There are 6 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [USS CAPRICORN] Back in the Swing of Things
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. Ending of Post RE: [DL-W] The Gaslight Effect
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3. The Smallest of Talks II (JP)
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
4. [DL-W] To everything there is a season...
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
5. [DL-J] Leap Ahead - And Never Retreat! (Jump Post)
From: trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
6. DLJ: Battle Lines
From: "Andrew F." <asiafish@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 05:19:45 -0400
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [USS CAPRICORN] Back in the Swing of Things
MD 2
0900
It felt good to get dressed into his uniform instead of that backless
thing that he'd been wearing that didn't even come down to his knees.
He waived good-bye to the nurses and Ury strode out of sickbay.
He wasn't expected to report to duty until that afternoon, so thought
he'd go to his quarters to read any reports he might have missed. He
got
into the turbolift and directed it to Deck 7.
He walked down the familiar hallway. He turned at his door and slammed
right into it when it didn't slide open automatically.
"What the...?" He bounced back, rubbing his nose. He backed up and
walked more slowly toward the door, but again, it didn't open. He put
his palm against the padd on the wall, but the door still did not
slide
open. He double checked that he was the right one, and then in
exasperation, "Computer, Security override!
Rogan-Delta-Seven-Sigma-Seven-Nine-Nine," Ury announced to the
computer
and the door slid open.
He exhaled in exasperation and walked in. He went straight toward his
desk and stopped in surprise. A petite, blond woman was sitting with
her back to him. The view sparked a flash of memory, or was it a
dream?
Sonata!
He didn't stop to ask how she had come to be in his quarters, he was
just so happy that she was there. He moved quickly to come up behind
her and planted a kiss on the delicious curve of her neck.
It took him completely by surprise when she screamed.
Ensign Arlin Jacana sprung from her seat as if shocked. She spun
around
and stared into the startled face of a young man standing in her
quarters.
He was so surprised that it wasn't Sonata that he didn't even duck
when
she hauled back and swung a fist right at his chin. And she screamed
again.
"Who are you!?" They both yelled.
"What are you doing in my quarters!?" They both yelled.
And they stared at each other as both tried to understand what had
happened.
"Your quarters?" Arlin asked and Ury stepped back, taking a good look
around.
He recognized the stain on the carpet, the scrapes on the edge of the
desk. No, he was sure that he had not entered the wrong place. "What
do
you mean your quarters! These are my quarters!"
"But... but I moved in here when it was vacated!" Arlin stated.
"Vacated? I was in the sickbay, not dead!" Ury exclaimed.
"Oh!" Arlin's eyes widened, then she started to giggle, "You're Ury
Rogan! They said you'd taken a blow to the head."
Ury stared at her, "Well you know who I am, and you have me at a
disadvantage, for I'm sure I don't know you."
"I'm Ensign Arlin Jacana, zoology," she grinned, "And you were
promoted,
weren't you?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Ury Rogan."
"Chief of Security?" She asked.
"Yes...?" He didn't know where she was going with this, but she
obviously found this more amusing then he did.
"Well, obviously you don't recall that as the Chief of Security you
are
no longer a junior officer?"
Ury blinked. Then he swallowed. "Oh my.... Ensign, I am..." He
closed his eyes and shook his head, "mortified."
"Computer, where are the quarters of the Chief of Security?" Arlin
asked.
*The quarters for the Chief of Security are on Deck 15,* the computer
complied.
Ury backed out of the door, his face a dark shade of red. "My
apologies, ensign."
When he got into the hallway he broke and ran for the turbolift.
Thankfully it opened and he dove in. Gasping he called out, "Deck
15!"
---
1250
He'd reviewed the reports and the new mission directives. He had
never
heard of the Marin system, and when he went to look it up, he was
surprised to find that nothing was in the data banks either. Nothing.
And that set a lot of alarm bells ringing. Nothing indicated that
something had been there and that something was being hidden. He used
his security authorization and found a few items, including a report
that had a familiar name. Istria.
Something had happened there before, something that had led to this
file
being classified. His eyes narrowed as he began to wonder what he'd
find when they got there. Never too soon to start getting his people
ready for whatever threats they might find, though.
He left his new quarters, smiling now at the embarrassing situation
he'd
found himself in earlier. He hoped Ensign Jacana would forgive him.
What could he have made him think that she was Sonata? Thinking of
Sonata left a warm feeling and a smile on his face as he thought of a
beach and a woman in starlight.
Shaking his head to clear it of the amazingly vivid vision he
continued
to the turbolift that would take him to the bridge.
---
1300
The door hissed open and he emerged onto the familiar bridge. He
walked
slowly to his station and relieved Lt. Cenuij, the Vulcan woman who
was
there. It felt good to be back on the bridge.
"Welcome back Rogan," the captain smiled. "Join me in my ready room."
"Yes, Sir!" Rogan nodded as Cenuij moved back over to retake the
station as Ury followed Avi through the door.
"Let me bring you up to speed," Avi began as they settled down.
[TAG: Josh. What does Ury need to know?]
---
Summary:
MD 2
O900 Ury is released from sickbay. He heads to his quarters since he
isn't due on the bridge until 1300. Unfortunately, he doesn't think
clearly about the fact that he was promoted when he was planet-side.
When he gets to Deck 7 the door to *his* quarters doesn't open, and
when
he uses his security override, he discovers a young woman there, who
insists that it is her quarters. She points out that the Chief of
Security's quarters are on Deck 15.
1250 Ury finishes reviewing reports and the mission specs, only to
discover there is a lot that he doesn't know. However, he catches a
familiar name: Istria.
1300 Ury reports to the bridge and is greeted by Avi.
---
Respectfully submitted:
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Lt. Ury Rogan, Chief of Security/Tactical.
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 06:54:48 -0400
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: Ending of Post RE: [DL-W] The Gaslight Effect
NRPG: Due to a cutting error, the ending of the post lost a few
lines..
RPG:
The grinning face of Cedric was sufficient. Without her ears, she
could
hear his chuckle. She rose steadily to her feet, desperately wrapping
her dignity about her. She was the Warrenlady's courier, she was the
daughter and granddaughter of bards and dammit, he still owed her from
the last hand of whist! "Was there something?"
"Obviously I interrupted *something*." Cedric mouthed and then
snickered, and said aloud for Mahti to hear, "Excuse my interruption,
Miss Eleanora, but I was not searching you out. I was sent to find the
bard."
Calling upon reserves of frost she'd only ever had call to use on her
brother, Eleanora glared Cedric into silence. "You've found him," she
said sternly.
Mahti was looking apologetically at Eleanora and didn't see the
messenger's unvoiced comments, but he knew that all hope of regaining
what they had just experienced was gone; the moment shattered. Making
sure she was looking toward him, Mahti expressed his regret with his
eyes, as he murmured, "I should attend the Prince."
Eleanora nodded silently. She wasn't quite sure why she felt like
bursting into tears - or curses, either seemed a fine choice - but she
was sure if she spoke, the urge would win. A few moments peace in the
garden would set her right, she was sure and give her time to fix her
hair besides.
She watched Mahti walk away, trailing after the pompous messenger. He
paused at the bend in the path and glanced over his shoulder for one
brief moment, before vanishing into the darkness.
* Arlene.
[This message contained attachments]
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 11:40:45 -0500
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: The Smallest of Talks II (JP)
Day 12
lunch- early afternoon
dining hall
"Eleanora." Ash had brought food, but it was a front; he wasn't hungry
at all. Neither, it appeared, was she. "May I sit here?"
Shifting her food back and forth across her plate, Eleanora decided
that her stomach was simply too unsettled to try and eat. Just as
she'd decided to give it up as a lost cause and change her hiding
place from this corner to her office a shadow fell across the table.
Curious, she glanced upwards and felt her insides shrivel.
His use of her name only confirmed that he must remember her - dashing
one of her hopes. His presence in front of her dashed the other one.
Avoiding him was apparently not an option. Between her mother's strict
upbringing on manners and Cara's non-stop lecture on NOT being shy,
there were simply no choices. Despite her wanting to forget Telnor
and anything that reminded her of it, there was only one polite
response. She managed a weak smile and a nod.
He sat and a long, uncomfortable silence descended. At length her
nerve broke and El raised her hands to sign as bland a greeting as
possible when she realized that Ash'chenon probably didn't sign and
her hands sank down into her lap. She would have to speak. After
several swallows, she managed a barely audible murmur. "So,
Ash'chenon, uh...what brings you to Whiteriver?"
Ash blinked in suprise; he had no idea that Eleanora was deaf.
But the position of her hands, the way she looked at his lips
(when it was obvious she didn't want to face him at all), it was
unmistakable. He raised his hands.
+I can sign,+ he worked out slowly. +Just not very well.
H'nry taught me.+
He took a breath. "You remember
Wyndamenth," he said. "We tried a lot of different
things, when I was learning to talk to her. She's remarkably
intelligent... she picked up spoken words even as we were
tapping out codes." He looked down, then remembered that
he had to keep his head up. "She's... sick. I couldn't wait any
longer. She needs a dragonhealer."
He looked up and around, significantly. "I heard you had left
Telnor," he said. "I was... occupied, of course. I hardly expected
to find you here."
Eleanora had started to relax when he started to sign - clumsily,
true, but
then H'nry hadn't been all that great at it either - when he mentioned
Telnor. She couldn't quite forestall a wince and shut her eyes for a
moment, trusting he'd recognized her deafness and not try to talk
more. It
took several deep breaths for her to control the rush of shame before
she
could open her eyes and try to meet his.
It was only the pain in his own eyes that kept her from simply getting
up
and walking away. "Yes, I did. As soon as training was finished."
She
tried to keep her voice firm, as though to end the subject, and not
break to
display her weakness, but since she couldn't hear it, she couldn't be
sure
it'd worked.
"I'm sorry to hear about Wyndameth," she added a moment later, her
voice -
though she didn't know it - ringing with her sincerity. "Ari is one
of the
best dragonhealers in all the lands, she'll fix it." Her brow
wrinkled a
moment and then she added, clearly puzzled. "But...um, you and
Wyndameth
aren't uh...well, joined. Did you manage to learn speech well enough
that
you could tell how she feels?"
Ash'chenon gave no sign to her reaction, patiently waiting until
she had opened her eyes and switched the subject. His own
expression was as reserved as ever.
One thing was right, he thought. There was no hatred here.
"I've always been able to tell how she feels," he said after a
moment. "We worked through the issues with communication.
But out there... it's another thing that has to be explained.
We read each other's thoughts now, just like a joined pair. I
don't understand it. I don't even know if it had to do with her
being sick." He looked away, looked back. "I don't even know
if it will last, once she recovers."
Eleanora chewed her lip, trying to come up with words that would
neither
hurt further nor simply be idiotic. It wasn't easy. She remembered
hearing
that he'd been a rider once and lost his dragon, before he'd found
Wyndameth - who Cara pointed out had lost a rider - and she couldn't
even
begin to imagine that pain. Then to have a second chance - a surprise
second chance, that you couldn't even trust ...?
Without thinking, she laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Well, let's
get
her well first and worry about bigger problems as they come," she
murmured,
wishing desperately she had her mother's skill with saying just the
right
thing.
As her hand closed on his arm, he moved a fraction, murmuring
a protest; for just a fleeting moment, she actually felt that expected
pain, the memory of being lost, alone, the comforting presence of
a soul-mate in her mind suddenly gone. It was like an abyss had
widened under her feet. There was also suprise, a feeling of shame
that she recognized all too well... fear, the worry of being alone
again... and guilt, mind-numbing guilt. Was... this... what he
dealt with every day, every moment?
And then something clamped down, the emotions suddenly
cut off, his mind back in control. His eyes looked away a
moment, then back into hers. There was no apology in them.
"I hope they can make her well," he said, side-stepping what had
just happened. "I hope that I didn't wait too long, bringing her
here."
Eleanora swallowed and tried to regain her equilibrium. A moment ago,
she'd've willingly sworn that she couldn't possibly begin to imagine
the
horror he went through - now, all of sudden, she could.
And she wished she still couldn't.
Seeking refuge in inanities, she murmured softly, "Ari really is a
very good
healer and Dalmar....He studied at Tinobal and he's supposed to
talented..."
She trailed off, thinking of how often Dalmar seemed to get HURT
healing
dragons. "He certainly is dedicated. I'm sure they can take car--"
She,
stopped suddenly and made a moue of disgust. "Platitudes," she
muttered.
With an effort, she raised her eyes from Ash's mouth to meet his eyes
squarely - hoping she wouldn't see any more of what he'd somehow shown
her
earlier - and spoke further. This time when she spoke, her voice was
clear
and firm, if still very quiet. "You know I can't promise you that
she'll
get well. No more than I could promise you that it will be easier
here than
at..Telnor." Her voice stumbled slightly on the name of her former
warren,
but she shrugged it off. "I wish I could. I *can* promise you that
they
will do everything in their power to help Wyndameth."
There was a brief pause and then she added, with a deprecatory snort.
"And,
for what it's worth, I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"Thank you, Eleanora," he said. He tried to smile, found that he
couldn't. "I'll need that help. Believe me." He looked down at his
food, shook his head slightly. "Still haven't quite got the desire to
eat... I think I'd better check on Wyn. It's been a whirlwind of
meetings for me already, and the day is only half over." He reached
out, hesitantly, put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you around."
Respectfully submitted by
Allen and Katrina
Summary: Ash meets with Eleanora; they start with a very
awkward beginning, but leave on friendly terms.
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:12:25 -0500
From: Allen Veazey <veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-W] To everything there is a season...
>Tatiana lowered her sword and said in a soft, though incredibly icy
voice to Ash, "If you stay a single day longer than your dragon needs
to
heal, she'll be carrying you in a sack instead of a saddle". With
that
she spun on her good leg and strode purposefully out the door, her
limp
very prominent, but not slowing her any. As she approached the door
she
lunged slightly impaling the tip of her sword through a small oil lamp
that sat on a shelf, shattering it to pieces and walking on out the
door.
>Merissa looked apologetically toward Ash, and then quickly hurried
after
the trainer.
Ash'chenon simply stood and watched both of them leave. As Merissa
caught up with Tatiana and began their conversation, he turned and
walked to where the trainer had spitted the small lamp. Kneeling, he
began to pick up the broken pieces.
"Let us hope," he said dryly, "that I never resemble a lamp anytime
soon."
"Why didn't you defend yourself?" Gob said. "Why didn't you draw
your sword?"
"Not necessary," Ash said.
"She almost had a sword at your throat!"
"But was unwilling to kill a dragon, don't you see? Wyn will suicide
if
I die, joined or no... we've had that argument before. The price of
fighting was too high. She was trying to scare me off. No honor was
lost on either side." He tried to smile. "Someday she may truly
challenge me, and I'll have to decide what to do. I don't want her
blood, or her dragon's, on my hands." He stood, brought the remains
of the lamp to Pav'lo.
"Someday, we may have to fight. Chances are, we'll both be killed...
I would have thought we were beyond such foolishness."
_____________________
>"I thought the Bear Nomads were wiped out?" Ash'chenon asked.
>"Very nearly so. The four of us are all that are left." Dru'Kar
explained.
>"Soon there will be five!" Gob added, then noted the vial which hung
as a
pendant from Xanthia's neck. "What's that."
>Xanthia's eyes suddenly turned sad again. "No, Gob," she answered
softly,
"there won't."
>"You lost the baby?"
>Xanthia nodded in answer to the boy's question. "But this vial you
asked
about contains the baby's ashes, so I can carry them close to my heart
the
rest of my life."
Ash bowed. "I grieve for you," he said. "I hope that someday,
things will be different." His expression did not soften, but he
said, "I lost a child, once. I know that there are few other things
to compare to such a blow. I am sorry."
nrpg: tags to Eddie and Morgie and maybe Arlene...
Allen Veazey
veazeyae@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
and Wyndamenth
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:14:15 EDT
From: trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[DL-J] Leap Ahead - And Never Retreat! (Jump Post)
Tara
(Early evening, day 20)
The Warrenlady stood at the edge of the beach, watching the
preparations
of the Maritime Wing. Riders were hurrying to load the necessary
tools,
weapons, and other supplies onto their seadragons. These were, for
the most part,
carried in waterproof packs that attached to the saddle straps and
were a
marvel of craftsmanship because each had to be individually designed
and tailored
- not only for a particular dragon, but for a particular spot to be
attached.
This was because of the necessity that they be formfitting and be as
streamlined as possible so as not to impede the water flow across the
dragon's hide.
These had been Tanami's suggestion, having discovered by trial and
error
during the time she and Kethriss had spent on their own that
projecting objects of
any sort could slow a dragon's underwater speed significantly.
She looked over and saw Corwin approaching her. "I thought you'd
be
down there checking over every dragon and rider personally to make
sure they
passed muster," she said with a smile on her face.
Corwin returned the smile. "And so I might have, not so long
ago...until
I was minded of the fact that as Wingleader, I'm in somewhat the same
position that a Captain of a ship would be. And a Captain who has to
run pell-mell
across his decks to make sure every tar is doing his job isn't much of
a
Captain, eh?"
Tara nodded. "In other words, you've finally decided to take my
advice
and delegate?
"To an extent," he conceded. "Both Tanami and Keer are very
knowledgeable of the sea, if a little less so about warren ways.
Tanami works tirelessly
and does all she's told, but needs to work on her leadership. I want
to
start her on that road during these maneuvers."
"And Keer?" Tara asked.
"That one is a real officer-sort, you can tell he's got a military
background," Corwin replied. "Just needs to make up his mind that he
can be an
officer in our service without betraying his own people."
Tara nodded and gazed out over the vast, calm expanse of ocean
that
stretched out infinitely before them. "His people are what worry me,"
Tara said.
"And him, too, I'm sure. I want to believe that Emperor Toru wants
peace,
but..." She shook her head and waved a hand at the vast defensive
emplacements
whose construction Hsina had overseen during the past several weeks.
"I'd like
to believe such things are unnecessary, but I don't know."
"Nor do I," Corwin admitted. "But we're between the devil and
the deep
blue sea here. You can't give the Emperor the...well, the
you-know-what...or
despite his best intentions, he'd become the sort of tyrant who'd
eventually
attack us just because he could."
"Absolute power corrupting absolutely," Tara said glumly. To her
knowledge, the only ones who actually knew the present location of the
Scepter of
Ythfaru were herself, Dolfis Seathief, and perhaps one or two members
of the
pirate's crew. Well, she *had* dispatched a rider to carry Dolfis to
Haven with
the damned thing, but G'ret had no knowledge of why he was taking
Dolfis
there. Her preference, were it possible, would have been to simply
destroy the
Scepter once and for all...but the scholar Rellik, Leviathan's rider
and Tanami's
uncle, had warned against any such course of action. The Scepter
would be
extremely difficult to destroy, he'd told her - if Kataani legends
were true, it
was made by the hand of the God Ythfaru himself, and gods built things
to
last. And even if it were destroyed, he'd told her, the consequences
would be
both far reaching and difficult to foresee. For instance, if the
power the
Scepter contained were simply released in an uncontrolled fashion by
the Scepter's
destruction, who could say what destruction that power might wreak?
Tara
herself had seen the Scepter shatter a hurricane that had been bearing
down on
the warren. So, to her, the Scepter of Ythfaru was like a snake that
you were
holding by the neck - you didn't want to keep it, but couldn't let it
go
without endangering yourself.
She shook her head to bring herself back to the present. "For
the
present, I'm sure there's no need to worry," Corwin was saying. "Even
if the
Emperor does mean to do something, it's unlikely he'll do it with his
own daughter
still here in the warren."
"That's true," Tara admitted. "So, how long do you plan to be
gone?"
To tell the truth, it did make her a bit nervous to have Corwin's
entire wing
out to sea and out of touch with the warren for any length of time,
despite the
obvious strength of the warren's defenses.
"Just till tomorrow night, or the following morning at the
latest," he
replied. "Depends on how well things go. "I was hoping to experiment
with
having the wing operate in separate detachments, let Tanami lead one
and Keer the
other." He rubbed his chin. "Tara, I know Ansel's been a rider longer
than
most, and I should be considering him for a command, but..."
"But you're not sure about him yet, I know," Tara said. "Just
because
he's my brother doesn't mean he needs to be placed over the other
riders, you
know that."
Corwin nodded. "And then there's him and Belarade..."
"I know," she said before he could say more. Even though the two
of them
weren't mates - and Tara wasn't really sure what Ansel's and Bel's
future
plans in that respect were - Ansel had more or less taken over the
"family" duties
that should, as she saw it, have been the responsibility of Gus'
Wingsecond,
Ce'lot. The need to have one or the other rider in the warren at any
given
time caused scheduling problems for both Wingleaders, which did
nothing to help
the tensions that had sprung up over Dylan's helping Gus with her
paperwork.
They had managed to work things out amicably so far, and now that
Tyler
Grouty's hand was healing up Tara expected that he could resume the
duties that
Dylan had been helping with. Possibly even with helping Gus with her
"studies."
She made a mental note to check up on how Gus was progressing on
those.
Right now, both Ansel and Dylan were down below with their
dragons. She
scanned the faces she could make out from here in the waning light and
could
see Keer standing just behind Dylan, apparently giving her advice on
attaching
one of the supply packs to Dru's saddle. She recognized the Kataani
girl
Clowie, and Raven's pale features a bit farther off...and there too
was Dakhrau,
another possible leadership candidate. Though she and Corwin had
never
discussed it, she knew that they both shared the hope that one day
they'd have enough
seadragons for two full wings instead of just one. Right now the
entire
existing wing was here, although... Tara scanned the faces of the
riders again,
and came up two short. Hsina, of course, couldn't come, her main job
now was
overseeing the defense of the warren. But where was Eliase? She
asked Corwin
about that.
Corwin shook his head. "She's with Hsina right now. Hsina asked
to
have her here right now. Normally I wouldn't go for that, but she
*is* just out
of the med center, and this is going to be a strenuous exercise.
Also,
Riyanne can help Keeza maintain contact with us should something come
up."
"Good thinking," Tara said. "I'd better let you get back to your
preparations. Good luck!"
"Thank you," said the Wingleader with a slight bow. "Let's hope
things
go well - if we're lucky enough, we might even find a ship or two to
save from
wraiths or pirates."
(Tag Arlene - time to cast off?)
* * * * * * *
Ansel
He had Khamorray all saddled up and ready to go, but when he saw
Bel
standing at the edge of the trees that fringed the beach, he quickly
sprinted in
her direction. He knew Khamorray would tell him when Corwin gave the
order for
the riders to mount up. He saw that she had brought Rownan with her,
and
took the baby from her arms for a quick cuddle. "Will you two be all
right?" he
asked.
"Yes," she replied. "Although...Gus has the entire wing on ready
alert...that means that if she gives the order, we'd all have 5
minutes to get to
our dragons."
Ansel nodded. "I'd heard that," he said. "A sign of the times,
I'm
afraid...well, it probably won't happen while I'm gone..."
"But if it does?" she asked. "We haven't made any
arrangements..."
"Maybe it's time we did," he suggested gently. "Bel, I'm no more
anxious than you are to have anyone but the two of us taking care of
Rownan, even
for a little while. But we may be at war soon, and there's a
possibility that
we may both be on duty at once. Perhaps now is the time to start
thinking
about such things."
"Right now?" she asked, looking worried.
"Or we can do it when I get back," he said, and leaned over to
kiss her.
"I don't think anything will happen before then."
(Tag Taylor - heh, of course, Ansel could be a bit optimistic on the
timing
here...)
* * * * * *
Tara
After leaving Corwin, she went back to her office to check on some
reports. As always, it seemed to take longer than she'd planned, and
she belatedly
realized that she was meeting Kay at the dining hall. She hoped, of
course, to
meet him someplace more private later on, like their private
quarters...but
with luck, the place wouldn't be too crowded at this hour. It was,
after all,
an hour or so past the normal dinnertime ended. She hurried out of
the office
and made her way across the green. She found Kalewyn already at a
table,
with two food trays.
*I guessed what you'd want,* he told her in sign language. *Was I
right?*
"What, none of my special salted fish?" she asked teasingly, making
sure
to keep her face toward him so he could see her lips.
*For some unknown reason, that hasn't been added to the menu
here,* Kay
told her, faking a helpless shrug. *But don't worry, I still put a
bottle of
wine in our quarters for later tonight...and if you aren't really
thirsty from
eating that salty fish, maybe we can think of something else to do.*
"Oh, what should we do, do you think?" she asked, leaning forward
across
the table and gazing into his eyes.
*I asked Sabbith for ideas, and he thinks I should paint you
again,* Kay
said, shrugging. *Well, you know how dragons are, they aren't much on
romantic ideas.*
"You can paint Sabbith tomorrow, if he likes paint so much," Tara
laughed. *Let's paint him silver and Varaenna red so they can each
see what they
look like to the other!"
Kay smiled at this. *That sounds like a good idea!*
[Not to me,] Varaenna rumbled in her head.
"Oh, that reminds me," Tara said, "I was talking to Hsina about an
idea
for some signaling flags for the soldiers to use..." She started to
reach for
it, but then realized that she didn't have it with her. "Oh,
darn...can you
wait just a moment while I dash back and get it?"
*Yes, but it's not that important that you can't eat first, is
it?* Kay
gently prompted her.
She nodded and laughed softly to herself. "You're right, it
isn't. Like
everyone else, I'm jumping at shadows these days. The flags can wait
an hour
or so while we eat, can't they?"
Kalewyn nodded, and leaned over to fill her glass.
* * * * * *
Same time, just north of the warren
Kasuma the tracker stopped, raising his hand to signal the five
Kataani
following him to stop likewise. They had come ashore the night
before, several
miles north of the warren, and spent the entire night moving swiftly
and
silently southward, keeping a ways inland and away from the beaches -
which,
Kasuma knew, would be closely watched.
He motioned the others to gather round him. "We will enter the
warren
when it is fully dark. Then we will proceed to our target. Remember
that
elimination of the target is vital to the success of our overall
operation. We
must succeed, at any cost. Princess Kiyomi must not live to see the
dawn."
"We do not have any current intelligence reports from within
Jasra
Warren," Mokai pointed out. "I was here with Counselor Oga...I know
where the
medical facility is, but what if she is no longer there?"
"Leave that to me," said Kasuma. "Once we are within the warren,
I can
find her...wherever she is. Come, let us go!"
And once again, silently, the six Kataani made their way toward
the
warren, with Kasuma in the lead.
(Tag Kris - sounds like the Princess has an interesting evening in
store?)
* * * * * *
Tara
After finishing her meal, Tara left Kay waiting at the table and
hurried
back to her office. He had offered to accompany her, but she had
assured him
that she would return in just a moment with the signal flag designs -
he had
promised to have a glass of wine waiting for her when she got back.
Her
thought was that Kay, with his artistic talent, could improve upon the
designs
which could then be produced by others following his templates.
The building where her office was located was empty, and the
office was
dark. She opened the door and strode in, not bothering to light a
lamp. She
had spent so much time in here, she knew every square inch of it and
wasn't
worried about bumping into anything or tripping. She proceeded to her
desk and
lit the small desk lamp, knowing she'd need at least that much light
to find
the papers she was looking for. It was only then that she realized
that
something wasn't right. She suddenly had the feeling that she wasn't
alone.
She froze, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room. Her gaze
focused on
one corner, where she saw a shadow that should not have been there.
She slowly
moved a hand to grasp the heavy stone paperweight, ready to hurl it in
self-defense if necessary. "Who's there?" she demanded in a soft
voice.
(Tag Barb)
* * * * * * * *
Counselor Oga
In an undersea cavern, several miles offshore
Oga waited while Brigadier Sentari spread out the map before the
group
of conspirators. "The vanguard of the army is here," he said, drawing
a finger
in a curved line that roughly followed the shoreline in front of the
warren.
"General Nakamo's plan is to make a show of force here," he said,
stabbing
his finger down next to the large "X" that marked the warren's
position. "He
hopes that this will awe them sufficiently that they will give into
our demands."
Minister Yanai frowned. "And then what?" he demanded. "We all
know
that the Landers cannot meet this...particular demand. If General
Nakamo learns
the truth, learns that you have brought him and the army here under
false
pretenses, we will all be arrested."
"General Nakamo will not know the truth until it is too late,"
Oga said,
unconcerned. He peered closely at the map. "And your detachment?" he
asked,
looking at Brigadier Sentari.
"Here," the Brigadier said. "My brigade, reinforced by two others
from
the left wing of the army, will come ashore north of the warren, away
from the
new defenses that front the warren itself. They will do so in the
hours
before dawn, and with luck we will have cut the road linking Jasra
Warren and the
city of Cabral before any forces from the warren can move into
position to
defend it. Once we are in position there, we can hold the road with
only a
fraction of our forces."
"And the rest?" Yanai asked. "General Nakamo has issued orders
that you
then march south to outflank the defensive barriers."
Oga shook his head. "No," he said. "Here are *my* orders.
Brigadier,
once your force controls the road, you will advance in the direction
of the
place called...Haven."
"That is a long way," Sentari said dubiously.
"I do not even see it on the map," Minister Yanai said, looking
closely.
"It is far inland," said the Brigadier. "With my force of seven
thousand soldiers, I can reach it...but it will take time. Counselor
Oga, how will
you answer General Nakamo when he issues orders for my force to follow
his
original plan?"
"He will be busy until your force is too far along to be
recalled," said
Oga. "He will be attacking those formidable defenses the esteemed
Queenrider
Hsina has constructed in front of the beaches."
Both Sentari and Yanai gasped. "But...he isn't going to do
that!" Yanai
protested.
"No, not unless the Landers attack first," Sentari agreed. "And,
outnumbered as they are, they could not possibly do so. We have more
than
thirty-thousand, not counting my own force."
"General Nakamo is going to attack," Oga said simply. "He just
does not
know it yet. Colonel Tono?"
The Colonel, who had been silent up to this point, stepped
forward.
"Upon your signal, Counselor Oga, my regiment will attack the
defenses."
"Without orders?" Brigadier Sentari asked, shocked. "You'll be
court
martialed! And your thousand men...have you seen those beach
defenses? Without
support from the rest of the army, your force will be swallowed up
like
minnows going down the gullet of a shark!"
Oga turned his head to look at the Colonel. "Tell him what we
discussed, Colonel," he said.
Tono faced the higher-ranking officer. "Sir, it is true that we
would
be initially going forward unsupported. But I know the commanders of
the two
regiments to either side of mine, and it is my opinion that if we
initiate an
attack, they would move their forces forward in support...even without
an order
from the high command."
"And with three regiments fully committed, General Nakamo will
either
have to order a full attack - which will overpower the defenses and
drive into
the warren itself - or go in person to pull back the attacking units.
He will
not likely be worried about your force at that point, Brigadier."
"But everything is contingent upon General Nakamo and the army
high
command believing that the Emperor and his party are still within
Jasra Warren,"
said Minister Yanai. "We know he is not...but that Princess Kiyomi
is. All
they need do is produce her, and her words will be enough to undo all
of our
plans. Worse, Counselor, she will surely denounce you as a traitor."
"She could, if she were alive," said Oga. "But that is being
taken care
of even as we speak. Before the night is out, Princess Kiyomi will no
longer
be around to trouble us. Oh, and one more detail. Brigadier, has the
special attack unit been detached for their mission?"
"Yes, Counselor, it has," Brigadier Sentari replied. "They have
orders
to find and capture Dolfis Seathief."
"My orders were passed on exactly?" Oga demanded.
The Brigadier nodded. "Word for word, sire. Dolfis Seathief is
to be
taken alive...his crew and vessel are to be dealt with at the
discretion of the
force commander."
"Very good," said Counselor Oga. "And so, tomorrow morning, it
begins."
* * * * * *
Next Morning, Day 1
Early Morning
Tara had hurried out onto the green at Varaenna's warning. By
the time
she got there, she could already see an armor-clad Hsina waiting
there,
listening to a very worried-looking Eliase. "What is it?" the
Warrenlady asked.
"Riyanne got a message from Syngnath," Eliase said. "Corwin
reports
that the wing has come upon a large number of Kataani, well out to
sea. They
appear to be soldiers."
Hsina nodded. "Keeza has spoken to Syngnath too. He says the
situation
is confused. There may have been a skirmish with elements of the
wing...he
is trying to determine exactly what has happened, and will report
again when he
knows. In the meantime, he urges that the warren be placed on full
battle
alert. I have already given the orders to do so."
Tara nodded, then caught movement out of the corner of her eye.
She
turned and saw Gus sprinting across the green, with Ce'lot and Tyler
close
behind. The short Wingleader skidded to a stop in front of Tara's
group.
"Warrenlady, there's trouble!" Gus said. "Jerram and Seydor was out
scoutin' this
mornin,' and Seyd just told Loki somethin' about seein' soldiers
comin' ashore."
She looked at Hsina. "We got any more troops comin up from Lord
Grouty in
Cabral?"
"If there are, I have not been informed," Hsina answered. "And I
doubt
Lord Grouty is feeling so generous as to..."
She stopped speaking as Seydor teleported in almost directly
overhead.
The dragon executed a tight turn and landed just in front of them.
Jerram had
vaulted off his back even before the dust had begun to settle.
"They're
coming!" he said without preamble. "The Kataani...thousands of them!"
"Thousands?" Tara asked, astonished. "Where??" Tyler was
already
unrolling a map on the green, and they all knelt down to study it.
"Right here," said Jerram, pointing to a spot about ten miles
north of
Jasra. "Where the Jasra-Cabral Road is only a couple of miles from
the shore."
"Why there?" Tara wondered. "Why not here?"
"To cut the road between here and Cabral," Hsina answered. "If
they can
block that road, all supplies and additional troops would have to be
ferried
in on dragonback."
"That may not be all," said Jerram. "This map doesn't show it
clearly,
but there's a small road going inland through those mountains - and it
intersects the main north-south road directly inland from where the
Kataani are
coming ashore. If they can get a column onto that road, they could
flank us to the
North, and get behind us to take Hasharon as well. And from there,
they
could go pretty much anywhere they chose."
"That road junction just be held at all costs," Tara said.
"Hsina, how
quickly could your troops get there...?" She was interrupted by the
wailing of
alarms from the direction of the beach.
"My troops cannot go there at all," the Assyrian answered.
"Those
alarms mean that where Jerram saw them is not the only place the
Kataani are coming
ashore. They are here too!"
"I want Princess Kiyomi here now!" Tara said angrily. "Someone
has a
lot of explaining to do!" Then the group ran up to the ramparts of
the warren's
seaward side to see what had raised the alarm. They all stopped and
stared,
stunned by what they saw.
Offshore, just beyond Hsina's defensive perimeter, a large
formation of
Kataani soldiers was visible. Only their heads and the tops of their
spears
were visible above water, but even that was an impressive sight. They
were
deployed in a huge box formation, but a closer look showed that the
box was
actually comprised of a group of smaller rectangular formations, each
precisely
aligned with those around it.
"Each rectangle has a hundred soldiers," Hsina said. "And there
are
five such rectangles facing out perimeter."
"And the box is five rectangles deep," Jerram said. "So that big
box is
twenty-five hundred soldiers."
"Um, I got some other bad news," said Gus. "Come look at this!"
Tara and the others came over to where she stood, and gasped as
they saw
what she had. A second box had appeared alongside the first...and
then yet
another on the far side. One after another the huge box formations
appeared,
until they stretched out as far as the eye could see from shore.
"I can't make them all out," said Jerram. "But if all those
boxes are
the same size as this one in front of us, than that means we're seeing
almost
twenty-thousand men out there."
"Our chance to strike is now," said Hsina. "While their heads
are above
water, a surprise strike by the dragons of Alpha Wing could burn many
of them
before they can attack."
"No," said Tara firmly. "No preemptive attacks. This *has* to be
a
mistake or misunderstanding of some sort." She clenched her fists in
frustration.
"Oh, where the hell is Princess Kiyomi??"
The answer came moments later, as Jonas hurried up to them. "The
Princess is gone!" he panted, out of breath from the exertion of
having run from the
other side of the warren. "No one has seen her since last night."
"I want her found!" said Tara. "Even if we have to turn the
warren
inside out to do it!" Then she turned to Gus and Jerram. "I'll send
a messenger
to Cabral...if they're not under attack, we'll need for them to
reinforce us
here. Jerram, was the force you saw this big?"
The Swordmaster shook his head. "No, nothing like this. But
still a
hell of a lot."
She put her hands on Gus' shoulders. "We need half of Alpha Wing
here
to hold the warren," she said. "I need you to take other half - and
however
many warrenfolk you can, armed with whatever - and hold that road
open. Can you
do it?"
(Tag KK - for both Gus and Dolfis, who might be having troubles of his
own at
this point?)
As Gus and Jerram departed on their mission, Tara and the others
saw a
large wooden raft being towed into position at the front of the
nearest troop
rectangle. A Kataani officer in an ornate uniform climbed onto the
raft,
followed by a half dozen other officers who all appeared to be of
lesser rank.
"I am General Nakamo, Commander of the First Army!" the officer
called
out. "In the name of the Imperial General Staff and the Council of
Ministers,
I am empowered to make the following ultimatum to the Warrenlady Tara
of
Jasra. Is she present?"
"She is!" Tara called down from the battlement. "What is your
message,
General?"
General Nakamo cleared his throat. "That you are to release the
person
of His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty Princess Kiyomi, His
Excellency Baron
Kiriisha, and the remainder of their party. If you fail to do so,
your warren
will be taken by assault. You have two hours!"
(Tag Andrew)
NRPG: Okay, let the fun begin! Just to clarify the timing, I started
things
off on the evening of day 20, and then started renumbering at day 1
for the
morning of the invasion. Well, let's all go save the warren! :)
Submitted by:
John
Warrenlady Tara & Varaenna
Ansel & Khamorray
Jerram & Seydor
Tanami & Kethriss
Jasra Warren
Summary:
Day 20, evening:
Tara speaks to Corwin on the beach, as he prepares to take the
Maritime Wing
out on an overnight maneuver.
Belarade comes to the beach to see Ansel off, and they talk while
waiting
for the order to saddle up.
Tara meets Kay for dinner, then goes back to her office where she
realizes
that someone is waiting in the shadows.
A squad of Kataani loyal to Counselor Oga come ashore and enter the
warren
with orders to kill Princess Kiyomi
Counselor Oga and his co-conspirators meet offshore to discuss their
plans.
Morning, Day 1:
Hsina and Eliase tell Tara that their dragons have heard a report from
Syngnath that the maritime wing has apparently encountered Kataani
soldiers
offshore. Jerram returns from a scouting trip to report that
thousands of Kataani are
coming ashore north of the warren to cut them off from Cabral, just as
a
massive force appears off the warren itself. Tara orders Gus to hold
the vital
road junction, and Hsina to defend the warren itself. The commander
of the
Kataani army delivers an ultimatum to Tara and the others.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 6
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 21:18:53 -0700
From: "Andrew F." <asiafish@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: DLJ: Battle Lines
Hsina looked on calmly at the army that was at their gates, so to
speak.
"That is the sort of army that I'm accustomed to" she said, not in
awe, but
more like in remembrance of better, or at least different days.
"If the Alpha wing superheats the water in the bay, it will force the
Kataani to surface and attack from the beach. The North approach is
much
more rugged, so only a narrow collumn can approach, so we need to
concentrate our defenses to the South" Hsina said, adding "that is
where the
bulk will land if given the chance."
She added "My veterans can hold the North approach with one or two
land
dragons for support, you will need to deploy the Alpha wing to the
South,
its too wide for my men to defend."
Tara then turned back to Hsina. "And if you heat the water, what do
you
estimate the casualties to be? Among the kataani in the water, I
mean."
"If five dragons heated the bay, it would boil anyone in the water to
death
in minutes, only those who retreated or made it to the beach would
survive,
and those would be badly weakened."
Tara clenched her fists. "Then we must hold off doing that, at least
until
we have a better idea of their intentions. From what we've heard
about the
size of their empire, this could be just the tip of the iceberg.
The five
dragons will be at your disposal, but if there's to be a pre-emptive
attack,
it will be on my order."
"If you plan on talking to them, I am going with you" Hsina said, her
tone
made it clear that she wasn't asking.
Tara nodded. "I wouldn't go without you," she said.
"Then I'm going too," said Lecia, though there was a touch of
uncertainty in
her voice.
"No," said Tara. "If we're wrong, and neither Hsina nor I come back,
then at
least one of the queenriders needs to be here to take command."
Lecia nodded and stayed back as Tara and Hsina walked down the steps
that
led to the beach. Suddenly, Tara stopped. "Look," she said to Hsina.
"It's him...!"
Hsina's gaze locked on Oga immediately. "Whatever else happens, that
man
will not live to see tomorrow."
Summary:
Tara and Hsina talk before going down to make an attempt at dialog
Andrew F.
Hsina and Keeza
and
John Pepper
Tara and Varaenna
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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