Tales of the Star Cavaliers

Copperfox

Well-known member
THANKS TO JOHN BURKITT FOR INSERTING BELOW A PICTURE THAT SHOWS MY FIRST VISIT WITH TOM ADAMS IN HIS HOMETOWN.

THE FOLLOWING SINGLE-ARC STORY THREAD, CONCEIVED IN THE SPIRIT OF STAR TREK, WAS CO-PLANNED BY ME AND SIR TOM THE DRAGON KNIGHT. THERE WILL BE NO CONFUSION OVER WHICH EARTH IS >THE< EARTH; AS IN STAR TREK, >ONE< EARTH IS THE STARTING POINT.

WE MEANT TO TAKE TURNS WRITING POSTS / CHAPTERS, DEPICTING ASSORTED CHARACTERS HAVING SEPARATE EXPERIENCES IN DISTANT LOCATIONS; THERE COULD EVEN BE CHRONOLOGICAL REWINDS OR FAST-FORWARDS.

UNAVOIDABLE OBLIGATIONS IN OKLAHOMA FORCED SIR TOM TO BOW OUT, BUT WE STAY IN CONTACT BY PHONE. TOM KNOWS THAT NO ENTRY I MAY WRITE WILL CONTRADICT OR IGNORE ANYTHING HE WANTED TO INCLUDE IN THE STORY. I MAY RESORT TO INTERMITTENT REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS EVENTS, JUST TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE.

============ NOTE TO SELF, THE FAITHLESS WIFE'S NAME IS VALTIRA. GOES NOW BY MAIDEN SURNAME (or "self-love name") OF TAPLEY.


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PART ONE: HARD TO SURPRISE AN OLD SOLDIER

"Easy now. You're overcompensating. Remember the gravity difference. You don't need AS MUCH impact cushioning. No change to your stepping sequence, just ease off in raising each leg." The human Star Cavalier gently caught hold of two legs on one side of his low-slung, ten-legged Yozrish friend.

"This is embarrassing, Henry Quint," chittered Bahibku, a sort of sapient giant centipede. "We're hatched already able to walk, but here I need to be propped up. I would have expected NO inconvenience with lighter gravitation, but this latest attempt felt as if I became a tidal wave with an exoskeleton. Almost makes me wish I were internally cushioned."

"No sweat. Call it a rite of passage. Vertebrate Cavaliers usually do the same over-pushing. Whereas all races are equal when it comes to that first interstellar cruise, ESPECIALLY a top- acceleration hyper- sprint."

Bahibku nodded with his antennae. "Same on one's first inter-PLANETARY cruise."




Three standard leagues away, a human civilian powerplant overseer was clocking in for a shift. Just as General Quint saw nothing odd about conversing with a Yozrish, Sally Wade was unperturbed by the worker she relieved being a Mimlug, shaped like an enormous cucumber.

"Any change in those fluctuations?"

As with Bahibku, Jeblok was unable to nod. His equivalent of nodding was done with his mandibles.

"Reactor Three has improved enough to be put back on line. Reactor Eight is the only one likely to take more than ten days to stabilize completely."




Four days later, General Quint was playing racquetball with one of his aides, Corporal Veronica Borden. They were in plain sight of more than thirty human or demihuman personnel; Henry NEVER allowed himself to be in private with ANY woman below the age of seventy unless she was a blood relative. Henry had just caught up with a long point lead. ))))




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I look forward to this. Long, long ago I actually wrote a Star Trek episode for one of James Cowley's excellent productions, but the window had closed on script submissions. I may publish it on TDL sometime if there is interest.
 
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This is Copperfox (left) with Sir Tom the Dragon Knight (right). Sir Tom is a bit too busy with real life to do justice to this thread and has turned it over to Copperfox to finish.

By the way, I know Copperfox too, and he has verified that I am--as was often said--cute as a button (ask me mum!).
 
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