Book03

Tiny Lawyer Talk - The little litigationists require that I tell you at this time that the following material is the exclusive intellectual property of the author and it's use therein is probably going to land me in deep doodoo. The quotes are direct scans, and if I end up Big Bubba's girlfriend because of all this, I'm taking Mustek and Xerox with me, Coppers !!

"Left arm."

I seized it and twisted it up behind his back, held it there, pushing hard. He was strong and still fighting, trying to clutch me with his right hand, struggling to trip me. I got in first.

"Left leg."

I shouted as I kicked hard on the back of his calf and he went down another time. I stepped back and looked towards Capo Doccia. I had his undivided attention.

"Can you kill as well as dance?" he asked.

"I can. But I chose not to." I was aware that my opponent had stood up, was swaying from side to side. I turned slightly so I could see him out of the corner of my eye. "What I prefer is to render him unconscious. That way I win the fight - and you still have a slave."

The thug's hands closed on my neck and he bubbled viciously. I was showing off and I knew it. But I had to provide a good performance for my audience. So, without looking at all, I slammed backwards with my bent arm. Sinking my elbow hard into his gut, in the center,just below the rib cage, in line with the elbows. Right into the nerve ganglion known as the solar plexus. His hands loosened and I stepped forward. Hearing the thud as he hit the ground. Out cold.

Capo Doccia signalled me to him, spoke when I was close.

"That is a new way to fight, offworlder. We make wagers on the ruffians here who battle with their fists, striking each other until the blood flows and one of them cannot go on.

"Fighting like that is crude and wasteful. To know where to strike and how to strike, that is an art."

"But your art is of no value against sharp steel," he said, half-pulling his sword. I had to tread carefully now or he would be chopping me up just to see what I could do.

"Bare hands cannot stand against one such as you who is a master of the blade." For all I knew he only used the thing to carve his roast, but flattery always helps. "However against an unskilled swordsman or knife-wielder the art has value."

He digested that, then called to the nearest guard. "You, take your knife to this one."

This was getting out of hand but I could see no way to avoid the encounter now. The guard smiled and pulled a shining length of dagger from its sheath and stalked towards me. I smiled in return.

Personal Commentary

A perfect albiet violent example of how you can bend the system to work for you without necessarily playing the game the way you're expected to. Jim deGriz has the skills to do pretty much anything he wants with his opponent, but chooses to manipulate the results of the encounter to meet less than obvious goals. He feels he can come out ahead with an alternative approach, or at least is willing to try. All out, hell bent for leather, is not always the best approach, and normal solutions are worth considering but easily discarded if they are obviously flawed. He's willing to try alternate approaches and apply the skills he's developed thru life to attain the desired results in unexpected manners.

Don't expect to be able to pull this off yourself unless you've first done your homework and developed the necesary skills. Squeaky wheels don't necessarily get greased if a handy replacement is easily available. Make yourself indispensable before attempting to rub their faces in it, or expect to seek employment elsewhere. DO be willing to cross a few lines to get where you need to be, but have the common sense to back off and try another tack if your miopic peers are obviously not getting the hint. The carrot's the thing - to hell with gallant effort. The end result is all that really matters after all, and the means always justify the end.

	Now that we've established our total inabiliy to grasp how exactly the universe fails to work, we take the next logical step and attempt to find ways around the problem. "Slippery Jim" deGriz IS the sand in the wheels, and following his exploits thru this series taught me many a lesson on how to fool the fools. Running in place is not an option. You must force the competition to take a step backwards while you pass go and collect the prize. Not having gotten this far in MONKEY 101, no one else has a clue what you're really up to... Nelson Doubleday Š1961 by Harry Harrison

The Stainless Steel Rat
Harry Harrison