Sensors and Sense (Part 1)

Edward Solomon

"I would be happy to aid with your...problem with Walter," Edward Solomon says a second before everyone else, "But I respectfully suggest, lord, that you handle that mirror carefully, I beg!"

I read this series by King. I remember enough to guess just why Lord Steven Deschain asked for that magic mirror of Juniors.....

Look, in order to get a better grip on this situation you'll need to know a few things here about the people and the things involved here. Otherwise I know anyone outside looking in is not going to have a chance in Hell of figuring it out. Understand, though, while on Midworld I and my friends won't spread it around here. Wouldn't be nice, let's just say.

Since it's well....er...known through the Gunslinger series by Stephen King, I won't be telling something that...

Sigh.

Look, if I don't tell you then you won't understand and you need to understand in order to see where I and he are coming from.

First, let me you about the troubled relationship between Steven and his wife, Gabrielle. To not put a it delicately, the woman was having an affair with what had first had been thought to have been Martin Broadcloak (aka Randal Flagg) for awhile. Steven knew about this business for two years, and the affair may have been going on a lot longer than that. Who knows? Only thing here is that what really was going on was that at least sometime it was Walter, a disciple (apprentice?) of Martin in disguise.

While Flagg may be gone for now on here on Midworld, Walter is still about and still a....loose end to tie up. Man has something coming to him for things here and.....for things back on Terra Prime. I will get to that here in a minute.

By custom Steven is somewhat constrained on how he can deal with this mess. Can't just kill Walter in cold blood because it would....look bad to the others who are under him. There are other, more civil ways, but each is not without some kind of negative, unwanted stuff that Steven just didn't want right now. See, it revolves around something like "Code Duela". A man of Steven's class can't be seen picking his own fights but instead has someone in his stead stand in for him in a duel of honor. Frankly, those locals who are skilled enough for Steven's need would later ask for special favors...that he'd not like to have to give out and leave it at that. Then there is the fact that in order for the fight to go down the offense would become public knowledge. Right now it's just rumor and such and Steven would rather it just stay at that level. It would be too embarrassing and politically damaging, you see.

But now he has a perfect opportunity to deal with Walter (who still is, according to sources, looking like Martin Broadcloak) through us. Remember, a lot of us in the group have our own beef with Flagg (or whatever he calls himself). Joan 2 got teleported away from her homeworld and her quest unfinished (re:9570) , among other things (her sister Joan finally got around to finishing it off). Astra 9a, who could have been a unifying factor back on her world when it was all falling apart and one of Flagg's flunkies (the Brazen Man) teleported her away to Terra Prime for Flagg to....play with her later (re: 9546). Can't say that Jarlath 2 has an issue with Flagg (or Walter) directly, but it's mages like Walter and Flagg who'd blacken the name of magic users back on his homeworld....and as such Jarlath would just love to have a piece of the action. The same goes for Andrea 2, my girlfriend. Then there is me.

I have a very personal reason to "speak" with Walter. See, for some odd reason Flagg's type are compelled to have to follow certain protocols and such. Must have something to do with the Office he works for, I guess. He can't just do something simple like killing you directly, most of the time. Instead, he has to work through agents or use overly complex (albeit deadly) plans to do something like that. Probably was a major reason why Roland the Gunslinger never got killed by the fellow. This also, it appears, applies to some of his followers as well (i.e. his disciples).

After meeting the Eric Solomon's who've gotten stuck on Nantucket Earth, a few things have finally come clear to me. Not exactly comforting and I do not use it as an excuse, but it explains a few things.

That and a few faint sensor indicators/signatures I got while scanning Cort awhile ago.....

1. I don't like being a pawn....