RoustWriter: Blog

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Nat turned to her husband. "Is it real?" she asked Jeff with awe in her voice.

With what Jeff knew about Ship's ability to bring a whole pocket planet with her via the dimensions, he wasn't sure if what they were seeing was real or an illusion. "I… don't know," he managed. (See chapter 245 where Jeff tested his TK abilities with the steel balls in a deserted area of a pocket planet while in another dimension.)

"Well, don't ask," Arlene quickly inserted. "If it's an illusion, it's too beautiful to spoil with logic."

"Come with me, Arlene," Selina pleaded as she grabbed Arlene's hand to try to pull her out onto the terrace.

"In case it is real, be careful," Jeff admonished the two even as everyone followed at a more leisurely pace.

"There's a railing, Daddy," his daughter called over her shoulder as she and Selina hurried out onto the terrace ahead of everyone else, only to freeze as they stepped through whatever muted the sound. Suddenly, they were inundated by the crashing roar of the majestic falls, the sound so loud that conversation was almost impossible. As the others followed, the two carefully stepped across the wide, mist-slickened terrace to stop at the railing. The view had everyone's attention, and no one had even thought about seating themselves yet. In awe, they all stared at the thunderous power of the massive falls...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

..."Excellent. Go get a stretcher… No, belay that order. Get a gravfloat from the machine shop - without anyone noticing if possible. We'll cover Shithead with a tarp and put him in my quarters. And while you are getting the float and tarp, see if you can get one of those portable medunits, too. I will divert the medteam so you can obtain the unit from their area."

The Orderly, ecstatic to have been given an assignment other than to clean up or make stim, was off the bridge in a flash.

A moment later, the First was on the line to the Engine Room. "Chief, I need you to have a medical emergency. Possibly a minor fall that will leave one of your people unconscious for a few moments, but he will be revived and will be positive that he is in excellent health as soon as the medical team arrives. I just need them out of the way for a few sub-cycles. Understand?"

"Do you realize how busy we are?" the Chief sighed out.

"I will owe you one, Chief, and oh, by the way, it will be a way to fuck over the Captain."

"Well, why did you not just say so? When?"

"Now is a good time for me."

"All right. He has fallen. One of my subs will call the medical team as soon as I am off the line."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Back inside, he put the projectors down and began to describe their function to Morales and his women. (Jeff's people already knew about his latest invention.)

Morales squatted by one of the projectors as he checked out the seemingly complicated instrumentation on its top. "So, are these anything like the noise-canceling earphones that are so popular on commercial aircraft these days?"

"Sorry, but no - well, only vaguely. The noise-canceling earphones have circuitry that reads the incoming sound from the microphone, determines its frequency and amplitude, then produces a new wave that's 180 degrees out of phase, effectively canceling the incoming sound as it is rebroadcast to your ear. To broadly simplify, my device nullifies from a very low frequency to the highest frequency gamma rays, somewhere around 10 to the 25th hertz, and in doing so, it creates an adjustable sphere where no sound or other like radiation can penetrate while leaving the inside of the sphere unchanged.

"Now, say that two operatives of our government have to discuss aspects of the mission they are on, and, of course, utmost secrecy is of vital importance. With this, they can sit in a car or even at a table in a busy restaurant. No sound that they produce will penetrate the sphere around their vehicle, table, or anywhere else they set up the bubble, and no listing device will detect a thing. Now," he said while motioning to the cube, I've reached the point where I need to miniaturize the thing, at least to a size needed to convince a manufacturer that it can be further reduced to a practicable size, and thus salable. Of course, the manufacturer will significantly reduce the size even more than I can, and should wind up with something the size of a pack of cigarettes, and maybe one day even to the size of a watch - in other words, Wainwright, Inc.

"I've tested the device in my lab, but this is going to be its first real-world trial."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

..."We could wait for a few sub-cycles. I doubt if he will last long without medical assistance," the Third offered.

"Tempting. Very tempting," the First Officer snarled, "but get him into the chamber. At least he will be out of my sight for a while."

"Sir," the Science Officer said as he paused the recording, which was impossible as far as the High Command knew, "I could delete the recording of what has happened, we could space him and make it look like a suicide. I guarantee that the High Command would not be able to tell."

The First sighed. "I swore to uphold the Captain. I have already severely damaged that oath, even before I shot his ass, but I am still going to try to maintain the mission parameters as they were outlined to me. At least it will take the chamber several cycles to grow him a new arm and patch up his shoulder, but at the end of this mission, there will be a firing squad waiting for me."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

..."I will allow you to draw your weapon and point it at me before I kill you," the First bit out as everyone on the bridge seemed to hold their breath as they realized that the First was finally going to do it. "I know that your family is extremely wealthy," the First continued. "How much did they pay for your commission? They wasted it, no matter how much it was. You have stormed onto this bridge with your wild accusations one time too many. Now draw your weapon - and die. If you are too much of a coward to draw, then stand there while I kill you. If you turn and run, I will shoot you in the back."

Everyone on the bridge tensed as they realized that the Captain's death was imminent.

With a touch, the Captain's gun belt and weapon dropped to the deck as did the Captain as he begged for his life.

Disgusted, the First cursed and turned away.

As the Captain knelt shaking and pissing on himself, he realized that his weapon was very near his hand, and the First had his back to him. Knowing that he would never have a better chance, he eased his hand forward as if he were just shifting his weight while preparing to stand.

In an instant, the weapon was in his hand, and since it was already pointed in the general direction of the First Officer, raising it enough only took an instant…

Unfortunately for the Captain, the First's Precog was screaming at him. With reflexes that only he possessed, he drew, spun and fired, all in one blindingly fast motion…

Have a goodun;

Roust