C James

I love the way the story as changed, and you never know quite where it is going. I'm definitly predicting a move by Sol. Aaron, hmmm... he definitly makes me suspicious too, especially due to the way Garret acts around him.

Hmmmm... My thoughts on Aaron are very similar to your own, but in addition, I think he is affecting Garret in some artificial way as Garret seems to behave uncharictaristically when around Aaron. I think Aaron is being "run" by one of Garret's enemies. I still wonder about Tremere in that regard, too. I think your point about "the hand" gaining info by Garret's willingness to go to that dinner is a darn good one! I hadn't thought of that.

I'm building a whole new suite of bedroom furniture, from scratch, does that count? The person below me hates varnishing!

Nah, no tatoos... I've never had an interest in them. Most Goats don't ya know... It's not easy being a Goat, especially when people like to celebrate the holidays by shooting flaming arrows at you!

I really love the way this story is going. I also am especially impressed by the way Ian is changing; It is very difficult to write a complex character, and harder still to portray one as changing, yet Vance has done a fantastic job. THANK YOU VANCE!!

Hi Bob! Thank you!!! I'm delighted to hear that, as I had no idea how it would appear to someone who wasn't reading it in weekly installments! The story is basically a thriller with a comedic undertone in places, but serious in others, and also a love story. That is a strange mix, but I'm a strange Goat. As for Steve's father being a cop, yep, but I can't say what due to giving spoilers spoilers.

Thanks Rick! Yep, I agree, those Echidnas have this weird thing about insisting that it is Wednesday when it is really Tuesday. Incomprehensible, they are! Oh yeah, YOU would never leave us with a cliffie! :wacko: As for Eric, well, I'll leave y'all with one spoiler: he either gets away, or he doesn't. Thanks Rick! BTW, I'm cross-posting a lot, so my replies are appearing out of order. Sorry for any confusion!

Honestly, I don't consider it much of cliffhanger. Something is about to happen, but it could range from pleasant to unpleasant, from serious to trivial. There's not enough there to built up much tension. Now if you'd added something like: Then THAT would be a cliffhanger. ACK!!!!!!!!!!! OK, OK, who leaked the beginning of chapter 6 to the Echidna?!?!!?!?? EMOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shdowgod!!!!!!! OK, who balbbed? Well, maybe Eric is on the hilltop so he can wait for the UFO his people have sent? And maybe the ATM withdrawla was to he could chip in for gas money (it might be a long trip to his home planet?)?

What? You really didnt think they were going to get to have sex, did you? Besides, who knows what Steve's last exclamation meant? Maybe he had just noticed the stars, and wanted to point them out to Chris? A favorite constellation perhaps? Trust me on this: when you are stuck in the wilderness without shoes, and are faced with a long walk, you get VERY creative. I was dumb enough to go offroading while barefoot once in college, and got stuck (Broke a leaf spring). The duct tape and carpet is an obvious trick in that situation, and the one I used. Makes pretty decent foot protection, actually, even after a few miles. I did, however, thereafter equip my 4x4 with a pair of shoes in the emergency kit. These days, I carry a large emergency kit in my vehicle, including five gallons of water, plus clothes, shoes, camping gear, first aid kit, and tools. I also carry a mountain bike; makes it much easier when you get stuck 20 miles from anywhere: a 20 mile bike ride isn't hard. a 20 mile hike can be (and I've had to do both). Cell phones are of very limited use in most off-pavement areas around here, so they cannot be counted on. You also can't just call a tow truck if you break down on a trail; they can't get there, and couldn't get your vehicle out even if they did. It usually has to be fixed on-site. I carry a decent selection of parts in my emergency kit, but if something major goes, I usually have to get the part, get a ride back to the vehicle, and fix it myself. As for the blood not having returned to their brains, quite possible! LoL! But, this chapter was entitled "interruptus", after all.

What? Me? Use a cliffhanger? Would I do such a thing, especially with you heading off on computerless vacation next week? Besides, maybe Steve was just admiring the stars? OOPS! I botched that, and should have explained it in the story. The police cars in Piedmont are cars, not SUV's, and so couldn't reach Eric's location. Same in Lonesome Valley (their town). At best, they might be able to make it to where Steve and Chris are, maybe, and it is one heck of a rough drive. Also, Eric has the advantage of the high ground he is on: he can see for miles from where he is, and would see the headlights of anyone coming to Chris and Steve, or towards his location, and probably bug out. Eric also has several different (As mentioned, Dozens) of trails to choose from, so cornering him wouldn't be possible. I suppose a Helicopter would be an option, but a small town Sheriff's department wouldn't have one, and trying to get one from the nearest big city would be very difficult for a fairly minor situation such as car theft. Normally, a small town Sheriff's department in Arizona has several SUV's, but I kind of cheated and made it so they didn't, and thus wouldn't have the option of trying to converge on him. Also, if they did send several units, that would be the entire police force from the two towns, leaving the towns themselves unprotected. Usually, they won't do that without darn good reason, and a kid joyriding wouldn't be good enough. Steve's father would be an option, but I should have had them mention the problem of being spotted in the story instead of just ignoring it. Thanks! WHAT? Oh no, I'm going to have to go into paranoid defensive mode and claim that it was intentional, for dramatic reasons!! Seriously though, thanks, and it is fixed! The line break isn't there in the original document, but the capitalized "Guess" sure was, and should not have been. Oops! Thank you Graeme!

I'd love some time off work! Looking forward would mean I had some coming, so that doesn't apply though. The person below me is East of the International Dateline.

Talk about getting the point... Ouch!!

Absolutly! There are sure a lot of things I'd love to do over, avoid, or do differently. Do you wish you could live in a different era, and if so, which one?

Today is Tuesday!! Yes, it is, and should remain so for the rest of the day (even though some people on the weird side of the datline will argue the point). And what happens on Tuesdays? Hmmm.. There was something I was supposed to do, but I forget what... Oh, yeah, Chapter 5 is up.

Pssst, CaptainRick, it's this thread that starts with the awsomedude news. Congratulations on that hosting!!! I'm looking forward to reading 4!

Yes, I have. Although, it was in Ushuia, Argentina (southern tip of South America, on Terra Del Fuego) so it wasn't particularly summerish. LoL! I've never been to Australia for Xmass, but come to think of it I was in New Zealand for one as a small child, and I remember a bit of it. How very strange, really, to have Christmas in summer! The person below me wonders what Australians think of christmas songs that mention snow?

Well, I see conspiracies everywhere, so of course I suspect a plot!

Shhhh! That's a secret! But, been as you ask, it's just a place for us shy and retiring goats to go and do what we do best: Lurk.

Well, I'll allow the possibility the Postaholicisim is transmitted by Goats. After all, most species that carry a disease are immune to it themselves. ERK! GREAME! I shall, on this very rare occasion, allow myself to actually post (even lurkers do so on rare occasion) to refute these nefarious allegations! I assure you that Goats are not noted for their propensity for Internet chatting! Hmmm, yes, I have noticed that pirates have a very strong tendency towards being postaholics. Well, Pirates, and creatures with sharp spines, anyway. quote name='captainrick' date='December 4 2006, 01:46 PM' post='55784'] Aaaarrhhh! I takes exception to the pirate crack matey! As for goats, being from rural Mississippi, I have had some experience with those -- Platonic, of course, and find them relatively docile creatures, but not known to be shy. What? Me, not shy? Why, I'll have you know that I'm very shy! Just take a look in my profile, it clearly says "a SHY and retiring forum lurker" ROFL! I like it!

Ah HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think Kevin and Graeme might be contagious!! Take a look folks, what we have here is a budding POSTAHOLIC! Yep, keeping track of their post numbers is a sure symptom. Trying to make "major" posts with "milestone" post numbers is another. Maybe somebody should call the CDC?

Yes indeeed, that's me, as I have to be at work too early in the morning to make going to sleep worthwhile right now. The person below me has freqent bouts of insomnia.

Well, yes, you just did that, didn't you, my postaholic friend? Me? I was only agreeing with Kevin...

Jack, thank you very much for a fantastic ride! very realistic, especially the fate of the rapist congressman. Politics, after all, is the art of the possible.

China. I've always wanted my own country. Which do you like better: day or night?