Good News and Bad...... Part 2

     My mind was workin' overtime while I was stuck in the medical center on Al Raqis. Maybe I needed to get outa there. Needed to do somethin'..... "All's I can say is this here virus ain't your normal kind like a cold or somethin'. Doc had me a mite worried on what they could do to help... and what all they couldn't. She said she was still searchin' for Lily and AuroraBlue. Not sure where all they're holed up. For now just gotta set 'round a place that smells of cleanin' chemicals and such 'til I could find a way outa here."

     "When the doc showed up to check on me, I asked if I could go somewhere instead of bein' stuck in the medical center. She checked me out then said she could take me to a quarantine house. Hell that was better then bein' where I was." Someone was comin' 'round again. Wasn't sure who all it was. Maybe it was Lily again. "After gettin' dressed, Went to the landin' deck level in a mask. The doc had a shuttle waitin' for me. She said folks there at the house were all infected too. All that was goin' through my mind was bein' in a leper colony...."

     "We got into that shuttle and headed out into the deep desert. Was thinkin' of all the folks that were sick.... Maybe cause of me. Not sure. A lot of folks been travellin' of late and any one of em coulda got through too. Then there's Lily and AuroraBlue sneakin' back and forth from place to place. I know Lily can't get sick. But AuroraBlue? Her I ain't sure of. That's whats got me a lot worried. Just hope she ain't sick." Pariah came walkin' into the shoppin' plaza to say hi. Hadn't seen her in a while. Mostly she worked at Firefly's. Guess she was feelin' a need to come and just hang out. Was ok with me.

     "Once we got out to the 'house', the doc showed me 'round. I was free to wander 'round the compound and house, but not outside. Seems they had automated weapons and 'bots guardin' us.... So we couldn't leave. No weapons, and no freedom. Like bein' under house arrest. Only way I could leave was if somethin' happened. Which didn't take more'n a few days. First Lily shows up and bites me bad on the forearm. I figured she had a reason for it. She said she had to. Was real important to her to do it. After she left someone else showed up and tried to shoot me, then was tryin' to burn the place to the ground."



     Pariah sat by the fire pit near the mall. She was just wantin' to have a little company cause it was over quiet of late..... No wonder. It was that time of year when folks were gettin' ready for the scare day... Halloween. "After the attackers left, found a protective mask and headed across the desert and back to the center. Had to find someone to tell what all happened. The others fled from the burnin' buildin'... Not sure what all happened to em. Lily was there in town when I got there. She led me to some big old place in Wadi Emit. She said it was Krakken's house. Feller had some serious money by the look. Stayed there and sent word to the doc from the comm in the house. She came a few days later and gave me some injection. Said it was the cure. Instead of four shots..... Only needed one. I knew Lily'd cured me and my system was burnin' off the dose the doc gave me." 

     "Later that day, she took me someplace. She slipped past the cruisers and heavy ships guardin' against anyone leavin' without permissions. Took me to some small moon. She was talkin' 'bout some strange common past. About where all she lived. How we all had some common ancestry. Hell, don't much on the whole genetics stuff so I shrugged it off." Pariah was sayin' she was lookin' 'round the area and liked some of the stuff we set up for Halloween. At least this time we had a real corn maze. One that was grown from the soil of Dragon's Egg. "Doc showed me a bunch of stuff. Most of it I couldn't figure out. Was still feelin' the effects of the cure bein' burned outa myself. Didn't r'member most of it. A few things I r'member. A tree in a covered little open shed."  

     "Then there was that pyramid. Gorram thing opened up and was shinin' a bright light on me. Wasn't sure why all that happened. But then again, Ain't sure why a lot of stuff happens to me that can't be explained..... Like that time I was in the Necronom data stream.. and survived. Not sure what all this means... Then again if I asked Blue, he won't say. He knows a hell of a lot more'n he's sayin'. Same with Lily. They know stuff but make you work to figure what all they're hidin." We watched the cats chasin' a few mice near the corn maze. It was like bein' at home watchin' the barn cats goin' after the mice there. pouncin' on em and playin' with em. Some even lettin' the mice go then chasin' em down again.

     "After the tour, the doc brought me back to Al Raqis, Not Krakken's place. That's ok. I was gonna hitch a ride back to Dragon's Egg as soon as I could. Needed to. Had a bunch of stuff still needin' to be shipped.... And to tell Xoxo what all happened. She won't be too happy...  Lily finally showed up. She was not herself.... Seemed she was thinkin' on somethin'. Kept talkin' 'bout her cub. Had a feelin' it wasn't AuroraBlue. The weird thing was, any time I mentioned AuroraBlue, Lily'd say, 'she be the death of me.' Kinda set me t wonderin' why all she was sayin' that. Might need to go through some old notebooks from the old lab. Who knows, maybe I can solve a mystery b'fore it does any damage."



Got Good News and Bad News...

     "Seems the moon here's better then anyone expected.... Could smell it in the air. Folks're settlin' on the ground. Someone even built a small ranch house and started up a garden.Hell, they even got bees to do the pollinatin'." Not much else to think on at the mo.... 'cept bein' scanned.... Again. "They had some livestock shipped down. Not a bad start."

   "When I had the chance, headed to Al Raqis. Wanted to make sure AuroraBlue was ok. Xoxo's been goin' nuts tryin' to get her back. Hell, even saw Seana come all the way out to Wadi Emit to talk with the Lady Rashad there. Seana was there for the same reason... That's when AuroraBlue came downstairs to visit. She was lookin' good, but still needed a bath." Don't like the idea of bein' given tea with spice in it. All I need is to be hooked on that stuff. "Rashad said AororaBlue could stay as long as she liked. S'pose it's ok at the time.... Not sure now..."

     "Got some good news.... Took some doin' but finally got hold of that Krakken feller. The one from Lily's datapad. He showed up at the station. Brought him down to see what all he could do for Lily. One thin' I know. Can't wake her again my own self. That's somethin' someone else had to do. And since the loss of a good friend, the only choice was this feller, Krakken. So now she wakes up and imprints on him. Not sure what all to expect. She wants another cub. Don't know what all to think on that. Thought AuroraBlue was the one to bring it all together." Had to shrug. Not sure if its a good idea or not. Want Lily to be happy.... but then what?....

    "So now she's runnin' 'round with Krakken. And Xoxo's been puttin' me to work. Not haulin' stuff.... Hell no. Buildin' and movin' stuff. Been havin' to do cargo hauls for her too. it pays the costs for runnin' the ATS office and payin' pilots to keep workin'." Still don't like bein' in a clinic... But gotta stay. Can't b'leive I got shipped here in a gorram stasis box. Doc Nat had to send here.... "When I had the chance, slipped off to do a little side run. A friend wanted some of that quality hooch. Said he'd pay good money for it. Been a while since I did an illegal run. But the money was good. So took a flight to Al Raqis and snuck in through the automated shuttle Jai had. Only way to bypass highport and the gorram blockade they had. Was hopin' to see AuroraBlue too..... " Good thin' I didn't now. She'd be sick too now.

     Aiya, this ain't good. Some virus, both docs said. All for a fever and some weird rash I got. hell if I know how exact I caught it. Seems some woman comin' out of the other clinic stopped and talked to me. She mighta been the one who's spreadin' it. Least that's what the Al Raqis doc thinks.... "Hope they can find the cure quick.... "Problem is, I been to a few other places now, talked with a couple folks, and all the time bein' sick not knowin' I was. First place was the BlueSun compound on Washburne. Had to drop of that load of seats and office supplies.

    "Then had to hop on over to Paquin to drop off a couple boxes of stuff for Xoxo's office there. Stopped at CATZ to see if Jai was in. Was gonna see if she had any cargo to go back to Dragon's Egg. She wasn't in so decided to head on home." Good thing. Jai's been bein' cautious 'bout this virus stuff. Smart woman..... "Gettin' back to D.E. was easy 'nough. Did a refuel then took the shuttle down to the surface. A few came 'round while I was workin'.... Hope they're ok. Don't want anyone catchin' this virus.... or plaque, or what all they're callin' it now..... Mutated, the doc said. That I do know..... Its changed..."

     "Got told it could be cause of my eyes.... Ok.. So at one time I was blinded... The 'liance fixed em up.. regenned em, but now I see in the dark like it was daylight... And daylight blinds me... Hell, least I can see... Lessen the virus makes me go blind... Jai said somethin' to that when she commed me... Doc Nat had me do down and wait for her in the clinic.... Then her and Jai show up in suits. Yeah... I know... To keep em from gettin' what all I got. They end up knockin' me out and puttin' me a stasis box to send me to the Al Raqis medcenter. Seems a doc there's workin' on stoppin' this here virus.... or viruses.... Doc said there were a few runnin' rampant here......" 

     "Now its a waitin' game. They gotta go get Lily... and AuroraBlue to check me for this here virus too. Lily I been 'round of late.... AuroraBlue? I ain't been near her in a few weeks. So she aughta be safe.... They think cause she's been in highport she coulda come down with it too. Hope not.... She don't need to be sick with this here thin' too. Just gotta hope they're both cleared."