From: ender@rodan.UU.NET (Pete "Ender" Walsh)
Newsgroups: alt.romance.chat
Subject: Space Cadets, episode #24
Date: 15 Dec 1992 04:05:21 -0500
Organization: UUNET Technologies Inc, Falls Church, VA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

Spaaaaaaaaace Cadets, episode #24:  "Light Fuse and Get Away"

===============================================================================

{When Ender and Kathy came back into the galley to grab a snack I brought
 them up to date on Dohram and Andrea's situation.}

E:  "So he's found her?  That's GREAT!  So what's the next problem?
     Getting offworld?"

MROC:  "Yes.  The Shark is latched on to a large Gizmonics transport ship
     which is currently on the largest of the three planets in the
     Gizmonics system.  I must tell you that there's NO way that the GGPlat
     could get anywhere near that system undetected."

K:  "And our arrival would no doubt serve only to tighten the net closing
     in on Dohram and Andrea."

M:  "Quite probably correct.  The transport in question is scheduled to
     lift tomorrow at 0430, local time.  That's about 2300 ship time."

E:  "Do you have a flight plan for that transport?"

M:  "I'm working on it.  It was hard enough to get the timetable.
     Remember, Gizmonics has taken paranoia to a new level."

E:  "Remember it?  MROC, old chap, I'm positively COUNTING on it!"

===============================================================================

{Ender's statement puzzled me.  Then again, almost everything Ender says
 puzzles me.  He has a penchant for saying exactly what he DOESN'T mean,
 though such was not the case this time.  He explained himself, inasmuch as
 he EVER explains himself, thusly, "MROC, the problem with paranoids is
 that they almost always have the best defenses available.  This applies
 to individual paranoids as well as large groups of paranoids.  Paranoid
 people put fifteen locks on their doors, store loaded weapons in easy to
 reach places, and so on.  Paranoid groups build fortresses, place heavy
 weaponry in strategic locations, use triple encoded hand delivered
 messages to ask each other about the weather, and are in general almost
 untouchable.  The you have Gizmonics... a paranoid corporation.  No one...
 well with a few notable exceptions... knows where their HQ is, from what
 you've told me knowing where it is doesn't help one iota, they MAKE a lot
 of the defense equipment other paranoids use, so you can bet that they
 haven't released their BEST equipment, for fear someone would reverse
 engineer it and find a hole.  Check my log for the keyword `Deathstar'
 and you'll see what can happen when the plans for anything tagged as
 `undefeatable' falls into the `wrong' hands.  In my experience if you
 can't defeat a paranoid's defenses there's only one thing you can do.
 You CONVINCE him that you can and/or have defeated his defenses.
 Paranoids HATE that.  And often they'll open the door for you, convinced
 you could do it yourself."  This only puzzled me further.}

M:  "Your plan is to convince Gizmonics that you've successfully countered
     their defenses?  What if they take drastic measures?  They might kill
     Dohram and Andrea."

E:  "Dohram and Andrea are not currently in their custody.  If they were
     any amount of planning would be useless.  And they'd be dead or worse
     most likely.  No, until and unless we KNOW they've been captured we
     proceed as if they are free to move.  If we lose communications with
     them we assume they are still free to move and we continue.  If
     Gizmonics hails us and SAY they've captured them and we can't raise
     them via commlink we STILL assume they are free and Gizmonics is
     bluffing."

M:  "When do we assume they are captured?"

E:  "When Dohram tells us in his own voice and you compare it to his 
     voiceprint.  When we are physically present with them in captivity.
     Or when we have undeniable proof of their deaths.  Then and only
     then do we cease."

M:  "Logical."

===============================================================================

K:  "We've just been hailed by a small freighter.  They gave the password
     you told Susan to use and say they've got the equipment you
     requested.  They wanted to dock, but I sent Oingo and Boingo over to
     get it instead."

E:  "Good thinking.  Should be the holographic equipment.  Susan didn't
     want to reveal her supplier, so we compromised and she order it for
     us."

K:  "How sweet...  I'll have Oingo and Boingo do a complete scan for bombs,
     biologics, synthpoisons and the like."

E:  "Heh heh...  I think Susan was to worried about herself then to think
     about offing us...  but with her you can't be to cautious.  When the
     scan's done have them start setting it up in my studio.  MROC knows
     what I want done."

K:  "No problem."

E:  "Kathy?"

K:  "Yeah?"

E:  "I'll make some tea... `Earl Grey, hot'."

K:  "You remembered!"  {see Space Cadets, ep #4}

E:  "How could I forget?  Meet me on the observation deck?"

K:  "As soon as I've personally verified that scan.  Susan might have that
     voichip repaired or replaced by now and she's not gonna be happy."

===============================================================================

{I made sure Oingo and Boingo set up the holo equipment according to
 Ender's specs and continued my search for the flight plan for the
 Gizmonics transport.  When I finally got it Ender and Kathy were on
 the observation deck, sipping tea and reminiscing on how they had met.}

M:  "Sorry to interrupt.  I've got a flight plan for that transport."

E:  "What's the first stop?"

M:  "Kessel."

K:  "The mines?  Gizmonics is sure to be there in force."

E:  "True.  Where next, MROC?"

M:  "Corellis IV, by way of K'Taak.  No scheduled stop at K'Taak, they
     probably chose that route to avoid the asteroid field which lies on
     the direct line between Kessel and Corellis IV."

E:  "Hmmmmm...  asteroid field...  Okay, MROC, plot a course for that
     asteroid field.  Get us their BEFORE that transport lifts from Kessel.
     When Dohram checks in next tell him to MAKE SURE he and Andrea are
     aboard the Shark when that transport lifts and to STAY with the
     transport until he hears from us.  If he tries to get away from
     that ship before we're in a position to give him a hand he doesn't
     have much of a chance."

K:  "That's what you said about him getting INTO the GizHQ."

E:  "Somehow he made it...  how long do you think his luck can last?"

=============================================================================

What's Ender got up his sleeve?  Will Dohram and Andrea be aboard the Shark
when that transport lifts?  Will there be a white Christmas?

The answers to some of these questions (maybe) in the next sodium free:

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCE CAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDETSS!!!!


=============================================-=================================
Ender, Secretary to the President of the RFA | InterNet: ender@triryche.uu.net
	   CoHost of the ARC/RFA BeaChat '92 | UUCP:  {anysite}!triryche!ender
		CoAuthor of Spaaaaace Cadets | UUNet Tech., Falls Church, VA
       & Grace's Big Bro and Official Poster |  The following is umop apisdn.
=============================================-=================================
   "If you can keep your head while all those about you are losing theirs,
    then perhaps you have misunderstood the situation." - _The_Long_Run_