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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">Also, I am trying to reach Russ Albery about using his
book reviews in the N3F fanzines. Can anyone here help?<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt"><br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>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.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“There are rumors that Her Majesty’s Government has
entered extended
negotiations with the American Republic,” Durand observed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“I fear that the clock has advanced,” Durand
announced.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“It is of course my great honor to meet again with
such a sagacious and
beautiful host,” he announced. “Shall we sit?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">Durand smiled and sat. “Your Excellency, we are of
course most grateful
that you could make time in your schedule for me.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“It is nothing. It is for you.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Besides my master, the His Almighty Majesty, Supreme
Warlord of All the
Germans, emphasized that he wished me to appear here,” Moeller
replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“I imagine you can speak to your government’s position
on the
Namestone,” she said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt">“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…”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Someone had figured out
that I don’t look
like the Eclipse on the wanted posters.<span
style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Worse, they had a new educated guess as to what I look
like, a guess
that was much more accurate than I liked.</p>
<h1>Chapter ZZZ</h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">Benjamin
Franklin Technical Junior High School</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">Food Court</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">January 18,
2018 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Noon</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Brian!
Brian
Wells!”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Archie McDonald
pointed at
cashier’s table, from which Brian Wells was emerging tray in
hand. Archie waved
and gestured ‘come hither’. <span style="mso-ansi-language:EN"
lang="EN">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">"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."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">"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."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">"He
was
playing your sister? He must really like losing," MacDonald
said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">"He
never
did win. But Janie said he kept getting better." Brian looked
around for
his younger sister, who was nowhere in sight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN" lang="EN">"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.</span></p>
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