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Stories from the Verse
Versers Versus Versers
Chapter 86: Brown 195
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Chapter 85: Kondor 171
“Get dressed,” Derek said. “We start our new jobs today.”
“Jobs?”
“We’re officers on the bridge of this boat. If I’m right, one of us is now captain, the previous captain having now been declared dead and all persons confirmed to be alive promoted to appropriate command positions. You and I should be the only living members of the crew, so we should by now have been placed in charge.”
“Oh. What should I wear?”
“It doesn’t much matter, I suppose, except that we’re going to have to travel to the bridge. Pack everything; we might be moving into better quarters.”
Thus after a leisurely three quarters of an hour dressing and packing, they were ready and began the trip. Derek had told the computer to guide them to their stations, and it was providing verbal instructions through speakers along the way. Their guard was quite upset, and became more so the farther they went from their supposed cell; it nearly panicked when they boarded the elevator, but at the last minute leapt through the door to travel with them.
They emerged on what Derek understood was the second deck from the top, only an observation deck above it, and followed a straight corridor toward doors marked with symbols that Derek had not yet learned to read. Their guard looked the more terrified, and fell back, and when the doors opened, it fled back to the elevator. Derek continued straight ahead, wheeling his bicycle and carrying his laser rifle over his shoulder. They passed through the doorway together.
Something that looked very like a machine version of the resident aliens turned toward them, and spoke. “Congratulations on your promotions, and welcome to the bridge, Commander Brown, Commander Brown. Please take your stations.”
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with ten other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #347: Versers Scrambled. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
