Jericho looked over the bill and left an ample tip on the table. He then grabbed the bag with Haskell's sandwich, unwound his lanky frame from the booth and headed for the door.
It was time to be boogieing down the road, Jericho thought. Zorbane had warned them they might have to leave early if things went south. After all, this time the US Air Force may very well be on High Alert. Haskell could eat his sandwich while he drove.
Once they were back on the road, Haskell was too distracted to bother with his hoagie. Instead he pulled out a pint bottle of their moonshine and took a swig.
Jericho glanced at him with a wry smile. "A little early for that, ain't it? Tell me what went down with Louise," said Jericho.
Haskell looked out the window in a pensive pose.
His buddy was cool as a cucumber walking midnight patrol in some Iraqi shit hole but women trouble always made him a little edgy, thought Jericho.
"Okay partner, we got plenty of time for you to lay it out for me, but most importantly, we still on for the pickup, right?" said Jericho.
"Oh yeah, still on," said Haskell.
Jericho looked over at Haskell somewhat impatiently.
Haskell raised his hands, gesturing. "The main the thing is, according to Louise, he's the real deal, a 100 percent, certified brother from another planet. A little weird, mind you, out-of-his-mind ambitious about turning his planet on to American music, but, he's our only way out of our current troubles," said Haskell.
"Yes, he is, if he's legit, which it sounds like he is," intoned Jericho.
Haskell looked at his phone.
"And," said Jericho.
"Thing is, well," stuttered Haskell.
Jericho laughed.
"She's going to call me back. She was still talking with him," said Haskell.
"Really," said Jericho. He looked over at a perplexed Haskell.
Jericho knew one thing for certain, at least as certain as anyone can ever be, Haskell had never lied to him in his life. But, whatever, something was up.
They continued down the road to their rendezvous with fate.
#
Chapter Forty-Six – You Say You Want a Revolution
The Only Credible Explanation is That Elvis Was from another Planet.
–Lester Bangs
In vitro, that's the term for the replication of a person's DNA outside the cell. And that was how Zorbane and Trax would introduce the talent and style of Muddy, Elvis, Little Richard, Buddy, Wanda, Johnny, Mahalia, Patsy, Fats, and ? Into Zeon's culture. It would take time, no doubt, and the introduction of their spirits without the crucible of their impoverished early environment would probably yield less than their genetic twins achieved on Earth, but it was worth a try decided Zorbane and Trax. Talk about an experiment for the ages, thought Zorbane. He and Trax were young enough to see the fruits of this extraordinary experiment come to fruition. It was positively exhilarating to him. But how to get them inserted into Zeon proper? He'd have to create his own Trojan horse, a gift filled with dead ringers of some of Earth's most transformative talents.
In 20 years or so, they could begin to change the vibe in this entirely logical, reasonable, and perfectly boring society.
There were a few on Earth who thought that Mahalia was an angel sent from a Higher Being to bring sanctity and salvation to their civilization. Question, could she bring her unique spiritual essence to a Godless but perfectly run civilization? Holy crap! Spiritual songs on a strictly science-run planet. Yeah, she'll shake it up.
Fats would bring rhythm and the boundless lust for life that marked the magical city of New Orleans from day one. “New Awlins,” as the locals call it, a robust helping of saint’s and sinner's gumbo for a planet where such spices are forbidden.
Muddy would bring that uniquely American grit inherit in all the best bluesmen and women. The tough, clear-eyed, indomitable, pioneering spirit that overcame all to triumph in the creation of a sound that changed a culture. Yeah, “Hoochie Coochie Man” is gonna go over really well with the supposedly gender-neutral Shaper Council.
Wanda, who sounded like she had been spawned by wild space creatures, would forever change the Shapers’ notion of what pretty, nice girls can do with a song. A beautiful siren sending fools into the rocks.
Little Richard, well, he is a one-man insurgency of raw, untamed fire and rockin' brimstone. The camp rock 'n' roll preacher whose congregation shouted and danced in ecstasy regardless of the costs.
Patsy was a seminal force of nature who was Janis Joplin before that Port Arthur tornado came onto the scene. Yeah, one can only imagine how she'd change the cultural scenery.
The genius of out Lubbock, Texas, who made glasses cool and wrote some of the most enduring songs ever would bring his special harmonies to the party. Buddy Holly fits in anywhere, in any galaxy.
Johnny Cash would imbue Zeon with a strong poet's insights about the glory and contradictions inherit in a human being. Well, robots make up fully half of Zeon's workforce, so I'm not sure how they'd receive his message.
And of course, Elvis, the comet out of Tupelo, who made it okay for white folks all over the globe to explore their carnal desires, would bring some genuine fire to a planet in need of some serious heat.
And, as it turns out, Zorbane knew someone in advanced genetics who could accelerate their DNA experiment. That heat could be coming sooner rather than later.
Chapter Forty-Six
You Say You Want a Revolution
The Only Credible Explanation is That Elvis Was from another Planet.
–Lester Bangs
In vitro, that's the term for the replication of a person's DNA outside the cell. And that was how Zorbane and Trax would introduce the talent and style of Muddy, Elvis, Little Richard, Buddy, Wanda, Johnny, Mahalia, Patsy, Fats, and ? into Zeon's culture. It would take time, no doubt, and the introduction of their spirits without the crucible of their impoverished early environment would probably yield less than their genetic twins achieved on Earth, but it was worth a try decided Zorbane and Trax. Talk about an experiment for the ages, thought Zorbane. He and Trax were young enough to see the fruits of this extraordinary experiment come to fruition. It was positively exhilarating to him. But how to get them inserted into Zeon proper? He'd have to create his own Trojan horse, a gift filled with dead ringers of some of Earth's most transformative talents.
In 20 years or so, they could begin to change the vibe in this entirely logical, reasonable, and perfectly boring society.
There were a few on Earth who thought that Mahalia was an angel sent from a Higher Being to bring sanctity and salvation to their civilization. Question, could she bring her unique spiritual essence to a Godless but perfectly run civilization? Holy crap! Spiritual songs on a strictly science-run planet. Yeah, she'll shake it up.
Fats would bring rhythm and the boundless lust for life that marked the magical city of New Orleans from day one. “New Awlins,” as the locals call it, a robust helping of saint’s and sinner's gumbo for a planet where such spices are forbidden.
Muddy would bring that uniquely American grit inherit in all the best bluesmen and women. The tough, clear-eyed, indomitable, pioneering spirit that overcame all to triumph in the creation of a sound that changed a culture. Yeah, “Hoochie Coochie Man” is gonna go over really well with the supposedly gender-neutral Shaper Council.
Wanda, who sounded like she had been spawned by wild space creatures, would forever change the Shapers’ notion of what pretty, nice girls can do with a song. A beautiful siren sending fools into the rocks.
Little Richard, well, he is a one-man insurgency of raw, untamed fire and rockin' brimstone. The camp rock 'n' roll preacher whos
e congregation shouted and danced in ecstasy regardless of the costs.
Patsy was a seminal force of nature who was Janis Joplin before that Port Arthur tornado came onto the scene. Yeah, one can only imagine how she'd change the cultural scenery.
The genius of out Lubbock, Texas, who made glasses cool and wrote some of the most enduring songs ever would bring his special harmonies to the party. Buddy Holly fits in anywhere, in any galaxy.
Johnny Cash would imbue Zeon with a strong poet's insights about the glory and contradictions inherit in a human being. Well, robots make up fully half of Zeon's workforce, so I'm not sure how they'd receive his message.
And of course, Elvis, the comet out of Tupelo, who made it okay for white folks all over the globe to explore their carnal desires, would bring some genuine fire to a planet in need of some serious heat.
And, as it turns out, Zorbane knew someone in advanced genetics who could accelerate their DNA experiment. That heat could be coming sooner rather than later.
Chapter Forty-Seven
O Unlucky Man!
Trax had avoided capture for a few weeks, and with the help of the resourceful Mountain man, Odurn, communicated everything to Zorbane about his past, the recent history of Zeon and the Earthling's 60s pilgrimage, when his luck ran out.
Each day he took a different path to his still in the foothills to avoid Shaper Security and avoid suspicion. Amazing the skills you can learn on combat patrols. Then, one afternoon he was on his way back to his cave when Shaper Security swooped out of nowhere and surrounded him on the path. Evidently, Zeon's Mountain Region surveillance was up to snuff, or he'd been betrayed.
However, because of his thorough operating process when transmitting and receiving messages, Trax's tablet was wiped clean after every communication. As a result, Shaper Security was unable to find anything on his confiscated tablet.
After his transport back to Zeon, Decleanus was summoned to take charge of the interrogation personally. This was a prize get by his security forces and he had many questions he wanted to ask Trax. One of the unfortunate aspects of getting Trax to talk was the lack of leverage one has with a prisoner who has very little in the way of family. Another obstacle to venting Trax was his physical courage and fortitude. Decleanus had reviewed his flight school records; his prisoner had scored at or near the top of his class in every category. In fact, he actually scored higher than Zorbane in some categories, and his great nephew scored first in his class.
Under other circumstances, Decleanus could have employed subtle techniques to gain the trust of Trax gradually over a period of time. However, given the urgency of the situation, he did not have the luxury of time with this subject. But whatever his limitations, it was imperative that Decleanus got some information from Trax.
How? Trax was resolute in the extreme, and as fit as one of Zeon's best athletes. He had little or no family to threaten or bribe. This would require a deft touch, and Decleanus would be pushed to the limits of his considerable powers of persuasion.
However, there was one aspect of Trax's formidable makeup that Decleanus could take advantage of. Like many a brave warrior before him, Trax had an Achilles Heel; he had quickly become an alcoholic with so much moonshine at his disposal. The tasting and constant exposure to the potent libation, which heretofore he was never exposed to, had been more than he could resist. So, while in captivity he had begun some serious withdrawals. In fact, the primary reason he was captured was that he was operating in a near constant inebriated state. He had gotten sloppy in his methods. The doctors assigned to the case had informed Decleanus of this revelation after screening his bloodwork.
Meanwhile, orbiting out in space, Zorbane, through his intelligence sources inside Zeon, had alerted his Earthling partners of their impending arrest, and had made arrangements to land and bring them back to Zeon. How had he alerted them? We will reveal that later in our tale.
Meanwhile, back in the Southwest, before their rendezvous, Zorbane had set the rules for transporting Haskell and Jericho. There would be just them. No relatives or animals. Zorbane was adamant. They were to meet him at a specific time and place, the details of which he would send them later. They would be under surveillance, so complete and total silence regarding all details must be kept just between them.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The Alley Cat From Outer Space
As I go back and listen, the other girls weren't quite singing like I was.
–Wanda Jackson
Zorbane had just finished his transmitting to Trax when it was time for another broadcast. He took a particular pleasure in reading Haskell's notes on Wanda Jackson because her voice was truly a beautiful mystery.
“Wanda Jackson was a maverick – the first white female rocker with attitude. Raven-haired and heavy-lidded, Jackson dared you to believe there was something deliciously forbidden about a wild rock 'n' roll tune like “Mean Mean Man,” not least because she recorded so few of them in a career that took her from country to rock 'n' roll, then back to country again. Yeah, Wanda Jackson broke the mold in more ways than one.
Wanda Lavonne Jackson was born to Tom Robert Jackson and Nellie Vera Jackson on October 20th, 1937 in Maud, Oklahoma. Her father, a musician, moved the family from the "Dust Bowl" to Bakersfield, California, in the 1940s in hopes of a better life.
Her breakthrough record was in 1960 with her Top 40 hit, “Let's Have A Party”, which Elvis had recorded three years earlier.
She was a huge hit in Europe. In early 1965, Jackson was invited by the German distribution partner of Capitol Records, Electrola, to record in German. Jackson's German language debut single, Santo Domingo, recorded at Electrola's studios in Cologne, peaked at No. 5 on the official German charts and at No. 1 on the charts of Germany's most influential teen magazine, Bravo. In the first months following the chart success of Santo Domingo, Jackson also re-recorded some of her German songs in Dutch and Japanese. The success of Santo Domingo prompted the recording of eight further German language singles until 1968, which were also released on an album, Made in Germany.
Ms. Jackson, along with possessing a one-of-a-kind voice, was a bona-fide looker who eventually dated Elvis after he saw her perform and encouraged Wanda to be a rocker.
On September 9th, 2010, she was given the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award after her performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Rocker and guitar genius Jack White presented the award to her.
As a note, but a very important one, during the 1950s, Jackson's stage outfits were often designed by her mother. Unlike traditional clothing worn by female country music singers of the time, she wore fringe dresses, high heels and long earrings; and has claimed she was the first female to put glamor into country music.
So, all those beautiful, talented ladies you see tearing up the county charts, well, here was the pioneer in adding a little sex appeal to the twang.
No Wanda:
No Carrie Underwood.
No Susie Quatro.
No Debbie Harry.
No Chrissie Hynde.
No Pat Benatar.
No Joan Jett.
No Pink.
No Heart.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Rock On
There are no more deserts. There are no more islands. Even so, we feel the need for them.
–Albert Camus
Jericho parked their car right smack on the grid coordinates that Zorbane had sent to him. They were 90 minutes early. Haskell's phone buzzed and lit up again. He looked at Jericho, nodded, and got out of the car. He walked off to the side and whispered into the phone.
Haskell came back after a few minutes.
Jeric
ho was relieved that after nearly six hours of driving, he would finally get some answers from his obviously anxiety-ridden friend. "Come on man, out with it already. We've been driving forever to hear this report from Louise. What up?"
Haskell stared into space.
Jericho looked over at Haskell. "This is not like you Cool Hand Haskell."
Haskell walked slowly over to Jericho. Even though they were out in the middle of nowhere, it was smart to keep their voices down. "Well, looks like Louise got herself into a jam with some wise guys up New Orleans way who are immune to her charms," said Haskell.
Jericho quietly blew out some air. "So, we're going on an intergalactic flight in a few hours and no offense to Louise but her troubles are not ours," said Jericho in his usual cocksure delivery.
Poverty Rocks! (Rock n' Roll in Outer Space Book 1) Page 12
