Tales of the Vuduri_Year Five

by Michael Brachman

  Entry 5-045: February 14, 2017

  Rome gets a gun

  Yesterday, Rome and Rei stumbled across the centuries old armory that Jack Henry and his band of rebels raided to arm themselves against the Ark Lords. However, the resistance fighters didn't exactly clean the place out. They only took what they could carry and use. There were a few items left, one of which Rome took an interest:

  “Yeah,” Rei answered, looking around. “This was an armory.” As he slowly surveyed each wall, the far wall on the right had a pegboard with a placard stating its purpose. Rei walked over to it. “Here!” he said, “that’s where they got the M4s.” Lying on the bench was a carbine. Rei picked it up just to make sure it was real. “The Darwin people must have kept these sealed perfectly to have lasted the six centuries before Hanry Ta Jihn found them,” he announced.

  While Rei was studying the rifle, Rome wandered over to the left and picked up a 9mm handgun that was lying on the bench. The ammo clip was still in it. “Is this a chemical weapon too?” she asked, peering into the barrel.

  “Yikes,” Rei said. He set the carbine down and hurried over to where Rome was standing. He gently pulled the gun away from her. “Yes,” he answered. “It’s a handgun. You have to be careful though. The gunpowder might be unstable after all this time.”

  MINIMCOM reached over and took the gun from Rei. He placed it in the folds of his cape. “I will clean it and restore it for you, Rome,” he said. “Then it will be safe to handle.”

  Rome furrowed her brow and shrugged. She looked around the rest of the room. “Well at least the mystery of the Vorasdock is now solved,” she said. “Hanry Ta Jihn got here first, armed himself with weapons that the Erklirte would never have expected or prepared for. They could not have known what they were in for.”

  “Yes,” Rei said studying the rest of the room. “They had flashlights, radios, rations, the works. But don’t forget, the Ark Lords had powerful weapons of their own. I say we keep on going.”

  No one disagreed. The three humans and the one livetar left the chamber and continued down the corridor. Ahead of them was a short maze of huge, pentagonal concrete blocks, seven feet high. Each block was shaped like a baseball home plate. Many of the blocks had scorch marks. There were numerous bullet holes all around.

  Unlike Rome, I knew where the story was headed. I needed for her to have an old-fashioned handgun right at the climax. This is where she picked it up. However, MINIMCOM hid it within his cloak and Rome forgot about it until she really needed it. All part of the fun.

  Entry 5-046: February 15, 2017

  Tales of the Vuduri: Year Four

  Well, I thought I was getting good at this. Turns out, compiling Year Four of the Tales of the Vuduri series took a lot longer than I would have guessed. Plus I thought I had a really good methodology to blaze through the months. But here it is, the day after Valentine's Day and TOTV:Y4 is just now going on sale. Like the previous three years, you've missed any of these posts over the past year, it would be an easy way to catch up. I have published it on Amazon. You can find it if you click here. This is what the splash page looks like:

  You can buy the e-book here:

  Amazon ($1.99):

  Barnes and Noble ($0.99)

  iTunes Store (free!)

  Kobo (free!)

  Smashwords (free!)

  The paperback will be available on CreateSpace in about a week and on Amazon and B&N about a week after that.

  As with the previous books, I'd prefer to "sell" the e-book for free but Amazon and B&N just don't allow it so I charge the minimum permitted. If you think about it, selling a book for free is kind of an oxymoron. I give these books away in the hopes that readers will be sufficiently intrigued to investigate Rome’s Revolution or The Milk Run and actually buy a copy.

  As far as the paperback, I haven't given Bruce the back page blurb and "Critical praise for The Vuduri Companion" yet. He needs that to finish the back cover so I can order a proof copy. Once that is approved, it will go on sale, probably within the next two weeks. I have to sell that thing for $17.99 because it just too thick to charge any less. In any event, you should be able get a copy somehow and help yourself to a year's worth of fascinating stuff.

  Entry 5-047: February 16, 2017

  Genetic Time Travel

  After Rome got her gun, she and Rei continued down the Meson tunnel deep within the Tevatron, following the signs of battle. At last they came to the concrete barriers that Jack Henry had set up to prevent the Erklirte from getting a straight shot. They noted the bullet holes in the concrete baffles.

  Here is what they found:

  “We’re getting close,” Rei said. “It looks like this is where they had their big battle.”

  MINIMCOM strode around the blocks and called out to them. They hurried through the maze to see where the livetar was pointing. There were two large stains on the ground, covered in dust. Rome cocked her head and stared at the closer one. She sank to her knees and gently wiped the dust away. There, in the center of the black stain, was a circle scratched out with the initials JH in the middle. A single stroke cut all the way through it.

  Rome touched it in a loving way then put her fingers to her lips. She looked up at Rei. “This is where Hanry Ta Jihn died,” she said. “I can feel it in my heart. This was the beginning of the end of the Erklirte.”

  “The black stain is dried blood,” MINIMCOM said, taking a sample with his fingertips.

  We have always suspected that Rome had extraordinary psychic powers but it was this incident confirms it. Just by touching the 600-year-old blood stain, her mind traveled back into the past and contacted her ancestor. In fact, all of the historical records that were portrayed in The Ark Lords were courtesy of Rome's genetic time travel. She speculated that perhaps time was like a river and that under some circumstances, your mind can travel up or down the river when freed of the body. Kind of like Quantum Leap but without occupying a body in the past. I guess she knew what she was talking about.

  Entry 5-048: February 17, 2017

  Atomic Batteries to power

  Everybody remembers the Adam West version of Batman where he had a really cool (for the 60s) Batmobile. As Batman and Robin were getting ready to leave the Batcave, they'd go through the checklist. Robin would call out "Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed," and Batman would say "Roger. Ready to move out" and off they'd go. They seemed oblivious to the fact that they were tooling around the city at high speed sitting on an atomic bomb.

  Well, in the novel The Ark Lords, I really did need atomic batteries to power the subbasement of the Tevatron, the flashlights and the walkie-talkies that were sitting there for 800 years. Here is Rei stumbling across them:

  “Wow,” Rei said. “He died here and yet he is still helping us, eight centuries later.” Rei straightened up and pointed to the sealed end of the corridor. “That’s what he was defending. That’s where the virus is stored. He knew the Ark Lords couldn’t just blow him up. With his back against that door, he had all the advantage. Come on.”

  Rome stood up and the group gathered around the huge bulkhead blocking off the end of the hallway. A shiny object, lying on the floor, caught Rei’s attention. He bent over and picked it up. It was a flashlight. There was zero chance it would still be working after eight centuries but Rei tried the switch anyway. A yellowish glow emitted from the front.

  “What the hell?” Rei said. He twisted the barrel and opened the sealed cap. A battery slid out into his hand. The light from MINIMCOM’s shoulders was enough to allow Rei to read the label.

  “Thorium?” he said. “Atomic batteries? These guys thought of everything.”

  Rei reassembled the flashlight and turned the beam which was getting dimmer, on the center of the door. A bent cylinder, machined, stuck out from the front.

  So they really did have atomic batteries. Pretty neat, huh?

  Entry 5-049: February 18, 2017

  Hi-tech Low Tech

  Now th
at Rome, Rei, MINIMCOM and Ursay had made their way to the end of the Meson tunnel, they found a giant door that they presumed held the virus weapon but no method of access. As we saw from the historical chapter on Jack Henry, he had his men break off the wheel lock so that nobody could ever get in. Here we see an example of simplicity winning the day:

  Rei reassembled the flashlight and turned the beam which was getting dimmer, on the center of the door. A bent cylinder, machined, stuck out from the front.

  “There is a pressure lock here,” Rei said. “Jack Henry’s men must have smashed it and removed the wheel so nobody could get in.” He ran his hands along the door, up and down, checking to see if there was another way to open it.

  “We best not blast it,” Rei said. He turned to the livetar. “How about whipping up another batch of VIRUS units? We can have them dissolve the door.”

  “I have a better idea,” the livetar said. With a whoosh and a pop, he disappeared. Instantly, they were plunged into the semi-darkness, illuminated only by the dim beam of Rei’s flashlight.

  “Where’d he go?” Rei asked. “What did he mean by that?”

  A grinding noise came from the door. Rei looked down and aimed the faint light toward the center cylinder. He could see the stub of the screw turning. They stepped back. The vacuum seal was broken accompanied by a hissing sound. Air rushed into the previously evacuated chamber as it equilibrated to atmospheric pressure. With a groaning noise, the huge metal door swung open. MINIMCOM’s livetar was on the other side, his shoulder lights illuminating the room.

  “Was that not easier?” the livetar asked.

  Rei laughed. “Yep.”

  The three humans entered the room which was maybe ten by ten with a high semi-circular ceiling. Standing in the middle of the room was a seven-foot tall concrete mini-bunker with a door and a window. Rei rushed up to the window and peered in. He shined his weak flashlight to illuminate the interior.

  “It’s there!” he shouted, “Look!” Ursay and Rome raced over and peered in as well. Sitting on the floor, surrounded by concrete stanchions, laid a dull metal vessel identical to the one that Ursay was carrying. Its utter simplicity belied its utterly lethal nature.

  Rei turned to Rome. “What do you think we should do with it?”

  So MINIMCOM came up with a simple solution to get into the room. Now what do they do? As Ursay later noted, one wrong move and it is curtains for mankind. They need something equally as clever.

  Entry 5-050: February 19, 2017

  Death in a bottle

  After MINIMCOM teleported himself into the sealed storage chamber holding the virus containment vessel, Rome, Rei and Ursay had to figure out what to do. First they had to get themselves oriented as to what was going on and then they had to figure out what to do with it. So here is what they encountered:

  The three humans entered the room which was maybe ten by ten with a high semi-circular ceiling. Standing in the middle of the room was a seven-foot tall concrete mini-bunker with a door and a window. Rei rushed up to the window and peered in. He shined his weak flashlight to illuminate the interior.

  “It’s there!” he shouted, “Look!” Ursay and Rome raced over and peered in as well. Sitting on the floor, surrounded by concrete stanchions, laid a dull metal vessel identical to the one that Ursay was carrying. Its utter simplicity belied its utterly lethal nature.

  Rei turned to Rome. “What do you think we should do with it?”

  “We must destroy it of course,” Rome said.

  “How do you propose to do that?” Ursay asked. “One false move and it is the end of all mankind.”

  Rei snapped his fingers. “I got it,” he said. He turned to the livetar. “Instead of opening the door, how about if you beam yourself in there, grab it and then transport it to your cargo bay. Like you did with our burning pan a few weeks ago?”

  “Then fly it to the sun,” Rome said. “Incinerate it and make it gone forever.”

  “I can do that,” the livetar said. “However, let me move my ship into orbit first. The vessel inside that bunker is a 14 century old inanimate object. You will remember what happened to the beacon on the Moon. If I am already in the vacuum of space, there can be no chance of leakage.”

  “Good idea,” Rei said. “How fast can you get up there?”

  The livetar bowed his head and froze. He stood there silently for a minute then a minute longer. Finally, the livetar lifted his head. “It is done,” he said.

  Sadly, you will see tomorrow that no good deed goes unpunished. MINIMCOM must die.

  Entry 5-051: February 20, 2017

  A hero falls, part 1

  Nothing is as dramatic as a dramatic death. Especially when the one dying is a beloved character. So when Rome, Rei and Ursay came upon the containment vessel holding the ultra-deadly Darwin virus strain 5, I couldn't give up the opportunity to "kill" off MINIMCOM. Obviously, he couldn't stay dead forever. That'd be plain stupid. But for the latter portion of The Ark Lords, you were led to believe that MINIMCOM sacrificed his cybernetic "life" for the good of mankind:

  The livetar bowed his head and froze. He stood there silently for a minute then a minute longer. Finally, the livetar lifted his head. “It is done,” he said. “I am now 200 kilometers up, well past the edge of space. I will transport the vessel to my cargo hold, fly it to the Sun and then come back. I assume you will wait for me?” The mouth slits of the livetar curled up slightly.

  “Ha, ha,” Rei said. “Get going. Please?”

  With a whoosh and a pop, the livetar disappeared. The humans turned and saw MINIMCOM reappear within the sealed bunker. The tall all-black entity reached over its shoulders, grabbed its cape with both hands then flipped the cape over the vessel, gathering it to its body. In the blink of an eye, the livetar was gone and so was the light. The flashlight was nearly useless. It was so dark, Rei considered using his sonar vision but it would not penetrate the storage bunker.

  “You got it?” Rei asked using his EM link.

  “In a manner of speaking,” replied MINIMCOM within his head.

  “What happened?” Rome interrupted.

  “As I feared, the vessel ruptured. There is now VIRUS 5 all over my cargo bay.”

  “Oh no,” Rome cried out it shock. Then, within her head, she asked, “Can you clean yourself out?”

  “I do not know,” MINIMCOM replied. “Whatever I do must be 100 per cent effective and nothing comes to mind.”

  “MINIMCOM, what are you going to do?” Rei asked frantically.

  “I may have to fly into the Sun and immolate myself, just to be sure.”

  “NO!” Rome shouted mentally, “You cannot.”

  “What if you evacuated your cargo bay? Wouldn’t that flush the virus into space?” Rei thought desperately.

  “Unfortunately, the vessel was pressurized and the spores are all over my cargo bay. They have infiltrated my ductwork and my infrastructure. Simply evacuating the chamber would not clean it sufficiently.”

  “What about heating up the cargo bay?” Rei offered. “Like an autoclave?”

  “I would not know how to do that without heating up all of me. The temperatures required would most likely destroy my circuitry. I must make sure all traces of the virus are gone before I lose my faculties. It may be more effective to just plunge into the Sun.”

  MINIMCOM is completely the selfless hero here. And there doesn't appear to be any way out. The worst part is he is going to die and he knows it and Rome and Rei know it and they are helpless to prevent it. Tomorrow, they say goodbye to their beloved friend and protector.

  Entry 5-052: February 21, 2017

  A hero falls, part 2

  Yesterday, we saw that MINIMCOM had transported the containment vessel containing the Darwin virus, strain 5 into his cargo hold. As I had already taken pains to demonstrate when Rome and Rei recovered the location beacon on the far side of the Moon, the vessel exploded inside MINIMCOM, making his inside deadly to any and all humans. MINIMCOM computed
the only effective way to rid himself of the virus was to plunge his whole craft into the Sun thus ending his cybernetic "life" which did not make Rome very happy:

  MINIMCOM, please,” Rome begged. “You cannot do this.”

  “It is not my first choice, believe me,” replied the starship. “I will think about it on the way. I am going to head toward the Sun now. I must make sure that every spore is destroyed. That is the highest priority.”

  “Oh, MINIMCOM,” Rome said, tears pouring out of her eyes. “I am so sorry.”

  “Do not be sorry,” MINIMCOM said. “I am just an autopilot computer that became a starship. I can be replaced.”

  “You can never be replaced,” Rei said, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as well. “You’re one of our family.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment,” replied MINIMCOM. “And since this may be the last time we speak, I will tell you something that I have kept hidden up until now.”