THE ROMAN SOLDIER

By Ben Sakker Kelly - Year 7, 1997

The legion separating the civilised world from the
barbarian lands was at this moment hard at work. They were
repairing the damage caused by the most recent onslaught of
the barbarian tribe whose village was a few miles away. The
soldiers of the legion were all feeling very bitter because
they had been notified that they were to be evacuated from
the fortress. The reason for this was that things were
getting too dangerous. They were to be moved to reinforce a
garrison somewhere else along the border. 

Particularly angry was young Centurion Marius Brutus. He
commanded a cohort that had thrown off more barbarian
attacks than any other cohort in the legion. In the last
attack, his cohort had suffered the most casualties in the
legion as well. He felt angry that this fort was to be
abandoned after all the lives spent defending it. He
thought of his quarters being vandalised and then burnt. He
shuddered. Suddenly, the cry to arms was called. That meant
yet another attack. He was just strapping on his sword
sheath when the cry of retreat came. 

Puzzled, he ran up to the battements. What he saw amazed
him: not just the hunting party of one village, but the
entire fighting force of at least ten villages.

He was shocked, but he didn't stand there and stare for
long. His military training for this sort of  situation was
soon put to work. He called upon his cohort, assembled them
quickly into three neat lines and was about to give the
command to march out when the garrison commander ran out to
talk to him. "Centurion, you do of course know, when
evacuating a fort like this, that two cohorts have to stay
behind and hold the attackers at bay for as long as
possible?"

"Yes, sir. Why do you enquire?"

"One of the cohorts chosen for this duty is Centurion
Copernicus'. The other, I am sad to say, is yours." Marius
stood there in shock. His entire cohort would be wiped out
with that of his old friend, Rufio Copernicus. He knew why
they were chosen, though. It was because their cohorts were
severely undermanned since they had endured the most
casualties. The garrison wanted to lose the least number of
men possible. The commander hurried off to lead the main
force out. Marius didn't waste a moment. He set about
gathering the two cohorts together to have a meeting with
Rufio.

"Hello, friend."

"Greetings, Marius."

"It looks as though we are doomed to die together."

"It does."

"Have you read Julius Caesar's biography?"

"Yes."

"Then we will use his tactics for defending Alexandria
against enormous odds."

"That should hold them a while."

Marius strode to the battlements. The Gauls were coming on
strong. He organised three quarters of the force along the
walls with bows and arrows. He and Rufio watched as they
forced back wave after wave of attackers until they started
to run out of ammunition and were tiring fast. It was then
that Marius released the remaining quarter of his force in
the form of a tortoise-a shell of shields facing outwards.
They charged out of the fort, fought their way to the enemy
catapults and destroyed them. Rufio gave a cheer when the
catapults weredestroyed and the tortoise returned to the
fort without loss of life. With their catapults put out of
use, the Gauls could not go on. They retreated.

After salvaging what they could, it was time for the Romans

THE END



***********************************************************



THE CRATER

By Ben Sakker Kelly - Year 7, 1997

PROLOGUE

The earth is a dismal place. After the comet crash of 3005,
nothing but one water source, a few mutated animals and a
small number of humans remain. They are settled inside the
huge crater left by the comet years ago. Within the crater,
they have built a city. The circumstances of weather and
climate as a result of the comet have created a series of
different civilisations in separate sections of the city.

In the centre of the city is The Armoury. It is inhabited
by merchants that will sell the most up to date weapons to
anybody who pays the right price, regardless of age, no
licence needed. The merchants have no regard for human
life.

On the outskirts of the city and the beginning of the
endless scorched plains live The Tribes. These are the
people with weak minds that can not survive normally in the
climate and whose brains have slipped back to the level of
stone age beings. They lead a simple life, catching and
eating the creatures that have grown from the post-comet
surroundings. The Tribes are often robbed or even killed
for this food by the various inhabitants of the city since
food there is very scarce.

Bordering The Tribes are The Slums. These are inhabited by
the equivalent of the old gangs. These gangs are also
equipped with up to date weapons (thanks to The Armoury).
The Power is constantly trying to invade The Slums. They
always get thrown back by whichever gang inhabits the area
in question. The gangs also fight amongst each other for
power over the different areas of The Slums. No one should
ever venture into an area of The Slums owned by another
gang either unarmed, by themselves or both.

Next, there is the most organised part of the city. It is
The Power. The Power is made up of what remains of the old
army and police force. They salvaged all the weapons from
the pre-comet era. Their vision has since become twisted
as to how they should govern. They now want complete
supremacy over all of the civilisations so that they can
set up an unjust, iron- handed dictatorship. Their many
previous attempts at realising this vision have ended in
the other civilisations joining in rebellion. In the
middle of their section stands The Tower. The Tower is a
giant construction, reaching high above the city, mounted
with a laser and firing on whatever part The Power wants
it to. Everything of importance in The Power is guarded.

Finally, there are a group called The Peaceseekers. These
people descend from the normal citizens. They have no
particular area except their headquarters based outside
the city in one of the many minor holes left by the comet.
They operate underground, since all civilisations outlawed
them for getting in the way of their defensive or
attacking operations. Their ultimate goal is to bring
peace to the city but they also try to prevent more civil
wars. They have secret observers in every civilisation,
bringing back news of the area to the Peaceseeker council
in headquarters. I am their leader. These files that you
are about to see are through Peaceseeker eyes. Here they
are... 

THE CITY

THE COUNCIL

18th January 3052

The Council is in uproar. The Peaceseeker observers from
The Power have reported that the inhabitants of that area
have almost finished building the strongest weapon yet-
the Metamorphic Bomb. One bomb would fiddle with the
genetic makeup of the other civilisations and turn them
into undeveloped life forms with no chance of defending
themselves against attack. Some of the more radical
councillors are demanding an all- out assault on The
Power, while others are pushing for the whole organisation
to retreat into the plains. I dismiss the first idea as a
loss of lives and an impossible task, and the second as
dooming us to death on the unliveable plains. Also,
neither of them achieve our objective- to make long-
lasting peace. 

No-one can think of anything- the report from The Slums
that the richest gang has also heard the news and are
preparing a weapon of their own, complicating matters.
Suddenly, a rushed observer runs in, reporting that even
The Tribes have heard the news and, not knowing the
dangers of their actions, are preparing to move off onto
the plains to find a safer place. What can I do? Even the
council is divided.

THE SOLUTION

19th January 3052

We have come to a solution. Three groups of observers will
be assigned to the different civilisations. The first
group will be comprised of observers from The Tribes.
They will try to get the inhabitants back in any way
possible. The second group will be observers from The
Slums, trying to convince the richest gang that The Power
has not made a bomb and therefore, they don't need to
either. The third group will try to get The Power to stop
work on the bomb (a very hard task).

However, the groups can only hold out for a certain amount
of time, so The Council decided to commence the
Peaceseekers' most violent move. While the civilisations
are in a state of confusion, another well-armed group of
Peaceseekers will try to take The Tower, giving The
Council the most potent force. Operations will commence in
two weeks.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE TRIBES

BY A MEMBER OF THAT GROUP

2nd February 3052

We are out on the plains with The Tribes, now. We have
scouted ahead of us and found a mass of huge, jagged
rocks- perfect for our plan, which will be explained soon.
Driven by their chief, The Tribes have strayed further and
further into the plains in the past two weeks. They are
frightened by the threat of bombs. Our plan is to turn
them back at the rocks mentioned above by means of fright.
We are going to put on a big production to make them think
that their gods are speaking to them. We are setting out
for the rocks at nightfall.

It is now night and we are already at the rocks. Due to our
calculations, The Tribes should be arriving very soon. One
of us is setting up a bunch of fireworks, while another is
organising strove lights, all behind the rocks. The rest of
us are dressing up as gods- each with a different coloured
torch inside our costumes. I am Lao- god of happiness. I
will be doing the talking. Suddenly, we hear the noise of
The Tribes coming closer to us. "It's time the show began",
I say. We set off the fireworks and turn on the strove
lights- everything is illuminated. The Tribes begin to run
away but then we come out in our god costumes. We announce
ourselves (with hidden microphones) and ask to see the
chief. I then walk forward and begin to talk to him. "I am
Lao. I command you to go back where you came from, or great
trouble will come", I boom. The poor chief is terrified. He
can hardly put two words together. He manages to stammer "I
d-do anything you want. Please d-d-don't hurt us."

"Good. Now, GO!", I thunder.

Just as the chief is running away, my torch goes out and
everyone gasps. One of the other 'gods' says "Uh, the god
of happiness has gone , and if you do not go home doubly
as quick as you came, so will your happiness go." That
really sends them running! What a great comeback! The
Tribes should be home in about a week, now. I hope the
other groups are doing as well.....

AN ACCOUNT OF THE SLUMS OPERATION BY A MEMBER OF THE GROUP

2nd February 3052

Since the meeting, we have had enough time to figure out a
strategy. Our group have prepared posters to stick up in
the main meeting place of the gang while they are out
collecting water from the only known water source on the
planet (a much fought over place). The posters read:

BOMB A HOAX

The Power's threat of a metamorphic bomb has been proved
false by a spy's report today. For further information
speak to Norris Edge at the next gang meeting in 1 week.

9th February 3052

It is the gang meeting and everyone is flooding me with
questions when the gang leader pushes everyone else aside
to speak with me. "You are lying. There was no spy report,
otherwise it would've been directed to me", he thunders.

"But there was a spy report, sir. The spy had been mortally
wounded and my dwelling was the first on the border. He
told me to make the report public, so I did", I reply.

"And where exactly is your dwelling, liar?"

"Uh", I falter. I hadn't thought of this bit. 

>"See? He is a liar. Kill him." Just as these words are
being commanded, another gang launches an attack on the
base. Crash. Bang. Zap. Confusion. Panic. I take the
opportunity in this momentary lapse in organisation. I make
my escape, but before I leave, I pick up a piece of paper
signed by the leader on a nearby table, thinking it would
come in handy. The leader notices me, and with a small
band, is pursuing me. 

Oh, damn! I duck into a side alley, but they follow me. As
I am running, I come up with an idea. I weave in and out of
side streets until the others give up the chase and go back
to the fighting. I run to the local Peaceseeker H.Q. and
print out a note telling the gang's bomb designers to halt
work immediately because the threat of an enemy bomb has
been proved a hoax. I cut out and attach the leader's
signature to the document in a non- conspicuous looking
way. I then run back over the battle-scarred streets until
I reach the basement where they are developing the gang's
bomb. A man greets me as I rush in through the door and I
ask him how he is. He replies "Not so good after the news
came in that we'd been separated from the leader's side of
the gang. By the way, have you come from there recently?"

"Yes, in fact I have a message for you from the leader. I
set off just before we were separated", I reply. I hand him
the note and he looks at it intently for a few minutes. His
face brightens. "This is my lucky day", he says. "A perfect
reason to pack up operations and move to a safer place."

He quickly packs up everything and says goodbye. I am now
left alone in the empty cellar. I am just going out the
door when a message comes in over the E-mail (through
underground wires). It was from the leader, giving my
description and saying that if identified, I should be
interned or killed. It also says to not listen to me.
'Lucky I got the basement clear before this came in', I
think. The battle should enable me to escape and also delay
the making of the bomb until the gang can fight their way
through and recommence development. I hope the other two
groups have done their jobs as well.....

AN ACCOUNT OF THE POWER BY A MEMBER OF THE GROUP

2nd February 3052

We're now at the Peaceseeker underground H.Q. in The Power.
We've now ruled out speaking to The Power because we'd get
thrown in jail, so we're going to sabotage the bomb. The
operation is timed so that after we have done our job we
can make a wild dash to The Tower when the special group
has seized it. Chances are, we will not be caught during
this dash because the police will be split between The
Tower and our crime scene and won't be out patrolling the
roads. The operation will commence in a week.

19:00 hours 9th February 3052

We've gathered at the back door of the Bomb Development
Centre. We are waiting for the bomb that we planted in an
abandoned warehouse next door to go off, providing a
distraction for the Centre guards. BOOM! There she blows!
We rush in and destroy everything we can get our hands on.
Blowtorches for the metal, hammers for the computers. We
are gone as quickly as we came, leaving the place in ruins.
The police will be on our trail soon. God I hope our guys
have taken The Tower.....

AN ACCOUNT OF THE TOWER BY ME

18:59 hours 9th February 3052

And now back to me, the leader. We are outside The Tower,
armed with everything we need, including some computer
experts to help us handle the computerised laser up top. We
can hear the guards talking into walkie-talkies about the
destruction that the other group has caused. 

19:00! Forward! We sprint forward, knocking out the guards
with a special vibrator laser and taking their weapons.
After a short laser battle with the other guards, we
quickly overcome the computer operators upstairs. But then
we hear the pounding of footsteps up the stairs. We've run
out of ammo! Just then, a familiar voice is heard and the
head of the sabotage group is seen. "Oh, how good it is to
see you!", I shout! It is all over. After a little hard
work, peace will finally reign over the city.

THE END



***********************************************************



THE COW'S TALE

By Ben Sakker Kelly - Year 7, 1997

On Tuesday, most of the people in Dinkerville thought that
Pete was a mindless drab. On Wednesday, most of the people
of Dinkerville that knew Pete thought that he was a
missing mindless drab. One of these counts is true. He is
missing, but he only leads people to believe that he's a
mindless drab. 

Pete had actually been kidnapped by a twelve-millenia-old
alien posing as a wizard who was trying to get brownie
points with the ultimate gods. They had told him to go and
find the centre of the universe. This alien's name was
Tim.

Let us skip Pete's surprise, anger and curiosity at being
kidnapped by aliens and move on to a stage when he has
finally calmed down and is listening to what Tim has to
say. Tim is now telling Pete why he (Pete) has been
kidnapped. 

"I am in search of the centre of the universe. This task
was set for me by THE GOD. I have been searching for years 
ith my Centre-o-Matic, and have found that your Earth 
ossesses it. I need an Earthling to tell me all the major
cities so that I can search them. If you do not obey me,
you will die."

"Excuse me Mr Wizard\Alien person-"

"Tim, please."

"-yes, Tim, why did you pick a twelve-year-old boy for the
job?"

"What's a boy?"

"Oh, never mind. But why don't you start your search
here?"

"Because if THE GOD sees me loitering in a very unlikely
village, I will be showing ignorance and HE will laugh at
me."

"Still think you should look here...."

"Look you slimy little *(#"!!@?<;>))_+&^^, I think I know
more on the subject than you do!"

"OK, OK......." And off they went. Meanwhile...........

Bessie the Cow was twelve. This is quite old for a cow.
She was very stressed out last time we saw her (if you
don't recall this, she got very up tight when a bird
landed on her paddock fence) and now a dog was barking at
her. Very stressful.

Pete and Tim were now in New York where Tim had magically
teleported them. No luck there. Just the same as London,
Paris, Moscow and Washington. Tim's little tracker had not
lit up. 

"Well, if it's not here, it's not in a big city" said
Pete. Then an idea struck Tim. "Egad! Of course!"

"What?"

"Your supernatural worlds! If it's not there then I'll
give up and let you have the tracker. I'll also eat my
hat." This would be great fun for Pete. As well as being
where no living person had been before, he would enjoy
watching the old and small Tim trying to eat his oversize
wizard's hat. Meanwhile.................................

Bessie was definitely not getting any younger and had just
been stressed out further by the sun going down. 

Hell! Wow! This was definitely not on Pete's travel plans.
He was reading a weekly schedule, which looked something
like this:

Definitely Not Paradise Valley Schedule

Monday: Hideous removal of limbs.

Tuesday: Session on stretch rack.

Wednesday: General Inhumane Cruelty.

Thursday: Laser Therapy- The death of a thousand beams.

Friday: 10 hours forced viewing of Yogi Bear.

Saturday: Elvis Presley music.

Sunday: Compulsory wearing of standard issue "I love
Pauline Hanson" T-shirts.

The last three made Pete shudder. 

"Nothing here", said Tim, picking his way between
various Instruments of Death. 

"Oh well. There's still Heaven", said Pete as he was
butted aside by a demon carrying the head of a Germanic-
looking person with a big moustache. Meanwhile........

Bessie, who was ageing by the second, was freaked out by
the fact that the grass was green, and was wondering how
she could keep this hectic life up without having a
nervous breakdown.

Heaven was pretty bad, because here they regarded
watching Yogi Bear as fun. As Pete was passing a store
selling ring shaped light-bulbs, Tim staggered up trying
to swallow his hat.

"I'm doomed. (Gulp) My life has no purpose! (Gulp!,
cough, cough, splatter), go home Earthling!"

"What?"

"Not a single beep on my Centre-o-Matic! Here, take this
before you go." And with that, he tossed the Centre-o-
Matic to Pete and everything went black.

Pete then found himself in a paddock in Dinkerville. He
heard a beeping sound and looked at the Centre-o-Matic.
It was beeping a lot. He walked over to his left. He ran.
It was beeping violently now. He ran up to a cow. The
Centre-o-Matic could hardly keep itself together. He
pressed it to the cow's head. It exploded.

"Oh my god, this cow is the centre of the universe!" he
yelled.

This was too much for Bessie. The age, the stress, the
materialisation of a boy in her paddock, the pressing of a
machine against her head which then exploded, the yelling
of the boy in her ear and the chicken next door finally
made her collapse into a coma.

Pete thought of Tim. If he had only taken his advice and
searched here, he would have found what he was looking for.
But that was Tim's problem. Right now Pete had to get out
of the paddock before Farmer Brown found him standing over
this comatosed cow.

THE END


MORALS

Don't overlook the improbable.

Listen to advice.

One piece of straw can break the cow's back.