C James

Thanks for the typo catch!!! And it's Dec 8th in the chapter...

Actually... there are two coming chapters I think will be seen as the big ones, in a lot of ways (including the revelations of the entire backstory), and the second of those is 99. It's chapter 98 that finds us at Dec 17th... all I'm promising is that us readers find out everything: I make no such claim regarding the characters. They may, or may not, find it all out then. I've changed the chapter and added you to the credits. Thanks!!!! That "west" was, well, supposed to be (and now is) east. The police station is just a few yards west of that strip mall, so they had to head east. Grey street was awkward to describe. It begins at the river mouth running west to east, but the police station is at a curve, where it bends northeast, following the shore, then almost due north where the supermarket is. As for my inability to tell east from west... I can only blame Australian upsidedownisim. Zombie, such twisting of words!!! I do indeed use forshadowing. But, that's not a cliffhanger!!!! - a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma; Nope, not in Circumnavigation!! Hasn't happened yet, and it won't. As I have often said, there are no cliffhangers in Circumnavigation! A story or event with a strong element of suspense e.g. "the game was a cliffhanger right up to the final buzzer"; Suspense? Well, I suppose there is, at times, a touch of suspense... but a strong element thereof? Nah, nope, not at all... As has often been said, one hitman does not a cliffhanger make. Ned has... adaptable standards. And oops! My and my typos!!!! I have a very thick skin; it is a good match to my thick skull. The mist shall clear very soon. Thanks!!! Okay, Time for the next chapter title... ϛ6 ɹǝʇdɐɥƆ uoıʇɐƃıʌɐuɯnɔɹıƆ is entitled "Bull Dust".

Red Sky at Morning is up... CJ

Me, right? Never!! Well, I suppose that could be done... but I think I'll be obstinate and post the chapter instead.

Chapter 94: Red Sky at Morning Trevor and Shane awoke just after nine on Friday the 8th, feeling the odd sensation of being hard aground. A fast check of Kookaburra revealed that, as intended, she’d settled on the river bottom as the tide went out, and was now sitting in less than a foot of water. Trevor took a moment to look around at their surroundings. “Wow,” he said softly, as Shane joined him, and together they looked out at the rugged hills bordering the Murchison Valley, the riversid

It's the same for sailors. No one quite knows where the proverb comes from, only that it is ancient. Shakespeare used a variant in Venus and Adonis; “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.” It may come from this; In the Bible, (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) Jesus said, “When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.” It's probably nothing to worry about though. That cover is indeed convenient, which is why he uses it. If someone is worried that they have dangerous enemies, a security system sounds like a very good idea, and there's Basingstoke to help out. But mainly, it makes his travels around the country no cause for suspicion. Basingstoke is a pro. He can alter his appearance a bit, but in subtle ways. sometimes, that's very effective. That coast is indeed mostly empty, just a few small towns scattered over a vast region. Some stretches, like from Shark Bay down to Kalbarri, have no viable anchorages; just the open ocean battering a rugged coast. Less than 5 weeks. Ominous? I don't see how... what could possibly go wrong?

BTW, no comments on Basingstoke now knowing about Kookaburra, and even having pictures?

OOPS!!!!! Yes indeed, I meant Bridget. I'll go edit my post. Thanks!!!

Basingstoke is a pro. You can't last in his business without being one.

Yep, Basingstoke now has pictures of Kookaburra too, but, it's be darn hard to find her without an air search. But, hopefully, BAsingstoke might not remember that he's a pilot and has a plane.

Thanks!!!! I never intended the story to be this long. Oh, I knew the plot right from the start, it's just that I utterly stink at estimating how much verbiage it takes to cover some things. Back at chapter 50 I told a friend "If I go past 75 chapters, just shoot me!" Fortunately, he hasn't... -yet. We are nearing the end though.

Oh, they will. Everything will be revealed, in a chapter called "Revelation". Actually, some big stuff gets revealed before that. And revelation will be... well, I won't say exactly when, but it's before the end of the 90's. Normally, never trust me when it comes to chapter number estimates (I utterly suck at it.) but in this case, you can, because it's already written. BTW, I hit send before finishing my reply to you in the comments section; Kookoburra arrived Thursday Night, the 7th. And it's the next chapter that has the date in it. (I did remember to add it, I just added it to the wrong one...) Dec 17th 2006 was a Sunday, so during the coming story week (there's some days skipped) I do mention the day of the week, but not the date, until the 17th. And.. the title of the coming chapter is "Red Sky at Morning".

Hrmmm... A couple of legal points. I'm NOT saying they have a bearing on the story though. The first; going on the run from any offense stops the statute of limitations clock on all offenses. That's why Frank had to get Dirk off the hook on his fugitive status with that agreement. Had they not tried to arrest Dirk and he'd been able to simply run out the clock, all would have been well. The new charges Dirk faced really threw a monkey wrench into some carefully laid plans. On conspiracy, any overt act in its furtherance restarts the clock. The overt act is a tricky thing to define, so its normally left up to a jury. Would telling someone of it be an overt act? Probably not. Would getting others to help keep the secret be an overt act? probably. Would doing so beyond US jurisdiction be an overt act? Whoo, that's a tough one, their are precedents both yes and no. One other thing though... on the contract on Trevor. It's been mentioned that the unknown something Bridget thinks is on Ares (in addition to the list of her assets) would cause the Sanchez or his successors to need to kill Bridget and George. That's not likely to be something they'd be fine with being made public, so they just might want to do whatever it takes to keep it quiet.

I can't watch video on this system, but I'm guessing this deals with loading stuff onto a cell phone that can listen in on your calls, or track your movements, or listen in at anytime (whether the phone is in use or not). Or, all of the above and then some. It's pretty easy if you have access to the phone. It's not all that hard if you don't. Most modern phones are made to connect via USB connections for both charging and data. This is a VERY bad mix. You'd be amazed how many people avail themselves of free charging stations that connect via the phone's data port. I also wonder how many people are aware of the online risks of some networking sites, such as facebook? Even when signed out, you can and often are still tracked. Or the recent revelation that the GM Onstar system tracks your vehicle's every move even if you cancel your subscription? They say they no longer do, but only since being busted for it. Or the recent revelation that Iphones were tracking their owners and storing the data, making copies every time you sync your device. (remember those free charging stations I mentioned?? They can get it with ease, as can anyone with access to your device or anything you sync it with). I could go on and on; these kind of invasions are getting more and more common. They are primarily intended for marketing, which is bad enough, but they open the door to government abuse too. All that data your phones store about you is the reason Michigan police and others have taken to searching phones and copying all their data during traffic stops.

I've heard of this before, but it's getting worse. This is the problem with censorship; even when implemented for supposedly good intentions, it becomes a creeping disease. I love Australia, and I'n not trying to be nationalistic here (I freely admit that my own government here in the US is prone to the same sort of fascist nannystatisim when it can get away with it) but this sort of thing needs to be fought. This is why I oppose laws against anti-gay hate speech. Yes, I will stand up for the inalienable right of a homophobe to spout vile things about me. What was true two hundred years ago is true today; I may detest what you say, but I will defend your right to say it. The reason is the old slippery slope; if they take away one person's rights, they'll soon come for mine. Caveat: I am not well-versed in the subject of Australian net censorship, so please take whatever I say on the matter with a large grain of salt and in the spirit it's intended; as a gesture of concern for a nation and people I highly regard.. Rip tides aren't a worry; lots of places have them. Surfers are fond of them; it makes paddling out past a break easier. Now, as for your sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish, yipes!!! Well, hrmm, I think the US has more shark attacks than you do, so... shark attacks aren't really that much of a problem, but your jellyfish and other sea critters... like the blue ring octopus, YIPES!!! Is it safe to even look at the sea, let alone go in it??? Black widows aren't a real problem, I have loads of them here. I'm forever sweeping the pests out of my garage. The funnel web spider, on the other hand, yipes!!! I'm amazed Sydney hasn't had to be evacuated. Scary, and very aggressive! And let it not be forgotten: Wombats! Very scary! The worst I've ever had at my house... toss up between a mountian lion and a black bear. But in some parts of australia, you have to worry about wombats! Huntsman spiders as PEtS!?!?!?! Yipes!!! I would think that, upon sighting a huntsman, a calm, reasoned response would be to run away, screaming in terror!

Hrmm! Nope, I didn't get it from there, but that's a great link!!! I knew of Esperance's notoriety for Skylab's fall, and that's why I picked Esperance (out of several candidates on the Great Australian Bight) for Antarctic Star's home port. It just seemed to fit, especially with the garlic crusher arriving. I don't really know where the title came from, it just popped into my head (proving the old adage; nature abhors a vacuum). I did look up info for the fall of skylab, and though I don't think that's the page, it reads a heck of a lot like a couple of pages I saw.

Hrmmm, It works for me (highlight the text then hit the quote button above). Hrmmm.. We've had a software upgrade, and there are often bugs. For now, if it still won't work, try like Zombie said, type in the tags yourself. It looks like this; [quote] quoted text [/quote] Why do you always suspect me??? Only six? But still, six is quite a few. Just goes to show that a hitman (or a highly unstable bomb) does not a cliffhanger make. And ahha! I see that you, Zombie, used the phrase yourself, so that makes seven or eight, minimum, with at least one by you.

Wow, I had no idea the difference was that extreme. Analog cellular was still around in the US until at least 2008. I had a dual mode cell phone at that time. Digital cellular takes far more to intercept: unless you have the algorithm, you can't use it. It can be done, but it takes a lot of tech and expertise. Otherwise, what you hear sounds very much like a fax machine. Thanks, Low Flyer and Zombie! Oh, and Marty; yes, "One hitman does not a cliffhanger make" has indeed been said often around here. It's an offtake of what was said a lot when Atlantis had a bomb aboard: "One measly highly unstable bomb does not a cliffhanger make!"

What Goes Up.... is, well, up. Sorry it's a few hours late, but I had major formatting issues with it, ugh....

Chapter 93: What Goes Up…. In Esperance, Western Australia, the crew of Antarctic Star gathered at a festive local pub. Their captain, as promised, paid for the first two rounds out of the money Barney Fitzroy had given him for the garlic crusher. The captain, sipping his schooner of Swan Draught, made his way to a framed display, which was covered by glass. The size of a large painting, it was centered on a charred, melted piece of aluminum no larger than his thumb. Below it, in large type

The only example I can give would be... let's use Trevor, Joel, and Shane as an example. Trevor and Joel did an illegal charter in Greece. Let's assume they conspired to commit tax evasion in doing so. Now, if Trevor mentions what they did to Shane, is that illegal? No. Does it restart the statue of limitations clock? No. Is Shane under any obligation to report an illegal act? No. Now, if Trevor asks for Shane's help (and gets it) in hiding the money from the charter from US officials, is that a further overt act in the conspiracy? Sort of, but problematic: It's not an act between the original conspirators, and as long as Shane isn't breaking Australian law, it's not an illegal act in that jurisdiction. Also, although the US has an extradition treaty with Australia, there is no way Shane could be compelled to testify in a US case unless he was in US territory. When Trevor was in the Seychelles and Gonzalez ordered him to fly to Egypt, then home to testify, Gonzalez was on shaky grounds; he could only force Trevor to do so via serving him with a subpoena. He'd have no ability to do so to a foreign citizen overseas. CJ

I can prove that Basingstoke isn't a worry or Trevor and Shane; they don't know he exists, so they aren't worried about him. As for the "what goes up..." chapter title... well, those little dots could mean lots of things. They are called an ellipsis, and can stand for a continuation of the text that's unseen, on sometimes, depending on context, a pause or hesitation in dialog. In this case, it means the second part of a well known phrase is hidden. I've done this before I think.. something like "The best laid plans..." meant "The best laid plans of mice and men". CJ

Forgot to add the title of the next chapter; It's "What goes Up...."

A belated Happy Birthday!!! I hope you had a GREAT time!!!

Hrmmm... The Australian one looks better. On the other hand, I despise ketchup, so I'm not likely to be affected. I just wish they'd actually cut the tear-leader slot on regular mustard packets; they open easy if cut, but you need a knife if not.