Date: Sat, 14 Aug 93 10:49:52 MDT
From: tperreau@banshee.VLA.NRAO.EDU (Tonemiester)
Message-Id: <9308141649.AA03037@banshee.vla.nrao.edu>
Subject: Once A King...Part 6

				Once A King...

				  Part VI

Sam followed the small party that formed ranks around Duke Coris, his
shield banging against his metal leg armor, rattan sword pointed down
at the dirt, which was being raised in a dust cloud as they progressed.
Sam looked over to see two long lines facing each other.  Banners of
every description waved in the two lines, along with armor that ranged
from a full suit of Maximillian plate to, Sam was certain, a road barrel
that was cut up and padded.  Long rattan stick, polearms, Sam presumed,
waved with the banners.

"Where are we going, your Grace?"  One of the other men asked.  Their
group had no polearms, but were armed with swords, axes, and maces.

"We are going to be there," Coris pointed his sword at a small group.
Sam looked and saw a very large banner, larger than all the others.  Several
people milled about.  "We get to protect our King in case of a break-
through.  We're opposite the Outlands group, and you know how good they
fight."

"Yeah, I remember the bruise that Lord Konrad of St. Golias nailed me with,
took a month to vanish."  He turned to Sam.  "Just remember, if you see
a sword in bend sinister between two cups, run.  Damn Goliards are tough."

"Thanks," Sam replied.  He was beginning to be very sorry...

***

"Admiral," Meagan stood up as Al walked into the office.  Al looked
around.  She kept the office spartan; desk, chair, comm center.
"Welcome back.  I got a copy of the orders," she motioned at a pile
of papers on her desk.  "I will be vacating your office."

"Major," Al waved at her.  "They're fixing me up a new office.  You're
staying here."

"I see."  Meagan looked at Al.  "I just thought, that as senior observer,
that you would..."

"Never assume anything, Major."  Al smiled at her.  "Look, we did the best
we could in the simulations, but it just wasn't real life.  I'm here to
help you out, that's all.  I have no offical rank anymore."

Meagan sat down and motioned for Al to do the same.  Al sat down.
"That doesn't matter.  People will still refer to you as 'Admiral', and
undermine the fact that I was appointed by the oversight committee as
your replacement and military liasion."  She explained.  "I'm afraid that
this situation is, difficult at best.  I have tendered my resignation to the
oversight committee."

Al supressed a sigh.  He was afraid that she would do something like this.
"Meagan, perhaps we should go see how Sam is."

***

Sam winced as the two lines clashed together with a roar of nearly a
thousand voices.  The banners continued to wave high, but the polearms
had dipped.  He watched with interest as the lines weaved like a 
snake as one side tried to push the other back.  Around the lines were
people running about with green sashes and sticks yelling "Hold!"
Referees of some kind, Sam thought.

"Geez, did you see that?  A chain mail bikini?  Must have some interesting
sunburn pattern."  Sam heard a familiar voice and he turned away from
the scene of the battle to see Al and Meagan standing off to one side.
Meagan rolled her eyes at Al's comment.  Sam moved over to them slowly,
grinning from ear to ear.

"Al."  Sam said.

"Hiya, Sam."  Al looked at Sam.  "You haven't aged a bit.  You're a sight
for the eyes."

"And look at you.  A beard and silver hair?"  Sam shook his head.  More had
happened than he realized.  "You're looking good, Al."

"Not as good as her, Sam.  Didya see that?"  Al pointed to a small group
of women dressed in Middle Eastern gauze clothing.  "I think that I might
just like joining this group."  Al rocked on his feet and brought out a 
cigar.  "Just like old times."

"You're not going to smoke that in here, are you?"  Meagan looked up at Al
as he lit the cigar.  She sighed to no one in particular.  "I guess so."
She pushed at the handlink.  "Ziggy, please increase the air exchange rate
for the imaging chamber, Admiral Calavicci just lit up again."

"Spoilsport."  Al puffed away.  "Hey, Sam, who are they?"  Al pointed
with his cigar.  Sam turned to see a small group of people heading towards
the banner of the king.  Sam squinted.

"Dunno."  Sam replied.  "What is on that one's shield?"

"Arms registered to Lord Konrad of the College of St. Golias, kingdom of
the Outlands."  Meagan replied.  Sam and Al both looked at her.  "I have
Ziggy accessing the database for the SCA on heraldry, since the most common
way to tell who someone is here is to look at their shields."

With a whoop, Sam ran to the approaching group, heading to intercept them.
He bellowed out as he rounded the banner of the king and several men
turned his direction.

"He isn't..."  Meagan watched as Sam collided with the group of a half dozen
'enemy' men.  Sam fought like a man possessed, Al noticed, and with a skill
that Al thought Sam did not have.

"He is."  Al puffed on his cigar.  "Kid's not too bad, eh?"  He then
winced as Sam was dropped by a hit from one of the intruders.  Sam still
swung, kneeling with his shield and sword.  "Hmm.  Sam just legged the 
nozzle with the puppy dog tracks on his shield."  Al observed.

"That's Konrad.  Why did Dr. Beckett take off?"

Al shrugged; he didn't want to let on that he was concerned.  "Sam has to 
keep in character.  What would you do if you were assigned to protect a 
person and someone was trying to sneak up on you?"

"I'd attack," Meagan answered, watching Sam and Lord Konrad fight.  The
blows on the shields sounded hard, but she had learned that the metal and
leather armor would protect against most blows.  Bruises were common, but
broken bones rare.

"There you go.  Hit him again, Sam!"  Al yelled.  The attempted sneak
attack was foiled, yet Sam and Konrad continued to bash at each other,
both on their knees now.  Suddenly, they both hit and fell over.
"Yeah!  Way to go, Sam!"  Al jumped and ran over to Sam.  Meagan shook her
head and followed in a more sedate manner.