RoustWriter: Blog

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Down the hallway, Diana opened a door for them. "You may use this conference room as well as its facilities should you need them," she said.

"Perfect, Ma'am. Thank you," Baker responded as he waited for the women to enter the room in front of him. When Diana began to close the door on her way out, Baker thanked her again but asked that she leave the door open.

As soon as they were seated, but before the detectives could say anything more, Mrs. Tanaka spoke up, her voice quiet, but clear. "I assume that my husband has called the police with a story of my being kidnapped or something of that nature?" When the detectives didn't respond, she went on. "He has beaten me on many occasions, particularly in the last years of our marriage. I have endeavored to be a 'correct' wife, observing the old traditions, but I can no longer continue because of the way he is treating me. When he left for his men's club tonight, after threatening to beat me again when he returned, I talked with my daughter and she provided transportation here. I will not return to that place, nor will I be beaten again by the monster my husband has become. My daughter has suggested that I press charges against him, but I know it would be useless because the servants will say anything he orders them to say. They are as afraid of him as I am."

Kei spoke up. "Mother has remained loyal to my father for the better part of thirty years. He has always been quick to… 'discipline', as he refers to it, but she now tells me that the beatings that he calls 'discipline', have become frequent in the last few months. I left and divorced my husband for beating me. When I did, my father banished me from the family. Now, my mother has finally gained the courage and… the means to get away from him. This building is owned by the Matthews and is now my permanent home. They have welcomed Mother, and she finally had the opportunity to escape my father's control. I am certain that the Matthews will tell you that she is welcome here for as long as she wishes to stay."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...By the time the Sergeant had reviewed the recordings, Jasmine and the wolves had already gotten Morales out of the hole. The Sergeant sent a note to the General to inform him that Morales had done something to his shoulder when he fell into a hole. The Sergeant marked the vid where the General could easily review the point on the recording where Morales described his injury, as well as the rescue Jasmine had devised.

"Sir, among other things," he wrote in their interoffice e-mail, "you told me to report any incident that might seriously jeopardize Morales' ability to help protect Jasmine. He can still fire the rifle, but I doubt his ability to raise and hold it in a proper firing position. They mentioned a rotator cuff injury. If so, I am doubtful that he will be able to quickly fire on target if they are attacked. Of course, if they are attacked, the defensive shot might very well be from chest or belt height, and he seems still able to do that."

General Whitworth reviewed the recording, including the fall and subsequent rescue, before getting the Sergeant on the phone. "Let's just watch for now. They have both been enhanced. Let's see if Morales comes back from this on his own, but use your judgment. If at any time you think help is necessary for their survival, send it. I do not want to put Conners in any more risk than I can help. She has already proven invaluable, and is developing detailed information on the mental aspects of those wolves, Morales and herself almost daily. I think this is all, somehow, tied to the thing in the ice cave. She is using telepathy, or something similar, on a regular basis, and she seems to be getting better at it. She's smart as hell, and I think the best approach just now is to let her develop things at her own pace. I don't want to send in a team of eggheads too soon and have them screw up her research. But, I damn sure don't want to get her hurt, either, so if you feel they need help, fucking do not hesitate to send it, and just inform me about it afterward."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Then it dawned on him. If we had waited until tomorrow to contact Mrs. Tanaka, she might well have died, but surely the servants would have called an ambulance for her before that. A frown touched his face as his thoughts continued. That ass should be prosecuted for this, but will she sign a complaint? Shit! That won't work. There won't be any evidence after Ship heals her. That husband of hers is fucking insane. Kei has continued to tell us about his crazy behavior, but I thought she was exaggerating.

As he continued to sit thinking, Jeff realized that Kei's father was going to get away with what he had done. The servants will tell him about the phone call, then about her staggering outside, only to be gone when they checked a few minutes later. He will assume that someone helped her get away, and it won't be long before he thinks of Kei. The ass is bound to know that she's living with us, and practically everyone in Winter Park knows about the "rich man on the mountain with all the women", and he probably knows who Kei has been working for during the last months. Chances are he will claim that his wife has been abducted, and… mention that his daughter works for me, but he will fail to say anything about his having beaten his spouse almost to death. The bastard has money, and with money comes influence. Ten to one, I'm going to have police from Denver coming up here to investigate her disappearance. When they do, she will be in perfect health, so we can't even mention his having beaten her. Plus, if I wring the little fucker's neck, everyone is going to know who did it.

Somehow, we need to quieten this down until the whole thing blows over, then… I'll have a chat with this guy - a chat that will forever change his mind about beating on his wife....

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...The interceptor barreled toward the first platform at many times its relative speed, which would have caused someone not accustomed to the inertialess drive to have nightmares as the interceptor approached its target. Suddenly, they had matched speeds and orbital vectors, and were almost within touching distance as Jeff initiated the data dump to check the platform's readouts. "Dimensional power channel operating at one hundred percent. Targeting acquisition showing optimal. Stealth at one hundred percent. Shields optimal. All weapons on line. Friend or foe working properly, double-checked because it did not fire on us, although its AI detected us soon after our launch. Earth's satellites are also showing on the platform's board as friendly."

"Go," Jeff ordered even as Arlene left at maximum, only to stop shortly at the next platform, although it was several hundred miles away and thirty degrees out from the first platform's orbit, the positions of the platforms staggered in order to give maximum coverage for their weapons. Again, Jeff's analysis took only seconds as he repeated the process. "Go."

Each platform was roughly twenty feet across, a skeleton network of girders and dimensional power accumulators backing its twin beam weapons and its shields. Each weapon could fire independently, if need be, but would normally fire as part of a dual system, each firing in rotation. Each platform had limited movement to facilitate its survival if targeted by an enemy. Although its weapons would, presumably, do little against the aliens' mother craft, its concentrated fire should be able to destroy a Paladin if the system managed to lock on for a few seconds - at least, that was the theory.

In a lower orbit, the platforms would be closer to the Earth, and their concentration, therefore, denser, but that would mean that the aliens would be much nearer to the planet before the weapon platforms could engage them. The farther out the platforms were positioned, the better chance the Paladins could be destroyed before entering Earth's atmosphere, if the aliens came within range of the platforms. But… that would also mean that the platforms would be much farther apart, giving the aliens room to sneak between without the platforms being able to engage the enemy. A tradeoff that Jeff had to decide.

Shit, Ship needs more time. If she had a year, she could put up an almost impenetrable barrier of weapon platforms. If… if… if...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...A few minutes later, both still laughing as he told corny jokes, they walked onto the flight deck just as Arlene's interceptor settled to a stop in front of them.

"Everybody has their own interceptor except me," Jeff grumbled, somewhat good-naturedly, having lost his to a new team.

"And you know that Ship would never allow you to fly an interceptor in combat. You're a Prime… as you have just proven again and again during the last hour and a half," she said after glancing at her watch. "But, as you well know, it's not your good looks that Ship is protecting. She doesn't want to chance losing her Prime."

"And I have to sit home like an old lady," he grumped.

"Hah," she said with a giggle, "if sitting 'home' means commanding Ship in battle."

"Well, there is that," he agreed...

Have a goodun;

Roust