Somethin' on the wind.

It weren't so log ago I came out of hidin. Damn medcenters.... Don't like em or the 'liance. Pa never did......

leaning back in the chair, looking down at the near empty scotch glass, "Lived on Blackburne.... Grew up there.... Pa's Ranch, the Triple Ring, was helpin' feed the folk there. He'd made sure us kids had what he called, 'A well rounded education.' Made sure we could handle ourselves just in case." Takes another drink of the dark amber liquid, feeling it warm his insides.

"But then the reavers come in the middle of the night.... Changed all that. Left nothin'.... cept Kitten and me. She was the Foreman's daughter, but when he died a few years back, Ma and Pa adopted her into the family, all official and legal."

Maybe it was the amount of scotch in me, rememberin' all what happened...... "They come sceamin' and howlin'. Insane monsters in the darkness....." Frowns as the scenes and sounds bacome dlear in my mind again, "Gunfire rang out.... I could hear Pa shoutin' for us to run to the ground shelter. I turned, firin' at the ones chasen' me.... Don't remember gettin' cut, just kept firin' til I was out. Then there was a noise... Sounded like a sceam from the sky." I take another drink, thinking for a moment. "It's the last thing I see.... The huge fireball hittin' the supply barn..... I had to been too close to it.... The light was blindin' bright..... then everythin' went dark."

I look up through my dark weldin' shades. "Woke up with a splittin' headache. Didn't help, I couldn't see worth a damn. Kitten found me in the pile of debris. Had a real bad cut on the right side of my face, " I gusture at the scar runnin' down through my eyebrow to me cheek. "She was my eyes for near a week. Then the salvage crew coem and got us..... took us to the nearest medcenter."

Frownin', I went on, "They seperated me and Kitten. Said they needed to ask her questions 'bout what happened." Takes an other drink, seeing how close to done I am. "Fill it, will you?" I wait til the glass is full. "Spent weeks there, bein' knocked out for them to do treatments on me. Don't know what they were doin', No one really said anythin' to me. Wouldn't answer any of my questions neither." I shrugged, "Didn't help when I had those headaches. Some of em blinded me. Docs there said I'd get em once in a while. Seems after maybe the eighth time they knocked me out I got sick of bein' at the 'center. I could see well enough.... at least when it wasn't bright out. So I found a way to leave." I chuckle at that, rememberin' how I used the old lockpick and a few stolen things.

I took another drink lookin' out the darkened window, "Now here's where I fell into some hard times.... I found a way to get to the landin' area and 'hitched a ride'. I knew Kitten wasn't there. I'd heard them docs outside the room talkin. And damn if that wasn't the oddest thing. I could hear things better, smell too." I shruged again.

"B'fore long, I was runnin' with a small group of Indies somewhere out on the raggedy edge. We made some noise," I chuckle again, "More like explosive retaliations to some of the 'liance goh se. There are a few shootouts.... Maybe a few folks got shot. Don't know for sure. Then there was that gorram 'liance officer. I wanted to know where they took Kitten, and why they never sent a rescue out.....", ekaes a nother drink, "We had words....Then I noticed him twitch. He'd got his hands on a gun under the desk. Was goin' to shoot me. I dove over the desk and we fought over the gorram piece. Then it went off. I felt the kick from it. The man just glared at me.... That whole time he was hangin' onto my jacket, he glared..... I stepped back as he fell over.... Didn't know he stuffed somethin' into my pocket..... Don't know why he did. I high tailed itout of there..... climbed out the window and jumped a few roofs. I knew what they were goin' to say, the gorram 'laince. They'd say I killed him in cold blood."

I looked a the glass and the liquer in it, but not really seein' it. My vision turned inwards, remember what happened, clear as day. "I hid for a few months workin' a few cargo jobs til I come to Hale's moon. Seemed quiet enough. A few of the residents were freindly enough. Miss Lilybell gave me some food. Unusual woman. Thought she was a mutant.... Don't matter none." I took a few swallows of the scotch, " I met Coop and Immy there too. Was them that offered me a real job.... Needed it too. Had no coin to keep lookin' for Kitten. I knew she was out there. Maybe lookin' for me."

"We did a job for Pod. Salvage in space. Didn't help we had pirates on us. They shot at us while we were tryin' to get the cargo on board.... Got myself shot too. Lucky I was almost in the airlock when I took one in the side. I was bleedin' air and blood when the lock sealed. Woke up when we landed. The gorram pirates followed us to ground. Gabe, Faulkin, Coop, Immy and me.... We fought em best we could. Took em' out too." I sighed, "Ended up needin' medical treatment. Gorram shell went through the airlock cowlin', though my suit, and me. Wsa lily what helped me out, her and Seana.... The mayor of Hale's. It'd be a onther day or two b'fore a doc could do somethin' 'bout the busted rib.", me shruged takin' another drink.

"Kitten found me a week later. Missed not havin' her 'round. But she'd changed.... Wasn't behavin' right.... I asked her what was wrong, but she was..... well talkin' all strange and actin' all out of sorts. I brought her to meet the capn' and Immy. They liked her which helped. Now I got to get her some help..... She's startin' to lose it. I don't kow how much more I can do to keep her from slippin'. It's got me spooked....."

A couple weeks later:

"Lily's been actin' all funny. She ain't actin' right. Been forgettin'.... And Emma's been mad at me...'bout my behavoir? Hell. I don't know." I rubbed the back of my neck and yawned, "She run off, left Hale's and come to the drift. She's all scared. Not like her. She decided to show me why she run. Got me spooked now.... Jars of babies, and a brain.... Said it was Aurora. Took it out from under Krenshar's nose. Then a a few days ago Aurora shows up. A whole little girl. Got me scratchin' my head, tryin' to figure out how she's alive. That and Mindo's been runin' 'round here on the Drift.... Goh se.... He's livin' in the room below us."

I swore a few thiings in chinese, "He comes near Kitten I'll take a few fingers to make sure he know I mean business. Now Krenshar's Hoppin mad. Found out Lily and me went there. Lily set fire to the lab.... I can understand she's real mad at him for messin' up Aurora. She wants him dead. Didn't help yesterday when I heard the 'liance got took over by the loyalists. Now we're in some real Goh se..... Maybe even another war....... Don't know..... Then Xoxo shows up settin' traps for Lily. I'm not so sure I like the thought of Lily in a cage. And I don't like someone knowin' how I feel 'bout her."

I reach out ready to shut down the viewer, then hesitates, "Maybe I need to go into hidin' again. Maybe runnin' from myself. Maybe from the bounty. Don't rightly know. I don't need to be dumpin' all this on Coop. He's got a lot on his mind of late. Maybe he's too much like my Pa. Scares me sometimes, thinkin' that....." The viewer cuts out.