Imperial Rules

By Steve Husk

Verse One of the Metzgerhund Retreat series happened because sixteen year old keyboardist Billy Mecklenburg was good at inventing his own rules. His greatest accomplishment was getting his band, Metzgerhund, away from the distractions and the drama of their neighborhood---and especially away from all the home issues each of them had to deal with---by getting hired as activity counselors at a summer park along the Chesapeake Bay. In Billy’s mind, this gave them their best shot at preparing for a potential career-defining battle of the bands competition at the end of summer.

Except, there were even more distractions and more complications waiting at the park than what they retreated from. The most disastrous complication to their plans was when their new boss imposing an insane workload to accommodate a filled-to-capacity guest list. The guys worked non-stop for nearly a week without so much as touching their instruments.

Some of the band members were concerned this type of workload would cause Metzgerhund to be caught completely unprepared for the battle of the bands.

Fortunately, Billy remembered the reason his musical dream made it this far in the first place. After that, the solution was easy. Everyone at the park simply needed to know what Metzgerhund was all about. And what they were good at. Even their boss needed to be shown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Husk
• Release date: Oct 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301012305

Steve Husk

Some say Steve Husk is constantly going up against his demons and the many voices in his own head. Truth is, Steve has recruited most of them as his advisors. Some of them want to start a band with him.Steve is a retired software / web application developer and security control center officer. He currently works his writing (and sometimes music) craft in northern Virginia, USA.

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Imperial Rules

Verse One of

Metzgerhund Retreat

Steve Husk

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2023 Steven M. Husk

Cover art Copyright 2023 Steven M. Husk

All rights reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the author’s page on Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Billy Mecklenburg ran down the front porch steps and across the lawn with his portable synthesizer tucked underneath his arm. Half his baseball jersey was still unbuttoned. His hair showed darker than its usual ‘dirty blonde’ because it was still wet. He didn’t want to waste time drying it properly.

He had to laugh at himself. He was far from being late for his new job, but there was one event before that he didn’t want to miss.

He ran up to the opened back hatch of his van and placed the synthesizer down gently, then covered it with a blanket.

From behind him, he heard a loudening sound of mechanical rumbling.

Right on time.

A school bus pulled up to the street corner, three houses away. The exiting high school riders celebrating the last day of school were louder than the bus itself.

Two guys and a girl, all wearing Metzgerhund street team T-shirts, pushed their way through the crowd of exiting students and scrambled down the sidewalk directly towards him. One of the guys was carrying a video camera.

You realize, Billy called to the team, you rode the wrong bus home.

Yeah, we know, one of the teens answered. Lindsay made us do it.

Billy smirked. Not the least bit surprised.

A fourth teen, Lindsay, exited the bus, carrying a wireless microphone. While all the other girls in school dressed up in more attractive clothing with the expectation of going somewhere to celebrate the last day of school, Lindsay was wearing a Metzgerhund T-shirt, along with her usual cargo pants. Billy could also tell Lindsay was in one of her ‘all in’ modes on whatever current gadget she was currently obsessing over because her natural light brown hair color was overtaking her blonde dye job more than she usually allows it.

Emperor Meck! she called to him, flashing a lopsided devious grin it seemed she only showed around him. We didn’t get to finish our interview!

Billy’s pleased smile appeared all by itself. This kind of fan interaction---this kind of fan attention---made all his hard work well worth the effort.

Billy opened the sliding side door to organize his equipment, pretending he wasn’t interested. Yeah, go ahead and make me late for my first day at my new job.

Most of Billy’s German accent faded away after nearly three years of being here, but it still escaped his throat whenever he was uptight, oftentimes when he was attempting to conceal whatever band-related scheme he was up to, and almost always when he was psyched about something or someone. This time, it was all due to Lindsay’s presence.

Lindsay motioned for the camera guy to get into position. That’s the question all your fans want to know the answer to! She moved next to Billy, then turned to face the camera, and held the mic up to her mouth.

Billy kept pretending to work.

Hi, everyone! This is Lindsay Jensworth, newly appointed public relations minister of the Metzgerhund Imperial Street Team.

Billy turned his head towards her. You know that title isn’t official until I decree it.

As you can tell, I’m here with Billy Mecklenburg, Emperor and keyboardist of Metzgerhund, the greatest rock band in the history of Sevran Heights. Maybe in the history of Maryland. In the history of the entire western hemisphere.

Billy slid the side door shut and turned to face the camera. The Empire’s soon-to-be deposed Minister of Public Relations has obviously inhaled too many soldering fumes.

"What you might have already read on their blog is true: they made a radical decision to relocate their base of operations for the entire summer to prepare for a major battle of the bands contest during Labor Day weekend. What their blog didn’t explain is why they saw the need to leave Sevran Heights. The Emperor hasn’t answered that question yet... She moved until their bodies were touching, then slipped her arm over his shoulder and down the open part of his jersey. ...but I’ll get him to talk. Right now, I’m gonna flirt with him so I can watch him squirm and he can’t do anything about it because he knows I have a boyfriend."

I paid Edward to like you. He almost didn’t take the gig.

Lindsay smacked him in the back of the head again. You’re not being nice. What would you like to tell your---

Billy quick-stepped around the van towards the driver’s door.

Hold still, dammit! Lindsay was with a loud huff, then followed him.

Billy climbed into the driver’s seat.

Lindsay reached her arm through the open window and shoved the mic in Billy’s face. You never answered the question.

Billy reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed an olive green T-shirt. "What question?"

The question about---

Billy draped the T-shirt over Lindsay’s head. Hold this for me for a second, please.

What is this? Lindsay’s muffled voice sounded from underneath the shirt.

Our new boss wanted us to wear uniform shirts at work but changed his mind. He let each of us keep one as a way of advertising the park. I think I’m going to use mine for when I clean my van.

It smells like you already did that.

Billy pulled the T-shirt off her head. It turned Lindsay’s previously straight hair into a frazzled mess.

Not a bad new look for you. Except, I think it might frighten Edward.

Lindsay attempted to return her hair back into its normal shape with her hands.

Billy started the engine. Is your camera still recording?

Yes.

Billy turned in his seat to face the camera. "Fans of Metzgerhund mean everything to me. They deserve the