Geron Kees

Ah. Just a design feature that someone thought was appealing. I used the analogy of a castle to have the reader be able to imagine this huge structure in sort of familiar terms. That it was a little whimsical, more like a fairytale castle than a Norman castle, was supposed to mark it as more alien than any old earthly castle might be.

Duck Duck Go is my official choice for a search engine. Like you, I never mention the name of IT THAT MUST BE AVOIDED!

Mergrun, the Crite who had demonstrated the operation of the staff to them, had just completed training another Crite, one Garmin, and the Sasparians, Erva and Gilden, in their use. Mergrun and Garmin were to be Inishee's representatives on the journey, and Erva and Gilden would stand for the Sasparians. It had been deemed necessary that the four to accompany the Armenti should at least be armed as well as those they sought to confront. Mike had been surprised at Erva's selection of the youngest

I wonder what the Armenti would have thought of the Harry Potter films? Or the Alien franchise! Star Wars? Star Trek? Terminator? Riddick? No wonder no one wants to contact us!

It's actually a rounded structure with an open center. It's just the style and architectural embellishments that reminded Derry of a castle. People do tend to view things in familiar terms. But I didn't see the place as really being a copy of a human castle at all. It was just similar to the eye, is all. I guess the only reason we even recognize the concept of peace is because we always have all these troublemaking knuckleheads trying to upset the order of things.

Okay, how many people know who Ron Popeil is/was?

You know, don't you, that if you keep up the puns at the pace you do, that something is likely to break at some point? I can see us trying to rescue you from some punny black hole of your own making!

Nyf chooses to 'ride' with a different person on each outing. He was with Derry in the second story. I guess he'll ride with Mike in the next one. Ideally, they would clone two more, and each of the guys would have an AI companion. But I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to write dialog for THREE of the little beggars!

But that's because you're British, not because you're too young! Carlin was a distinctly American comedian, popular in the seventies and eighties mostly, though he kept right on going until the day he died in 2008, I think it was. I'd be willing to bet that most young Americans wouldn't have a clue who Benny Hill was, either.

Elton WHO??? Yeah, I'm kidding.

I was referring to a computerized language reference. Hell, Derry could plug Nyf into the Internet and Nyf could suck down everything Google Translate has online in a few minutes time. It's not like Google security could baffle an Armenti AI! 😈

The map they were looking at had been hand-drawn, but the quality was simply excellent. It was an aerial view of a range of peaks - the one they were on now, that was occupied by Inishee's Crites, and those peaks that surrounded it. The outlines of the peaks were in different colors, with some grouped by a particular color, apparently a key to certain alliances. They were standing at one of the large outdoor tables in the Crite village again, this time with just Inishee and Erva in direct a

You read ALL that stuff already!? Wow. I'm IMPRESSED!

Oh, yeah!

Oh no! Well, the suits can change color, so they'd find some way to match!

I have reached the age where I don't know a lot of 'stars' that are talked about on TV. I remember my dad saying he didn't know who anyone was at the Oscars when he was my age, and now I see why. Stardom seems to be for the young. When someone in their fifties like me, or older, is talked about anymore, it's to announce that they're getting a lifetime achievement award of some kind. Hah! 😝

The guys could get a language dictionary for any language and Nyf could learn it while they slept.

That was based on a real event that happened with my own son when he was a young teen. I saw Carlin in NYC when I was in my twenties, and I was relating that experience, and my son listened with great interest, and then shrugged and said, "Who's George Carlin?" Kind of took the wind out of my sails. Carlin was already gone at that point, but I was able to pull up a few things on YouTube to show him. He laughed at a some of it, but basically pronounced Carlin a little 'corny'. I then located a copy of the 'seven words you can't say on TV' and played it for him, and Carlin went WAY up in his estimation!

Happy that our two heroes are finally are getting together. But the land ain't bought yet, and you'd have never prodded us with the notion that the land agent was steering the guys away from these plots unless you planned to make an issue of it! So I am prepared to be upset in the next chapter - when I get there. Been a great story thus far, Gary. I can't believe it's nearly over. Say it ain't so!

No one could talk about you in another language behind your back, anyway! 😄

Interesting progression thus far. Amazing how we can torture ourselves with uncertainty over past events. I'd like to see more of the packet of newspaper clippings Ethan found in Jonathan's coat. I suspect we'll learn more, in any event. Moving poem, too. Don't waste your other talent!

I think they should. Don't you?

"Derry? Wake up, son." Derry jerked his eyes open and tried to sit up. His suit immediately settled back to the floor and allowed that to happen. "What's going on?" Cally was also awake, and sitting up as well. The sky was still dark outside, but the fires below had been replenished, and still burned brightly. Derry's grandfather grunted from his position standing before the window. "Something's happening. Nyf woke me up." Derry glanced toward the door to the hallway, but it

There you go. As with any good friend, you expect them to look, but not to tell.

Difris and Nyf are included in any implant-borne communications so long as those communications are directed at everyone. Private talk between Derry and Cally is not open to be listened in on. Range hasn't needed to come up in the story line yet, because everyone has pretty much stayed together. But assuming that even an average walkie talkie available today has a range of several miles, let's assume that a digital, encrypted signal emitted by an implant would have at least that. That's even assuming that they emit in the radio frequency range, which may or may not be the case. I'll have to think on it. On any world that was reasonably civilized in the empire days, repeaters would have been everywhere, networking very complete. So one could literally interface with anyone on the same planet pretty much instantly. On any world where such tech was not available, communications would have been more limited. But that's as with any broadcast communications system. Wearing the suits would certainly boost the range of communications, but only as a result of implant-to-suit-array communications that were then rebroadcast by the suit's com emitters. The suits would not enable the implants themselves to range any farther.