Stephen's Secure Blog #82
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's after
2018, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 13 in this story, in the Winter of year 4 of his special
school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #82 "At Sword's Point"
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We ported to the gym at school, and I made the padded clothes and
face mask for the point fencing match. I had copied the swords we would
use, so we could test everything out in real action, first. The swords
had a radio electronic sensor button on the tip, to detect hits for
scoring. Target is chest and torso, and for them, the middle arm, too,
which is shorter and weaker, which they wear padding on. We found out
we couldn't use the swords as they were. The handles were wrong for us.
I modified them so they worked as they should. We practiced on standing
and moving targets. Then we fought each other. Rose was very good. I
thought she had a good chance to win, and told her that, but she was
frustrated in trying to kiss me in thanks, because the masks were in
the way. We laughed, and so did the crowd we had attracted.
Then I made more padded suits for us, and the armor, for the heavy
sword matches. I fastened the carbon nanotube, crystalline, and aramid
fiber parts together with heat treated 416 stainless steel bolts and
bronze bushings, so they would move as we did, and not make us too
stiff to fight. We didn't like the helmets, but we had to wear them, so
we worked to get used to them. Although the women's sword was lighter
than the men's sword, they were still very heavy. I ported back to the
game area and asked if I could use a women's sword instead of the
men's, and received official permission. I ported back from an
unobserved location. Just in case they allowed personal swords, I
thinned and lightened one of them for Rose. She practiced with both.
Then we fought each other, and immediately discovered we needed hearing
protection. Even non metallic armor makes a big noise when you get hit
on the helmet with a heavy broadsword. We used earplugs. I increased
the padding, too, and added a brace for the neck under the armor. The
rules disallowed strikes to the head, but accidents do happen. We
needed to be prepared for ALL possible eventualities. After we had
practiced all we wanted to, I cleaned up and polished the armor, and
added our names to the breast and back plates, in GC, English, and
Navajo. Rose, and by then, Hawk, loved that. I expected to have a lot
of our friends watching us fight.
There was a problem with some students. They wanted to compete in the
games, too. They were very disappointed when I told them they had to be
citizens of the GC to do that, and making that happen is almost
impossible for residents of a Restricted World. How I did it was
accidental and very unusual. And I said I was only competing in the
games to get a little known, so we could attract the students we
needed, and while it was fun, it wasn't FOR fun, but a mission. Hawk
asked me privately, "Couldn't you make for me, the arrangement you made
for Rose?" I said "We probably aren't going to have time for that, with
what's left of this trip. Next time, though, I think we should try." He
was a little disappointed then, but very happy for the future. Then we
rested, and ate, and rested, and slept. We were ready when Passinchance
called, and ported with our equipment in travel gym bags and sword
cases. Then we traveled to meet him at the venue. When he saw us, his
eyes, all three of them, almost popped out of his head. We were towing
our bags which were suspended on antigravity platforms which we keyed
to our use only.
He said "What is THAT!" I said "What is what?" He said "How are your
bags suspended like that?" I said "Antigravity plates. I thought you
had that technology." He said "Yes we do, but not small enough to do
THAT." I looked at Rose and said, "Oops!" She said to Passinchance,
"You have witnessed a VERY rare event. Stephen made a mistake."
Passinchance looked like he was thinking of laughing, but didn't quite
make it. I bent down to the plates and ported and attached wheels to
the far edge and a rod and handle to the other edge, so we could move
the bags around like luggage. Nobody saw what I did, and if they were
watching, they would assume those things were always there. I said
"There, fixed it. Where's the fight?"
He led us to the venue of the point sword. While we were waiting to
sign up, he said, "Who ARE you?" I knew what he meant. I said "You
already know all you are going to know about us for now, but this. I
teach advanced physics, and those AG plates are my invention." He said
"Oh! That explains it." Rose said with pride, "Yes, Stephen is very
good at that." He laughed.
They allowed us to use our own swords, after examining them. We
changed into the padding in the locker room. Yes, we were together.
Most cultures in the GC don't have separate facilities for different
sexes, and if they did, wouldn't dream of trying to apply that to other
species. Then we went to our separate competition areas. The rules were
almost the same as for foil fencing on earth. But the foil's button was
self powered, and pressure sensitive, and sensitive to the target area
of the padded shirt. While they used mostly electronic scoring, they
used four judges and a referee in the match, usually to determine
priority of action and hits. This was single elimination tournament
play, for most of the morning. Lose one match and you're out of the
tournament.
My first opponent was tall and thin. I would have to aim well upward
to hit the approved target. He was very good, but he really couldn't
handle my stop-hits, and he couldn't even see my ripostes. He didn't
score a hit on me at all. After my ten, the match was over. The second
match was different. He was angry from his last match, and getting
angrier by the second with me. He tried to run me off the strip, after
I scored two hits. I twisted around him and he ended up behind me, on
the floor. Well, I sort of helped him trip a little, like it was an
accident. He was disqualified. The third match was different, too. He
was very skilled and very cautious. He might have seen one of my
earlier matches. I had to be more aggressive. That's not usually the
best thing to do against a bigger opponent with longer reach. It took a
lot longer to beat him, but he did manage to score two hits to my ten.
I thanked him very sincerely for the match. The forth match was
strange. He didn't move. I mean he parried, and well, but didn't
attack. After a while of that, he did attack very hard, and I almost
went off the rear of the strip, before I made the hit. The rest of the
match was easy, because that was almost his only tactic. Once I had
that under control, I could score at will, ten to zero. The fifth was
very good. He scored five hits to my ten. The sixth was so good I
didn't know if I could beat him. Eventually, when he was at six hits,
to my five, I figured out his pattern and weaknesses, and I scored the
rest. After it was over, I said, "Wow! You're the best I've ever
faced!" He grinned and said, "They all say that, after they lose to me.
I really was the best, until now." I said "Oh! I didn't know. I'm
sorry. My manager keeps putting me against the best, without telling
me. I'm just here for fun, not to dethrone honored champions." He bowed
low to me and said, "The honor is mine. You are becoming known on our
world for your high skill, and higher sportsmanship. I couldn't lose to
a more deserving opponent." I didn't know what to say to that, and he
saw it, and laughed. He said "Modest, too. Well, you've won this
competition. May I go with you to your official judgement?" I said "I
would be honored."
That's where we went, and there was Rose for the same reason. She had
won her tournament, too. Passinchance was there, and congratulated us,
and said, "I have almost enough to retire, now." I grinned and said,
"But you won't." He laughed and said, "You know me too well. Besides, I
want to be available for when you come back." I said "I would like
that. You have done well for us, and I think of you as a friend." He
bowed and said, "I am deeply honored. Thank you. Would you like to go
to the armored venue now?" I said "After we change and clean up, and
have some liquids." My tag along prior opponent said, "Did I hear
correctly, you are going to compete in the armored category, too?" I
said "Absolutely. Big swords? Couldn't pass on THAT!" He laughed and
said, "May I come with you and watch?" I said "Sure. Why not?"
While we were changing and refreshing, I told him about his
weaknesses and how to overcome them. He said "I greatly appreciate the
knowledge you have given me, but why have you done this, when we may
meet again in competition?" I said "By nature, I am more a teacher than
a competitor. My fondest wish is that I be surpassed by somebody I have
helped." He said "Has it happened?" I said "In this life, I have yet to
experience that joy." He said "I would suspect it is because you are
improving faster than your students." I looked at him with respect, and
said, "You are wise." He said "And you are a person to be loved." I
turned red and didn't say anything. He turned to Rose and said, "Does
that change of color signal rage or embarrassment?" Rose said "Stephen
doesn't experience rage. It's the other, which happens all too easily
with him. And you are absolutely correct, and that almost all who know
him would agree." I sighed, and said, "I'm surrounded by disrespectful
students." They laughed.
At the broadsword venue, they examined our gear, and remembered me
from the day before. It all passed. The rules were similar to what the
SCA uses on Earth. The swords had no edges, and the tips were flat
across. You could chop or thrust, but no strikes to the head or groin.
If you are struck in a way which would have caused a serious injury if
the fight were real, such as on the arm, you could continue to fight,
but could not use that arm. If you were struck that way on the leg, you
could hop around on the other one, or fight from the ground. If you
were struck what would be a fully disabling blow, you are defeated. If
there is no clear winner after five minutes, they count up the points,
based on subjective judgement, and sometimes with review of the video
file, and a winner is declared. We suited up in the locker room, and I
said to Rose, "We're going to have to use Ki just to stay upright, or
we're going to be knocked off our feet." She said "Yes, I agree.
Unfortunately, I'm not very good at that. I know, I'll do my best. It
won't hurt anything if one of us loses sometimes." I said "I think
you'll do well. As for hurting somebody, there is Passinchance." She
said "He can go sit on a real sword." I laughed and hugged her, which
didn't work well through the armor. We laughed some more.
I was almost knocked as flat as I thought I might, in the first
match. They are very big and VERY strong. I let my Ki go to maximum and
pumped up my muscles. I could feel some people noticing my Ki then.
Specially my opponent, who backed off a little. I set my speed to twice
normal, and really tore into him. In 30 seconds he was on the mat and
defeated. The second match was almost the same. So was the third. The
fourth was different. He didn't attack, and successfully parried my
strikes. The match was almost over. Then he attacked, and I let him
strike my left arm, so I would have a clear shot at a thrust with my
right, into his chest. It knocked him down, I hit him so hard. I won.
The fifth opponent did a lot of circling. Then he used his sword to
trip me, and was ready to clobber me after I fell. I rolled away really
fast, and swung hard at his forward middle leg. It was ruled disabling,
so he couldn't use it, but he still had two others. Right after we
resumed the match, I rolled and swung at another leg, but it wasn't
ruled disabling. I decided to fake him out, so I rolled again in what
looked like the same tactic, and he turned away from me, which gave me
a clear shot at what I was really after. His back. I hit him so hard he
fell flat on his front, after the big CLANG of my sword on his armor. I
won. My sixth opponent used his sword like a foil, extended with one
arm. I couldn't believe he would make such a stupid mistake. I rushed
him and parried the sword just enough so it went between my arm and my
side. I clamped my arm down on it, and twisted hard, wrenching it from
his grasp, and at the same time chopping at his open and unprotected
side. I won the match. And the tournament.
I helped my opponent up, and said, "Why did you do that?" He said "I
saw your last match, and saw how good you are. I couldn't think of
anything you might not be able to defend against, so I tried something
new. Most of us don't really use the point of the sword much." I said
"You didn't know I won the point sword tournament this morning?" He
laughed and said, "I didn't. I don't think the outcome would have been
much different if I had." I said "Well, we aren't going to find that
out anytime soon. That was my last sword match for this trip." He said
"I hope you come back soon." We bowed to each other. I waited for Rose
at the Games Master station. She was in her last match. She was hopping
on one foot, and so was her opponent, who was much more awkward with
two feet trying not to touch the ground. Then it happened. One of them
did push down to the ground by reflex to avoid falling over. The match
was awarded to Rose. She came over to make it official. I said to her
as we were going to the locker room, "I'll have to remember that. They
are pretty bad balancing on one foot." She said "It was all that saved
me, I was so tired. Lucky break." I said "We make our own luck. You won
because you were better that time." She said with love, "Thanks. Got a
bashed finger, though." I said "Can you heal it yourself, or would you
like some help?" She said "I'll try first." We undressed and cleaned
up, and I saw her finger. It was a bloody mess, but no bones were
broken. She sat and stared at it, and the torn skin came together, and
started healing. In about 30 seconds, there wasn't even a scar. She
worked the stiffness out and said, "Good as new." I said "I see. Well
done." We hugged. Then we dressed and went out to meet Passinchance.
My opponent from the point sword tournament was still with him, and
told me, "I bet a fortune on you. Thank you for winning." We grinned at
each other, and laughed. He said to Rose, "Sir, I'm sorry I didn't bet
on you, too, but I had only one fortune to wager." Rose grinned and
said, "That's alright. I forgive you." They laughed. He said "What will
you win at next?" I said to Passinchance, "Manager, should we tell
him?" He said "That's a tough one. If he bets too heavily, he'll ruin
the odds for the rest of us." He said "If I wait until the last
second?" Passinchance said, "You are friends, I suppose." We nodded. He
sighed and said, "It's your choice. Yes, do it if you want to." I said,
"Stumak, and against the best." My surprised sword friend said, "Will
you win?" I said "I really want to, and I expect to, even though I have
never played it before, but I have been known to be wrong." He said
"Wrong? How often?" I didn't answer, so Rose said, "Almost never. Like
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Grant
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