#scotch woodcock

[frimleyblogger]

Gentleman’s Relish

The delights of #GentlemansRelish #anchovies #umami #foodhistory

Sometimes simplicity is best. Take hot, buttered toast. The joy that it can bring was wonderfully encapsulated in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows (1908), where a plate “piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb” sent Toad into ecstasy, evoking images “of warm…

[finndiseicla]

Egg: Scotch Woodcock

Steak: Steak frites à point

Milk: skim

Alcohol: Abinsthe/Arak/Ouzo/Anisette/Pastis

Warm drink: Earl grey tea

[cedarlili]

Scotch Woodcock

This is another fun entry to the egg recipe list, although I have a feeling it will be somewhat controversial!  You can find the whole list of 99 Ways to Make Eggs here. In this time of recession and belt-tightening, eggs remain an inexpensive protein source and a good choice for grocery budgets.  Scotch Woodcock 2 large eggs 1/2 tbsp milk 1/4 c shredded cheese slice of bread (I like…

[sandwichtribunal]

Scotch Woodcock: None Of The Above

"Even with some additional dimensions added, the dish was missing something. Anything, really, other than... savory." Scotch Woodcock: None Of The Above

The sequence of a multi-course dinner, according to Victorian era Toast Sandwich auteur Mrs. Beeton, was as follows: Hors d’œuvreSoupFishEntréeRemove or RelevéRoast or RôtiEntremetsVegetablesSweetsSavouriesDessertCoffee The style of laying out course after course in sequence, directing the disposition of the degustation one might say, was a Russian innovation, displacing the French method of…

[duhragonball]

OC-tober #18: Evolve

So one of my supporting characters is just Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead with a third eye.   Early into my fic, I was desperate for any sort of Dragon Ball reference I could make 1,000 years before Dragon Ball happened.  One thing that occurred to me was that I could do something with Tien’s lore.   The backstory behind his third eye has been extremely elusive, but one possible explanation is that he’s a descendant of a race of three-eyed humans.   I didn’t want to establish anything solid about that, so I just invented a single three-eyed Earthling, and showed him roaming the galaxy in search of adventure. 

Is he Tien’s ancestor?  Or is he simply another human who discovered the same mystic power that Tien did?   Is he one of the mysterious civilization of “three-eyed people”?  If so, is he an outcast from their land, or are they all like him?   I’ll level with you: I don’t know and I don’t plan to decide anytime soon.   I just named him after an egg dish in the tradition of tenshinhan.  Say hello to Scotch Woodcock.

Drawing this guy, I soon realized the flaw in creating a Lemmy Kimister lookalike with three eyes.   Lemmy’s signature look involved a black, wide-brimmed hat, which he wears pretty far down over his forehead.   He also wore dark sunglasses a lot, so that whole zone of his face was pretty well covered up.  There’s some cool images of Lemmy without the hat and glasses, but it’s a lot easier to get the resemblance down with that hat.  

[swagging-back-to]

I mIGHT CHANGE HIS NAME SORRY IF YOU GOT ATTACHED TO THE NAME ALBERTO I KINDA WANT A RANDOM FOOD TO BE HIS NAME LIKE SIR SWISS OR SCOTCH WOODCOCK

[sunnixsunshine]

Damn in only Scoth Woodcock could fit into the new leaf name bar...

[breakfastbookguide-blog]

Friday: Scotch Woodcock – a Victorian after dinner classic of scrambled eggs wit… Friday: Scotch Woodcock - a Victorian after dinner basic of scrambled eggs with salty anchovies and toast 🐟

[anchovysauce]

Anchovy Sauce

Anchovy paste is a type of fish paste made primarily of anchovies. It's a mass-produced condiment and ingredient in a variety of dishes, including Scotch woodcock. It has been used to flavor foods and as a source of nutrients for centuries, and it can be found in the cuisines of the United Kingdom, Italy, the Philippines, and Vietnam. It is a significant Moroccan export product.

Anchovy is used in a variety of dishes as a condiment. The basic ingredients used in its preparation are mashed anchovies, vinegar, spices, and water, which are also used in some commercial preparations. When butter is used as a base ingredient, the result is known as "anchovy butter" or beurre d'anchois in French.

Anchovy sauce is a versatile condiment with a long history in many different parts of the world and cooking styles. Modern cooks make several different types of anchovy sauce, often with a Mediterranean spice blend, and use these sauces on dishes from that region. Fish sauce, which is popular in East Asian cuisine, is typically made from anchovies. Worcestershire sauce, a cousin of fish sauce, is widely used in Western cooking.

Anchovy sauce was widely consumed throughout the Roman Empire. Garum, or fermented fish sauce, was made by fermenting fish. Garum production was notorious for its foul odor, but the resulting sauce was extremely versatile. The Romans used it to flavor almost any dish, but it was especially valued for its ability to add depth and richness of flavor to otherwise bland foods. Modern versions are still available and are commonly used to flavor meats and pasta in Italian-style cuisine.

Worcestershire sauce is related to ancient Roman garum. It is commonly used in small amounts to add flavor complexity in western cooking. This sauce's rich flavor complements the flavor of the meat. This condiment, like soy sauce, enhances the flavor and texture of food, and it is commonly used in dishes with a rich, hearty flavor, such as stews and casseroles.

Fermented anchovy sauce is used in East Asian cuisine in a slightly different form. Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese cuisines all make extensive use of fish sauce. It has a more complex flavor profile than soy sauce, but it gives food the same salty richness. It is frequently used in stir-fry dishes and soups, and it is even included in Korean kimchi recipes. This flavoring is also popular in Western cuisine and is used in fusion dishes.

Fresh anchovy sauce is not as versatile as fermented anchovy sauce, but it can be used in a variety of recipes. These sauces are typically made with anchovies, olive oil, peppers, tomatoes, and other Mediterranean-style ingredients. Tomato sauces go well with pasta and enhance the flavor of meat dishes.

Sauces with fewer ingredients retain more of the anchovy flavor. Salads can be seasoned with these sauces. They can also be used to season other dishes.

[ando-in-the-mother-country]

The Final Push

Mindful of Churchill’s dictum that the Opposition sits on the benches opposite, but the enemy is behind you, we decide to use Election Eve to depose the Lord Haw-Haw of our times. Dominic Grieve, who treacherously conspired with the Continent against his own country, is running as a pro-Brussels independent in Beaconsfield, and I am confident that our presence will secure his defeat. But the task is formidable as the electorate is at the far reaches of the British Isles, even beyond Zone 1 of the London Underground.

An army marches on its stomach, not on its boots. Although Wilton’s is fully booked, they rustle up a last minute table in the national interest. We contemplate the set lunch, which includes an attractive beef roast from the carving trolley. But I’m conscious that the polls are tightening, and that the price of victory is utter dedication. A Cropwell Bishop Stilton soufflé is followed by the house speciality: the magnificent Native Lobster Newburg. The “dessert menu” is tailor-made for me, with Welsh rarebit and Scotch Woodcock providing a further savoury hit.

Thus fortified, we make the arduous journey to Beaconsfield. At the “Beech House”, the local pub, we canvass locals over a pint. Two gentlemen express to us their admiration for the Australian approach to immigration, and one volunteers the northernmost island of the Outer Hebrides as an appropriate location for a UK offshore processing centre to match Nauru. I leave Beaconsfield confident that their votes have been won over to the Conservative cause, although more likely from a write-in for Tommy Robinson than from the treacherous Grieve.

Meanwhile, a colleague from the Howard era, Simon Berger, makes contact to organise our attendance at the Election Eve rally with Boris, Priti Patel and Michael Gove. Berger is too wily an operator to give it away, which is why he was chosen as an intermediary, but it is clear to me that the PM has personally requested our attendance to provide real momentum going into the final straight. After racing back to London and out to Stratford, we are delighted to learn that the teetotaler influence of killjoys like David Gazard has not yet infected British politics, and we are able to down pints of full-strength beer while the politicians serenade us. As the phrase “point-based Australian immigration system” is used for the twentieth time, I feel a surge of national pride at our policy leadership.

I ask Berger to tell Boris not to spend his precious time in the final hours thanking us: there will be time for that later. We head back to Uberpatriot HQ after our long day’s combat, just in time for Laura to borrow my rally placards for her live cross.

[ingilizce-turkce]

Zonguldak İngilizce Tanıtımı

Zonguldak İngilizce Tanıtımı Area: 8.629 Km² Population: 1.073.560 (1990) Traffic Code: 67 Zonguldak is a valuable to see city with its historical and natural beauties, thousands of years old caverns and infinitive green, which has a rich ancient history. Districts : Alaplı, Çaycuma, Devrek, Ereğli and Gökçebey. How to Get Road Zonguldak coaching station is 1 km. away from the city, and transportation is maintained via taxi, minibus or municipality buses. Coaching Station Tel: (+ 90 – 372) 257 13 11 Railroad Transportation to Zonguldak gar is maintained via taxi, minibus or municipality buses, its distance to city center is approximately 1 km. Maritime Lines Ferry voyages, which are performing passenger transportation between Istanbul and Hopa during only between May and September, are organized from Zonguldak port. Where to Visit ANCIENT CITIES Most important antic cities within the territories of the city are Ereğli (Herakleia Pontike) and Filyos (Teion). Ereğli, which is founded by Mariandines, who are the successors of Frigs, during VIth century B. C., and was an important commercial wharf (emperion), had taken its name from the famous hero of the mythology, Hercules (Heracles). City had preserved its importance during Roman, Byzantium, Seljukian, Otooman periods. Important historical ruins of the region are leading Acheron Valley Ruins, in which Cehennem Ağzı Caverns are present, Helen, Roman, Byzantium and Ottomans periods’ products, rampart ruins, Ereğli castle, Heracles (Hercules) palace, Çeştepe lighthouse tower, Byzantium water cistern, Krispos mausoleum, Byzantium church, Hagia Sophia Church and Halil Paşa Mansion. Filyos, other antic city of the city is known as Teion (or Tion) during antic period. Ruins within the region, holds the signs of Roman, Byzantium and Genevan periods. Antic port, castle, aqueducts, open – air theater and church ruins are remained from this period. BEACHES There are lots of natural beaches and sands through 80 km of coastal band. Beginning from the east, Sazköy, Filyos, Türkali, Göbü, Hisararkası, Uzunkum, Kapuz, Karakum, Değirmenağzı, Ilıksu, Kireçlik, Armutçuk, Black Sea Ereğli, Mevreke, Alaplı and Kocaman sites are the beaches filled with regional residents during summer. PROMENADE Ulutan Dam Lake at the center, Kızılcapınar Dam Lake and Gülüç Dam Lake in Ereğli, Dereköy Pond at Çatalağzı borough and Çobanoğlu Pond (18 ha.) at Karapinar borough are drinking water or industrial aimed artificial lakes. Environs of these lakes are used as daily recreation areas by regional residents. Harmankaya at Center Kokaksu site, Değirmenağzı at Kozlu borough and Güneşli Waterfalls at Ereğli, are the most important waterfalls of the city, and used for trekking. CAVES Cehennemağzı Cavern, Gökgöl, Kızılelma, İnağzı and Cumayanı Caverns should be seen. Cehennemağzı Caverns (Karadeniz (Black Sea) Ereğli): Cehennemağzı Caverns, which are also mentioned as “Caverns at Acheron – Akheron Valley” in the archeological sources of antic age, (Kehanet Caverns) is at the İnönü District, which is formerly named as Ayazma, of Ereğli, and is the mutual name of four caverns. Cehennemağzı Caverns, with being subjected to Greek Mythology, during the periods when Christianity was prohibited, is one of the worshipping places, thought to be used for secret worshipping. Zonguldak Caverns Gölgöl Cave Location: Zonguldak It is situated on the road at Üzülmez district at the 4th km. of Zonguldak way of Zonguldak-Ankara highway. Water coming out of the cave drains into the Üzülmez Creek. Properties It is entered out of a huge fossil inlet through the rock blocks. The siphon is reached after 250 meters by walking. Although the siphon has a length of 10 meters, it can be passed especially in summer. After this point, the cave continues as two branches in the direction of water entrance along with the extremely beautiful formations. The cave continuing for 1200 meters and ends with a sediment filling. (The port after this point is not known, yet.) While the creeks and inner lakes are passed easily by walking, sudden flood occurs during big rains. Because of this danger, it is suitable to enter the cave in summer and autumn seasons. Kızılelma Cave Location: Zonguldak The cave which is situated in Kizil Elma quarter of Ayiçi Village of Gelik District of Zonguldak Province can easily be reached by cars. Properties: Water of Aydin Creek ve Büyük Ay Creek sinks at the active inlet. The cave is entered through the fossil inlet (30x10m.) located at the upper part, and after 100 meters water is met. The cave continues horizontally together with the water. After the first 100 meters, it is possible to go by creeping for 400 meters, a siphon of 10 meters exists. This siphon can be passed in the Autumn. The gallery in the cave has great dimensions after the siphon. At the 3200th m. of the cave which continues as a single active gallery basically, there is a chimney with the height of 80 meters which is enough to illuminate the lake at the base. The cave continuing 3 km. along with the lakes ends with the 2nd siphon. The researches related with some branches and the last siphon in the cave has not been concluded, yet. It has been determined via the researches carried out by paint experiments that the sunk water appears in Cumayani Cave after 2 km. Thus, the total length of the underground system (Kizilelma – Cumayani) reaches to 10kms. Once, it was the longest cave system of Turkey. However, when it has been discovered that Pinargözü Cave has a length of 12 km. in 1991, this cave has been placed in the 2nd order. Its siphons, areas of crippling, lakes and funnel of 80 meters are the characteristics, or perhaps the most exciting aspects of the cave. As there is a danger of flood in the rainy periods, the season and the weather forecast should be taken into consideration while entering the cave. İnağzı Cave Location: Zonguldak It is a cave situated in the city of Zonguldak province at the sea coast at the 15th km of Kilimli road. Properties: The entry to the cave with a total length of 800m is made from the fossil inlet facing the sea. After a hole one man can hardly pass at the 50th meter it continues sporadically with fossils and rich formations and sporadically with an underground creek. There exists a siphon at the 400th meter, and it can be distinguished by walking in the period when water is drawn. From here, it ends with the siphon after 400 meters. Cumayanı Cave Location: Zonguldak, Çatalağzı District It is situated in Cumayani quarter at 3 km. distance from Çatalagzi district of Zonguldak province. Properties: It forms the outlet of Kizilelma -Cumayani underground water system. It is opened to outside with many inlets. The hall is reached through a active gallery of 100 meters from the lower inlet or by walking for 75 meters from the upper fossil dry inlet. The hall begins with a travertine offering an extraordinary beauty and functioning as a bridge on the underground creek. The base of the hall, which has a height of 60 meters and a length of 70 meters, is covered with a thick sea layer and ends with a siphon. Upon going in the direction of water entrance to the left of the travertine, the siphon is reached in the direction of Kizilelma Cave. A boat is necessary in this gallery. As flood occurs in the rainy periods or at the times of a sudden rain, there is mortal danger. NATIONAL & NATURAL PARKS Zonguldak Nature Protection Area Zonguldak – Çitdere Nature Reserve Location: The area is in Sekermese, in the Yenice area of Zonguldak, in the western Black Sea region. Transportation: The area can be reached via the Zonguldak-Ankara state highway, then turning off at Yenice for 45km. Highlights: The area has a unique ecosystem containing many species of forest trees, like the rare istanca oak. There are also beech, horn-bean, fir, ash, silver birch, black pine, Scotch pine, lime, dog rose, and alder. Some of the wild animals living in the area are under threat of extinction, like wild cat, deer, bear, pig, wolf, fox and lynx. SPORTS ACTIVITIES Hunting Our city is also varying and affluencing in connection with hunting and wild life. Especially in the forest areas around Merkez, Devrek, Gökçebey and Black Sea Eregli environs bear, boar, wolf, fox badger, jackal, goat, red squirrel, roe, rabbit like wild animals and wild duck, wild pigeon, woodcock and bakal like bird kinds are being hunted. In the rivers carp, trout, black trout and coral fish and in the sea horse mackerel, anchovy, whiting, tunny fish, red mullet like fishes are being fished. While hunting in connection with wild life are generally performed as a hobby or evaluation of spare time, fishing in seas is realized as commercial function. Bicycle Tours Natural visits via bicycles are organized at Eregli and its environs. There are both an appropriate inclination having road for cycling through Ereğli – Armutçuk, Gökçeler and natural beauties and historical values watching and seeing possibility throughout road route. Line Fishing Firstly Black Sea, Ulutan Dam Lake, Kizilcapinar Dam Lake as well as Filyos River, Devrek Stream, Gülüç Stream and Alaplı Stream are the favorite places for line fishing fans. Also line fishing is performed in rivers at Bostandüzü and Ilıksu regions. Trekking Bacaklı Plateau, Bölüklü Plateau and Kız Kulağı Plateau in Alaplı, Göldağı, Esenlik, Beycuma Plateau Region in Center, Bostandüzü, Dirgine Valley and Yedigöller in Devrek, Pamukdüzü Region in Gökçebey are favorite places of trekking fans. Also, natural route in which there are Harmankaya, Güneşli and Değirmenağzı waterfalls, are the first places for trekking aimed voyages. Yachting Yachts participating to rally under International Black Sea Yacht Rally (Kayra) annually organized by Ataköy Marina are visiting to Zonguldak a Geography Black Sea climate is seen in Zonguldak. It is plenty raining during every season. Sea temperature between May and August months is 200C. History Zonduldak and environs had lived Hittite, Frig, Persia, Roman, Byzantium, Seljukian, Danişmend, Candaroğulları and Ottoman periods. Zonguldak city center is started to settle on 1849 as a settlement place as a result of founding the mining coal. Where to Eat Regional kitchen is composed of meal kinds generally cooked from floury (wheat and corn flour) products. Layered pastry, pastry with marrow, bazlama, cizleme, pancake, kömeç bread, pitta bread types, tarhana soup, ugmaç soup, göce soup, malayi can be mentioned among regional meals. Ereğli pitta bread and Ottoman’s strawberry, Çaycuma yogurd, Devrek bun and simit as well as Zonguldak forests cultivated kuzu kestanesi are the meals which become identical with the name of the region. What to Buy Devrek Walking Stick, elpek gland, miner statues are the preferred souvenirs. Don’t Leave Without – Seeing the statue constructed in memory of Uzunmehmet on Zonguldak – Kozlu highway, – Seeing a natural miracle, Harmankaya Waterfalls, which is reached as a result of an approximate 4 km. of trekking voyage, – Giving a break and taking a photo at Devrek province, Bostandüzü Forest Recreation area, – Visiting Cehennemağzı Caverns, which are in demand due to religious and mythological characteristics at Ereğli province, – Visiting Ereğli Museum.

[cedarlili]

Scotch Woodcock: so savory and rich and omg all the salt… recipe on my blog. #foodporn #scotchwoodcock #eggrecipe #brunchrecipe #delicious_food https://www.instagram.com/p/CgkrWhBr4eE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sandwichtribunal]

May List Sandwiches and April Wrapup

In May the Tribunal will be covering Bolivia's Sanduiche de Chola, the French Sandwich Americaine, and Scotch Woodcock. May List sandwiches and April Wrapup

Welcome back, sandwich fans! We managed to come in under the wire, covering all three of our April sandwiches just in time for May to come around, and now we have three new sandwiches to enjoy. First though, let’s take a look at what we covered in April! In April we tried our hand at the Indonesian Roti Bakar, a sandwich of toasted bread containing any number of sweet fillings along with melted…

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (65/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[24 November 236 Before Age.  Extraliga.]

"I’m in."

Zatte had spent a week preparing for this.  The theory was simple: Since the Recollector was designed to detect certain life signs and only allow those with Wistian ki to use it, she would disguise her own life energy to fool the machine into giving her access.  In practice, the task had been more difficult than she had expected.

Every Dorlun was blessed with a special innate ability, and Zatte’s was to manipulate energy.  Mostly, she used this to bend light waves around her body to become invisible, and to mask her own ki to prevent enemies from sensing her presence.  Fooling the Recollector worked on a similar principle, and it was just a matter of warping and shaping her life energy as it emanated from her body.  Making it different was easy; the greater challenge was altering it to match something specific.

For practice, she had tried to imitate Extraligan ki signatures, since there had been plenty to use as a reference.  She had also tried to mimic Luffa’s power from memory, although she couldn’t hope to match the intensity.  Such exercises had been helpful, but she had to wait for the Wistian invasion to arrive before she could put her technique to the test.

She had sensed the Shockmaster as soon as he reached the planet, and started immediately.  His footsoldiers would have worked just as well, but he was by far the most powerful, and she wanted a strong ki signal that she could sense at a great distance.  Also, by focusing on a single reference, she could avoid getting distracted by the subtler differences between individuals of the same species.

Now, as she touched the Recollector for the first time, Zatte breathed a sigh of relief.  Until now, it had been completely intangible to anyone who had tried to touch it or move it.

"You were right Tobiko," she said aloud.  "It’s a telepathic interface.  Can the rest of you see the displays I’m seeing?"

She was mentally linked to a band of anti-Wistian rebels on the opposite end of the galaxy, thanks to an alchemical potion brewed from samples of her own blood.  In reality, she was alone in a cavern near one of Extraliga's oldest cities, standing in front of the Recollector, which lay on a stone slab.  In her mind, the four of them were sitting at a table in a roadside bar, with the Recollector laying on the tabletop like an appetizer tray.

It was a prism-shaped object, about five feet in length and three feet in height.  Zatte could see green rectangles appearing on the surface, displaying information in an alien script.  Paradoxically, she couldn’t read the words, but she comprehended their meaning anyway.

"I see it now," M’ranga said from the opposite side of the table.  "These glyphs fell out of use before the end of the Second Reformation..."

"Is that bad?" Zatte asked.  She peeked over the edge to gauge M’ranga’s reaction.

"No, I don’t think so," she said.  "It’s just that this thing’s a lot older than I realized."

"You’re touchin’ the thing now, right?" asked Scotch Woodcock.  It was his mental abilities that made this mind-conference possible.  Now his three eyes were staring intently at Zatte, as he focused on her mind to keep the connection as strong as possible.

"Yeah," Zatte said.  In the real world, she patted the surface of the Recollector.  It felt like polished marble, though it was warm to the touch.  "Right now it’s solid as a rock."

"Then suppose you take the bloody thing to a ship and get it the hell out of there?" he suggested.

"No good," Zatte said.  "I'm behind enemy lines already.  The city near my position is under occupation, so I'd have to get past a lot of Wist soldiers just to make it to a ship.  And even if I did manage to get off the surface, the Shockmaster’s fleet has Extraliga surrounded right now, so they’d be sure to intercept me.    Once the Shockmaster finds out what I’ve got, it’s all over."

"We’ve no choice," Tobiko said.  "We must permanently disable the Recollector here and now, if we can."

"First thing’s first," Zatte said.  "I’m going to reset this thing to allow non-Wistians to operate it.  At least that way I can drop my 'disguise', and it’ll be a good test of how much we can really do with this thing."

"Be careful," M’ranga warned.  "There may be other security measures to deal with."

"My people are all about careful, Ensign," Zatte said with a mirthless smirk.  "We don’t know how to do things any other way."

"Never did tell us what your species is, girl," Woodcock mentioned casually.

"You’re right, I didn’t," Zatte said.  "Nothing personal, just a precaution."

******

At one point, they hit a snag, and Zatte took a break while M'ranga and Tobiko tried to make sense of a line of Ancient Wistian Runecode that defied telepathic comprehension.  In the cavern, she continued to stand before the Recollector, listening carefully to the proximity alarms she had rigged to alert her of any unexpected visitors.  In the psychic bar, she was playing an imaginary game of darts.  The game was pointless, since it wasn't real, and Zatte couldn't miss the board unless she wanted to.  It was just something to do with her hands, although her real hands weren't actually doing anything at the moment. It was strange to divide her awareness this way, but she had grown somewhat accustomed to it.

Suddenly, she gasped and botched her next throw completely.  Woodcock, who had been watching her play, raised one of his eyebrows.  

"It's her," she explained.  "They've started fighting."

"Been keepin' tabs on the missus, have ya?" Woodcock asked.  

"Not really," Zatte said.  "But this ki... it'd be hard not to sense it."

"Any idea who's winnin'?" he asked.  

She shook her head.  "I can't tell.  The powers are too huge and I'm too far away to sense anything that specific.  But I do know that she'll do everything she can to drag it out.  So there's no telling if she's just toying with him or buying us time."

Woodcock took a swig from his drink and snorted.  "Reckon we oughta hurry along, then," he said.

******

The next several minutes had been very productive, but not decisive.  The four of them crowded around the Recollector and watched while Zatte worked the controls.  For the sixth time, the display image read "INVALID COMMAND" in ancient Wistian glyphs.  

"It’s not working," Zatte said.  "I can do just about anything I want with this thing, except destroy it."

"Maybe there’s a higher-level access you need," M’ranga suggested.

"No, we’ve been over that," Zatte said.  "The only security measure was the Wist-only thing, and I shut that off."

"How 'bout you rig it so nobody can access the bloody thing?" Woodcock asked.   "It’ll just stay intangible forever.    Problem solved, isn't it?"

"I like that idea, but I can’t find any way to do that in this interface,"  Zatte muttered.  "If it can be done at all, we may not have time to figure out how."

"Then we may have no choice," Tobiko said.  "You may have to risk moving the Recollector to take it off the planet."

"I don’t know..."  Zatte said.  "You might be right, but-- Wait... something's happened."

"What's it doing?" M'ranga asked as she leaned into look at the Recollector's display.  

"No, I don't mean here," Zatte said.  "The fight on Extraliga.  I can still sense Luffa’s ki, so she’s fine.  But the Shockmaster is... gone?”

*******

Luffa stared at the prone body of the Shockmaster.   She had been waiting for him to make his next move, when suddenly he collapsed, and his ki dwindled to almost nothing.  It simply didn't add up.  He was demoralized, perhaps even desperate, but he was far from beaten.

She approached him cautiously, anticipating a trick, but as she circled around him, she could find no signs of what he was up to.  She only knew that she could not accept this situation at face value.  An attack now might spring some sort of trap.  By the same token, if he was playing for time, she couldn’t afford to delay.    

She decided to split the difference and flew away, heading for what remained of the Wistian base camp he had been setting up when they began fighting.  She returned with a pistol and an explosive shell.  Hovering at what she judged to be a safe distance, she lobbed the shell towards the Shockmaster, then took aim with the gun.  If he was truly incapacitated, he would be helpless against these weapons.  It was possible that he had some way to mask his *ki* while he used it, similar to the technique Luffa had learned from Zatte, but even if his *ki* was undetectable, he would still have to use it to defend himself.  

To her surprise, the shell exploded on contact, but when the smoke cleared, the Shockmaster remained unharmed and unmoved.  She fired on him several times with the pistol, but the plasma beams did absolutely nothing when they reached his body.  Then she noticed the dust cloud that had formed around him.

Luffa swooped down and took a closer look.  Her shots had passed through the Shockmaster, only to blast at the ground beneath him, and kick up the dirt, which also passed through his massive body.   She recalled that she had heard about this ability before.  The last time she had fought the Shockmaster, he had been in some sort of deep meditation just before their battle.  During that meditation, he was completely intangible, and his ki was drastically reduced.  

But what good did it do him to use this power in the middle of a fight?   Luffa couldn't hurt him, but neither could he hurt her.  Did he seriously expect her to just leave and give him a chance to escape?  She had worked too hard for this victory to walk away now.  

"I’ve worked too hard... and so have you..." she muttered to herself as she crouched next to his body.  "There has to be a tactical purpose to this.  I just need to connect it with your objective, and--"

She suddenly clasped her hand over her mouth as the answer came to her.  

*******

"FOOLS!  DID YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOU COULD HIDE THE RECOLLECTOR FROM ME?!"

Without warning, the Shockmaster was there in the bar with them.  Woodcock rose from his seat to confront him.

"Private party, mate," he grumbled.  "Bugger on off."

"Scotch, let me handle this!" M’ranga said as she stepped in front of him.  "We need you to maintain the telepathic link!"

"That’s the point, love," Woodcock muttered.  "This whole place is just a mental construct.  If he’s here, talkin’ to us, then it’s down to me to kick him out."

"YOU THINK YOU HAVE ANY ADVANTAGE HERE?" the Shockmaster bellowed.  "YOU’RE EVEN MORE HELPLESS AGAINST ME THAN IN THE REAL WORLD!  ALL I WANT IS THE RECOLLECTOR, AND NOW--!"

He raised his hand, and a stream of lightning arced across the room, striking the large prism on the table.  Zatte backed away, but continued to watch the displays on the device.

"Zatte!" Tobiko cried.  "Shut it down!"

"I can’t!" she shouted after a suspenseful moment at the controls.  "What the hell is he doing?!"

"WHAT I CAME HERE TO DO!" he said.  "WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING TO DO FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!  AND NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME!  NOT LUFFA, AND CERTAINLY NONE OF YOU!"

"Luffa?   What did you do to her?!" Zatte demanded.   "Answer me!"

He gave no reply, other than to laugh as the tendril of electricity danced from his finger.  Before her, the Recollector’s displays flickered with readouts and instructions.

"He’s controlling it remotely," Tobiko said.  "It’s a telepathic interface... but the Shockmaster never displayed this kind of ability before--!"

"Bollocks!"  Woodcock growled.  He stormed toward the Shockmaster, ready to fight.  "Don’t care what-all he can do, he’s in my world now, and that means--!"

As he reached out to grab the Shockmaster, he was suddenly enveloped in bolts of violet lightning.  Woodcock began to convulse where he stood.  When the Shockmaster finally swatted him away and knocked him to the ground, it seemed almost merciful.

"YOUR MENTAL POWERS MAY BE FORMIDABLE INDEED," the Shockmaster proclaimed.  "BUT YOU’LL NEVER OVERPOWER MY FORCE OF WILL!  NONE OF YOU CAN!"

"We’ll see about that," Zatte said grimly.  "We might not be able to beat you, but I’ve spent a few weeks figuring out how to operate this kind of tech.  And if I shut it off, all that force of will means nothing!"

"FOOL!  IT WAS YOUR ACTIVATION OF THE RECOLLECTOR THAT ALLOWED ME TO SENSE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!  THE RECOLLECTOR WAS DESIGNED FOR MY PEOPLE TO USE!  AN OUTSIDER LIKE YOU COULD NEVER OVERRIDE MY COMMANDS!"

"Yeah, but in the real world, I’m standing a lot closer to this thing than you,” Zatte said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.  “I’m betting that gives me some kind of edge.”

"THEN I’LL DEAL WITH YOU FIRST!" the Shockmaster said.

"You’ll have to kill me," Zatte said defiantly.  "I know what you plan to do with this thing!   You're going to expose millions of people to lethal doses of radiation!  I won’t just stand by and let you murder everyone on Extraliga."

He raised his hand and pointed at Zatte, who ducked behind the thoughtform of the Recollector as best she could.  She didn’t know what else to do.  Disconnecting herself from this mental conference seemed useless.  It would allow her to hide her own person, but if the Shockmaster could operate the Recollector from anywhere on the planet, then there was nowhere to run.  The only chance lay in opposing him, and the only place to do that was where she stood.

But she couldn’t oppose him, not for more than a few seconds.  She was reminded of her last stand on the Durlo Prime colony, knowing that all she could do was buy time, and very little of it, and for a very high price.  

She set her jaw and waited for whatever came next.

The Shockmaster stomped towards her, his massive arms reaching out for her.

And then, the entire pub was engulfed in golden flames.

"WHAT--?!" the Shockmaster snarled. 

As he glanced around in confusion, Zatte smiled.

"Bastard!  Did you think you could sneak past me, Shockmaster?!" Luffa screamed.  "Me?"

"IT CAN’T BE!" he shouted.  "NOT NOW!"

The form of Luffa seemed to coalesce from the flames.  She went straight for the Shockmaster and began punching him.

"You coward," Luffa screeched.  "I told you before: You have to get through me before you get to the Recollector!  A warrior would have accepted that challenge.  But you--!  You tried to trick your way around me!  Well it won’t work!"

"NO!" the Shockmaster protested.  The flames licked at his body, and he cried out in pain.  Zatte looked to the others, and saw that they were all surrounded by yellow fire, but none of them were harmed.    It actually felt pleasant to her, though the bar was quickly turning into a smoldering wreck.

"YOUR WILLPOWER CANNOT BE GREATER THAN MINE!" he screamed.  "YOU CANNOT BE DOING THIS!"

Zatte knew better, although she saw no need to explain it aloud.  Again, she was reminded of the last battle of Dorlu Prime, and the image of Luffa, drenched in blood, fighting well after the battle was lost.  Zatte spared a moment to admire her wife in action, then returned her attention to the Recollector.

And then suddenly, the two combatants were both gone.  The yellow flames were gone as well, and the damaged they had done to the bar vanished with them.    Woodcock rose to his feet and straightened his black hat.

"What happened?" M’ranga asked.

"I managed to sever the connection between us an’ them," Woodcock explained.  "Couldn’t do it before, but once they started fighting...  Well, I think she musta helped me out.  Doubt I could do much of anything to that crazy bint if she didn’t want me to.  Like a bloody tornado, she is."

He glanced back at Zatte and quickly added: "Er, no offense, of course."

"None taken," Zatte said.  "She’d probably consider that a compliment... Oh no..."

"What is it?" Tobiko asked.

Zatte’s fingers scrambled over the interface display as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.   "I... I have control over the Recollector again, but it's too late!  He managed to set it for a retrieval!"

"Can you cancel the command?" M’ranga asked.

"No, it’s locked in," Zatte said anxiously.

"How ’bout pullin’ the plug?" Woodcock suggested.

Zatte nodded and spent a moment at the controls.  When she looked up again, her expression was even more worried than before.

"I can’t!"

NEXT: Countdown to Extinction