A LONG TIME AGO... ON A NODE FAR
, FAR AWAY (FROM PDPVAX).....

       D E C W A R S

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LUKE VAXHACKER
      EPISODE N+1

THE STORY THUS FAR: LUKE, PDP-1, AND 
THEIR 'DROIDS RS232 AND 3CPU HAVE MADE 
GOOD THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE IMPERIAL BUS
 SIGNALS WITH THE AID OF CON SOLO AND 
THE BOOKIE, TWO BACCO. THE MILLIAMP 
FALCON HURTLES ONWARD THROUGH SYSTEM 
SPACE. MEANWHILE, ON A DISTANT PAGE IN U
SER SPACE...

PRINCESS _LPA0: WAS USHERED INTO THE CO
NFERENCE ROOM, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY DEC 
VADIC. "GOVERNOR TARCHIVE," SHE SPAT,
 "I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO FIND YOU 
HOLDING VADIC'S LEAD. I RECOGNIZED Y
OUR UNIQUE PATTERN WHEN I WAS FIRST 
BROUGHT ABOARD." SHE EYED THE 0177545 TA
TOOED ON HIS HEADER COLDLY.

"CHARMING TO THE LAST," TARCHIVE DEC
LARED MENACINGLY. "VADIC, HAVE YOU 
RETRIEVED ANY INFORMATION?"

"HER RESISTANCE TO THE LOGIC PROBE IS CO
NSIDERABLE," VADIC RASPED. "PERHAPS WE 
WOULD GET FASTER RESULTS IF WE INCREASED
 THE SUPPLY VOLTAGE..."

"YOU'VE HAD YOUR CHANCE, VADIC". NOW I 
WOULD LIKE THE PRINCESS TO WITNESS THE 
TEST THAT WILL MAKE THIS WORKSTATION FUL
LY OPERATIONAL.

TODAY WE ENABLE THE -R BEAM OPTION, A
ND WE'VE CHOSEN THE PRINCESS' $HOME 
OF /USR/ALDERAAN AS THE PRIMARY TARGET."

"NO! YOU CAN'T! /USR/ALDERAAN IS A 
PUBLIC ACCOUNT, WITH NO RESTRICTED 
PERMISSIONS. WE HAVE NO BACKUP TAPES! YO
U CAN'T..."

"THEN NAME THE REBEL INODE!" TARCHIVE SN
APPED.

A VOICE ANNOUNCED OVER A HIDDEN SPEAKER 
THAT THEY HAD ARRIVED IN /USR.

"1248," SHE WHISPERED, "THEY'RE ON /DEV/
RM3. INODE 1248." SHE TURNED AWAY.

TARCHIVE SIGHED WITH SATISFACTION. "TH
ERE, YOU SEE LORD VADIC? SHE CAN BE 
REASONABLE. PROCEED WITH THE OPERATION."

IT TOOK SEVERAL CLOCK CYCLES FOR THE 
WORDS TO PENETRATE. "WHAT!" _LPA0: 
GASPED.

"/DEV/RM3 IS NOT A MOUNTED FILESYSTEM." 
TARCHIVE EXPLAINED. "WE REQUIRE A MORE 
VISIBLE SUBJECT TO DEMONSTRATE THE POWE
R OF THE RM STAR WORKSTATION. WE WILL 
MOUNT AN ATTACK ON /MNT/DANTOOINE AS SOO
N AS POSSIBLE."

AS THE PRINCESS WATCHED, TARCHIVE REA
CHED OVER AND TYPED "LS" ON A NEARBY 
TERMINAL. THERE WAS A BRIEF PAUSE, THE
RE BEING ONLY ONE PROCESSOR ON BOARD, 
AND THE VIEWSCREEN SHOWED, ".: NOT FOUND
."

THE PRINCESS SUDDENLY DOUBLE-SPACED AND 
WENT OFF-LINE.

TO BE CONTINUED...