Mitch McConnell for President 2016 [and ZOT for 2013]

I thought you would be interested in this story I found on news.msn.com: US ambassador summoned by Germany over NSA spying ( http://news.msn.com/world/us-ambassador-summoned-by-germany-over-nsa-spying#tscptme, )

Wait a second? Didn’t Snowden first go to China? Where China and their reverse-technology, was granted the rights to reproduce the Grundig SW radio? I hear people in American jails, know how to increase the band-with of small transistor radio’s. What could China do with a Grundig or cell phone, like the Samsung knock-off.

As for France, just how long were they (like Australia in Afghanistan) going to provide there battalions, in the Syrian civil strife? Long enough to see the US weaponry as a Socialist Country? Then pull-out and leave us to boots on the ground?

Now: what about Switzerland and that $2,800.00 a month? Doesn’t that story sound familiar, as in the US $10 Million dollar theory?

What happened to our spy-plane brought down by China? If France and Germany are really worried about spying? Wouldn’t we infiltrate the Belgian Arms Race? I think they have enough to worry about, with the Saab software in Fighter Jets? Comprendee-Vous?

We tied the horses nearby and the angry colonists followed us into the stupidly open hatch of the ship where we found ourselves in the bay where they had their hover vehicles and the aerial vehicle. A very damaged hover vehicle sat there, it was burned out. Konk! One of the colonists took a swing at it with a wooden club for no particular reason.

The next hatch was unlocked, someone was sloppy. We found ourselves in a corridor and soon came across a short right turn to a guarded hatch. When presented with our plasma rifles he raised his arms while one of the colonists collected the dropped weapon.

“Open that hatch” I told him

He looked worried about doing that.

“Open it” I said, holding my rifle a bit higher.

“Must be the armory” one of the male colonists behind us muttered.

It was. Soon all of the colonists with us were holding plasma rifles and we locked the guard inside when we left. “We probably won’t be able to find the bridge” I said “Maybe we should just get away”

“Not a bad idea” Emony said

We all moved toward the vehicle bay but down the corridor a hatch opened and we heard shouts, the colonists managed to get out. Emony stopped to look back at the hatch to outside and said “I do not believe it”

The hatch was closing by itself, but I glanced back to see a limping Carl and Homer with evil grins on their faces. The first thought on my mind was Emony, who was ignoring the closing hatch and about to raise her rifle. I shoved her out the hatch and then I tripped on something. The last thing I saw before the hatch clanged shut was Emony’s surprised face.

I knew I had been caught though.

I remember getting kicked a few times before Carl and Homer argued about what to do with me.

“Take him to the Captain” Homer argued “He might reward us for catching the thorn in our side”

Carl wasn’t so sure about that. “Sometimes I think he thinks me and you are the thorns in his side”

After a pause I heard Carl say “He’s too quiet” and then there was another painful kick to my side. Then I felt like I was being dragged for a bit before someone started hauling me around more or less standing up. One of them limped a little, maybe Carl’s butt was still hurting him. I got the impression of a tiny closet-like chamber and then gravity increased, my stomach felt like it dropped to the floor. This must be a life, I read about those somewhere.

I was barely able to stay awake, let alone open my eyes. I thought I heard some kind of hatch open and then footsteps. “What are you doing here?”

“Where is the Captain, we have a gift” Carl said, I imagined a snide grin on his face.

“Okay, but he is really busy with preparations” someone said

“What does that mean” Homer asked but did not get answer, instead I was again being moved and soon I was thrown on a floor somewhere.

“We caught him, we caught Brad Black” Carl said, sounding self-satisfied.

The man was sitting behind the desk but he looked restless. “It doesn’t really matter anymore. I suppose keeping him locked up here might not be a bad idea though”

Keep me locked up here? Here? On the ship?

“What are you preparing for, sir?” Homer asked, sounding suspicious.

The man was quiet for a moment, as if he was thinking about not telling this young cadet a truthful answer. “If you must know, we are going to be leaving”

“Leaving?” both cadets asked, in my minds eye they glance at each other the way the twins do. I almost laugh at the image.

“I don’t have time for this” the Captain said, standing up and walking up to a view screen on the wall “We don’t have much choice at this point. We will be lifting off within two hours and we’ll be long gone before the fleet arrives”

“I don’t understand” Homer replied.

“If they catch him, Ranagar is a dead man” I said barely loud enough for it to be heard “and he knows it”

The boys were quiet. The Captain was silent as he walked back to his desk “Lock him in the brig and get back to your quarters”

“Is it true?” Homer asked

“I just gave you an order Cadet” the Captain said “Don’t make me send you to the brig too”

I was pulled up jarringly and half carried by the two Cadets out the door and through the bridge and then back in the corridor before one of them spoke to the other.

“What is going on?” Homer asked

“I don’t care” Carl said, noticeably shaken.

“He’s a criminal” I muttered between breaths “The Prince will have his head”

“The Captain isn’t loyal to the Prince?” Homer asked, he sounded astounded as if this were a scandal and a complete surprise.

“Doesn’t matter” Carl said, pointedly “I follow the Captain’s orders. Forget about the Prince for right now, will you?”

I was half carried and half dragged to the life again and soon down a new corridor and thrown into a small room. This was a cell I supposed. No wireless-type terminal here, no vent into a secret corridor like Samantha showed me when we sneaked into the vessel. I was good and well locked up.

Then noticed I was still wearing the com. Homer and Carl hadn’t noticed and removed it. I wasn’t hearing anything from it, maybe the walls of the ship blocked the signal. Come to think of it I hadn’t heard anything from it for a while.

Suddenly I was hearing things from the com again, first there was nothing and then static and then I could faintly hear chatter.

“... you think that is close enough?...” someone was asking

“... maybe, one way to find out...”

Suddenly I felt the vessel shudder. Oh, please do not be taking off, I said to myself a few times. There was nothing for a bit and then it shuddered again.

“..hit it..”

It sounded as though they were firing something at the ship, but with the heavy weapons on the ship that would put someone in real danger of being obliterated. I remember the way the ship was protected from the hand thrown Molotov cocktails thrown by old Emma. Apparently, though, something was getting through.

“..missed...”

Not knowing what was going on was frustrating. It seemed that they were somehow attacking the ship, I really hoped it was clobbering them in return. I imagined that Ted Whiting might have come up with a way to catapult projectiles but I could not imagine that the vessel would not have blasted it to bits the first time it was used.

What on Montoya was going on out there?

“.. remember to stay back..”

Was that Emony’s voice? It was faint but it was possible.

“Emony is that you?” I spoke into the com hoping they might hear me, but there was no indication that anyone out there could hear me.

The small food tray slot in the door opened again.

A small flat black object was pushed in and dropped to the floor. The slot closed without the person outside making any comment. It was square when I picked it up, it looked like the same kind of device I had seen Samantha using. It was a lock, a map, a communications device and more all rolled into one.

I had no idea how to use it.

I remember seeing that it had a menu system when we had been in the vents and she was installing the message to her father. If I could get to the menu system I might be able to figure out how to use the device to send a message to Emony or whoever was out there.

Then I heard a message over some sort of loudspeaker within the ship, although there was no loudspeaker in the brig. I could hear it from the corridor or something.

“All hands to flight stations. All hands to flight stations” it was the voice of Captain Ranagar.

I looked down at the device in my palm and felt an urgency I hadn’t before. If this ship left the surface and went into deep drive, I would never see my family or Emony again. I pressed the center of the device and blue field erupted above it. It was a holographic display, as I had seen when Samantha used it.

How to reach a menu system? There was a white square at the top right-hand corner that was puslating, it was growing and shrinking fast and the white was getting brighter and dimmer at the same time. I did not know what it was but I plunged my forefinger through it.

“You have a message” the device chimed and there was the word From: Insider floating above the device next to an arrow. I dutifully put the tip of my finger through the arrow and an image of Samantha appeared in front of me, suspended in the air.

“The ship is being attacked by the colonists. Me and Homer have hacked into the main computer and locked the heavy weapon systems” she said “I don’t know how long it will take them to break our hack though”

“Let me explain to you how to unlock the cell” she continued “I have preloaded your device with all the codes, just fit it into the recessed slot and indicate the lock pass I tell you. You should be able to get out of the ship. Good luck!”

I did not know how to reply or know whether that was advisable. I set the device against the door in a small recessed area and hit the line marked “Unlock cell”. I was still a little surprised when the hatch of the cell swung open and I was free. There was nobody guarding the brig, everyone on board was probably at flight stations.

Next on her list was getting out of the brig itself. Like every other door it had a recessed area for the device to be positioned. I touched the indicated code floating in front of the device and the door unlocked and came ajar. I carefully glance out the small opening and see a deserted corridor, of course I could only see in one direction.

I slipped out and stood flat against the wall, I felt a bit foolish, but I was able to see that it was also clear in the other direction.

I was walking toward the hatch at the end of the corridor when I heard someone coming. I ducked into an opening to the side and found myself in a lift. I only vaguely recall what it is but I placed the device into the slot and indicate the vehicle bay. I felt, by my stomach, that I was dropping but then something happened. A red light came on and the lift stopped.

I doubted there was a code for getting caught. Again, actually.

Is this consider abuse of a character now?

.........

I use the device, I turn the floating cube until I see an entry marked “files” and I punch my finger tip at it and a menu system opened in front of me. There were so many options that my eyes probably glazed over for a second. Ted Whiting would trade a finger for something like this.

I find a communications hub and a different cube was floating in front of me. I could send different kinds of messages but I chose radio frequencies and found that our com system was already programmed in. This might have been the same device Samantha had used before, I hope she didn’t get in trouble because she had loaned it to me.

“We have seven prisoners over here” someone was saying “Looks like the rest beat it back to the ship”

It was them. That must be McNeil or Cooper, I really did not remember.

“This is Brad Black” I said into the device “They are about to take off, the ship is about to leave. Get to safety”

I didn’t hear a response but the lift began racing upwards and I lost my balance and was leaning against the back wall. Then it stopped with a sudden lurch and the door swished open. I was looking right at Captain Ranagar and Carl Munger and some other invader.

“This could prove useful” Captain Ranagar said, he was holding a sidearm “Stun him”

“With pleasure” Carl said before blasting me with his rifle weapon.

The world went black.

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