Life as a New Hire: Cast and Notes (May)

Off-screen, yet hinted at, is that the SD arrived first, finished off Lumpy then surrendered their weapons to the Feds, hinting at some level of cooperation between Havenstone and the Feds established before the firefight. SD is detained, but not arrested (the issue of his 'four' bodyguards). Cael wakes up at Havenstone, not some regular, or military, hospital, but has a federal investigator close by. The World does not stand still.

A few things (or more than a few things)

First off, I, as an author, found the two scenes involving Hayden's demise painful to write. The driving forces behind that decision - 1) these are Amazons, not the Campfire Girls. They are a bloody and unforgiving people and 2) as Hayden said, she was able to regain her courage at the end.

She started out wanting to save her people. When the New Directive was about to be implemented, she balked. Tessa and Katrina fought for an extensive policy. Hayden refused to defy the will of the Council and demanded the original plan be 'trimmed down' - her act of cowardice. The only person who could save the Amazon race was Hayden; it's her job. Had she stood up to Krasimira and Cáel, she would have won and they would have been shamed. Cáel and Krasimira would have compelled to take their own lives. Their deaths would not have solved any of the Amazon problems. Her death can...so she 'Amazon-ups' and faces her end like a heroine.

Not only did she accuse enemies of the New Directive to be traitors, she declared the whole idea of opposing the New Directive as treasonous thought.

At most, Hayden would only reign for 10 more years. Instead of passing on a race clinging to the past and on the verge of extinction, she hands over a people embracing hopes for the future - the adoption of 'Runners' and some level of 'Warrior-Fathers'. Of course, the latter is still very much in the discussion phase about actual societal rights/duties, numbers, and...sons. Not even Cáel has discussed bringing a single man into Havenstone, much less House Ishara.

The Device

The object in Cáel's brain...okay. For starters - this encompasses both the Cyberpunk and Steam Punk genres. Essentially this is 'brain-taping' (actually, memory insertion, but the memories had to be recorded to begin with) with an electro-mechanical device. Do not try this at home. In fact, never try this.

First off you had the suction-like device. It created an air-tight seal when activated. It fired a thermite-style pellet into his head, specifically to pierce a precise amount of skin and skull matter. The heat was sucked up into the cup to keep the brain undamaged.

Next, there was a one inch thick cylinder. Inside was a sonic device that created a primitive map of Cáel's brain, a long, thick needle, a stabilizing device to aim the needle, and a precise charge to propel the needle to a pre-determined depth between the two hemispheres of the brain, causing a non-disruptive amount of trauma.

Once in place, an energy cell inside the needle unleashed its power. The etching on the needle channeled that energy to certain areas of the brain. It also shut his brain down to a minimal level of activity to lessen the damage to his psyche/personality. In the story, channeling all that energy into so much neuro-matter at one time would have broken Cáel, or anyone else. To deal with this issue, the current flowed around the brain and was gradually transcribed into neuropathways - mainly to the long-term memory centers (things like languages) and muscle memory. That resulted in a week-long coma for Cáel.

[Spoiler Alert]

This is NOT the insertion of Cáel O'Shea's persona into his grandson. The guy had back-up plans for his back-up plans. With Lumpy's imminent demise, one such plan kicked in. Lumpy dutifully hunted the 'target' down and injected him. Cáel O'Shea's reasoning being his loyal and dutiful daughters would kill their brother unless they located his true 'heir', Cáel. Face it, why would the daughters want to bring the Old Man back, when they can have his half-baked substitute as a co-dependent slave? They ladies are smart and ambitious...and they've been terrified that their 'Dad' had a way to cheat death he hadn't confided to them in, because, you know, they are EVIL. They were right and that is the problem. Old Man Cáel was ALWAYS one step ahead of his brood. They can't live forever without him, but they don't want him back (yes, Cáel's aunts have lied to him. People do that.)

Suddenly, some underpaid technician in some lab runs a genetic test and compares it to an international database. Procedure? Yeah, they were only to send it off in small samples, not the whole DNA sequence...but that takes too much of the tech's time. Ta-da! Bells and Whistles go off at Casa de O'Shea. They've found what they've been looking for. The new problem is the sample didn't read 'Cáel Nyilas'. It was assigned an alphanumeric code at Havenstone before they sent it out for testing. Breaking into the DNA lab won't do any good. They need to find out who gave the sample to the lab. Reenter Nicole Lawless - figuratively and literally.

Then Briana turns around and looks into her father's eyes...and thinks 'now what?' Is this Dad? Is this one of Dad's experiments? Is this some sort of demented trap? And less the aunts forget, they are junkies, jonesing for some serious 'Daddy Time'. Everyone knows how calmly and rationally junkies approach a situation. In their fearful minds, Cáel Nyilas Ishara might actually be Cáel O'Shea playing yet another mind game, figuring who is 'loyal' and who isn't.

Playing mind games? Brianna is seriously thinking about shooting this person (our hero) when 'Bazinga!' he works for...Havenstone...you know, the people who murdered him. Now think back to this woman having been raised by a genius, hyper-inventing Moriarty with a mean streak a mile long. What is real? What is the really, really Real?

At the funeral, the aunts think they've got the situation figured out. They now need to remove Lumpy (as they had planned all along) and retrieve their 'nephew'. Sadly for those little demonesses with flowing red-manes, ole Lumpy doesn't go down as easily as they hoped. Worse, by the time they tracked Lumpy down they are staring at Cáel's apartment and it is crawling with Feds, cops and Havenstone. To add some rat-droppings to their Béarnaise sauce, the Feds and Havenstone appear to be working TOGETHER. Wa-ha?

Katrina and Javiera are two rather brilliant women and realize sharing at this point is best for both factions. But from the aunts' perspective...are those two also working, knowingly, or unknowingly, for 'Dad'? There are some days they want embrace their sanity, kiss it good-bye, put on their homemade Pterodactyl suit and just jump off the Empire State Building. Who knows? They might yet find happiness before they die.

The Curse

(and please forgive me. I'm in a serious manic phase right now)

The Curse was placed on the Amazon Race by the Goddess Ishara. She had Cael vomit up a rather large yet symbolic amount of the blood Amazons have used to seal oaths over the years. The curse broke down the power of those oaths. In 'Real World' terms, it slowly altered how Amazons prioritized their lives. Your loyalty to friends and family remained the same, but your willingness to put aside your wants and needs for a faceless/unpopular fellow Amazon was diminished. Amazons began seeking out more 'me' time because their devotion to their department, caste, profession was lessened.

As an example, Amazons are immaculate cleaners yet Pamela found dust in the knife dojo. Amazons take to assigned tasks eagerly. A 'Runner' told Desiree 'when I can get to it' as opposed to 'right away'. It starts with the little things. In the long term...Amazons swear Oaths to their Heads of House, to their caste and on major deals. Suddenly you feel fine with shirking duties the HoH gives you. Say you are the Armory guard...you think it is okay to take a coffee break. Katrina sends an ES operative to retrieve a piece of data. The operative decides that the challenge is just too exhaustive this time and comes back empty handed. In Amazon society, Oaths carry with them pride and dedication to their position. It has never come up, but the cleaning staff at Havenstone are Amazons. They dedicate their lives to keeping the building clean and pleasant to work in. It is how they feel they contribute. There is no 'overtime' or 'getting it done next time.' The woman emptying the trash is as diligent and proud of their work as a bodyguard, computer tech, or pilot. That is the power of Oaths in Amazon society and that is the realm of Ishara.

Finally, take a look at Ancient deities. They are a 'Don't fuck with us' crowd. Ishara, in her mind, made it abundantly that Cael was her designated heir, Head of House and rekindler of her name. She was HIS matron Goddess and to insult him was to insult her. That is Amazon Religion 101. The Amazon leadership got pissy and they earned her WRATH. Like ancient curses, there was also a way out. Like ancient curses, there was a heavy price to pay for angering the divinity. Saying 'I'm sorry' wasn't going to cut it. Besides, they weren't sorry...until it was too late.

Killjoy: "I confess to nothing!" (IN Reference to Cael being part of The Great Khans Genetic legacy)

Of course, such a thing is in the realm of possibility. The Mongols did invade Hungary and crush its army. They also ruled border regions of that kingdom for over a century afterwards. 'Tartar' mercenaries were used by various Central & Eastern European powers over the next few centuries. The best means of countering Mongol tactics was to hire some of your own. In turn, Chinese, Mongols, Turks, Koreans, Bulgarians, Russians, Poles, Lithuanians, Persians, Caucasians, Kurds, Arabs, Afghans and Indians all marched at some point under the Mongol banner.

fanfare:

(At the next Amazon Council meeting)

Cáel: "Let me get this straight - during a break in the middle of peace negotiations during the Trojan War, one Greek turned to another and said 'Look at the "Hot Flanks" on that one'...and that's the REAL reason for this 3000 year old feud?"

The councilwomen look around somewhat shame-faced.

Ngozi: "Well...it was rude and sexist. We take pride in the firmness of our thighs and buttocks as befitting those of all true warriors."

Madi: "Yes. Besides, you know what those Greeks were really thinking about."

(Pause)

Fatima: "I heard somewhere that Menelaus began humming 'Baby Got Back'."

(Every stares at her)

Fatima: "I heard it...somewhere."

Cáel puts his elbows on the table then bangs his head repeatedly against the hard, wooden surface.

Brain Power

I agree with your brain facts, Anon. I always meant the 'story facts' to be more of what Cáel translates what he is being told than the actual words he is bombarded with. When the rather baffled specialists are rudely interrupted by their patient, they dumb-down their statements/prognoses to answer his questions so that he will be quiet. They might have said "a 30% increase in the level of activity", or "this section normally registers as an '8', but now...a '30'..." which would make medical sense to the doctors while confusing the Hell out of Cáel. A more accurate explanation to what the doctors are saying is that Cáel's brain is working faster and harder than a standard brain. While a normal brain may replicate his cerebral functions, none could sustain his continuing level of intensity. Again, taken as singular bits of data, not one thing Cáel does is impossible. His brain is still a human brain. It is the Big Picture that has them stumped. Hmmm...it is comparable to him making love, speed-reading War & Peace, while memorizing the combined works of the Rolling Stones, sampling a complete Korean menu, racing a Formula 1 car in the Andes with lava bombs keep raining down on him. A normal brain would prioritize things. Cáel's is fully absorbing all that input as if he was doing each task individually. Does that help?

FYI, I have always had Cáel make bad deductions, leap to mistaken conclusions and selectively hear what he wants to hear. The story is from a 'Cáel's Eye View', not unfiltered reality. Aka - Cáel is an idiot...just a sexually God-like, very intelligent, fearless, multilingual, physically appealing and overly competent Idiot. This is comedic erotica after all.

Dracula was NOT an Amazon (not in my World anyway)

No. Dracula was Son of the Dragon and part of a knightly order that fought for Christianity against the Ottoman Turks, Tartars and Crimean Khanate in their time.

The Primordial Dragon is a common theme in many cultures creation mythology. Now, since multiple faiths do exist in my modern fantasy, you may infer that there really is a draconic influence in that region of Europe. Don't think vampires and large, flying, fire-breathing reptilians.

Think - Children of the Dragon: men and women with superior endurance, resistance to pain and poisons, vitality, long life (living to 90, or even 100 with most of their faculties) and great strength. We are talking about being at the extreme limits of human ability ~ not blatantly supernatural.

If Vlad Dracul had been truly dragon-blooded, he would have exhibited those abilities. Combined with his charisma, ruthlessness and noble status, he would have been a truly terrifying foe to face on and off the battlefield. A Temujin of the Balkans.

Two diplomats - two different missions

The diplomat to the 9 Clans is to help long term cooperation with the 9 Clans on a global scale. Last time they were on the same side (WWI), they didn't communicate and tragedy happened. This time, Cael wants to build up an open line of communication.

The diplomat to the ninja has a much more immediate mission - keep the 7 Ninja families (maybe 6 now) in the fight. That means a quick infusion of Amazons to Nippon and requires much more in depth understanding, and greater trust. Amazons and Ninja are (hopefully) going to be fighting side by side in a matter of days, or weeks. As mentioned several chapters ago, the 9 Clans keep their distance...but if they ever declare you a friend, they are a friend till death.

Why Aksai Chin?

As has been pointed out to me, Aksai Chin is a veritable wasteland - I knew that. What Aksai Chin does have is a strategic road linking parts of Tibet and a history of being wanted (for some reason) by China, India and Pakistan. Natural resources? None that I know of. The issue it that it HAD a Chinese garrison - they are dead now - and that to recapture it quickly (before Pakistan and India get greedy), the Chinese have to move in forces from Tibet and Xinjiang...down to the far southeastern corner of China...along a very tenuous supply line to the ass-end of nowhere. Now, what does that do to the Chinese defensive capabilities in Xinjiang, which has large, oppressed Turkish and Mongolian minorities and a long, open border with Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan? Do you know of any pissed off Mongolian Warlords, or a 500 year old secret society bent on re-creating the Great Khanate? Do you have any idea how much Russian and Central Asian military hardware had gone missing since 2000? Do you have any idea how many Mongolian and Turkish men and women have been trained in their respective country's military then discharged? Don't forget those trained in Russia. Get the picture? [Don't worry - the goings-on in Asia are only a backdrop to the main story]

Fine

Cáel is Cáel. The memories are just that - memories. By embracing them, he can function as if he had those skills. He does not lose himself when he does so, though some experiences are overwhelming from a sensory standpoint.

Alal is, in fact, back.

Pamela has the Baraqu-part of that soul, with this she could kill, temporarily, Alal. She didn't know until she took herself to the cliffs that if she died, he would get the Baraqu part back.

Cáel does have Alal's memories. This also means that he will eventually have the memories of Alal's plan. That means Alal WANTED Cáel to have those memories and the knowledge of what he is attempting to do.

A theme in this story has been confronting fate. Destiny puts you in the place to do great things, but the choice to act, or how you act, is still your own. And, if you don't think that is the case, re-read Alal's story. Remember, Cáel is still essentially the same being he was in Chapter One. He made himself the man he is. He studied, worked out, romanced and embraced the challenges that confronted him. That is key because Cáel doesn't pass the buck. He guesses wrong occasionally, but he learns and moves forward. Whatever spiritual mumbo jumbo and steam-punk science (Alal was growing female clones of himself a 100 years ago) this story contains, it is still about a person making choices he hopes he can live with (and scoring as many chicks as possible).

As for Hana Sulkanen - just imagine the encounter when Aya knocks on Hana's door and asks to have a talk about Hana's fiancé/Aya's 'Fehér mén'.

"Lady, please don't hurt Cáel. If you do...well I'm only nine. Don't make me kill you."

One last thing - Cáel does make mistakes and since the story is told from his perspective, you are given his false assumptions as "Facts".

Cáel and the Ishara/Vranus bloodline

Back before the Second Betrayal, Isharan Amazons had male children. Some of those male children carried the Isharan genetic sequence with them so that their daughters COULD also be Isharans, so the line was recognized. Not all Vranus daughters had the Isharan bloodline though all the males did. Then Vranus is sent into Transylvania with the Arinitti male children (who possessed the Arinitti genetic sequence). Vranus was a member of the Amazon Host. It was thought that he died fighting the last battles against the Celts. Instead, he died honorably, fulfilling his orders. That duty meant his children of the Isharan/Vranus bloodline were automatically members of the Host as well, down through the ages.

Current day, Cáel is of the Vranus bloodline, thus can possibly have Isharan daughters. Cáel's paternal aunt doesn't have the 'Vranus' genetic sequence, thus doesn't qualify to be a member of House Ishara. Ferko, Cáel's Dad, did have it and technically should have been House Head. Not only was Ferko not part of Havenstone, Cáel's ascension happened so fast that Hayden and Katrina never had time to fix the issue. At Ferko's funeral, that is addressed by Cáel to his new inductees.

Day Count for Cael and the Great Hunt

The current story date is Sunday, July 13, 2014. He started work on Monday, June 2nd, 2014, so his count would be 42 days ~ half way through his 84 day intern period (3 x 28 days - internally the Amazons use a Lunar calendar). The 2nd through the 30th would be 29 days in June. The 1st through the 13th would be the other 13 (double-checking my math) which equals 42, thus 42 left to go.

August 24th would be the last day of his internship so the 'Great Hunt' would fall on the weekend of August 29th, 30th and 31st. Most likely, Cael and Felix (yes, he will be a part of it and yes, they can work together) will be given a day or two head start to check out the terrain and make some plans. In the interim, the Amazons can narrow the field of hunters down to 30, or so. Now, only two Amazons can actually win, so alliances will be made and broken. If either, or both men remain free until sunset of the 31st, they win.

The actual prize has yet to be decided upon. The status award alone will be a big deal...and, if one of the winners also happens to be a candidate for High Priestess...

Chapter 36 and stuff

Where to begin? Cael's Mom hasn't come up because Cael is conflicted about whose side she might be on. First, she was dead, then she was alive in the shadows giving him aid...and then the level of control Alal was exhibiting over the time period he was 'dead' has become evident to our 'hero'. Strangely, that comes up in the first 2000 words of Chapter 36. Whether or not Cael CAN and WILL trust his mother is part of the story as it unravels.