A Mongol Empire Scenario-Desert Tides- Or how I learned to swim in quicksand

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We had a quest stay with us the last two nights.

Coz dropped by for a visit?

Well, everyone else already noted with incredulity Higgins's blushing -- I had thought he was far beyond any shame or embarrassment. Now as for the four climbers: I predict Aurtoro and Vetterman will explore one cave and one of them will meet a tragic demise (perhaps at the hand of the other), while Rowe and Shara will explore another cave, and, ah, ... um, hmm, better not go there.

Meanwhile, down below we'll see how good Elspeth is, though I don't see Higgins as much of a marksman.

 

[Dead William]

Sorry to disappoint yoyu Jwolf, Aurturo sends the telegram that the Fat man has died.... My guess is one of the ladies or Shara... DW

 

[coz1]

The irony is too good not to notice - here we see our heros using the cliffs as protection just as the monks of old had to.

And I too was made to smile at the thought of Higgins blushing so at the familarity. Certainly it cannot be that hard to be personal. Well, maybe not.

 

[Director]

(Loyally) I for one find nothing unusual in a man of that era being confounded and 'pinking up' when a woman shows her self-confident side. Higgins might disdain a simpering shrinking flower, but could indeed be attracted to a woman strong enough to rope him in.

Or it could be that there's a bit of a boy in every adventurer and he's feeling like a schoolchild lectured by a school-marm.

Myself, I hope he and Elspeth have the courage to defy convention and settle into a happy henpecked marriage much like your... um, much as many men happily enjoy!


Higgins has shown rare good sense in his deployment, especially since he could have sent the women out with the monks and kept Vetterman instead. No, I think Higgins has done exactly the right thing here, but the explorers need to hurry!

 

[Nil-The-Frogg]

An elephant sat on your car? Yes, I know I'm a little late, but that's my bloody internet's provider fault. My reaction reading that was: so what? I'm sitting in my car almost every day. And even worse: Higgins has been in cars several times in your story and they've even managed to keep rolling.

Now, I'm pleased to revive a FAQ: what will Vetermann do?

If by chance the Germans see you they can’t climb the cliff with you up there waiting to shoot at them, can they?

Well, it depends how many entrences can be found. With a few snipers waiting below for anyone trying something from the beehive...

Wow, twelve of them! I don't know why I stupidly thought they were two soldiers in addition to Wolfgang and simply relying on their better equipment and training... Silly me.

Yep, Higgins blushing was quite an image. But not that surprising in fact. He can be harsh and very dominating, but he's still very conventional and full of some old fashionned "correctness". Not to mention that Elspeth isn't exactly a faery tale's "princess in distress", which would have probably raised some disdain in this brave but shy Alistair .

Oh Oh! D'you bet I'm happy not to have a TV set and not to be married as well? :rofl: Herm, just out of curiosity: why did you marry in the first place? Love, youth silliness, hope, social convention, fiscal matters, actual exageration regarding present situation, anything else?

but a French lady who was there, as the wife of an officer learning English, thought that English was easy because you could ignore half the grammar rules. Good luck, it’s a crazy language.

Well, one of my teachers once told me that english was probably the easiest language to speak weirdly. Oh, damn, it's a sign: I can't find a quick way to translate it properly. The original was: "L'anglais est probablement la langue la plus facile à mal parler."

A hell of a lot of our ‘English’ words originated in France.

Yes, maybe because France and England have a long story of friendly cultural exchanges? And some of these words came back with a slightly altered meaning, with most french never realizing it. An exemple of this is "interview", which derived from "entrevue" and is now so commonly used in french that I could hardly find a proper french alternative . Maybe "entretien"? Interview sounds very journalistic though, with "entretien" having a more general meaning. Oh, okay, stop snoring, I'll stop with those linguistical considerations...

 

[Storey]

Stuyvesant - Higgins for all his weight is light on his feet and I’m sure will recover from Elspeth’s charms. As to who gets a bullet in the head I surely don't know.

Dead William - Even Higgins is human under all that fat.

Draco Rexus - Yes it gets better. Just wait until your wife goes through menopause. Boy is that fun!

J. Passepartout - Now, now don’t go killing off anyone just yet. Someone must die that is true by who, when, where and why are yet to be answered. So we have some more story ahead of us before that happens.

Jwolf - Oops. Higgins is capable of emotion, he’s just not use to it.

Coz1 - Lets hope that the caves are as safe as the monks hoped them to be. Yea right.

Director - You are of course correct. A man of that era would be confounded by a woman like Elspeth. She has intelligence, a strong will and isn’t afraid to open her mouth and say what she thinks. Higgins finds that hard to deal with in a woman. Shara is more like a niece than a woman to Higgins so it doesn’t bother him when she acts up but Elspeth is another matter. He also is very formal and even using a first name, especially with a woman, is a cause of embarrassment. Funny thing about the idea of Higgins trying to send the women off with the monks. While writing this part I put myself in Higgins frame of mind and since the women showed their ability in the gun fight on the train it never occurred to me to send them off. Higgins simply wouldn’t have done it since the practical approach to their situation is that he needs their firepower.

Oh and I think I can safely say I’m not henpecked. Early on we agreed to share our lives but have our separate lives as well. For example some of my wife’s friends for years thought I was a myth. I wouldn’t go with her to her ‘artist’ parties. There’s nothing as boring as standing around while potters talk about pots. She didn’t like it but what the hell she got over it.

Nill-The-Frog - You’ve read Higgins correctly. Yes our friends do have a problem because there are several caves entrances. Well have to see what happens.

Oh don’t get me wrong ‘she who will not be denied’ is still the love of my life. Its just that after 30 years the honey moon is over. As to why we were married it had to do with the fact she was the only one who would put up with me. And as you'll possibly find out in the future marriage is the art of compromise.

Joe

 

[Storey]

The small courtyard behind the monastery was more like alley than courtyard, running long and narrow down the length of the monastery until it hit a rock lined dead-end. The air was still, with only the occasional fly buzzing past in lazy circles, causing the faintest of swirls of the dust that hung suspended in the warm afternoon air. After the constant noise of the stream outside the monastery, the quiet here was surprisingly intense, causing me to subconsciously step carefully and try not to make a sound. We were protected from any outside disturbance by the man-made and natural rock walls that formed this special world of inward contemplation and peace. I sensed the allure that this place must have to any introspective monk.

A few minutes earlier after leading us to this shed, Father Makhlouf left to find and gather his fellow monks leaving us with words of encouragement on our coming climb.

“The cliff is solid and the rocks in it never give way, so trust yourself as much as you trust the rocks you hold and you should have an easy climb.”

As he left I looked at the dirt floor and saw several rocks scattered about the courtyard. They certainly looked to me like they’d fallen off the cliff. I decided not to tell the others so as not to worry them, we had enough to worry about as it was.

Vetterman and Aurturo suddenly shattered the quiet as they rummaged through the shed looking for anything that would help us in or coming search. When they came out they had everything we would need and we prepared for the climb. I tied the last knot on the rope harness on Vetterman’s back that held the pickaxe that he found in the shed. By improvising a harness it left Vetterman’s hands free for the coming climb. Aurturo and Shara were tying small sacks that held flashlights to their waists. I bent down and lifted up a coil of rope and lowered it over my head and one of my shoulders. It was then that I heard Higgins, Elspeth and Philippa enter the courtyard. The ladies turned and entered the main house while Higgins lumbered over to us. He looked a little flustered as he said.

“One more thing before you go. There is the possibility that we will become scattered, even more than we have planed for, so we need a place to rendezvous.”

I finished adjusting the rope on my shoulder and answered.

“Jerusalem?”

“No, Jerusalem is going to be too dangerous. In fact the entire Middle East is getting to be too dangerous. We are going to have to leave the country whether we find anything or not. I’m afraid that even I have to admit that the German problem can only lead to one conclusion and that is with our deaths. That is not something I wish to allow to reach to fruition.”

Higgins reached up and scratched the side of his nose.

“With us gone perhaps they will tire of the hunt, especially since they already have the manuscripts. Besides the lull in our fight will give us time to gather reinforcements before we return, if that proves necessary. Now, Mr. Pasquale do you have a safe house available somewhere on the coast? It must be out of the way but with port facilities for our escape.”

Aurturo’s face twisted into lines of determined concentration and then lit up with satisfaction.

“I have one that should work out perfectly. On the costal plain of Erez
is a small backwater town called Ashdod. I have a fake import export business there. On the docks there is a warehouse by the name of Azotus. Upstairs I have an office that doubles as a safe haven.”

The tension drained off Higgins’ face leaving a smile of satisfaction.

“Perfect. It will allow us easy egress from Palestine.”

Higgins looked over the group momentarily pausing on each face.

“It’s settled then. If you become separated make for Ashdod. We will wait…”

Higgins paused looking up at the cliff before finishing.

“We will wait three days no more no less. If you can’t make it by then you are on your own. You will have to go through Mr. Simmons in England if you want to make contact with me. Now I would recommend you start your climb.”

Without waiting for any comments about his plan Higgins turned and disappeared into the dark passageway leading to the front of the monastery. We stood for a second surprised that Higgins had waited for the last minute to decide on a backup plan but as there wasn’t anything we could do about it we turned and started walking toward the rear of the courtyard. I looked at Aurturo.

“Safe house? What do you need with a safe house?”

Vetterman chuckled behind us.

“In our line of work you sometimes have to keep your head down for extended periods of time. Even our good friend Mr. Pasquale.”

I looked back at Vetterman and he was grinning at Aurturo’s back. Aurturo didn’t turn around as he answered.

“I seldom have to hide from the authorities as you do Herr Vetterman. It’s usually a misunderstanding with some local businessman or supervisor of an archaeological dig that requires me to conceal myself.”

“Of course, of course. It’s always a misunderstanding. Misunderstandings that provide a handsome profit, wouldn’t
you agree?”

Aurturo, not looking back, didn’t answer as he kept walking. When we reached the cliff I tilted my head back and looked up trying to judge how high it was to the caves. Aurturo walked up to stand by my side and as if reading my thoughts asked.

“Two hundred feet?”

I shook my head.

“No, a hundred at most.”

I saw the distaste on Aurturo’s face and asked.

“What’s the matter, afraid of heights?”

He shook his head as he wiped his hands on his handkerchief.

“No it’s just that I’m wearing new shoes and I detest getting my shoes dirty.”

I looked down at his shinning black shoes with white spats and grinned.

“Look on the bright side. You’re far more likely to fall off this cliff than ruin your shoes.”

And with that comment I reached out and grabbed onto the cliff wall. It was covered with a patch quilt of rock bulges, fissures, ledges and various irregularities that made it ideal for climbing. I now understood why the monks were able to climb up to their meditation huts. This was going to be almost as easy as climbing a ladder, well, a ladder a hundred feet long. I placed my other hand on the cliff and was about to start when Shara came up next to me. Her turban was slightly skewed, as was her grin.

“I’ll race you to the top.”

And before I could admonish her that this wasn’t the time to race, she was climbing with the agility and speed of a monkey in a tree. I frowned and yanked my hat down tightly on my head and started climbing after her, all the while thinking that I wasn’t going to let some tomboy of a girl beat me to the top. Aurturo stood watching us shaking his head but he too soon started climbing with Vetterman close behind. The rock wall was still warm from the morning sun and as we climbed higher it became warmer. I guessed that at about seventy feet we crossed the shadow line and emerged into the sun covered part of the cliff. I was covered with sweat and my arms were beginning to tremble with fatigue when I caught up with Shara. I grinned at her as I climbed pass. She stuck her tongue out at me and kept climbing trying to catch up to me before we reached the cave opening. We were moving so fast that I knew that in a few more minutes we would be in one of the caves and safe from the eyes of the Germans.

 

[Nil-The-Frogg]

Great move from Shara, if I can say so. Was it on purpose? I mean that pride seems more effective at speeding up the climb than the huns. So either she was genuinely playful, which would fit the character, or she's even more subtle and manipulating than I previously thought.

I can tell Aurturo and Vetterman had a rich and most friendly professional experience in the past . Might not be over also .

As he left I looked at the dirt floor and saw several rocks scattered about the courtyard. They certainly looked to me like they’d fallen off the cliff. I decided not to tell the others so as not to worry them, we had enough to worry about as it was.

Remembers me the last minutes of "Apollo 13", when an ingeneer comes to Houston's chief operator to signal a problem and ask if he should warn the crew. "Is there anything we can do about it by now?" "No sir" "So why would you tell them?". This makes sense .

We stood for a second surprised that Higgins had waited for the last minute to decide on a backup plan

Mmm mmm, a little lag from Higgins? :rofl:

 

[J. Passepartout]

I wonder how fake that import-export business is. Does he actually import and export normal non-archaeological stuff to make it look real, or is it just a warehouse full of junk that ships things in and out once or twice a decade?

 

[unmerged(28944)]

Originally Posted by Storey:
We were moving so fast that I knew that in a few more minutes we would be in one of the caves and safe from the eyes of the Germans.

Rowe is going to be in for a rude awakening when he finds out that just when everything seems to be going right is when you realize that you must have forgotten something... and that is when that forgotten something comes back to bite you in the backside!

***********

Originally Posted by Storey:
Just wait until your wife goes through menopause. Boy is that fun!

I'm in the process of preparing a bunker for me and our sons!

Originally Posted by Storey:
...marriage is the art of compromise.

HOW TRUE IT IS!!!!!

 

[Dead William]

And of course caverns have their own inherent dangers and they still have to look for the bloody cross!

I, unlike Aurturo, hate heights. No germans or attractive girls could drive me to make a hundred foot climb. French on the other hand....

No, gentlemen, Marriage is the art of giving in to her gracefully while trying to save your dignity!

DW

 

[unmerged(15337)]

Somehow I doubt that Rowe and the others will make it into the caves before the Germans at least see them. I'm sure Wolfgang has a telescope. I have the fear that our friends are outmanned and outgunned, but as was already pointed out recently, we know that Rowe, Pasquale, and Higgins at least must survive. As for Father Makhlouf, though, he's dead meat.

 

[Valdemar]

Hehe well Joe, I'm back, and I don't know whats best.. your story or your stories from real life

V

 

[unmerged(28944)]

DW - you are so right about marriage, I forgot that I can have some dignity with this job. thanks! ha ha ha ha

 

[coz1]

Interesting that Higgins does not offer his own safehouse (if he has one, which I would be shocked to find out he does not). But then again, it makes sense that no matter what is happening, Higgins will guard himself more than anything.

And maybe it's that Rowe sees Shara as a tomboy that keeps him from making that move we all know he should make.

 

[Nil-The-Frogg]

And maybe it's that Rowe sees Shara as a tomboy that keeps him from making that move we all know he should make.

Well, I wouldn't say the tomboy aspect being exactly the real problem for him. I guess this is more directly related to the fact that Shara is just as good as - and sometimes better than - him for various things that aren't specifically feminine. That and she's so skilled at making him lose his senses and appear on his ridiculous aspect ! I suppose that would damper him even if she was used to dress like an honourable upper society's woman.

But then, given my knack with women, I might be a few light years from the spot here. :rofl:

 

[Storey]

Nil-The-Frog - Shara is young and so she is caught up in the moment and is excited by the adventure of looking for the cross. So her enthusiasm is genuine. I think she is going to get a bit more serious very quickly. To tell you the truth Higgins was suppose to go over the back up plan in the post before this one. I forgot to include it. There’s nothing like rereading your story and finding you’ve left out a key part of the plot.

J. Passepartout - This particular business is a fake. Ashdod is a small port that allows Aurturo to remove items that are strictly illegal. It also acts as a place to lay low. Although he isn’t always hiding from the authorities. Sometimes his competitors wants to find him...

Draco Rexus - May your bunker be deep with thick walls. Store lots of food and water.

Dead William - You are of course correct. As I’ve written before, the first thing to learn in a marriage is to be able to say (with a straight face) “Yes dear, whatever you say dear.” On how to keep your dignity I offer the following for those of you still virgin in the ways of how a woman thinks.

Take my wife... please. Boy is that joke old.

‘She who won’t be denied’ drives a 1985 VW Vanagon. It has a Porsche engine, which for her means that it should be driven like a sports car. Pedal to the metal is the way she drives everywhere. She also knows every short cut in the city. Every back ally that will save you 5 seconds. Every choke point where traffic backs up. She knows the timing sequence for every traffic light in Western Washington. But since I don’t like the white knuckled experience we have decided that I’ll drive my car when we go somewhere. Fine so far. However my driving technic is to just head in the general direction of our destination. You know just aim north and eventually we’ll get there. If I miss a turn no big deal another one will eventually come along. I think you see where this is heading. So it didn’t take long for us realize that we needed to reach a ‘compromise’ on how we decided to get somewhere. So now when we start I ask her what’s the best way to go. She then goes into a detailed explanation on the best route available for that time of day. But from then on she cannot offer verbal advice for the rest of the trip unless I ask for it. So she sits there with her hands on her lap grinding her teeth, which truth be told can be music to my ears. However, ever the creative one, she will start moving her index finger on her right hand, raising it just off her lap, trying to will me to go in the direction she wants. (She has a very express finger) But even in this situation I still have the option of following her (muted advice) or of ignoring her. Most of the time I’m a gentleman who rises above the petty aspects of life and follow her advice but every once in a while, just when she’s settling down and getting comfortable in her seat, gazing out of the window, entertaining warm thoughts of whatever women think are warm (something usually involving kittens of babies) all the while making purring noises of complete contentment, I’ll make a sudden turn and start meandering off down a side street that undoubtedly ends in a dead end. Now I know what you’re thinking. Shouldn’t this end in a fight? Nope, it gives her the chance to have that ‘I told you so’ feeling and it gives me the ‘gotcha’ feeling and we drive off into the sunset wallowing in contentment and holding hands and eventually getting to our destination. Sigh, isn't love grand.

Jwolf - Alas I feel that you are right. The Germans at some time have to see them. I just haven’t decided just when. I’ll figure it out today, probably just before I post.

Valdemar - Welcome back. Never forget that fiction can never match reality for reasons to bust a gut in laughter or sing the blues in saddness.

Coz1 - Problem is Higgins is slightly more legit than Aurturo or Vetterman so while he does have safe houses he doesn’t have as many. Vetterman because of his run in with the law in Palestine is currently lacking of a place to hide but Aurturo had one up his sleeve. As for Rowe let’s face it, this is the 1930s and they took things a little slower back then especially for a boy raised of the farm in Eastern Washington. Rowe is shy and if Shara wants to get a rise out of him (so to speak) she’s going to have to be a little more aggressive.

Nil-The-Frog - True Shara is more comfortable in the Middle East than Rowe and has shown some remarkable abilities so Rowe has reason to be intimidated.

Joe

 

[unmerged(28944)]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Love truly is a great thing.


As for my bunker... well, let's just say that it makes Herr Hitler's U-Boat pens look like sandcastles!

 

[stnylan]

Well I have finally managed to catch up and this is stellar work as always. I particularly smiled at the confusion regarding flashlights since I seem to recall a wee discussion about that sometime very early on in this AAR. I am waiting however, in something akin to dread, for a literal cliffhanger in the next five pages.

 

[J. Passepartout]

So you are saying not to get married?