Book of Days: asher553

[core glad reach]

It was the core of the enemy's information network, and she was glad they'd reached it in time. There were memory and processing units, digital eavesdropping devices, and backup power supplies. She knew the enemy had infiltrated many communities, and had always wondered where all that intelligence was stored. In the offices above, generators powered interior lights and heaters.

[regard budget those]

She regarded the reports on her desk for a long moment, keeping her attention focused on her desk and away from the window. The budget was going to be tight this year. Those people outside weren't going to like it, but there was nothing she could do.

She stood up and took a deep breath, fiddling with the feminine shell buttons on her businesslike pink jacket. The demonstrators knew nothing of managing and industry; to them it must seem much easier and simpler than it actually is.

Staring out at the crowd, she wonders how many she'll still be able to employ in another year - or even another quarter.

[lucky line panic]

I was lucky that I got there early. Everything that morning seemed peaceful and orderly - too peaceful and orderly, now, looking back, as if memory had imbued the complacent atmosphere with foreboding. It was all so harmonious, with the crowds thronging on the plaza as if performing an intricate dance on the geometric patterns of the ancient stone floor, while the robotic choir in the balcony sang the same soothing tunes they had been singing for years. The melody washed over us like wine.

So I was near the front of the line for the transport when it happened, holding a gift I'd just bought for my grandmother - one of those hand-carved eggs that they make in the villages outside the main city. It felt round and comforting in my hand, and I guess I must have started gripping it tighter even before I became consciously aware of the commotion. One of the passengers - I guess it was an older lady, maybe about my grandmother's age - was asking the guard some questions, or maybe asking for help, and he snubbed her and told her to move along. And that's when she started arguing with him, and nobody was taking any notice, and nothing would have come of it, except that the lady said to the guard, "Well, you do know what's coming tomorrow, don't you? You do know that the Moon Prince Regent has abdicated, and the whole Colony is to revert back to the Emperor's direct control tomorrow?"

That was when the panic started. ...

[city mail left]

By that time, all services in the city had stopped. Municipal water and electricity were gone. There was no regular mail delivery, but you could find people who would act as couriers for the right price, and some of them even ran regular routes. But most of the people had already left.

[nerve pro honor]

If I had the nerve, I'd try playing again. I used to play like a pro - at least, up until that last time. But I don't want to embarrass myself again. I'll walk away with honor.

--

You could question the narrator's judgement here - is it really more "honorable" to quit?

The game could be anything - baseball, chess, whatever. A writer with some real-life experience with sports - somebody like Alex Perez - would be able to write more convincingly. I never played sports, and while I probably never would have been a major sports person in any case, I do feel like I missed out on something by not having at least some basic experience and knowledge of sports.