[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
only the "taxpayers" were allowed to vote. We did the "same" now, but even so
there were "pressures" placed upon our politicians to vote for legislation of
the type familiar to anyone from the 20th Century when such ideas were
commonplace! There were also the castes and guilds jealous of their own place.
In a way my 26th Century Trelandar resembled 12th Century Europe. Mankind has,
I fear, learned little from his own history here...
"`Supported' by ample historical evidence from the Roosevelt `era' of
1932 to the year 2008 when Janet Rogers was elected," my husband added,
obviously having been listening to all this a bit! Jon, like many naval
officers, having an excellent education due to the fact that there is often
little to "do" aboard a ship but to read books, most captains having rather
excellent libraries...
"A `consequence' of the fact that in order to get `elected' you must
`pander' to the `selfishness' in the voters," Sanda now spoke, no doubt well
Page 118
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
aware of the "political realities" here too. Most people usually voting for
whoever will "give" them the most! This is "why" for example that the United
States of America back in the last decade before Janet Rogers actually "voted"
itself into "bankruptcy" by just such "short sighted" economic policies.
Policies of "rights" and "entitlements" that ruined the country! Spending as
much as a hundred thousand dollars to "educate" a child who lacked the "mental
abilities" to ever be "productive". A "delusion" caused by the concept that
everyone had a "right to a good education" regardless of ability, paid for if
necessary by the taxpayers. It is surprising in a way that they "lasted" as
long as they did before national bankruptcy put an end to it all!
"At least there are no new scars," Jon said, "examining" me. I wore a
new silk and lace teddy that didn't conceal very "much".
"Yvette will have to sleep somewhere else tonight," I said.
"She's not as `good' as you are in bed," Jon smiled back.
"Proves that `looks' can be `deceiving'," I noted back.
"Doesn't have your `brains' either," my husband said.
"A woman of little imagination," I smiled, kissing him.
"Glad I never married Maris Marn," Jon said, holding me.
"Her `loss', my `gain'," I smiled, Jon picking me up now. Carrying me to
the bed, and letting me drop the last few inches. The thought going through my
mind that Maris weighed more too...
"I've been doing some `thinking'," Sanda said to me the next morning as
we ate breakfast. As Prime Minister she had quarters here in the palace, her
own suite, and a staff of several people. Ta-she-ra and Mara having eaten
earlier and then gone "riding".
"That's `good'," Jon grinned, sitting next to me eating.
"Go on," I spoke, ignoring my husband's comment here.
"If Les Hawkins is someone's `tool'..." she mused.
"Yes?" I breathed, thinking of the "implications".
"Our `traitor' could be almost anyone," Sanda said to me, chewing on a
piece of bacon. Yvette waiting to be of "service".
"Say someone `planted' in your organization years ago," Lady Tirana
ventured. "Someone we all `trust', someone known to us." I recalled what Tais
had said to me. I supposed she knew "who".
"Your own personal staff..." I ventured thoughtfully to her.
"Or someone high in the ranks of the `party'," Sanda spoke.
"If our `agent' is `intelligent', he or she will not make themselves
`obvious'," Jon pointed out, regarding Sanda sitting there across from him.
"They would not `advocate' the sort of `ideas' that Les Hawkins advocates as a
part of his politics..."
"A `needle in a haystack'," I breathed out thoughtfully.
Page 119
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"`Hopeless'," Sanda answered, regarding both of us now.
"You might try an `investigation' anyway," I smiled.
"Tara's agent might be `careless'," Jon pointed out.
"Or `nervous'," I now added, Sanda nodding back at me.
"We can always hope he or she will make a `mistake'," Sanda spoke,
regarding me. I would deal with such a person harshly... "Fear often causes
people to do such," she said, no doubt speak- ing from experience, having been
for a number of years a "wanted outlaw" with a price of a hundred gold crowns
on her own head due to her "activities" as the leader of the Free Trelandar
Movement.
"I wonder what they hope to `gain' by this?" Jon now mused.
"There may be those who would `profit' from it," Sanda said.
"We might consider such in our investigation," I suggested.
"I am glad I didn't have to fight you instead of Darlanis," Sanda
grinned, Darlanis having sought the life of the Lady Sanda Harles for years,
even to finally putting a "price" of a hundred gold crowns upon Sanda's head
as a wanted "outlaw" and "rebel"...
"Darlanis would have `won' if she'd had Sharon," Jon smiled back. We'd
come closer to "losing" Trelandar to Darlanis than most knew here. The
election had been in our "favor", but not to the extent I think Sanda would
have expected. I suspect that if Darlanis had tried to make a "fight" of it,
which she didn't, it is entirely possible that the outcome of things wouldn't
have been as they were. Especially if Darlanis had done her "She-Ra" bit,
which seemed to impress people more than Sanda or I liked. Darlanis' biggest
"liability" had actually been Princess Tara... It had been Princess Tara who
had made the Empress so much hated here in Trelandar. Princess Tara who had
committed the atroci- ties against the people of Trelandar that "discredited"
Darlanis. Destroyed her hopes of a Californian empire from Baja to Dularn.
"I suppose if she hadn't killed my sister I'd think more highly of her,"
Sanda admitted, digging into her own breakfast...
Chapter Thirty Five
I stood at the window and looked out, aware of what the fu- ture held
for my beloved country. Seventy eight years from now great tidal waves would
crash over it, destroying it completely, leaving no trace of the civilizations
that had once existed here. The advanced civilization of the past now only
ruins in the dis- tance, and the city there below the palace I'd learned to
love. It was, I mused to myself, just as well I would not live to see the end
of a world that I'd grown to love over the past years... I'd scheduled
audiences this morning, but now I no longer cared, as nothing no longer seemed
really all that important to me now. Tais would see to the safety of those
important to me, and with the Gaia's ability to travel through time I had no
doubt that it would possible for them to begin new lives somewhere in the
past.
A faint sound behind me caused me to turn, the soft gasp of surprise
that escaped from my lips making the trio smile at me!
Page 120
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"A last `visit'," Carol said to me, her eyes moist with tears as she
stood beside her husband, both of them showing all the signs now of advanced
age! Their attire of the 21st Century, although "different" than before. Tais
nodding quietly, tall and golden, her long white gown reminding me of ONE I'd
once seen on another world. A world where great ants lived deep underground.
"It is the year 2032 in our time," Bob said to me then. I knew that they
had committed suicide together sometime in '33. He had been dying of heart [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
only the "taxpayers" were allowed to vote. We did the "same" now, but even so
there were "pressures" placed upon our politicians to vote for legislation of
the type familiar to anyone from the 20th Century when such ideas were
commonplace! There were also the castes and guilds jealous of their own place.
In a way my 26th Century Trelandar resembled 12th Century Europe. Mankind has,
I fear, learned little from his own history here...
"`Supported' by ample historical evidence from the Roosevelt `era' of
1932 to the year 2008 when Janet Rogers was elected," my husband added,
obviously having been listening to all this a bit! Jon, like many naval
officers, having an excellent education due to the fact that there is often
little to "do" aboard a ship but to read books, most captains having rather
excellent libraries...
"A `consequence' of the fact that in order to get `elected' you must
`pander' to the `selfishness' in the voters," Sanda now spoke, no doubt well
Page 118
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
aware of the "political realities" here too. Most people usually voting for
whoever will "give" them the most! This is "why" for example that the United
States of America back in the last decade before Janet Rogers actually "voted"
itself into "bankruptcy" by just such "short sighted" economic policies.
Policies of "rights" and "entitlements" that ruined the country! Spending as
much as a hundred thousand dollars to "educate" a child who lacked the "mental
abilities" to ever be "productive". A "delusion" caused by the concept that
everyone had a "right to a good education" regardless of ability, paid for if
necessary by the taxpayers. It is surprising in a way that they "lasted" as
long as they did before national bankruptcy put an end to it all!
"At least there are no new scars," Jon said, "examining" me. I wore a
new silk and lace teddy that didn't conceal very "much".
"Yvette will have to sleep somewhere else tonight," I said.
"She's not as `good' as you are in bed," Jon smiled back.
"Proves that `looks' can be `deceiving'," I noted back.
"Doesn't have your `brains' either," my husband said.
"A woman of little imagination," I smiled, kissing him.
"Glad I never married Maris Marn," Jon said, holding me.
"Her `loss', my `gain'," I smiled, Jon picking me up now. Carrying me to
the bed, and letting me drop the last few inches. The thought going through my
mind that Maris weighed more too...
"I've been doing some `thinking'," Sanda said to me the next morning as
we ate breakfast. As Prime Minister she had quarters here in the palace, her
own suite, and a staff of several people. Ta-she-ra and Mara having eaten
earlier and then gone "riding".
"That's `good'," Jon grinned, sitting next to me eating.
"Go on," I spoke, ignoring my husband's comment here.
"If Les Hawkins is someone's `tool'..." she mused.
"Yes?" I breathed, thinking of the "implications".
"Our `traitor' could be almost anyone," Sanda said to me, chewing on a
piece of bacon. Yvette waiting to be of "service".
"Say someone `planted' in your organization years ago," Lady Tirana
ventured. "Someone we all `trust', someone known to us." I recalled what Tais
had said to me. I supposed she knew "who".
"Your own personal staff..." I ventured thoughtfully to her.
"Or someone high in the ranks of the `party'," Sanda spoke.
"If our `agent' is `intelligent', he or she will not make themselves
`obvious'," Jon pointed out, regarding Sanda sitting there across from him.
"They would not `advocate' the sort of `ideas' that Les Hawkins advocates as a
part of his politics..."
"A `needle in a haystack'," I breathed out thoughtfully.
Page 119
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"`Hopeless'," Sanda answered, regarding both of us now.
"You might try an `investigation' anyway," I smiled.
"Tara's agent might be `careless'," Jon pointed out.
"Or `nervous'," I now added, Sanda nodding back at me.
"We can always hope he or she will make a `mistake'," Sanda spoke,
regarding me. I would deal with such a person harshly... "Fear often causes
people to do such," she said, no doubt speak- ing from experience, having been
for a number of years a "wanted outlaw" with a price of a hundred gold crowns
on her own head due to her "activities" as the leader of the Free Trelandar
Movement.
"I wonder what they hope to `gain' by this?" Jon now mused.
"There may be those who would `profit' from it," Sanda said.
"We might consider such in our investigation," I suggested.
"I am glad I didn't have to fight you instead of Darlanis," Sanda
grinned, Darlanis having sought the life of the Lady Sanda Harles for years,
even to finally putting a "price" of a hundred gold crowns upon Sanda's head
as a wanted "outlaw" and "rebel"...
"Darlanis would have `won' if she'd had Sharon," Jon smiled back. We'd
come closer to "losing" Trelandar to Darlanis than most knew here. The
election had been in our "favor", but not to the extent I think Sanda would
have expected. I suspect that if Darlanis had tried to make a "fight" of it,
which she didn't, it is entirely possible that the outcome of things wouldn't
have been as they were. Especially if Darlanis had done her "She-Ra" bit,
which seemed to impress people more than Sanda or I liked. Darlanis' biggest
"liability" had actually been Princess Tara... It had been Princess Tara who
had made the Empress so much hated here in Trelandar. Princess Tara who had
committed the atroci- ties against the people of Trelandar that "discredited"
Darlanis. Destroyed her hopes of a Californian empire from Baja to Dularn.
"I suppose if she hadn't killed my sister I'd think more highly of her,"
Sanda admitted, digging into her own breakfast...
Chapter Thirty Five
I stood at the window and looked out, aware of what the fu- ture held
for my beloved country. Seventy eight years from now great tidal waves would
crash over it, destroying it completely, leaving no trace of the civilizations
that had once existed here. The advanced civilization of the past now only
ruins in the dis- tance, and the city there below the palace I'd learned to
love. It was, I mused to myself, just as well I would not live to see the end
of a world that I'd grown to love over the past years... I'd scheduled
audiences this morning, but now I no longer cared, as nothing no longer seemed
really all that important to me now. Tais would see to the safety of those
important to me, and with the Gaia's ability to travel through time I had no
doubt that it would possible for them to begin new lives somewhere in the
past.
A faint sound behind me caused me to turn, the soft gasp of surprise
that escaped from my lips making the trio smile at me!
Page 120
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"A last `visit'," Carol said to me, her eyes moist with tears as she
stood beside her husband, both of them showing all the signs now of advanced
age! Their attire of the 21st Century, although "different" than before. Tais
nodding quietly, tall and golden, her long white gown reminding me of ONE I'd
once seen on another world. A world where great ants lived deep underground.
"It is the year 2032 in our time," Bob said to me then. I knew that they
had committed suicide together sometime in '33. He had been dying of heart [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]