Balance of Power


Seventeen million survivors. It was a tiny number in cosmic terms, but enough to make the search for Blue Ocean among them difficult. The agents had already manipulated the local military to hunt down Blue, but they could only track his progress on the planet by the reports of loyalist soldiers turning their weapons on each other and recon pilots crashing into the ground. Quack watched from his battle-ship in frustration - he could protect all the people in his task force, and the people back at the base, but not another seventeen million at the same time.

The sargeant quietly went up to him.

"Sir, I know how you feel about using your powers for attack, but... we don't have a choice. Every second we let him run around, more peons are getting killed, and we can't do anything about it. The risk of the information getting out is too great."

Quack sighed, and nodded. He hated using his powers to manipulate in this fashion, but he had no choice. Blue had shown no restraint in using these powers - letting him run unchecked was no longer an option.

"Goddess forgive me" he mouthed as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

---

Blue was running, but more out of habit when being chased than anything else. Sure, he had been nervous when the peon soldiers started shooting at him, but his new-found powers made short work of them. He was starting to enjoy it. After a while, he got tired of running. When two squads of soldiers ordered him to stop, he simply reached out at both groups and ordered them to attack each other.

He was so obsessed with the havoc he had caused that he didn't see the agent with the stun-gun behind him.

---

"He's waking up, sir."

Blue heard a voice - he'd never heard it before, but it seemed familiar. His arms were tied to the chair, but he reached out with his mind, and recognized him.

"You can't be here, you're DEAD! I killed you off ages ago!"

Hard gave him a cold stare. "I remember."

Quack interrupted them. "Yes, you almost did, back when your powers were limited to altering perceptions. I see you've progressed since then - nice work with the soldiers. But you're still thinking in small terms."

Quack sighed.

"Let me show you." The duck looked at him, and blinked.

---

"Thanks, Quack, you're a legend!" Blue said cheerfully as Quack untied him. He was in a playful mood as Quack gave him back his antimatter shotgun, so he decided to shove it in his mouth and pull the trigger. All he heard was a click. He suddenly felt disappointed, and said "Could you tie me up again, please? I think I was more comfortable like that." Quack shrugged. "Hey, whatever works for you", and re-tied the knots. He checked the knots, then nodded and blinked.

---

"Would you like to go again?"

Blue was speechless.

"I didn't think so. I don't enjoy it, you know. But I have a job to do, assigned by CariElf Herself, and come hell or high-water, I'll get it done. But first, I need to know what you know."

Blue laughed. "I'll never tell you anything!"

Quack slowly nodded. "I know". Then he blinked again.

---

The image of CariElf had burned itself into Blue's mind. But, Blue had seen more than just her appearance. He knew how the Gods worked. As Quack probed further, he saw that the damage was worse than he had thought. He didn't just know the methods of the Gods, he knew their PURPOSE. Quack assessed the total damage, and reached a conclusion. Then he turned around and left the mind.

---

"Be grateful", Quack said as Blue woke up. "I have decided to let you live."

Blue tried to talk, but found that he couldn't move.

"Oh, don't worry, soon you'll be fine. Better than fine, in fact. We've got a great position lined up for you. You won't be able to keep your powers, but hey, you can't have everything. You won't remember any of this, either, but you will know that there is a good power in the metaverse. You deserve to remember that much. Besides, you'll have the power to be a force for good yourself... if you play your cards right..."

Just then, Quack's communicator sounded. Quack turned it on, and switched to a private channel. Blue could only hear one side of the conversation.

"Yes, Your Highness. We have him."
"That's not necessary. We can rehabilitate him."
"We don't think so, but if a relapse happens, we'll be ready."
"Very well."

Quack nodded at Hard, and the sargeant pressed a button. Blue immediately blacked out.

Tranquility

Governor Blue Ocean smiled, and lit up a cigar. The planets assigned to his direction had finally been given some social grants, so they could build what he told them to for once. He had been assigned with turning a group of backwater planets into major research centers. He did not decide what to research, for that was not his place. But even so, he was one of the most powerful peons in his galaxy. He even reported once a month to an overlord. What prestige!

He had a nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something. He checked his build orders. No, everything that should be there was in place, and in the correct order. Everything was, to put it simply, perfect.

* Viscountess Goddess Song Poem *


If I could or if I might

Have the wish I wish tonight! cus......

I can't help....my....self

no no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!

I can't help....my....self

CariElf is on MY MIND OOOOOOOOOH!

I can't help....my....self

Viscountess Goddess with all my LOVE OOOOOOOOOH!

Things I say thay may sound CRAZY BUT!

Viscountess Goddess I LOVE YOU BABY YAAAAAAAAA!

I can't help....my...self

YOUR IN MY SOUL! YOUR IN MY MIND!

Viscountess Goddess MY LOVE AN'T BLIND NOOOOOOOOO!

I cant help....my....self

no no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!

I cant help....my....self

no no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!

I can't help....my....self

Chris,

I think in addition to MM77's rule of only posting one chapter per day, we should add these few to the rules list for stories/sagas.

1) Do not pump up your character/characters/organizations besides CariElf up to you point where they have god-like or completely irresistable powers. It makes for less interesting reading than a bunch of at least semi-believable characters.

2) Do not suddenly change the alignment or strength of another character in a story to anything other than what it has been (i.e. the idea of someone going over to the dark side when in the past they have come to worship CariElf, and been too humble to stay on at a temple because they believe they are not worthy/cannot stand to look upon her again, both usually considered good traits).

3) Do not change events that have happened already in stories. If it's been written, it needs to be considered has having already happened, and deus ex machina events should not be allowed to change the past. Again, this will make for more interesting and believable reading.

4) Do not change the balance of a story ultimately without allowing other authors/co-authors to have input first. For instance, in The Voyage - Chapter 5, I killed off one of TheQuack's characters, but I revived another -and- gave him a starship.

5) One that I need to abide by: Do not be overly negative about characters representing other fanclub members without giving them good traits as well. This may make people desire to change your story line, so it might be partially your fault if your story gets messed up.

I hope I don't sound too negative here, I -have- been having fun. It's just that I had this idea of where I wanted my story to go, so I revived Quack so he could do his thing and killed off the one character that was pursuing mine (in a believable way; you must admit, hyperspacing into an asteroid is not something you would put past IM Hard ) so I wouldn't have to worry about him when I was setting up a separate story line but, *gestures weakly* as you can see, the chances of that have essentially been totaled. I'm not going to go back and do something I said should be against the rules, like changing events, so I'll just have to come up with something different. In the future it might be easier if we keep these rules in mind, if only to increase the longevity of story lines and increase the interest people have in the stories.

EDITED to add rule 5
[Message Edited]

D.J.MM77 Here at W.C.a.r.i.E.l.f. Playing your weekend FAVORITES. Finnishing up ONE OF MINE!.......

* There an't no mountain HIGH enough there are no oceans LARGE enough OOOOOOOOOH! What I'm saying to you girl is CariElf you are my WORLD! OOOOOOOOOH! Take MY hand and hold it tight will ROCK this DANCE all through the NIGHT! Don't want your FAME don't want your MONEY! Just a desire to LOVE YOU HONEY! OOOOOOOOOH!
I can't help....my....self
no no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!
I can't help ....my....self
no no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!
This is my HEART and I give to you
CariElf I AM YOUR FOOL! OOOOOOOOOH!
There is no reason there is no RYME
My LOVE is for you, Till the END OF TIME! OOOOOOOOOH!
I can't help....my....self *

BATTLE SENCOR DRONE Blue Ocean,

I never said one chapter per day. GO FOR IT!

In GENERAL I DISAGREE with ALL the REST of you Post # 230

WHY?.....

1. It STUNTS CREATIVITY.

2. It helps make YOU more CREATIVE when limited rules are enforced.

NOW for a SIRIUS STORY request by typing at top or bottom " Consistent Story Please " or ( CSP )

NOW your STORY can be SACRED on ALL the REST of the STORYS people can have fun with.

Remmber to post STORY/CHAPTER/TIME when you plan on posting a CHAPTER of a OPEN story you are RESPONDING TO.

We DON'T WANT two people posting the same CHAPTER.

(i.e.) C-files chpt.2 6/11/03

-------------------INTERMISSION------------------

ALL; STORYS/SAGAS;

Posted are open for ANY MEMMBER to write a chapter on.

ANY story/saga you wish NOT to be open for memmber input;

TYPE ( Do no expand ) at the top or bottom of POST.


NOW for a SIRIUS STORY request by typing at top or bottom " Consistent Story Please " or ( CSP )

NOW your STORY can be SACRED on ALL the REST of the STORYS people can have fun with.

Remmber to post STORY/CHAPTER/TIME when you plan on posting a CHAPTER of a OPEN story you are RESPONDING TO.

We DON'T WANT two people posting the same CHAPTER to the SAME STORY.

(i.e.) C-files *chpt.2* 6/11/03

P.S.

Try killing off MM77 in the C-FILES, it well do you no GOOD!.......BHA.........ha...ha...ha... LOL

Thanks for the clarification, MM77. Your idea does sound better than mine, so let's do that.

1) "Completely irresistible powers" - what, like your guy blowing away Quack before I even knew he existed?

2) "Strength of another character" - my right hand man, responsible for TRAINING NEW RECRUITS as bodyguards, drivers, and PILOTS, to name a few, suddenly realizes he doesn't know how to fly after all.
(For the record, the real-life I.M.Hard is
surprisingly smart.)

Is that two strikes for you, then? :notsure: How would you have liked "BlueOcean was knifed by a random druggie", "BlueOcean slipped on the soap and broke his neck", or "BlueOcean went swimming in the deep blue ocean, when he realized he didn't know how to swim after all. His dying thoughts were, 'why the !#$% did I call myself BlueOcean if I can't even swim?'."?

Hehe, I'm starting to like that last one, you know. LOL

Getting killed off in two seconds was a bit of a shock (lol), but I could have dealt with it - I put lots of effort into the sargeant, and planned a little CyberDuck visit (just a cameo) in the future, as well as a longer story line. Notice that I didn't add ANY actions from your guys in the first part of the story (that's your job ), and I certainly didn't harm any of them.

But, as I'm sure you can imagine, coming back to life as a boring old non-cybernetic human, and having my best combat veteran pike it like that kinda put a dent in my story arc too. You said my duck had psychic powers - I was just poking at bit of fun at seeing you mess with my dolls twice in a row, and thought two could play at that game, so I went on a puppet-master rampage. I was saying the same thing you were in rules 1 & 2, I just took a few chapters to make sure the point got through to you. Have another look at my story again - do you see what I'm saying? Puppet control is annoying, huh Well, what was I supposed to do, spend a few chapters on a new character (perhaps a pilot this time?), and wake up to read in the newspaper how he went skinny dipping in a vat of acid?


Oh, and instead of killing Blue off (like you killed off one of mine every time ), or even putting him in prison for shooting my duck, he's sitting behind a governor's desk. I'm sure you can find some way to do whatever he wants from there, he's a smart guy. Would you prefer it if I killed you off, but gave you a moron sidekick with a sharp stick to avenge your death?


Okay, if you prefer some simple rules, how's this?

a) Quack's still got some psychic powers, but he can't puppet-master other people (his doctors said another puppet rampage would kill him). Neither can you, that skill's been wiped from your mind.

No named characters trip on their own grenades. Actually, no named character gets killed/crippled/scarred unless their own writers give it to them. Hmm... if we're gonna play a bit at a time, it might as well be like a chess game with lots of different players. We can add details, but not
change history. However, writers reserve the right to deus ex their characters from Darwin Award-winning stupidity.

c) Nameless peons on all sides are fair game - if you want to kill people off, kill them. Or give them a name, describe them, then kill them - it's all good.

d) Quack could have killed Blue, but he didn't. He's got other concerns. As long as Blue doesn't remember any details from the temple besides CariElf's goodness(hint hint), or start interfering with his duties again (or killing his people off), Quack won't really care what he makes of himself.


So, about your rules - I've dealt with the puppet-masters. I'm keeping the Secret Order - if you want some sidekicks of your own, go for it

hmm... I just refreshed and saw 5. If you feel I did that to you, I apologize. My point all through the second part was that you shouldn't have entered the temple without the proper, um, mental training. You're cured now.

Ooh, I just thought of one more good rule:

e) CariElf reserves the right to jump in, make one post, and send both our story arcs to strange new worlds LOL

doh, new posts all the time. Nice to see everyone's online at least

I am reading # 236 NOW!

Just wanted to say you guys ROCK!

* TheQuack * Is that two strikes for you, then? How would you have liked "BlueOcean was knifed by a random druggie", "BlueOcean slipped on the soap and broke his neck", or "BlueOcean went swimming in the deep blue ocean, when he realized he didn't know how to swim after all. His dying thoughts were, 'why the !#$% did I call myself BlueOcean if I can't even swim?'."?

You gotta LOVE IT! LOL

Gotta head off (almost afraid to find what'll be here when i get back, though )

One thing I forgot to mention: I'm having a blast here, really. Forget restricted stories, if we use a bit of common sense (and don't kill each other off), we can have everyone pulling on the same tale and bet on where it goes...

Sorry, Quack, I didn't try to see it from your point of view. I should have been more careful in my writing. I'm not going to go into a long explanation of what I was thinking (how BORING! ), but I think your rules make more sense than either mine or MM77's (sorry MM77, I have to go with what I BELIEVE!). If I write any more story for this epic, Blue's black-market "assistant" is going to be named "Nameless Peon."

For the record, I DO know how to swim! Although, the AM shotgun does have a shoulder strap, and it is quite heavy . . .

---------------- INTERMISSION ----------------

---------------- HALL of FAME ----------------

------------- CLASSIC STORY/SAGAS ------------




TheQuack : CARI-CON * Post # 181 *


Blue Ocean : The Voyage * Post # 189,193,212 *


TheQuack : Divine Secrets * Post # 201,202,203,206,223,224,225,226,227 *


Chistopher Packer : LORD TERROSTAR VICE PRESIDENT Chistopher Packer's diary * Post # 211 *




These GEMS will Not be rated unwilling of thair PRICELESS VALUE.

So thay WILL be posted in the HALL of FAME.

LANDMARKS! Thank You.

-------------------INTERMISSION---------------------

------------------- PROMOTIONS ---------------------


DREAD SENCOR DRONE VICE PRESIDENT Blue Ocean


DREADNAUGHT VICE PRESIDENT TheQuack




Nothing is dreaded more by the enemy than a DREADNAUGHT!

Wow. All I say is, don't get between an adulator and their story character if you wanna survive.

Christopher Packer was in a good mood. He started doing a little jig. He saw a few grenades on the table, and eagerly grabbed them. Then, he pulled the pins all at once, and started juggling them with all the skill of a circus performer.


One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand,

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!


.
.
.

he said, as he tossed the dummy grenades to some of the Secret Order recruits in the lecture hall. "And the moral of the story is, make sure you're not holding on to these things after three." The recruits loved Christopher's lessons, he had a great sense of humour.

Did I have you going there for a sec? LOL


btw, mm77, you might as well add the c-files to the hall of fame, they're as much a part of this as the rest of them! I'm sure no-one will mind.

Sheesh Quack.

Now are you guys quitting Galciv too? :notsure:

I didn't have much time to play cause of uni, but I thought this wouldn't take up much of my time. I was wrong, of course

Don't worry, sir, I'll start playing right away!

I made a foolhardy mistake and tried to play a game while the server was down now I remember why am typing these posts. LOL

Quack,

I guess you will be to bussy to do C-FILES #2

I'll Post chapter 2 * 6/18/03

UNLESS SOMEONE wants to Post C-FILES/chapter 2/ * 6/17/03 *

***************** SPECIAL SALUTE ******************

TO;

G.R.O.S.S.

The White Council Empire

Ray CSB

PontiusBruinPilot

Staffa

HONORED BEYOND WORDS.

THANK YOU.