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Stories from the Verse
In Version
Chapter 91: Beam 183
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Kondor 242
It took Beam one second to make the connection between his name and Light-bringer.
“Rise, loyal subject.” Bob was translating; he thought to his psychic companion that the rest needed to be just between him and the little green officer of something or other. “Now, tell me about your military, and who’s in charge.”
The officer stood and began a brief: “Emperor, we have close to a one-billion seventy-three million seven hundred forty-one thousand eight hundred twenty-four colonists densely packed into the many apartments and hallways of the Seeker. To provide general security, we have the Force Military, of which I am a Lieutenant of a five hundred twelve. The Imperial Guard are tough bruisers who wield repulsor pikes for close-in combat, and wear energy shielding yellow vests.”
Puzzled by the odd numbers Bob had given him and the fact that the corresponding words spoken by the officer were considerably shorter, Beam realized that the aliens had a different numbering system. The officer was giving him what were round numbers in his world, and Bob was translating them as precise values.
Beam glanced over at three of the first twenty who still wore yellow vests. They did have a slightly more muscular appearance than the others.
“Commando Teams you would have met on the planet surface, but they have the best training and weapons with anti gravity grenades, repulsor rifles, repulsor knives, and vest armor in black that can take energy or physical strikes. We lost a lot of them in the attack on the planet. The Floor Control Officers are more lightly trained in military matters, but serve also as liaison and control over each floor with probably the largest force, and are military reserves. There are fifty of them, or were, before your smallest killed that one. He was stubborn. Not all of them are, but some are.” Bob continued to translate as they talked. It was a militarized society with a lot of rules, but with such huge numbers in close confines things had to be highly organized. And while there was a Civilian Council that could do a number of things, including on a unanimous vote arrest the Ship’s Captain, that was not an issue. In time of war it was suspended. The little green men definitely considered themselves to be at war.
“So,” Beam said, “who does everyone think is in charge at this point? Who do I have to see to make my authority official?”
Several of the LGMs (Beam thought “little green men” too long a name) looked at each other, and then an answer came. “We know that Captain Flibbage and First Officer Commander Dolcrin were on the bridge when it was destroyed. No one has heard from Second Officer Commander Reedkin since he led a team to stop your commandos headed for the bridge, and he has been presumed dead, although his body has not yet been identified and he might have made it to the bridge and been blown into space with the others. Lieutenant Commander Norax, Third Officer, has assumed command.”
“Then I suppose we really must go see him. I presume he is not on the bridge.” This last was intended as a barb, but after he said it Beam wasn’t sure it would come across. Still the officer indicated that he would escort Beam and his companions to meet him.
“We’ll pack our things, then. Everybody break camp, we’re moving,” he finished.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #491: Verser Ventures. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
