backup
This commit is contained in:
James Tomasino
parent
06ede6cb63
commit
5a753a7dcc
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
|
|||
Creative Commons Legal Code
|
||||
|
||||
CC0 1.0 Universal CREATIVE COMMONS CORPORATION IS NOT A LAW FIRM AND DOES
|
||||
NOT PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE
|
||||
AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. CREATIVE COMMONS PROVIDES THIS INFORMATION
|
||||
ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS. CREATIVE COMMONS MAKES NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE USE
|
||||
OF THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION OR WORKS PROVIDED HEREUNDER, AND DISCLAIMS
|
||||
LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION
|
||||
OR WORKS PROVIDED HEREUNDER.
|
||||
|
||||
Statement of Purpose
|
||||
|
||||
The laws of most jurisdictions throughout the world automatically confer exclusive
|
||||
Copyright and Related Rights (defined below) upon the creator and subsequent
|
||||
owner(s) (each and all, an "owner") of an original work of authorship and/or
|
||||
a database (each, a "Work").
|
||||
|
||||
Certain owners wish to permanently relinquish those rights to a Work for the
|
||||
purpose of contributing to a commons of creative, cultural and scientific
|
||||
works ("Commons") that the public can reliably and without fear of later claims
|
||||
of infringement build upon, modify, incorporate in other works, reuse and
|
||||
redistribute as freely as possible in any form whatsoever and for any purposes,
|
||||
including without limitation commercial purposes. These owners may contribute
|
||||
to the Commons to promote the ideal of a free culture and the further production
|
||||
of creative, cultural and scientific works, or to gain reputation or greater
|
||||
distribution for their Work in part through the use and efforts of others.
|
||||
|
||||
For these and/or other purposes and motivations, and without any expectation
|
||||
of additional consideration or compensation, the person associating CC0 with
|
||||
a Work (the "Affirmer"), to the extent that he or she is an owner of Copyright
|
||||
and Related Rights in the Work, voluntarily elects to apply CC0 to the Work
|
||||
and publicly distribute the Work under its terms, with knowledge of his or
|
||||
her Copyright and Related Rights in the Work and the meaning and intended
|
||||
legal effect of CC0 on those rights.
|
||||
|
||||
1. Copyright and Related Rights. A Work made available under CC0 may be protected
|
||||
by copyright and related or neighboring rights ("Copyright and Related Rights").
|
||||
Copyright and Related Rights include, but are not limited to, the following:
|
||||
|
||||
i. the right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, perform, display, communicate,
|
||||
and translate a Work;
|
||||
|
||||
ii. moral rights retained by the original author(s) and/or performer(s);
|
||||
|
||||
iii. publicity and privacy rights pertaining to a person's image or likeness
|
||||
depicted in a Work;
|
||||
|
||||
iv. rights protecting against unfair competition in regards to a Work, subject
|
||||
to the limitations in paragraph 4(a), below;
|
||||
|
||||
v. rights protecting the extraction, dissemination, use and reuse of data
|
||||
in a Work;
|
||||
|
||||
vi. database rights (such as those arising under Directive 96/9/EC of the
|
||||
European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection
|
||||
of databases, and under any national implementation thereof, including any
|
||||
amended or successor version of such directive); and
|
||||
|
||||
vii. other similar, equivalent or corresponding rights throughout the world
|
||||
based on applicable law or treaty, and any national implementations thereof.
|
||||
|
||||
2. Waiver. To the greatest extent permitted by, but not in contravention of,
|
||||
applicable law, Affirmer hereby overtly, fully, permanently, irrevocably and
|
||||
unconditionally waives, abandons, and surrenders all of Affirmer's Copyright
|
||||
and Related Rights and associated claims and causes of action, whether now
|
||||
known or unknown (including existing as well as future claims and causes of
|
||||
action), in the Work (i) in all territories worldwide, (ii) for the maximum
|
||||
duration provided by applicable law or treaty (including future time extensions),
|
||||
(iii) in any current or future medium and for any number of copies, and (iv)
|
||||
for any purpose whatsoever, including without limitation commercial, advertising
|
||||
or promotional purposes (the "Waiver"). Affirmer makes the Waiver for the
|
||||
benefit of each member of the public at large and to the detriment of Affirmer's
|
||||
heirs and successors, fully intending that such Waiver shall not be subject
|
||||
to revocation, rescission, cancellation, termination, or any other legal or
|
||||
equitable action to disrupt the quiet enjoyment of the Work by the public
|
||||
as contemplated by Affirmer's express Statement of Purpose.
|
||||
|
||||
3. Public License Fallback. Should any part of the Waiver for any reason be
|
||||
judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, then the Waiver
|
||||
shall be preserved to the maximum extent permitted taking into account Affirmer's
|
||||
express Statement of Purpose. In addition, to the extent the Waiver is so
|
||||
judged Affirmer hereby grants to each affected person a royalty-free, non
|
||||
transferable, non sublicensable, non exclusive, irrevocable and unconditional
|
||||
license to exercise Affirmer's Copyright and Related Rights in the Work (i)
|
||||
in all territories worldwide, (ii) for the maximum duration provided by applicable
|
||||
law or treaty (including future time extensions), (iii) in any current or
|
||||
future medium and for any number of copies, and (iv) for any purpose whatsoever,
|
||||
including without limitation commercial, advertising or promotional purposes
|
||||
(the "License"). The License shall be deemed effective as of the date CC0
|
||||
was applied by Affirmer to the Work. Should any part of the License for any
|
||||
reason be judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, such
|
||||
partial invalidity or ineffectiveness shall not invalidate the remainder of
|
||||
the License, and in such case Affirmer hereby affirms that he or she will
|
||||
not (i) exercise any of his or her remaining Copyright and Related Rights
|
||||
in the Work or (ii) assert any associated claims and causes of action with
|
||||
respect to the Work, in either case contrary to Affirmer's express Statement
|
||||
of Purpose.
|
||||
|
||||
4. Limitations and Disclaimers.
|
||||
|
||||
a. No trademark or patent rights held by Affirmer are waived, abandoned, surrendered,
|
||||
licensed or otherwise affected by this document.
|
||||
|
||||
b. Affirmer offers the Work as-is and makes no representations or warranties
|
||||
of any kind concerning the Work, express, implied, statutory or otherwise,
|
||||
including without limitation warranties of title, merchantability, fitness
|
||||
for a particular purpose, non infringement, or the absence of latent or other
|
||||
defects, accuracy, or the present or absence of errors, whether or not discoverable,
|
||||
all to the greatest extent permissible under applicable law.
|
||||
|
||||
c. Affirmer disclaims responsibility for clearing rights of other persons
|
||||
that may apply to the Work or any use thereof, including without limitation
|
||||
any person's Copyright and Related Rights in the Work. Further, Affirmer disclaims
|
||||
responsibility for obtaining any necessary consents, permissions or other
|
||||
rights required for any use of the Work.
|
||||
|
||||
d. Affirmer understands and acknowledges that Creative Commons is not a party
|
||||
to this document and has no duty or obligation with respect to this CC0 or
|
||||
use of the Work.
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
|
|||
Greetings and cordiality,
|
||||
|
||||
I will have following the correspondences shared on this QEC for some
|
||||
time now. It is clear that languages spoken aboard our ship are
|
||||
distanced from those spoken commonly accross the galaxy, but I have
|
||||
granted samples of the QEC into the thinking machine, and I believe my
|
||||
communication should be decipherable, but kindly forgive if it lacks
|
||||
natural cadence.
|
||||
|
||||
It has been interesting to read about the different cultures that exist
|
||||
within our ever-distant species. I
|
||||
|
|
@ -116,50 +116,244 @@ a party without a huff-bar, she thought. Sinda slid up to the end,
|
|||
dropped a coin--larger than she'd expected, but this was
|
||||
a holiday--and did a quick line before continuing on.
|
||||
|
||||
This was the life. It was a carnival in full swing. Perhaps she'd
|
||||
have time with Borzin to explore the tents before they set out,
|
||||
but probably not. A holiday in the wilderness is what she signed
|
||||
up for and that's what she was going to get.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
***
|
||||
|
||||
- Event: Sinda arrives in Ausix and is overwhelmed and nervous.
|
||||
- Function: Introduces Sinda & the town. Reveals her background as
|
||||
a parts designer for an engineering consultancy. Demonstrates the
|
||||
town as a peaceful place of relaxation and harmony. Sets up the
|
||||
impact for its later destruction.
|
||||
- Beginning: Ferry comes into town, carnival atmosphere
|
||||
- Middle: Con game / test your luck. A loss, but friendly and with
|
||||
directions to follow. Lesson in illusions.
|
||||
- End: Guide to the cottage.
|
||||
- Pulse: Excitement and freedom at being on her own
|
||||
|
||||
Looks for a ride, finds a square gig pulled by a long nosed animal
|
||||
the driver calls "bajingan". Slowly travels through the town on
|
||||
the way up the hill.
|
||||
|
||||
The driver and Sinda talk about the Ausentia mountains and the
|
||||
elves of the hills. Points out a large rock with a building built
|
||||
halfway round. An old church? She heard the contractor got greedy.
|
||||
|
||||
Children run past, use their movement to describe the town. Kites,
|
||||
drying hooks out windows, animals for transport. A rare sight of
|
||||
a Leva, vintage model, probably for a collector.
|
||||
|
||||
Stops at a café and eats a pocket of something hot on the steps
|
||||
outside. Sees the gaming and wanders over. She's drawn into the
|
||||
coin game, bets and loses her money. Shocked from her relaxation
|
||||
and given a moment of panic and fear. Scene Turn.
|
||||
|
||||
The coin main watches her cry and offers to take her where she's
|
||||
going. The sting comes out of the con and he talks about illusion.
|
||||
Leads her up the road into the hills and says goodbye at the
|
||||
cottage road.
|
||||
|
||||
***
|
||||
This was the life. It was a carnival in full swing. Would she'd
|
||||
have time with Borzin to explore the tents before they set out? It
|
||||
would be a nice way to reconnect, and the meat pies looked steamy.
|
||||
Maybe they could find barm or just get ice cream like in the old
|
||||
days. But no, a holiday in the wilderness is what she signed up
|
||||
for and that's what she was going to get. Still, maybe just a few
|
||||
minutes before she went looking for Borzin wouldn't hurt. Besides,
|
||||
the huff was kicking in and that always made her hungry.
|
||||
|
||||
A few blocks away from the port or docks or whatever that area was
|
||||
called the land started its upward slope. Ausix was built into the
|
||||
hills and from afar it seemed houses sat on top of other houses.
|
||||
Here close in she could see the gentle slopes and carefully
|
||||
terraced landscaping that created the illusion. Sinda looked
|
||||
skyward between a pair of buildings that butted up against the
|
||||
corner of one intersection to marvel at the kites and ribbons
|
||||
flapping in the wind coming in off the sea. Long strings led back
|
||||
down to windows. Apartments, most likely. Streamers hung from
|
||||
clothes lines that crossed the alley, their true natures revealed
|
||||
by one oversized pair of mens underclothes still pinned amongst
|
||||
the splash of colors. Again she wondered to herself what the
|
||||
celebration was for.
|
||||
|
||||
Sinda wasn't sure of the direction of the cottage she was renting
|
||||
with Borzin, but she knew it was on the outskirts of the city near
|
||||
the great forest. That meant up. She could grab a bite on the
|
||||
way--maybe one of those sticky dumplings or the meat pies--and get
|
||||
closer before asking for directions. She was letting her taste
|
||||
buds argue when the sounds of coins pulled her attention to
|
||||
a gambling facade built into the side of a pastry shop. The sign
|
||||
wasn't in her native tongue, but she recognized enough of the
|
||||
script to see it was some sort of pun on "sticky fingers." How
|
||||
dreadful. A bit of chocolate wouldn't hurt, though.
|
||||
|
||||
Wandering nearer the smells of baking she noted three men and
|
||||
a woman around the gambling area, cheering loudly. The woman had
|
||||
the rich chocolatey skin of a southerner but spoke with the
|
||||
lilting accent of Ausix. The hegemony's presence in Beroun had
|
||||
brought a lot of wealth to their lands and rich opportunities. The
|
||||
old lines that divided the map were falling quickly and new faces
|
||||
and customs appearing in the most remote places. It was a good
|
||||
thing, she told herself. New ideas were good for everyone.
|
||||
|
||||
It seemed that the woman was a native here, or close enough to it.
|
||||
The three men with her all had the olive skin, bright eyes and
|
||||
downward squints that were the common hallmark of Ausix. The
|
||||
eldest could be in his 60s, or perhaps a decade younger if he
|
||||
spent that time at sea. The other two, including the man behind
|
||||
the counter, looked not much older than Sinda's early 20s.
|
||||
|
||||
Trying not to stare, she refocused on a chalk menu beneath the
|
||||
serving window listing prices. Again they seemed far too high.
|
||||
A sweet roll in Beroun would cost a third of what they charged.
|
||||
Still, one had to account for the distance. It must be expensive
|
||||
to import sugar here. Anyway, Sinda had more money in her accounts
|
||||
than ever before. Her first year at the PSGG, her first real job,
|
||||
had paid well. Six roommates and a flat the size of a small car
|
||||
didn't hurt her financial situation either. She could splurge
|
||||
a bit on holiday.
|
||||
|
||||
The ritual of buying goods in Ausix was something of a chore
|
||||
involving hand gestures, flashing of hard currency, and
|
||||
a overbearing amount of up-sell, but a sugary treat eventually
|
||||
made its way into her hand wrapped in a bit of waxy paper. There
|
||||
were no benches or tables nearby, so she stepped around the corner
|
||||
and sat on the second step leading up into an apartment building.
|
||||
It left her an excellent view back down the street and onto the
|
||||
sea glittering with a hundred thousand tiny reflections of
|
||||
sunlight. It also positioned her so she could watch the gamblers
|
||||
without having to stare directly at them.
|
||||
|
||||
Purely coincidence, and people watching was natural part of
|
||||
holiday. Sinda would be camping soon and might not get the chance
|
||||
to meet many locals. What if, upon returning to work, one of the
|
||||
engineers asked her about the people she met? How embarrassing.
|
||||
|
||||
The pastry--something called a doozi--was covered in honey and
|
||||
sugar over a flaky crust and stuffed with whipped chocolate
|
||||
butter. It was incredibly rich and dangerously messy. She was glad
|
||||
for the wax paper and took dainty bites. She had nothing to wipe
|
||||
her mouth with and the extra time it took to eat gave her more
|
||||
time to watch.
|
||||
|
||||
The woman she named Shiv in her head. It was the name of
|
||||
a princess from southern Hatoona in a novel she read last year and
|
||||
it seemed fitting to this boisterous figure. Shiv was winning, it
|
||||
seemed, and the men with her were riding along in her victory.
|
||||
Let's call them Donny and Bonny. There were drinks going around
|
||||
and Shiv lit up a long stemmed pipe that oozed out a thick blue
|
||||
smoke. Sinda know the smell immediately and licked her lips. Shiv
|
||||
noticed and smiled and that in turn drew the attention of Donny.
|
||||
Before she knew it she was being beckoned to the counter.
|
||||
|
||||
Sinda's mother called her a wild one, and her brother used to
|
||||
berate her for rushing into things, but if she were honest with
|
||||
herself she probably would have walked away from this group were
|
||||
it not for Shiv. Something about stepping into an ally with
|
||||
a bunch of strange men playing a game she didn't know in a city
|
||||
hours from home didn't seem quite right. Shiv's broad face looked
|
||||
amused but nonthreatening and that put her at ease.
|
||||
|
||||
The last of the doozi disappeared into her mouth and she licked
|
||||
her fingers clean as she stepped closer. Donny pointed at a waste
|
||||
bin for her wax paper--kind of the scoundrel--and made room for
|
||||
her. The dealer behind the bar cracked a wide grin with teeth that
|
||||
didn't add up to a full set and rambled out an invitation that
|
||||
seemed rehearsed. The other men nodded along and gestured at dice
|
||||
and cards laying on a stretch of felt that was pinned to the top
|
||||
of the bar. The game itself seemed simple enough, just assorted
|
||||
probabilities and opportunities to win at the expense of others or
|
||||
ride along on their odds. There were games like this in Beroun in
|
||||
the big gambling halls. She'd even been to one of those fairly
|
||||
recently but only to see a show. Sinda had a head for numbers.
|
||||
This would be fine.
|
||||
|
||||
The gestures grew emphatic and she pulled out a stack of bills
|
||||
from her purse. No sooner had it begun then it was over and her
|
||||
money swept away with laughter and encouragement. "More, again,
|
||||
try your luck," the voices all suggested, but Shiv kept her mouth
|
||||
shut. Blue smoke poured out of her nose in a slow cascade and
|
||||
heavy eyelids watched her without expression. That reassuring
|
||||
feeling Sinda felt before was gone. This was a mistake after all.
|
||||
The men were very close now and seemed much bigger than they had
|
||||
before. Did Donny's sweat stains look a bit too dark? Where were
|
||||
all the other people in the city, exactly?
|
||||
|
||||
"Ahoy!" a shout from behind started her from the moment. A greying
|
||||
man with a hunched back squatted on a square gig behind a funny
|
||||
creature with a long nose. The gamblers seemed back to normal
|
||||
again, shouting at each other and rolling dice. Shiv's hand fell
|
||||
on her shoulder as she turned toward the new voice.
|
||||
|
||||
"Come back any time, flower," she said. Sinda nodded and made
|
||||
a sound that meant nothing and backed away. The taste of doozi
|
||||
seemed dry in her mouth.
|
||||
|
||||
The gig driver sat patiently waiting for her as if she'd already
|
||||
ordered a ride. He gestured up in to the simple seat behind his
|
||||
perch and Sinda climbed right in, eager to be away from whatever
|
||||
it was she'd just dodged. The beast began a slow plod uphill and
|
||||
the alley disappeared around the corner.
|
||||
|
||||
That really could have been bad, she knew. And now she'd gone and
|
||||
jumped into a little carriage with another stranger. At least this
|
||||
looked like a legitimate gig.
|
||||
|
||||
"Well now. I believe we're on track. 'Away' was it? That's where
|
||||
you were headed, right, miss? I don't suppose you've got anything
|
||||
more specific in mind?" The driver--was a gig operator called
|
||||
a driver?--was cordial, polite even.
|
||||
|
||||
"Thank you for stopping. I…" she trailed off. What to say? She had
|
||||
been stupid and jumped into something dangerous without thinking.
|
||||
Then again, had it really been a danger? The moment seemed
|
||||
dream-like in memory already. None of them had said anything
|
||||
threatening at all or pushed her to do anything she against her
|
||||
will. The Hatoona woman had been kind enough in her burly way.
|
||||
Maybe it was all in her head? Now she was beginning to sound
|
||||
foolish even to herself. This old man had rescued her from what
|
||||
exactly? Her losing at dice? At least he saved her purse. How had
|
||||
he known to do that? "Can you take me to fairless hills cottages?
|
||||
It's up near--"
|
||||
|
||||
"Oh yes miss. You're hear to see the mountains then. Lovely they
|
||||
are this time of year and a much better destination than away.
|
||||
I suppose they are that, too, if you think about it. Not much more
|
||||
away than Ausentia. Off in the land of elves and old folk where
|
||||
a day is a dream and the trees whisper secrets. Least that's how
|
||||
the songs say it. 'Suppose they same some other things as well,
|
||||
but I'm sure all that is just to scare the kiddies, right?" The
|
||||
driver's tongue did as much walking as the beast pulling them
|
||||
along.
|
||||
|
||||
"Bajingan, miss. Not a beastie," well that settled that question.
|
||||
"Like a donkey or a mule, more. Sweet things but none too bright.
|
||||
This is Moomoo, or the Lady Moomoolicia if you're a formal type.
|
||||
She's an old, draft bajingan from the mountain farms. See them up
|
||||
that way in the hills?" And Sinda did see. Lines carved into the
|
||||
sides of what she'd have called cliffs. She couldn't imagine being
|
||||
able to stand on anything so steep, let alone plow a field there.
|
||||
"Sure footed, to be sure, miss. You'll never see a bajingan fall,
|
||||
as the saying goes."
|
||||
|
||||
The ambling pace set by Moomoo was peaceful, like Ausix had felt
|
||||
upon arrival. She tried to let herself forget her embarrassment
|
||||
a few moments prior and focus on the feelings of freedom.
|
||||
|
||||
"That there is church of the old folk, so the songs say. Not the
|
||||
building, mind, just the rock," the driver continued his narration
|
||||
of their passage. Gesturing with a head nod he was indicating
|
||||
a jutting of stone that pierced out the side of the hill ahead at
|
||||
least six men in length and twice that in height. The massive
|
||||
boulder must have rolled down this way centuries before and lodged
|
||||
itself in the surrounding stone. Or maybe it was pressed outward
|
||||
from pressures under the ground. She was no geologist, but she was
|
||||
pretty sure volcanoes didn't work that way. "The old folk meet up
|
||||
inside the rock to celebrate the year changes and high feasts,
|
||||
like Christmas. Or--"
|
||||
|
||||
"Or that's what the songs say?" she blurted out. Instantly she
|
||||
regretted it. That must have sounded mocking and rude. She opened
|
||||
her mouth to apologize but he was already going again.
|
||||
|
||||
"The towns people tried attaching their own church to it a few
|
||||
centuries back. Maybe they wanted to out-holy the old ones? That's
|
||||
the squat brick of a building you see there. Been abandoned for
|
||||
years now. Contractor got greedy, strange things…" he trailed off.
|
||||
|
||||
Once again the sound of children came back upon Ausix. Higher up
|
||||
the town buildings eased away from the tall structures like the
|
||||
those by the sea and instead tended toward two and three story
|
||||
homes. The house they were passing by had bright blue tile roofing
|
||||
and walls of white plaster scrubbed so clean they hurt to look at.
|
||||
A small fence, not much more than knee height, ran around the
|
||||
perimeter of the yard. Inside were two toddlers, twins maybe,
|
||||
sitting on a manicured lawn with legs spread far out to the sides.
|
||||
They rolled a ball the same blue as the roof and used their legs
|
||||
to trap it before sending it back the other way. With the sun high
|
||||
and skies clear the scene was idyllic.
|
||||
|
||||
Next to the home was a ground car in sparkling red. A Leva,
|
||||
probably a '48. That was vintage, probably a collector's item.
|
||||
This place had money, that's for sure. Sinda let herself daydream
|
||||
about what it would be like to live by the seaside in this
|
||||
beautiful town so far from the bustling city of Beroun and the hub
|
||||
of hegemony activity. It might get boring to be stuck here all the
|
||||
time, she thought, but didn't really believe it.
|
||||
|
||||
The driver kept on talking and Moomoo kept walking, but Sinda
|
||||
tuned him out and let her mind stretch out. Borzin was here,
|
||||
minutes away. A nagging thought struggled into her reverie. They
|
||||
were best friends as children, but what if their lives were too
|
||||
different now? She pushed it away and watched the Ausentia
|
||||
mountains creep closer bit by bit.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Sinda hesitated at the door and took a deep breath. It's just
|
||||
Borzin she reminded herself.
|
||||
|
||||
***
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1 @@
|
|||
/var/gopher/ships/ship/gophermap
|
||||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue