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______________________________
Dual Visions
by
Herbert Grosshans
The Cliffs
of Time
Dinosaurs aren't the only danger Derek Steel faces when
he travels to
100 million BC. Saboteurs
try to prevent the
terra-forming of Mars. They
don't realize the consequences
it will have if they are successful.
Will Derek find his
lover again or will they both be lost on the Cliffs of Time?
Orion – The Hunt
Hektor Orion joins the Hunt on
Izzard-Junction to find his kidnapped
mind-sister Delina.
Stranded in the deep jungle of a hostile planet, the
motley
members of the hunting party must find their way back to
civilization, but freedom may not be at the end of their
journey.
EXCERPTS
The Cliffs
of Time
by
Herbert Grosshans
Chapter One
“After this morning’s incident, nobody leaves the compound
without at least one armed guard.” André Pireux glared at
the handful of supervisors sitting at the table in his
boardroom. “As director of this facility, I’m responsible
for every person and every piece of equipment.”
He locked eyes with the small dark-skinned man standing at
the end of the long table. “Dr. Bashir, you’ve been here
longer than any of us. I expected you to be more aware of
the dangers we face out there.”
The little man pulled on his goatee. “You are absolutely
correct, Director. I should have been more careful.” He
smiled. “As you pointed out, I’ve been here a long time. Ten
years, to be precise. Two years without being up-line. I
needed to get away from this place for a while, breathe
natural air, smell the flowers and the soil, swim in a real
pond and see animals in their natural environment.”
“And provide a snack for the beasts that live in that
natural environment,” Pireux sneered. “If I hadn’t
immediately sent out a team to rescue you from the jaws of
that Tyrannosaurus, you wouldn’t stand here now.”
“Carcharodontosaurus,” Dr. Bashir said softly.
“What?”
“It was a Carcharodontosaurus. Tyrannosaurus rex won’t
appear for another thirty million years, or so.”
Pireux made an impatient gesture. “Whatever that huge lizard
is called.” He sighed. “You’re lucky I consider you such a
valuable member of the research team, otherwise I might just
have left you out there.”
Dr. Bashir made a small bow. “I thank you for that
compassion, Director Pireux. Maybe some day I can pay you
back. Are we done here? I’m a busy man.”
“We’re done. Go and do whatever you do.”
The small man turned to leave. Hesitating, he stopped. “Oh,
before I go, I’d like to remind you that I represent the
Wells Foundation. Let me also refresh your memory. The Wells
Foundation spearheaded this project and is funding a large
part of it.”
Director Pireux heaved another loud sigh. “How can I ever
forget, Dr. Bashir? You remind me twice a month, at the very
least.”
When the door closed behind the little man, Pireux threw up
his hands. Looking at the big man who sat on his right, he
said, “Sorry about this, Mr. Steel, but that man has been a
thorn in my side ever since I assumed my position as
director of this project.”
The big man smiled thinly. In the past two week, he's seen
tempers fly more than once. Most of the researchers and
technicians didn’t last much longer than a year before this
place got to them. It had taken him a few days to adjust his
mental state to the fact that he had traveled one hundred
million years into the past. If, for some reason, he died in
this place, archeologists digging in the soil for a peek
into the past of Earth wouldn’t find a trace of his
existence, not even his fancy golden watch.
He smiled and thought, You wouldn’t be too happy,
Grandfather, if your treasured watch ended up in a time
before it was made, buried under tons of granite, instead of
being handed down to my oldest son. If I ever have one.
“We’ve had some valuable research data destroyed by a virus
that suddenly popped up in our computer.”
Steel brought his attention back to the people seated at the
table and let his eyes rest on the older man across from
him. “I know a little bit about computers,” he said. “How
can a virus even get into yours? This facility is totally
isolated and removed from anything even vaguely electronic.”
He smiled. “One hundred million years removed. I’m still
trying to get used to it.” He looked at the others. “As I
understand, every piece of electronic equipment is built and
checked by computers up-line. No human hand touches any of
the components. Not even the programs.”
The older man gave Steel an almost hostile look. “Well,
either the equipment doesn’t get checked out as thoroughly
as you think, or somebody in this compound is fooling around
with the computers.” He looked around the table at the
anxious faces of his colleagues. “We have a saboteur among
us.”
“A saboteur?” A young woman beside him laughed. “Now you’re
becoming just a little bit too paranoid, Dr. Olfson.
Everyone here has been investigated from top to bottom. The
government knows more about each one of us than we do
ourselves.” She shook her long blond hair. “No, Dr. Olfson,
you’re wrong. Not even a pregnant mouse gets into the base
without being investigated first.”
Some of the others laughed.
“The last thing we need here in the Mesozoic era is a
pregnant mouse. No telling what her descendants would look
like in the twenty-first century AD.”
Steel studied the man who made that comment. He didn’t look
like a researcher. Tall and muscular, he could have been a
model for a men’s clothing catalogue. There is something
arrogant about this man, I’m not sure if I like him.
When he looked up, he noticed the young blond woman’s stare.
She seemed to study him intensely.
“I haven’t seen you before, Mr. Steel. What exactly is your
job here?” It sounded like an innocent question, but Steel
had the impression it was more than just rhetorical.
“I’m here to check out your computers.” Steel gave her a
smile. “I didn’t get your name and your position.”
“I’m Captain Gifford, and I’m the head of the local
constabulary.” She smiled back at him, but her blue eyes
stayed cool. Then she looked at Director Pireux. “Why wasn’t
I made aware of Mr. Steel’s arrival? Security in this place
is not taken seriously. I’m almost inclined to assume Dr.
Olfson’s attitude.”
“I saw no reason to notify you of Mr. Steel’s arrival. He is
no security threat.” Director Pireux made an impatient
gesture of dismissal. “This meeting is over.”
When Steel rose from his seat, Pireux said, “I’d like to
have a word with you, Mr. Steel.” He turned to the blond
woman. “You, too, Captain Gifford.”
When everyone left, the Director leaned back in his chair,
looked first at Steel and then at the woman. “I apologize if
I waited for you to meet, but even you, Captain Gifford, are
not above suspicion.”
Gifford lifted an eyebrow. “Meaning what, Director?”
“Meaning I take no chances with anyone, unless I know them
personally.” He paused. “Captain Gifford, let me introduce
you to Lt. Derek Steel, Special Investigator with Army
Intelligence.”
“I thought you were a computer expert.”
Steel smiled. “I am.”
“I see.” Her eyes flashed back to Pireux. “I didn’t like
that remark about me not being above suspicion, Director
Pireux. I’m the head of security, for heaven’s sake. If you
can’t trust me…?
Pireux cut her off. “I take it back.” He smiled at Steel.
“She’s quite competent, Lieutenant, but has a bit of a
temper. Watch her.”
Gifford shook her head and rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t
know any better, I’d say you hate me, Director.”
Pireux chuckled. “How can anyone hate a beautiful woman like
you, Gifford?”
The woman’s blue eyes clouded over. “I know I shouldn’t get
angry over that remark, because you mean it as a compliment,
but I wish you would see me as a professional first and a
woman second.” She glanced at Steel. “Is the lieutenant
reporting to me, or is he an independent?”
“He reports to me, Captain. Lt. Steel’s identity will not be
revealed to anyone. As far as everyone else is concerned, he
is a computer expert, here to check out the computers.”
“So why reveal his identity to me?”
The Director smiled. “Because I trust you, Captain Gifford.”
-------------------------------------
Orion – The Hunt
by
Herbert Grosshans
Chapter One
There were eleven in the hunting party. Nine men and two
women. They sat in the inn, waiting impatiently for their
guide to arrive.
“May I join you at your table?”
The man, who was sitting alone in the dimly lit corner,
shrugged his massive shoulders and looked at the intruder.
“Sit down,” he said quietly, “but keep your hands on the
table, where I can see them.”
The other one smiled, displaying a row of sharp, pointy
teeth. “I have no harmful intentions,” he said, sitting
down, “just like to become acquainted.”
The big man chuckled, his gray eyes studying the newcomer.
They saw the laser gun on the hip and the long knife
strapped to the upper left arm, but they also saw the tiny
tubes protruding from under the tight sleeves…dart shooters.
A popular weapon of the reptilian race.
“I am Zegg,” the reptile man said. “Are you in the hunting
party?”
“Yes, I am,” nodded the big man. “I didn’t know the
Brothers of the Egg enjoyed hunting the
elephant-dragon.”
The reptilian laughed with a gurgling hissing sound. “Just
because the elephant-dragon has scales doesn’t mean he is
one of our brothers. Yes, we enjoy hunting the beast.” He
tilted his head. “What makes you take part in the hunt? Is
it the adventure, or are you looking for fortune, like some
of the others?”
“Both, I guess,” smiled the big man. “By the way, my name is
Orion, Hektor Orion.”
“An Earthman, I presume?”
“Not quite, I was born in the Sirius System, but my
ancestors came from Earth. They colonized the fifth
planet, which had no native intelligent life of its own, but
proved habitable for humans. So I guess I can safely say
that I come from pure Earth-stock. Probably no more or no
less than most people on Earth, who have been breeding with
hundreds of other humanoid races for many Earth centuries.”
“What’s the difference?” asked the reptilian. “They all go
back to the same egg, just like us, just like all the other
inhabitants of the Galactic Wheel. We are all brothers.”
Orion smiled. “That’s a dangerous statement, friend. It
could get you killed.”
“I know, you Humans don’t believe in the Universal
Brotherhood.”
Orion couldn’t help but notice the edge in the reptilian’s
voice, but he also seemed to detect a tinge of sadness. He
wondered briefly if the tall reptile man might be his
contact. His alien mind was closed. Without his help, there
would be no mental communication, even if Orion tried to
break the barrier.
His gaze traveled over to the other members of the party. He
knew a lot about them, just by listening to their
conversations for the last couple of hours.
Samdor Whyte, short and fat, a businessman. Head of a large
concern in the Alpha Centauri System. Owner of half
a dozen planets…or so he said.
Beside him, a big, savage looking brute. At least two and a
half meters tall, huge shoulders, powerful arms. Bred on a
high gravity planet for only one purpose…to fight.
Samdor Whyte’s personal bodyguard.
The bodyguard’s thoughts lay wide open to Orion’s careful
probing. The merchant’s mind displayed nothing. Orion sensed
the presence of an artificial shield.
A tall, stunning looking woman sat across from Whyte. Her
golden hair cascaded down her pale shoulders and her full
breasts were straining against the fabric of her
tight-fitting body suit. She called herself Lu-onna. Orion
detected a strong mind-shield, the shield of a natural
telepath. If she sensed his mind-touch, she didn’t show it.
He had seen women like her before. She came from the
Rilian System, where the women were bred for beauty and
trained in the art of sensual delights. They were known all
over this part of the galaxy.
The Rilian System lay in the Neutral Zone, just like
Izzard-Junction, the planet they were on. The Neutral
Zone was the lawless region that divided the Galactic
Federation of Humans and the reptilian Imperium, the
Imperial Nest. On the other side of the Galactic
Federation was The Hive, the part of the Galaxy
inhabited by the Insectoids.
The second woman in the party sat at a table with three
other men. She could be the agent, but he found no evidence
that she was. Her thoughts were also hidden behind an
artificial screen.
Orion had never seen people of her kind before. She looked
humanoid, tall, with a lithe, well-formed body. Her eyes
were large, green, with pupils like a cat, and her ears were
pointy, with little tufts of fur at the tips. She wore her
black hair short, cropped close to her rounded skull. He saw
a long knife inside her right boot. No other weapons were
evident, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have any.
One of the men with her looked like a traveler, a man who
drifted from planet to planet, searching for something he
would never find. His face looked scarred, his eyes wary.
The woman had called him ‘Selmond’. His mind seemed to be
open, but Orion knew better. He could be a highly trained
agent, keeping his real thoughts hidden behind the chatter
of routine thoughts.
The same could be said for the others.
Dr. Fortney; a scientist from Terra. His mind
appeared clear and disciplined, letting no random thoughts
clutter up his thinking process. He kept it busy thinking
about the local flora and fauna he would find.
The tall, handsome young man with the bright smile was
Andrew Trongsan. Playboy, spoiled son of an influential
family from one of the many planets of the super giant
Antares, which lay on the outer fringes of the Human
Federation.
The necklace he wore hid a thought scrambler. Anyone who
tried to read his mind would only receive gibberish.
At another table, two young men sat by themselves, not
saying much, just watching the others. Brothers. Twins, by
the looks of it. Even though one of them wore a thin
mustache, it didn’t change his appearance much.
Neither of them carried thought scrambles, their thoughts
lay open to Orion’s probing. However, that meant nothing. A
good telepath could hide himself behind an artificial
persona.
Orion could probably have smashed through any of the
screens, artificial or natural, but that would have given
him away.
He was one of the best agents the government of the
Colonial Worlds of Sol-Terra had. Not many could match
his talents. Nevertheless, there had been one who could have
come close, if only there would have been enough time to
develop her abilities.
The memory of her brought a lump to his throat. She had been
so lovely, so beautiful, so young. Delina, his
mind-sister.
They had been lovers…more than lovers. No other woman had
ever captured his heart the way she had, and he had chosen
her to bear his son.
For one year they had been together, been through two
assignments. Without her, his body would have been destroyed
on Arcturus IV.
The arrival of their guide interrupted his thoughts.
Giles.
Orion could see why the innkeeper called him Nose.
Even the full, bushy mustache couldn’t hide the enormous
size of his nose. He wore a sloppy outfit; pants and jacket
made from the skins of some animal. A wide brimmed hat
covered the top of his head, shading his eyes. Around his
neck hung a necklace of white, bleached teeth.
He looked like a walking arsenal. Two laser guns and a knife
on his hips, a flash-rifle on his back, and a dart pistol
strapped to his chest.
He walked in, looked around the tavern, his eyes coming to
rest on Orion and Zegg. “You two belong to the party?”
Giles’s spoke with a deep and rough voice. It matched his
big frame.
Orion sensed the thought-scrambler built into the ring the
guide wore in his left ear, a device made out of platinum.
Very expensive. He wondered why the guide had a need for a
thought-scrambler, here on this backwater planet.
His companion, the reptile man answered the guide’s
question. “Yes, we belong.”
Giles gave him a hard look. “A rep,” he rasped,
disapproving. “Not many of your kind are interested in
hunting the elephant-dragon. Why am I honored with your
presence?”
Zegg smiled. “On my home world I am considered a great
hunter. You are the second Human today who questions my
presence here.”
“I am not questioning your presence, and I don’t doubt your
abilities as a hunter,” Giles said coolly. “I am only
surprised, that’s all.” He turned towards the others. “If
you people are ready, then let’s get moving.”
Orion studied the group thoughtfully. Besides him, there was
at least one more natural telepath here. Some of the others
had either artificial screens, or scramblers to ensure
privacy of their thoughts, or hide something else.
A high percentage of highly qualified people. Very unusual.
Something deep inside him stirred, like a long forgotten
ghost, wary and watchful. His thoughts shifted into a higher
level.
The primitives are awakening. It won’t be long.
The Dark Hunters of the Serpent should not be far
away.
DUAL VISIONS
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