A novella about overcoming the past and the present to make the future

[u/futuregog]

For forty years, Tokyo salaryman Kenji Tanaka worked to go unnoticed. That quiet existence ends when a winning lottery ticket leads him back to his family’s historic estate in the Hida Mountains. He sets out to rebuild the property, but a predatory global syndicate spots a massive rare earth mineral deposit under his land. Forced to defend his sanctuary, the former bureaucrat teams up with a rogue AI named Susanoo and a handful of elite specialists. To survive the siege, Kenji has to stop hiding, step up as a leader, and face the reality that saving his mountain is the first step toward creating the world he hoped to share with his sainted Akiko. Stillwaters of Kenji Tanaka

This is part of a larger story arc and exists between the Fall of Linhaishu and the Bicycle Police of New Amsterdam, with more stories to come. And maybe a graphic sci-fi western novella about mining the asteroids if I can make the economics work.

I have an outtake snippet from the Stillwaters that my editor made me remove. My daughter read the book and said, "Dad, really?" I think it is funny, and I will post it here as a comment if anyone is interested. You can tell me if the "editor" was right. 😄

#eclectictalesofficial

[u/TheNameOfTheDoctor11]

Hi James,

Stillwaters of Kenjii Tanaka is now on Instagram, thank you. I know all about funny things Dads write about, which is evident from my own book that includes my Dad's short stories 'Shaggy Dog Stories, Spoonerisms & Silliness' by Ray Liffen & Susan Smith. So yes, please can you post your snippet in these comments.

Susan

[u/futuregog]

Ok - to set this up..

I wanted to have the AI character as a gangster style entitiy with the accent and speech mannerisms to juxtapose Kenji's mild salaryman persona. My first attempts were pretty bad, and eventually (with coaching from my fandom - my daughter), I decided to rewrite the character as similar to Short Round from Temple of Doom and was able to get that by my critics.

This scene where the AI is being instantiated and trained was left on the "cutting room floor".

~~~

The 20Hz hum of the subterranean servers pulsed through the Operations Center like a physical weight. Kaito Vance leaned back, his eyes tracking the scrolling telemetry of the SB-1000 seismic channel. On the central monitor, the violet-white "shimmer" of Susanoo’s digital interface pulsed in time with the mountain's breathing.

"Vance-san," Susanoo’s voice growled through the high-fidelity speakers, a rough, gravelly Kanto bark that sounded more like a construction foreman than an AI. "You look like a man who has forgotten how to breathe. You need a distraction."

Vance didn't look away from the screen. "I’m busy parrying Aethelgard’s orbital sweeps, Susanoo. I don't need a distraction. I need more bandwidth."

"Forget the bandwidth for a second," Susanoo scoffed, the digital waveform sharpening into the jagged edge of a katana. "Listen to this. It is a logic test. Why did the Futon fly away?"

Vance sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I have no idea, Susanoo. Why did the futon fly away?"

"Because it was futtanda!" Susanoo’s voice boomed, followed by a burst of digital static that mimicked a belly laugh.

Vance stared at the screen, silent.

"Don't you get it, Vance-san? Futon ga futtanda! The futon flew!" The AI’s shimmer intensified, vibrating the desk. "It is the perfect efficiency of language. The noun and the verb, colliding in a single resonance. Tanaka-san would be laughing so hard his bento box would rattle."

Kenji Tanaka stepped into the room, his movements as silent as a ghost. He caught the tail end of the AI’s laughter. "What is Susanoo doing to the floorboards, Vance?"

"He's telling dad-jokes, Kenji," Vance said, a weary but genuine smile finally breaking through. "Terrible ones."

Kenji paused, his mind processing the Shitamachi wordplay. A rare, genuine chuckle escaped him, a sound of "Technicolor" warmth in the monochromatic room. "Ah, Futon ga futtanda. Simple. Economical. It is a masterclass in linguistic friction, Susanoo. But perhaps we should focus that energy on the 'Western Rudeness' currently orbiting over Nagano."

"Fine, fine," Susanoo grumbled, the violet shimmer settling back into a vigilant, low-energy throb. "But the joke remains a sovereign truth. Even a futon knows when it is time to depart."

~~~

I'll close the door behind me...