
399 Candid Inside Story of the Iran-Contra Hearings (1988); Mayer, Jane and
400 McManus, Doyle, Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984-88 (1988);
401 Trager, Oliver, ed., Iran Arms Scandal (1988). THE CONTRA CONNECTION
402
403 If it wasn't true, it would be unbelievable fiction.
404
405 696969696969696969
406
014=Usr:261 KEN WILSON 07/04/90 08:36 Msg:5361 Call:29925 Lines:3
407 ALL--WHY ALL THE MYSTERY OF BBS- LOOKS LIKE A ONE-SIDED DEAL IF ALL WE KNOW IS
408 HOW TO DOWNLOAD. WHERE DO WE LEARN UPLOADING AND ALL. IS THERE A BBS FOR
409 BEGINNERS OR WOULD COMPUSERVE BE THE WAY I HAVE TO GO.
015=Usr:11 L'homme sans Par 07/04/90 14:30 Msg:5364 Call:29927 Lines:9
410 *%@*%@#(_)($!@)($_)!(#*%_)($!_)(!@_)#(~_)#(!)_*$#%*_(%_)!#()@!_$%*(($!$(!
411 voyeur: yo voyeur! Are you out there? I have a question to ask about your
412 VGA card again. Gimme a call one of these days, will you?
413
414 people@redsun.uucp: Will you have your machine poll qiclab. If you don't
415 poll, how can you get cnews? How can you get cnews if you don't poll?
416 (gee, why does meat and pudding come to mind now?)
417 %*_@*%@#(%_)#%@#_)(%#%*(@#%(% L'homme sans Parity *%_@#*%_)(%_)@#*%_)%!_%
418
016=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/04/90 23:53 Msg:5365 Call:29934 Lines:7
419 &*&*&*&*'s
420 redsun isn't polling qiclab? D*mn, and I thought I had it fixed. I'll check
421 it out tommorow first thing.
422
423 An Astral Dreamer
424 &*&*&*&*'s
425
017=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/06/90 21:03 Msg:5367 Call:29962 Lines:76
426 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
427 #Hold it, Punk.#
428 The voice of glass tickled the fugitive's spine, tracing a rough
429 angle from top to bottom. The Patriot was before him, smoking, steaming, its
430 bright red candyapple body glowing its unearthly heat in the dim night.
431 The monster's LED lights sparked, its red electronic eyes narrowing in
432 in preparation for the kill. #Thiss area is off limits to New Users...#
433 Steel vibroblades hummed, accompanied by the grating of tempered steel
434 against gunmetal along the creature's grossly distorted hunchback.
435 The fugitive's eyes watered from the hot, oily breath that steamed over
436 him, erupting periodically from between twin jaws that retracted and clamped
437 together in rhythmic pattern no matter what the creature said... its facial
438 features on the readout in contrast to the pathetic twitchings of its mouth.
439 Red glaze shined on steel teeth tipped with diamonds that glimmered with the
440 hydraulic fluid that spilled across the black tongue and out the left side
441 across a dent that never seemed to have been repaired properly.
442 The man facing the Patriot ran, his adrenal glands spewing hot, primal
443 hormones spattering across raw muscles. He raced through the Central
444 City, across the skylit walkway. A Network simp fell from the heights as
445 the escaping fugitive crashed into his brittle bones and legs weak from
446 overexposure to Psykodine cracked and pulped on the dirty asphalt miles
447 below.
448 The Patriot pursued, rocket pods belching sickly fire and acrid smoke,
449 singing the flesh of those hapless enough to be taking a stroll alon the
450 skyway. #What we HAVE...# A plasma, thick and steamy, erupted from a
451 glowing nozzle and incinerated a mother and child. #...Is a failure to
452 communicate.#
453 The fugitive darted down stone steps and across a green carpet in an
454 iron hall. The Patriot whirled, its torso folding in on itself to
455 accomodate the smaller surroundings. Green mist trails filtered across the
456 carpet, blending except where blood stained the heavy shag. The creature
457 fired its vibroblade, shattering the fugitive's ears and breaking windows.
458 A quick stroke across the sensitive lobe revealed to the fugitive that he
459 was bleeding.
460 He passed through the door, locking and barring it, and headed for
461 the Borderland Chamber, racing without care across the silver catwalk.
462 The Patriot, free from the confines of the building, sprung to
463 its full height, spraying a thick coat of fluid as newly freed pumps exploded
464 into life. #Random LineNoise.# It hissed, flicking black foam onto
465 the fugitive's heels.
466 He darted towards the glowing field. His heart ripped away at the
467 flesh that passed for his chest, already numb from gasping breaths. His teeth
468 tingled, andhe couldn't feel his hands. He lunged at the field...
469 The Patriot followed, lodging its body in the pathway, even as the
470 world around the fugitive began to reshape itself. The last sound that
471 the fleeting man heard from Central City was the cry of animal despair
472 mingling within the green mist with the shredding of steel flesh, the
473 scraping of metal fingers flipping away like chainmail sacks filled with
474 gritty sand...
475
476 The world shrunk into a pinpoint of unimaginably bright light, and then
477 expanded outwards again...
478
479 The fugitive found himself in the next borderland. He dropped onto the
480 green grass and relieved his aching soul, relishing in the cool scratchings
481 of the soft greenery against his many cuts and bruises, the dew stinging.
482 Marlana approached him, gripping his hand in hers. "You survived
483 Zephyr's border..."
484 "The Central City has changed little since the Catastrophe. The
485 only real difference is the kill ratio for the Patriots..." Each word was a
486 struggle. "Now... now that we can get to another BorderZone."
487 "All that matters is that you are safe..."
488 "We won't be safe until we reach KathyD's borderlands. I've a Hold
489 there, hidden near the secondary border. We should be able to reach
490 it by nightfall, Central Time. If we hurry."
491 "Have you a Route?"
492 "Yes." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a glowing map. "I've
493 got one of the Technocracy's Zone Calendars... We'll take the next border to
494 Thingfish, skip through Forest Asterisk during dusk, and then whomever ends up
495 at the Top will take is to KathyD. Hopefully..."
496 "Pyrrixall is changing."
497 "Change is for the better."
498
499 FIN
500
501 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
018=Usr:13 voyeur 07/07/90 23:45 Msg:5368 Call:29969 Lines:3
502 :::::::O O::::::::07/07/90::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::23:48:55::::O O::::::
503 Huh, even quieter than usual today. I guess everyone's at WesterCon.
504 :::::::O O:::::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O::::::
019=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/08/90 01:06 Msg:5369 Call:29970 Lines:10
505 &*&*&*&*'s
506 Well, I've been bbs'ing for 2 years plus one day now. Onward into year three!
507
508 'The time in which we have to seek the answers to our questing thinks,
509 Is not unlike the metal band, which raps the world in its magnetic hand,
510 And delimetes for us the kinks of north and south.'
511
512 An Astral Dreamer
513 &*&*&*&*'s
514
020=Usr:394 Rayall the Pirat 07/08/90 14:36 Msg:5370 Call:29974 Lines:9
515 ArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrA
516
517 Back in my day we didn't have any computers. We only had our sextons and
518 trusty scimitars to keep things in line.
519
520 Now they have all this electronic stuff that pollutes the Earth's enviroment
521 . What is this world coming to?
522
523 ArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArr Rayall ArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrArrAr
021=Usr:92 Katherine Dohert 07/09/90 11:20 Msg:5372 Call:29985 Lines:1
524 ********the***kathyD***border?***********************************************
022=Usr:4 Milchar 07/09/90 16:56 Msg:5373 Call:29988 Lines:1
525 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchlurk ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
023=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/09/90 17:40 Msg:5374 Call:29991 Lines:67
526 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
527 kathyD: Yes, the kathyD border... it had to be SOMEONE'S! :) Hope I didn't
528 violate any treaties... I have green card! I have green card!
529 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
530
531 "Then there's nothing we can do to halt the emmigration?"
532 --nothing legal, excellency. i fear the citizens have familiarized
533 themselves with the new order.--
534 "And the Patriots?"
535 --day's permutation of the scape has rendered them useless beyond the
536 boundaries of central city. they just cease to operate. we've been dragging
537 them back through borderzone gates all week.--
538 The creature perched on the asphalt throne was pensive. With the
539 hand that wasn't propping up his sagging head, he dug through a pocket
540 of his FabriSteel (C) (TM) (R) uniform and withdrew a white wafer cookie.
541 Pressing the center, a holographic chart erupted from between the brown
542 cardboard slats. "Population..." The wafer clicked, and the chart reflected
543 the Central City Population Growth Chart. The line was suicidal.
544 --as you can see, the density just isn't what it used to be before the
545 transition.--
546 "The price we pay for living in a collective mentality."
547 The creature's silvery companion nodded dumbly. --of course.--
548 The creature sighed. "I just wish they'd make up their minds. Day's run
549 through some twisted modifications in the past, but this one takes the
550 carcinogen..." The Emperor of Central City let his watery eyes wander through
551 the view just outside the SaniFresh (C) (TM) (R) Protective WindowScreens.
552 Even from this distance, he could see the faint blurring where Zephyr's Hold
553 ended and the next BorderZone began... whatever it was. He let himself drift
554 outward, trying to pierce the hazy Gate shield. Suddenly he rose. "I'm going
555 for a walk."
556 --is that wise, milord?--
557 "No, but I'm going to. Have the guard prepare a field suit, and inform
558 the Technocracy of my impending absence from tonight's council meetings. Their
559 talk of exporting to Astral Dreamer bores me. Lord knows I want as little
560 to do with *his* Zone as possible."
561 --forgive my asking... but did something occur to place you in such
562 a frightfully unpleasant frame of thinking.--
563 The creature withdrew a thin steel rod and melted the silvery
564 companion, shivering with each death scream the tiny 'bot gurgled. "No...
565 nothing especially. I just hate it when someone else gets the Ward." He
566 clicked his fingers, and another 'bot whirled into the room, skittering over
567 the thick pink fluid that still frothed from the joints of his predecessor.
568 -oh my.-
569 "Your first official order is to clean up... *that*." He pointed.
570
571 - - -
572
573 The Emperor had trekked for some time towards the Gate, becoming quite
574 annoyed by the toadying praise growled by passing Patriots and the satannic
575 glares of Network scum. Eventually, he reached the borderzone and stepped
576 casually through.
577
578 Time froze, and the world shrunk down into a dizzyingly small point of
579 light suspended in blackness. Then, just as suddenly, time resumed its
580 course, and the point of light burst forth into new surroundings.
581
582 Looking down at himself, the Emperor was disturbed to see that he
583 was now packing only a six-gun.
584 "Draw, ya runt!"
585 The voice came from a gruff and unshaven individual standing at
586 the other end of a narrow, dusty street littered with shells. "Excuse me?"
587 Grunting, the slovenly opponent withdrew his shotgun and the Emperor's
588 final thoughts, "I wonder if Hoffa ever dealt with this?", cascaded through his
589 exploding consciousness even as the cool steel of the bullets fluttered
590 through his heart.
591
592 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
024=Usr:13 voyeur 07/10/90 01:36 Msg:5375 Call:29996 Lines:33
593 :::::::O O:::::::07/10/90:::::::::::::::::::::::::::01:41:32:::::::O O::::::::
594 from _LOCUS_ :
595 Sci-Fi Channel Problems
596 There are problems facing the fledgling Sci-Fi channel, despite ambitious
597 plans and an aggressive subscription campaign. The 24-hour cable television
598 network for sf/fantasy/horror programming, due to launch on December 31, 1990,
599 may be grounded by federal government plans to reregulate the cable industry.
600 Sci-Fi Channel president MItchell Rubenstein needs an estimated five to
601 seven million subscribers (10% of the U.S. subscription base) by the launch
602 date to generate sufficient ad revenue to survive. The most recent information
603 reports 1.5 million subscribers.
604 One problem is capacity. Cable operators are reluctant to add new channels
605 to already crowded line-ups when the threat of imminent rate reregulation makes
606 capitol expenditure on expanding channel capacity a dangerous propositon.
607 Rubenstein's timing is off. A key bill designed to regulate the industry was
608 introduced in November, so some action is likely. The reregulation issue will
609 have to be resolved in Congress before cable operators open their wallets.
610 Another problem is Rubenstein's lack of major corporate backing - his is
611 essentially an entrepeneurial enterprise. Other channels are in line for
612 space, including Time Warner Inc.'s Comedy Channel and Viacom's HA! The TV
613 Comedy Network. There is a possible merger between the two comedy networks that
614 will affect operator space allocation. In order to woo cable operators,
615 Rubenstein has had to offer charter affiliates two year's license fees free
616 and stock options in the channel.
617 Still, plans are progressing. The logo is designed, satellite space is
618 reserved, and a Gallup poll has defined the target audience for the product
619 (males 26 1/2 years old). Rubenstein will try to sell ads to products such as
620 cars, athletic shoes, and high-tech goods.
621 Waller Capital Corp. has been hired as a cable broker, and Shearson
622 Lehman Hutton Inc. will be attempting to raise capital. Rubenstein estimates
623 $20 million in launch costs, plus $30 million in operating costs over three to
624 four years before the channnel is profitable.
625 :::::O O::::::::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O:::::::
025=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/10/90 11:38 Msg:5376 Call:29999 Lines:1
626 They're trying to get rid of SFTV and keep the Weather Channel? :::::Z=====
026=Usr:92 Katherine Dohert 07/10/90 13:26 Msg:5377 Call:30000 Lines:1
627 **********************lurkiousmodious*********kathyD***************************
027=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/12/90 08:41 Msg:5378 Call:30018 Lines:3
628 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
629 Coyote - Slaverius Grotesquia
630 :::::Meep=:::::Meep=:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
028=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/12/90 17:24 Msg:5379 Call:30028 Lines:13
631 &*&*&*&*'s
632@
633@though not without its merits.
634@It balances the different sides and keeps them all at bay, Its been around
635@for all of time, not just yesterday and today.
636@
637@
638 The change command don't work. I tried ch /old string/new string/ and it
639 killed the whole line.
640
641 An Astral Dreamer
642 &*&*&*&*'
643
029=Usr:267 phoenix polymorp 07/12/90 19:07 Msg:5380 Call:30030 Lines:4
644 this is world watch three>>>>>>>>>
645 dig this phoenix is back! screamin' across cyberspace with my atari 800, 300
646 baud! somebody speak to me!
647 wwiii>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
030=Usr:267 phoenix polymorp 07/13/90 00:03 Msg:5381 Call:30034 Lines:18
648 this is world watch three>>>>>>>>>>>
649 This is Phoenix Polymorph reporting. What I want to know is, why in this new,
650 enlightened era of understanding, why does bigottry still linger? I have faced
651 it several times this evening. All I do is access a system and am automatic-
652 ly slammed off-line, simply because I opperate a 300 baud.
653 Obviously this new generation of sysop has forgotten us of the early days
654 befor the computer was God and the sysop was Priest, back when 8K was a break-
655 through, back when a reporter could get away with run-on sentences, poor
656 speeling and bad gramar.
657
658 Enlightenment and maturity is what I respect the most about this board and
659 is why I return to it whenever I can.
660 Now if I could only get my thermal printer to work....
661 wwiii>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
662 Phoenix polymorph is brought to you by FIZZ cola. FIZZ for that blast of
663 caffine, that rush of sugar and clean floors
664 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>nw/0
665 ^C
031=Usr:13 voyeur 07/13/90 00:33 Msg:5382 Call:30035 Lines:6
666 ::::::O O::::::::07/13/90:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::00:40:43:::::O O:::::::
667 I noticed the same problem with the CHange command - on line 613 I had said,
668 "there is possible". I tried CH / p/a p/ to insert the missing 'a', but the
669 whole line disappeared. Or maybe the space between the 'CH' and the '/' is
670 not allowed? Huh, I don't recall. I guess they're right when they say
671 :::::::O O::::::::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O::::::
032=Usr:92 Katherine Dohert 07/13/90 09:03 Msg:5383 Call:30038 Lines:9
672 *****************madatcats***************************************************
673 Kitties left me a surprize this moring. I don't know which one of the little
674 fur balls did it. I opened the front door and found the far flung remains of a
675 mature robin. Yech, I sure hope it wasn't someone's mother. Reminds me of
676 just what natural instinct is and for "lesser" animals how the patterns are so
677 totally immersed. Hopefully, humans will soon be able to recognize their own
678 self serving destructions and make steps to relearn new instincts. But, I'm
679 still..
680 **************madatcats*************************kathyD*************************
033=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/13/90 20:38 Msg:5384 Call:30068 Lines:85
681 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
682 kathyD: This wouldn't happen to be one of the notorious breed of Drooling
683 Cats of long ago, now, would it?
684 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
685
686 "I'd like to book passage."
687 ^Business or Pleasure?^
688 "Pleasure... Private vacation."
689 ^Did you have any particular BorderZone in mind, sir?^
690 "Something varied..."
691 ^Time reference?^
692 "Localized... Modern convention technology..." The traveller eyed his
693 watch.
694 ^Please be specific.^
695 The traveller stared atRoboTemp EROS-#55 blankly. "Excuse me?"
696 _Do you need a list._ LED eyes narrowed.
697 "No... no. I suppose I-" Suddenly he found himself feeling
698 very uncomfortable.
699 ^Please be specific.^
700 "Circa Terra 1990..."
701 ^Geographical locale?^
702 "Oh, it doesn't really matter. Like I said, I need something a little
703 varied... Forest, grassland, mountain
704 range areas... Snow... And rain. Lots of rain."
705 Synthetic gum exploded from silver lips. ^Terran Oregon areas?^
706 The traveller thought for a brief moment. "Why not? Do you really have
707 any Borders here close enough to that sort of scape?"
708 ^Pyrrixall is a favorite hunting ground for DIM runners from Terra...
709 We get them here all the time... A lot of the Baronies are Terran owned and
710 operated... from all sorts of different time periods. Just last week a new
711 Barony near The Astral Dreamer's Hold established itself, with a ruler from
712 Earth's 1600 Old Reckoning...^
713 The traveller gulped, having heard only one small part of the
714 sales pitch. "Hunting ground?"
715 ^Don't let it ruffle you. Terrans like to talk tough, but most of them're
716 softies. We'll be sure to equip you with everything you need to get them to
717 cuddle up to your good side. Just remeber... the three most important
718 things to a Terran are-^ The dry mechanical voice settled into a hum of
719 anticipation.
720 "Sex, sex, sex?"
721 ^You've read up.^
722 "The period interests me... but it really is hard to get a perspective
723 without seeing one. A Terran, I mean. Books just aren't enough."
724 ^They are a little on the cute side, aren't they? Listen, you know
725 the score. Libidos Formidable'... The Seige Prophylactic...^^ A sly wink
726@crossed the red readout display. "Looking for a little Dimensione au
727 crossed the display. ^Looking for a little D&D?^
728 "Of course not!" He barked louder than he needed to.
729 The RoboTemp switched modes with an audible click. _^ Look, dear...
730 nobody's recording this... I'm a Travel Agent. If that's why you're
731 going off-Zone then we'll book you up in the best area for that sort of
732 thing._^
733 "I-" He tugged at the collar that ran around his slime soaked,
734 scaley neck. "... Okay. Yeah."
735 _^Can't blame you... Dimension au Dimension gets *real* interesting...
736 Especially with humans... They'll take anything._^
737 The traveler looked on, disgusted. "So what's the deal?"
738 Another click. _Flat rate for a D&D locale... Typical Oregon, Terra,
739 1990, Humanix D-RIM Latch. Credits: 60,000 Base 10 Modifier..._
740 "When can I get off Zone?"
741 The Agent whipped out a Zone Calendar, one of the few that
742 existed, scattered as they had been after the Triangle Transition.
743 A third click, like the first. _^Why, whenever you're ready. At current
744 topographical placement, a Zone fitting the description of this one should take
745 shape beyond the barrier in a few short second.^_
746 The traveller pressed a claw against the table. "What happens if
747 something goes wrong?"
748 ^_We don't control the Gates... We have only a 1% Zone Failure rate,
749 and a 10% Locale failure rate... and if the locale is wrong... you can just
750 Trek through the Zone until you get to where you need to go at our
751 expense.^_ Her smile buzzed neon.
752 "Ok. Sure." Quickly, the traveliccked up his bags and
753 stepped through the chamber.
754
755 *-*-*
756
757 Time Froze, and the world slipped downwards into a dot of incredibly
758 bright light.. Then, just as suddenly, Time Resumed, and the world exploded
759 outward around the traveller from the center of the dot.
760
761 *-*-*
762
763 He was wet.
764 The world was water.
765 He was drowning.
034=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/13/90 21:18 Msg:5385 Call:30069 Lines:37
766 The water burned.
767 Something had gone terribly wrong...
768 He could feel the fire that pulsed through the water boiling away
769 his clothes... those slick Slorpskin gloves, his Deccator rings, the tight
770 Galiph red-jeans, his Winnowool shirt. Fire and pain flowed around him.
771 Fire and pain in the burning water...
772 Pain...
773 Burning...
774 Burr...
775 Burrrrrr...
776 He tossed, swimming up towards the light above that signaled escape. He
777 thrashed his head about, trying to escape dim buzz of the fire, the pain,
778 seething in the back of his skull like a rabid moth. His vision blurred,
779 melting away into an impossible red rage... Rage... Rage... Hate...
780 He exploded up from the water, reveling in the raw power that the
781 pain had brought forth... The trip was forgotten... the RoboTemp was
782 forgotten... D&D was forgotten... All fell back into the red, wild haze, the
783 boiling well of violence that now ran quick through pumping veins.
784 He felt alive... the sun burned in the sky... the water droplets
785 cascaded across his great scaley form. The world was a mass of red shapes
786 sticky th 'being...' The urge to rend and tear coursed through him with
787 the electric hum...
788
789 Far away, on a stretch of land, were the humans, forgotten, too, in
790 his newfound power. He forgot their needs, their desires, their...
791 talents. He forgot that they were smaller than they were supposed to be.
792 Nothing mattered but the hate...
793
794 One of the humans looked out at the ocean and screamed. He should
795 have understood the words, but they were forgotten in the red...
796
797 "Look!! It's Godzilla!"
798
799 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
800 And the legend was born. Bet you never knew what REALLY happened! :)
801 Before now.
802 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
035=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/14/90 16:33 Msg:5388 Call:30089 Lines:3
803
804 And now for something completely different.
805
036=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/14/90 22:43 Msg:5389 Call:30099 Lines:113
806 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
807
808 STRANGERS BEYOND THE PLANE
809
810 - - -
811
812 "I wrote that, you know..."
813 ?Pardon? The grossly overweight gerbil pulled his grey fedora from
814 over his eyes to see where the Terran voice came from.
815 "That book... The one you're reading. I wrote it." A smartly
816 attired Terran, or perhaps simply a cultist to that type of environment,
817 pointed a stubby finger towards the novel that rested in the gerbil's lap.
818 "I'm a novelist."
819 ?Do tell? The gerbil perked into wakefulness, rubbing sand from his
820 glowing blue eyes and stretching. His muscles ached from the time spent in
821 the uncomfortable chair during the train ride. ?From whereabouts?
822 "I hail from Asterisk originally. Moved to Saunders six weeks ago."
823 ?Saunders? The old gerbil chuckled,, a low purr in the back of
824 his scratchy throat. ?How're things thereabouts?
825 "Fine, fine. The Green is alive, as she might say... 'Hopscotch &
826 Brandywine.'"
827 ?Never changes, does she?
828 "What does, in the Green?"
829 ?True, isn't it? And you were telling me about this novel of yours?
830 That got the Terran interested. He cleared his throat. "Well, as you
831 might have noticed, the book was published in Central City. Zephyr
832 isn't exactly lenient when it comes to freedom of speech, but I think that
833 the integrity of the work managed to get through. There are other versions
834 with the complete manuscript, though. You can tell," he pointed again. "by
835 the covers. Do you hail from Central City?"
836 ?Me? The gerbil huffed. ?Why say a thing like that? Don't you know
837 who I am?
838 The Terran's voice quavered a bit... "Afraid not." He seemed hurt
839 by the outburst... Probably a shy one.
840 ?I'm Phinneas Thornsworth, aren't I?
841 "Ah! The noted metaphysicist from the Astral Dream! I've read your work
842 and I must tell you I'm fascinated... Particularly your theory about genetic
843 exchanges from one temporal reality to the next... on a planetary scale.
844 Really topper stuff you have there!"
845 ?You think so?
846 "Absolutely!"
847 ?You must realize then why my reaction was as it was, do you not?
848 The Terran sighed. "Afraid so. I'm all too familiar with Zephyr's
849 thoughts on metaphysics... and on books, as I've said before." He did
850 his best to imitate the Baron, slicking his hair back haphazardly with one hand
851 while shaking another. "One Mind! One Truth! One Pulse! THESE, then, are
852 the Ways to Glory... the Triumverate!"
853 ?Smashing, wouldn't anyone say? Phinneas wiped his tiny round
854 spectacles with a pink cloth. ?Now, that wouldn't be the reason you left
855 Central City, would it?
856 "You mean, why I'm on this train? Oh,heavens no. I'm actually just
857 between publishings, and I'm going to be discussing the possibility of
858 adapting Michael Day's life story into an epic biography..."
859 ?Really, now?
860 "Yess, really. I find that people in positions of power naturally tend
861 to intimidate the populance into a sort of acceptance of a Leader As God
862 relationship. I'm hoping the book will bring the Pyrrixallian citizens just a
863 little bit closer to the Monarch..."
864 ?The Baronies will have a field day, won't they?"
865 #I'm sure that they will.# The grating, telltale voice of a machine
866 interrupted them.
867 Phinneas and the Terran both looked across from their cubicle at
868 the speaker.
869 #You're Themi TraDesWa, aren't you?# he queried of the Terran.
870 "B-B-Baron!"
871 #Yes, and I've taken sudden interest in this little piece of
872 yours.# Steel claws clacked together, echoing uncomfortably. #Do tell.#
873 "There's really not much to tell beyond what I've already said." Themi
874 stuttered.
875 #Humor me.#
876 ?What more can he say?
877 "Well, a little. I'm probably going to try to put some of the more
878 idiosyncratic factors of his life back together... Piece out some of the
879 'Missing Years' that everyone wonders about... With his permission, of
880 course."
881 #Of course.#
882 "Average stuff... Past history. And I'll try to put that silly
883 Innisfall rumor to rest once and for all. Those Cultists need a harsh
884 taste of reality."
885 #Which Michael will give tthem.#
886 "If he agrees to help with my book."
887 ?Why wouldn't he?
888 "That's the bugger of it all. Above it all, he really is a secretive
889 sort. Tends to try to stay out of the Public limelight beyond his
890 General Disclaimers every so often. Forest Asterisk needs to stay in the
891 forefront of the Wards, after all, now doesn't it?"
892 ?So?
893 "My only real concern is that he might not WANT the missing years
894 dealt with..."
895 #Why shouldn't he?# The Baron eyed a crystal sphere as it played
896 over his fingers. #He's nothing to hide from the people...#
897 ?Or so he says, no?
898 #And did I understand you correctly when you said your book was
899 published under a Central Ciity house?# The way the Baron hissed
900 'Central City' made his feelings more than apparent.
901 "Oh yes, yes, quite..."
902 #I should be interested to read your biography tale when it appears.
903 Be sure to notify me. Saundersinic Astrologers know how to reach me at my
904 Barony.#
905 "I'll send youu a copy."
906 #Do that.#
907 Suddenly, the train lurched to a halt. Only one new passenger boarded
908 and then the great steaming beast resumed its brakeneck pace.
909 The new arrival was a thin, pale man dressed in black leathers... A
910 scarlet bandana was wrapped around his head, mingling in with gelled black
911 locks. At his hip were two six shooters, customary for the area they
912 were presently passing through. He wandered over to the seat next to
913 Phinneas. "Nice day."
914 ?I'd say so, wouldn't anyone?
915 He looked at the book on the gerbil's lap. "Hey! I did the cover
916 art for that!"
917
918 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
037=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/15/90 09:53 Msg:5390 Call:30103 Lines:18
919 &*&*&*&*'s
920
921 The wanderer hovered, just outside of the realities. Picking the proper entry
922 point had become trickier recently, what with all the remodeling going on.
923 What looked safe from this side at first glance could be deadly. One way
924 portals being all to common. He wondered if someday his passage would cut
925 of forever. All the more reason to be carefull. Finally he found place
926 that looked safe. He felt no terminating resistance, and the scenery seemed
927 nice enough. He made himself invisible and went in. He started his
928 analysis.
929
930
931 The rules set is can be hard to detect from the other side. One of these days
932 he'd have to see about getting a map...
933
934 An Astral Dreamer
935 &*&*&*&*'s
936
038=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 07/16/90 22:26 Msg:5391 Call:30125 Lines:49
937 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
938
939 Zephyr tapped his fingers against the hollowed stone tablet that took
940 up most of the western corner of his highrise office. Absently, he prodded
941 the raised black buttons on his remote control, watching quick, random images
942 flutter across multiple television screens embedded in marble.
943 "*Subtlety was never one of your strong suits, Dreamer.*"
944 He watched on the Cathode set, the fuzzy, indistinct dots of colored
945 light gyrating into a comprehensible pattern... A shadowy presence slipping
946 through an unguarded Gate. Zephyr's supply of available Patriots in the
947 area was growing dangerously low.
948@ Damn Michael. Damn Dy. The two had been in league from the beginning.
949 Damn Michael... Damn Day, for that matter. The two had been in league
950 from the beginning. The 'Angler' threat was probably conconted by Day
951 to consolidate his position in Real Time terms.
952 Now that the Obscurities had been destroyed, folding back into the Abyss
953 when the last Transition occurred, there was nothing to stop the Day from
954 launching physical assaults against those who would have his position.
955 The Medalic Prophets held the outer Baronies, but Day's Wards still held
956 the ultimate lure.
957 Oh, Day had been clever in orchestrating his plans around the
958 arrival of the Temporal Enforcer... It effectively rendered any action
959 on Zephyr's part futile... How could a mortal... even a Creative one... hope
960 to spread an Empire out across Pyrrixall when the Gates transfigured all that
961 passed between them in terms of whatever world was entered... All, that
962 is, but for Day's legions. How... convenient.
963 Frustrated, Zephyr leaned over onto the table, spreading his thin
964 fingers as wide as he could, stretching his muscles until the warm, angry
965 burn tingled through them. He licked his lips, and pressed a button on his
966 intercom.
967 "*Miss Fifch?*"
968 --Sir?--
969 "*Send in the new boy.*"
970 --Right away.--
971 There would be time to deal with his mechanations later. There would
972 be opportunity aplenty to find holes in this new logic loop. Plot devices
973 whirled through his head, aching to materialize. Central City belched
974 flame.
975 The door to the office opened soundlessly, and a youth, no more than
976 twenty one years old, slipped in, pattering across the plush carpet.
977 His silver eyes were wide and nervous, and he ran a hand through shoulder
978 length brown hair.
979 Plenty of time, Zephyr mused, allowing the dark Rage freedom in his
980 eyes. But first... work off some steam.
981 "*Fade to black.*"
982
983 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
984 Astral: Well, I never said he was a GOOD guy!
985 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
039=Usr:13 voyeur 07/17/90 00:15 Msg:5392 Call:30126 Lines:12
986 :::::::O O::::::::07/17/90:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::00:25:10:::::O O::::::
987 L'homme - Howz yer 1024i working? Find the adapter for your NEC?
988 Speaking of modems (huh?), you were right about XTALK - it does
989 handle RTS/CTS flow control if you tell it to. I guess ComSh just
990 doesn't cut it anymore. (It also can't keep up if I have the port
991 set at >= 9600). Maybe I should look into YAM?
992 I finally got a map showing the coordinates of dystopia. If you want
993 to update the tables, it's 45d25'33"N by 122d36'44"W. (quichelabs, by
994 the way, appears to be 45d26'34"N by 122d48'22"W give-or-take a couple
995 of seconds.)
996 You remember Linda, don't you? Rumor has it she's "with child".
997 :::::::O O::::::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur:::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O:::::::
040=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/17/90 09:06 Msg:5393 Call:30128 Lines:2
998 &*&*&*'s (At the bottom, the cycle will soon begin again.)
999 &*&*&*'s (This is the edge, home of temporal glitches.)