Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 11:27:12 MDT From: tperreau@banshee.VLA.NRAO.EDU (Tonemiester) Message-Id: <9308141727.AA03068@banshee.vla.nrao.edu> Subject: Once A King...Part 7 Once A King... Part VII Images flashed through Sam's memory. He was somewhere else, the sky a milky haze and not the clear blue of Arizona. He was holding a sword that was fashioned from glass. It was light as a feather and the colors of the rainbow were captured within it. He was wearing a suit of armor of the same multicolored glass, with spikes and ridges that seemed not to obey normal geometery. "Wise Sam!" A musical voice called out. Sam turned. The elf was mounted on a creature that for lack of a better term Sam called a horse. The elf was wearing armor like Sam, but he was outfitted with a lance. "There, wise Sam!" The elf pointed. "The foe! Onwards to battle and glory, my human friend!" He rode off, heading into the golden hills. "Talcred! Wait!" "Talcred?" Coris looked down at Sam. "Lord Cedric, are you ok? Do you need a chiurgeon?" Sam felt dizzy as he felt reality lurch under him. He shook his head and remembered where he was. "No, your Grace. I'm fine, just need to catch my breath." "Water bearer! Water here for Lord Cedric!" Coris called out, and Sam felt a plastic tube go past his lips. He sucked down the cool water. "Sam! You ok?" Al leaned down next to Sam. "You don't look so good -- you're as pale as a sheet!" "I'm ok," Sam replied as he stood up, shaking his head to clear it. Coris helped to steady Sam. "An excellent combat, Lord Cedric!" Coris clapped Sam on the shoulder. "I didn't think you had it in you after this morning! Six Goliards slain! Most excellent!" "Thanks, your Grace." "Uh, Sam. We have to leave," Al looked at his handlink. "Ziggy has come up with some data that we need to look at. We'll be back soon." Al and Meagan stepped though the door. Sam closed his eyes, trying to shake the feeling that he had. *** "What is it, Ziggy?" Al asked as he walked into the control room. Gooshie looked up with a worried expression. "Dr. Beckett almost leaped out, Admiral;" Ziggy replied. "With my new software, I have better control over detection of the coronal discharge, and for a couple of seconds, Dr. Beckett seemed ready to leap." "It's more than that, Admiral." Gooshie brought up a display. "We can also predict, within limits, where and when Dr. Beckett will end up. As far as we can tell, if Dr. Beckett had leaped, he would have ended up here." Gooshie pointed to a point on the display. Al and Meagan looked at it. "Here there be dragons?" Al frowned. "Who's idea was that?" "Mine, Admiral." Ziggy answered, her lights spinning slowly. "It looked like father was going to leap back to where he leaped from -- where ever that is. The ancient cartographers used to mark unknown lands with the comment "Here be dragons" or monsters." "You're telling us he almost leaped back into Never-never land?" Al nearly yelled at Ziggy. "The retrieval program. Is it ready?" "Yes." Gooshie's fingers flew over a display panel. "I wish I could get access to the timelocked files." "They are encrypted as such to protect the future. I suspect that as I grow and learn, that I will be able to figure out the encryption scheme and open the files. Interesting the paradox this could set up -- I'd like to explore it, but that way lies madness." Ziggy sounded sad. *** Sam rested in his tent, once again the armor was off. He swore that he would not put it on again today, on and off twice in one day was more than enough for him. Then there was the feeling of not being firmly planted in reality. Sam could not help but to feel that he had done this before -- some- thing akin to deja vu, but not quite. To help out, Sam idly flipped through the notes that Ron had collected. Sam was familiar with the high temperature superconductors, and he could easily follow the thoughts of the future Nobel prize winner. "And there you are, you marvelous man!" Patricia/Lady Joanna nearly flew into Sam's lap. He barely had time to close the notebook before he had Patricia in his lap, kissing him. "Wow!" Patricia broke the embrace. "You should fight Goliards more often." She ran her hand down Sam's face. "Wish I could stay longer, but I have to run. I came by to tell you that you have to come to Court tonight." "When did I get arrested?" Sam asked, puzzled. Patricia laughed and mussed his hair. "Not real Court, silly. Kingdom court." She shook her head. "Some- times I wonder about you." "So do I," Al added. Sam sighed inwardly. "You know where your court clothes are, don't you?" Patricia got up off Sam and opened one of the wooden boxes. "Ah, here they are. Now go make yourself handsome." She kissed Sam again before she left. Al followed her with his head. "Oh, Sam, how I envy you sometimes." He looked back at Sam, who was changing into a clean off brown tunic with elaborate trim. "Al, if you were here, they'd put chastity belts on all the women," Sam pulled out a thick coppery bracelet. "Do I wear this too?" "On your arm, Sam, like that barbarian guy Tina was always reading about. And even if they did put belts on all the women, I have the universal key." Al rocked on his feet, a knowing smile on his face. Sam arched an eyebrow at Al. "God, Al, you haven't changed a bit." "Older, wiser, greyer," Al rubbed his beard and shrugged his shoulder. "Poorer." "Retirement got you down?" Sam laced up calf high mocassins. "A bit. Gooshie and Tina are married." "Ah-ha! That's it. Woman problems." Sam stood up. "Well, how do I look?" "Like an extra from Robin Hood..." Sam walked out of the tent, not hearing Al. He looked after Sam. "...Men in Tights." He finished as he pushed on the handlink.