Background of the Study 

William Gibson is a Canadian Science Fiction author with a crazy talent to prophesize the internet’s future. Not actually, but he came pretty close with “Neuromancer”.
Gibson’s writing style includes short, descriptive sentences that are able to gather the best angles to view and perceive action through writing. Gibson also is able to make characters that feel fictional and realistic through the way he humanizes them in his stories.
In “Neuromancer”, William Gibson created new meanings for tech-y words like “matrix” and “cyberspace”. We constantly use these words today, but Gibson was able to create the context and story that allows us to visualize what matrices and cyberspaces are.

Literature Review
Twenty-four year-old Henry Dorsett Case was a talented computer hacker before he stole from his employers. In response, they maimed him by injecting a mycotoxin into his central nervous system. It rendered him incapable of inserting his consciousness into the cyberspace known as the matrix. After a year of visiting illegal clinics and unsuccessfully finding a cure, Case is now a depressed, drug-addicted, borderline suicidal hustler in the futuristic metropolis of Chiba City, Japan.
Molly, a mercenary who works for an enigmatic ex-military leader named Armitage, approaches Case. Armitage has promised to correct Case’s neural damage if he agrees to do a hacking job. Excited at the prospect of getting back into cyberspace, Case agrees to do the job without knowing all the details about it or much about his new boss.
As payment for curing Case, Armitage gives an illegal clinic the technology to perform the procedure. Unbeknownst to Case, Armitage arranges for small sacs of the same mycotoxin that maimed him to be placed in Case’s bloodstream. Armitage later tells Case that if the job is completed on time, he will arrange for the poison to be removed. Otherwise the sacs will erupt, crippling his nervous system once again. Armitage also instructs the clinic to give Case a new pancreas and graft a special tissue to his liver, leaving Case unable to break down illegal drugs. This effectively cures Case’s drug addiction.
While Case and Molly have a working relationship, they also begin a sexual relationship. Molly has reservations about Armitage and tells Case to look into his background. The couple travels to New York to complete the first part of the job. They are supposed to break into the vaults of the media corporation Sense/Net and steal a computer storage device containing the saved consciousness of one of Case’s mentors, the legendary hacker McCoy Pauley. Case plants a virus in the Sense/Net network while Molly works with a street gang called the “Panther Moderns,” who simulate a terrorist attack. This allows Molly to get into the building and steal the storage device.
Case and Molly investigate Armitage and find out he is really Colonel Willis Corto, a member of a failed military operation that tried to attack Soviet computer systems from an airplane. The operation went horribly wrong. Corto was the only survivor, and he needed extensive medical treatment and reconstructive surgery for his injuries. Corto also suffered a mental breakdown after the operation. He was last known to work in the criminal underworld.
Molly and Case also discover that Armitage works for a powerful artificial intelligence named Wintermute that was created by the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool family. The family is run like a corporation and uses cloning and cryogenic stasis to guarantee that the same members of the family are always in control. The Tessier-Ashpool family live in Villa Straylight, a mansion located in Freeside, an orbital space habitat that is also a resort getaway for the rich.
At Armitage’s instruction, the team travels to Istanbul to recruit Peter Riviera, a sadistic performer and drug addict who is able to project holograms using his implants. Whatever Riviera imagines, you see. Armitage convinces him to do a job for him. The team heads to Freeside. Molly buys enough drugs to supply Riviera’s expensive habit while they are at the resort colony.
While Case is jacked into the matrix, along with Pauley’s consciousness, Wintermute contacts Case directly and tells him that it (Wintermute) is one half of a super artificial-intelligence built by the Tessier-Ashpool family, and that it needs to merge with its other half, Neuromancer. The law bans both the construction and the merging of super AIs, so Wintermute has put together the team, led by Armitage, to achieve its goal. Case and Pauley’s job is to launch a powerful virus to break the barriers around the government and Tessier-Ashpool’s cyber locks while Riviera forms a close relationship with Lady 3Jane, the family’s current thawed clone leader. He needs to convince her to give Molly access into Villa Straylight. Molly’s job is to get a password from Lady 3Jane, a password that must be spoken into a terminal at the same time the virus breaks the cyberspace barriers.
As Molly and Riviera gain access to Villa Straylight, the Turing Police, the law enforcement branch in charge of monitoring artificial intelligence, arrest Case. Wintermute manipulates several machines and computers to kill the officers, allowing Case to escape. Under the stress of the job, Armitage begins to suffer another mental breakdown. He begins to believe that he is back in his military operation. Wintermute kills Armitage and tells Case that it knows how to remove the poison sacs from his blood, but first Case must finish the job.
Things also go awry inside Villa Straylight. Riviera betrays the team, and he and Lady 3Jane capture Molly. Case and his pilot, Maelcum, go into the mansion to help Molly, but Case is tricked into jacking into a program controlled by Neuromancer, who reveals that it does not want to join with Wintermute. Case escapes the program with Maelcum’s help and confronts Riviera, Lady 3Jane and her ninja bodyguard, Hideo.
Having grown tired of Riviera, Lady 3Jane has Hideo protect Case when Riviera tries to kill him. Riviera blinds the ninja, unaware that Hideo can perform as well in dark as he can in light due to years of practice. As Riviera tries to get away from the ninja, Molly tells them that Riviera is already dead because she has poisoned his drugs. They are already slowly killing him.
Case convinces Lady 3Jane to speak the password into the terminal and Wintermute and Neuromancer merge. The AI provides the cure to the poison in Case’s blood, and all parties are paid well for their work. The integrated AI erases all evidence of its crime and starts looking for other entities like itself. It contacts Case for the last time after the job and tells him that it has picked up transmissions from another AI in the Centauri system of space.
After the job, Molly leaves Case. He moves back to the Sprawl area of Chiba City, finds a new girlfriend and starts doing hacking work again.
https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/neuromancer/
Significance of Study
Matrix: The Prophetic Fear of the Internet and Cyberspace
“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding
https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=983#:~:text=%22Cyberspace.%20A%20consensual,city%20lights%2C%20receding.
We are thrown into the world where people jack into a matrix (long before the internet was even a thought in the public’s eye) and Artificial Intelligences run companies, but are trapped by their own programming.
Gibson creates a vivid, dangerous world, that may have seemed impossibly bizarre back in 1984, but in today’s day and age is very recognizable, even if things have not come to pass (yet) the way Gibson imagined them.
We are thrown into the world where people jack into a matrix (long before the internet was even a thought in the public’s eye) and Artificial Intelligences run companies, but are trapped by their own programming.
Gibson creates a vivid, dangerous world, that may have seemed impossibly bizarre back in 1984, but in today’s day and age is very recognizable, even if things have not come to pass (yet) the way Gibson imagined them.
https://themindreels.com/2019/07/17/neuromancer-1984-william-gibson/

References:
https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=983#:~:text=%22Cyberspace.%20A%20consensual,city%20lights%2C%20receding.

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Tarzac and the Grandi Phi
Three centuries passed after Polyganda departed the planet. Zodiac races succeeded themselves.
They migrated all over the Zodiac World.
The Zodiac race known as the Sagittarius occupied the Hosand Country. The entire Sagittarius race is half-human from the head to the torso, and half-horse from the waste down. In the Hosand Country, the Sagittarius was tribal.
There were many different Sagittarius tribes, and the tribes separated themselves from each other. The Peaceful tribes that caused no wars among other tribes were the Fug, the Appendock, the Ioti, the Eppen, and the Tyse.
Then there were the Ottes, a magical race of Sagittarius. Before mix breeding with other tribes, the Ottes were dwarfing Sagittarius.
The Ottes had wars with other tribes although not often. Also there was the Yeipa a savage tribe that was war like. Some tribes wanted to conquer the Hosand. One of the specific tribes was the Tarlic clan and the Zana clan.
A tribal king named Denomy led the Tarlic clan. The Tarlic clan invaded Sagittarius villages with their faces painted purple. The Sagittarius tribes in the Hosand feared the Tarlics because they feared they might conquer their land.
The Tarlics had intentions on conquering the Fug’s portion of land. The Fug tribe were peaceful, but overwhelmed a giant portion of land in the Hosand country. The Tarlic clan wanted to invade the Fug, but the Zana a neighboring tribe of the Fug land had intentions on invading the Fug as well. The Tarlics had to pass through Zana territory to get the Fug land. The Zana would not allow such a thing to happen. Chief Zodius headed the Zana. Zodius planned to conquer the whole Hosand Country and split the land with his seven sons.
In order for the Tarlics to pass the Fug land they would have to wage war on the Zana tribe, which they did. It was a bloody altercation that lasted for years. No one seemed to accomplish winning, so the Tarlics and the Zana came to a halt in the war. Two years later they came to an agreement to join forces and together conquer the Hosand Country. The Tarlics and the Zana clan were successful in conquering the Hosand Country. There were but a few Sagittarius tribes to oppose the Zana and Tarlics like the Ottes and Yeipa.
The Zana and Tarlics conquered the Hosand Country in two months time.
Zodius was chief of the Zana tribe who planned to split the Hosand Country into sections for his seven sons. Now, he would have to divide those small portions of the land since he joined forces with the Tarlics. Three of the sons were furious because they wanted bigger portions of land to rule, but the fact of the matter was the land they got was a sufficient proportion. Zodius’ s son, Kilagesh was the most furious. He and his brother wanted bigger portions of the land.
They respected their allies the Tarlics like the rest of the Zana tribe. The Tarlics’s customs compared to that of the Zana. So they did not want to ruin relationships with the Tarlics by starting trouble. Kilagesh and his brother plotted on ways to get bigger portions of land to rule. Latter in the years Kilagesh hungered for the whole Hosand Country.
Kilagesh ruled parts of the Fug tribe land as well as the Yeipa. Kilagesh took a Fug female as his wife. This Fug female was Illazaccomia a peasant in Zana and Tarlics eyes. Illacaccomia was his servant that he fell in love with so he took her as his wife. Illazaccomia had not felt the same about him, in time she grew to love him because Kilagesh forced his love upon her. No male could gaze upon her or Kilagesh would put him to death. The Zana and Tarlics intermingled and they called their offspring the Zambaj. The Yeipa tribes were primitive Sagittarius Savages. The Yeipa still had primitive features of the first Sagittarius. They had hair coming out of their cheekbones down to their chin. They had noses like wolves.

Hair covered the bodies of the Yeipa all over men and women. It was rumored that at night they would howl at the moon. The tribal king was the Mighty Requin. Requin was furious about the occupation of his land by the Tarlics and Zana tribe. The Mighty Requin along with other Yeipa plotted to assassinate all the Tarlic and Zana leaders so the Yeipa could have their land back.
By some uncanny way Requin found some way to assassinate Denomy king of the Tarlics, Zodius chief of the Zana and six of his sons only Kilagesh remained alive. It was rumored that Kilagesh helped Requin to assassinate all of the leaders so Kilagesh could ascend to rule the Hosand land. It was not that simple once the leaders were killed, Kilagesh did not have the power to hold the tribes under his control. Kilagesh would not accept that. He went on a demonic crusade to unite the tribes together, so; Kilagesh and Kilagesh alone could rule the Sagittarius. With the Tarlics and the Yeipa’s help, Kilagesh would be successful.
Zambaj and the Yeipa tribe had become Kilagesh’s loyal servants. The army of Kilagesh forced the tribes to unify under one nation that only Kilagesh would rule. The Yeipa tribe ruled by Requin was under agreement with Kilagesh; that after the unification period Kilagesh would not rule the Yeipa. Kilagesh respected their agreement and the Yeipa were free.
There was a Sagittarius named Denomy from the Ottes Clan that opposed Kilagesh’s Unification crusade. Zimbaj soldiers were ordered to murder Denomy. Denomy fled with his wife and child- the Zimbaj chased Denomy and his family onto a nearby beach. The Zimbaj soldiers murdered Denomy and his wife and left their son alive. Their toddler son was abandoned on the beach.
On the beach rested, the Temple of Libra. Later that day, a Libra priestess whose name was Cleo was walking along the beach consequently she found the toddler Sagittarius on the beach alongside his dead parents crying and hugging them. Cleo took the toddler Sagittarius inside the Temple of Libra. Cleo washed his parents’ blood off his chest. Cleo and the other priestess tried to stop him from crying eventually they did. The Libra priestess felt it wasn’t safe to return the toddler to the Hosand forests where the Sagittarius resided. The Libra priestess decided to let the toddler Sagittarius live in the temple. Cleo took it upon herself to raise him. No male had ever lived in the temple they named him Tarzac which meant new tradition.
Time passed when Tarzac was eight (in human years), he was very knowledgeable. There is a huge library of scrolls in the Temple of Libra. In this library consisted factual information of the entire world. Tarzac read the whole library by eight. He was taught all the languages of the Zodiacs and he learned a number of magic spells.
As more time passed when Tarzac was seventeen (in human years), he was very unhappy in the temple. Tarzac was haunted constantly by his parent’s death. In his dreams, Tarzac’s Parents would come to him in his dreams telling him to avenge their death. In his entire time of living in the temple he never was aloud to leave the perimeters of the beach.
One day Tarzac (still seventeen in human years) lied.
He asked the Libra priestess permission to leave the temple. He informed them that he wanted to explore the world and live with his own race and learn his culture. The Libra granted him his wish. They knew he wasn’t a Libra and could not stay in the temple forever. The truth was he wanted to leave the temple to avenge his parents’ death. The Libra would never of let him leave to disobey Polyganda’s rules.
Tarzac knew many things but he lacked fighting skills. Once he read in a scroll about Drex a Grandi Phi who was the greatest warrior. He lived in Che, a land months away from the temple. Che was stated in the scrolls as a very dangerous land where savage Grandi Phi dwelt. No outsider came to Che the reason being that they were petrified there was myth a demon lived in Che. This demon known as the dragon~snake was alleged to have turned the savages into slaves. That was all that was written in the Che scrolls usually Tarzac read more detailed writing in the scrolls he found the briefness peculiar.
After leaving the Temple he traveled to Che to find Drex. He wanted Drex to teach him how to be a warrior. On Tarzac’s journey to Che he passed two countries. The first country was Sod which was a peninsula covered with dark green grass. It was always windy in Sod; the wind was like music to Tarzac’s ears. The wind would carry the smell of the ocean. When he reached the highlands of Sod, he came upon a village where a race of hermaphroditic women occupied the village known as Virgos. A race of sea goats known as the Capricorn also dwelt there. The Virgos lived in the highlands because the lowlands of Sod would flood frequently and the lowlands were extremely mountainous. The Virgo coexists with the Capricorn. The Capricorn helped the Virgo migrate the land.

Tarzac reached the country Che, and the land was covered in mud. The natives of the land were known as the Grandi Phi. The Grandi Phi is bipedal ape-like creatures that have soft prickles on there back. They slouch when they walk.
As Tarzac entered Che the barbaric Grandi Phi stared at him in awe. Tarzac was a strange beast to the Grandi Phi. Hundreds of Grandi Phi was sitting on mud; and they all were circled around several different campfires. Lying beside them were wooden clubs and wooden swords. The Grandi Phi ran towards Tarzac to investigate the strange beast. Tarzac horrified stood in fear. Numerous Grandi Phi circled him and molester his body. Soon after a creature flew above their heads, and the barbaric Grandi Phi ran screaming. The creature was huge in length it was a dragon with a rattlesnake tail. It landed on the ground. After that the creature altered into a bipedal man. This man wore an (Arabic garment). He stood in front of Tarzac and screamed–
“What brings you to my land Sagittarius! This is my country. Trespassers must be my slaves or my food! I am Garranzana de loco… Hear me… I am Garranzana de loco!”
Yelled the creature, to Tarzac.
“I came to Che to find the great warrior Drex! If I meant you harm sir, I apologize!”
Sarcastically said Tarzac.
“Boy. None of these savages or any one has spoken to me with such, such… bravery. You seem determined to find Drex. I will let you pass. Hell I’ll even show you where he dwells. At the end of Che in the mountain of Kebosha; you will find Drex.”
Said Garranzana de loco. Instantly he altered back into a dragon with a rattlesnake tail. Then he flew away into the sky. Tarzac became amazed. Soon after, Tarzac journeyed to the Kebosha Mountain. The journey to the mountain took several hours time. He walked up the mountain for about an hour until he reached a cave in the mountain. Tarzac entered the moist and dark cave in the Kebosha Mountain. Laid on the floor was an old Grandi Phi facing the wall. This elderly Grandi Phi was covered in his own urine scratching himself. Tarzac uncertain yelled out
“Drex?”
The old Grandi Phi did not answer, so Tarzac shouted out louder.
“Drex?”
Then the elderly Grandi Phi slowly lifted himself off the floor. Sluggishly, the Grandi Phi made his way over to Tarzac. Tarzac was horrified at the sight of the horrible smelling creature. The Grandi Phi stood next to Tarzac silent. The Grandi Phi started to pet Tarzac’s mane. Momentarily, Tarzac shoved the old Grandi Phi on the cave ground.
“I did not come here to be petted. Are you Drex, or aren’t you?”
Shouted Tarzac. The Grandi Phi coughed then replied.
“Yes. I am Drex. You have to excuse me. I do crazy things and so does everyone in the land of Che. You see the dark one put a ground opal underneath the Kebosha Mountain. It makes everyone mad and vulnerable. The dark one can take advantage of us.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you down. I usually don’t get angry.”
Stated Tarzac.
“That is alright you have been affected by the opal”
Replied Drex.
“Who is the dark one?”
Asked Tarzac.
“The dragon ~ snake.”
Answered Drex.
“ Garranzana de loco?”
Questioned Tarzac.
“ AAAHHHH”
Screamed Drex as he fell to the ground.
“What? What is it?”
Tarzac asked nervously.
“Never say his Name!”
Yelled Drex as he fell to on to the ground shivering.
Soon after the mountain shock, and a strong wind blew. The dragon ~ snake flew into the cave and altered suddenly into the man again. The dragon ~ snake furious yelled out with a deep voice.
“ Tarzac. You disrespect me twice! Once when we talked on the muddy plain. Now you call my name. Now you are I. Tarzac. I call your name now I am you. Your ambition will be mine and mine yours. You have been cursed and blessed.
Hear me Drex! Your years are numbered help this boy become a great warrior or you will be cursed as well. Travel to the land of Estmar, both of you; seek the witch, the warrior, and the prophet Spellbinder. Tell her the prophecy is being fulfilled. I will seek you out Tarzac when the old Grandi Phi dies. Then you will pay a debt. Speak my name no more.”
Then he altered back into a dragon ~ snake and flew away.
“No. This can not be I did nothing”
Said Drex, as he put his hands over his face and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I did not know. How was I supposed to know that you couldn’t speak his name?”
Stated Tarzac.
Then the old Grandi Phi angrily replied –
“Everyone knows the legend in the Zodiac World to never say his name!”
“Well you see I was kind of out of sync with the world, you see I…”
Tarzac said trying to explain.
“I don’t want to know…now come let us go to Estmar.”
Drex commanded.
“Why must we obey this dragon ~ snake?”
Questioned Tarzac.
“Fool! He will kill us both.”
Angrily replied Drex.
Drex angrily walked to the end of the cave, grabbed some kind of a weapon. Then Drex stormed out of the cave. After that, Tarzac followed Drex out of the cave. Tarzac wanted to make some kind of conversation but he was afraid. Drex carried a strange weapon in his hand that made Tarzac very uncomfortable. Tarzac silently followed Drex down the Kebosha Mountain.
Estmar was on the other side of the Kebosha Mountain. As they traveled around then down the mountain Drex thought to himself that he should not be mad at Tarzac. Drex felt that Tarzac was young and it wasn’t Tarzac’s fault if he did not know not to say the dragon ~ snake’s name. What the dragon ~ snake commanded of Drex was not that horrendous, but Drex was angry, horrified, and felt sick to his stomach that he had been given commands by the dark one. Drex was an ancient being, and he knew now that he was a servant of the dark one.
Drex started to talk to Tarzac when they came upon Estmar. Drex explained to Tarzac that Estmar was the land of the dead. Estmar was occupied with mostly souls that could not rest. Their death was misfortune by a villain who slain them for no particular reason. Black clouds covered the land’s sky. Heavy winds blew against their faces and the wind seemed to Tarzac like it was screaming, “help”. Estmar was a giant forest. The branches on the trees were like arms that were trying to reach out and grab Drex and Tarzac as they walked. The both of them were getting very aggravated for walking an endless path. After a while of gruesome walking they rested by a bush. Then the old Grandi Phi started a conversation.
“Tarzac. Why did you come to me anyway?”
“To become a great warrior, so that I can avenge my parents death.”
Tarzac answered.
“ I am no warrior. I’m a killer. I killed innocent men, women, and children in the heat of war. A warrior is honorable and goes by codes of knighthood. This old Grandi never did I did whatever I felt like. You came to me to become a killer not a warrior. Revenge is not the way of a warrior. Remember these words.”
Drex went on to speak.
Instantly, a Scorpio woman came out of the ground very slowly. (A Scorpio is half human from the head to the torso, and half scorpion from the waist down. The Scorpio as well as the Sagittarius at this time wore no clothing. Male and Female torso were exposed.) The Scorpio woman emerged from the ground, her tail lashed out and wrapped around Drex’s neck.
She angrily stated.
“You…Drex are forbidden here!”
Drex was choking and sluggishly projected his voice.
“I…I know but the…”
Momentarily, two pebbles on fire rapidly hit the Scorpio woman in her chest. Stunned and hurt by this, her reaction was that she dropped Drex onto the ground. Drex grasped for air. The Scorpio woman had made a hissing sound. She pointed in Tarzac’s direction and yelled out in anger.
“You …you did that!”
The woman was about to lash her stinger into Tarzac’s chest, but Drex stopped her by shouting out…
“Wait the dragon ~ snake brought us here!”
In seconds she backed up as if she seen a ghost, and her eyes widened in fright.
“Drex, you are an ally of the dark-one?”
Questioned the Scorpio woman.
“No mistress a slave.”
Replied Drex.
“It can not be. Not the great and magnicfent king of warriors. How can this be?”
Stated the Scorpio woman.
“I was with this Sagittarius while he called his name.”
“No madman even speaks his name…Drex involved in such tragedy there is definitely justice. Polyganda has punished you for your sins.”
A silence fell on the three of them for a minute. They stood motionless to catch their breath. Everything was going really fast for Drex and Tarzac. Soon after, the Scorpio spoke again.
“Why did the dark one send you?”
“To seek the Spellbinder.”
Drex answered.
“Is the Spellbinder in captivity?”
Tarzac whispered to Drex.
“Yes. She is.”
Replied Drex.
“Why, and who is this women?”
Tarzac asked.
“Tarzac that is enough…didn’t your asking questions get us in enough trouble…let me do the talking.”
Drex interrupted angrily.
“I must know who is this women, and why was she trying to kill us.”
Tarzac said.
“I am Arboreal an enchantress, and the caretaker of Estmar. You see Tarzac. Estmar is the land of the un rested souls. Those who are responsible for the ghost’s death can not enter my sacred land, or they will become prisoners of the dead by dying by my hands.”
Then Tarzac confused asked…
“So Spellbinder is dead?”
“Yes, but she can be released although I do not desire to do so. The reason is because the Spellbinder is evil, and can not reform like you Drex her crimes are unforgivable.”
Arboreal said as she pointed directly at Drex.
“Do not play self righteous games with me Mistress I have reformed!”
“Have you Drex, after all, you work with the dark one.”
“A slave I am!”
Shouted Drex.
“Lies!”
Shouted Arboreal.
“Mistress it is true believe me besides you reformed. Remember, you were thought to be evil not long ago. The Libra Enforcer Jasmine hunted you, when you stole the Crystal Jade, for that is how you got your mystical powers. Please Mistress release the Spellbinder are lives are in great jeopardy.”

Arboreal head bowed down and she said softly.
“Very well. She will be released.”
Drex smiled, and humbly bowed down to her and stated…
“Thank you, Enchantress.”
After that, she smiled and bowed to him in return.
“Drex, your banishment from Estmar is revoked. You and Tarzac may camp here until my powers are at their highest point which is tomorrow night when the first moon crosses with the second one.”
Suddenly she descended into the ground. Tarzac was completely amazed. Tarzac never knew the world he lived in was so magical. He did not know anything about the world he lived in he was sheltered, and only knew what the Libras told him which was read to him in scrolls. One thing Tarzac longed for was to know about his Sagittarius Culture, and the world he lived. When nightfall came, Tarzac and Drex sat at a campfire. There was a weapon that Drex had by his side since they left the cave in the Kebosha Mountains. While the two sat at the camp fire, the old Grandi Phi picked it up and said…
“This is your first lesson in being a great warrior which is how to use the Grandi Phi grook.”
The grook was an axe like weapon. It had a wooden handle, and on top of the handle was a curved blade. That night around the campfire Drex taught Tarzac how to use the grook. Tarzac learned styles of the grook that others could not master for weeks.
The next day-when nightfall came upon Estmar the first moon crossed with the second, and Mistress Arboreal the Enchantress arose from the ground in front of Tarzac and Drex. Tarzac would become more amazed every time she emerged from the ground.
She told the two to stand next to her during the procedure of bringing back the Spellbinder. As the two stood next to her she snapped her fingers, and black fire appeared in front of them. That made Tarzac even more astounded. He knew magic, but nothing of such magnitude. At that moment in time he wanted to have great power like Arboreal the Enchantress. Along side Arboreal they stood. Drex and Tarzac were told to be completely silent as Arboreal said the spell. As she said her spell, Arboreal screamed out –
“Black fire ascend!”
Arboreal had then looked up at the sky and yelled-

“The protector of you asks a favor. Spit out your prisoner the Spellbinder!”
At that moment, the Scorpio woman’s eyes rolled above her head as she spoke her body vibrated rapidly. Suddenly there was a rumble in the ground where the black fire burned. Tarzac’s eyes became enlarged because a woman wearing a veil over her face, a tunic, and sandals rose out of the black fire unharmed. Then ghostly figures flew around this woman. The woman who came from the fire fell to the ground, and resumed unconscious.
Arboreal spoke.

“In order for the Spellbinder to live again you must take her to Bismet the next country. In Bismet she can be revived by palmnocy that comes from Ebony trees.”
Tarzac lifted the unconscious Spellbinder. Drex and Tarzac left Estmar, the land of the dead, to journey to Bismet right of the forest land Estmar.
Tarzac was eager to reach Bismet as they walked because Drex had informed Tarzac that Sagittarius lived in Bismet. Drex on the other hand was not so enthusiastic to reach Bismet because the Spellbinder would revive once they retrieved palmnocy from an Ebony tree. Drex was terrified of the fact that such an evil force like the Spellbinder had to be brought back to life. Drex was not terrified of Spellbinder, but what evil schemes she might plague on the world. Drex had fought side-by-side Spellbinder in many battles and wars many years ago; therefore, he knew what evil things she was capable. He was even more frightened of what curse had the dark one put on Tarzac, and he also felt sorry for Tarzac because no one could help him.
Snow covered the ground and strong winds came from all direction when they entered Bismet. The further Drex and Tarzac walked the snow and mud deepened in inches. Tarzac could not adapt to such a low temperature he had gotten hypothermia. Tarzac could not go on walking including carrying Spellbinder. Drex setup a fire and left Tarzac and an unconscious Spellbinder by the fire while Drex went off to collect palmnocy in a near by forest.
Later, Drex came back with palmnoccy that he collected in a small cotton pouch. A snow Sagittarius woman stood over Tarzac, and tended to his hypothermia. (A snow Sagittarius has white mane, and Caucasian complexions.) This snow Sagittarius had blue eyes and blonde hair. She wrapped deer fur around Tarzac’s bare chest, and as Drex came back from the woods he seen this and from a minute distance Drex yelled out
“ Thank you for tending to my friend”
She then replied…
“Anything for another Sagittarius”
Drex walked towards her, and he shook her hand,
“My name is Drex.”
“Nice to meet you my name is Trishca.”
The snow Sagittarius stated.

Moments later after Trishca introduced herself to Drex, Drex bent over Spellbinder, and rubbed palmnocy that was a creamy white substance on an unconscious Spellbinder’s forehead.
A minute passed when Drex rubbed palmnocy on Spellbinder’s forehead. Spellbinder then levitated in the air and, opened her eyes. Spellbinder looked to Tarzac then the snow Sagittarius, Trishca and last Drex.
“Why have you freed me Drex?”
Spellbinder asked.
Then Drex answered…
“The prophecy is being fulfilled.”
Spellbinder smiled smugly, and descended to the ground then stood on her feet. Spellbinder made Tarzac uncomfortable because Spellbinder gave Tarzac a devilish smile when she looked at him.
“Please the three of you come with me for shelter.”
Trishca pleaded.
“Thank you once again we shall take you up on your offer.”
Drex replied.
Trishca led them to a big hill not far from where they set up a camp. A silver horn hung around Trishca’s chest. Trishca took the horn from around her neck and blew it. A doorway had magically appeared in front of them. They then followed the snow Sagittarius in the doorway and the doorway closed. The place in which Trishca led them was a cave like place that was pitch black, and the only light were torches that hung along the walls. Trishca took a torch that hung from the wall, and led them through a tunnel. As they came out of the tunnel, she opened another door with her silver horn. They entered the doorway and a wonderful flora of all kinds covered a cave like green house.

“This is a safe haven for us snow Sagittarius. My people are hunted by Piedra reptile men that hunt us for food during the spring.”
“I am familiar with the race.”
Spellbinder stated.
“Yes, well the Piedra killed my father—King Mulech leaving me in charge of my people. I alone hold the horn to open the safe haven. My race and I are safe from the savage Piedra as they now hibernate.
“Why don’t you defend yourselves?”
Asked Tarzac.

“ We the Snow Sagittarius do not believe in violence.”
Trishca replied.
“Defending themselves against the Piedra is a useless task. The Piedra are lethal predators and powerful.”
Spellbinder said.
“You should know.”
Drex stated.
“What does that mean Drex?”
Tarzac questioned
“Nothing Tarzac.”
Drex answered.
Trishca aided them with food and proper clothing for Bismet weather. For a week Tarzac, Drex, and the Spellbinder stayed in the cave-like greenhouse until Tarzac was healed, and Spellbinder rested. They came to stay with the snow Sagittarius outside of the magic haven. Tarzac, Drex, and the Spellbinder were given separate shelter. The snow Sagittarius supplied them with tepees that the snow Sagittarius dwelt. They were all welcomed to stay in Bismet as long as they wanted.
Months passed…
Drex, Spellbinder, and Tarzac stayed in the land of Bismet. In the time passed Tarzac became an equal of Drex in the art of a warrior. Tarzac loved living in Bismet. The inhabitants of Bismet were Sagittarius. Tarzac never associated with his own race. Staying in Bismet made him happy. He hated the fact that he had to leave one day to carry out his curse the dark one gave him. He learned a lot about his Sagittarius race in Bismet. He especially did not want to leave because Trishca and Tarzac had fallen in love with each other. They had a serious relationship and lived together.
Tarzac wondered what the prophecy was, as well as the dragon ~ snake, and the Spellbinder. Tarzac had come to find out that the Spellbinder’s name was La Luz that meant in Grandi Phi language the daughter of the evil one. She also had many other names in different Zodiac languages. Spellbinder was a faithful servant of the dragon~ snake. Drex knew many things about La Luz, but never told Tarzac because some stories involved him, and he did not want Tarzac to know his evil past. Drex never spoke to La Luz. Tarzac was told by La Luz that Drex was mad at her for something she did in the past.
She was such a mystery to Tarzac. He wondered why she always wore a veil over her face. Also he wondered why the dark one wanted her freed from Estmar. What role did she have to play in the curse Tarzac was given? Tarzac would often come in her tent to try to figure her out; they would carry on conversations. She would never answer his questions when he asked her about herself and her past. La Luz taught him mysteries of the world, and often black magic. Drex would try to persuade Tarzac not to learn black magic. Drex thought being a warrior and a magician did not mix. He thought a warrior should just be a warrior. Drex said such magic could turn one mad, but Tarzac did not listen. Drex preferred Tarzac did not even go near La Luz. Tarzac would continuously visit the Spellbinder. La Luz became infatuated with Tarzac.
Later in time, Trishca had conceived a child, and that infuriated Spellbinder. While Trishca and Tarzac slept one night, La Luz crept in Trishca and Tarzac’s tent. Tyk beans cause Sagittarius to have miscarriages. La Luz did not want Trishca to have a baby so she rubbed Tyk beans on Trishca’s stomach. Then La Luz silently crept back out of their tent. That night several hours later Trishca had a miscarriages.
A week after, the spring was coming in Bismet. The Piedra would soon come out of hibernation. Drex became seriously ill and died. Drex gave Tarzac his grook before he died which meant a lot to Tarzac. Drex was given a Grandi Phi funeral. Drex limbs were severed, incense was being burned, and he was then cremated. The snow Sagittarius was gathering to go to their safe haven. Tarzac was petrified because the dark one said once Drex died he would come for Tarzac. He explained to Trishca that he had to leave and why. She could not come with him because he did not know what the dark one would do to her besides she had a people to lead. It killed him to leave her there. Trishca was already very emotionally vulnerable from the death of their unborn mare. Trishca was saddened and devastated that Tarzac had to leave but she understood. She knew he would have to leave some day. Trishca just wished that she would see Tarzac again one day.
Tarzac was at such a low point in his life. He felt that the worst ordeal he had to encounter was happening simultaneous. First, Trishca’s miscarriage then Drex’s death, and last he had to leave Trishca behind. He felt as if his heart was being pulled out of his chest. He felt like dying, and parts of his soul felt dead. He felt alone, and scarred like when his parents were slaughtered by soldiers.

Spellbinder and Tarzac left Bismet. Spellbinder, a servant of the dragon ~ snake led Tarzac to where he would find the dragon ~ snake. Tarzac was scarred of the unknown future. What must he do to partake in with this curse? What would happen to him? At the boundary of Bismet that was still forestland they stumbled upon disgusting looking creatures that were the Piedra. There were twenty alligator men 15 feet away from Tarzac and Spellbinder. The Piedra started to creep towards Tarzac and La Luz. Tarzac became baffled and frightened. All the Piedra were dark green but there was one that was brown. The brown Piedra bowed down to La Luz, and then kissed her hand.

Then the brown Piedra shockingly said
“La Luz, you live!”
“Yes Mahogany. Rise…the prophecy is fulfilled.”
Spellbinder stated.
Then the twenty Piedra snarled in cadence with their heads raised to the sky.
“Finally!”
Stated another alligator man.
Tarzac stood confused, and disgusted. Disgusted because La Luz was hugging and shaking hands with repulsive looking creatures that drooled as La Luz and the Pietra talked. Tarzac did not know what they all meant when they stated the word prophecy. He was curious about the subject. One thing that Tarzac gathered on the subject of the prophecy was that he himself was part of this.
Nightfall was coming. Spellbinder (La Luz), Tarzac, and the twenty Piedra made camp. Tarzac felt uncomfortable being around La Luz’s comrades the Piedra. The Piedra were said to be savages that preyed on Sagittarius. Spellbinder told Tarzac that the alligator men were reminises of her old army. They were now nomads. She told Tarzac that the twenty Piedra were civilized Piedra. They were uncivilized in Tarzac’s eyes. The Piedra who hunt snow Sagittarius are considered to be the uncivilized Piedra to the civilized Piedra. As the twenty civilized Piedra traveled through the country time came for them to hibernate. Knowing Piedra dwelt in Bismet that in which they were close too decided to hibernate with the uncivilized Piedra for the winter. Now they came out of hibernation to find their old comrade Spellbinder. La Luz also explained to Tarzac that the civilized Piedra were a preying race. She clarified it was in their nature to be so. The uncivilized Piedra were cannibal at times and terrorized all beings. Additionally she told him that the civilized Piedra were like family, and loyal followers of her father, the dark one (the dragon snake). Tarazc became horrified and sick to his stomach as well as intrigued to how La Luz a humanoid could be the daughter of a dragon ~ snake.

“How can this be?”
Asked Tarzac.

“The dark one birthed me from black fire and his semen.”
Answered Spellbinder.

Black fire was said all through the Zodiac World to birth evil beings. Spellbinder did not think she was evil.
“Just because I am born from black fire does not make me evil. What ever I do or did is and was in my nature to do so. How can people call me evil if I have feelings? You can’t be evil if you have feelings right Tarzac…?”
Tarzac said nothing. He nonchalantly listened.
“My father on the other hand never shows emotion. Only hateful emotions like Anger or jealousy. I cannot condemn him to be totally evil. He came from the world Kuman a different world, and morals could have been different. Now Tarzac we must go our separate ways. I have a destiny to fulfill as well as you.”
Spellbinder stated.
“What do you mean La Luz?”
Tarzac questioned.
“Tarzac you must go to the city Yec. This is where your parents’ murderer lives. Here are the directions. (La Luz commanded and handed him a scroll of a map.) You should leave tomorrow morning. You will from there meet my father the dark one to fulfill your curse.
Tarzac had then frowned. He was scarred to face the dragon ~ snake.
Do not be sad. This curse is a blessing as well as it is a curse. You and the dragon ~ snake are one. All things are just a point of view of things. One more thing before we go to sleep here is an amulet. Inside it holds black fire. Whenever in your lifetime you reach Caskatta give it to an entity named Arbulea.”
Spellbinder said.
La Luz then gave Tarzac this amulet. Tarzac was lost for words. She then kissed Tarzac on the cheek still with her veil on and requested…

“Tell no one of this amulet I gave you.”
Tarzac put it his satchel where the grook laid and said.
“I promise you Spellbinder I will tell no one.”

Tarzac walked for the next two weeks from Bismet until he reached the country were Spellbinder instructed him to go. La Luz told him that this country was where Tarzac’s parents’ murderer lived. The nightmare about his parents ghost telling Tarzac to avenge their death had seized for two weeks now. As he journeyed to this instructed country he wanted to go home. Then he thought what was home, the Libra Temple or Bismet? Tarzac cared about the Libra after all they had raised him. Tarzac could not stay there for life he could not be a priestess. Tarzac wanted to be in Bismet with Trishca and Sagittarius even though they were not his clan. Sadly, he had to partake in this prophecy or curse. He thought to himself what if he just ignored what the dragon ~ snake commanded what would happen. Tarzac was afraid to ignore the command, so; as he walked further in the country he just followed the command to meet the dark one.
Tarzac came upon something he never seen before something really magnificent it was a city. An enormous brick wall surrounded the city, and there was a brass gate to enter into the city. As he gazed at the brick wall a bipedal man walked in back of him in a black cloak with a hood covering his face. Tarzac witnessed this cloaked man in the corner of his eyes and turned around. This man he recognized as the dragon ~ snake (dark one) in human form.

“It is called a city. This city is called Yec. Yec is a city of Sagittarius where your parents’ murderer lives.”
The dark one stated.

Tarzac looked at the dark one in anger. He took the grook out that Drex gave him out his satchel that hung around his neck. He then swung the grook weapon around and thrust it onto the dark one’s chest to slash him. Tarzac felt a pain in his own chest. Tarzac looked down at his chest and it was bleeding. Tarzac conjured a healing spell to heal the grook injury. The dark one laughed and said

“You are I. Your pain is mine, and mine is yours. Remember the spell that I put on you. That is why you are here because I told you in Che that your desire would be mine. You want revenge on your parents, so; I will help you. Soon you will want my desires, but they will feel like yours.”

“Well, I do not want revenge anymore.”
Tarzac Stated.

“Sure you do. I feel your emotions. The thoughts of not killing them are Drex’s influence. Deep down you know you want revenge. Soon you will have more nightmares, and when you kill the murderer of your parents, your nightmares will finally end. Revenge is good in certain circumstances when someone kills your parents.”

Tarzac became confused he still wanted to take revenge. A part of him felt it was wrong. The dark one was right. Tarzac thought he probably would have the nightmares again, and the only way to stop them was to kill the murderer of his parents. He was not going to give the dark one the satisfaction of agreeing with him. He disagreed with him, and said

“You are wrong about everything, and I will not take revenge.”
The dark one replied smugly.

“ Whatever you want. Tarzac another desire of yours is behind that city gate your Sagittarius race. Indulge interest in your race. The city of Yec is inhabited with Sagittarius.”

Garranzana de loco handed Tarzac some Yec currency

“Here this is Yec currency you will need this to get around the city. Wealth is everything in cities.”
Tarzac extended his hand out to the dark one and took the currency. Then the dragon~snake magically disappeared. Tarzac held the Yec currency in his hand surprised that the dark one did not force him to do anything. Tarzac opened the rusty bronze gates and happily entered into to the city. He stepped into the city curious, nervous, and excited. His eyes widened as he laid eyes on Yec. There was a market place that consisted of thousands of Sagittarius with different colors of mane. The Sagittarius was assorted with different color skin complexions as well: white, yellow, dark yellow, and assortments of brown complexions. The market place consisted of noise, pollution of Sagittarius, and all sorts of smells, mostly food odor.
Tarzac toured the crowded market place with a smile on his face, and once he was through visiting the market place he journeyed further into the city. The rest of the city was paved of brick roads. The homes along the city were made of sand brick. There was a temple made of sand brick beyond the homes that was constructed in a field of grass. A graveyard was also in this field of grass. Beyond the temple was a castle.
Amazing was the city Yec. It was the first city of the Zodiac World. This city was build by the Sagittarius who was forced to unite by the tyrant Kilages .Yec was a desert climate. The temperature could get up to hundred and fifteen degrees in Fahrenheit. One boundary of the city was a thousand mile river. The citizens of Yec used this river for irrigation. The brick wall surrounding the city was to protect the city from its adversaries. Yec adversary was a neighboring city called the Desert City.

Tarzac walked around the city and encountered an old Sagittarius male standing around and he asked.
“Sir I am new to this place called Yec. How may I gain shelter and currency to survive?”
The old man answered.
“Shelter and currency. You are a young man. All the young men join the army for shelter and currency. It is the best paying jobs in the city unless you are a nobleman, marketer, or politician.”
“How do I join the army? I am a warrior.”
Tarzac asked and commented.
“King Kilagesh is accepting new recruits today go to the castle and sign up.”
The old man said answering Tarzac’s question.
“Thank you.”
Said Tarzac.
Tarzac then walked to the castle and saw a line of young male Sagittarius. He looked around curiously and asked a male Sagittarius in back of the line.
“Is this where you sign up for the infantry?”
“Yes this is where you sign up. My name is Ardax from the Appendock Clan.”
The young male Sagittarius answered.
“ I am Tarzac from the country Bismet.”
“Free Sagittarius dwell there I’ve heard.”
Ardax commented.
“Free?”
Questioned Tarzac.
“Free from King Kilagesh’s tyranny. Sixty tribes were forced to this region to build this city. Sixty tribes were forced to be unified under one nation one nation where some clans are oppressed.”
Ardax explained.
“I did not know.”
Sadly stated Tarzac.
“Yes. This is true. Tarzac you were better off staying in Bismet instead of coming to such a police state. I have joined the army only to get off the streets. I am so tired of living on the streets.”
Ardax said.
“I have come to sign up for currency and shelter.”
Tarzac stated.
“As all the young soldiers.”
Ardax commented.
Tarzac lived in Yec for a month. Tarzac earned his living by being a soldier in the Yec army. He was happy to be with Sagittarius although the city was not as friendly like being in Bismet. In Bismet Tarzac did not need currency or work to survive. Soldiers in Yec were trained in the art of bow and arrow that was a Sagittarius form of combat as well as other strategic military forms. Soldiers in Yec were mostly corrupt if they worked on the street they conducted police duties, and enforced the king’s tyranny on the peasants. They were called the Cite’te’te’. Another duty of soldiers of Yec was to protect the castle. Being a soldier, politician or nobleman, and working in the market place was the best jobs to have in the city on a money basis and in those positions one rarely felt oppression like the others. It also had to do with what tribe one came too face oppression.
Tarzac lived in the soldiers’ corridor that was in the castle. His rank in the army was a private. His only companion in the city was private Ardax who joined the army the same time Tarzac did. Tarzac’s duty was that he was guard in a section of the castle. No one knew where Tarzac came from when asked he answered that he was from Bismet and left Bismet to explore city life.

Moshac was a soldier whose job was to protect the royal family that was a great honor to him. He was very muscular and it was rumored that he was a great warrior. His mane was tan and his skin complexion was dark skin. He was the third descendant of his family to be a bodyguard for the royal family. His duties shifted he would guard the king and sometimes his daughters.

Out of all the royal family Moshac was closest with Illayah. They were good friends, but he always wanted more. Moshac thought she was beautiful inside and outside. He knew a royal bodyguard could not marry King Kilagesh’s daughter only a tribal prince could and that prince would inherit the throne to Yec.
A month before Tarzac’s arrival, King Kilagesh became seriously ill. He sent out word for a magician or physician to heal him. It was an order from the king that if anyone magician or physician could heal him that they could have Illayah as their bride and he would be the heir to the throne. If a woman could heal him they would be allowed a trunk of Sagittarius gold.
During this time Tarzac stayed in Yec living in the castle, Garranzana de loco arrived in Yec making himself invisible to the Sagittarius except for Tarzac because only Sagittarius was allowed in Yec. The dark one came to Tarzac in his human form.
“What are you doing here?”
Tarzac angrily said.
“You thought you would never see me again Tarzac. Wrong. I have come to tell you about your parent’s murderer. I have done some research and found out that you are from the Ottes Clan. Your father’s name was Desand who was a tribal noble. During Kilagesh’s Unification Period Desand tried to spark a rebellion among his people against Kilagesh and his army. Kilagesh found this out and sent his soldiers after Desand and his wife who fled but were murdered.”
For the first time, Tarzac felt combined with Garranzana de loco when he told him that information he knew it to be true. Tarzac felt a deep resentment towards King Kilagesh when given this information. Tarzac felt his task to be over since King Kilagesh was very ill, and would soon die. His parent’s murderer would die by fate, and he did not have to avenge their death.
“Well I do not have to avenge my parent’s death fate will take care of it.”
“Maybe you should heal King Kilagesh.”
Garranzana de loco said.
“Why?”
Tarzac questioned.
“To become heir…”
Garranzana de loco said.
“I could be a better King than King Kilagesh someone for the people.”
Tarzac bragged.
“I know you can. You will be helping all the Sagittarius of Yec if you become heir to the throne and latter kill Kilagesh.
The dark one coaxed him.
Tarzac had a justification in his head that if he did this it would not be just for revenge but for all the citizens in Yec that felt Kilagesh’s tyranny.
In the latter, Tarzac walked in Kilagesh’s chamber.
“ I am Tarzac.”
“What do you want soldier?”
King Kilagesh’s advisors questioned. King Kilagesh ‘s horse body laid on a bed of hay in his room as his noble advisors stood around him in the room.
“ To heal the king.”
Tarzac answered the noble who interrogated him.
“So you are a physician as well as a soldier?”
The noble smugly asked Tarzac.
“A magician.”
With confidence Tarzac expressed.
“Well come and try to heal your king.”
King Kilagesh spoke as he coughed. Tarzac looked his parents’ killer in his eyes. Studied his eyes, and his dark skin. Tarzac wondered to himself this is the cause of my constant nightmares this frail old man.
Tarzac healed the king and became the heir to the throne. Tarzac was given Kilagesh’s daughter to marry.
Moshac stood in his corridors, and he was just told that a magician soldier named Tarzac had healed King Kilagesh. At that moment in time his heart was in pain. His love interest Princess Illayah was to marry a soldier. He could accept her marring a tribal prince. This news gave Moshac a deep resentment against Tarzac. Not only was he awarded the heir to the throne but was given a position as high general. A high general was in charge of all the Sagittarius army in Yec.
Tarzac thought Illayah was attractive but had no interest in her. He was still in love with Trishca his lover from Bismet. There relationship was one of a good friendship. She thought Tarzac to be attractive because of his Caucasian complexion. Illayah’s mother had a Caucasian complexion. Her father Kilagesh complexion was dark skin. Tarzac told her most of his adventures he excluded the dark one.
Months passed Tarzac and Illayah’s relationship turned from friendship to intimacy. The two had deep feeilngs for each other. Illayah loved him more than Tarzac. Tarzac would never love another as he did Trishca. These times in Yec King Killagesh’s tyranny became worst. The lowest tribes were being treated horribly than ever. The poor were dying in the streets from famine and disease. Tarzac disapproved of the King’s oppression. The way he treated the Sagittarius peasants gave him a deeper hatred of Kilagesh. He felt that a king should be kind to his people.
Two years passed Tarzac funded an underground rebellion against Kilagesh called the Killians. Tarzac even helped improved the Killians fighting skills, and he taught them how to use the grook. The Killians were skilled in using the grook. The grook is a Grandi Phi weapon, the weapon was hard to use and not known by most of the world. The weapon was used only in the Grandi Phi communities. The Killians wore red masks. At night, they raided corrupt nobles homes and killed them. Kilagesh was frightened of the Killians. He feared that the Killians would assassinate him. Kilagesh doubled his security. He posted guards outside every nobleman’s home. Illayah had a suspicion that Tarzac was involved in the Killians. The reason being was he used the grook, and the Killians did also. There was not a lot of Sagittarius that mastered in using the grook. The grook was a foreign weapon to the Sagittarius. She caught him on occasions having secret meetings with nobles, Moshac, and Ardax.

Moshac was no fan of King Kilagesh. He knew of Tarzac’s involvement in the Killians. Although he did not care for Tarzac for personal reasons he contributed his help to the Killians. The Killians were made up of commoners that were funded and aided by nobles and soldiers who wanted to see the fall of Kilagesh. Kilagesh had no clue of what was going on. He just knew that the Killians were commoners and his nobles that supported Kilagesh’s way of rule the Tarlic and Zana clan did not know of this.
One day, Tarzac, Ardax, Gallo Shem a noble and Moshac held a secret meeting.
“How are we to complete the final phase of terror to Kilagesh? Sure we terrorized him and his loyal nobles stroke fear in the hearts of he and his nobles but how can we finish him for good.”

The Zimbaj’s loyalty
Moshac was a soldier whose job was to protect the royal family that was a great honor to him. He was very muscular and it was rumored that he was a great warrior. His mane was tan and his skin complexion was dark skin. He was the third descendant of his family to be a bodyguard for the royal family. His duties shifted he would guard the king and sometimes his daughters.
Out of all the royal family Moshac was closest with Illayah. They were good friends, but
he always wanted more. Moshac thought she was beautiful inside and outside. He knew a royal bodyguard could not marry King Kilagesh’s daughter only a tribal prince could and that prince would inherit the throne to Yec.
A month before Tarzac’s arrival, King Kilagesh became seriously ill. He sent out word for a magician or physician to heal him. It was an order from the king that if anyone magician or physician could heal him that they could have Illayah as their bride and he
would be the heir to the throne. If a woman could heal him they would be allowed a trunk of Sagittarius gold.
During this time Tarzac stayed in Yec living in the castle, Garranzana de loco arrived in Yec making himself invisible to the Sagittarius except for Tarzac because only Sagittarius was allowed in Yec. The dark one came to Tarzac in his human form. “What are you doing here?”
Tarzac angrily said.
“You thought you would never see me again Tarzac. Wrong. I have come to tell you
about your parent’s murderer. I have done some research and found out that you are from the Ottes Clan. Your father’s name was Desand who was a tribal noble. During
Kilagesh’s Unification Period Desand tried to spark a rebellion among his people against Kilagesh and his army. Kilagesh found this out and sent his soldiers after Desand and his wife who fled but were murdered.”
For the first time, Tarzac felt combined with Garranzana de loco when he told him that information he knew it to be true. Tarzac felt a deep resentment towards King Kilagesh when given this information. Tarzac felt his task to be over since King Kilagesh was very ill, and would soon die. His parent’s murderer would die by fate, and he did not have to avenge their death.
“Well I do not have to avenge my parent’s death fate will take care of it.” “Maybe you should heal King Kilagesh.”
Garranzana de loco said. “Why?”
Tarzac questioned. “To become heir…”
Garranzana de loco said.
“I could be a better King than King Kilagesh someone for the people.” Tarzac bragged.
“I know you can. You will be helping all the Sagittarius of Yec if you become heir to the throne and latter kill Kilagesh.
The dark one coaxed him.
Tarzac had a justification in his head that if he did this it would not be just for revenge but for all the citizens in Yec that felt Kilagesh’s tyranny.
In the latter, Tarzac walked in Kilagesh’s chamber. “ I am Tarzac.”
“What do you want soldier?”
King Kilagesh’s advisors questioned. King Kilagesh ‘s horse body laid on a bed of hay in his room as his noble advisors stood around him in the room.
“ To heal the king.”
Tarzac answered the noble who interrogated him. “So you are a physician as well as a soldier?”
The noble smugly asked Tarzac. “A magician.”
With confidence Tarzac expressed. “Well come and try to heal your king.”
King Kilagesh spoke as he coughed. Tarzac looked his parents’ killer in his eyes. Studied his eyes, and his dark skin. Tarzac wondered to himself this is the cause of my constant nightmares this frail old man.
Tarzac healed the king and became the heir to the throne. Tarzac was given Kilagesh’s daughter to marry.
Moshac stood in his corridors, and he was just told that a magician soldier named Tarzac had healed King Kilagesh. At that moment in time his heart was in pain. His love interest Princess Illayah was to marry a soldier. He could accept her marrying a tribal prince. This news gave Moshac a deep resentment against Tarzac. Not only was he awarded the heir to the throne but was given a position as high general. A high general was in charge of all the Sagittarius army in Yec.
Tarzac thought Illayah was attractive but had no interest in her. He was still in love with Trishca his lover from Bismet. There relationship was one of a good friendship. She thought Tarzac to be attractive because of his Caucasian complexion. Illayah’s mother had a Caucasian complexion. Her father Kilagesh complexion was dark skin. Tarzac told her most of his adventures he excluded the dark one.
Months passed Tarzac and Illayah’s relationship turned from friendship to intimacy. The two had deep feeilngs for each other. Illayah loved him more than Tarzac. Tarzac would never love another as he did Trishca. These times in Yec King Killagesh’s tyranny became worst. The lowest tribes were being treated horribly than ever. The poor were dying in the streets from famine and disease. Tarzac disapproved of the King’s oppression. The way he treated the Sagittarius peasants gave him a deeper hatred of Kilagesh. He felt that a king should be kind to his people.
Two years passed Tarzac funded an underground rebellion against Kilagesh called the Killians. Tarzac even helped improved the Killians fighting skills, and he taught them how to use the grook. The Killians were skilled in using the grook. The grook is a Grandi Phi weapon, the weapon was hard to use and not known by most of the world. The weapon was used only in the Grandi Phi communities. The Killians wore red masks. At night, they raided corrupt nobles homes and killed them. Kilagesh was frightened of the Killians. He feared that the Killians would assassinate him. Kilagesh doubled his security. He posted guards outside every nobleman’s home. Illayah had a suspicion that Tarzac was involved in the Killians. The reason being was he used the grook, and the Killians did also. There was not a lot of Sagittarius that mastered in using the grook. The
grook was a foreign weapon to the Sagittarius. She caught him on occasions having secret meetings with nobles, Moshac, and Ardax.
Moshac was no fan of King Kilagesh. He knew of Tarzac’s involvement in the Killians. Although he did not care for Tarzac for personal reasons he contributed his help to the Killians. The Killians were made up of commoners that were funded and aided by nobles and soldiers who wanted to see the fall of Kilagesh. Kilagesh had no clue of what was going on. He just knew that the Killians were commoners and his nobles that supported Kilagesh’s way of rule the Tarlic and Zana clan did not know of this.
One day, Tarzac, Ardax, Gallo Shem a noble and Moshac held a secret meeting.
“How are we to complete the final phase of terror to Kilagesh? Sure we terrorized him and his loyal nobles stroke fear in the hearts of he and his nobles but how can we finish him for good.”
Gallo Shem spoke out.
“You mean assassinate him Gallo Shem?” Ardax fearfully asked.
Gallo Shem went on a tirade saying…
“Yes Ardax. It has been to long for his tyranny. Its time to give Tarzac his place on the throne.”
“Striking him down would be too easy something not noticeable.” Tarzac stated.
“Food!”
Moshac yelled out.
“What do you mean Moshac?” Tarzac inquired.
“Food gets past my inspection. Bad food.” Moshac said.
“What do mean by that?” Tarzac asked.
“Parasite worms.” Moshac explained.
“Of course if you put parasite worms in King Kilagesh’s food then…” Ardax exclaimed.
“No one will know how he died.” Tarzac said.
“Yes. That is what we will do.” Gallo Shem declared.
“Ardax and Moshac when I become king you to will become high generals. Gallo Shem you will be noble counselor. This new title means that you will look over the city dwellers and be a representative to the Sagittarius.”
Tarzac promised.
“That sounds good to me Tarzac” Gallo Shem commented.
“Then tomorrow we will follow up with the plan.” Tarzac said.
The assassination plan was simple. Moshac guarded King Kilagesh personally he would
put parasite worms in the King’s supper. By the next day Kilagesh would die in his sleep. Everyone would think the supper was just infected and not cooked properly. Tarzac, Ardax, Moshac, and Gallo Shem went along with this plan. The assassination plan went along smoothly. King Kilagesh died from parasite worms in his supper that Moshac planted. King Kilagesh was cremated, and his ashes were spread along the streets of Yec. His daughter Illayah, Kalliyah and Katesh felt that spreading his ashes was the right thing to do it was Kilagesh who made the united tribal city.
There was a new era in Tarzac’s rule. Tarzac did not try to unify the tribes by force, nor did he oppress them with tyranny. The land that the new King ruled had its problems. The new king Tarzac had his share of enemies, who were supporters of Kilagesh, and they wanted to overthrow Tarzac. They were the nobles and the old King’s council who could no longer do corruption to the city. Tarzac cancelled the old King’s Counsel, nobles, and the corrupt army and only left a few. Tarzac replaced the old army with the Killians the rebel terrorist that Tarzac helped fund. He renamed them the Voshow, which meant in Grandi Phi the great warriors.

12. The tale of the Voshow
    The five warriors names were Polag, Lagrex, Kixrex, Andorex, and Melag. These five warriors were famous in the land of Che before the dark one ruled the land they were known as the greatest warriors. They were all brothers all of them wondered who was the best out of the five especially the brothers, but never mentioned it. One day Polag boasted after a battle with a neighboring Grandi Phi tribe that he was the greatest. Then he suggested that once and for all the Grandi Phi of Che find out who is the best of the five by all the brothers engaging in battle Melag disagreed. Melag he felt that brothers should not engage in battle with each other and argued with his brothers that they were all equal. The other three felt differently. They wanted to find out who was the best once and for all. The four warriors engaged in battle and Melag looked in disappointment.
    Sadly, he could not persuade them. The four warriors died together in battle with each other. At the end Melag was the greatest warrior (Voshow) because being wise and humble makes one a great warrior not strength. Great warriors do not boast.
    Tarzac kept his promise to Moshac, Ardax, and Gallo Shem. Moshac and Ardax became high general of the VoShow. Gallo Shem was the chief advisor to Tarzac and a representative of the people his title was chief noble counselor.
    Illayah felt as if she could not trust her husband. She had a suspicion that he was responsible for his death or had something to do with the Killians. The Killians used the grook not that many Sagittarius knew about that weapon, but Tarzac was an expert.
    Expansion of lands.
    King Tarzac expanded his Sagittarius Empire while the Virgo traveled countries collecting opals. Tarzac with the help of his allies the Aquarius, and Desert City Sagittarius; Tarzac conquered the lands north, south, and east of the city Yec. The Yeipa civilization was west of the city Yec and the Desert City—Tarzac respected the Yeipa and had no interest in invading their soil. A the Sultan Kali-Amed monarch of the Desert City had a contract with King Tarzac that stated the Desert City will have parts of land south of Desert City if the Sultan help Yec conquest the lands. The Aquarius were given lands North of Yec, therefore Nome erchu the Aquarius villages could expand.
    The lands Tarzac conquered were not heavily populated. Only a few Leo prides resided North of Yec. These Leo prides were called Boyhems and the Azyans. The lands of the south were Taurus houses. These house were neither under Brita Oumkabtor’s rule nor the Shilords. Tarzac kept his expansion discrete.
    Prince Tarzac Simat was sent back to Yec after the expedition to the Yeipa civilization. The young male Sagittarius was back in the care of his mother Queen Illayah. Prince Tarzac Simat knew his mother, but had no love or relationship with her. His Aunt Katesh was the one who cared for him most of his life.
    Queen Illayah was happy at these times. King Tarzac was away expanding lands. Queen Illayah was in love with General Moshac he was in love with her too. They kept their love affair secret. General Ardax spied on General Moshac and Queen Illayah to catch them and their scandalous acts. No one ordered General Ardax to do such things it had become his mission, or his obsession.
    During all of this the Petra Marius hid from Animosity and Mahogany. Marius was a threat to Animosity and Mahogany. Marius did not believe in the Petra society and tried to revolt against it Marius believed in the Promised Empire. The Promised Empire a myth that states one day the Petra would have a great empire and country. Marius wanted this Promised Empire without the dark one’s help. Marius wanted to declare independence from the dark one. If that happened Garranzana de loco would kill all Petra. Marius wanted to commit heresy break the covet of Spellbinder. Spellbinder is the Petra greatest prophet. Marius would defile her father, Garranzana de loco also Marius wanted to defile her covet of appointing Animosity and Mahogany as general kings. Marius wanted to assassinate Animosity and Mahogany and descend on their throne. Marius hid in Bismet recruiting a band of revolutionary Petra.
    Tarzac stood in the grasslands south of Yec and three hundred miles from Caskatta and Kreestonia. He stood in the grassland proud of his accomplishments. Standing next to him was Bacurkus and Glumador the two black dogs of Kuman. They were to help with the invasion of the land.
    “The house of Radimus, Jea, and the other mini Taurus houses have become loyal servants of your kingdom prophecy.”
    Glumador said.
    “They like the Leo prides Boyhems and Azyans are just under the Blood Corals control.” Tarzac mentioned.
    “No Tarzac the opal is your power as it is the dark ones. They respect your power; that is why they are loyal servants.”
    Glumador responded.
    For the first time, Tarzac understood and accepted being the prophecy. Tarzac at that moment realized he was the dark one. Tarzac realized he could do nothing about it. He was what he was. Tarzac tried to run away from Garranzana de loco’s passions of evil and his thoughts. Tarzac
    had now decided to let go and follow his path in life. This meant accepting the bond. The truth hurted Tarzac, and he suppressed the fact he was bonded with the dark one. Now, he accepted it, and bowed down to his fate that was going along with the dark one’s desires of conquering the Zodiac World and getting revenge on Polyganda.
    “I can no longer run from my destiny.” Tarzac replied.
    “What do you mean master?”
    Glumador the black dog of Kuman questioned.
    “We are going to Che to meet the dragon snake. We should devise a plan of invading the populated countries.”
    Commanded Tarzac.
    Soon after Bacurkus, Glumador, and Tarzac traveled to Che leaving some of his army to occupy grasslands south of Yec they called Meoche.
    King Tarzac stayed in Che for months. Devising military invasions of Sod, the unnamed land, and Bismet with the dark one. Tarzac spent months in Che reflecting on his past he desired to spend moments in the past when he was the happiest which was when he was in Bismet. He thought about Drex and Spellbinder a lot while in Che and the many things they taught him. Garranzana de loco and Tarzac bond was getting stronger, so; they called themselves the One. King Tarzac returned to Yec. Alongside to accompany him was Ethan Tarzac’s loyal bodyguard and a few Voshow soldiers. King Tarzac had to take care of political matters in Yec. King Tarzac had entered the city of Yec. The citizens of Yec trotted over to him on the streets and gave him cheers. A citizen came up to him and said
    “King Tarzac—we are so glad to see you on the streets of Yec. Gallo Shem your chief noble counselor has corrupted the city of Yec.”
    “What do you mean?” Interrogated Tarzac.
    “First we trusted an Appendock tribesman to oversee the city. Appendock unlike the Zana are trustworthy.”
    Stated a citizen, of Yec.
    “I never trusted Appendocks!”
    Another citizen in crowd of Sagittarius yelled out. “Go on citizen.”
    Tarzac said.
    “He has over taxed the citizens making poverty extremely high –taking the tax money and becoming extremely rich.”
    “What else had he done?” Questioned Tarzac.
    “All things horrible under Polyganda unmoral thinsgs.” The citizen declared.
    “Training soldiers to overthrow you and the Voshow spreading evil propaganda. King Tarzac cares nothing for the Sagittarius he has abandoned us he says He once cared about fathering a Sagittarius nation of peace between the tribes now he just wants to father Aquarius nations and other Zodiacs.”
    Another citizen commented.
    “Ridiculous! The reason I left is to make a great nation for the Sagittarius. He shall pay for his treachery!”
    Shouted out Tarzac
    “No it is you who will pay!”
    A few citizens in the crowd yelled out. King Tarzac looked around in fear. Ethan and the few Voshow pulled out their bow and arrows. Twenty Sagittarius pushed their way into the front of the crowd to talk to King Tarzac.
    “We are the New Cite Cite! You will now die!”
    The twenty Sagittarius stated. Tarzac angered said one word…“Kumla.”
    Then the mob against him hearts came out of their chest and their heads busted. King Tarzac soon after looked into the crowd in anger…the crowd as well as Ethan and the Voshow was petrified and became silent and Tarzac made a speech.
    “I have to come home to face danger while danger is all around me outside the wall of Yec. I have one mission to make my race great. If you cannot understand my vision and remain against me you will die like those who minutes ago threatened my life. Come Voshow let us go to the castle to find this traitor Gallo Shem.”
    Gallo Shem was at the entrance of the castle to welcome Tarzac and the Voshow. When King Tarzac and the Voshow arrived in the entrance of the castle Gallo Shem unaware of the events that had happened remained in the castle unworried.
    “King Tarzac welcome back to the city. We have been anticipating your return.” Gallo Shem stated as he fawned over Tarzac.
    Ethan and the Voshow then dragged Gallo Shem out of the entrance of the castle.
    “What is going on? What is this for?” Questioned Gallo Shem.
    “The New Cite… we know you are involved in treason against our master King Tarzac.” The Voshow explained.
    “King Tarzac I have served you faithfully for years… I am your friend and, I would not.” Gallo Shem replied.
    “Lies. I know the truth old friend.” Tarzac attested.
    Gallo Shem forcefully, brought into the square of the city. Then they tied Gallo Shem to a pole. As the city watched, Gallo Shem’s flesh was torn apart, whipped with a whip with an iron hard knot on its thongs he screamed for mercy. Whipped a hundred times by Tarzac; Gallo Shem died from pain. The citizens were terrified and disgusted at this bloody event. As Gallo Shem died Tarzac shouted out…
    “This is an example of those who oppose me.”
    After this bloody event King Tarzac, Ethan, and the Voshow returned to the castle. Awaiting him in his personnel corridor was Queen Illayah.
    “Hello my love.”
    Illayah said to Tarzac. “Illayah.”
    Tarzac said puzzled. She had not referred to him in such a way in years. “Its been a long time since you have seen me, touched me.”
    Illayah responded–Illayah trotted over to Tarzac put her hands on his shoulders and started rubbing his shoulders. Then she kissed the back of his neck.
    “Are you stressed my love—why do they hate you so. All Sagittarius should know the good you have done for the nation.”
    Illayah was disgusted at touching King Tarzac but it had to she felt it necessary she was pregnant with another man’s child and to have sex with Tarzac so he would think it was his. As Illayah rubbed his shoulders and chest, he spoke.
    “All I do for the nation—you understand don’t you Illayah.” “Yes. I understand. Make love to me Tarzac.”
    “We haven’t in such a long time why now ask?” Tarzac questioned.
    “Its just that reason it’s been a long time. I want us to be like when we first fell in love. This week while you’re in Yec let us all be a family me, you, and Simat.”
    Illayah responded. “Alright.”
    Tarzac had said. Tarzac and Illayah had then had intercourse; it was no love for the both of them. The next day King Tarzac and Voshow rounded up a hundred accused members of the the New Cite Cite. Punishment for them was cruel and sadistic. Torture was used to extract confessions. A soldier with an cow nerve whipped the accused culprit or leather lashes said to be as thick as one’s finger, which bit into the flesh of the accused members brought to King Tarzac for a week and they all went through the same evil torture. At the end of the week King Tarzac had to leave. King Tarzac had to leave Yec to go to Sod. King Tarzac had left Queen Illayah in charge of the city. Queen Illayah stood in the castle looking out of the glass less window from the highest point of the castle. She smiled as she seen King Tarzac and his army the Voshow leave the city. Her sister Kayillah had came to stand next to her and said.
    “This has always been your favorite thing to do. Look out of this window and think.” “Yes.”
    Illayah stated.
    “So finally the true royalty of Yec is in charge. Do you think Tarzac expects us? That we were responsible for organizing the New Cite Cite.”
    Kayillah said.
    “Not at all… I seduced him the day we planned to expose the Cite Cite and get revenge on Gallo Shem. He thinks I’m still madly in love with him.”
    “For Gallo Shem too was responsible for the death of our father.” Kayillah said.
    “Yes. We did a good job Kayillah manipulating him to organize the new Cite Cite and spread propaganda against Tarzac… That Appendock got what he deserved.”
    Queen Illayah said.
    “You lover Moshac was involved too. What are we to do with him?” Kayillah questioned.
    “Nothing! I love him Kayillah. Tarzac and Ardax are the only ones to die for the assassination of our father Kilagesh.”
    “The Zana tribe will rule the Sagittarius nation again.”

The post Zodiac World: Chapter 1 The Rise of Tarzac appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Literature Review
Pern is a world created by science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey. It all started with a short story which Anne wrote in part to combat the negative image of dragons. “Weyr Search” was published in the Science Fiction magazine Analog in October 1967. This first story was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards for best novella, and won the 1968 Hugo Award.
Anne did not intend to write any more about Pern, but the editor of Analog encouraged her to write a sequel. “Dragonrider” was published by Analog in two parts, in December 1967 and January 1968. It too was nominated for the Nebula and Hugo Awards for best novella, and it won the 1969 Nebula–consequently making Anne the first woman to win both awards.
These stories were put together and expanded into the first Pern novel, Dragonflight. Ten years later another Pern novel, The White Dragon, hit the New York Times Bestseller List, making Anne the very first avowed science fiction author to have a bestseller. Over thirty years and fifteen books later, Anne still hasn’t stopped delighting her millions of fans with more tales of Pern.
So just what makes Pern so special?
Pern is an earth-like planet settled by humans who wished to escape a war-torn, space-faring society by setting up a low-tech agrarian colony in a remote sector of the galaxy. Initially they took little notice of the red planet which also circled their sun Rukbat, unaware that its highly eccentric orbit would take it from the remote Oort Cloud to the heart of the solar system and back again every 250 years. Eight years after they landed, the path of this wanderer brought it near Pern. The deadly spores it towed in its wake began to rain down in silvery strands, which quickly devoured all organic material–plant, animal, and human–it came in contact with.
The panicked settlers suffered heavy losses from this first fall of what they named Thread. Using their remaining technology, they urgently set out to learn as much as they could about it. The bad news: it would fall every three days for six hours, and Falls would continue for 50 years. After a 200 year Thread-free Interval, another Pass would begin. The good news: it could be killed with fire, water, or freezing temperatures. Pilots were quickly drafted to fly the colony’s small collection of sleds to combat the Falls with flamethrowers. But this was only a temporary solution; the sleds would wear out, as would the battery packs that fueled them. The colony had not counted on needing to replace them, and didn’t have the tools and materials necessary to do so. What the colonists needed was a renewable air-force to combat the deadly rain of Thread. The newest inhabitants of Pern looked to a native life-form to supply their need.
The small fire-dragonets, so named for their resemblance to mythical Terran dragons, were naturally equipped to fight Thread. They not only could breathe fire (after consuming a phosphine-bearing rock, firestone) but also could teleport themselves out of danger. These engaging creatures had a spark of intelligence, and they empathically bonded with their human owners when they hatched. The fire-dragonets did their best to shield their human friends during that tragic First Fall, but they simply weren’t large enough to offer full protection.
Enter geneticist Kitti Ping Yung. This extraordinarily gifted woman manipulated the DNA of the fire-dragonets to produce a number of large eggs on which the hopes and future of the colony rested. The eighteen dragons which successfully hatched (shortly after Kitti’s death) immediately each Impressed a young adult and surprised them by telepathically speaking their own names to their chosen partner. When they reached their full growth, the dragons would be able to breathe fire and fly to battle Thread with their riders on their backs.
Like the fire-dragonets, the dragons came in five colors. The golden queens were the largest of the breed and they mated with the bronze or brown that managed to catch them, producing the next generation of dragons. While the smaller blues didn’t have the stamina for a gold’s mating flight, they proved much more maneuverable against Thread–as did the numerous greens, the smallest of the dragons. The amorous greens proved unable to bear eggs as the golds did, by design of Kitti Ping.
Kitti tinkered with the genetic code for the dragons in other ways as well. The gold dragons proved unable to produce flame after chewing fire-stone, but this did not keep the breeding queens from battling Thread as Kitti might have intended. The women who partnered them simply carried mechanical flame-throwers. The dragons of each generation were somewhat larger than their forebears, until the optimum size was reached shortly before the Ninth Pass. The differences in size between the five colors also grew more distinct because of this, and in modern times the browns are no longer able to successfully compete against the larger bronzes in the mating flights of queens. These modern beasts are many times the size of the original 18 dragons.
The structure of Pern’s society developed over the years to one well-suited to support the dragons and riders, freeing them to protect the planet’s population from Threadfall. The dragonriders lived and trained in extinct volcanoes they called Weyrs. Each Weyr would be led by the riders of the senior queen and her bronze mate. Food was tithed to the Weyrs by those that farmed the land and lived together in caves and stone buildings known as Holds, each led by a Lord and Lady Holder. Other goods were tithed by the various autonomous Crafthalls which trained their members in particular skills under the guidance of an elected Craftmaster.
The original story opens just prior to the Ninth Pass. Most technology and knowledge–including their Terran origin–has been lost to the population by this time. The wandering planet that brings the Threads to Pern is now known as the Red Star. Five of the six Weyrs are empty and most of the people of Pern don’t believe that Thread will fall again–a result of an extra-long Interval of over 400 years, or Turns as they are now called, since the previous Pass. The return of the Red Star threatens disaster for Pern, unless a strong-willed woman can be found before the last golden egg hatches, and a young, visionary man can find a way to unite and lead his fellow dragonriders.
Pern is a world created by science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey. It all started with a short story which Anne wrote in part to combat the negative image of dragons. “Weyr Search” was published in the Science Fiction magazine Analog in October 1967. This first story was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards for best novella, and won the 1968 Hugo Award.
Anne did not intend to write any more about Pern, but the editor of Analog encouraged her to write a sequel. “Dragonrider” was published by Analog in two parts, in December 1967 and January 1968. It too was nominated for the Nebula and Hugo Awards for best novella, and it won the 1969 Nebula–consequently making Anne the first woman to win both awards.
These stories were put together and expanded into the first Pern novel, Dragonflight. Ten years later another Pern novel, The White Dragon, hit the New York Times Bestseller List, making Anne the very first avowed science fiction author to have a bestseller. Over thirty years and fifteen books later, Anne still hasn’t stopped delighting her millions of fans with more tales of Pern.
So just what makes Pern so special?
Pern is an earth-like planet settled by humans who wished to escape a war-torn, space-faring society by setting up a low-tech agrarian colony in a remote sector of the galaxy. Initially they took little notice of the red planet which also circled their sun Rukbat, unaware that its highly eccentric orbit would take it from the remote Oort Cloud to the heart of the solar system and back again every 250 years. Eight years after they landed, the path of this wanderer brought it near Pern. The deadly spores it towed in its wake began to rain down in silvery strands, which quickly devoured all organic material–plant, animal, and human–it came in contact with.
The panicked settlers suffered heavy losses from this first fall of what they named Thread. Using their remaining technology, they urgently set out to learn as much as they could about it. The bad news: it would fall every three days for six hours, and Falls would continue for 50 years. After a 200 year Thread-free Interval, another Pass would begin. The good news: it could be killed with fire, water, or freezing temperatures. Pilots were quickly drafted to fly the colony’s small collection of sleds to combat the Falls with flamethrowers. But this was only a temporary solution; the sleds would wear out, as would the battery packs that fueled them. The colony had not counted on needing to replace them, and didn’t have the tools and materials necessary to do so. What the colonists needed was a renewable air-force to combat the deadly rain of Thread. The newest inhabitants of Pern looked to a native life-form to supply their need.
The small fire-dragonets, so named for their resemblance to mythical Terran dragons, were naturally equipped to fight Thread. They not only could breathe fire (after consuming a phosphine-bearing rock, firestone) but also could teleport themselves out of danger. These engaging creatures had a spark of intelligence, and they empathically bonded with their human owners when they hatched. The fire-dragonets did their best to shield their human friends during that tragic First Fall, but they simply weren’t large enough to offer full protection.
Enter geneticist Kitti Ping Yung. This extraordinarily gifted woman manipulated the DNA of the fire-dragonets to produce a number of large eggs on which the hopes and future of the colony rested. The eighteen dragons which successfully hatched (shortly after Kitti’s death) immediately each Impressed a young adult and surprised them by telepathically speaking their own names to their chosen partner. When they reached their full growth, the dragons would be able to breathe fire and fly to battle Thread with their riders on their backs.
Like the fire-dragonets, the dragons came in five colors. The golden queens were the largest of the breed and they mated with the bronze or brown that managed to catch them, producing the next generation of dragons. While the smaller blues didn’t have the stamina for a gold’s mating flight, they proved much more maneuverable against Thread–as did the numerous greens, the smallest of the dragons. The amorous greens proved unable to bear eggs as the golds did, by design of Kitti Ping.
Kitti tinkered with the genetic code for the dragons in other ways as well. The gold dragons proved unable to produce flame after chewing fire-stone, but this did not keep the breeding queens from battling Thread as Kitti might have intended. The women who partnered them simply carried mechanical flame-throwers. The dragons of each generation were somewhat larger than their forebears, until the optimum size was reached shortly before the Ninth Pass. The differences in size between the five colors also grew more distinct because of this, and in modern times the browns are no longer able to successfully compete against the larger bronzes in the mating flights of queens. These modern beasts are many times the size of the original 18 dragons.
The structure of Pern’s society developed over the years to one well-suited to support the dragons and riders, freeing them to protect the planet’s population from Threadfall. The dragonriders lived and trained in extinct volcanoes they called Weyrs. Each Weyr would be led by the riders of the senior queen and her bronze mate. Food was tithed to the Weyrs by those that farmed the land and lived together in caves and stone buildings known as Holds, each led by a Lord and Lady Holder. Other goods were tithed by the various autonomous Crafthalls which trained their members in particular skills under the guidance of an elected Craftmaster.
The original story opens just prior to the Ninth Pass. Most technology and knowledge–including their Terran origin–has been lost to the population by this time. The wandering planet that brings the Threads to Pern is now known as the Red Star. Five of the six Weyrs are empty and most of the people of Pern don’t believe that Thread will fall again–a result of an extra-long Interval of over 400 years, or Turns as they are now called, since the previous Pass. The return of the Red Star threatens disaster for Pern, unless a strong-willed woman can be found before the last golden egg hatches, and a young, visionary man can find a way to unite and lead his fellow dragonriders.
http://pern.srellim.org/intro.htm

In a world where dragons and men coexist, Weyrleader F’lar and his Weyrwoman, Lessa, push past personal differences and work together to save Pern from deadly spores known as Threads that fall to the ground with the Red Star’s orbital passing. In the past, six Weyrs filled with weyrfolk, dragons and their riders fought this alien invasion using dragon flames to sear the Threads before they reached the ground. Yet, as the threat draws near, five of six Weyrs sit empty, leaving F’lar, Lessa, and a handful of dragons and dragonmen of Benden Weyr to save all of Pern. The two turn to the ancient Ballads, Traditions and Records for help. When Lessa accidentally visits the past while learning to fly her dragon queen, they believe the answer to the Question Song is to fly dragons between times to the past in order to seed the dragon population and give them time to grow before the next battle.
As the story opens, Lessa hides behind the disguise of a filthy kitchen drudge within Ruath Hold where she awakens with a sense of danger. Her special ability touches the watch-wher’s mind, but it does not sense the danger. The threat is unfamiliar. Danger emanates from the east and the west. Her eyes drift to the Red Star dominating the sky at dawn—a recent occurrence. The worst of the danger will come from the east.
F’lar senses Lessa’s power and sees through her disguise while she is unconscious. After talking to her, he carries her to Benden Weyr in hopes she is one to Impress with the queen. When the queen dragon hatches, Lessa is chosen by the hatchling. This thrusts the girl into the position of Weyrwoman overnight. She uses her secret abilities discreetly, but her hidden skill of communicating with all dragons creates a bond between her and the beasts. This bond of trust paves the way for the future when dragons and riders are forced to fly between times in an effort to repopulate the diminished dragon population.
With the discovery of Threads falling over Nerat, flying between times becomes a reality for the dragons of Benden Weyr and their riders as they go back two hours to fight Threads at dawn. The battle is successful but takes its toll. The few dragons and trained riders will not be enough to fight the Threads day after day for years. This reality gives birth to a plan to send a queen and a handful of others ten years into the past to grow the dragon population and bring their riders to maturity. This venture is not enough to keep up with the steady stress of fighting the Threads. However, it gives birth to Lessa’s idea as she reads the Question Song. Along with references found on a long lost tapestry, she decides to risk traveling back four hundred years to a time before the Weyrfolk of the other five Weyrs disappeared. If she arrives safely, she plans to ask their help to fly forward in time to fight the Threads along with F’lar and the handful of others.
In a world where dragons and men coexist, Weyrleader F’lar and his Weyrwoman, Lessa, push past personal differences and work together to save Pern from deadly spores known as Threads that fall to the ground with the Red Star’s orbital passing. In the past, six Weyrs filled with weyrfolk, dragons and their riders fought this alien invasion using dragon flames to sear the Threads before they reached the ground. Yet, as the threat draws near, five of six Weyrs sit empty, leaving F’lar, Lessa, and a handful of dragons and dragonmen of Benden Weyr to save all of Pern. The two turn to the ancient Ballads, Traditions and Records for help. When Lessa accidentally visits the past while learning to fly her dragon queen, they believe the answer to the Question Song is to fly dragons between times to the past in order to seed the dragon population and give them time to grow before the next battle.
As the story opens, Lessa hides behind the disguise of a filthy kitchen drudge within Ruath Hold where she awakens with a sense of danger. Her special ability touches the watch-wher’s mind, but it does not sense the danger. The threat is unfamiliar. Danger emanates from the east and the west. Her eyes drift to the Red Star dominating the sky at dawn—a recent occurrence. The worst of the danger will come from the east.
F’lar senses Lessa’s power and sees through her disguise while she is unconscious. After talking to her, he carries her to Benden Weyr in hopes she is one to Impress with the queen. When the queen dragon hatches, Lessa is chosen by the hatchling. This thrusts the girl into the position of Weyrwoman overnight. She uses her secret abilities discreetly, but her hidden skill of communicating with all dragons creates a bond between her and the beasts. This bond of trust paves the way for the future when dragons and riders are forced to fly between times in an effort to repopulate the diminished dragon population.
With the discovery of Threads falling over Nerat, flying between times becomes a reality for the dragons of Benden Weyr and their riders as they go back two hours to fight Threads at dawn. The battle is successful but takes its toll. The few dragons and trained riders will not be enough to fight the Threads day after day for years. This reality gives birth to a plan to send a queen and a handful of others ten years into the past to grow the dragon population and bring their riders to maturity. This venture is not enough to keep up with the steady stress of fighting the Threads. However, it gives birth to Lessa’s idea as she reads the Question Song. Along with references found on a long lost tapestry, she decides to risk traveling back four hundred years to a time before the Weyrfolk of the other five Weyrs disappeared. If she arrives safely, she plans to ask their help to fly forward in time to fight the Threads along with F’lar and the handful of others.

Literature Sample Collection:
F’lar nodded slowly. “Your harper can reinstruct you on the signs. Good Lords, the tithe is required. Your women will be returned. The Holds are to be put in order. The Weyr prepares Pern, as the Weyr is pledged to protect Pern. Your cooperation is expected—” he paused significantly—“and will be enforced.” With that, he vaulted to Mnementh’s neck, keeping the queen always in sight.
He saw her golden wings beat as the dragon turned and soared upward. It was infuriating of Lessa to take this moment, when all his energy and attention ought to go to settling the Holders’ grievance for a show of rebellion. Why did she have to flaunt her independence so, in full sight of the entire Weyr and all the Lords? He longed to chase immediately after her and could not. Not until he had seen the army in actual retreat, not until he had signaled for the final show of Weyr strength for the Holders’ elucidation. Gritting his teeth, he signaled Mnementh aloft. The wings rose behind him with spectacular trumpetings and dartings so that there appeared to be thousands of dragons in the air instead of the scant two hundred Benden Weyr boasted.
Assured that that part of his strategy was proceeding in order, he bade Mnementh fly after the Weyrwoman, who was now dipping and gliding high above the Weyr. When he got his hands on that girl, he would tell her a thing or two . . . . Mnementh informed him caustically that telling her a thing or two might be a very good idea. Much better than flying so vengefully after a pair who were only trying their wings out
Mnementh reminded his irate rider that, after all, the golden dragon had flown far and wide yesterday, having blooded four, but had not eaten since. She’d be neither capable of nor interested in any protracted flying until she had eaten fully. However, if F’lar insisted on this ill-considered and completely unnecessary pursuit, he might just antagonize Ramoth into jumping between to escape him. The very thought of that untutored pair going between cooled F’lar instantly. Controlling himself, he realized that Mnementh’s judgment was more reliable than his at the moment.

He’d let anger and anxiety influence his decisions, but . . . Mnementh circled in to land at the Star Stone, the tip of Benden Peak being a fine vantage point from which F’lar could observe both the decamping army and the queen. Mnementh’s great eyes gave the appearance of whirling as the dragon adjusted his vision to its farthest reach. He reported to F’lar that Piyanth’s rider felt the dragons’ supervision of the retreat was causing hysteria among the men and beasts.
Injuries were occurring in the resultant stampedes. F’lar immediately ordered K’net to assume surveillance altitude until the army camped for the night. He was to keep close watch on the Nabolese contingent at all times, however.
Even as F’lar had Mnementh relay these orders, he realized his mind had dismissed the matter. All his attention was really on that high-flying pair. You had better teach her to fly between, Mnementh remarked, one great eye shining directly over F’lar’s shoulder. She’s quick enough to figure it out for herself, and then where are we? F’lar let the sharp retort die on his lips as he watched, breathless.
Ramoth suddenly folded her wings, a golden streak diving through the sky. Effortlessly she pulled out at the critical point and soared upward again. Mnementh deliberately called to mind their first wildly acrobatic flight.
A tender smile crossed F’lar’s face, and suddenly he knew how much Lessa must have longed to fly, how bitter it must have been for her to watch the dragonets practice when she was forbidden to try.
Well, he was no R’gul, torn by indecision and doubt. And she is no Jora, Mnementh reminded him pungently. I’m calling them in, the dragon added. Ramoth has turned a dull orange. F’lar watched as the flyers obediently began a downward glide, the queen’s wings arching and curving as she slowed her tremendous forward speed.
Unfed or not, she could fly! He mounted Mnementh, waving them on, down toward the feeding grounds. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Lessa, her face vivid with elation and rebellion. Ramoth landed, and Lessa dropped to the ground, gesturing the dragon on to eat. The girl turned then, watching Mnementh glide in and hover to let F’lar dismount.
She straightened her shoulders, her chin lifted belligerently as her slender body gathered itself to face his censure. Her behavior was like that of any weyrling, anticipating punishment and determined to endure it, soundless. She was not the least bit repentant! Admiration for this indomitable personality replaced the last trace of F’lar’s anger.
He smiled as he closed the distance between them. Startled by his completely unexpected behavior, she took a half-step backward. “Queens can, too, fly,” she blurted out, daring him. His grin broadening to suffuse his face, he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her an affectionate shake.
“Of course they can fly,” he assured her, his voice full of pride and respect. “That’s why they have wings!”
PART III Dust Fall The Finger points At an Eye blood-red.
Alert the Weyrs To sear the Thread. “You still doubt, R’gul?” F’lar asked, appearing slightly amused by the older bronze rider’s perversity. R’gul, his handsome features stubbornly set, made no reply to the Weyrleader’s taunt. He ground his teeth together as if he could grind away F’lar’s authority over him.
“There have been no Threads in Pern’s skies for over four hundred Turns. There are no more!” “There is always that possibility,” F’lar conceded amiably. There was not, however, the slightest trace of tolerance in his amber eyes. Nor the slightest hint of compromise in his manner. He was more like F’lon, his sire, R’gul decided, than a son had any right to be. Always so sure of himself, always slightly contemptuous of what others did and thought. Arrogant, that’s what F’lar was. Impertinent, too, and underhanded in the matter of that young Weyrwoman. Why, R’gul had trained her up to be one of the finest Weyrwomen in many Turns. Before he’d finished her instruction, she’d known all the Teaching Ballads and Sagas letter-perfect. And then the silly child had turned to F’lar.

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Later on, in May 1997, Deep Blue was heavily upgraded and defeated the reigning world champion and won the six-match game. Although Kasparov criticized IBM for cheating.
How Does Deep Blue Algorithm Work?
System Overview
Deep blue is the gigantic parallel system to carry out chess game tree searches – a graphical representation of all the possible moves from the initial stages of the game. The system was developed with 30-node ( 30-processor) IBM RS/6000 SP computer and single-chip chess search engines having 16 chess chips per SP processor. The SP system had 28 nodes with MHz P2SC processors, and 2 nodes with 135 MHz P2SC processors. All nodes communicate with each other using a high-speed switch and contain 1 GB RAM and 4 GB hard disk space. Each chess chip of deep blue is capable of searching 2 to 2.5 million chess positions per second. In order to do that, they communicate with their host via a microchannel bus.
How Does System Works?
The functioning of the SP processors
The Deep Blue algorithm is separated into three layers: out of many SP processors, one acts as a master, and the other two as workers. The master processor’s job is to search the top levels of the chess game tree and hand over the results – often called “leaf positions”- to the workers for further examination. Now, workers carry out additional searches and distribute leaf positions to the chess chips. Finally, chess chips extend the search to the last few levels of the game tree.

While performing all these activities, the speed of the system also varies. For example, tactical positions – when long and forcing moves are required, the deep blue algorithm can explore up to 100 million positions per second. On the other hand, for quieter positions, the search could go up to 200 million positions per second. It is said that in 1997 match with Garry Kasparov, the minimum search speed was 126 million positions per second, and the maximum number of the search speed was 330 million positions per second.
Components of Deep Blue Algorithm
• Move Generation: The Deep Blue algorithm has numbers of other functions like generation of checking, check evasion moves, and developing certain kinds of attacking moves. Besides, chess chips also support several search extensions, which is made possible by the move generator. It’s an 8 X 8 array of combinatorial logic acting as a silicon chessboard. However, the move generator generates a single move at a time but it calculates all the possible moves and selects the most significant one with the help of an arbitration network.
• Evaluation Function: The evaluation function is composed of fast evaluation and slow evaluation. These standard techniques are used to save the system from running an expensive search where a simple approximation is required. The fast evaluation computes the score on the basis of the position of a particular piece in a single clock cycle. Contrary, the slow evaluation scans the chess board’s each column at a time. For example, it computes the values of chess concepts such as square control, king safety, pawn structure, pawn majority, restraint, color complex, trapped pieces, development, etc.
• Search Control: The Deep Blue chess chip contains the null-window alpha-beta search. The best part of the chip is it averts the need for a value stack, thus simplifying the board design. However, there are some disadvantages too like in some cases it requires multiple searches and the lack of transposition table that increases the search efficiency. The search algorithm needs a move stack-a repetition detector to keep track of the previous moves up to the last 32 positions.
• Extendability: The chess chip also supports the use of external Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to give access to the external transpositional table, complex search control, and additional terms for the evaluation function. The main aim of this function is to address the complexity of the mechanism and make it efficient. Null move search is also supported by this system but due to time constraints, this was never used in Deep Blue.
https://www.professional-ai.com/deep-blue-algorithm.html
AI Techniques
Tree Search
The basic model of chess is that of a Tree Search problem, where each state is a particular arrangement of the pieces on the board and the available actions correspond to the legal chess moves for the current player in that arrangement. An example “slice” of such a tree is given in the following figure:

Once we have modeled the game in this way, we can begin applying our algorithms from this course to the problem!
The Evaluation Function
As put forth in Shannon’s paper, the primary ingredient in a chess-playing program is the evaluation function. Since we can’t look forward all the way to the end of the game and see if a particular move will win (especially since we don’t know what the other player will do during their turns!), we must create a function which takes in a state of the game (in our case, a board arrangement) and boils it down to a real-number evaluation of the state. For example, the function could give higher scores to board states in which the player of interest has more of their pieces on the board than the opponent. In particular, we would probably want the function to assign an extremely high score (perhaps even infinity) to the board arrangement in which the opponent’s king is in checkmate, meaning that the player of interest is guaranteed to win the game.

The Minimax Algorithm
Given an evaluation, all that’s left is a way of actually choosing which move to take. Although looking ahead one step and simply choosing the move which leads to the board arrangement with the highest evaluation score would be a good baseline, we can be even smarter and take into account the actions our opponent could take once we’ve moved. This intuition leads to the “Minimax algorithm”, so-called because we choose the action which minimizes our maximum possible “loss” from making a particular move. Specifically, for each move we could make we look ahead as many steps as our computing power will allow and examine all the possible moves our opponent could make in each of their future turns, given that we’ve made our original move. We then take the maximum “loss” (equivalently, the minimum of our evaluation function) that our opponent could induce for us via their moves, and we choose the move we could make which minimizes this maximum.
Heuristics/Optimizations
Equipped with an evaluation function and an implementation of the minimax algorithm, one can already design an incredibly effective chess-playing program. However, the “big time” programs build even further upon these by implementing “heuristics”, simple rules which can cut down on computation time, along with optimizations of the minimax algorithm, given the specific structure of chess. An example heuristic could be that if a move leads to the player’s king being in checkmate, then the algorithm should not look any farther down that path of the game tree, since we know the player will never want to make that move. A popular optimization of minimax is known as Alpha-beta pruning, wherein any move for which another move has already been discovered that is guaranteed to do better than it is eliminated. For example, in the following tree we do not need to explore any of the paths whose edges are crossed-out, since we’ve already found moves we know will perform better:
Decision Trees
start with a root node, which symbolizes the current state of the game. Every possible move we can make at that point will be the children of that node. Then for each child, there is a new set of possible moves for the opponent. The tree branches out until it covers every possible state in the game and the game ends when it reaches a leaf node.
The very first artificial intelligence algorithms were based on making a brute-force search on the decision trees. The search algorithm tries to reach any leaf node that makes the machine win and makes decisions so that it can reach one of these winning nodes. We shall now see one of these algorithms in action.
Minimax Algorithm
Abstract yourself from the game now and assume we have assigned a score to every possible outcome of the game. The scores are assigned to the leaf nodes of the tree. A positive score indicates that the machine wins and a negative score indicates that you win. So, the goal of AI is to maximize the score and yours is to minimize. Green arrows indicate the turn of the AI (maximizer) and red arrows indicate yours (minimizer) in the tree.

The minimax algorithm is very simple and it is a modified version of depth-first search. The AI (green) will always choose the move with the maximum possible outcome, assuming that its opponent (red) will play optimally and choose the minimum possible outcome all the time. It is intelligent to assume that your opponent plays optimally so that you will be prepared for the worst. Now take a while and follow the tree from the bottom to the top to see the moves each opponent made.

You can see that this algorithm pretty much searches all possible scenarios by brute force. If we assume that b is the branching factor and d is the depth of the decision tree, the algorithm works in O(bᵈ) which exponential.
If you are implementing a Tic-Tac-Toe game, this may not be that bad. After all, there are 9 possible moves on the first turn, 8 in the next, 7, and so on, which will make up to 9! scenarios in total. However, if you were making a chess game, the number of possibilities will grow up by an insane amount! It would take millions of years for any computer to calculate all possibilities.
Do I need to say there must be a better way?
Alpha-Beta Pruning
Alpha-beta pruning is the strategy of eliminating the branches that will not be contributing to the solution. I will explain this with an example. The red lines in the tree below mark the current state of our search. The maximizer (AI) has chosen 9 and 5, which are the maximum reachable values on the corresponding subtrees. At this point, the minimizer currently holds the value 5, which is the smaller one among 9 and 5.
There is still one branch left to search and the first value the depth-first search sees is the value 6. Now we know that whatever maximizer chooses will be at least 6. But we also know that minimizer has chosen 5, which is already smaller than 6. At this point, we no longer need to check the remaining children (1 and 7) because we know for sure that the minimizer will select 5.

The reverse could also be true: If the maximizer has already chosen a value bigger than the value minimizer chose, we wouldn’t need to search the rest of the subtrees. In the tree below, the maximizer has already chosen 5 at the root node. Since -2 is smaller than 5 and anything minimizer chooses will be at most -2, we no longer need to search the rest of the subtrees.

So go ahead, apply this strategy to your entire search and prune the c**p out of the decision tree. There is one last subtree you can prune out on the very right side, which I’m leaving you to check why we can skip it. The final result of the alpha-beta pruning algorithm shall be this:

We pruned the tree quite a bit. Alpha-beta pruning can provide performance optimization up to the square root of the performance of the original minimax algorithm. It may also provide no performance improvement at all, depending on how unlucky you are.
Depth-Limited Search
Even though alpha-beta pruning provides a great amount of performance improvement, searching the entire set of possible scenarios still can be overkill. We can employ intelligent strategies to avoid searching the entire tree and still get very good results.
One such strategy is depth-limited search and it is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of searching the entire tree, you search it to a limited depth that you predefined. For example, you can search the next 5 moves in chess. But in order to do that, you need a deterministic way to score the current state of the game, since you no longer know who wins the game when you reach the end of your search. In order to do that, we will use an evaluation function.
Note: There are other alternatives to the depth-limited search, like iterative deepening but I preferred not to include them in order to keep the story short.
How deep is your search? Get it? That was a joke…
Evaluation Functions
So, you decided to limit your search to the next 5 moves you and your opponent will make in the game. Then you realized that most of the time the game still continues after 5 moves and you are now stuck in this intermediary step. How do you feed the numbers into the minimax algorithm? What you need is an evaluation function.
An evaluation function is a way to deterministically score the current state of the game. If you are playing chess, for example, an evaluation function can be the numeric difference between the number of chess pieces you and your opponent have. The bigger the difference is, the better chance you have.
A better evaluation function can use a weighted calculation in which each piece has a weight depending on how important it is. This will probably produce better results than simply counting them. And an even better one may use the locations on the chessboard in addition to their weights.
How you define your evaluation function is entirely depends on you. Beware this will be the most critical part of your algorithm, though. How good your evaluation function determines the state of the game will greatly affect the success of your algorithm. There are two other things you should be careful when you are writing an evaluation function:

1. The function should be deterministic: Given the same state, it should always produce the same result.
2. The function should work fast: You will be making a lot of calls to your evaluation function. If it works slow, then your AI will respond slow.
   https://medium.com/data-science/algorithms-revisited-part-7-decision-trees-alpha-beta-pruning-9b711b6bf109
   https://stanford.edu/~cpiech/cs221/apps/deepBlue.html

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Development of Intelligent Life
Intelligent life seems to be the main theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as the rest of the series. In each part of the book, we see individuals who are essentially grappling with the limits of their intelligence.
In the first part, we see man-apes who are struggling to survive. They’re hungry all the time and they live at the whims of the nature around them. A leopard regularly terrorizes them and captures one of them to eat. There is an opposing tribe of apes at their watering hole. They have no control over the direction of their lives and need (though that could be argued) the monoliths to help them. So even their development was, in the book, unnatural and spurred on by forces outside their control. Once they understand how to use tools though, they are able to take control of their lives and shape the destiny of mankind.
In the second part of the novel, when we join Dr. Heywood Floyd on his journey to the moon to investigate the monolith, we once again follow someone who is working at the limits of his knowledge and intelligence. The monolith is discovered to be three million years old, meaning that it’s proof of intelligent life beyond mankind.
“At last, one of Man’s oldest questions had been answered; here was the proof, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that his was not the only intelligence that the universe had brought forth.”
But Floyd and the team investigating the monolith have absolutely no idea what the object is. It’s as black as night, absorbing all light that is aimed at it, and it doesn’t respond at all to any of their probes or machines. It is completely unknowable to them.
Finally, we meet HAL (more on him in the next section) and David Bowman. Bowman’s fate is to become a star-child, meaning that he becomes a being of pure energy that is able to zip around the universe with ease and understand things he did not understand before. Though even he as a star-child is not privy to all that the monoliths know.
So each section of the novel, with its different characters, shows us individuals working at differing/increasing levels of intelligence, all leading up to the monoliths, who seem to be trying to develop and/or spur on the development of intelligent life in the universe.
What the monoliths are we don’t know yet. Their grand experiment seems to have to do with helping intelligent life develop on different planets. But if there’s anything more to the experiment, we just don’t know yet. There might also be themes here of whether the monoliths, or the entities controlling the monoliths, have any right to compel the development of life in any way, but since we don’t yet know what their ultimate motives are, that discussion has to wait.
Discovery” orbits around Saturn. Only these three know the true purpose of the expedition – possible contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, while Poole and Bowman find flight an ordinary research trip. Those who prepared the expedition, decided that it was necessary for the security and interests of the nation.
In fact, the ship is not run by people, but by the sixth member of the crew, HAL 9000
Artificial Intelligence HAL 9000, which stands for “Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer

• the brain and the nervous system of “Discovery”. HAL 9000 is created through a process similar to the development of the human brain, it can be called a true thinking machine, and it communicates with people human language. All features of HAL 9000 are intended to perform a set program of the expedition, but the contradiction between the objectives and the need to hide it from the colleagues, gradually destroys the integrity of its “psyche”. The machine starts to make mistakes, and finally the crisis comes: overhearing talks of astronauts to the Earth about the necessity to turn the HAL 9000 off, it takes the only possible solution: to get rid of people and finish the expedition by itself. It simulates an aerial accident, and when Frank Poole spacewalks to replace the unit, HAL 9000 kills him by the reactive capsule-boat at full speed flying on the astronaut. And in the next moment, stunned Bowman sees on the screen that the boat is dragging on its tether the body of the deceased friend away from the ship. Frank Poole would be the first person to get to the Saturn.
  When Hal tries to kill every human on the spaceship, Bowman tries to fight against him and save himself. Despite being more intelligent that Bowman and having more power, Hall is eventually defeated by the last human left alive. The way in which Bowman defeated Hall is ironical because while Hall tried to kill the humans by throwing them into space, making them die because of the lack of oxygen or crushing them while they were outside the spaceship, all Bowman had to do was pull a plug. This event shows that while humans are more fragile, they will always be smarter than a robot. When Hal tries to kill every human on the spaceship, Bowman tries to fight against him and save himself. Despite being more intelligent that Bowman and having more power, Hall is eventually defeated by the last human left alive. The way in which Bowman defeated Hall is ironical because while Hall tried to kill the humans by throwing them into space, making them die because of the lack of oxygen or crushing them while they were outside the spaceship, all Bowman had to do was pull a plug. This event shows that while humans are more fragile, they will always be smarter than a robot.

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ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

DATA DIVISION.

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 INITIAL-AMOUNT PIC 9(5)V99 COMP-3.
01 INTEREST-RATE PIC 9(3)V9 COMP-3.
01 YEARS PIC 9(4) COMP-3.
01 FINAL-AMOUNT PIC 9(7)V99 COMP-3.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.

DISPLAY "Enter the initial amount: "
ACCEPT INITIAL-AMOUNT
DISPLAY "Enter the interest rate (as a percentage): "
ACCEPT INTEREST-RATE
DISPLAY "Enter the number of years: "
ACCEPT YEARS

MOVE INITIAL-AMOUNT TO FINAL-AMOUNT
PERFORM VARYING YEARS FROM 1 BY 1
    UNTIL YEARS = 0
    COMPUTE FINAL-AMOUNT = FINAL-AMOUNT * (1 + INTEREST-RATE / 100)

DISPLAY "The final amount after " YEARS " years is: " FINAL-AMOUNT

STOP RUN.

Traditionally, COBOL programs were written on coding forms and then punched on to punch cards. Although nowadays most programs are entered directly into a computer, some COBOL formatting conventions remain that derive from its ancient punch-card history.
On coding forms, the first six character positions are reserved for sequence numbers. The seventh character position is reserved for the continuation character, or for an asterisk that denotes a comment line.
The actual program text starts in column 8. The four positions from 8 to 11 are known as Area A, and positions from 12 to 72 are Area B.
Although many COBOL compilers ignore some of these formatting restrictions, most still retain the distinction between Area A and Area B.
When a COBOL compiler recognizes the two areas, all division names, section names, paragraph names, FD entries and 01 level numbers must start in Area A. All other sentences must start in Area B.
In our example programs we use the compiler directive (available with the NetExpress COBOL compiler) – $ SET SOURCEFORMAT”FREE” – to free us from these formatting restrictions.
Ancient COBOL coding form

For over four decades COBOL has been the dominant programming language in the business computing domain. In that time it it has seen off the challenges of a number of other languages such as PL1, Algol68, Pascal, Modula, Ada, C, C++. All these languages have found a niche but none has yet displaced COBOL. Two recent challengers though, Java and Visual Basic, are proving to be serious contenders.
COBOL’s dominance in underlined by the reports from the Gartner group.
In 1997 they estimated that there were about 300 billion lines of computer code in use in the world. Of that they estimated that about 80% (240 billion lines) were in COBOL and 20% (60 billion lines) were written in all the other computer languages combined [Brown].
In 1999 they reported that over 50% of all new mission-critical applications were still being done in COBOL and their recent estimates indicate that through 2004-2005 15% of all new applications (5 billion lines) will be developed in COBOL while 80% of all deployed applications will include extensions to existing legacy (usually COBOL) programs.
Gartner estimates for 2002 are that there are about two million COBOL programmers world-wide compared to about about one million Java programmers and one million C++ programmers

COBOL is self-documenting
One of the design goals for COBOL was to make it possible for non-programmers such as supervisors, managers and users, to read and understand COBOL code. As a result, COBOL contains such English-like structural elements as verbs, clauses, sentences, sections and divisions. As it happens, this design goal was not realized. Managers and users nowadays do not read COBOL programs. Computer programs are just too complex for most laymen to understand them, however familiar the syntactic elements. But the design goal and its effect on COBOL syntax has had one important side-effect. It has made COBOL the most readable, understandable and self-documenting programming language in use today. It has also made it the most verbose.
It is easy for programmers unused to the business programming paradigm, where programming with a view to ease of maintenance is very important, to dismiss the advantage that COBOL’s readability imparts. Not only does this readability generally assist the maintenance process but the older a program gets the more valuable this readability becomes.
When programs are new, both the in-program comments and the external documentation accurately reflect the program code. But over time, as more and more revisions are applied to the code, it gets out of step with the documentation until the documentation is actually a hindrance to maintenance rather than a help. The self-documenting nature of COBOL means that this problem is not as severe with COBOL programs as it is with other languages
Readers who are familiar with C or C++ or Java might want to consider how difficult it becomes to maintain programs written in these languages. C programs that you have written yourself are difficult enough to understand when you come back to them six months later. Consider how much more difficult it would be to understand a program that had been written fifteen years previously, by someone else, and which had since been amended and added to by so many others that the documentation no longer accurately reflects the program code. This is a nightmare still awaiting maintenance programmers of the future
COBOL is simple
COBOL is a simple language (no pointers, no user defined functions, no user defined types) with a limited scope of function. It encourages a simple straightforward programming style. Curiously enough though, despite its limitations, COBOL has proven itself to be well suited to its targeted problem domain (business computing). Most COBOL programs operate in a domain where the program complexity lies in the business rules that have to be encoded rather than in the sophistication of the data structures or algorithms required. And in cases where sophisticated algorithms are required COBOL usually meets the need with an appropriate verb such as the SORT and the SEARCH.
We noted above that COBOL is a simple language with a limited scope of function. And that is the way it used to be but the introduction of OO-COBOL has changed all that. OO-COBOL retains all the advantages of previous versions but now includes –
User Defined Functions
Object Orientation
National Characters – Unicode
Multiple Currency Symbols
Cultural Adaptability (Locales)
Dynamic Memory Allocation (pointers)
Data Validation Using New VALIDATE Verb
Binary and Floating Point Data Types
User Defined Data Types
COBOL is non-proprietary (portable)
The COBOL standard does not belong to any particular vendor. The vendor independent ANSI COBOL committee legislates formal, non-vendor-specific syntax and semantic language standards. COBOL has been ported to virtually every hardware platform – from every favour of Windows, to every falser of Unix, to AS/400, VSE, OS/2, DOS, VMS, Unisys, DG, VM, and MVS.

COBOL is Maintainable
COBOL has a 30 year proven track record for application maintenance, enhancement and production support at the enterprise level. Early indications from the year 2000 problem are that COBOL applications were actually cheaper to fix than applications written in more recent languages. [ Capers Jones] [Kappleman]
One reason for the maintainability of COBOL programs has been given above – the readability of COBOL code. Another reason is COBOL’s rigid hierarchical structure. In COBOL programs all external references, such as to devices, files, command sequences, collating sequences, the currency symbol and the decimal point symbol, are defined in the Environment Division.
When a COBOL program is moved to a new machine, or has new peripheral devices attached, or is required to work in a different country; COBOL programmers know that the parts of the program that will have to be altered to accommodate these changes will be isolated in the Environment Division. In other programming languages, programmer discipline could have ensured that the references liable to change were restricted to one part of the program but they could just as easily be spread throughout the program. In COBOL programs, programmers have no choice. COBOL’s rigid hierarchical structure ensures that these items are restricted to the Environment Division

https://users.cs.jmu.edu/adamses/Web/CS%20430%20Fall%202004/Student%20Project%20Work/Akanni%20-%20COBOL/COBOL%20Tutorial%20HTML-Pages/Introduction%20to%20COBOL.htm

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Resource Accessibility
By allowing remote completion of online learning sessions, NLP narrows the resource accessibility gap. Additionally, NLP solutions enable educators to expand their digital learning platforms rapidly, boosting the level of engagement, as the setup doesn’t require any significant infrastructure from learners.
Furthermore, the ability to divide lengthy sessions into shorter ones lets students learn comfortably, keeping their attention throughout their learning journey.

2. Intelligent Teaching Systems
   NLP in education is being used to change static teaching methods into dynamic, flexible, and intelligent teaching and learning environment that quickly respond to the changing needs of student learning.
   For instance, chatbots adapt lessons to learners’ skill levels in an effort to give individualized support.
   Furthermore, NLP is the driving force behind Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs), which are proven to be potent tools for revolutionizing how students learn by offering them personalized teaching and supervision without a human teacher.
   Top universities like Carnegie Mellon have been actively utilizing NLP in ITS development to create good one-on-one learning interaction channels.
3. Flexible Learning Conditions
   NLP may easily collect messages that indicate repetitive interactions, such as submitting assignments, taking exams, or taking courses. Such tedious and repeated administrative tasks can be effectively managed by ever-evolving NLP-based solutions. As a result, teachers may be able to concentrate on their main instructional tasks.
   Also, learners are able to directly interact with teaching systems, which assess their performance using a range of mediums, including images, videos, and texts. Thus, NLP provides the dynamism that is essential in today’s learning contexts.
4. Contextual Assistance
   Teachers sometimes find it challenging to accommodate the particular needs of students. That’s where NLP comes in handy.
   It assists educators in conceptualizing approaches that effectively cater to impaired students’ special requirements. Similarly, LNP can serve as a data-feeding mechanism for deep learning algorithms that use students’ psychometrics.
5. Language Learning Support
   Students learning a language as a second language, struggling with pronunciation, or having grammatical errors can greatly benefit from NLP language learning technology.
   To be specific, conversational NLP, voice synthesis, and text-to-speech technologies give language learners a helping hand in communicating with foreigners and together learn each other’s languages.
   Reading literature written in a second language becomes a piece of cake, especially when NLP with optical character recognition enables annotations like part of speech, meaning, and synonyms to be shown in real time on e-learning tools.
   On top of that, NLP-based language learning applications may customize themselves to a student’s learning preferences and produce appropriate suggestions for reading material and other activities.
6. Ease of Development
   The nicest thing about employing NLP-based teaching solutions is that they are quick to install and do not require a lot of infrastructure. In fact, a chatbot may successfully work as a teacher for only 10% of the expense of creating a full-featured e-learning platform.
   https://www.neurond.com/blog/natural-language-processing-in-education

What Is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology (AT) is crucial in enhancing quality of life and promoting independence for people with disabilities. These technologies support the daily needs of individuals with various impairments, including physical, sensory, cognitive, or developmental disabilities. They also can make physical environments as well as information more accessible for everyone, regardless of disability.
Take wheelchairs or hearing aids into consideration. These are examples of assistive technology that may be useful to someone with a temporary, progressive, or permanent disability.
A wide range of other devices likewise assist people across the disability community in accessing information, staying organized, and communicating. Communications-related technology, for instance, includes screen magnifiers, speech-to-text software, and voice recognition in smart appliances.
But things as common as audiobooks, closed captioning, or virtual assistants like Siri make information more accessible, too. They give individual users different ways to access information, depending on their preference or their ability.
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the potential to enhance assistive technologies is seemingly limitless.
How Artificial Intelligence May Help Improve Assistive Devices
AI has great promise in improving the effectiveness of assistive technology, among any number of other areas. It may also come to play a major role in tailoring devices to the unique needs of individual users.
Personalization
AI can analyze data and readily learn from user interactions to personalize assistive technology devices for individual users. This personalization can lead to more adaptive and accurate solutions, catering to a person’s preferences.
Speech and Language Recognition
Speech recognition is already enhancing the ability of communication devices. AI-powered software is now allowing individuals with speech impairments to communicate more effectively through improved semantic accuracy. It also can convert speech into text, helping those with hearing impairments or difficulty typing.
Predictive Modeling
AI can analyze user data and patterns to predict user intentions or actions. This capability may come to benefit people with motor disabilities or cognitive impairments in controlling certain types of assistive devices more fluently and efficiently.
Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing (NLP) capabilities of AI can enable more intuitive and natural interactions between users and their assistive technology devices. This can give the user easier and faster control, in real time.
Intelligent Decision-Making
AI algorithms can assist decision-making by selecting the best assistive technology solutions that take into consideration the person’s disability, lifestyle, and preferences.
AI enables devices to learn and improve performance based on user feedback and experiences, leading to enhancements and updates.
AI-powered devices have become more personalized and adaptable to individual needs. The collection of data customizes a user’s experience, accounting for their disability, age, height, weight, speech ability, and more. AI automates many tasks previously done by humans, creating assistive technology efficiencies and lowering costs. AI has the potential to transform assistive technology, making it more accessible and effective for people with disabilities.
How Can a Person With Disabilities Access These AI Improvements?
Artificial intelligence is no longer a science fiction fantasy. As it becomes mainstream, it’s receiving increased funding from government and private development sources. Institutions and lawmakers alike are examining its benefits and potential detriments. Various disability programs are also making AI-driven assistive technologies available and gathering data for further investigation.
A Special Needs Planning Expert Can Help
Special needs planning attorneys can play a crucial role in helping individuals with disabilities access better assistive technology benefits. They focus their work on protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities.
For them, it’s important to understand the laws and regulations of disability benefits, including those related to assistive technology. This way, they can help ensure their client’s application and claims align with the most current legal requirements.
.

https://assuredtrustcompany.com/how-artificial-intelligence-is-supporting-assistive-technology/
References
https://assuredtrustcompany.com/how-artificial-intelligence-is-supporting-assistive-technology/
https://www.neurond.com/blog/natural-language-processing-in-education

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What is Java?
Java is a widely-used programming language for coding web applications. It has been a popular choice among developers for over two decades, with millions of Java applications in use today. Java is a multi-platform, object-oriented, and network-centric language that can be used as a platform in itself. It is a fast, secure, reliable programming language for coding everything from mobile apps and enterprise software to big data applications and server-side technologies.
Why Use Java?
Java is widely used in mobile applications, game development, web consoles, GUIs, web applications, desktop applications, and software systems. Not only these but also Java is used for the development of software for various devices. Java is mainly used in mobiles and computers but nowadays it’s useful for multiple electronic devices such as air conditioning, television, washing machines, and many more. Java assists many banking applications, online registration, and shopping sites
What is Java programming language used for?
Because Java is a free-to-use and a versatile language, it builds localized and distributed software. Some common uses of Java include:

1. Game Development
   Many popular mobile, computer, and video games are built in Java. Even modern games that integrate advanced technology like machine learning or virtual reality are built with Java technology.
2. Cloud computing
   Java is often referred to as WORA – Write Once and Run Anywhere, making it perfect for decentralized cloud-based applications. Cloud providers choose Java language to run programs on a wide range of underlying platforms.
3. Big Data
   Java is used for data processing engines that can work with complex data sets and massive amounts of real-time data.
4. Artificial Intelligence
   Java is a powerhouse of machine learning libraries. Its stability and speed make it perfect for artificial intelligence application development like natural language processing and deep learning.
5. Internet of Things
   Java has been used to program sensors and hardware in edge devices that can connect independently to the internet.
   Why is Java such a popular choice among modern-day software developers?
   Java is popular because it has been designed for ease of use. Some reasons developers continue to choose Java over other programming languages include:
   High quality learning resources
   Java has been around for a long time, so many learning resources are available for new programmers. Detailed documentation, comprehensive books, and courses support developers through the learning curve. In addition, beginners can start writing code in Core Java before moving to Advanced Java.
   Inbuilt functions and libraries
   When using Java, developers don’t need to write every new function from scratch. Instead, Java provides a rich ecosystem of in-built functions and libraries to develop a range of applications.
   Active community support
   Java has many active users and a community that can support developers when they face coding challenges. The Java platform software is also maintained and updated regularly.
   High-quality development tools
   Java offers various tools to support automated editing, debugging, testing, deployment, and change management. These tools make Java programming time and cost-efficient.
   Platform Independent
   Java code can run on any underlying platform like Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android without rewriting. This makes it especially powerful in today’s environment, where we want to run applications on multiple devices.
   Security
   Users can download untrusted Java code over a network and run it in a secure environment in which it cannot do any harm. Untrusted code cannot infect the host system with a virus nor can it read or write files from the hard drive. The security levels and restrictions in Java are also highly configurable.
   How does Java work?
   All programming languages are a means to communicate with machines. Machine hardware only responds to electronic communication. High-level programming languages like Java act as a bridge between human language and hardware language. To use Java, a developer needs to understand two things:
6. Java language and APIs
   This is the front-end communication between the developer and the Java platform.
7. Java Virtual Machine
   This is the back-end communication between the Java platform and the underlying hardware. Let’s look at each of these in detail below.
   What is Java API?
   Java defines the syntax and semantics of the Java programming language. This includes the basic vocabulary and rules used to write algorithms such as primitive data types, if/else blocks, loops, etc.
   APIs are important software components bundled with the Java Platform. These are pre-written Java programs that can plug and play existing functionality into your own code. For example, you could use Java APIs to get the date and time, perform mathematical operations, or manipulate text.
   Any Java application code written by a developer will typically combine new and pre-existing code from Java APIs and Java libraries.
   What is Java Virtual Machine?
   The Java Virtual Machine acts as an additional abstraction layer between the Java platform and the underlying machine hardware. Java source code can run only on those machines that have JVM installed on them. The answer to why the Java Virtual Machine is needed lies in the history of programming.
   The history of programming
   When natural programming languages were first developed, they fell into two broad categories, depending on how they communicated with the underlying hardware.
8. Compilers: The complete program is written in natural English-like syntax with compilers, and the language then compiles (or translates) the entire code into machine code. The compiled code is then run on the hardware.
9. Interpreters: With interpreters, every high-level code statement is interpreted into machine code on the fly. Written statements are run immediately by the hardware before looking at the next statement.
   The Java runtime environment
   The Java program was the first language to combine both methods above using a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The Java code compiler is called the Java Virtual Machine. Any Java file is first compiled into bytecode. Java bytecode can only run in the JVM. The JVM then interprets the bytecode to run it on the underlying hardware platform. So if the application is running on a Windows machine, the JVM will interpret it for Windows. But if it is running on an open-source platform like Linux, the JVM will interpret it for Linux.
   How to program in Java
   To begin programming in Java, you need to install a Java Edition on your system. There are four main Java editions:
10. Java Standard Edition (Java SE)
11. Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE)
12. Java Micro Edition (Java ME)
    What is Java SE?
    Java Standard Edition is the core Java programming platform. It contains all of the libraries and APIs that any programmer needs for java development. Open Java Development Kit(OpenJDK) is the free and open source implementation of Java SE.
    Amazon Corretto is a no cost, multiplatform, production-ready distribution of OpenJDK. It can be used as a drop-in replacement for many Java SE distributions and comes with no-cost, long term support from Amazon. It lets you run the same environment in the cloud, on premises, and on your local machine.
    What is AWS SDK for Java?
    AWS SDK for Java simplifies uses of AWS Services by providing a set of libraries that are consistent and familiar for Java developers. It supports higher-level abstractions for simplified development. AWS-focused open-source Java libraries are available along with code examples and a Java API reference guide.
    The SDK code examples contain Java code examples and real-world use cases for AWS services to help accelerate the development of your applications. In addition, the Java API reference guide describes the API operations for the latest version of the AWS SDK for Java. The reference guide also provides sample requests, responses, and errors for the supported web services protocols.
    .
    https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/java/https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/java/

References:
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/java
https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/java/https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/java/

The post Write up on Tech Geek History: Java appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

The First Bahadur comics published in Indrajal was Lal Haveli ka Rahasya (Dec ’76; IJC No.267). It was priced at Rs 1. It was also published in Bengali and Kannada language.
The story begins when a dacoit, Vairab Singh, who has been terrorizing villages, is shot dead by the Chief of Police Vishal. The dacoit’s teenager son swears revenge on the policeman who caused the death of his father. However, Vishal helps him turn over a new leaf. The boy was Bahadur, and he grows up to enforce law and order in the little bustling town of Jaigarh.
https://unboxedwriters.com/bahadur-the-first-ever-indian-superhero/

The history of Hindi comic books can be traced back to 1964, when Indrajal Comics, an offshoot of Times Group, published the first ever Hindi comic book titled Vetal ki Mekhla (The Phantom’s Belt). After gaining popularity among young readers, several American comic books were adapted into Hindi. This eventually led to the development of several publishing houses promoting hindi comic books with diverse characters.
Critically informed writing about comics, an endeavour with a long but often marginal history in the scholarly world, has flourished over the past two decades as never before. The rise of comic book studies is connected to the increased status and awareness of comics as an expressive medium and as part of historical records.
Amar Chitra Katha: Shift towards ‘Indigenous’ Comic Books
A major break in the publication of Hindi comic books came in 1967 when India Book House started the Amar Chitra Katha series helmed by Anant Pai. Trained as a chemical engineer, Pai joined the publishing industry in the 1960s, and was employed by the publication division of the Times of India. It is said that once Pai watched a quiz contest on Doordarshan where children could answer questions on Greek mythology but did not know the name of Rama’s mother.[4] His nieces and nephews also showed him stories they had written that had characters with English names. Pai found this alienation from Indian cultural roots disturbing. He conducted an experiment in a Delhi school to establish that the comic format works well as a mode of communication for young minds. He then conceived the idea of an indigenous comic book for children that would have the stamp of approval from parents and teachers since they would provide information on Indian mythologies and histories. He pitched the concept to Times Group but without any success. However, India Book House, a publisher based in Bombay, lapped it up. The series was named Amar Chitra Katha (literally, immortal picture stories) or ACK as it is popularly known. Although the first 10 issues of ACK were Western stories like Pinocchio and Cinderella, from the 11th issue onwards, it came into its own and started to publish stories related to Indian mythology.

Bahadur, which literally means The Brave, is a highly popular Indian comics character, created by painter, journalist, author, playwright, cartoonist and screenwriter Aabid Surti in the year 1976. The comic series was published and distributed by Indrajal Comics. Bahadur was released in many Indian regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali and also in English. Other than being published as a stand alone series, Bahadur was also featured in several newspapers and magazines as comic strips, along with other comic book heroes.

Concept of Bahadur
During the period when Bahadur was conceived in 1976, crimes like robbery had increased to a great extent in the country. The series of Bahadur focused mainly on the robbers and dacoit clans. Bahadur was born to father Vairab Singh, who himself was a dacoit. Vairab Singh died in a combat with the local police. During his teenage years, Bahadur was adopted by Vishal, the Police inspector who killed his father.

Bahadur later established the Citizen”s Security Force, also known as Naagrik Suraksha Dal (NASUD). This group was set up with the objective of providing support to the Police Force for combating dacoit clans. Even though he bravely fought with various groups of dacoits and other criminals, Bahadur mainly concentrated on correcting and rehabilitating the dacoits. His main sidekick and assistant, Lakhan, was also a former dacoit who was later reformed by Bahadur himself. Lakhan eventually surrendered himself to the law and started to work with Bahadur in restricting crime.

In the Indian comics series, Bela is portrayed as the love interest of Bahadur. She is an expert in various combat forms and techniques of martial arts. Bela helps Bahadur in various missions and his fights against his rivals. There were some other significant characters that were featured in the series on a regular basis, such as Lakhan, Mukhiya and Sukhiya. Mukhiya was the head of village administration and the leader of the villagers and Sukhiya was a police officer. Bahadur also had a dog named Chammiya, but it was introduced much late in the series.

Development of Bahadur
The Bahadur series gradually evolved in terms of artwork, plot and quality. Originating from the concept of dacoits in the small town of Jaigarh, the series moved to themes like espionage. Moreover, the setting of the story also shifted from a small town to a modern city. As the artists changed with time, the look of Bahadur was also experimented with several times. His initial attire remained same till 1986. Then his kurta was changed to pink and his trademark long hair was shortened to sport a new and urban look. Later his kurta was also replaced by a T-shirt. The series of Bahadur came to an end in April 1990, when Indrajal Comics was cancelled by the Times of India.

During 2010, it was planned that the Bahadur series would be made available on a new website on Bahadur. Moreover, there are plans to reboot the Bahadur character in the near future.
https://www.indianetzone.com/bahadur

References:
https://www.indianetzone.com/bahadur
https://unboxedwriters.com/bahadur-the-first-ever-indian-superhero/

The post Write up on Bahadur- The First Ever Indian Superhero (Historical records) appeared first on DayDreamin’ Comics.

Summary
The Commodore 64 microcomputer consists of a 6510 microprocessor, ROM, R/W memory, and various I/O devices. These are interconnected by the address bus, the databus, and the control bus. Each of the65,536 memory 22 1 D The Commodore 64 Microcomputer System locations is identified by its address. Each memory location stores eight bits of information, called an eight-bit code, an eight-bit number, or a byte. Memory is used to store both data and machine-language programs. The microprocessor can read a code stored in memory, operate on it, or store (write) a code in memory under the direction of a machine-language program. A program is an ordered set of instructions stored sequentially in memory. Instructions consist of eight-bit codes that the microprocessor reads, interprets, and executes. In order to be understood by human beings, the instruc tions are described by a mnemonic and an English language description. The instruction set of the 6510 consists of 56 different instructions. Six registers inside the 6510 are involved in the execution of these instructions. These registers are the accumulator, X register, Y register, program counter, processor status register, and the stack pointer.

INSTRUCTION TYPES
There are 4 classes of instructions in the 6510. These are:

• Data movement
• Arithmetic
• Thsting
• Flow of control
  13 Data movement instructions are instructions that cause a value to be loaded from memory, stored into memory, or transferred from one register to another. There are a number of options as to how the address of the byte to be loaded will be determined. In the load accumulator instruction, LOA, there are eight different addressing modes that can be used to determine which byte to load. The different addressing modes are explained in the following section. Arithmetic instructions are used to modify data in some way. This class of instruction includes logical operations, such as the ANO and ORA instructions. There are instructions that allow a byte to be rotated as well as addition and subtraction commands. As with the data movement instructions, most of the available addressing modes can be used by the arithmetic instructions.
  7 testing instructions allow a nondestructive test of data in the microprocessor. For instance, when a CMP instruction is used to check a value in the ACCUMULATOR, the data in the ACCUMULATOR will not be changed in any way. The bits in the STATUS register will be changed in the same way as if the data to be compared was subtracted from the ACCUMULATOR.
  These instructions are generally used to modify the STATUS register prior to executing a branch instruction. Flow of control instructions are the branching and jump instructions. These are used to change the order in which different sections of code are executed. The branch instructions are all conditional branching instructions. That is, each instruction checks one of the bits in the status register and, depending on its value, will either branch to the instruction pointed to in the operand or execute the next instruction in line. Jump and jump to subroutine instructions also fall into the flow of control category. These are known as absolute commands because they do not check any conditions before performing a jump
  Sprites, Bitmaps and Vectors
  In the beginning there were essentially two different ways of making computer graphics. Sprites/Bitmaps and Vectors.
  Vector graphics represented images as a series of mathematical equations, allowing for smooth lines and curves. The most notable example of vector graphics during this time was Atari’s arcade game “Asteroids,” which featured wireframe graphics. The game was widely cloned and arrived on all the 8 bit home computer systems in one form or another during the early 80s.
  https://www.cadasio.com/post/8-bit-sprites-to-webgl-how-computer-graphics-have-changed-the-world
  The Commodore 64 has the ability to generate sprite graphics over a character background. When this data area is created and a sprite is moving over the background, that data will not be erased. This is because the sprites are located in a different area of memory that do not conflict with the screen data. This independence gives it a great advantage when creating games. Any data or graphics remains in its own independent space.
  A sprite is drawn as 24 x 21 (503 bits) or 63 bytes of memory. So a sprite can be 24 bits wide, and 21 bits high. This area is also known as an MOB (Moveable Object Block). Up to 8 sprites can be displayed, animated, and moved on the screen. However, using a technique known as sprite multiplexing, even more sprites can be occupied with raster line timing. Basic is too slow to move sprites effectively, so assembly language is the best bet when trying to create smooth movement.
  The bytes are separated into individual bits for each row (ranging from 0-7), with the 0 bit being on the right. The values for each section (in an 7 bit layer) is displayed as 128,64,32,16,8,4,2, and 1. The total sum of these values in 255 which would draw a complete line across the width of the sprite.
  Multicolor Sprites
  Sprites can be in one color or in multiple colors, when a special mode known as multicolor is activated using memory locations ($D025 – $D02E), which is listed as 53287-53294 in Basic decimal mode. These multicolors are displayed when the sprites are grouped in pairs. As a result this expands a pixel to twice the width of a high resolution pixel. When lining up these bits during the design phase, a sprite can contain up to 4 colors (0-4). The bit pair of 00 will be transparent. The bit pair of 01 will be linked to the color in $D025 (53285). The bit pair of 11 will be linked to address $D026 (53286). Finally the bit pair of 10 will take on the color of a sprite in memory locations $D025-$D02E (53287-53294).
  It is quite tedious to create a sprite on graph paper, but it can be accomplished. Essentially you will divide each area into 3 rows that occupy 8 bytes each and the height will designed the same way. Most people prefer using a Sprite Editor to accomplish this. Windows has made room for a popular editor known as SpritePad. By using this tool, you can quickly create a whole slew of sprites, add their multicolors, and even animate them.
  Sprite Positions
  Commodore 64 Sprites are positioned horizontally and vertically using the registers $D000-$D00F (53248-53263). So for example Sprite 0 could be positioned on the screen in a position ranging from left to right by using memory location $D000. However, there is a limit to the horizontal position up to byte 255. The vertical position of Sprite 0 can be placed using memory location $D001.
  As mentioned earlier, sprites have a limited (due to their width range) area that can be placed on the screen and require another memory location to reset the horizontal position of a sprite’s high byte. The memory location that handles this is $D010 (53264). By passing in a bit from 0-7 here you can set that sprite’s appropriate horizontal most significant bit at that position.
  Each of the Commodore 64 Sprites require the ability to have it turned on or off. The memory location that handles this is $D015. This is accomplished by setting a bit from 0-7 for the appropriate sprite once again. A zero contained here turns that sprite off and a 1 activates it so it displays on the screen.
  A sprite can be expanded to double it’s height with memory location $D017 (53271). The expansion is controlled by setting a bit with a 0 or 1. As identical to the sprite enable function, setting a zero here turns off the expansion, and placing a 1 here will activate the sprite vertical expansion. Often in games, this could be used to create a boss character since they tend to be larger.
  The Foreground Display Priority Register at memory location $D01B (53275) controls when a sprite will exist in front of a foreground or behind it. This is done again, by setting it to bit 0 or 1. If a game contains a multicolor graphics mode, the sprite will be shown behind other sprite graphics even though the priority is set here for the foreground graphics, due to the 01 bit pair being set.
  Sprite Bit Pairs
  A sprite can contain multiple colors within it’s bit pairs using memory location $D01C (53276). To activate this, set bit 1 here, and turn it off by replacing with bit 0. When it is turned on, the sprite shape data is gathered into pairs. Each pair controls a double wide pixel of the sprite display. Since the sprite has had the horizontal resolution reduced, it is now only 12 dots wide. This now allows the ability for using two new colors. According to Mapping the Commodore 64 the four possible combinations affecting these bit pairs get their color from the data below.
  00 Background Color Register 0 (transparent)
  01 Sprite Multicolor Register 0 (53285, $D025)
  10 Sprite Color Registers (53287, $D027-E)
  11 Sprite Multicolor Register 1 (53286, $D026)
  Each sprite also contains the ability to have three foreground colors, which that color being unique to that sprite.
  Sprite to Sprite Collision
  The collision of a sprite is stored in registers ($D01E-$D01F) or 53278-53279 memory registers. There is some conflict when using this register however. Although a sprite can confirm with sprites overlapped each other (bit 1 is set), it is unable to accurately determine a collision when Commodore 64 Sprites are stacked up in a row. When that occurs, this register would still trigger a collision even if they are not touching each other. A collision is tracked when a bit (dot) of a sprite’s data moves over another dot that does not contain zero data in that area. Sprites that utilize this memory area, can also detect a collision even when it climbs behind the border or off the screen. Likewise setting a zero here will usually clear the collision, if multiple sprites are not conflicting with each other.
  Sprite Foreground Collision
  Just like it’s counterpart, memory location $D01F (53279) has the ability to see when Commodore 64 Sprites have collided with the foreground. By checking to see if a bit 0 or 1 is contained here, it can act on that information. Yet there are still conflicts that can occur so use it wisely, ensuring that sprite bits are not crossing over each other.
  A sprite’s multicolor is set within memory locations $D025- $D026 as discussed earlier. It is necessary for the system to find a zero or 1 here so that sprite’s data can be set accordingly. The default color set for $D025 on power up is purple, and $D026 will contain the color black.
  A standard Commodore 64 Sprites color is set and turned off using locations $D027-$D02E (53287-53294) in memory. Each corresponding sprite once again contains a default color when the computer is first turned on, but they can be changed here.
  Sprite Shape Data and Animation
  Memory locations $07F8-$07FF (2040-2047) contain an area that reserves sprite data. This is useful for animation. The data is contained here for each pointer to match the appropriate shape in memory. Each of the Commodore 64 Sprites, ranging from 0-7 occupy it’s own data containment in these memory addresses. The pointer value is multiplied by 64, which is equal to the starting location of that sprite’s data table. A simple calculation as found in Mapping the Commodore 64 is using Sprite 0 at memory address 704 (11*64=704) to point to the appropriate area of memory. This then leaves room for 63 bytes up to memory address 767. By cycling through data contained in these registers, simple animation is quite possible with your sprites.

SPRITES
A sprite is a small moveable object block that can move independently of the background graphics. The VIC chip can display eight sprites on the screen at anyone time. Sprites can be displayed on anyone of the display modes, and they will look the same in all of them. You can have up to 256 different sprites defined at anyone time, but only eight can be displayed at the same time. The sprite to be displayed can be changed by changing a one byte pointer, so animation can be easily performed by quickly switching through a few different sprite patterns. Sprites can be moved very smoothly by simply giving the VIC chip the X and Y coordinates of the upper left comer of the sprite. Sprites have different display priorities. That means that the sprite with a higher priority will ap pear to move in front of a sprite with a lower priori ty. This can be used to give the illusion of three dimensional movement. The priority of a sprite to the background graphics is individually selected for each sprite. If the background is given priority, the sprite will appear to move behind the background graphics.
For instance, if a tree was being displayed in the bit mapped graphics mode, and a sprite in the shape of a dog was to move past the tree, the dog would appear to be moving behind the tree. Each sprite is a block 24 pixels horizontally by 21 pixels vertically. The pixels that are set to one use 1 of the 16 available colors.
The pixels that are set to zero allow the background color to show through (are transparent). Like the other graphics modes, a sprite can be selected to be in the multicolor mode, giving it a resolution of 12 by 21 in three colors plus transparent. Wherever a sprite is transparent, whatever is behind the sprite will show through. For those times when a larger sprite is necessary, the VIC chip has the option of doubling the horizontal size, the vertical size, or both. You will not increase the detail available in your sprite by using one of the multiply options, only the size.
When a sprite is expanded, each of the pixels is twice the size of the pixels in a normal sprite. Sprite Pointers Once a sprite has been defined, the VIC chip needs to be told where to find the pattern. The sprite definition must be in the currently selected bank of memory for it to be displayed. Since each sprite definition takes up 64 bytes, a sprite definition will always start on a $0040 boundary in memory. A 16K bank of memory can hold 256 sprite definitions, so it will only require one byte to tell the VIC chip which sprite to display. The sprite pointer is a number which, when multiplied by 64, will give the starting address of the sprite definition.
Sprite definitions may not be placed in a section of memory where the VIC chip sees an image of the character generator ROM. The VIC chip will read the eight sprite pointers from the last eight bytes of the lK of text memory, 30 an offset of $03F8 from the text base address. Since only 1000 out of 1024 bytes of text memory are used to display characters on the screen, the sprite pointers will not interfere with screen graphics. For example, since the default setting of the text memory is at $0400, the first sprite pointer will be $07F8. Sprite Controls For most of the sprite control registers, each bit in the register corresponds to one of the sprites. For example, bit 0 represents sprite 0, bit 1 represents sprite 1, and so on. The rest of the sprite controls require a value (such as a vertical location), so there is one register for each sprite. Enabling a sprite. Before a sprite can be seen, it must be enabled.
The register SPREN ($DOI5), has an enable bit for each sprite. If the bit is set, the sprite will be enabled. The sprite will only be seen if the X and Y positions are set to the visi ble portion of the screen. A sprite can be disabled by clearing the appropriate bit. Setting the sprite color. There are eight registers that are used to hold color information, one for each sprite. Any of the 16 available colors may be selected for each sprite. Each bit that is set in the sprite definition will cause a pixel to be displayed in the sprite color. If the bit is clear, the pixel will be transparent. The sprite color registers are: Name SPRCLO SPRCLl SPRCL2 SPRCL3 SPRCL4 SPRCL5 SPRCL6 SPRCL7 Address $D027 $D028 $D029 $D02A $D02B $D02C $D02D $D02E Setting the multicolor mode.
The multicolor mode can be individually selected for each ($DOlC)/sprite by setting the appropriate bit in the MLTSP ($DOlC) register. Setting a bit will enable the multicolor mode, clearing the bit will disable the multicolor mode. When the multicolor mode is enabled, the horizontal resolution drops from 24 pixels across to 12 pixels. Each pair of bits in the sprite definition is treated as a bit pair, whose value determines which of the four colors will be selected for the pixel

Pair Description 00 01 10 11 TRANSPARENT, SCREEN COLOR SPRITE MULTICOLOR REGISTER #0 ($0025) SPRITE COLOR REGISTER SPRITE MULTICOLOR REGISTER #1 ($0026) Using the sprite multipliers. Each of the sprites can be expanded in either the X or Y direc tion. When a sprite is expanded, each pixel is displayed as twice the normal size in the direction of the expansion. The resolution of the sprite does not increase, only the size. To expand a sprite in the X direction, the ap propriate bit must be set in the SPRXSZ ($DOID) register. To return the sprite to its normal size, clear and bit. The expansion of a sprite in the Y direction is done in the same way as the X expansion. You must set the appropriate bit in the SPRYSZ ($DOI7) register to expand the sprite. The sprite can be returned to its normal size by clearing its bit in the . SPRYSZ register.
The sprite can also be expanded in both the X and Y directions by setting its bit in both registers. Positioning sprites. Each sprite can be posi tioned independently anywhere on the visible screen and off the visible screen in any direction. Since the screen is 320 pixels wide, it takes more than one byte to specify a horizontal position.
Each sprite has its own X position register and Y position register, and a bit in an extra most significant bit register.
The location specified by the registers is the position where the upper left comer of the sprite will appear.
For an unexpanded sprite to be completely visible, the Y value must be between $32 and $E9. Any other values will place the sprite partially off the screen. Whatever value is placed in the X position register is the least significant 8 bits of a 9 bit value. Each sprite has a ninth bit in the XMSB ($DOlO) register. An unexpanded sprite will be completely visible if the 9 bit X value is greater than $18 and less than $140. The HINC and HDEC macros can be used to perform 9 bit increments and decrements of the X position. Table 7-6 shows the screen coordinates for expanded and unexpanded sprites to be fully visible on the screen. Any sprite positions outside of these limits will be partially or fully off of the screen. This provides an easy way to reveal a sprite gradually. Assigning sprite priorities.
As mentioned before, each sprite has a display priority with respect to the other sprites and to the background. You can create a three dimensional effect by allow ing different sprites to pass in front of each other. The priority of one sprite to another is predeter mined by the VIC chip. Sprite 0 has the highest priority, meaning that it will appear to be in front of all other sprites. Sprite 7 has the lowest priority of all the sprites. Each sprite can be individually selected to either have a higher priority than the background or a lower priority. If the sprite’s bit in the BPRIOR ($D01B) register is clear, the sprite will appear to pass in front of the background. When the bit for the sprite is set in the BPRIOR register, the sprite will appear to move behind the background image and in front of the background color. Because sprites can have transparent as one of their colors, any sprite that passes behind a higher priority sprite with transparent in it will show through in the transparent areas.

Overview of System Memory Map
The System Memory Map plays a vital role in the operation of the computer. It is essentially a blueprint of the computer’s memory, showing the locations of the different memory regions and how they are used. By understanding the memory map, programmers and users can effectively use and manipulate the computer’s resources.
Compared to other Commodore computers, the C65’s memory map is unique. It features a larger address space of 24 bits, allowing for a maximum of 16MB of memory. This was a significant improvement over the 64KB limit of the popular Commodore 64. The C65’s memory map also includes a number of new memory regions, such as the SuperCPU and the burst mode, which were not present in earlier models.
The memory map is organized into different regions, each with a specific function. The first region, known as the Zero Page, contains important system variables and routines used by the computer’s operating system. The next region, the Stack, is used to store temporary data and addresses. The code area contains the main program code, and the data area is used to store program data.
The memory map also includes other regions, such as the I/O area, which is used to communicate with peripheral devices, and the ROM area, which contains read-only memory. By understanding the different regions and their functions, programmers and users can make better use of the computer’s resources and optimize their programs for maximum efficiency.
The System Memory Map is a crucial component of the Commodore C65. Its unique features and organization make it an important tool for programming and using the computer effectively. By gaining a deeper understanding of the memory map, users can unlock the full potential of the C65 and take their computing experience to new heights.
The C65 features a 128-kilobyte ROM that is organized into four regions: the system ROM, the BASIC ROM, the Kernal ROM, and the character ROM. The system ROM contains the C65’s boot code and the code that initializes its hardware, while the BASIC ROM contains the version of Commodore BASIC that was modified for the C65.
The Kernal ROM, on the other hand, contains the low-level routines that interact with the C65’s hardware, such as those used for reading and writing to disk drives and serial devices. The character ROM is responsible for storing the graphics and characters that the C65 can display.
The C65 features a 128-kilobyte ROM that is organized into four regions: the system ROM, the BASIC ROM, the Kernal ROM, and the character ROM. The system ROM contains the C65’s boot code and the code that initializes its hardware, while the BASIC ROM contains the version of Commodore BASIC that was modified for the C65.
The Kernal ROM, on the other hand, contains the low-level routines that interact with the C65’s hardware, such as those used for reading and writing to disk drives and serial devices. The character ROM is responsible for storing the graphics and characters that the C65 can display.
The system ROM is located at memory addresses $E00000-$E3FFFF, while the BASIC ROM is located at addresses $C00000-$C1FFFF. The Kernal ROM is located at addresses $E80000-$EBFFFF, and the character ROM is located at addresses $D00000-$D0FFFF.
When the C65 boots up, the system ROM is the first ROM region that is accessed. The boot code initializes the C65’s hardware and then loads the C65’s version of BASIC from the BASIC ROM into memory. The C65’s Kernal ROM is then used to interact with the hardware and perform low-level operations.
Understanding the organization and functions of each ROM region is essential for programming and effectively using the C65. By having a solid understanding of the C65’s ROM memory map, programmers can take full advantage of the capabilities of this unique and powerful computer.
https://philreichert.org/commodore-c65/system-memory-map.html
Memory-mapped I/O and interfacing To summarize what we have just explain, an input/output port (I/O port) is allocation in the memory map of the computer that can be used to transfer information either from an external device to the computer from the computer to an external device. The type of input/output operations that use sports in the memory map of the computer system is called memory mapped I/O. These ports maybe accessed with any of the instructions in the 6510instruction set that involve a read or write operation. The type of I/O in which from one to eight bits of information are transmitted simultaneously is called parallel I/O. If only one bit can be output at a time, then the I/O operations are described as serial I/O.

References:
https://philreichert.org/commodore-c65/system-memory-map.html
https://www.cadasio.com/post/8-bit-sprites-to-webgl-how-computer-graphics-have-changed-the-world
COMMODORE 64 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE ARCADE GAME PROGRAMMING
STEVE BRESS
Copyright © 1985 by TAB BOOKS Inc.

Assembly Language Programming with the Commodore 64
Marvin L. De Jong The Scholte Ozarks Pt. Lookout, MO Brady Communications Company, Inc. A Prentice-Hall Publishing Company

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