C James

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.

A big THANK YOU to Graeme for organizing the latest anthology! Thank you also to Lugh, for putting it online and also for helping with the technical side. And thanks also to the authors and their teams! The latest anthology is Legends, and it looks like some good reading!

Basingstoke? He's not really a worry for Trevor and Shane, at all.

But Zombie... I'd never do anything bad! Fowler and Martin don't trust what's going on back in Florida, so they want to drum into Trevor's head: NEVER trust the phone or radio. Now, regarding what kind of high tech gear Basingstoke would have; no worries, it's just stuff that fits in with his two careers (security gadgetry and killing). You asked what kind of gear would be needed to evesdrop on a phone... Much depends on the phone. An analog cellular phone is supremely easy; a simple scanner (often called a police scanner) will do. In the US you can't buy them with the ability to scan cellular freqencies, so you either get one from overseas or just chip the thing. It's quite easy. Digital is a whole different ballgame. It's far more secure, because you need to know the algorithm used to reassemble the signal. Many cells today are digital, but in 2006, analog was far more common. A satellite phone is digital. So, if analog cellular is used at either end of the conversation, eavesdropping via a scanner is easy, provided you're within a few miles. A cordless home phone is easier, though you need to be closer. This, btw, is why it's never a good idea to use a credit card over a wireless phone of any kind (including a cell) unless it's secure digital. The long and the short of it is that phones are nowhere near as secure as most people think, so "not trusting the phone" for sensitive info is a pretty well-founded concern. And BTW, I had nothing to do with Basingstoke's skills; I didn't pick him, Sanchez did, so blame him, not me! There's been a large scandal in the UK regarding journalists hacking into phones. Look at the records for any real investigation when there were strong elements of doubt at first. They zig and they zag all over the place. People have parts right, parts wrong, and struggle to put together a solid case. Insidious? Sweet little me? Basingstoke might just be a plain old uninteresting background characther, like a store clerk, etc. We really don't know. Yes, I really beleive that!!! I never use cliffhangers, so of course that's not why Basingstoke is there. Also, as is often said, one hit man does not a cliffhanger make! It was also, I need to point out, not me who sent basingstoke; sanchez did. And... there's not much time left to fill. We do skip ahead a few days here shortly.

Benji, the US can't do much with foreign citizens who aren't within the US; they cannot be compelled to testify, nor would telling one something overseas be a crime from a US perspective. Marty, I don't always keep the Florida scenes perfectly synced with respect to timezones, unless there's a phone call involved, but basically I do keep to the same day as other events, so you don't have to worry that there's a differing timeline for Florida. There sometimes is, but it's on the order of hours, not days.

Thank you!!! I can take no credit for the editing and betaing to give a polished result; all credit there goes to my awesome team. They are the best, and this story is very much a team effort.

One thing to bear in mind: What's the reason for the phone security? Martin Blake summed it up pretty well in the final line in chapter 91: They know there's likely a leak in Florida. Their main concern isn't the calls being overheard in Australia, but to keep Trevor from spilling anything to anyone in Florida, by making him treat phone calls with great care. :-) Manipulative, but well-intended. :-)

They did well to sneak in right under his nose. BTW, if anyone thinks I took liberties with the tide, river flow, and weather conditions, I didn't. Those wee the actual conditions that day (Dec 7, 2006) in Kalbarri. The Murchison had a high flow that year, due to a major storm inland a few months prior. For those with Google Earth, you can see the differences in river flow between years by using the time feature to look at older satellite images. As for the rain; that was the only day in December 2006 that it rained in Kalbarri. Thanks Red! Yep, I've been in a few river mouths, and those with bars (shallows across the mouth) are tricky. The Columbia Bar at the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington is notorious, and I was just a passenger, hanging on with white knuckles. Red A helped me a lot with this chapter, he's a real pro. Trying that river mouth at night was risky... trying it in a storm was worse. If Trevor was a regular there it might have been safer, but he was literally running blind and depending on instruments a lot. Heh, it was actually dumb luck. I';d already picked Kalbarri. It's basically the only navigable river on that coast, and also the only port or anchorage in the area (there's nothing between there and Shark Bay). An Australian freind sent me the map below that shows the names well.

Thanks!I had help on the boat handling: Red A is a real pro, and he advised me on quite a number of things for this entry.

Thanks!River bars are hairy, especially in high seas. That one is worse than most; it has both rocky outcroppings and sand on the bar, a very bad mix.