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42: Mr Smith

“Come on, ya’ just know you’re gonna’ miss interviewing rednecks who got too wordy in their Facebook rants” Odell teased. He paused momentarily, and when Ned Smith only responded with a short smile he continued. “Well, I don’t know what someone like you did to get dead ended down here in Nashville, but if anybody’s gonna’ get out of here it’s gonna’ be you.” An ambivalent look washed over Smith’s face.

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40: Aggressive Diplomacy

“Basil, are you sure this is a good idea?” Grey asked and Basil responded with a smile. “Yes, Cicero told me that all the Redcaps are fond of you for helping us, and the Lizard King told me it’s okay for you to come too. His people might be a little cranky, but you’ll be fine.” Grey’s hesitance seemed to fade and she returned the smile. “I am excited to see the festival.

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41: Aftershock

Basil stood silently while looking over the table filled with captured Elthrice weapons. He felt he should be doing something, but was mindlessly observing them yet again. The Elthrice’s guns, if that term was proper, were weird and oddly ineffective. Most were made from a variety of metals, only a few made of the standard dark gray-green metal that Elthrice used a lot. Some of them on the table had large protrusions on their sides that resembled rattlesnake egg-sized ship propulsion systems, although they appeared to either be inert or cosmetic.

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39: Westward Investigation

“Alright, you think you can give Cicero a manual of arms here?” Basil asked, putting a random Redcap soldier on the spot. General Edwards nodded, and the soldier gave Cicero a detailed overview of the rifle before clearing, shouldering, and dry firing it. “Not fully automatic?” Cicero asked. “No” Basil replied. “Ammunition is our bottleneck so far, if the Elthrice do invade we need to make every shot count. I’ve already burnt a fake identity by purchasing bulk depleted Uranium rounds, and your soldiers haven’t been trained on full auto.

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38: The Stars be not My Destination

Basil and Grey worked on reassembling the pieces of the salvaged Elthrice craft they had just examined. Although many parts like the propulsion mechanisms were well outside of the two’s capability to disassemble, those that had been accessible had been the obsession of the two for weeks as each part was disassembled, observed by ACE, and then reassembled. “Where would I even go?” Grey asked Basil, a little bit of annoyance present in her voice.

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37: Diplomatic Promises

Cicero took a swig of beer. “With everything that has gone on the Redcap Queen does not currently hold you in high regard, but I believe she will agree. Although our best means of convincing her would be to bring Grey before her to explain the Elthrice, and why setting up such a defense against them would be imperative. May I bring her before the court?” Cicero spoke in the same business-like demeanor as he had all night, retaining his diplomatic but almost cold tone regardless of whether he was discussing rebuilding or personal topics.

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36: The Lizard People

“Why is the demon here?” The Wizard asked, seeing Grey upon entering the salvaged Elthrice ship. Basil realized that using the Elthrice craft for transport was a bad idea. Not only did he just reintroduce Grey to her former captors and the killers of her group, but he’d also introduced her former captors to the last surviving member of the raiding aliens that wrought destruction on their capital. Even though Grey did not participate in the attack, she was certainly not popular among the Lizard King’s people.

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35: Negotiations

Basil stepped out of the jet and towards the Redcap’s keep, keeping a close eye on the soldiers surrounding the building. They were certainly watching him, but they all looked apathetic and tired, at least externally. His radio conversation with Cicero a few minutes prior also carried the same tone. Cicero hadn’t expressed any anger or said anything would be unsafe, but he had also acted as if they weren’t moments away from shooting each other 24 hours ago.

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34: Hello Jarvis

Basil’s earpiece buzzed. “Where are you going to put the craft?” Grey asked, still inside it. “I’m on an island, an independent nation that split away from the Redcaps called Arkepello, formerly known as Arkepello County.” Grey asked for clarification. “And you’re sure that they will let you keep it there? If you’re worried about the Redcaps soldiers, then what will stop these people from trying to take it or destroy it?

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32: Orbital

Basil felt blood rushing to his head; he wasn’t dead apparently, at least not yet. He opened his eyes to a spinning dark and dusky sky, Lizard King stepping away. He coughed and felt warm blood draining away from his mouth, the same warmth that emanated from his chest. He could tell he didn’t have long, doubly so as the Lizard King turned back after hearing the cough. There was one thing he had to do, and he had to do it quickly.

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