This new door opened to a seemingly identical room with nearly identical people.  Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, and a few mouths hanging open.  Beam repeated his questions, and they directed their gaze toward one of the men sitting at a solid styrofoam bench near a table.  He had plentiful curls in his white hair and short beard, and was the oldest of them.  He glared back weakly at the others, and then turning back to Beam sighed.  It was clear he did not wish to speak.

I am Old Ricky, supervisor of this section.  You are in the D-41 Resting Area.

Old Ricky, how did they get in? asked a middle aged female with a hand to her mouth.

I--I don t know, Lydia, he said.

Bron chuckled.  Beam narrowed his eyes.  This was weird.  Weird was unpredictable.  Unpredictable was dangerous.

Bob?

Strong general confusion. Greater fear.

Calm down, people, we just came through that door.   Beam gestured behind him with a hopefully reassuring smile to the door that was hanging open.

But that s impossible.  It s black-handled, Old Ricky said as he screwed up his face in annoyed perplexity.

Maybe it's a magic ward, Sophia muttered in her husband s ear, and Beam nodded.  That made the most sense of anything he had heard so far.  He considered apologizing for smashing their magic ward, but he decided that was not something an Emperor would do.

I assume with D-41, there is D-40, D-39, A-10, A-11. and so forth?

Yes, all the way from A-1 to K-22.

So with D-40, and A-10, and all that.  What is all that?

There was more confusion, and then Old Ricky s face cleared up.

City 24.

These people are the absolute dregs.   Beam was inclined to agree with Sophia until she added, but not as dregs as you, Beam.   He gritted his teeth together.  Sophia was still mad.

Not the time, dear one, he said in a soft but snarling voice.  He then raised his voice.  Okay, and all the cities are where?

Everyone looked at each other, and Beam found a new personal dislike:  having dumb people all quietly nod to each other, and politely assume he was the dumb one.  With a slow clear voice, as if he were talking to a young child, Old Ricky said to Beam.

Mostly in the Controlled Area on the World Island.

And where is that?

Why, it's Earth, Emperor.  It's Earth.   Old Ricky paused, and quietly kept explaining.  That's in the Solar System.  And that s in the Milky Way Galaxy.  I m not sure what the bigger group than that is called, I m sorry.  Can I help you out in another way?  We need to get back to work soon.   They all looked slightly apprehensively at him.

There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with ten other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #538:  New Adventures.  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:

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