Kenneth Shumaker, A.K.A: Rusty Knight
Eren’s Challenge
By Kenneth Shumaker
Episode 013, ‘Umber Essence Tripe’
With InUPress
Written on: October 15, 2017
Posted to Virily on November 28, 2017
In Kenneth Shumaker’s Eren’s Challenge, we enter the world of the robotics research technician, a mature humal male, Eren Mallet. During Eren’s 5th Galaxy Palcard sector journey, he encounters hazards with his friend, Esmelda(Es) Lantora, the mature humal female who is an ambassador’s administrator. The pair struggle with adventures and dramatic developments while in the metropolitan industrial trade city of Goral, on the planet of the Krenar. Here, they fight with bureaucrats and the Hean priestly hierarchy.
In the previous Eren’s Challenge episode 012, ‘Orange God Life’ on …
Lezmor 6th RD 78
Eren recovers and discovers Angel’s background in a series of discussions with the hound.
We continue now with Eren’s Challenge episode 013, ‘Umber Essence Tripe’ on …
Lezmor 9th RD 78
Life is harsh for some of us.
Es, I heard this morning from the Angel med techs, is still unconscious. I decided to return to Trontal Corp’s Robotics Research division offices.
I’m now looking down at the drawer of the filing cabinet which has the second of my three bottles of rum; the bottle of dark Rosta spiced rum. I can feel the saliva build slightly quicker in my mouth.
I’m resisting pouring a drink into a synth plasti-cup. Instead, I fetch myself a java mug of water and walk out into the research lab to talk with Jill.
Finding Jill at her electronics’ computer component layout table, I nudge her. “I’d like to talk with you in the office.”
Reluctantly she looks up, snarling. Then she nods and the rising she briskly walks with me into the office. Entering behind me, she closes the door with a slam, then screeches, “Where in Gor have you been?”
Sitting calmly, I look up at her and gestured to a seat near me. I wait silently.
Disgruntled she huffs with a tightly scrunched deep red face, but she sits.
Leaning towards the average appearing 5’ 4” woman, I whisper, “You know Trontal curtailed our budget. Taking it down to 3.5 mil credits from the government funds they were just allotted … the 21 mil … right?”
Her eyes going wide, Jill sputters, “N … no … I didn’t.”
Nodding and patting her hand, I then lean back, and take a drink of the tepid water. Setting down my java mug which is half filled with the irritating water, I utter, “It’s true, Trontal only gave us 3.5 mil to complete Archy by Lezmor 30 of next year, you know that’s impossible … right?”
Shaking her head with her face scrunching even tighter yet, her lips move straight and narrow. Her eyes narrowing, she glares at me, “What are we doing here? … this can’t be done.”
Laughing, I then respond, “We’ll do this, I procured a secondary sponsor who will sponsor us with a second fund of 5.5 mil, taking us up to the end of the government’s contract end date on Yesdor 30 of 80 … this boost of funds and time, gives us a total of 9 mil to finish with. On top of the 7.5 that Trontal gave us from the 30.5 mil they originally received from the government.”
Slamming my desk violently with her tightly clenched fist, Jill jumps to her feet animatedly, shouting, “Are you saying Trontal gave us a quarter of the credits they received from the government for Archy?”
Gesturing for her to sit, I nod sage wise, and then say, “We will end up with a third of the government credits, Trontal will siphon off the rest.”
Shaking violently, with her fists clenched tight, drawing blood from her palms with her fingernails digging in, spittle dripping from the corner of her mouth, Jill glares menacingly wide-eyed at me.
I motion for her to sit, while I also reach for the stashed two-litre bottle of Tressen rum from my filing cabinet. Quickly cracking the seal on the young bottle’s cap, I then pour two fingers worth each into two java mugs. Capping the bottle again, I put the bottle back into the filing cabinet and offer her one mug, saying, “To the slugs robbing us blind … may they go blind in their sleep … but I have better news for you.”
Stiff, she scrapes up the mug in a grabbing sweep and gulps down all two fingers of the weak rum in one shot. Slamming down the mug on to the desk, she flops back onto the chair – grunting.
I wink, and say, “My news is, along with having this supporter of the Archy project who will carry us right to the completion of the government’s contract, I made a deal in exchange … Trontal signed off twenty-percent of ownership of Archy to this supporter. The result is … you and I will receive additional time on the project to work, and the 5.5 mil to play with. Plus, we’ll have a special engineer added to our team … and we won’t need to pay her wages … her name is Ula … the woman stands eight-foot seven-inches and weighs in well over three-hundred pounds … this Ula only speaks New Goran though and only works in New Goran documentation.”
Folding forward with her chest reaching her knees and her fingers touching the floor. Jill groans loudly, and then utters, “NO! … not a gnoll! … you’re not serious?”
Grinning evilly, I reply, “You’ll like Ula, she actually has a sense of haha … at least for a gnoll, she does. I’ve spent an hour with her … her specialty is muon-fusion technology with a secondary in kinematics – having a masters in the study of movement technologies.”
Sitting back up weakly, Jill utters meekly, “Do we have to?”
I nod, answering benignly, “If we want the support of my Angel.”
Flipping her hand aggressively at me, Jill growls then utters, “If we must … when does she start?”
Seeing the opening, I reply, “We all start tomorrow morning … go home, for now, Jill, and relax.”
The episode was written by Kenneth Shumaker and published by Inevitable Unicorn Press on Virily.
This ends part one of Eren’s Challenge E013 part one, ‘Umber Essence Tripe,’ for November 28th, 2017, by Kenneth Shumaker with InUPress on Virily.
Follow us with Eren’s Challenge E013 part 2 ‘Umber Essence Tripe,’ continued in Kenneth’s next post of the first week of December 2017 published with InUPress on Virily.
Discover this multi-arcing plots exploring the story of the steampunk alternative history novel, ‘Exhaust from the Tin Woods,’ written by rising author Eric J Kregel and published by InUPress. You may purchase this intriguing novel as either a paperback or an e-book at:
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Coming soon in 2018 to the public from InUPress, we have Kenneth’s second medieval fantasy novel, ‘Dendar: Souls of Desperation,’ the second book from the ‘Lost Souls’ series.
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Thank you, Kenneth, for Inevitable Unicorn Press (InUPress).
