"Ya know Sammi you make a really good dog!"

"Thank you very much Mr. Professor, thank you very much! Charlie, how about getting' going on the buns back there!"

"Yes, boss."

"Yep, you make the best dog this side of Kimbrough at least! (chuckle)

"Awww Mr. Professor, you are just toooo kind! (chuckle) Charlie what about them buns!?"

"Alright, alright, they're comin'!"

"And, I gotta say that your mustard is up to its usual ..."

'What the..., who's shoving me... ? uuuffff!'

"Mr. Professor, you alright? Look behind you! What's going on with all those..... Charlie! Louie! Get up here, we need to be closing the place!"

'What IS going on? I almost can't even turn around...where are all these people coming from? Jeeze Loueeze.... WHAT is going on....uunnnnhhhh! The people are all moving one way....jamming up...going downstreet what is going on? Where IS that damn controller!!? Ah yah!, Hurry up Kelli.'

"Kelli! Call the Gendarmes! There's some kind of disturbance or something upstreet my position! The people are jamming up, somebody is going to get hurt!"

"I'm calling the Gendarmes as I speak."

"Kelli, is there a blimp close?"

"No, the only one is upstreet about two kilometers I'll contact its kub."

"How about a bot, maybe a transport bot."

"Checking."

"Sammi, can you and your boys get out here with something to help me push these people back?"

"You got it Professor! Hey, Charlie get one of the display tables outta the back! Louie, help me get the door open!"

"The kub on the blimp has been instructed to emergency lift and get her people above the City. I've contacted a bot, he is trying to extract himself from the people and get above them. Yes, he's done that, he's on his way here now."

"Here ya go Professor! Get behind this, now you guys. PUSH! PUSH! WHAT is going on!? Whats wrong with these people!!? Push!"

"Kelli I need you to start a recording folder and I'll describe what is going on. You simultaneously stream it to a Gendarme office."

"Ok, doing that now. The blimp's kub has been told again to emergency lift, she can't come, she doesn't know why."

"Here comes the bot! Sammi we've gotta push further out so he can land. Lets see if we can jam the table onto the front of this support post."

"You got it Professor, PUSH you guys!"


'Why am I floating? The Silent Sea..... so far below....

it's so cold, so cold...

..so peaceful, peaceful here...'


"So...... what's been happening at the best rail 'longside the Silent Sea since I was here last...?"

"Oh not much, when was it you were here last? Oh yeah...yesterday!" (chuckle)

'I like Gregman.... he's got a sense of humour.'

"What's been up with you?"

"Oh, not much, finished up my lecture series on chemical equations last night."

"You teach asynchronous right?" The Gregman looked over his shoulder. "You want a bagel?"

Yeah, I might get one, but only if it can't be used as a weapon! Yeah, although I would actually prefer a regular schedule. It's hard to get people to think in terms of getting educated, let alone getting educated on a schedule. It gets in the way of their relaxation!"

"Yeah, copy that."(chuckle)

"You been getting anything interesting off the beltways?"

"Naah, just the usual terms, interfaces, that kind of stuff. But, I'm still keepin' my eye peeled for you."

"I appreciate that....It's even more calm out there than usual today."

"Yeah, the news feeds were all about them bringing down a ship. They said it was in the big one off Alpha Orionis, damaged but able to make it back and all that. Maybe she's waiting for it."

"Water can't think, silly guy!"

"Dunno....seems just before they bring in a ship for repairs, she really calms down."

"Or....mayyybee...... they wait for her to calm down and THEN bring it down..."(chuckle)

"Well, that is.... a possibility! (chuckle) What about that bagel?"


'Why am I floating....it is so calm..so cold, cold, .here...."


"Down here!"

"I am trying sir! But my programming specifically forbids....."

"I am overriding your programming! I invoke Emergency Clause 3 Educator!!! Do you understand!?"

(pause)

"Yes! Emergency Clause 3 Educator! I understand, but if..."

"Yes, you will temporarily, maybe, cause some bruising, or mussed clothing, or something; but there is a very large emergency upstreet where people may actually be dying and I say directly to you that more harm is being intentionally caused upstreet than you might accidentally cause here! I want you to land, take me on your back, and take me upstreet where we will be able to reduce harm to citizens! Do you understand?! Now get down here!"

"I understand, trying, trying, trying."

"Sammi, can you guys get me just one more minute here, ok?"

"You got it Professor! Push youse guys!! PUSH!"

"Alright, what is your name, and are you a transport bot?"

"Albert 4583 is my technical name, but you can call me Albert if you so wish, sir, and yes, indeed I am a transporter."

"Ok, Albert, I want you to reconfigure yourself, maybe your transport stirrups or something or pull out some lashings, or I don't know, but do something so as to be able to take me on your back. We are then going to anti-grave up and over the people and you are going to transport me upstreet. Understand?"

"Yes sir, I will do that now............... Let me turn around... I don't know if my antigrav will lift both of us, let me turn around, citizen, please get out of the way! I hope you are not harmed citizen, yes...can you get onto my back now sir?"

"Sammi we are probably just going to get one go-around on this, as soon as we are up, you guys clear out and ...I owe you guys one, .... really."

"Another time Professor, another time, now get outta here! One more push guys, one more PUSH!"

"Kelli, you can start recording now."

"You know that I always record things for you don't you...?"

"Yeah, but this is different. I may not make it out of this, and I need for you to get whatever info we can get to the Gendarmes, ok?"

"Okaayyy......"

"I've never seen this many people jammed onto the street before. There is usually maybe one person per two square meters or so, but now it's shoulder to shoulder, some people are down and ....."

"Oh SIR, we must descend and help those.."

"NO, Albert, NO! Remember my invocation countermands your citizen safety directive; the more important help for people is for us to continue upstreet! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

"Yes sir, but..."

"GO, GO, GO!!"

"Yes sir."

"Kelli can you get me some help with his kub? She's got to keep him going, contact someone above her."

"Doing that now."

"The people are not moving much now. There are too many of them. They will soon start suffocating if they can't move. Gendarmes have posted alternately every sub-block to try to keep them calm, and moving, but it isn't working. Some of the Gendarmes are in the press and some of them have climbed up onto signs and stuff to get the attention of the people."

"I've contacted his kub, she says she will keep him going."

"Ok, thanks. Can you get any information from up ahead, what's going on up there? Any Gendarme reports."

"Albert, do you have telescopic optics?"

"No sir, I do not."

"I've already been in contact with some kubs further up, mostly Gendarme Sergeants, two citizens. The Corporals and Privates are too far down the tree and the information flow is swamping their systems. Apparently, a lot of people are dead, there are a lot of missing Gendarme kubs so the Gendarms have to be presumed dead also."

"Oh jeeze....what is going on? Faster Albert, faster, if you please."

"Sir, my gyros were not intended for this kind of speed, let alone this kind of acceleration. The only reason we are moving forward at this speed is that I am almost...."

"I know Albert, I know! I can feel the vibration from your gyros myself. You are doing a great job. You are going to help save lives Albert."

"Yes sir."

"Now, please go faster if you can."

"Yes sir."

"I can see the tourist blimp trying to lift but it may not be designed for that kind of acceleration. Kelli can we get her to assist in getting people off the street? Every little bit might help."

(waiting, waiting, wind in my face, wind in my face, waiting, go faster!)

"No, she has orders to get up and out of the city, apparently Navy ships have been deployed."

"Navy ships!? There's nothing that will fit in here!"

"Can you get higher Albert?"

"Ill try sir, trying..."

"Apparently the ships are of a type that is called a "boat", it is smaller, less than the width of the street."

"Ok.ok.... The people are at a standstill now, the noise they are making is deafening, can you filter that Kelli? Two Gendarme flitters just passed us hustleing it upstreet. Hope they can do something."

"I'm already doing that and the stream is priority to Gendarme Substation 903 at the intersection of Livingston and 23rd."

"Uuuuhhhnnnn! What is that?"

"Hang on sir! We were hit with some kind of over-pressure from above, Oh no! I'm losing altitude!"

"It's a boat! Oh jeeze..... there is stuff falling from the walls of the city! Albert, can you look up to reference it..so we won't get hit?!"

"I can't sir, use your knees to rock me back and forth and I'll try to maneuver"

"Raffle is falling right and left, watch it, here comes a verandah! Left! Left! Left!"

"Oh jeeze the boat is right above us!"

"Oh the people sir, we MUST stop!"

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This blog entry is in two parts, this is part 1 of 2 go to next blog for part 2 of 2