C James

Yes indeed, the Queen's Gambit is a play offering a pawn for better field position - thus it's a bid to dominate the center of the board. Rachel will be along shortly... she's in the chapter posting later today. Even with training, I think hitting a target the size of Kookaburra with a stick of dynamite tossed from a plane would be nearly impossible. Maybe they just want a relaxing holiday? However... he's got an absolute expert at speedboat handling at his side now; Bridget. So, no worries. Ooops! I did forget! Thanks!!! Basically, anyone who has, knows the details of, or even might, of Arnold's little gift (we find out soon what it is) gets themselves on the cartel's death list.

It's hard to imagine just how vast that caldera is. Here's a satellite photo, which shows the caldera in the center (the small island marked with a volcano symbol is a volcanic island that has grown within the caldera). HEre's a pic I took from the rim, looking down at a large cruise ship anchored next to that island in the caldera's center. Volcanic eruptions aren't rare there; the last one was in the 1950's, and enlarged that small island. Most eruptions at Santorini are small, though the big one that blasted out that caldera was anything but. That little island, btw, is all lava, and also has so many hot springs that it stains the water in places. There's even a geothermally heated bay on it, a popular swimming spot.

That is a nice looking boat! Super impractical (almost 2 years for a circumnavigation). I also noticed the encounter with pirates; I'm glad they had the common sense to arm up for that passage, and got through okay.

Basingstoke's lessons... yes, he's taking lessons. But in what? It might just be window dressing (a nice hobby for him) or maybe knitting, or some other innocuous recreational activity, to ease the stress. He's in a very high-stress profession, so he needs to relax. No need to worry. Yep... to use a chess metaphor, the Queen's gambit has been (unknowingly) accepted. The queen alludes to Bridget, and now the game is on. She's indeed determined, as well as ambitious, and an able strategist. We saw that when she left Florida; she is skilled at causing the other side to react as she wishes. That's a true tactical mind. One thing I can say; the story will not ramble on after the conflict is resolved. Well, sorta; the core conflict resolves in the final chapter, but there is a short epilogue after that, about half a chapter in length. The final chapter and epilogue were written before I ever started posting this story. YEs, she is talking about the Ares. I don't think you can take lessons in napalm spraying, so it must be something else. Tango lessons? That's a possibility! Maybe the foxtrot? BTW, what Basingstoke gave bridget was said in narration to be the size and shape of road flares. Had they been acrual flares, the narration would have said so; saying tsomething is the size and shape of something, and then having it turn out to be that thing, would be dishonest narrative IMHO. So, I can confirm, those are not flares. There may, or may not, be flares involved in what's coming, but those aren';t them

I will do my best to keep us on the weekly schedule until the end. The good news is that I did catch up a good bit, so fingers crossed, no more skipped weeks. Ah, but what is the gambit? I think many will be surprised. Very surprised. Who? Me? I absolutely agree; the resolution has to make sense. The contract was taken by Sanchez, in the name of the cartel. Even if he dies, it is still in force. Also, the novel title is Circumnavigation. So, someone, or something, HAS to circumnavigate the earth. However, one neat way to wrap up all the issues is Trevor's severed head finding it's way to Sanchez's table; it would get there by completing the circumnavigation (as cargo) and that would solve all the issues with the contract. Isn't it thoughtful of Bridget to drop in for a friendly visit? In the coming chapter it moves very fast. You're right, the last few have been setup, but now the pieces are in place, and the game commences. Rachel knew something was up, though not what, so to keep Bridget away from Ares she swapped it with Atlantis a couple of times. Bridget's burglars thus searched Atlantis, looking for the things on Ares. There's a chapter coming, not the next one but a bit after, called The Last Secret of the Ares. What it holds... well.... you'll see. Sanchez is indeed becoming a touch extreem; the failures were a professional embarrassment, and were seen as weakness by some of his lieutenants. In his buisness, a perceived weakness can be rather hazardous to one's health. That's why Sanchez wants Trevor's head; as a sort of trophy, to show that he does not fail. Such macabre displays are actually rather commonplace in the drug cartels, then and now. You've got Sanchez's motivations right. We're in the endgame.

AAACCKKK!!!!!!!! It wasn't a cliff I jumped off of... It was just, ah, a horizontal rock surface that had a slope of about 90 degrees. And it was only twenty something feet tall... less than 30 for sure. And though the others did fear it, it was due to the storm wave crashing at the base. So, to be entirely accurate, we can say that the C in CJames means, um, Cremnophobia. And YOU!!!! Editing my siggy AGAIN!!!! Shame on you!!!! This is libel... and vandalism!!! Just look at what you did... my siggy was, amongst other things, centered, now its left justified!!! Evil, EVIL!!!!!!!

Chapter 119: Queen's Gambit Accepted Off Carnarvon, Atlantis was at sea, slicing through the glassy waters of Shark Bay with Greg Fowler at the helm, motoring north along the coast, her tracking beacon transmitting its siren song. Two other customs agents were aboard, along with a Federal Police officer, and Ned Kelly. The exterior of Atlantis was pristine; she gleamed in the sun, and outwardly was completely refinished. However, she was still but a shell; her interior still gutted, most of

Queen's Gambit Accepted is finally up!!! (Sorry for the delay). It may take up to a minute after this post appears for the chapter to be visible. There are some surprises... ;-)

I have to agree, MikeL's post was a CLIFFHANGER!!! Actually, I was looking for a title, and remembered the thread, so my sincere thanks to everyone who participated in that; it did inspire me. And me? A politician? Why, a politician is a slippery, manipulative creature, who will deny the nose on their face if it suits them. Who could possibly think that I would be like that in any way whatsoever? BTW, the new chapter should be up in a couple of minutes.

LoL!!! Okay... the first question to answer is no, I'm definitely not the Chris James at Awsomedude. I've spoken to him though, and we had a laugh over it a few weeks back (several people have asked that, apparently). My name is not cliff, nor clifford. The frog is making stuff up again. CJ is a nickname that I go by, online and off. I have since high school. I got it on a surfing safari down in Baja. Long story short, if anyone has ready my short story "Category 5" the water entry scene in there explains it... though what I did was far less extreme. It was just a run of the mill storm, but paddling out through the breakers was brutal, so I took a short cut; I went out to the headland, which was a small bluff, timed the waves, and jumped. What I jumped from was just a bit over 20 feet, a sort of vertical rock escarpment, not a big deal, The other guys said I was nuts (well, yes, I am) and started calling me... well, this is VERY ironic, due to my well-known proclivity for avoiding cliffs... Cliff Jumper, which got shortened to CJ. I liked it (surfing nicknames were kind of an in thing, and I liked it) and everyone I knew was calling me that, so, that's what I go by. And, um, I suppose, technically, the C does therefor stand for... er,,, well, um... let's just forget that bit, shall we? And Jan... you know I'd never, ever use a cliffhanger, no matter what!!

Due to SWS (Stupid Writer Syndrome) last week I typoed a filename while creating a document for a new chapter. I got the number wrong... and overwrote a completed chapter with the blank document. (yes, I absentmindedly clicked through the "are you sure" popup in Word). I do back up my writing directory, automatically... but the chapter was too new to be in it. I tried file recovery, etc, but its gone. So, I've been frantically retyping. That's done, but due to the nature of this chapter (you'll understand when you see it,) the following one had to be written as well, due to a plethora of interrelated details. That's now done too, but the next chapter won't be going out to beta until Sunday at the earliest. What this means is... and I truly hate to say it... no chapter Tuesday. It's just not possible. And this, just after promising, again, that there will be no more skipped weeks in the story. I truly apologize for this, and hope it's the last time in this story. The title of the coming chapter is Queen's Gambit Accepted, and I think you'll understand some of the difficulties in writing this chapter once you see it, eight days from now. Sorry. CJ

I've retyped it just as it was, but... I'm a slow typist. That ate time, and then I ran into an issue I already faced; many things in the chapter intertwine with the following one, it's very, very complex. So, the following one had to be written as well, and now as of today it is, but the chapters won't be going out to beta until Sunday at the earliest. What this means is... and I truly hate to say it... no chapter Tuesday. It's just not possible. And this, just after promising, again, that there will be no more skipped weeks in the story. I'll post a warning in the main forum that the chapter will be late. Precisely! Assuming can make one an ass... or a goat? I wonder how much he'd charge to include himself in the contract? Hrmmm... Maybe we can blame Wildone for the delay caused by the overwritten chapter? The question is, how.... Hrmmm... Suggestions would be appreciated. Joel and Lisa had to go home to resume school - it's their senior year of high school. Keeping the secret is of paramount importance to Sanchez - and Bridget as well. However, the other side of it is, killing your subcontractors has a rather chilling effect when you need to hire new subcontractors. They don't seem to appreciate that sort of a fringe benefit. BTW, the name of the coming chapter is Queen's Gambit Accepted.

A lightning strike on a boat is a common hazzard: a boat at sea is the highest point, and so attracts lightning, especially true for a boat with a high metal mast. What it does when it hits varies a great deal; it can blow out the chain plates, fry the electrical systems, blast a hole in the hull, or just track down the mast's grounding wire and do little damage. It can even fry handheld electronics. A common trick amongst boaters is to put handheld devices, such as satellite phones, in the microwave; the metal shielding is thought to help protect them from the massive charge differentials.

Sorry for the interruption! I'll see what I can do to get the stories back online; either restore the old site, or copy them to GA stories (I need to do the latter anyway). The stories are backed up multiple ways, so no worries there. One way or the other, I'll have them available within a few days. Check this thread for updates. As for my new computer... I finished building it a couple of weeks ago. I7 quad core, 16 gigs of ram, on win7 64 bit. Win 7 takes a bit of adapting to make it work like I want, but so far, so good.

Chapter 118: Assumptions are Dangerous Things Three days after their meeting in Nassau, Frank Tittle and Mike Gonzalez put their plan in motion. Their main need was to get the DEA agent, Alan Sharpton, to a meeting place of their choosing, and make sure he was alone. That part had been the easiest; Gonzalez had phoned his new State Attorney, who in turn had called in a favor with the DEA; Sharpton would be summoned to an apparently routine meeting at the United States Embassy in Nassau.

Assumptions are Dangerous Things is up (or will be, in about ten seconds) (Up again, to be exact... sorry for the chapter vanishing, the site was hacked.) I sent several PM's and made several posts that have vanished, so I'll be redoing those as the day goes on. BTW, bad things when it comes to data recently! My original chapter post contained a lament that I'd been hit by SWS (Stupid Writer Syndrome) and accidentally typoed a filiname whilst creating a new document, thus overwriting the chapter after this one, and no, I didn't have a backup. I should be done with the retyping by today. ARGH!

I'm reposting now...should be up in a minute or so. And if this vanishing chapter is a cliffhanger, it is clearly the hacker's fault!

Newark isn't the nicest of places. BTW, in case anyone thinks I'm making stuff up, Mountain Goat brewery is real, as is their Surefoot Stout. I have no idea how it tastes though... you'd have to ask Graeme, if he isn't busy off, um, enforcing something. Hrmmm... Interesting analogy! I wonder if me being an avid chess player has anything to do with my plot construction? I'd never considered a connection before, but that's an interesting thought! Thanks!! CJ

Chapter 117: Mobsters A murmur of intermingled conversations, suffused by some quiet jazz piped in over a mediocre sound system, gave the pub a relaxed air. The decor was wood, machine-finished golden oak mixed with faux mahogany highlights, offset by plentiful polished brass. The scent of the place was a mix of stale smoke and beer. Basingstoke had arrived a little early and occupied a booth, and was currently nursing his third schooner of lager. He’d already learned much that day, the res

Mobsters is up. I will do my best to keep us on a weekly schedule from here until the end, which won't be too much longer. BTW, on a writing note, there's a a bit in this chapter that we've seen before; it's the indented bit. It's short, less than a page, and hasn't been seen in a long time, but repeating goes against the grain with me. I don't like repeats, but summarizing it just didn't work as well, so I went with it as is. CJ

Yes! All being well, we'll be on weekly releases until the end. I truly hate the two week gaps, and do apologize for them... to be honest, a weekly schedule is right at the limit of what I can maintain at the best of times, so computer issues, work issues, etc, most anything can throw me off schedule. I'm far from a fast writer (amongst other things, I'm a rotten typist, even without the problem of being dyslexic); I rework everything after drafting it, and it all takes time. Fingers crossed though, we should have seen the last of the two week gaps in Circumnavigation. Nah, gun laws in Oz are a bit draconian, so he can't, even with a hit man closing in. Yep!! One caveat; I've been having massive internet problems, so if my internet goes out, we may be looking at a delay. It'll be less than 24 hours though. Worst case, I'll drive into town with my laptop and go looking for WiFi. Something is decidedly perverse when "I'm being hunted by a professional killer!" is not considered a good reason. I'm sure Shane is cooking up a tasty dish. And cliffhangers? There are never any! Basically, the Martins, who have a large farm, would have little trouble. Sanchez still needs Trevor's head, and now the Ares as well. Maybe Trevor could strike a deal... he gives them what they want on Ares, and his head, in return for calling off the hit? Gonzalez was fishing... We'll be done before the end of Spring, for sure. Did Gonzalez really blow it though? Cliffhanger? There are no cliffhangers! Okay, I see I've forgotten the coming chapter title again... it's "Mobsters".

False clues? Nope... Not a one. Everything stays as is? Oh, a couple of major things occurred, very major... as you'll soon see. I'm constrained in that I can't give spoilers, but let's put it this way; I'm usually the first to doubt my own writing, but in this case even I am very very confident.

Chapter 116: Conspiracies Kookaburra, her salon packed with heavy boxes, crates, and bundles of flooring that she’d picked up in Geraldton, cruised slowly north off Steep Point, on a course that would take her past Dirk Hartog Island and to the wide strait into Shark Bay. It was a beautiful morning; the first glow of dawn colored the eastern horizon, the breeze was warm, and conspiracy was afoot. Joel had the helm, and Shane ambled sleepily out into the cockpit, to report that Trevor was

Conspiracies is up. It's chapter AUD83 Sorry for the wait!! CJ

A century would be a bit long to wait. If he'd worn gloves, I'd have had to mention it in the narrative. I didn't, so he didn't. Self-inflating, via a CO2 canister. Yep! Self inflating... and as for DNA... we shall see.