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| Tsv-05-100 Tem-Space Variant 5: Alternatives Chapter 1: Knight to king's Base 4.5 Chapter 2: What Reality is this? Chapter 3: The Hisorian Way Chapter 4: Fresh Air and Exercise Chapter 5: Stranger in a Strange Land Chapter 6: Point Man Put to the Test Chapter 7: The VR and the Videodrome Chapter 8: The Tem-Space Variant Returns Chapter 9: The Amazing R-Wing Chapter 10: The Lunaside Vacation Chapter 11: The Lunaside Hiso-Courts |
Tem-Space
Variant 5:
Alternatives
Chapter 16: Main Power Tagnet The Dark-side Biosphere (the name Madkro had used to designate the secret base) was set up in basic geometric pattern, consisting of three rings or ‘levels’ about the main Hiso court and ‘zones’ within the rings, which were designated either ‘red, blue, or green’. These colors were also the basic divisions of the personnel, meaning that anyone designated ‘red’ worked and generally resided in a ‘red zone’, although they could also work and do business in any of the other colored zones, unless they were ‘green’, in which case they were restricted from ‘red zones’ unless performing high-priority work (such as a Hisorian action). Because Madkro and Zendo were both designated ‘green’, they were restricted from ‘red zones’ as a rule, at all times, and restricted to ‘green zones’ during downtime (meaning they could only be in blue during active-time). In the ‘Blue Move’ Madkro intended to use, they had to cross through a blue zone and venture into a red zone. Within the red zone, they could enter the central Hiso-courts and go for the main power tagnet. Between zones, there were magnetic railway tracks and about 100 meters of parkway. The parkway was generally considered a neutral zone, at all times, meaning even a low-level green agent could spend time there without fear of penalty. But it was also fair-game for Hisorian actions, meaning incidents such as what Zendo had ran into earlier with Garkone’s ‘red boys’ could still happen, but only when it was warranted. Apparently, Zendo’s visit to the storage facility during downtime for a ‘mini-cam’ warranted ‘red activity’. At the edge of the parkway, they snuck from the mushroom forest down a hill, onto a short field of astro-turf, and into the cover of an oasis of 5 very tall trees surrounded by a wild overgrowth of what looked like bramble bush and evergreen hedges. They followed a dark pathway toward a dim blue light, to the opposite side and stopped to spy upon the terra-formed perfectly aligned edge of the blue quadrant. It was a brief hill mound, running in and out of the central court, with what looked like blue-green astro-turf covering it, and according to the map, a roadway and parkway with a walkway on top. On the other side was the blue residential and business zone. Madkro spied it all for about a minute, and then said to Zendo, “You can start recording anytime. All of this has not been officially recognized by the Lunaside-Earth agreement.” “Yes sir,” Zendo said, and touched the side of her emerald and sapphire helmet. “It’s recording now, sir.” “Okay, now here’s the plan,” Madkro said, and explained the blue move he intended to use to approach the tagnet. Once they emerged from the edge of the mushroom forest, they found themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the inner rings of the biosphere, and stopped to scan the way ahead. There, in the distance, was the power-plant, a great wide tower with a basic Mayan pyramidal design for its base and a much higher tower leading from the top straight to the roof of the huge cavern. “This is all very familiar somehow,” Madkro said to Zendo, as he lowered the field-spex and looked at her. She lowered hers and stepped over to the edge a rocky patch in the sandy hillside. She stooped and looked at a map on a portable pocket- compad. “I don’t see how,” she said. “Have you played this course before?” He looked at her, stepped over and said, “The tower goes all the way to the roof?” “Hmm...” she said, “There must be a bird’s nest up there.” “No, there isn’t,” he said, “As near as anyone can tell, there isn’t anything on the surface. It’s a power-plant, with a very high tower connected to the roof of the cavern. Why?” She thought about that and guessed, “Some kind of waste valve?” “If so, that would be another violation of Lunar Law,” he said, and checked the distance with the spex again. In the foreground, just a couple hundred meters in the near distance, was what appeared to be the end of an elevated maglift line undergoing some structural adjustments, with heavy lattice-work scaffolding about it. “What’s going on with that maglift line?” he said. She stepped up and looked in the direction he was spying with the field-spex. “That’s the new maglift rail,” she said, “still under construction.” “It’s more than just a line,” he said, “some kind of switching station?” “Yes,” she agreed. “The work will be continuing, I expect, as soon as the next main work-force begins.” “When would that be?” “A couple of days,” she said. “Nothing we have to worry about now.” He dropped the spex and thought about that. She looked at him and awaited his orders with patience. Major Madkro was obviously an expert Hiso engineer if he intended to take on such a big assignment. She had wanted to voice some personal doubts herself, but decided against it. She could follow orders as well as any lieutenant and if a Major on call from Earth, direct from the main American administration in governmental authority had to check and balance things at the new biosphere, well so be it. No greater honor might be bestowed on her during her Hisorian career. “It’s more than a station under construction,” he said to her, “it’s just the diversion we need.” “Sir?” “The direct line is the most obvious root, right?” “Yes sir,” she said. “We can hit the station and send another railcar on the lower maglift, in the direction towards the main-line, and head over the hill while the red-shift worries about the station and the railcar. It should give us enough time to get over the hill to the inner ring.” “We’ll have to do double-time over the hill,” she said, and looked through the spex, to study the area. “Even with the diversion, the red will put blue on the line while it checks out the station, and once blue relays there’s nothing in the railcar, they’ll be on our tail.” “If we make it fast, we may get enough of a lead to reach the inner ring and lose them,” he suggested. “From there, we’ll have to dance through a field of pressure-plates on a zig-zag course to reach the plant’s walls.” “Any idea on how we’re gonna open the door without a key?” “Pick the lock, of course,” he said, and smiled. “I’ve managed to score a few good passes, remember?” “Is that why they let you in?” “One reason, anyhow,” he said, and checked the path down the hill ahead of them. “Follow me to the next hill, just before the station. I’ll tag the station’s emx net while you send a car to the right on that line. After that, we’ll sneak to the left and find a way through the elevated line to the other side and locate a good place to get over the hill.” “Like around the corner, where they won’t see us,” she suggested. “Exactly,” he said, and made a diagonal 45-degree path down the side of the hill. It was a hundred meter hike across desert brush with sparsely scattered lamp-posts and crops of lunar rock. From all obvious indications, they were in the clear; however, Madkro could not completely dismiss the possibility of sensors placed about at wide angles. Nonetheless, even so, they wouldn’t know who they were or what they were doing, and under such a system, it would take them some time to figure it out. |
Chapter
12: On Space, Time, and Parallel Alternate Realities Chapter 13: Longray's Plan Chapter 14: The Lunar Mines Chaper 15: The Maze of Illusions Chapter 16: Main Power Tagnet |
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