Chief Liaison Officer

CHIEF LIAISON OFFICER

DAVID SCORPIO
GAMIER
BETA MAR

 

My boys and I toasted the 200TH day of Paycheque's reign, approximately one 'year' of Conquest. We had survived, positions intact, and life was better under uPaychel, in fact, in some ways better than when humans ruled!

 

No curfew, but Zerks patrolled as did our Union Police. Crime was virtually non-existent as death the usual penalty. No trial, no discussion.

 

Jobs opened in Security so there were thousands, literally thousands of private firms. This is because the Zerks took to playing tourist. Every day there were hundreds of Zerks all about the planet. Some at sporting events, some in the most disgusting excuses for eateries.

 

During Chimpin's reign, a whole village was vaporised because one person threw a rock at a Zerk. We didn't let that fade from the minds of Marians.

 

Security firms monitored every corner of the planet and fully licensed to stun anyone, whether infant in arms, President or local idol, who appeared to contemplate performing any act save ignoring the Zerks.

 

"Thought Crime " we called it.

 

No one wanted their Georgia Chicken joint destroyed because one fool shouted something at Zerks who were making their order.

 

Another deep employment barrel was anything connected to the ' music' industry. From having a venue, to producing music, to holding shows, to being a musician or sound engineer, the field was open.

 

Manufacture of clothing was also booming. Everyone wanted to wear whatever it is they thought people wore in the Twentieth Century.

 

And there were our lovely Euthanasia centers.

 

Old people, handicapped, chronic diseases, whatever, carry them in and say good bye.

 

Chimpin had closed all 'warehousing' facilities. When uPaychel saw the openings of these Euthy corners he was not pleased. I strove to explain the respect one would grant to a parent or friend in having these centres. When he gave an interested eye, as I'd used images that would pertain to Zerks, he agreed.

 

I gained 'two teka' before the subject would be cremated, allowing goodbyes and reflections.

 

I'm sure there were centers hidden in forests or homes, off the normal paths, where 'useless' existence, (in Zerk term) was prolonged. As long as the Zerks didn't find them, I didn't know about them.

 

The real issue was that the Zees were absolutely homophobic. It was living a double life or death.

 

As they didn't understand same sex intimacy, as long as one was never in a 'romantic' posture with another, they would make no assumption. Same sexes could live together in virtual marriage as long as when they stepped in public, they played casual friends.

 

As to my terror over the Sabrin, it was wrongly placed. Without the hordes of scratchy children, undesirables and those who left piles of debris as they moved, the Museum was in perfect health.  Those who worked there continued, and though they were banned from certain Sections at certain times, there was nothing to fear.

 

There were the usual requests for tours which had to be turned down. Occasionally an artist who wished to copy a work would request. I would bring that to our Master's attention. He would often allow it, taking the opportunity to watch the artist and learn the technique.

 

Occasionally a student wanting to make thesis out of some work was allowed, but with complete online tours, there was no need for a body to be taken into the building.

 

My crew, of course had complete access. We wallowed in the art, picniced in the galleries, knowing how very privileged we were.

 

There were so many people begging, promising, trying to bribe to get into the Sabrin or gain a concession, a fool would grab what he could. But when you hold power at the sufferance of another, you do not, ever, jeopardise it. My group would not jeopardise the advantages we held, for the bottom is never as far away as one thinks.

 

Taking Charge

 Taking Charge

ANN PICE
THE ARK 

 

"Ladies," I say, "listen to me."  My tone of voice commanding. "These people of the Ark are going to be put on their own island, which means no Zees or just a few Zees...however we have to make sure that there isn't a repeat of..."

 

I didn't have to call the name of that hell we'd lived in.

 

"There's enough food on this ship to feed them for years, good food ...which means that for at least a year, they'll be dining from this ship."

 

I paused, then; "A battery operated vac and micro will have to be provided ...you see where I'm going? Not that Cyti is bad, at this minute...but we should be thinking of having an 'extra' place to go and go for a reason."

 

"Ann.." Sara drolled, "we've all thought that. Which is why we are here. We'll do the the 'work'. You know it takes Jill hours to grow a thought, so we'll ' feed ' her from our garden."  And taking control, Sara states; "This is what I think; we wake a set of people we can, I don't want to say..program...so find a euphenism you like...but..."

 

I would not let her snatch this.

 

"We wake those we can control, and we are the ones they have to come to for more food or their problems...and we, as we speak Zerk...Shaz, can interpret..."

 

"Who should we wake first?" Marie poked.

 

We looked over the manifest, Sara suggesting we wake someone to be the ostensible 'leader' or leaders, someone who has a mil back to be a kind of police, and people who seem nice enough and can manage planting or building.

 

We made our lists, unaware of how many we were to wake. Eventually Jill wandered in, told us 'forty two' and I said; "We need to wake one of them first to assist us in waking the others. We think Dr. Lewis the best choice."

Waking the Dead

 WAKING THE DEAD

Jill uReglimi
The Ark

 

A ZeSha had come to me, and just seeing his 'lean and hungry' look, knew he'd come from

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.01.2022
ISBN: 978-3-7554-0491-0

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