MISC: The Girl Who Saved The World part 65

[George Phillies]

Also, I am trying to reach Russ Albery about using his book reviews in 
the N3F fanzines. Can anyone here help?


“There is concern that if Eclipse is found on the territory of one 
nation, other nations may send forces to the scene to capture her,” 
Durand remarked.

“There should very much be concern that the lessons of the Summer War 
have been forgotten,” Featherstonehaugh agreed. “The world is far fuller 
of personae than it was a century ago. The armamentarium of explosives, 
incendiaries, toxic gasses, and lethal rays is enormously greater. The 
expansion of manufacturing has ensured that far more of these implements 
of destruction have been produced and distributed.Fortunately, the 
Murray fission suppressor ensures that atomic weapons are unlikely to be 
used on a large scale, and perhaps not at all. In the last war, the 
United Kingdom was largely spared devastation, but we seem to remember 
the terrible events of 1908 far more clearly than do some other parties.”

“There are rumors that Her Majesty’s Government has entered extended 
negotiations with the American Republic,” Durand observed.

“Would that this were true,” Featherstonehaugh said. “The Republic has 
an Ambassador to the Court of Saint James’s, but he is rarely seen 
outside his embassy.His staff is largely equally reclusive, except as 
they perform their liaison duties as prescribed by the Truce of 1785. As 
is well known, Speaker Ming is happily to say privately that almost 
everyone who fought in King George’s War is long dead, their children 
and grandchildren are dead, the grudges that one of his predecessors had 
stuffed and mounted have decayed almost to pieces, and therefore perhaps 
those memories should be left to the history books. However, there are 
no negotiations. We have – it’s in the Truce – discussed the possibility 
that a third power would invade North America.”

“I fear that the clock has advanced,” Durand announced.

“Seeing that my time is almost expired, I shall end by complimenting the 
Prussian Kaiser on his construction of Museums of the Horrors of War, a 
wise decision that may cool the blood of impetuous youth.”

“Indeed, time is expired, so we must advance to our next guest,” Durand 
answered. She rose. Featherstonehaugh exited, to be replaced by Markgraf 
Moeller. Moeller marched across the carpet, clicked his heels, took 
Durand’s hand, bowed, and kissed the air above her fingertips.

“It is of course my great honor to meet again with such a sagacious and 
beautiful host,” he announced. “Shall we sit?”

Durand smiled and sat. “Your Excellency, we are of course most grateful 
that you could make time in your schedule for me.”

“It is nothing. It is for you.Besides my master, the His Almighty 
Majesty, Supreme Warlord of All the Germans, emphasized that he wished 
me to appear here,” Moeller replied.

“I imagine you can speak to your government’s position on the 
Namestone,” she said.

“But of course. The Namestone belongs to the League of Nations. There 
can be absolutely no disputing of this most fundamental and obvious of 
facts the no one can conceivably deny.. It is merely a matter of 
deploying the forces of all the nations of the world to take the 
Namestone and prepare Miss Eclipse for her trial and execution. It is 
also undisputed that the key step in advancing in this direction is to 
give the League’s Persona Team proper, competent, and therefore Prussian 
leaders. There are many historical examples showing the correctness of 
this view…”

And at that point I started to fall asleep. The remaining guests, from 
more doctrinaire states, were simply going to repeat the lines they had 
already spoken to the League Special Peace Executive. The one bit I had 
learned from Durand’s interview was bad news.Someone had figured out 
that I don’t look like the Eclipse on the wanted posters.Worse, they had 
a new educated guess as to what I look like, a guess that was much more 
accurate than I liked.


  Chapter ZZZ

Benjamin Franklin Technical Junior High School

Food Court

January 18, 2018

Noon

“Brian! Brian Wells!”Archie McDonald pointed at cashier’s table, from 
which Brian Wells was emerging tray in hand. Archie waved and gestured 
‘come hither’. Brian nodded and headed for MacDonald's table. Archie was 
captain of the Franklin Tech boys' base ball nines team. Once a week, in 
season, his team would play Brian's pick-up team in a scrimmage, a game 
the school team would often win, but only if they worked hard. Archie 
pointed at a vacant chair, smiled, and nodded.

"Brian, are you guys and gals going to be ready to play us this spring?" 
MacDonald asked. "We need tough opponents or we start losing. In 
particular, that Joe guy wherever he's from. That was a 
super-incredible-unbelievable throw he made at the end of our last game. 
But my sister the spotter was sitting there watching and was sure none 
of you were persona, well, none of you were using your gifts during the 
game."

"We'll be there," Brian said. "I don't know about Joe. He was around 
because he was playing Janie in City of Steel, and then he disappeared."

"He was playing your sister? He must really like losing," MacDonald said.

"He never did win. But Janie said he kept getting better." Brian looked 
around for his younger sister, who was nowhere in sight.

"At least your big sister can't hit the ball," MacDonald said. "She 
showed up in fitness club yesterday. We did the mile and a half. We took 
off as a team at a good pace. We let her start first. Hey, she’s a girl. 
She was almost sprinting. She never slowed down. She would've lapped us, 
except we started sprinting, too. At the end, she was puffing hard, and 
we were gasping for breath. If she could ever hit the ball, and ran like 
that, she'd be getting extra bases all the time. She doesn't have some 
sort of gift, does she?" MacDonald took a bite of fried chicken thigh.

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